@InfiniteWaves Congrats! That is awesome news.
Congratulations @InfiniteWaves . Its nice to have it done.
On retirement - we are also considering where to go. We want south but are not clear at all where. We keep kicking around different places in FL but even that is up in the air. My only real requirement is that I not have to shovel snow. I am not even considering where the kids will be. My D16 has a Chinese minor and wants to use that somehow professionally. Last year summer she was in China, now she is interviewing for internships in international banking. I think I will just assume that she can come visit us where ever we are. As for S19, who knows as of yet. We will probably be relocated before he gets settled.
Is anyone else feeling pressured to deposit at a school yet? S was deferred at his first choice pending first half grades, and was accepted at his number two. He still has two other decisions outstanding but he has said he will not pick either of them over number two so they are somewhat irrelevant now. The problem is that housing at number two is not guaranteed and selection gets done by the date you deposit. Our first half grades come out late - not until Feb 1 this year, which means he wonât hear back from school one until mid Feb at the earliest. I am considering having him deposit at number two and then just eating it if he gets accepted at number one. I believe the housing part of the deposit is refundable so we would potentially lose $200 for the tuition deposit. Its not a lot in the scheme of things. (BTW, Iâm not talking about double depositing. He would withdraw the acceptance from number two before committing to number one.) Iâm thinking about advising him to do this just to guarantee he gets a decent housing selection at number two if he goes there, and I do think its the most likely outcome right now.
@me29034 Weâve made our housing deposit at one school where housing isnât guaranteed. A tuition deposit was not required, and all but $50 of the deposit is refundable.
@peachActuary73
That seems really reasonable.
@InfiniteWaves Congratulations!!! That is huge, order the sweatshirt! But oh, that commute. I canât imagine and really hope you get mileage reimbursement or have a company car!
@eandesmom I was working from home (yay, no long commute!) yesterday when the decision came in. As I have portal privileges, I found out while he was still at school. So I went over to the bookstore at the nearby Penn State branch campus, bought a bunch of stuff, and made a swag bag. Surprised him with it after he checked the portal. 
Congratulations @InfiniteWaves! Most Excellent news!
@InfiniteWaves congratulations to S19. How exciting for him and what a relief to have it all over and done! I didnât realize you commuted from PA to MD. Are you north of Baltimore or further west? S21 has a couple of teachers who commute down I-83 to his high school, an hour commute each way. At first I was surprised they would drive so far, but I suppose itâs hard to support a family on a teacherâs salary so cheaper to move over the PA line.
In terms of relocating, we still have four years until our youngest is off to college. By then D17 will be graduating college. She is in college in southern CA but studying international relations so most likely she will head back here to DC for work, depending on what she decides she wants to do.
However, with four kids, who knows where they will all end up. Weâve lived here for 23 years so most of our friends are here. My parents are only 30 minutes away, and my brother and his family are 45 mins away (with whom I get along but we arenât super close that I would stay here b/c of them). My sister and the rest of my extended family is spread all over. Dhâs entire family though is on the west coast - one in southern CA, two in San Francisco, and one in the Pacific NW. I love the area where we live, which is a quaint tourist town, so I wouldnât mind staying here but if we do stay, I would move into town where we can walk to everything. In fact, weâve talked about once the kids are all out of the house, we will move into downtown. I think ideally we would keep a house here but purchase a small little place near dhâs brother in southern CA (I just wish I liked his wife moreâŠ). I doubt our kids will all end up in the same place, so no plans to relocate to any specific area. Iâd like to wait until they are all relatively established b/f we decide if we will uproot.
@InfiniteWaves - Congrats!! That is terrific.
@InfiniteWaves Congrats!!! So nice to know and be settled as well as his top choice! We are counting down. Also, stroke of luck/genius on the swag bag.
@ninakatarina Hey thank you. Have de Grace might be the perfect solution and I have never considered. 
@me29034 I would definitely do the deposit. Housing is pretty crucial.
Commuting expenses are personal and not deductible, even in a company car.
D19 sent 2 more apps today, unexpectedly. Clemson and URI. A friend told her about Clemson, she researched it and thought sheâd like it. Texted me today and said sheâd like to apply. I gave her the thumbs up. Next thing I know, she texted me that sheâd submitted Clemson and URI. Wasnât expecting URI, but okay. No supplemental essays, so no extra work. Wonder if the waiting is getting to her.
We are hoping to take advantage of the Tuition Exchange Program (benefit for dependents of college employees) and we just received the first offer of full tuition last night so our challenge will be that many schools will not make an offer until February, March or even April! If we donât make a decision, then we are holding up potential spots for other students, which is not fair. We also want the ability to potentially ânegotiateâ room and board by stacking merit if thatâs even a remote possibility so not having been dealt all the cards yet, I canât really play my hand. Can you tell I love the art of negotiation?? My son has also received full tuition and fees (fees are the big nut in MA) at a local state university thatâs almost too close to board. Heâs destined to be a civil engineer so you have to wonder if one ABET school over another is worth the extra debt as long as the outcomes are similar. I also work in higher education for MA so I have personal connections that help as I try to keep my kid on track
Iâm not banking my retirement on my kiddosâ permanent residence. I have one kid who is a junior and also looking at international relations. She will probably never live nearby and has already left the nest (boarding school). D22 want a farm and the civil son who knows.
But, you have a good reason for waiting. Itâs not like youâre just procrastinating. Iâd say thatâs fair.
I agree @momzilla2D but I would not want to be on the other end waiting. Hopefully, that wonât play out.
@twoinanddone it depends. Packages can be offered that include offsets via a car allowance, though not generally if it is a company that does any work for government entities.
@MAandMEmom from a hiring perspective, in MOST cases, one ABET school is as good as another. CC will try to make you think differently but from where I sit, at a large engineering firm and involved in hiriing and marketing the staff, it only makes a difference in getting your foot in the door for that first job and it varies by discipline.
For civil, structural, mechanical and electrical, honestly I think almost any school is good.
Materials/Metallurgical, Aero, Industrial, MicroelectronicsâŠschools that specialize can be a boost. Maybe on mechanical if auto is your thing, one more geared that way. But often those are more grad school issues than anything else. General rule around my office is pay as little as possible, go ABET and save if for the ârightâ grad school.
Congrats @InfiniteWaves thatâs great news!!
@ninakatarina My DH was born in Havre de Grace! He drove us through one time when we did a road trip from FL to MA - very cute.
Congrats @InfiniteWaves