Popping in to say hi. I’m always reading but not always posting. A very big congratulations to all who have made decisions or are close! S19 said goodbye to his other acceptances (Elon and Virginia tech = too expensive. Marist = good but similar to Quinnipiac which is on list, so said goodbye. Rutgers = no way (mom made him apply…just in case). TCNJ and Ramapo = meh, so no. Bittersweet about Elon and VT because they are great colleges but just not feasible to spend the $$ if he wants to pursue medical degree or masters at some point.
Staying on list and deciding between: College of Charleston (#1 right now) and Quinnipiac U. CofC because it’s a super cool college/city and he’s received a lot of love from there. Quinnipiac because it’s a beautiful campus and great for medical sciences. We are very familiar with it as well since his sister graduated from there last year (with a great experience and multiple job offers).
Lagging behind but staying on the list because of very inexpensive cost = Stockton U. Very impressed with all the upgrades they made on campus since 2013/14 when we first toured.
Thanks for listening. CC is the only place I get to share this stuff. Everyone else around here sleeps with their eyes open if I share past two sentences.
So- my boys are away on an accepted students overnight visit. Apparently the frat house they were parked at, while large quantities of alcohol were consumed by those around them, didnt impress, according to the volley of texts i received…
An overnight visit with bad hosts made my DS16 more sure than ever that he belonged at his first choice school. I ended up picking him up early. The school is a great school and was high on both of my sons’ lists. Had he had a different host , I’m sure his experience would have been different. He would’ve ended ended up at his first choice , but he probably would’ve stayed.
Just came by to say congratulations to all your kids on their acceptances and hugs while decisions are made! Just remind kids with less than their “dream” acceptances that they will be happy with where they are going! I had a S17 who never applied anywhere other than safety schools because those were the schools he wanted to go to with the programs he wanted. At first people would just stare at him about why he didn’t apply other places. When he just mentioned the programs he was interested in they were impressed.
My son has found that the fit is so important! He is so happy where he is. I remember being where you are and it coming down to his top two choices. One was affordable but at the top of what we wanted to pay and the other much more. An acceptance into a highly competitive program made the choice. He sometimes thinks about the other college but knows how much he has thrived.
Your kids will do great, state school, private, LAC, small, large, urban, rural, Greek or non-Greek. College is what you make of it! Take opportunities where they are. Encourage your more introverted kids to get out of their rooms and away from their computers. Encourage your more extroverted kids to take advantage of all study groups and study opportunities. Remind them to keep a good academic/work/social balance. Don’t burn out!
S is driving me nuts. I don’t need any advice but am just coming her to vent.
Despite picking a school back in January and depositing, S’s decision is now completely up in the air with three school equally in the mix. He says he changes his mind daily and really has no idea.
The reason for the indecision is that he is reconsidering his major. He had applied to all schools as a poli sci major and since they were all fairly equal in that major, he originally just picked the school he like best. Now he is potentially considering a new, very different major that is handled quite differently at the three schools. At the school he is committed to it is a big major in a standalone school (not A&S) and its an all-in or all-out type of thing. The program is fairly intense and proscribed and you can’t take courses in it if you aren’t majoring in it. As far as we can tell there shouldn’t be a problem transferring into it if he wants, but he’s not sure, and the way it is structured, he can’t try it out. School 2 is his least favorite school of the three but it has the most flexibility on the major. It is in A&S and he can easily try out courses. Switching into it or adding it as a second major is just a matter of filling out a form. School 3 doesn’t have the major at all - just a few courses in a related department. So the decision is now based entirely on how much he really wants this new potential major. Sigh.
@me29034 How decisive is your S normally? Would he consider just committing to his favorite school as “undecided”? I think a lot of kids struggle once the flood gates of choices open, and many students don’t even commit to a major until sophomore year. What if he changes his mind again? He should be at a school where he is happy.
I know you didn’t ask for advice, but don’t we all love a “sounding board” here? I think my D19 is a very lucky kid in that she knows what she wants, and from experience I can tell you she’ll stick to it. D21 is a different story all together. She doesn’t express any preferences, but she’s also resistant to suggestions. Ugh. She’s a tough nut.
@Acersaccharum Thanks for the suggestion, but it wouldn’t help in this situation. His favorite school only allows people to take courses in the other potential major if they are declared in that major. Even the intro courses aren’t open to undeclared kids. As I wrote before, you are either all-in or all-out. To quote Yoda “There is no try”.
On the topic of schools not requiring majors before sophomore year - I think that depends on the school. Many large schools admit by major and require an application to change majors. S would have to apply to transfer into this major but everything we’ve read indicates that its just a formality. He’s just not sure he really wants to do it.
@me29034 that’s tough to navigate, good luck!!! The hard thing is really, you could go through all that and then they still change their mind and maybe have to consider transferring
Yep. Just wanted to add that he doesn’t dislike any of the schools. So even though one is the favorite and one is the least favorite, he has visited all of them, and they are all fine. He’s completely eliminated two of the schools he was accepted to so these are his best three options.
Tommorow starts the first of 6 accepted student, oddyssey, blue and gold, happy unicorn… days in the next 11 days. Exciting, nervous, anxious and looking forward to getting past May 1st. Good luck to all now that the final countdown is upon us!
@Britmom5 Your sons have had great success. I personally think it’s great to see such positive outcomes for the kids in this particular thread. And I think it’s helpful for future parents to see that there are still great opportunities for these kids, even if their stats are not tippy top.
Well, we went on our last college visit for D19 yesterday. We visited Clemson. Beautiful campus. And as we drove away, something just clicked in D’s head, and she made her decision. She will be attending Ohio State!
Clemson was lovely and when we saw the campus, D said ‘how am I ever going to decide?’ But, in the end, I think she just couldn’t picture herself there. She is used to city/suburban life, constantly going and doing. Hanging out in Boston or Providence. Malls in every direction. Ohio State just fits her lifestyle better.
She joined the Ohio State Facebook and Instagram groups, and was so excited to see that she had 200 new followers by the time our flight landed in Newark (our connection, which we almost didn’t make, but that’s another story).
So, Ohio State it is! Feels great to have a decision. And I think it’s the right one for her. Now to figure out how to update my avatar.
and in a great city!