What great news!!! Huge congratulations to you and your son, who sounds like a wonderful kid who very much deserves this win! 
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Okay now Iām tearing up too. Huge congratulations to him and family!
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Oh, big congratulations to him and to you and your family. This is a favorite thread of the year, and there are a bunch of us so happy for your very special kid. He earned this. Exciting!
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This is wonderful! For him, for you and for Conn. As a Camel myself, Iām proud my college may get to have your son joināitās a wonderful place to spend 4 years. 
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Add me to the readers tearing up right along with you. A huge congratulations to your son for his hard work. And big hugs to his deservedly proud parents.
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I love that journey. Wherever he chooses to go, not only is he going to college but heās going to the college he wants and that wants him! 
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My D24 just got accepted to Wheaton! She was deferred from early action, wrote a great LOCI, showed that her grades were still holding in the first semester, and had also done two visits - a small group tour, and then an open house day. She has ADHD and slow processing, and those kids are usually slower to develop, and Iāve continuously said that itās just bad timing that her development was not at the pace that college admissions would prefer, but that it would eventually work out. It was never a given that sheād get in, and itās not yet a given that she will attend - but we will go to admitted students day and now I get to work on seeing if we can get approved for the CIC tuition waiver. (But, her initial aid was the 35k Presidential Scholarship and a grant of about 12k - leaving our NPC around 32k. They include the loans in that NPC so on their end it says 27k, which is still out of reach for usā¦ soā¦ we will see. But we will remain hopeful!)
Oh, wanted to add stats - 3.0, 1AP, couple of ECs, and test optional - strong GPA in art, and doing a distinguished grad track in fine arts, and demonstrated a lot of interest, met with AO at school, a college fair, and the two visits. Had LOR from art teachers and her summer job supervisor (childrenās museum education director) Classic 'quiet but good kid, late bloomer academically, pleasure to have in class, etc.)
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@snappity207 ā¦Super excited for your D - I hope the financial piece comes together to make it a true option, but she must be feeling fantastic today with this news. I know waiting for this was tough. Congrats!
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Many congratulations, @snappity207 !! I remember that crazy storm when EA decisions were delayed, your D24 got deferred, and you said that it would be 90 more days to get a decision. Iām so glad it was worth the wait! 
!
I am forever grateful that we live in a country where admission to higher education is not all about high-stakes testing at a young age. S24 wasnāt ready to tackle honors/accelerated classes until 11th grade. Iām sure LORs and meeting people in admissions made a big difference for him, too.
Best wishes for getting the CIC tuition waiver approved for Wheaton and for getting to COA to a comfortable place. Iām so glad your daughter gets to know that she is wanted at Wheaton! 
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It ended up being 92 days! And the last 5 were the longest!
And a dear friend of mine, upon receiving the text ,was here within minutes and thrust a Wheaton College hoodie at D24. (It is questionable if itās the RIGHT wheaton, but thereās no Illinois and no logo and it IS medium blue text, but sheās wearing it already.) āI donāt believe in bad Karma, Iāve had this for months.ā 
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Hello, all! S24ās final decision came out and he has been waitlisted at W&M. He accepted his spot on the waitlist right away, and when he learned about W&Mās guaranteed spring admit pathway, he started grinning and celebrating. He was hugging us and texting everyone. He put on music and started singing and goofing around. For our even-keeled S24, this was an exuberant reaction! He says he truly never expected to get in, and he did not want to have a ādream school,ā so he is taken a bit by surprise by how happy he is to have the chance to go.
DH and I have a million questions. I knew S24 was open to studying abroad his first semester of college because Wheaton has a program called WheaGo Global for accepted students, and he was definitely interested in that. But I really pictured more typical timeline for S24ā¦being on a walkable, familiar campus in a supportive community with all the orientations, advisors, student accessibility services, and peer tutors.
I feel like we researched and did campus visits for two years to the point where I could tell you the Gen ed requirements for any school on his list, and S24 thought so much about vibe and fit, met with students etc., and now we are considering a totally unvetted option for his first semester! To S24, though, this is exciting. The options for W&M spring pathways are community college, or Verto Education programs in Seville, Florence, or London. S24 had google maps out last night and was making a list of all the sites he wants to explore in London. He was psyched to see that where you take classes is right next to the British Museum.
I am not sure how to feel at this point, but I am happy that S24 is happy. I so appreciate all the support and well wishes from this thread! I will print it out and keep it whenever this phase of the journey is actually settled.
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Congratulations to your son! 
Do research the London option carefully, especially where housing is located and which groups will be living there, distance/time from housing to the Tube stations to get to his classes + whether thereāsa direct line (40mn to 1 hour transportation is to be expected), whether lunch is included and if not how most students manage (+cost), if there are catered options, if orientation includes trips to Aldi/Lidl or Sainsbury as well as M&S/Waitrose, what exactly orientation includesā¦
You need to be aware, as does he ā One big part of these semester abroad programs is to ātestā the students. Odds of failing out academically are low but the drinking age being 18 and the exhilaration of being in an unfamiliar setting where nothing seems to ācountā can lead a not unsignificant percentage to fail to join the Spring campus. Going to the pub on quiz night or buying a pack of beer or cider is one thing, going to the pub every night or acting disorderly in public (a common problem for young Americans on these programs) is another - so your son will have to choose to do the former while being surrounded by kids who want to do the latter.
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Thanks so much for the update! I was smiling while reading about your sonās reaction.
As your son is such a big fan of history, I understand how a fall in Europe could be quite exciting.
I guess I would find out how much of this is available with the Verto program. Also, (and I realize you may not know yet) is it a cohort of W&M students taking classes together in London who will then all move to Williamsburg in the spring (if they are eligible to do so)? Or would it be students from a bunch of different places who will scatter once the first semester is over?
