Our list is 7. We probably had 10-12 that she wanted to investigate further when we started towards the end of junior year (with an eye towards summer visits). Once she investigated, that list went to 7 and that’s what we visited and applied to.
Realistically, we could have done three or four, in terms of the ones she really liked. But, you never know about admission unless it’s an absolutely automatic thing like some of you have. Here, I could guess with 99 percent certainty that she was in some places but others I had no clue.
At least 5 out of the 7 didn’t have application fees, and took the ACT scores off the transcript.
@katstat1 I hear ya…for our D to apply they had to have healthy merit package opportunities. That’s why she applied to 3 initially and awaiting merit from at least one to get an idea if she needs to apply to a few more that are on her backup list.
For us, D18 ED school is her one “freebie”. Probably wouldn’t get much merit to speak of other than a small NMF package. If she doesn’t get in there, how much merit aid she could get somewhere else will be a big factor in the decision making.
We’ve got 7 apps submitted here, but two still need Honors College apps to go in. At least one more full app will go in next month. The list has 10 schools on it, but after #8 and the 2 HC apps go in, I am going to be pretty much done. D can do the others on her own if she’s driven to do them.
Continuing the California discussion, D has no UCs on her list. Nor does the other NMSF that we know. They are simply too expensive for us, compared to what D can get out of state with merit. Full COA with room/board/books is about $32000. And the anecdotal stories of impacted majors and not getting needed classes are too scary. CSULB is one of the remaining 2 schools so that one may yet go in just to have 1 in-state option. DH and I are both UCLA grads & loved our time there, so we’re sad that the UCs have been off the table for both our D’s.
CA family here. When I first joined CC, UCSB, where DH and I met, would have been our cheap option. We were Blue & Gold eligible (free tuition & fees) and S could have lived at home. Cal Poly SLO was a match academically, but a financial reach if S wanted to go away for college, and Pomona would have been his meets-full-need Hail Mary.
Then hubs lost his job twice in the same year, rode two different companies all the way to the ground. The owners of our below-market rental wanted to move back into it, and Santa Barbara is so pricey that we had to leave the area.
DH then found the best job he’s ever had, so good we could buy a house in our new location. Only problem? Hello donut hole! We can’t afford the UCs now, or any of the meets-full-need schools, and there isn’t a UC or Cal State close enough to us for S to commute. This is when we realized that S’s best shot for an undergrad we could afford was going to be National Merit. which I found out about from reading these boards.
S got a handwritten postcard from Carleton this week, a school that was on his short list and seemed like a great fit. We still get a lot of contact from Tulane, too. I feel a twinge every now and then about missing those opportunities even though S is totally sold on UNM and it has the perfect programs for him.
Don’t get me wrong - we’re ecstatic about UNM. I’m not disappointed about where he’ll end up, and I don’t think he’s settling for something lesser, just an occasional knee-jerk about what might have been since S is a high stats minority kid.
tl;dr - Can’t afford UCs so this Cali kid is headed out of state.
@GertrudeMcFuzz re: CSULB - They used to / may still offer a full ride for NMFs! University of LaVerne (at least per the yolasite) is the other one, though I know nothing about their programs…
@GertrudeMcFuzz - I went to CSULB back in the day. Hard for me to believe it has grown so much in appeal. That’s nice to hear. My husband went to UCLA - we are OOS now and took our daughter to look there but just too bitter a pill to swallow paying that OOS tuition there when my husband paid about 1000/semester!!
@bearcatfan@jjkmom gave a nice explanation of the differences between UCs and CSUs. Another way to think of it is flagship vs directional. Also, CA has a system that ensures transfers into the UCs (and CSUs, I think) for kids who do their first two years at a community college.
@DiotimaDM - yes, that is exactly why it is on the list! It’s got a good reputation these days, but D thinks it’s just too close to home. She is looking for a bit of adventure. Fine with me as she has good OOS options.
Another LOTTERY family here. D is applying to 14. I would say 6 of those are true lottery schools, acceptance rates 12% or under. There are a few that should be true matches but because they are fairly small LAC even though she has the stats for them it still feels scary as she could easily not be admitted. Really she has what I would call 4 safeties. 3 of those already applied to EA, the next one will be done in a week or two. I wonder if we really need 4 safeties, there is one I would take off because it is furthest away but she wants them all on. A friend from last year who had good stats and similar ECs applied to 10 and got into one safety only. So we leave them all on.
Hopefully she get an acceptance or two before thanksgiving but I have a feeling we will be biting our nails waiting to hear mid March.
It is nerve wracking. Just last week D said ‘all my friends are so stressed out’. I think it’s sad what senior year has become for them.
For those who are only applying to a couple and have the acceptances in hand, good for you!
One more comment re: CA - the federal aid formulas really don’t account for variations in the cost of living. $60k/year is some places is a comfortable middle class income where all of your basic needs are met and you can have some small luxuries, take a vacation, save for college, etc.
There are lots of places in CA - and many other locations, too - where 60k/year leaves you homeless and in poverty. When we left Santa Barbara, the rent for a crappy 2-bedroom apartment in a semi-safe location with formica and appliances dating to the 1970’s was $2,500/month and you could expect increases 2x/year. It’s probably pushing $3k/year now.
