My favorite are the EA apps the kids busted their buns doing to land in the “deferral” zone and you gotta wait until RD anyway. And the schools who don’t even deny anyone EA and put all the kids into RD are even more insane. Come on, you can make a decision on easily half of those kids right away.
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Yes, I can potentially see an ethical (not legal) obligation in that case. We didn’t do ED because I have a major issue with the entire premise of it (clearly, LOL), but I know of at least several close friends’ kids applying ED and they definitely did not get this level of commitment or communication from the school to which they applIed.
I have issues with the entire ED ruse, because that’s what it is. Implying to students and parents that they’re legally on the hook for $400,000 in tuition if they get in, no matter what, is not ethical, period. (And schools DO imply this, even if they don’t state it outright.) Frankly, it’s borderline predatory. D25 goes to HS with several immigrant families and many give undue deference to authority figures. For schools to take advantage of this without being forthright is wrong.
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Yes, I can certainly agree with this part. Other than hearing a decision a few months earlier than would otherwise be the case, I cannot see any tangible benefit to an applicant applying ED. I do not think the admissions boost to an unhooked applicant, if any boost exists, is worth what an applicant otherwise gives up - namely choice.
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We’re in the midst of ensemble season and all the auditions that go along with it. She made first chair for one very important to her and auditions for another tomorrow and a big deal one next week. She got the last seat in that one last year so she’s been working on the areas she’s weaker in. UDel audition is the week after and West Chester 2 weeks after. She should finally be done with auditions then.
I’m far more impatiently awaiting college results and especially the financials than D. UPuget Sound still hasn’t released any merit or aid info either. D and I are probably going out that way during spring break and if the tuition price is in budget want to meet the instrument professor who wrote D a really lovely email. The 2024 thread was deep into creating cocktails around this time last year and I feel like we’re slacking on coming up with our own coping mechanisms. I think I have an inexpensive bottle of wine somewhere…
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I’m not good at creating cocktails, just drinking them. 
We aren’t even having exciting dinner tonight… it’s make your own baked potato bar. And there won’t be any good beverages to go with. I’m thinking I might go wild and drink the last spindrift I have in the house…
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So I had to Google Spendrift and yes definitely go wild and drink the last one! D got a ninja creami for Christmas and has been experimenting daily with different flavors and so far has loved all of them. The blueberry banana sorbet and the peanut butter chocolate chip were particular favorites. If I have to resort to ice cream as a coping tool then I’m willing to make that sacrifice for the 2025 group.
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That’s hard. Don’t know how the waitlist works at SMU, but if it’s a late date you may ask him to consider a couple RDs somewhere else as well.
Love to hear that! First chair is big news, so good for her for earning that. I hope that was a happy night!
And with that, you have just made my meal plan for the weekend. Many thanks!
I had to google both Spendrift (although I recognized it once I saw the label) AND Ninja Creami…and quite promptly felt my resolve to eat better fade away.
I think to break away and assert independence from the 2024 parent thread, I fully support the idea of ice cream as a coping mechanism discussion. Of course, it’s easy for me to say as a teetotaler without blood sugar issues, so I recognize if that’s not how this group rolls. I’m just sayin’, @MistySteel27 , I’m completely ready to hear anything and everything you care to share regarding ice cream as a coping tool.
FWIW, S25 has taken just two nights to polish off the container of Breyer’s Classic Vanilla. I, on the other hand, am making my way to the bottom of Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk. Classics, but perhaps a bit staid. I might just be inspired now to branch out…
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I kind of think maybe ice cream IS our thing. I mean, didn’t we have a whole discussion about celebratory ice cream just a few months ago?
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Yes! Tillamook ice cream was part of the original discussion if I remember correctly. Ice cream for celebration and impatience sounds reasonable to me.
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Haha, seconded! Make your own baked potato bar sounds perfect for this weekend. We’re due for some snow, and around here that means complete chaos for a couple days. The milk and bread are already disappearing from store shelves but they’ll have potatoes!
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Make your own baked potato bar went over very well…. We always have shredded cheese, bacon sour cream and broccoli, but today was particularly exciting because we had some nice leftover queso to add. I always put the broccoli on the top so I can look at it and pretend it’s healthy…. Forget all the stuff underneath. 
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Thank you! She was very happy, last year she just missed the chair cutoff for the wind ensemble so went into this audition hoping to at least make it in so the top chair really surprised her.
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Agree ! My son wrote his ‘why us essay’ more about himself than the school. He wrote it in the style of a dating app profile, listing what he loves and is interested in - which happened to align with the school he was applying to. It gave him a little power back. If they like it great, if not, swipe left.. or is it right? I have no idea, I’ve never looked at a dating app sight- nor has he 
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It has been a rough couple days around here. LA wildfires, friends losing their homes, friends of my kid losing their homes, and a local high school kid killed last night in a hit and run. We are thankful to not be in the actual line of fire but it’s helping put everything in perspective right now. Hug your kids 
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Very much the same here. Less directly saying they will pick the cheapest but clearly thinking it.
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If the defer my child’s EA, I will encourage them to withdrawal. Why EA if you don’t get the early decision. There are other schools.
My two cents. (Hopefully I don’t have to find out if I will follow through on this threat). Two EA decisions coming next week.
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Unrelated to everything else, I’ve just finished planning our Spring Break trip. It’s not even remotely college related. Well, at least not college for S25. My older son will be doing a 7 week term abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece. While he’s there it’s (1) Spring break for my S25 and (2) my 50th birthday. So the present that I’m giving myself is a trip for husband, S25 and me to Greece. Woo Hoo!
I still need to deal with making airline reservations to/from Greece, and once there some internal transportation stuff, but otherwise, I’m getting things lined up. We’ve got a few different hotels and AirB&Bs lined up, a five day private tour (I’m so ridiculously excited about this - it’s a guy with a car who will drive us around and tell us what we’re looking at and manage getting us places to stay in each location, getting tickets to things and arranging for local guides where we want them), and a couple of days at the end to spend with S22 while he’s working on his project.
I’ve spent so long thinking about this, and researching places to stay and things to do. I honestly can’t believe that I’ve actually signed up for things, but over the last few days I did! I’m so stoked!
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Some people feel that obligation more than others. It was a big scandal at our neighbor’s kid’s private school when the college counselor’s kid dumped their ED school in favor of a UCLA admission that they’d “forgotten” to withdraw (saving the family $50K per year…)
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Lame.
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