I don’t know how these kids do it – I am exhausted reading that. 
But it sounds like some wonderful senior-year experiences!
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No way I am going to catch up on the 100+ posts I missed from this weekend - I didn’t even look at a computer all weekend!!! Last softball games of 2025 for my daughter! They won the tournament!!! Only 2 more applications to go.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
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We had a great admitted student visit this weekend. They ran an excellent program. And the overall vibe was really good. Students seemed happy and diverse.
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Same here. Our tour guide at Rice for D24: “Do NOT take calculus here if you can avoid it”.
BC Cal AP for the win.
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Follow up on the bike for ED Admissions post, another of D26s schools apparently offers a $15,000 annual minimum scholarship for all students admitted ED. That is a much better incentive than a bike.
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We got an email this morning from Case Western confirming 2 things: No financial aid and not test optional.
Is it common for a school to confirm this? Seems odd but I dont know the process that well since D24 only applied ED.
I don’t believe C26 got any emails about these but as far as I know all the portals say whether or not TO chosen. I don’t believe any of them say anything about aid choice. Is Case need aware or need blind?
Yes, I remember your D is in MB too! So good to know a band parent here. Yes, I feel you. My S had a competition 3 hours away….they won 1st in their group/division AND made it to finals, so round 2 of their performance in the evening - we didn’t get home until 3am Sunday. That was the weekend BEFORE EA apps are due. It’s been insane!
My S knows that college MB is different from high school MB. He loves working on 1 show all season, not 1 show per week. He knows from college friends that college MB takes up a lot of time too. So at this time, he’s not interested in joining MB but he’s not completely ruling it out either.
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I think D got those too – I know I was definitely copied on the financial aid one. I actually appreciated the courtesy. It explained that students need to apply for financial aid as incoming freshmen if they think they might need aid at any point during their time at Case. It doesn’t change our personal situation, but I think it’s good that they explained it up front and directly to parents.
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Here’s what Case Western Reserve’s website says about test optional:
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Ugh- I am having the HARDEST time giving up control when it comes to D26’s essay. We had a (ahem) disagreement last night about it- she is digging in her heels that it’s her essay, her perspective, so the way she has it laid out is the way it needs to be. And all of that is true EXCEPT her structure makes it difficult to read, IMO. I would love to bring in an outside opinion, but she’s taken so much time, it’s really too late I think. I convinced her to submit it to the essay review thread here, but I’m not sure there is time to get the feedback and incorporate it because her counselor has told them they need 10 days before the deadline to submit the transcripts. Thank goodness Ithaca EA deadline is December 15!
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Could she ask her counselor’s opinion on the issue of dispute between you? I know some counselors don’t have the time or expertise, but was wondering if that may be a way to get someone with some professional knowledge and at least some interest in your daughter’s outcome to weigh in.
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That is a very good idea. D26 has a special relationship with her counselor and I think she would at least try and give her some advice on the way an essay should be structured.
I should clarify that D26 can write a logically structured essay all day long for a class assignment, but she is taking the “personal” part of this process to heart.
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Decided to read some chance me threads this weekend for funsies. I find it hilarious that every time someone says cost is not a limiting factor, there are like ten responses are like “are you sure?” “If you are planning on grad school, then you probably can’t . . .” “Have you considered x school that is $200K less” Like, people can’t fathom that there are folks who can just pay.
Meanwhile, I was at a fundraiser this weekend at folks house who have two kids in expensive private colleges, one in expensive high school. A mansion of a first house and at least two big vacation houses I know of. I was thinking, yea, $400k is not an issue for them at all. Nor is $800k.
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This happens all the time. College costs can be very expensive but instead of answering the question, some posters inject their own ideas and it goes off the tracks fast.
OP “I’d like to go to USC”
Response: “What about Tulsa? It can be free”
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My favorite is when they say no limit on budget, but merit and/or scholarship opportunities would be nice somehow gets thrown back as that meaning that the parents actually can’t afford or do not support full pay?! (Tell me who doesn’t want a discount- even if you can afford regular price!! 
)
D26’s top priority is fit- so we are willing to pay more to meet that need (if that is what it takes). But that in no way means we do not want to find that at a discount!!! 
I am all for throwing in a disclaimer about how much full pay means on some of these schools because many are truly in the dark about it- but leave it as a disclaimer and then answer the chance me/match me thread as asked by the poster.
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100% We are eligible for zero need based aid anywhere. We are in the fortunate position that even the most expensive school on D26s list would not require us to spend any more from our monthly budget than we currently do on school (current tuition + 1/4 of 529 is easily more per year than the annual cost for any school on her list).
And yet, we’d love a discount at whatever place ends up being the best fit for her (while also knowing some on her list offer no such discounts). I’m sure if I did a chance me it would be quickly derailed onto why not a state school or some other option that provides just as good an education (which I agree with btw) for a fraction of the cost.
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There should be a warning to anyone who uses the phrase: “We’ll find a way to pay for it”.
You might as well shut that thread down and go straight to personal finance jail 101 without passing GO and collecting your $200.
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Well, just to be a bit of an outlier here, my D26 is nowhere near finishing and submitting applications. The only ones she has in so far are some CSU schools and Connecticut College. This month is another story, though– she will submit the Biggie (EA to Gonzaga) by 11/15 and four of the UCs by 11/30 (I think). As for the rest– I’m not sure. She’ll do RD to Holy Cross by 1/3, and Fordham at some point (they also extended their EA deadline by a week). As for any other remaining schools– well, I don’t care about them overmuch.
So we will be waiting a While (March or April, or if she happens to get waitlisted, even longer) for any kind of decision, except for Gonzaga, which will inform by late December.
One fun development this weekend was that we made a Deal whereby if I took her to get a helix ear piercing, I could read her personal statement. I was impressed! And as the piercing ended up costing close to $100, she got the sweet end of the deal.
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I love that you negotiated to get to see the statement. Btw - we also are nowhere near done apps. 3 done, 6 to 10 to go depending on what she hears mid-December. But regardless of what happens in December, she will have RD schools she wants to hear from in late March before making a decision.
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