@momzilla2D congratulations to your D. I’m sure it is a relief to have the decision made, and how fun that she is already making connections through social media. What a different world we live in since I was in college!
@OrangeFish Thanks! Good thing I joined the parent Facebook group, so I now know what TBDBITL means!
@momzilla2D My buddies in Cleveland would suggest you need to learn to say THE Ohio State University. 
Congratulations to your daughter. She picked a terrific school!
@momzilla2D congratulations! So much fun when the decision is made and the next phase of college starts. We are soooooo close for S19 and College of Charleston is the #1 but he is funny and could throw a curve ball and say…I’ll just stay in state and save money. I keep thinking he will pick CofC but who the heck knows. Sitting on pins and needles waiting for him to decide!!!
Editing to say I forgot to mention my cousin works there and loves it!
@momzilla2D
Congrats! My daughter and I went to visit Ohio Wesleyan a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the area in Columbus by Ohio St! Lots of neat shops, restaurants etc!
@cakeisgreat
Charleston is a neat area and would be great if your Son decided on C of C! We have a similar situation with Manhattan College. It is my daighter’s first choice but she has never been on campus. We are attending an admitted students day. Good news is that she has other viable options if she decides she doesn’t like it.
@momzilla2D COngrats on getting to a decision!!! remember it’s not Ohio State its THE Ohio state. Plus they have the better mascot of the two schools!
Wow @novacat9191 - that’s a lot of admitted student days! Have fun!
Congrats on your D’s decision @momzilla2D!
We have paid a deposit but I still think S19 might be at 95% certainty so I’m not changing my avatar just yet!
YAY @momzilla2D!! Good for her!
Was looking through the posts from last April on this thread to see the chaos of the final 4 weeks when I came across this in one of @CarolinaMom s post
“Comparison is the thief of joy”
Thought it was very fitting word to keep in mind over the next few weeks
Hello everyone!
First CONGRATULATIONS on all the decisions and acceptances!
Update on D19. We’ve heard from all the schools she applied to and unfortunately she did not get in to her top 2 schools. We knew it was a reach so it wasn’t as disappointing as I thought it would be. We are down to 2 schools: Arizona State and CSU Long Beach. We’re going to visit Long Beach this week so she will make her decision after that.
Now the medical stuff. D19 had surgery to remove a screw and part of the rod in her back in January in the hopes that it would relieve her back pain. Unfortunately, after she healed her back pain continued. We eventually went to see a rheumatologist and he diagnosed her with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome which falls under AMPS (Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome). Now that we FINALLY have a proper diagnosis we can work on getting her better. She’s in physical therapy for now until she is evaluated for a pain management program. There are outpatient and inpatient pain programs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania so they’re fairly close to me. The evaluation process is pretty lengthy so we’ll be in limbo for a little while but I’m hoping the PT will help in the meantime. She has returned to school but it’s hit and miss in terms of her pain. There are days where she can’t get out of bed because of it. Other days it’s bearable. I’m amazed at the pain tolerance this kid has. A “good” day for her is 7-7.5 on the pain scale. Her bad days hover around 9.
Thank you to all that sent me messages and helped me.
@Novacat9191 Thank you so much for that reminder! So true!
@momzilla2D Congratulations to your D!
Congratulations to all the parents and kids! So many great options! So many level-headed decisions being made! Portends well for the next generation!
My kid is doing her last campus visit next week at Univ of Puget Sound. We visited briefly last summer when we happened to be driving from Seattle Univ down to Lewis and Clark. She thought the campus was beautiful and ultimately only applied to UPS on the west coast. She was just sure she wanted to go to school in the east. We were very lucky and she had many great offers but she seems to be seriously gravitating towards Puget Sound. Of course it meets all the important requirements which is why she applied, but there is so much more she is taking into consideration: the beauty of the area, the outdoor clubs, easier access for us than the east coast, voice lessons available to non music majors, decent food, nice dorm options, even all the dogs on campus!! Lots of factors are coming into play that we didn’t really think about ahead of time but she feels will contribute to her comfort and happiness for her collegiate years.
Sometimes I wonder which schools kids might choose if they thought no one was watching or would ever know where they graduated from…
We’re down to the wire as well. Not sure which way to lean so all of your input is great. S19 is very reserved and not outgoing at all so I’m looking for an environment that will help draw him out a bit. Over the next few days, we’ll be checking: UPS, Seattle U, U of Portland and WWU. We recently traveled to WSU and he was really impressed. Me, not so happy about there still being snow on the ground 
They’re all great schools. Any thoughts on the “intangibles”? Things like campus life, food, tutoring? What’s so confusing is that they all show well on their tour days. What is it really like when the moms and dads go away?
@momzilla2D Congratulations!!!
@cinn124 glad you’ve found some answers and hope that the pain is better managed soon.
@rfm512 I hope we have beautiful weather for you next week!