DH’s parents kept sending us Craigslist ads for 2BR apts at $800/month. They didn’t understand that the $800/month was for a single bed spot in a shared bedroom where there might be 4-5 people in a 2-bed apartment, with three in the MBR because it was bigger!
@bacmom DD likes UCLA, UCSD also, although it’s far reach with less than 10% chance, with $70 she can have that chance and hope (same app for other UCs anyway). So I didn’t insist to remove them from the list. Same for USC, LMU, they are reach schools for her stats, but you just never know unless you try. DD also added ASU because she likes one of the major and we found out the Poly campus is WUA (resident tuition for CA students), she hasn’t heard from them though, but she really didn’t want OOS. We are from SoCal so she likes to try North Cal with her cousins there. CSULB is our local CSU and safety for her, same for CSUF but it’s too close to home with hundreds of local high schoolers going there, she doesn’t really interested. However CSUF has strong business school with good relationships with Disney, she likes to keep that safety in her pocket. Anyway, in her mind she just prepares for 7 schools, and I’m trying to talk to her out of 3 privates. Her heart is setting on UCs but we both don’t know where she will land on (we liked UCI and UCSC too), my DH and I like CSUs especially CalPoly SLO and Pomona for their hands-on approach and affordable tuition.
@1518mom yes, UCs and CSUs takes top community college students as high priority. DD has friends only aiming for top UCs (UCB, UCLA, UCSD) refused to go to any other UCs and CSUs chose to go to local community colleges with TAG Honor program and transfer to those schools 2 years later. We didn’t want to take that approach but many do, save lots $$ living at home and taking care of GEs.
@DiotimaDM so true! My DD likes UCSB and Pepperdine for their gorgeous views but look at their surrounding homes and apartments, it’s just ridiculous to rent (life after freshman), that’s why we can’t rule out UCD, UCSC and UCR.
@swtaffy904 stories like your friends scared us and I have heard several. I figured it’s better to have more options than have limited options. My own niece applied to 15, her stats GPA/SAT/EC was very strong. She applied to 5 Ivies, 5 top privates ( CMU, USC, etc) and top UCs (UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UC, UCSB and UCD) and later heartbreaken only got one acceptance to UCD. Although it was a very school with great reputation, she felt she was a failure for awhile with no school wanted her. She later graduated and easily found a job in silicone valley. But with her story, my DD wants to make sure she has more than just one option. Scary.
Interesting discussions on the California schools. Being on the opposite coast we don’t have much exposure to the UCs. One my D’s best friends is applying to a UC (can’t recall which); she is exceptionally strong student with high stats but she knows it’s still a reach.
As we all wait on merit packages and/or acceptances, it might be fun to play the “why did that school drop off your list” game. I’m always curious and fascinated by the process. My daughter’s current list is vastly different from a year and a half ago. We visited 16 campuses since her Sophomore year, some multiple times, and the reasons for her changes are pretty interesting (to me anyway lol).
US Coast Guard Academy: Her #1 choice for over a year. Dropped off the list entirely bc of several factors. She changed her planned program of study which made CGA a bit less attractive Add to that extremely Poor communication from admissions that left her frustrated. It's a long story so I'll spare the gory details, but it's interesting how those communications with Admissions make such a big difference.
Northeastern University: Her #2 choice for a year. Dropped off the list entirely because of her change in major. She still loves the school and atmosphere but it wouldn't make sense to apply there now; especially at that price tag.
William & Mary: W&M had bounced around the top 5 for several years but during the 2nd visit last spring she dropped them entirely off her list. The tour was not good and during it a group of current students got into a huge shouting match on the green, some sort of protest that got out of hand which was a little startling to the prospectives. There were a lot of people on that tour being rude, talking over the guide and stem panel etc which made for a less than desirable experience as well. The stem panel itself was unimpressive, sadly, which was another nail in the coffin. It was just one of those days where a lot went wrong and she soured on the school completely. I would still suggest she apply there, but she wants nothing to do with it. Really ashame.
St. John's Annapolis: Loved the concept of the Great Books and the unique style of programming but she felt very concerned about graduating with a Liberal Arts degree designation versus an actual major. This school was one of our favorite campuses and one of the best tours/information sessions we experienced. I think in a different world with college costs being more affordable and the pressures of graduating with the "right" major being less of a focus she would have thrived in this environment. But the stress of an unconventional degree and program was too much for her to keep it on the list. This is the school I'd attend if I could go back and do it again!
@jjkmom the saddest part about the story of your niece to me is that ‘she felt she was a failure for awhile’. This is a kid who had what it takes to apply to the top schools. She should have been feeling so proud of herself. I’m glad you shared that. Regardless of where my D does or doesn’t get in to college I don’t want it to wreck her self esteem. Something I can start preaching now.
@DavidPuddy okay, good to know. I guess I wasn’t paying attention when we toured this summer. I’ll have to listen more carefully when we go for D’s audition.
DP Jr. now has five accepts in hand - one more showed up this weekend. That leaves two awaiting results, and three in progress/not yet submitted. It looks like 10 is the final submission number.
Plus the previously mentioned finance and program stuff, there is still a ton of work left. DP Jr. keeps wondering when he will get to enjoy senior year. Soon…soon.
