We choose to send our kids to private school because the public schools in our area are decent, but very overcrowded. We liked the small class sizes and the variety of extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities on offer. It also helped that I worked at their school and we got a discount on the tuition. And finally we liked the fact that there is a real feeling of community.
We didn’t do it so our kids could go to elite colleges, but their school is a college prep school and I would say both our kids are/were well prepared for college. The guidance department is second to none. Many kids do go to elite schools, but not all the kids do…
@fwtxmom many private schools are religious and that’s why parents spend the money to send their kids there. I know at least a few families who choose private schools solely for the religious aspect. There are also a couple of Catholic high schools that have excellent sports teams and that’s why many families choose to attend…
@fwtxmom maybe they have been presented with a diversity of choices and they aren’t talking about it? Maybe the kid wants to stay nearby…
Going far away to college takes money…
Also, being in Southern California we have a lot of USC and UCLA sports fans and alumni. And each year our school sends at least a few kids to each of these schools. We’ve had some kids who only apply to USC or only apply to UCLA, and some of these kids are third generation legacies…that’s not a huge diversity of choice when applying, but the guidance counselor can’t force kids to apply to places when they aren’t interested…some parents are steadfast alumni who want their whole family to go to a particular school.
Heck, there was one family at our school, who was quite wealthy, and they were die hard Notre Dame people. The grandparents had gone there, the parents had gone there, and all their kids went there or are going there. The parents got married on campus…They own a boat called the “Fighting Irish.” And they purchased a condo in South Bend (?) to stay in when they attend games. Sometimes when parents are so connected to a school that they’re glad they have another Razorback in the family or they can keep saying “Roll Tide.”
Congrats on the all the acceptances everyone! We haven’t heard from any of our schools yet…hopefully the rolling admission ones will get back to us too…
@Twinmom2023, Furman and Elon are on my mind today! DS has been accepted to both but hasn’t visited Furman. I’m having some second thoughts about both…Elon I’ve heard here and there is kind of a party school, and Furman for being “preppy” and a country club bubble (not bashing, I’ve heard much good as well and was a little surprised to hear some negatives). Have any input to share?
PS, my D goes to school very far away (LA, from Ohio) and we’ve managed. The time difference is a big thing. Going out for family weekend was great so we all felt a little more connected to her home away from home.
@TS0104@TwinMom2023 I have heard nothing but good things about Furman and Elon. I’ve known of kids who’ve gone there over the years and they’ve enjoyed it!
@TS0104 Elon has more than twice the students that Furman has, but the town of Elon is tiny. Furman is a huge,
sprawling campus that is stunning, however, you can’t walk to anything. Elon has about four places you can walk to. I LOVE the city of Greenville and it is not far from Furman’s campus, but you do need a car, Uber, or trolley to get back and forth. So, comparing the campuses - both large, brick, and beautiful. One has not much to do and the other has plenty 12 minutes away. NC’s state capital is about an hour from Elon so there is plenty of fun there. Chapel Hill is about 30 mins.
Elon definitely has a party scene - even to the extent of ‘Darties’ or daytime parties. Hopefully, it will be curtailed by the new president. Furman is far more southern than Elon. Furman, has more of a bible belt feel to it. All colleges have a party scene and I don’t know anything about Furman’s, but Elon’s is pretty robust.
Classes at Elon are capped at 33 and that is great. The professor’s definitely care about the students and know their names. Furman has better research opportunities and a pre-med relationship with USC Furman has a neuroscience major that Twin B was interested in.
Elon just built a nice dining hall and has broken ground on a new hotel on campus. It’s star is definitely on the rise. It was voted #1 for study abroad and has J term, which I love. Furman has a much larger endowment so the per student funding is significant.
Both schools have limited merit aid, but Elon is far less expensive from the start. I think it would depend on the major.
@TS0104 just a little more info regarding Furman. They have no rushing for Greek Life until Spring semester. Freshman are randomly assigned housing to even the playing field and decrease the prevalence of cliques. The food on campus is very good. I do believe that students are required to live on campus all 4 years if I remember correctly. The campus is not overly conservative or religious. We have quite a few friends who attend and love it.
@TS0104 Many kids from my area go to Elon (we are from NY). They all seem to love it. Our hs counselor’s give it a good rating as well. As far as being a party school, I know that my son’s very good friend is “having a great time”, but there are other kids I know who are more low key. Good luck in your decision making. It’s nice to have choices.
Thank you all so much for the input. @roycroftmom that is good to hear, I think my son would like to end up in the same situation (able to have an active social life outside of the party scene).
Has anyone else here heard back from Western Washington and NAU yet? We didn’t do early decision but have the rolling admissions schools sent out anything yet?
S has been checking a lot recently, but still nothing…I’ve tried telling him to be patient, but with teenagers it goes in one ear and out the other…
@natty1988 I don’t think any non EA decisions have gone out for Western yet. Not positive but I’ve not heard local buzz and would expect to. NAU I would think should be any time, just maybe not over break while they are closed.
@natty1988
My D applied EA but heard back fairly quickly from Western. It was the first school she heard back from and it took a little less than a month. So, they seem fairly on top of it. We are in state but she heard via e mail then the letter came a week later.
I have no idea on NAU.
Also funny how different your S is from my D. She keeps telling me to chill etc. She is waiting on two decisions in March/April. I think she has kind of chosen but we need to see the school first.
Please help. Does the MPN have to be signed by my D19 before I’m able to complete the Parent Plus loan application? Also, is she required to do an MPN for all the schools she has been accepted into? The application states to list school and she is still narrowing down her choices since we haven’t received the financial aid packages yet or are we suppose to wait until her decision is made before doing any of this? First-time mom of college student here so I appreciate the clarity.
You do not do an MPN until the college has been selected and it goes through, is linked to, their portal I believe. Once your child matriculates you’ll be able to see their financial award. When they go to accept it it will ask for the MPN to be completed. The student does their own, you do your own, they are 2 separate and not linked loans (other than of course you couldn’t tget one if you didn’t have the student lol). You can get a pre-read on ParentPlus approval if that makes you more comfortable but it doesn’t commit you and you will still need to do your own MPN.