Exactly! My C25 is in a very similar place.
I still maintain that ED is unethical, for precisely the reason that it removes control from the applicant, who has less information in the process, and adds power to the college, which already has more information about everything. Not cool.
I agree completely. ED benefits the college not the applicant. It does take control away from the applicant. And not just the ones applying ED. The choices that colleges make during the ED rounds have implication for the RD round. By the time they get to the RD decisions, they might have less flexibility in their aid budgets. Students getting in RD then might not have as much ability to have their aid packages adjusted as their ED counterparts. That is assuming that ED applicants get their aid packages with their acceptance.
My husband got S25 to take a bunch of sticky notes, write down the names of the colleges he’s applied to, and rank them, without thinking too hard about it. It was a useful exercise.
At the top are a cluster of schools he probably won’t get into (UC Berkeley, followed by Irvine/San Diego/Santa Barbara, Purdue, and UW-Seattle.)
Next are WPI, Mines, and Case Western Reserve (which is a toss-up but might prove to be a disappointment.)
Then U Rochester and UC Davis, followed by RPI, Macalester, and Lafayette.
Then everyone else. I think Oberlin leads the pack. Merced, Minnesota, and Pitt are near the bottom.
I think our plan at this point is to take him on one more visit (to Mines at the end of March) and – if he gets in and wants to see them – any of the other schools in the top half. At this point I’d put money on him going to either Mines or WPI, with Case being a wild-card – probably more likely an acceptance than any of the UCs, CalPoly, Purdue, or UW.
It’s time to start letting go of all the others, and that’s okay. You can’t go everywhere that might be a good fit.
I think what I most want is for him to be excited about wherever he chooses to go, and not to feel that he’s settling for a place he’d rather not be. This was the visceral sense for me on the RPI tour – that most people seemed to have places they’d rather be. And yet I’ve heard great things about it from people whose kids landed there and thrived. I like to think our son could flourish anywhere with the right mindset. Fingers crossed.
100% same for me.
I like this idea! May steal it.
Same!
Totally agree. My exact thoughts for D25. While she would have been “fine” with any of the Tuition Exchange schools she got into, we both would have felt she was just accepting going there. The school she decided on and put deposit into was the only school where she stepped on campus and felt “I WANT to go here” versus “this would be okay.”
Does anyone here have any experience managing dietary restrictions while living in the dorms (maybe with an older student)?
After years of health issues, last fall, D25 was diagnosed with celiac disease. She’s doing well and feeling better than she has in a long time. But, to get there we’ve made our kitchen 100% gluten free and she has to read ingredient lists and be very careful about cross contamination.
I’ve been reading food policies for several of the schools that we’re hoping to hear back from and there is such a wide range of ways that dining facilities manage dietary restrictions. Some have separate stations in the dining facility to avoid cross contaminations and most label foods for major allergens. The one that makes me angry is the labeling GF (not gluten free but gluten friendly) as in, we’ve tried but can’t promise that we aren’t feeding you gluten by mistake.
I’m wondering what other families have done with situations like this. Do she just make as good choices as she can and hope for the best? (A cross contaminated knife or cutting board can make her feel awful for a week, and has potential long-lasting health consequences). Make it an ADA issue and ask them to drop the mandatory dining plans? Is there maybe something else that I’m not considering? D25 says that I’m overthinking this and we’ll figure it out when we have all the information. But, overthinking is something I’m really good at, so there’s that. Thanks for any thoughts!
Some schools do a better job of dealing with celiacs than others. I’d encourage you to research what’s available at each of your daughter’s top choices. In the schools that I’m familiar, there was at least one gluten free dining spot on campus but the food got very very repetitive.
Depending on the school, I’d be tempted to get the accommodation to drop the meal plan but then you need to be sure that she has a kitchen.
Oh man, I didn’t realize the choice was between Clemson at over $50,000 versus Virginia Tech in state. I don’t know, I would be very tempted to put my thumb on the scale a bit here. Simply because on paper Clemson does not seem like it would be worth 40% more than Virginia Tech.
Oh wow. This article speaks to so much of our experience. Wondering if others feel similarly? (gift link)
Make an appointment with the school dietitian or nutritionist!
Thank you for this gift link! I saw the headline and it made me think of so many kids I know
We did this and called it march madness (though not march:)
did forced ranking across and really narrowed - though we did it for where to APPLY to, not go to – probably should that again now though!
Yes, I have experience with this, and it isn’t great. I think you have to go into it proactively and speak to the nutritionist and the school about your options. Of course, they do tend to make it sound like it is no big deal for them, you just have to pre order a day in advance and pick up at a certain location, but options tend to be very limited. I am sure every school is different and every celiac kid’s ability to jump through hoops is also different. Best of luck to you both!!!
I didn’t even know such a thing existed. That is so wrong on so many levels.
I agree with the advice from others, but I would also ask if there are any current students with dietary restrictions (particularly the same restriction) who would be willing to speak with your D, and then get more honest feedback about the ease, any mistakes, repetitiveness, etc.
Also, when you show up to the welcome dinner for the first years and there is nothing gluten free but the vegetables.
When we were at RPI they made a big deal about having a special allergen-free space in the cafeteria. My own temptation (if I had a kid with celiac) would be to attempt to forgo the meal plan altogether. But that of course comes with its own set of hassles (e.g. communal/dorm kitchens).
100%. And it favors students from wealthy socioeconomic backgrounds who can pay sticker price
S25 has multiple food allergies. When touring schools with D23 (who doesn’t have food allergies) I asked about food allergies everywhere we went because I was already worried about S25. But, two years later, I haven’t asked when touring schools with S25 because I’ve put it in the “we’ll figure it out later pile.” I do remember that a common accommodation was to be placed a dorm with a kitchen. Would be curious if one can actually get off the meal plan…