Hi all! Between work and S17’s college stuff it’s been a bit all consuming lately but this weekend we actually had to do some college search work for S19!
He has a PreCalc assignment over winter break that requires him to figure out how to pay for college. His brother had the same exercise and it was fabulous! However it does require picking a real school for the exercise and I required him to pick a school that on the face of it, would be potentially affordable. His brother was easy as he chose an instate option but that is not at all what S19 wanted to do. So I’ve spent the afternoon running NPC’s on an entirely new set of schools.
His criteria (for now) were as follows.
Location: California, East Coast, Southeast, Denver, Chicago. Near some body of water, preferably major metropolitan area.
Majors: Physics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Political Science, Film.
Minor: Music
EC’s: Music
Mine was…NPC result had to be no greater than 40k.
Based on this very first rough swipe at a list for the project he narrowed it down to 2 potential options. San Diego State and College of Charleston. And the homework winner is…
College of Charleston!
I have to admit. I didn’t see that one coming but thanks to @carolinamom2boys it was on my radar and he seized on that one…the very last NPC we ran! I am not at all sure at the end of the day that my liberal PNW kid could handle SC but you never know and it’s a better exercise for him than doing a far more popular local OOS choice.
Small French update, he has at least moved it up to a C and his teacher feels he can get it to a B+ by semester’s end. I am very suspect of that whole idea but it would be fabulous if that happened! The rest of the grades are solid.
Great choice @eandesmom . Feel free to float any questions my way. Maybe not for his project but look at the Computing in the Arts major that combines a CS degree with focus on visual arts or music.
@eandesmom Believe it or not CofC is fairly liberal and Charleston is one of the more liberal parts of the state.
@carolinamom2boys I do believe it actually. I think he’d be fine there. My H was the bigger issue lol. He changed his mind last night I think and is going to use Lawrence but CoC is on our super early rough list for now,
I love everything I’ve seen about College of Charleston and like the other colleges on your list as well, @eandesmom. What a terrific assignment for a sophomore. Sounds like he has a great teacher.
@EastGrad it’s actually a curriculum wide assignment. S17 had a different teacher but both kids were assigned it. I was going to make S19 do it if it wasn’t assigned lol.
DS19 had to research 4 for SAT prep.
This assignment is a bit more than researching. They have to figure out the cost over all four years including interest for all expenses and how to pay for it using their parents actual finances and college savings, figure out loans, work income, scholarships all of that. It was kind of funny though when S 17 did it he definitely overestimated his personal expenses essentially double counting them in addition to the line item that the NPC had which was actually overstated already.
S19 will have a bit of the reverse, on his I think/know that travel, books and other are understated.
I went to undergrad in Charleston - gorgeous city. It might’ve liberaled-up in the intervening years; I didn’t find it particularly liberal compared with NYC, where I eventually ended up, but I was in North Charleston and the surrounding communities, not downtown, and I guess compared with other areas of the South, it does shine up nicely. 
… I would love to live there now, but it’s become horrifically expensive. For a quick primer on the whole history and culture of Charleston, “The Lords of Discipline” is a great read.
DS19 has a plan for helping pay for college… Youtube videos… He started posting stuff a month ago. He’s made $65 so far. I really don’t understand it but one of his videos has had 500,000 views I’m hoping his plan works… [-O<
@MichiganGeorgia – My kid has been doing that for a couple of years (he’s 12) - he posts videos of himself playing games. I have no idea why people watch this, but there are e-athletes making millions at it, so I’m obviously too old and should just put myself out to pasture. He has nothing like 500k views, though - congrats to your son!! The next PewdiePie!!
My kid has watched a lot of Minecraft videos…videos of other kids playing and telling their secrets to success. It’s baffling…but I’ve def been jealous of the ones who mak it!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year to all celebrating this week!
My kids had school yesterday and are now ready to enjoy the next week. My d19 even had a test and a quiz yesterday. This is a much needed break for her. I hope everyone here is able to relax and enjoy the holidays.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!!! I haven’t wrapped any gifts yet… :-SS
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! <:-P >:D<
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and New Years to all!
One pie is in the oven and the adults are enjoying pumpkin roll. All teens are still in bed!
Despite hitting 4 stores yesterday I’ll have to brave it again today and track down a package. I hope to update the outcomes on the 2017 3.0-3.4 thread for anyone following that today but we will see! S17 has had 2 more come in this week and the latest was eye opening to S19 in a good way I think. S19, H and I will go for our xmas eve run here in a bit and I’m looking forward to that, we did a fun hilly 5k last weekend.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all. Enjoy your time with your kids. They’ll be gone before you know it.
Merry things to all! I wish us all happiness and peace in the new year, along with some great experiences and meaningful moments with our kids.
I’ve already melted down once today (something to do with the silver-plate flatware I have to drag out because mother-in-law gave it as a gift many years ago, and it requires constant polishing and is tarnished nonetheless and OMG, do I LOATHE that stuff, etc etc.). I’m trying to zen now. “Breathe, Gatormama, breathe.”
@gatormama Can’t you put something in the silver-plate flatware box so it doesn’t tarnish? I have my grandmothers and she put some sort of paper stuff in there so I don’t have to polish it.
I dunno about that. I have always hand-washed it religiously and polished it with Tarn-X and something else and there is just pitting that won’t go away. Oh well, dinner went fine and she was pointedly pleased that I used it, so I guess I got MIL points. Today the dishwasher broke. And George Michael is dead. Horrible year, all around, for celebrity deaths.