Is the community college option the one at Richard Bland? I believe itās Virginiaās only residential cc, and Iāve heard really good things about it. It seems as though it might have a lot of the supports and such that you were interested in, along with an honors program. So if the Verto options donāt look promising, I wouldnāt neglect digging into the cc option as another one to consider if he wants to go to W&M.
https://www.rbc.edu/learner-success-lab/
https://www.rbc.edu/academics/honors-program/
https://www.rbc.edu/why-rbc/exceptional-student-experience/
Okay, I just looked a little bit into the Verto London program, and they tout one-on-one counseling and mentorship. It appears that the classes are through the U. of New Haven and from the description, it sounds like students are coming from a variety of universities.
So, with that said, how do you think your son would do needing to establish two sets of social relationships within the school year? Would that be a hardship or something heād welcome? Is he the kind of kid who would happily introduce himself to a socially established set, or is he the kind to be more socially reticent when heās a newcomer?
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Curious ā which college did your son chose to attend?
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Hi, @happy1 and everyone who might still check in with this thread! S24 wrote nice emails to all the schools that accepted him, declining their offers with genuine regret. The only school he left out was SUNY New Paltz, because they extended their deadline to June 1st, and we wanted to get as much information as possible about W&Mās pathway to spring before he closes all his doors.
I feel truly torn about saying no to acceptances. S24 was psyched about each one, and was honestly into learning about every school. He received some awesome scholarships, money for unpaid internships, and special attention. He even got a video message from a history professor about his essay, and the opportunities available for history majors at that college. I know this doesnāt necessarily translate into how welcome he would feel when he got there, or how customizable and responsive the institution would actually be. But I had trouble watching him say no, especially after he got personal emails back thanking him for writing and wishing him well. He has gotten nothing individualized from William & Mary whatsoever!
What he does have is a lot of information about the Verto study abroad program in London, and it is all relatively positive. I have sometimes been avoiding thinking about it in hopes that S24 would get a waitlist call, but I think itās good for me to focus on it, so here are some thoughts.
Fall Semester in London with Verto
Pros:
- Small classes (25 students or fewer).
- Accommodations (he will need to apply).
- Academic advising (this sounds strong, but hard to know for sure).
- One quarter of class time spent on field trips.
- Syllabi look manageable.
- For many classes, grades include participation, discussion, projects, papers and examsānot just exams.
- S24 likes the kids he is meeting who will be there.
- D21 knows students in her year at W&M who did pathways to spring and loved it. They are totally integrated into life on campus.
Cons:
- Studio apartments are truly tiny.
- No AC, limited air circulation in apartment.
- Likely bugs, mold and other realities of big city life.
- Difficulty finding quiet study space (S24 uses speech to text and text to speech, plus he can be distractible).
- No way to know what the food is like because Verto London has not provided meals in the past.
- Drinking.
@MYOS1634 mentioned drinking and pub culture vs the need to pull off a 3.0 or higher. I have also been thinking about this as we know Americans at universities in the UK (not London) who have been surprised at the intensity of the drinking scene. S24ās answer so far is to decide that he will not drink while in London. He doesnāt drink now because we have alcoholism in the family. He knows that research shows the later you wait to start drinking, the less likely you will struggle with addiction. In addition, he is very comfortable in his own skin and doesnāt have social anxiety. He doesnāt care about coolness!
He would not want to start drinking in a totally new place with new rules, around a lot of strangers. This seems wise to me and DH, but I donāt know how it will actually go in practice. I think he would talk to us if he felt like changing his mind as he is very open, but at 19, his prefrontal cortex is not fully developed, so who knows?
Frankly, none of the Cons above bother S24 at all. He is still totally excited for the adventure 
. When he chats with other participants, it is often about the museums, historic sites, shows, famous places etc. that they want to see. He is slightly concerned about the 3.0 because it matters so much, and he remains thrilled to have the chance to be at W&M in the end.
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Wishing him all the best!
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Iām glad he took that seriously. 
If he states upfront that he wonāt drink for personal reasons, others should back off; he can always ask what Muslims drink or recommend in that pub - fizzy water (/Perrier, San pellegrino, with or without lemon or even sometimes a syrup; expensive Alpine non sparkling water is Evian), Schweppes, Fanta, Ribena, Orangina, IrnBru, nonalcoholic cider, mocktails should all be available, he can even try a shandy (even teens drink that)ā¦ so that he can join his āmatesā for quiz night and avoid the risk of getting drunk.
AC is uncommon in Europe/the UK. Closing shutters during the day, opening windows at night + increasing energy efficiency+ adding trees&grass everywhere (shade+ it cools off citiesā air which is heated by asphalt). That being said the UK is not built for heat so if thereās a heatwave heāll need to look for recommended cooling off spaces nearby.
He can add Sadiq Khan (London mayor) to his social media and go from there based on the recommendations.
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Thereās no need for air conditioning in London from September onwards, even late August rarely has heatwaves. Usually you have to worry more about the cold, damp weather, because older buildings tend to be draughty, especially if they have old style sash windows. But newer studio apartments should be fine.
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Thanks for all the non-alcoholic drink suggestions! S24 is likely to want to join in, so this will help. He starts at the end of August, so there could be a heat wave, and he would likely consider it a bonding experience to figure out how to stay cool with fellow students. My only concern would be that itās hard to study when youāre melting, and S24 does run warm to start with.
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Thatās good to hear. S24 will not mind cold and damp and is not allergic to mold. Heās going to prioritize the newer studio apartments even though they donāt have full kitchens or any living space to speak of.