<p>Owlice, we hit the salvation army and that was fun, and then there was a boutique in the commons that had a pretty dress and some ridiculously expensive jeans. I think it started with a ‘P’… Of course, I told her that when she’s in college there’s no way she’ll be buying $300 jeans anyway…</p>
<p>I went to school near Ithaca, and there used to be a great tea shop right near the Moosewood Restaurant…</p>
<p>acme, the Moosewood is good for vegetarian, and we used to go to the Chariot or Nines for pizza. There was also a restaurant that… I don’t remember what they served for food, but they had great sangria!</p>
<p>As far as where to stay… can’t help you there. We camped last time I was out there.</p>
<p>looks like the Chariot might be gone, but Nines is still there… they have a website and everything.</p>
<p>Rileydog:
Thanks for your post about second-guessing! I now know I am not alone. It was terrible - I couldn’t sleep, I gained weight, I couldn’t focus at work … all because of second-guessing the suggestions I gave my daughter on her app.
She has a good GC and could get help at school. But it so happend that she procrastinated (my first post here was about procrastination). OK, the other way to say it - she was terribly busy during the semester (I am not really blaming her). The fact is she started on Common App after school was closed for Christmas and all her friends were either away or similarly lost in their own applications. We were the only ones she could turn to and I was by far not a college application expert. So the applications left our house on Jan 1 not approved by anyone knowledgeable about the process. At first I felt they were good (or was just happy that the deadlline was made).
But then the nightmare of second-guessing started. Should’ve we been more involved? Should’ve we been less involved? Should’ve we got a consultant on board?
She got into one super-safety by Feb 1. But that school didn’t even require essays or Common App. And then for SEVEN WEEKS - NOTHING. No acceptances (and we knew that some of her schools were sending first waves early), no likely letters (it looked like everone on CC was getting them), no invitations for scholarships … I was certain that her app was screwed up and that probably we contributed to that. I read Prinston Review book on applications - either the book was particularly stupid or my suggestions (guess what I thought then?)
Only after March 15 she started getting acceptances from safeties. Still nothing beyond that except for one waitlist. Till last week. What was the “red flag” was the only question I was trying to answer.
I now know - her app is fine (three very competitive matches confirmed it). If she gets rejections on Monday it will be only because this year is brutal, and there is a lot dice-rolling involved. If she were rejected by one of te schools that already took her? Now I KNOW that …it’s only because this year is brutal, and there is a lot dice-rolling involved. But what would I say if she actually were rejected? My fault?
To everyone: IT’S ONLY BECAUSE THIS YEAR IS BRUTAL AND A LOT OF DICE ROLLING IS INVOLVED. No reason for second-guessing your advice to your kids. We all did our best.</p>
<p>By the way, isn’t it time for a 5 o’clock tea?</p>
<p>owlice - I salute you for being so brave in starting the process now that your S is just a Freshman. I moved to this country years ago (grad school) and was pretty much clueless on the college admissions - until S’ junior year. I looked like a deer in headlights when the GC started talking about the process. The worse part is that I did not attend the sophomore college discussion; no clue what I was thinking. In an odd way, I “lucked out” due to sheer ignorance; otherwise, I probably would be six feet under. :)</p>
<p>Just checking in at this little refuge . . . there is nothing new to say, except that by this time tomorrow we will know at least 2 of the remaining 4, and that good news is highly unlikely. (I think D may be burning a couple of shirts tomorrow night.)</p>
<p>We are better off than many, because she has an acceptance to somewhere she’d be happy that is excellent for her intended major. But as has been said here so often, rejection still stings. And friends and teachers don’t “get it” the way CCers do. To quote citymom, “This year is brutal.”</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you who continue to make this a fun and nurturing place to check in several times a day, and good thoughts to all who will receive news tomorrow!</p>
<p>knitmom: The kids are incredibly resilient, more than we are. Neither of mine worried about the rejections at all once they decided on “their” schools.</p>
<p>Of course, they still rankle me. We moms are much more retentive.</p>