@seabay that’s a great list and really really different schools (2,500 students to 30,000!). We know happy kids at every single one of these and our kids applied to several as well, 2 of them (WWU and Seattle U) coming in 2nd place for the last 2 of our bunch. We’d have been very happy if they’d have ended up being the final choice. Not sure of the major so can’t opine there at all. I’m still a bit sad about Seattle U.
If your student is reserved, I’d be a bit concerned about getting lost at WSU with the size. Possible at WWU to but far less so I would think. On the flip side, UPS could feel too small if he doesn’t find his tribe. It could also be far more nurturing and their week away/orientation before school I think is incredibly bonding and successful. I am guessing you are in state so WWU and WSU will be the best deal $$ wise but I would expect your student to have more direct faculty interaction, early, at the privates. I’m a big fan of the Jesuit education (Seattle U) and loved the UPS curriculum. WWU for us, had more gen ed up front than my S17 wanted/needed but it’s a great fit for many I think, with lots of flexibility. S17 may take a few online classes there this summer. The U of Portland kids we know are also very happy (and a pretty pretty campus) so I am really not much help.
I’d really look, if the major is equal, at where he feels most at home and what environment he likes best. You’ve got urban, suburban, college town and rural so it’s really apples and oranges. If he can, have him sit in on classes and meet with faculty, that made HUGE differences for my kids.
@seabay My D is making her final decision and seriously considering UPS as well and we looked at Seattle, Portland, Lewis and Clark, Whitman, etc. We are not from the PNW and had to start from scratch when first learning about these schools. Regarding UPS, I have received some very good input on this thread and I would refer you back to post #4104.
@seabay and @eandesmom Ahhhh! I see eandesmom has found your questions! She was very helpful to me!
@eandesmom Me too! My D is very excited! Im asking admissions about which class she will be able to attend and if there is a professor with whom she should speak.
@seabay on the off chance you aren’t instate I can share kind of the local rep/vibe for each.
WSU. Has a rep as being party school, has done a really good job of recruiting new students and impressing kids and parents with the academics. Large greek system that has had issues however given the size of the school, plenty to do if not greek so for me personally I wouldn’t have that be a factor. The only big sports school on your list. Huge for Ag and Hotel management. Very strong for engineering.
WWU. Rep as being crunchy, granola, hipster, lots of outdoor activities. A bit of a pot smoking rep as well. As with the above, not a culture I think folks feel excluded from if they don’t smoke and again for us wasn’t a reason to disqualify it at all. Strong music scene, well known locally for several majors. Tons of great places to eat that are walkable and a great weekend getaway for parents (even if your kids don’t go to school there). This was S17’s 2nd choice, for Environmental Studies which they are known for. Gorgeous campus, lots of walking!
UPS. Smallest on your list, liberal but very diverse and inclusive. Nice mix of sporty kids and kids with purple hair, really solid music program. Suburban. Gorgeous campus, some things you can walk to but others are a bit farther away for main Tacoma or Seattle activities. The nearby area for shops and restaurants does have a lot to offer, and some great views.
Seattle U. Jesuit. Very very urban. Many of the professors from UW also teach at Seattle U. Solid, well rounded and diverse. Tons of great food nearby, parking is a nightmare and off campus housing can be pricey. S19’s 2nd choice for CS. Nice size. Known for pre-law, nursing, business, but really any degree from there is well respected locally
U of Portland. Suburban, pretty campus. Nothing super close but bus system is easy (I am told). I know the least about this one but the kids we know that have gone have been early ed, nursing and engineering and have liked it.
My D19 would have loved to go to WWU—her tiny high school sends a small handful of students there every year, and the Western Undergraduate Exchange program would have made it nicely affordable—but while entry into their pre-engineering program would have been fine, they limit the number of majors going from pre-engineering into any given engineering program in a given cohort, and she didn’t want to be locked out (which looked to be an actual possibility.)
(This is also what knocked a few other schools off her list.)
I’ve been following this thread for a long time, and so appreciate it! I almost feel like it is my duty to report in now. Like @seabay and @rfm512 we have been in the midst of final decisions in the PNW. We just spent the weekend in Pullman, and we were supposed to go to UPS on Friday but we have cancelled the trip as S19 made the decision to go with WSU. While I had my heart set on a small LAC for him, he really really wanted a bigger school. It has been a slow evolution for me to finally come around (because, face it, I still think I know whats best!) but the clincher was when we were walking around the campus at WSU and he said “I just feel at home here”.
I agree with @eandesmom assessment on the local schools here. My kid would have loved to go to WWU but its just too close to home for him. It is a nice affordable option if you are in state or qualified for WUE, and the town really is fantastic.
Congrats on all of the decisions .
Congrats on the WSU choice. We’re all very impressed with it! I’m still holding out for the LACs but WSU is really compelling. @daisychayn just curious, is WSU the only large college you considered?
BTW, Whitman, I’m sure is a great choice but location and expense make it a non-starter for us.
Go Cougs!