This is a great list! If my S25 hadn’t eliminated all schools over a 4-5 hour drive from NYC their lists would probably be identical to this one.
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Does anyone know how long it typically takes colleges to download an app completed on Common App? Student completed one app 8/1 and it’s still showing “submitted”.
We’re having the same issue with 3 of the 4 schools S25 applied to on the 1st. The other has downloaded his application but doesn’t have transcripts even though HS and Naviance say they were submitted. He called that school this morning and they said it was a volume issue and to give it a week or two. He hasn’t checked with any of the schools that just say “submitted.”
Our school is closed until 9/5 and no one available to help with the Naviance process or Common App process. We have no idea how to submit the recs now to schools that were already submitted through Naviance, and no transcripts will be sent until way after school opens. So frustrating.
Guys, I have to brag about S25 a little. He has all but 3 of his apps submitted as of this morning. So thankful he worked so hard this summer to get everything in and can now enjoy his senior fall a little more.
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S25 submitted a bunch this week and none of them have been downloaded yet! I was worried because it seems like D23’s schools all downloaded right away. Got an email from one school this morning though that said thanks for applying, we’ll start downloading applications in October!
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No updates on the college front, but we just had a lovely few days at the beach. My S22 has been working out of state all summer - he was gone for 12 weeks - and he got home Saturday. He needed to do some doctors visits, so we loaded all of those for Monday, then we all went to the beach Tuesday through this morning. It was great to see how well my kids were enjoying each other.
It’s going to be a busy few days - we should get home by 3:00 today, we have a family dinner with out of town relatives who are visiting my mom tonight, then tomorrow morning I’m spending a few hours with my best friend from growing up - who now lives in Australia. Then after lunch we’re heading north to take S22 back to college. I think he’s a little anxious at having so little downtime to get stuff done that didn’t happen while he was working (he worked 60 hour weeks, so not much got done but work). And I’ll be helping by doing as much laundry as possible tonight so he can pack it all in the morning.
We’ll get him to school Sunday morning, which will hopefully allow for some time to buy whatever things he might need (and to stock his fridge for him). Then Monday morning on the way home we’re going to UCONN so S25 can do a tour. Then after what will be a long drive home that night, work again on Tuesday.
I wish we had a little more time together to relax, but I’ll take what I can get.
I don’t thin S25 is going to particularly like UCONN, but I want him to see it and think about it as an option. I’m also hoping that it helps out in state option - VA Tech - look better in comparison.
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Our big hiccup with college apps has been that S25 heard back from his guidance counselor that they couldn’t build a schedule with the classes he requested. So he’s given a couple of options for alternatives. Once we know what class they slotted in, he’ll be able to fill out the part about what your senior year classes are.
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Lots of places do them in batches. Particularly very early on, when fewer students are applying, it makes sense to let them pile up for a week or two so that they can be gone through all at once.
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We are in the same boat. S25 doesn’t get their course schedule until August 27 or so we are on hold and can’t submit any apps until then.
My guess, and I really have no idea or actual behind the scenes knowledge, is that, unless it is a rolling admissions college, then the Apps probably will not be reviewed until Oct at the earliest and possibly Nov. Many of the AOs, as I understand it, are traveling to high schools and out on the road in their territories for the next two months. Thus, for those schools, any “downloading” would just be an administrative function, but no review is actually happening yet.
If, on the other hand, these are rolling admissions schools, you would certainly think that it would not take a week(s) to download the apps.
I get your frustration. You would think that there would be an immediate email or something acknowledging they had received something from the student and instructions to set up a portal access if that is part of the procedure for the school. At least something acknowledging receipt would likely be helpful to ease concerns.
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We’re not particularly concerned, I just remember it being different with D23. I think though, that she didn’t submit many apps until September and then they were all downloaded right away.
Hopefully not since they can’t finish and submit all required information until the school downloads it. It needs to appear in their portal to do the SRAR, and other stuff.
Copy from another post about our tours…
Recent tours for my average midwest girl looking for a small or medium school. I purposefully picked 3 very different schools/locations for this trip.
Rider: Same/Went in Neutral- may not apply only due to possible change in majors
More suburban. Surrounding area felt pretty safe. Likely need to uber for other stuff to do.
Went to Bronc for a Day. Sat in metal folding chairs for an hour in the gym listening to the standard college stuff.
Limited food options but they have been making dorm and dining updates
12:1 student teacher ration
Diverse student body (a huge plus for my D25)
We found campus to be clean and easy to navigate with some green space.
D25 thought it was odd they did not include a tour for potential students (they really push their visit 3 times for free textbooks).
They were supposed to have food trucks but they told us it was their largest group they have ever had (100 plus people) so the 1 pizza slice food truck and 1 ice cream truck were overwhelmed with long lines so we just left.