<p>For instance, S and D could both eat all the goodies on this thread without gaining at ounce!</p>
<p>acme, congrats to your S for the Ithaca College admit! H got his master’s from IC, his PhD from Cornell, and stayed in Ithaca a total of 30 years. I have to say that I was very tempted, many many times, to tell him to stay at Cornell until he could retire from the place, as he had just a few more years to go! Man, I wish he’d been able to find a way to telecommute, because the tuition benefits for kids/stepkids … well, my kid will probably not eke out a stellar GPA in HS, anyway, so let’s move on to where to eat.</p>
<p>As jude suggested, to go Moosewood, even if you’re not vegetarian. (Neither H or I are; S is, so Moosewood is definitely on the list when we’re there this summer.) Great food, great cookbooks.</p>
<p>If you’re in Ithaca over a weekend, go to the Farmer’s Market. H and I often had lunch at the Farmer’s Market. Walk up and down the entire market before deciding where to eat, because as soon as you get your food from one stall, you’re sure to happen upon someone with a little pizza from the wood-burning oven-on-the-back-of-a-pickup stall, and they are simply toooo good to pass up! (Oh, all the other foods are good, too, but these little pizzas are available in such intriguing and yummy combinations, you should try at least one, even if you split it with someone so you can all try other things, too.)</p>
<p>I cannot recall the name of the place, but there’s a Mexican restaurant just across the street from the Commons that is good; we can scarcely walk past the place at lunchtime and not go in, even if we’re supposed to be heading someplace else. For breakfast/snack, there’s Collegetown Bagels; they have a couple of locations. If you like Indian food, Diamonds is good, and there’s a good Thai place, name of which will come to me the second I can no longer edit this post, I’m sure.</p>
<p>Where to stay, I’m not a good source of info for, because I always stayed at H’s place! We stay in a very cheap motel now when we go, as we’re living just on my income at the moment.</p>
<p>jude_36, okay, the Salvation Army store makes sense!! And anything that had ridiculously expensive anything is a store I probably never made it into, especially if it’s a clothing store! (Man, I hate to spend money on clothes. I wear $30 khakis from Dress Barn, and even those, I try to buy on sale!)</p>
<p>citymom, my apologies; was messing with laundry (even doing some of it instead of just moving it around) and missed tea, darn it!! (For the record, it’s always time for tea. And chocolate. 
)</p>
<p>mountains, I think if S were a “regular kid,” instead of who he is, college wouldn’t be quite so much on my radar yet. His dad is perpetually clueless about anything in the future, and even often in the present. Don’t get me wrong – the exH is a good guy, but has a completely different sense of time than anyone (time passes?! News to him.) and no sense of deadlines, paperwork, etc. at all. He’s very naive about the whole school thing, and I mean, from K through post-grad. He’s learned a lot, but a lot of what he’s learned, he really should have realized years ago.</p>
<p>So I do all paperwork, planning, advising, suggestion, enrollments, whatever. I keep track of everything, because no one else can/will. Not that I know where all the past paperwork is – around here somewhere, certainly, I’m sure! – but upcoming paperwork, yeah, that I do.</p>
<p>ExH sometimes responds okay to absolutely straightforward, unambiguous directives (“S is on spring break; make sure he knows how to ride a bike before it ends,” this because exH had given S a bike TWO YEARS earlier, and never got S to learn how to ride until that directive), but only sometimes. He doesn’t safe money for college, has NO idea what it costs to go (even to State U) or what it takes to get in, etc. and so on. So college is on me, totally, I can’t afford much, and so, I need to look ahead at least as much as I can.</p>
<p>Have I told you about my Excel-type worksheet? Eight spreadsheets in it so far… !</p>
<p>(To any who wonder, yes, I know things, lots of things, will change throughout the years. I can edit/delete/move with the best of 'em!!)</p>
<p>safe = save up there, and my, that was wordy; sorry.</p>
<p>Rejections mean one reached far enough and didn’t play it safe, right?</p>
<p>Good luck to all who wait!</p>
<p>We were just in Ithaca – took my girls to see Cornell and the small chapel inside the Commons where H and I were married.<br>
We stayed at a newish hotel downtown – was it a Courtyard Marriott? It was very nice.<br>
Definitely eat at the Moosewood and at the Mexican place owlice mentioned. There’s also a place called Lost Dog (or Stray Dog??) that had a funky decor and good food.
