@TwinMom2023 My daughters have the personality of ask for forgiveness rather than permission. One of the reasons, besides being the middle child. I refer to my son as “the rose between the thorns”. I found out D14 got her belly button pierced when she reached for something and her shirt raised. Honestly I don’t have an issue with the tatt as long as it is meaningful for life. But I also know that “tatts are cool” plays into his request as well. We’ll see…
Wow, almost 3 pages of posts since I left work!
Did something rare today and picked up D after school and we went to the movies for dinner. One of her friends was so shocked that she would be allowed to go on a school night, so for a few minutes I felt less old-school than I am.
She’s been sticking with the College Project Plan though, which is more “slow and steady”, than “get it done asap”. Only the non-Common App essays are ready for her reviewer, but I think they’re good warm ups. The college emails are becoming excessive and annoying, so it is time to start unsubscribing. Does anyone donate the literature anywhere? We’ve been recycling, but now I’m wondering.
The gaming conversation reminded me of the one negative impression she had at Case Western, which was the common room of the dorm having the large hearth littered with a multitude of controllers under the big screen TV. I joked that it spoke to the honesty of the students. To each their own, she has her own procrastination vices to get a handle of. I hope she’ll find her crew wherever she is.
Oh yeah, and why can’t one of the schools we’re interested in send us application fee waivers in the mail?
We’ve only scored a fee code with UAH.
Totally disagree that exercise cannot be addictive. I worked with a person who was so addicted to running that even after major damage to gastroc , the beginnings of rhabdomyolysis and strict instructions from her orthopedist of no running, her husband who was also an orthopedist came home and found her running in circles in the backyard and repeatedly falling on the ground. This girl was a physical therapist who knew the damage that she was doing to her body, yet did it anyway.
No gaming systems for either of my girls, they aren’t into it. Don’t worry, I spend a LOT of money on other crap they “have to have”.
As far as computers, I have heard that some schools encourage certain OSs (?) for certain majors. Like, don’t run out and buy a new Macbook when that isn’t the type of computer that particular school/ major uses a lot. So now I wonder. Since my kid doesn’t really have a strong idea of her future major.
^Yes, Two of our schools include it in the COA for the major. We’re also hoping the laptop hangs in there for senior year.
OK - I’ve decided my kid just doesn’t really care where he goes to school. His Dad has been saying this, and I thought he was just over-reacting. But I think it’s kind of the truth. He just doesn’t want to put the effort in. Actually “doesn’t care” isn’t the right term. He has seen some schools he likes - one more than others. His plan is to apply, if he doesn’t get in, or if they are too expensive, he’ll just go to Penn State and if he hates it there, he will transfer. OK. I’m done struggling with this. Are there any reasons I shouldn’t just throw in the towel? Is financial aid/merit aid harder to get as a transfer than as a freshman? What are the things I’m missing here?
@homerdog - Swarthmore is a lovely campus, especially if you are a horticulture nerd like me. (My daughter has had her dance recitals there for the past 11 years) The community surrounding the school is really beautiful. Lots of charm and character - and wealth. And I did explore the town/village a little bit this Spring - great vibe, seemed like lots going on - family friendly stuff. It’s definitely an independent campus. Though it would be a pretty quick trip to get into Philly, Swarthmore is in a suburban setting. But suburban Philadelphia feels a little different that other suburbs - imagine streets carved into a forest of trees, sweet little stuccoed houses with shade gardens and picket fences - that’s the area of Swarthmore to the north of campus. And then there is also a mall nearby and just about every national restaurant chain imaginable - but little independent restaurants in the village.
@homerdog - can you tell me what turned you off about Beloit? (And I guess U Chicago too) I kind of have Beloit on my radar. Not sure why, as it’s so far from us, but I have it down as a possible merit school.
Other than the Beloit Mindset List being an annual exercise in stupidity?
At least, that’s why I would steer my daughters away from applying there (he said, mostly but not entirely unseriously).
D19 hanged out with friends couple times in the last two weeks. She has been reading and writing a lot on the computer. She started the Common App last week. She uses and old Apple that D11 did not want to use and gave to her 3 years ago. Some keys on that Apple have been gone. Among the three kids I have I love D19 most. She is very frugal and does not ask for new things. I guess I will miss her a lot next year.
@dfbdfb - What is the Mindset List? Ooh - something else to Google while I should be doing other tasks.
Oh gosh, you guys are freaking me out with all your kids who are making huge progress on their apps. S19 just got back from working at overnight camp all summer and he has looked at and thought about essays but hasn’t put pen to paper at all yet, hasn’t started the common app, etc. And he’s getting his wisdom teeth out on Monday. And his big brother who now lives across the country is visiting in between. And he’s going to be in a musical at school as soon as school starts at the end of the month… I have gently encouraged him to get some stuff done this week because he is going to be busy once school starts and wants to apply early to several schools (Pitt is his safety with rolling admissions and he can apply on their app or the common app, but is leaning toward theirs because they aren’t interested in the common app essay, only a few very short essays of their own – his excuse for not getting rolling on that one is that he has to enter all his grades off his transcript manually, and so he has to get a copy of his transcript, and school isn’t open yet). Anyhow, I’m not really freaking out, he’s actually a pretty responsible kid and is taking this seriously, was just really too busy to work on anything over the summer, but he’ll be fine. But for everyone else whose kid is just getting started, you’re not alone!
