Speaking from my experience with D17, I’ll agree, it’s worth requesting information from Swarthmore just for the fun of the emails.
Good to know! My d19 did set one up for college emails and gave me the info so i can also access it. Swarthmore is on the list as a possible reach.
S19 must have given all info on the PSAT and as of yesterday the email deluge has now transitioned to snail mail and he’s gotten about a dozen in just two days. Funny thing is though many of them are really just the same “offer” of this or that guide. Do these colleges realize that he’s getting really the same mailing for multiple institutions?
S19 has informed me that the letters are lame and where are the nice booklets? His initial reaction is that the state schools spend more on the envelope (higher quality paper) so that is making more of an impression.
Not that he has opened a single one yet and the mailbox was full again today.
S19 made sure not to check the box for receiving mailings, but still receives tons in his "college email’ (set up separately.) He checks them for fun. I delete them frequently to lesson distraction. 
You guys made me go aback and read Swarthmore email. 
Son19 is very thoughtful sometimes. He is using the 3D printer to make an exact replica of our house to give to son17 as a gift when he leaves for college. He just sent me a pic of f the 3d printer rendering the object. Son17 spent a long time on some design software to create the 3d model. It’ pretty cool. Warms my heart.
@payn4ward love the hat!
Awww! @RightCoaster that is so sweet! My D19’s “gift” to D17 when she leaves for college in August will probably be to move into her bedroom, which is larger and has a private bathroom.
I had set up an email address for my daughter to use for her PSAT sign up. (So her real email address doesn’t get inundated with emails and so that both her and her parents can check the account).
Unfortunately, she entered the wrong email address! Luckily, the email she entered was not taken.
My D16’s gift to S19 when she left for college was . . . uh. A hug in the dorm parking lot?
S19 didn’t know to set up a separate email for colleges, so I imagine he is being deluged (not that he checks his email very often). Oh well, maybe he can use a different one when he takes the next round of tests. I don’t feel the need to see his college emails until the summer before senior year.
As annoying as it is, the snail mail envelopes are at least making college seem like more of a reality to him. He even opened one of them before recycling it. Between receiving 3 to 6 pieces of mail daily and having to really think about his course selections for next year for the first time, I think he is realizing that he will actually need to think about where to go and what to study sooner rather than later. So far we have “I don’t know, uh. . . .science?” for a potential major and “probably not too far away” for a location.
My daughter is interested in either Software Engineering &/or Video Game Design and CMU Summer School has a game academy, but it is very pricey. She is interested in CMU because of the duel Art/Computer Science degree program. Does nayone have experience w/ it? Is it worth the $. Do they offer fin. aid? Thank you.
Hi @CAWSLP - I don’t know anything about CMU or the game academy, but if your daughter is interested in gaming, she should choose one path, either art OR programming and major in that. My son is finishing up a Game Design/Computer Programming emphasis degree and all the employers that are hiring in the field want students to be proficient in one or the other, not a little bit of both. And the students are finding it easier to get placed if they are solid in either art or programming. Many students minor or get a certificate in the other and that is fine, but their major is what got them the job, so keep that in mind for your daughter.
@CAWSLP I don’t know if your daughter would be willing to come south , but College of Charleston has a Computing In The Arts degree which may be worth looking at. Charleston has a rapidly growing tech community which is heavily involved with the school. If your daughter is high stats , she may be competitive for the Honors College. http://compsci.cofc.edu/undergraduate-programs/computing-in-the-arts.php
I see some new people here–welcome!
@CAWSLP, the University of Utah has the #2 rated Video Game Design Major and it is very reasonably priced. But to @carolinamom2boys’s post, Charleston has better weather with the exception of an occasional hurricane. 
@payn4ward, I also like the hat.
also love the hat @payn4ward!
D has been obsessed with theater, as I’ve mentioned several times, so i’ve been researching with that in mind, and doing my spreadsheet - having WAY too much fun with that, tbh.
So we signed her up for Cappex - thanks for that pointer, whoever mentioned it – and she loves getting the “personalized” emails that new colleges are interested in her (OK, I know it’s totally not personal, but I’m not telling her that it’s just an algorithm) – I just checked what schools she’d indicated an interest in, and discovered that for potential majors she now has:
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General; Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other; Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology; Engineering Chemistry; Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography; Planetary Astronomy and Science; Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other; Astronomy; Music Theory and Composition.
Kid sure knows how to keep me guessing!
@Gatormama College of Charleston checks all of those boxes.
@carolinamom2boys - I went to Baptist College down there. I know the city and love it. Don’t think we have a prayer of affording it, though 
If your daughter has good grades and stats , the Honors College is fairly generous with merit and also departmental scholarships. @Gatormama
Thanks – off to research it, then, @carolinamom2boys - I sure would love a reason to visit there more often!
S just wrapped up second quarter about a week ago. Our experience with our older kids is that third quarter sophomore year is one of the hardest. Can’t believe high school is almost half-way through. High school sophomores are sometimes remote and sulky, but don’t forget to hug them tight. They will launch before we know it, and we will be here together sharing our goodbye stories and tears. (Sorry, don’t mean to be maudlin, but thinking about how fast time goes today. Good think I didn’t run into any moms with newborns in the supermarket! :)) )