Hike the gorge trail up from downtown to Cornell and enjoy!</p>
<p>I actually graduated fron Cornell but their school of nursing was in NYC with their med school so I’ve still never been to Ithaca. I’ve heard it’s a great place.</p>
<p>Moosewood-- I love their cookbook and I didn’t know they were in/near Ithaca. Thanks to all who mentioned it.</p>
<p>Can’t wait until the last letter arrives tomorrow or surely Tuesday the first, latest.</p>
<p>Let’s all try to get some sleep tonight for a change!</p>
<p>SUNDAY MAIL: After being gone since Wednesday looking at colleges, we got to our mailbox, hoping, praying, hoping for a special letter… but nothing. At least it didn’t kill the afterglow of our trip, but DS is not getting giddy thinking they have “saved the best for last.” After a pretty tempered, unemotional 6 mo of applying and hearing “I don’t care where I go” – we are now seeing more emotion in this 17yr boy than we’ve ever seen before. I am not counting on good news tomorrow, but hope springs eternal. Stocking the cabinets with more wine and tissues…Owlice, can you come over and make his favorite dinner tomorrow? Just in case it’s bad news?? Thanks</p>
<p>There is an under curent of nerves waiting for the final answers later today ( we are just getting up on the morning of the 31st! so it’s today!) Although my S is showing maturity I am pleased (surprised!?) at. He has decided on one of his aceptances as a happy choice, with a good feeling towards it, based on sensible criteria, if all the others come back negative (which was unspoken). </p>
<p>(on our dinner menu for tonight chicken and cheese enchiladas, homemade sauce, sprinkled with olives, coriander and a green chilies…one of his favorites!)</p>
<p>university1, I’d be happy to, and will make brownies, too, if he likes them. Perhaps I can convince your S to make them with me; they’re easy, delicious, and IMO, a great thing for soon-to-be college students to learn how to make.</p>
<p>Now, what’s his favorite meal? I hope I know how to make it! </p>
<p>dbwes, it’s the Lost Dog, on Cayuga Street close to the Commons (for those going who might like to try it). </p>
<p>:: sets the coffeemakers to automatic brewing ::</p>
<p>:: replenishes ice cream, tissues, wine, and spare, punchable walls ::</p>
<p>:: sets up wood for the great Burning of the No Admit Letters bonfire ::</p>
<p>:: cues up “Love the One You’re With” for the celebratory opening of the Looking Forward to College Season ::</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - The Waiting](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLCJEYLIBQY]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLCJEYLIBQY)</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Yael Naim - New Soul](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYBLjEaDFDE]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYBLjEaDFDE)</p>
<p>I’m having my oatmeal (where is owlice when you need her?) and hoping and praying for wonderful results for everyone. I have way too many meetings today to be able to go online as often as I would like (I think I’ll sneak out). And of course, S will be home after 5 p.m. and the ice cream is all gone, thanks to H.</p>
<p>owlice is right here, running late for work as usual!</p>
<p>:: sets up breakfast buffet, which includes:
<p>:: places boxes of tissues around the lounge ::</p>
<p>:: checks the potent potables cabinet, restocks as necessary ::</p>
<p>:: restocks the freezer ::</p>
<p>:: puts chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and sugar cookies in the pantry; adds trays of blondies and brownies ::</p>
<p>:: arranges trays of fresh veggies, fruits, cheeses and crackers/breads for mid-morning ::</p>
<p>I’m off to metro to work with crossed fingers and toes. Good luck to all who wait!</p>