@mathmomvt - Parents on CC tend to be among the most proactive. Don’t let it freak you out. My son is a chronic procrastinator. But you know what? Even for early kids his high school won’t get the admissions packet on their end, e.g., transcript and teacher’s recommendations, together until October for those sending out early applications. So I am taking a very zen approach. A weekly reminder to start work on his personal statement. I also incentivized things by noting that if he sends an EA app, and does the “elite” early track to a couple of his top schools, he may not have to do any more applications. Yes, there are big box state schools that do rolling admission and may actually send your kid a decision in October, if you apply in September. I think Penn State may do this if memory serves. But they are few and far between. So take a deep breath, preferably with a hot cup of herbal tea (or a stiff drink), and let it wash over you.
@mathmomvt please don’t freak out. Remember that CC for the most part is not a reflection of what happens in the real world. Thousands of students are admitted to college every year and many don’t even begin their applications until late fall to early winter. If targeting selective schools, one may want to begin earlier . Senior year can be a stressful year to begin with, do you want to remember it, or want your child to remember it as the year he was pressured to get things done early . There is no one right way. Do what works for your family and disregard what others are doing. It will get done.
@momtogkc I think I’m your case it most definitely is in your best interest to send both as there’s a boost is sub scores for the separate sittings. In my kid’s case, the result was the same but the increases were in the last test where math went from 32 to 33 and English went from 35 to 36. The other two remained 34 for both tests.
On addiction and productivity - I have a procrastinators personality. It took me a while to realize this and take steps to minimize its effect on my life. When I was at college I did not drink or do drugs and we had no video games at the time, but I still got into trouble one semester with watching TV, reading non-school books, and just plain not leaving my room. It took some serious work to learn to manage my procrastination and get back on track, and under stress I still fall into procrastinating tendencies. For many kids, if it weren’t video games it would be something else, and sometimes you need to get into trouble and pull yourself back together on your own.
Kiddo and I went through the supplementals yesterday and discovered that Franklin & Marshall has dropped their supplemental recommendation since last year. DS had been jotting down ideas on last year’s version, so he’s happy to have two fewer mini essays to write. So he’s got 8 supplementals to write and he has at least a vague idea of what he wants to say on all of them.
Kiddo will rush through homework to get to play rehearsal. Heck, he would rush through fire. He auditioned last night for a couple of Shakespeare plays in January-March. They conflict with the spring musical, but he has decided that he doesn’t want to act in the spring musical. If he doesn’t get into the plays he’ll see if he can be assistant director.
@homerdog We purchased D17’s computer through the university for convenience for repairs in case of problems/breakage. My friend’s daughter had a mac from HS and cracked her mac screen at college and it was $750 to fix. So, my friend recommended going that route just in case. No problems first year. It was a little more expensive but when things go wrong, immediate help is nice to have.
@Trixy34 I understand your frustration with the college process. I do think I have heard that it is harder to get financial aid as a transfer.
Forgot to mention, we visited Pitt yesterday. I thought the information session was comprehensive and impressive. We had a great tour guide from my home state of Maryland so that was nice. Campus is a little more urban than my son would prefer, but lots of green space (as mentioned earlier on the thread). They handed out a free t-shirt and application fee waiver, so that was a bonus. S19 is going to apply soon since they have rolling admissions.
@Trixy34 We did like Beloit. It was the first LAC we visited and it’s less than two hours from home. It was only the second school we toured (after Chicago). The town is cute but a little run down. The info session got S19 interested in small schools. The people were friendly and bright. We saw a panel of students and they seemed to really like their school. S19 went on a tour of the science building with a physics professor and said he wants teachers like her - she engaged the kids and had a sense of humor too.
That visit was followed by visits to Grinnell, Kenyon, and Denison and we could see the differences. Mainly it was about the facilities. Beloit has a newish science building but everything else seemed outdated compared to the other schools. While we were there, Beloit’s campus seemed charming. After we saw other schools, it just seemed old. Beloit would be a safety for S19 and he just liked Denison better. Merit will most likely be the same for him at both schools. I still think kids could get a terrific education at Beloit though.
As for Chicago, it’s an amazing school and, if S19 wanted a more urban campus, then it would be on the list. It’s just a 30 min drive for us and we know a lot of kids there. The pre-meds we know are stressed big time but the more liberal arts kids are all good and enjoying their time. He would be ok with the intensity. The campus is drop dead gorgeous. But…after the Ohio LAC road trip, S19 decided he liked more nature on campus. Arboretums. Trails to run on. Outdoor clubs. Chicago is none of that. Not a sporty campus or culture at all. The location is really great for kids who want urban. It’s set off from the city and the immediate surrounding area is lovely. Go a few more blocks and it is not, but I know campus is safe. And access to the city and the lake is super convenient. If he were to go to grad school, he’d consider it for sure.