Congratulations @zipstermom !
Congrats @zipstermom !
We had a successful admitted students weekend. D19 is very excited about the school and program, and mostly liked the other students she met in her course, most of whom have already decided/committed. I met some nice parents too, though the low point of the weekend was a parent who has planned her kidâs undergrad and grad school route with a detailed analysis of career opportunities and college rankings, and apparently very little consideration as to what the kid might actually want. That aside, it was great. The school really went all out with general programming including everything from interesting lectures to student DJs, and of course lots of bright colors and flags and balloons and swag, and champagne and sushi for parents 
. The department session was well done too. It was fun to see how very excited all the student ambassadors seem about the school - obviously this is a self selecting group, but I have seen poor student ambassadors before, and the enthusiasm here really was infectious!
Congrats on the decision being made @zipstermom !! Sounds like itâs a well thought out and great choice for your your girl. And having a Bearcat as your mascot sounds both adorable and bad**s. I love it! You all must be so happy the decision is made!!
@SJ2727 sounds like youâre close to a decision being made, too. NYUâs admitted students weekend sounded vibrant, fun and super informative. I especially liked the sushi and champagne part for parents 
We went to Bruin Day on Saturday. It was a lovely warm and sunny day and you could feel the Bruin pride oozing from everyoneâŠprofessors and students alike. We went to some great presentations and she loved the dorm tour and the food (the famed UCLA food!), but it still wasnât a slam dunk for her to make a decision. Itâs still between Georgia Tech and UCLA. At UCLA sheâs a bit concerned about being able to get her classes (Chem major), grade deflation and also about help/support available. At GT the undergrads are 1/2 the size of UCLA and there is a lot of support and opportunities that she can immediately take advantage of. The already gave her a lot of personalized attention which did resonate with her.
I told her to, while looking at all the information she has, to really trust her gut instinct. Her Chem teacher told her âstop worrying about making a good decision, but make sure you make your decision good.â So whatever you choose, donât look back and make the most of where youâre at.
The co founder of Sun Microsystems says basically the same thing:
âItâs important to make good decisions. But I spend much less time and energy worrying about âmaking the right decisionâ and much more time and energy ensuring that any decision I make turns out right.â
I think both of these things are right on and so does she. SoâŠhopefully a decision will be made by the end of the week.
Hereâs to all decisions being made soon and to make those decisions good : )
And big congrats to all of those who have already committed!
@crknwk2000 - decision was made in December already ! It was a bit of an indulgence to meet classmates, and spend some time with our NYC family 
(which also meant no hotel needed so less of an âindulgenceâ!)
Good luck with your daughterâs choice - 2 great options and a great attitude, she canât go wrong.
So S2 all primed to go to Northeastern. Even bought a stuffed Huskie (named âHunterâ) at ASD. Then, mega-curveball. Received snail mail from GW advising that he was awarded a Clark Engineering Scholarship. $180k! Turns out there are only 10 such scholars named each year at GW. Program is also offered at Duke, Penn, JHU, and UVA, among several schools. Problem is that S2 is all bonded with NEU. Loves Boston. Felt very comfortable with his choice. GW not as highly ranked a school and, particularly, not as highly-ranked an engineering program. Also lose the COOP which we kind of think is good for our less than proactive son. Any thoughts/advice?
Helpful insight for CS. My student is currently planning a BS in computer science with a minor in music performance. He is considering a 5 year dual degree (BS/MS) program as he is likely to enter with sophomore status⊠Currently his options appear to be limited to CS, Computing Security or Software engineering for the masters but he plans to ask if the MS in Science, Technology and Public Policy could be considered.
Curious as to what your thoughts would be on the most marketable option? He chose CS over Software Engineering or CIT based on the curriculum but does enjoy all 3. For his school it will be easy to change to one of the others if he chooses from the CS major, however much more difficult to go the other way so admitted to CS directly have him many more options.
@BrooklynRye , wow, what a prestigious curveball to be thrown! Congrats!
Itâs a big sum to turn down, overall I wouldnât say the relative prestige of NEU vs GW is worth turning it down for, but the caveat to that statement is I donât know specifics of engineering. Re loss of coop - Is there anywhere in or near DC that is suitable for him to intern? GW is obviously big on internships and making sure students have time for them, but I donât know how easily that works for non-politics/policy interns in DC.
@BrooklynRye - That is impressive! I would also suggest trying to reach out to GW career services and see if you can get information re: internships. There are many government contractors in DC and NoVA that hire all sorts of engineersâŠmaybe they have internship opportunities as well?
@zipstermom - Congrats! Glad a decision has been made - wonderful choice!
I honestly donât know about relative prestige of NEU vs. GWU engineering, but as my engineer spouse would point out, ABET accreditation is ABET accreditation. As long as the university itself isnât in danger of losing accreditation, and as long as the facilities are decent, ABET guarantees that pretty much any engineering programs under its umbrella are functionally equivalent.
@BrooklynRye - Wow! What an honor! That would be a tough offer to turn down.
On a different topic,so sad to see the news about Notre Dame (Paris, not the US college) burning.
@BrooklynRye Congratulations to your son on that amazing honor! If youâre gonna get a curveball this late in the game, itâs a good one to have!
@BrooklynRye --Wow! Nice surprise!!
Thank you all. We have decided that, gut preferences and rankings aside, one cannot simply slough off $180k and the prestige of this scholarship. So we are off to meet with the director of the program, tour the engineering facilities, and to participate in an accepted students afternoon at GW! Will report.
That sounds super smart @BrooklynRye . $180K is HUGE and what an honor! Looking forward to hearing how the trip goes.
Had a fun day here. I rode my bike over to the start line of the Boston Marathon to see some friends start off and son19 took the train in to go watch a few classmates competing. Iâm always impressed by those people that compete and raise a lot of money for good causes
@BrooklynRye my D17 goes to GW and we love the school, but she is PS. As far as engineering goes, they have put a lot of investment into their engineering program. He will have no problem getting internships, especially with the federal government. Also, there is a GWU parents FB page if you wish to join.
@sdl0625 - Thank you. What is the exact name of the FB page. There are lots of themâŠ
GW has a great location in DC, too. I know itâs not Boston, but thereâs so much to do in DC that is accessible to students (meaning low-cost or free). Weatherâs pretty good too.