Congratulations! So happy for her and for you guys, too – sounds like the stars really aligned with Occidental. Everything you described sounds just right for her, and hooray for being close! 
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Congrats to @ECCA2026!!!
Do we have any more we’re waiting on?
When do we start complaining about move-in day, messy roommates, dorm food, class registration and bad teenage summer driving?
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Same! We get D26’s yard sign from the high school tomorrow – it has her first name on it. And then I ordered a GT-bound sign. And a giant big head cut-out. 
I couldn’t resist ordering the Rice graduate sign, too. I might put up D26’s signs this weekend and leave them up for all of May – and I’ll put D22’s up when we get back from her graduation next weekend.
I haven’t posted much about D22 on social media – I’ve been detailing D26’s senior festivities, but for my older one, it might have to be one big post after her graduation with ALL the pics, her Phi Beta Kappa induction, her future plans, etc. I’m bursting with pride over here, but last kid needs her time in the spotlight.
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I LOVE all of these announcements! I think April might be my favorite month now (except for the tree pollen trying to murder me!)
Congrats everyone on all the great decisions and outcomes. So proud of all these kids!
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The college yard signs are usually plastic-coated.
After they have been in your yard for a month or two… you can pull them off their metal stakes, wipe them down with some windex or lysol - and then use some command strips on the back to mount them to your childs bedroom door (or on the wall next to the door. before they leave for school.
We currently have a “Future Longhorn” yard sign on our D22 door with the block burnt orange letters “TEXAS” vertical on the wall next to her room - and our S4 has “Xxxxxx is Carolina Bound” and a tarheel blue NC logo as well as the Purdue Boilermaker Engine (1st year at Purdue) - three signs vertical on his door.
Our D26 has her “Florida” signs out in the front yard - but those will transition to her bedroom door in another couple months.
It’s a sentimental reminder that their rooms aren’t truly ‘empty’ and they aren’t really ‘gone’ quite yet…
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I like this idea. Ours are currently sitting in the garage, but I have an empty upstairs hallway by their bedrooms where I might put them all up.
FYI, for grad cap decorations Amazon sells these cardboard toppers with a precut center hole for the tassels in a variety of colors and “finishes”:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G7XL382M?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
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Congratulations!!! I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about Occidental from friends in LA. How wonderful to have a decision! 
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For my S25 last year, I ordered this one personalized, and it came out really cute. Kid loved it – he’s a total film nut. (He doesn’t really have the motor skills to decorate one himself.)
https://www.■■■■■■■■/listing/1860000788/custom-film-graduation-cap-topper
D26’s school doesn’t allow grad caps to be decorated. They haven’t even given them out yet (the kids did get to try them on) to ensure no one will do so. (Don’t get me started. 
)
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Congratulations!!! Despite my daughter’s “no” on Oxy – I think it’s pretty awesome and it sounds like an excellent fit! Yay - so happy for you all! 
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Mine - as of 9am this morning -there is no decision. It’s going to be a photo finish!
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C26 (as you might expect given their intended major) loves creating things and definitely wants to do it themself. We do have a list of “guidelines” from the school about what can and can’t go on the caps! When D19 graduated - our first few years in the US - we had no idea this was even a thing and she only found out about it the day before, so ended up with a hastily assembled, not very good decoration that I still somehow feel responsible for and bad about. That said, it remains on her cap that is hanging on her dresser mirror at home (nyu cap, no decorations allowed there, on the other side).
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Congratulations!!! 
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Same here. Poor S26 gets one graduation ceremony and probably (?) an awards ceremony. D22 will get three graduation ceremonies (2 degrees plus unified), Phi Beta Kappa induction and maybe one more. So the coming two weeks are about him and the week after about her. But he had his place in the spotlight earlier this year with lots of sports success. Trying to keep it balanced here…
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that is such a great idea!!
Yeah, in the end, I think our kids were looking for slightly different things. And with these small LACs, those differences are real from one college to the next. I was surprised at how differentiated my D26s top choices were when you really got into the weeds of the schools. From 10,000 feet, they look pretty similar.
Here’s hoping your D26 makes a choice she feels good about. Mine definitely had some lament for the things she was giving up mixed in with feeling good about her choice.
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Here’s a fun new website I stumbled across on FB: UniIQ.org It’s still being developed, it suggests schools to check out based on a short quiz. I had fun inputting my kids’ criteria and seeing what it spit out. It will automatically autofill a few schools, you may have to play around with it- I think they’re still working out kinks, but it actually came up with both of my kids’ schools in the top 10 results! I would be interested to know if it also comes up with your kids’ final selections?
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Did you do “find schools” or “I have schools in mind”?
(You might not think I actually have a very busy day at work today )
Congratulations to your daughter. Occidental is an amazing school and LA is a fabulous city!!
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I clicked “Help me find schools” and took the quiz 
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