They are a CommonApp only school. They said to answer all questions. If you apply EA you get free parking and best aid.
Average aid is 14-27k merit. Its 12-20k for transfer students.
Stockton: Same/Went in neutral- will likely still apply
This place is a fortress compound if you are into that sort of place.
Very updated and modern. Looks like an airport.
Buildings are simply “A block” “C block” etc.
As it is so tucked away from everything, the Osprey cash is accepted at many restaurants, cvs, even salons
Free cable, laundry, printing
$10 bus rides to major cities.
ESA are allowed. Free telehealth therapist within 15 minutes of calling.
While the buildings were nice, it felt very odd to me. D25 didn’t totally hate it though and it could be in cost range so we will see.
Saint Joseph’s-Philly: Went in w/little knowledge of the place/Went UP for D25
More suburban part of Philly
Older stone buildings
Classes max at 35 students
Freshman are in dorms, Sophomores in apartment style. Jr/Sr off campus. They are building the “second largest dorm in PA” planned to open Fall 2026 for freshman.
30% Greek. Dorms have a/c and communal baths.
Only 1 food hall but there are a few places walkable nearby.
2 hrs of free tutoring a week.
Jesuit school/core reqs. The tour guide was a part of many service organizations and that is what really sold the school for D25. She was drawn to the service learning aspect of Jesuits. While she has toured other Jesuit schools, I think this tour guide just was more open and active with how he volunteers and projects he has done and D25 thought it was interesting.
The tours helped D25 to further narrow her choices and wants in a school. I have a much better idea of what she is looking for! (And adding a school or two to her already long list!)
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this is my understanding too…
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Also have been an alum interviewer for a highly selective school for ages, and as long as kid is clean and not wearing anything offensive you should be good to go! What kid says matters WAY more:)
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First week of school is done. I was at work on Friday and got a series of text messages: “What’s my SSN?” “Where did you get your degrees from?” “What colleges did you teach at?” I was responding back but sitting on my hands proverbially with excitement.
Kiddo is getting peer pressure, “You haven’t done your Common App yet??” Finally, peer pressure for the win. I’m sure this will be a double-edged sword when the results come in, but for now, I’ll take it. Desperately trying to get her to sit down and submit Univ of Oregon app this weekend.
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We are driving northward to drop S22 off at school and do a college tour for S25. I am * SO BORED*. S22 and my husband both like listening to music way louder than I do, so it’s not possible to talk over. We’ve been going almost four hours (left way later than I wanted to) and I think we’ve probably got two more - not counting dinner. We’re not going all the way tonight, but stopping part way and staying with a family friend. While it will be lovely to see this guy, and I appreciate the free place to stay, none of us are going to be in a mood to be sociable. And I haven’t seen this guy in probably 15-20 years, so lots of catching up, and none of us are going to show our best tonight.
Oh well.
Just SSSSSSOOOOOOOOOO BORED.
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The magical thinking of our resident ADHD optimist is off the hook right now.
S25 is brightly sure that he can manage the following this fall:
–5 AP classes
–TAing for his physics teacher (who is also his primary recommender)
–Tutoring at the local Mathnasium (2 afternoon shifts + one weekend morning)
–Starting a cycling club with a close friend
–Joining the robotics team for the first time
–Finishing the ~60 hours of coursework/finals that he needs to complete BYU Econ and US Gov courses, ideally soon enough that he has grades to share with EA colleges.
–Applying to ~20 schools, roughly half of them EA, with all that this entails*
*I think part of the problem is a lack of imagination about what college application process entails. He’s mostly done (he thinks) with his main Common App essay. So far so good. BUT…
–over a dozen of the schools on his list, including all of those that track demonstrated interest and most of the ones he hasn’t visited, are coming to his high school in the next two months. He needs to sign up for and show up for those visits, ideally (in each case) with some kind of informed question to ask.
–he needs to sign up for virtual tours/info sessions for all the schools we haven’t visited yet.
–and also interviews. The tours/info sessions ideally happen first.
–there are, in fact, other essays to write, and many of them require him to do more homework than he has done so far.
I want him to consider either skipping the Mathnasium thing (yeah, it’s a job but also so time-consuming) or committing to only one weekend session/week. I think even that would be almost too much, considering all the other stuff on his plate (e.g. cycling club actually entails CYCLING on the weekends.) I’m assuming he’s going to have 2-5 hours/homework per academic AP class per week (maybe more). He still has annoying things like piano lessons, orthodontics appts, etc.
Anyone wanna come out here and knock some sense into him?
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This interview is with an admission counselor. I don’t know if that is different than an alumni interview or not. We’ve talked to this guy before, but this is a highly weighted thing. I’m trying not to show nerves about it.