Woohoo!
I think we need a new emoji for committing to a school. Extra confetti? maybe the visual of an exhausted parent and student running/staggering/crawling through a finish-line tape together?
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I love that visual. Like finishing an ironman.
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Well, our trip was also exciting….weather wise…. And how to make a decision, I’ll never know. Went to an event on Saturday at Ursinus. The event was nice but seemed a little chaotic…there was no kickoff…just mingle. This seemed to work for some but not so much for shy kids (like mine). Despite that, by the end, C25 really felt at home there and moved it up the list. Loved the area as well and being under 2.5 hours from home was helpful. It might be #2 now.
We left there at 1:30 in the snowstorm and drove 5 hours on snow covered roads to Schenectady. Uneventful but knuckles were white by the time we got there. Sunday was then a total icy rainy mess. But we went to Union College’s production of Witch and we all loved it. The Monday admitted student event was well run and planned…but the brutal windstorm was in. Regardless, I enjoyed it. C25…well, she thought the event seemed a little too perfect, and not entirely real. But the killer was meeting the pre med advisor. C25 wanted to talk about opportunities in pre-vet but she only wanted to talk about her focus on palliative care. C25 left feeling that there wasn’t a good path there with that advisor. So, despite half expecting to deposit this weekend, we certainly didn’t and it might be off the list.
The tour ended with a snow squall and then 2 hours of driving with the wind pushing the car and roads newly covered with drifting snow. Once we hit PA, luckily that was done and smooth sailing.
So we return to waiting for RD decisions.
Happy Presidents’ Day!
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I read this as “snow quail” and got intrigued. Bird-brained, I am…
Sorry that Union wasn’t everything you were hoping for, although nice to have Ursinus in your back pocket. Your kiddo seems to know what she needs out of a college, which is great. I wonder if it’s worth following up – was this the only advisor? do they know how not-helpful they were? were other things about Union pretty solid? Sheesh, I just looked up their health professions advising page and their list of accepted instutions doesn’t seem even to include vet schools. Hmm…this seems like a pretty big blind spot on their part.
Glad you made it home safely. RD decisions can’t come soon enough for me. TOO MUCH LIMBO.
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Ooppps, I corrected my spelling. Yeah, we don’t expect lots of vets at small schools but we’re surprised here with the long list of med schools and students. There is a second advisor but listed as assistant to that one and lack of vet schools seems to turn c25 off. Also loved Allegheny but struggling with the distance and the remoteness.
And Definately liked most everything else at Union. The community seemed great. Lots of support, etc. and really enjoyed the theatre production on Sunday. That was the highlight of the trip for C25.
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Three more auditions in the books; last one this weekend. I would like the following:
- No more airplane accidents before we have three more flights. (Really, no more airplane accidents, ever, but the frequency of them recently doesn’t feel good.)
- A crystal ball to help me determine if I need to book different plane flights to go visit schools she hasn’t seen in person. There is just too much up in the air. I made the mistake of trying to ask D25 about this tonight.
Me: “Which schools might you want to see before making a decision?”
D25: “Well, which schools did I get into?”
Me: “Pretend all of them.”
D25: “Well, that’s not going to happen. If I got into X, Y, or Z, then I wouldn’t need to see A.”
Me: “But what about B or C?” “And if you didn’t get into X, Y, or Z?”
D25: …tears start forming…
She’s really stressed about the results of these auditions, and they all run somewhere in the 15-25% range, from what I’ve gathered. I’ve unfortunately reverted back to my own coping mechanism for these sorts of stressors: research. What are the odds in this program? Let me re-examine the CDS of outstanding non-BFA schools to perseverate on those numbers. I may need to give myself my own intervention and step away from all things college for a few days.
Many super well meaning people in my life have said that if she doesn’t get into these schools that she should shunt dance and go with her most academic option. They very well could be right, but, boy, asking your child to give up on a tightly held dream is a hard ask. I know I don’t need to cross that bridge at this moment. Sometimes I can see a future where I don’t have to cross it, and other times I see the mist clearing and it’s right there. But how does one prepare for it?
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Yeah, I feel you on this. And I imagine I’m not the only one.
Your inclination to delve into research as a coping mechanism sounds pretty familiar, and I 100% agree with your instinct to step away. For some peace of mind and peace of heart.
Two weeks ago, I had to take a hard turn and force myself to only allow two internet research options a day for a while. Which means I had to force myself to find a new internet option. I went with the kittens playing at night route, but perhaps a webcam of quails, or pandas, or silly videos of confetti cannons (thank you for a hearty laugh this morning for confetti, @dfbdfb , that did my soul good!) or ice cream fails….i dunno. You will figure it out.
