WVU totally baited my daughter today.
She got a letter from them saying financial aid awards had been determined, and she should log into the student portal to find them—which she excitedly did, only to be confronted by a message that financial aid awards are not yet completed. :-<
@dfbdfb my son got the same letter and same notice in student portal. But after many twists and turns through WVU’s system we found his preliminary scholarship rewards. I cannot tell you how I found it as he had to choose another password, etc, and it took quite a while to get to it.
We received that letter too, @dfbdfb – and did find the merit award $. (We do not qualify for need-based aid.)
@me29034 - Congrats! I wanted S19 to apply there, but he did not want to go that far. (We are in NJ so it really isn’t THAT far, LOL)…anyway, great school - good luck with your decision! Deferred from Fordham over here - wasn’t high on the list and was a reach, but it still stings…glad he had a few acceptances already.
Congrats @me29034 Umass is a nice spot, and the price is right!! it’s an excellent value proposition for sure. What major? Sometimes they have special visit days for each department, so maybe try to get into one of those when you plan your visit. We have a lot of friends with kids there and they all seem to be doing well and enjoying it. Good luck.
D19 is expecting to hear from a couple of EA schools this week, UMich and Tulane, both reaches. Fingers crossed. Sure would be nice to get an acceptance before the holidays.
@RightCoaster He was accepted as a political science major. We also know kids who are there that are very happy but S has been adamant from the beginning that he wanted an urban school. He does have other options within the budget we gave him but this is definitely the least expensive. I’m hoping he gives it a fair chance when he sees it.
@5050100 if it makes you feel better, D17 was firmly in the match stats for Fordham, and she was a legacy (I’m a grad) but she also got deferred! That really smarted as it was in her top 2. She eventually got in but not enough merit to make it reasonable. Like your S19, she already had several acceptances so she wasn’t freaking out when the deferral came, but it still hurt.
We have a similar issue @me29034 in that D has 4/4 acceptances, all within budget, but D is most interested in the most expensive option. I do think I agree that it is the best school/major for her, but she needs to make the case for H.
@me29034 My 2 kids had similar requirements, wanting to be in or near large urban area. They liked UMass enough to consider it as a viable option, and we talked about the option of studying abroad a few semesters in a large city if they enrolled at Umass. That way they’d get instate rate for most years, and a couple of semester of higher price tags when abroad, and we felt that was a good compromise. We have some friends that used this approach and their kids had a great time there and got to experience some neat stuff, all while keeping things affordable for the parents. You could also look into getting a Masters in a city environment, using some of the $$ saved in undergrad fees for that. We talked about that too with our kids.
That being said, sometimes enrolling at a different more expensive school is the right choice for your family and that’s OK too. Whatever works. You’ll figure it out!!
Thanks @4kids4us - he withdrew his application this morning. One of his best friends got in (it was his safety) and I think he feels bad for my S. He’s a sweet kid and has a lot of reassuring words for my S. Lot of lessons learned in this process! Time to move on…
Hey everyone!
I’ve been in and out of this forum for about a month. We’re freaking out a bit because D19 has not been in school for 7 weeks. Yes SEVEN WEEKS. A little background: she had spinal fusion surgery in 2017. Her recovery was amazing with no complications. All of a sudden she wakes up one day and says “my back hurts”. Me: “How bad? 1 - 10?” Her: “8”. That’s pretty bad. So we had her rest for a few days but there was no change. She has been in this debillitating pain since she woke up that morning and hasn’t been able to go to school. She can’t carry her backpack nor sit for more than 15 minutes without the pain getting worse. We have seen 3 doctors, run a ton of tests, currently doing acupuncture and physical therapy with no change. Pain meds do nothing and her doctors are reluctant to give her the hard stuff (oxy, perc) and I agree.
How does this affect her college acceptances? She will be starting home instruction soon so those grades count but everything from the past 7 weeks is excused. Although she is still passing all her classes.
Oh and I forgot to add that the school administration didn’t notice she wasn’t in school. Around week 4 I called to ask why no one has contacted me or sent any schoolwork home. The attendance administrator was clueless and apologized profusely.
Anyway, this is our current situation. Everyday I wake up hoping that her pain has lessened even a little bit. She’s dying to go back to school. Her friends have come over to keep her company so she’s kind of ok.
Thanks for listening (reading?).
Congrats to all on their acceptances!
@cinn124 Wow, that is distressing and I am hoping for a quick resolution for your D! Seeing our kids in pain is quite painful itself. Sending healing thoughts to your family!
I’m sure the home instruction will be plenty adequate for getting her through school. Does your state have an online option that you could use for 2nd semester? I am shocked that the administration was clueless. They should apologize profusely, it is inexcusable not to notice that absence! If she is able to pass her classes, I would think that her college acceptances will hold.
@cinn124 oh my goodness! There’s got to be something happening re the back pain. 7 weeks PT and no improvement? I’d get the school on board with home assistance. They should be sending a tutor, right?
I’d personally steel yourself for a medical gap year, unless all applications and testing are done?
Update on the WVU merit aid thing: So what I’ve heard off this thread is that WVU’s portal’s financial aid section is, to put it mildly, byzantine, and my daughter probably didn’t click on exactly the right combination of buttons in exactly the right order to find the award.
Unfortunately, now she’s at school and she doesn’t give me her portal passwords, so now I’m stuck waiting for the evening… :-w
@cinn124 I am so sorry to hear all of this.
I am so so sorry. I cannot believe the school, not a single teacher, noticed. Inexcusable.
I really hope you get some answers and pain relief soon for her. My heart goes out to all of you.
@cinn124 So so sorry to hear this. My D22 had daily migraines from age 13 through this summer. It’s really awful to have a child in pain. Hugs to you and your D.
@cinn124 - I am so sorry that you are all going through this. Hugs to you and your daughter.
@cinnabon1234 I am so sorry to hear that your daughter is in so much pain. Were Dr’s able to confirm everything was in place? My son, now 23, had fusion as well. And D19s bestie had it 2 years ago. Kids are so brave. I will be praying for your daughter!