In the meantime, sending good thoughts out in the universe for all the stressed kiddos and their families. Virtual hugs!
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This stage of the process is so hard, so much waiting, so many unknowns, and so little you can do but be there for her. It makes complete sense that she’s feeling the weight of these decisions (and that you are, too!). You’re doing everything right by giving her space, researching options, and making sure she knows she’s supported. You don’t have to cross that bridge now, and honestly, even if you do in the future, it may not look the way it does in moments of stress. It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought and care into her choices. No matter what happens, I’m sure she’ll land somewhere that lets her grow. Sending all the good vibes for smooth flight and peace in the waiting. 
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that must be SUCH a great feeling!!! yay for your family.
My heart really warms when I read things like this! I really love this group:)
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and same
Mine seemed clear they wanted a certain major for awhile (which only some schools have) and so thought we were down to 2-3 schools. Now they are back to being unsure and back to 8-9?!
off to many admitted students days! Luckily we like weekend trips
UVM is up first on Friday! I think it is quite unlikely this is final choice, but who knows at this point. They loved it when first visited (was one of first we visited jr year), but then was very off it for awhile and almost didn’t apply. I think they heard things at school? Lots of kids go there from their HS. In some ways I think could be a good place for them, but we shall see..
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You know what other waiting game is tedious? Waiting for your car service…..oof.
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Is there an in between option? My daughter gave up on serious dance when she decided on a recreational high school dance program, but she’s going to a very academic college and excited that the city has a very good professional ballet where she can take classes and also participate in a dance program on campus. Good luck on her auditions!
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That is what I am doing as well at this moment. Should be doing work while I wait, yet here I am on CC. We were supposed to be enjoying warm weather in LA this week, but after sitting on a tarmac for 5 hours, being de-iced several times, and sleeping in an airport after the flight was canceled and it wasn’t safe to drive home in the storm in the middle of the night, we are still home in frigid temps and I am sitting next to a fireplace at a dealership waiting for my car. Kid was great during ordeal, which was a good character-building life experience for him. Just sad because my husband is a teacher and this was our last family Feb vacation together (we live in New England). But oh well, such is life and we are making the best of the week off. There are so many worse things that can happen. Hoping that by being home, he will be more up for the admitted students day at his lower choice college that we are going to on Sunday. I just feel we need to do something while we wait for March decisions even if it is less likely he ends up there. Stay warm and safe for those of you also dealing with weather this week.
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I started looking at flights for a couple of admitted students days we might take over spring break. It’s shocking how expensive flights are where Delta has a monopoly. I’m considering Spirit for the first time. Flights seem so much cheaper, but I know there are a lot of extra add ons. Also looking at alternate airports and driving from there. Would save us $500 just on one flight alone to drive 3 1/2 hours upon landing instead of 1/2 hour. I think that’s a pretty good hourly rate actually so as I write this I think I’ve come up with my solution. That’s on a Delta flight too.
But just in case, anybody on here have experience with Spirit?
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It’s been years since I took a spirit flight. I think of Spirit as one I would fly when I don’t need to make any connections. And if I am remembering correctly, I only had carry on for those flights. But they charge if you have anything more than just a personal item. You have to pay if you want to pick your seat. They charge extra if you check in at the airport instead of online. It can be cheaper, but it requires planning. Weigh the inconvenience against the extra cost for other airlines. If I had no connecting flights and very little stuff, it might be worth it, especially if it’s a short flight.
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My cousin flew spirit a while back and by the time all the add-ons were added in he said it was the same ballpark as Southwest/jetblue who had been the other options. But he only realized that once he’d paid for everything. Said service was awful. But that’s just one experience.
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DS and I took a road trip to Cleveland this weekend. A West Coast cousin was visiting Case Western and was there from Th-T for tour and dance audition. We don’t get to see them often so hopped in the car for a couple of hours. Cleveland is LOVELY! I had been interested briefly for DD23 but it seemed it would be too $$$. And she was not interested in any school requiring that you show interest 
. We hit tons of museums and had dinner in Little Italy. I don’t know about the school but we liked the neighborhood.
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That’s kind of what I’m thinking. I’m not a light packer, especially to a place that requires cold weather clothing. And I like to pick my seat. I’m scratching Spirit - I’m not the target customer 
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I’m doing that right now. How did you know?
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