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Is One and Done a Mistake?


Chanley
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So my kid got in to her first choice. It is a school that has everything on her checklist of what she wanted. There were other schools that had something more exemplary in one area but none of them had everything across the board except for the first choice. So, she is in. We have the scholarship info and financially, it is do-able. 

 

So, should she still apply to the other schools? With submitting application fees, css profiles, and sending scores that racks up $$$. Should we just consider ourselves done and not waste the money? She initially said she felt like she *should* apply to more than one school because that is "what you do". But I am not so sure it is necessary to waste the time or money. 

 

Am I overlooking something obvious? 

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I think it's fine ds's bff did it. It was so easy for him. I kind of did it ( I did apply to a rolling admission school so I'd know what schools I should apply to if I didn't get into my early decision choice--but I did and that was that).

 

Take a deep breath and celebrate!

 

We would've done around here if we didn't need money.

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My youngest did this and it worked out just fine, but he only wanted that one school.  His Plan B if finances hadn't worked was going to be taking a year off and getting a job.

 

Several kids only apply to one place (some by Early Decision and some by Regular Applications).  If they're sure that's where they want to be and the finances work out (or there's a Plan B like my son had), then there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.  As you mentioned, it saves time, money, and general stress.

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If you are certain that this is the one, you can be done. If you're not sure, go back for an admitted student visit. Sleep in a dorm, sit in on a class, eat the food, etc.

 

My kiddo is applying to five colleges. With the current trend to apply to so many, I thought maybe she should add more matches, but the more I think about it the more I'm glad we don't have more. This is a lot of work!

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Two OADs here. No regrets. I suspect my third will follow his sisters’ example, but he is only in eighth grade. My niece is the same age as my HS senior, and she was also OAD to a school with rolling admission. My brother and I regularly exchange virtual high fives on the joys of having everything locked up so early. Also makes Christmas gift giving easier—bonus!

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I did it and it worked out well for me. I did not even consider other schools. So, I think that it is OK if your kid got everything that they wanted in their first choice college.

 

If you are having doubts, you can ask her to maybe apply to one more college, just because you feel that you may be overlooking some things.

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One and done here. BUT, it was rolling admissions, a smaller school that was actively recruiting transfer students (DS was coming out of the local community college with a very high GPA), and we had just completed the campus tour with the counselor, who right then, still on the campus, was able to do all the admission papers and financial aid package for us. We just needed to have the official transcripts sent, and we emailed the other paperwork to finalize the admissions after we got home.

 

If it had not been such a sure thing, I would definitely have had my student applying to the local state university as the financially affordable back up plan.

Edited by Lori D.
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I think it more has to do with what they're looking for at the time.  They could apply at 6 schools and pick one that isn't the best fit;  they just don't know it given where they're at or what they know about themselves at the time.

 

My ds picked a school, only one, that he thought was perfect the whole time he was there.  I could not have persuaded him to choose another.  Even if he applied and been accepted at 5 others, I'm sure he still would have picked this one.

 

In retrospect, it was the wrong one.  But given where he was at in life, it seemed like the perfect choice (to him), whether it was the only one he applied at or one of 6.

 

Another dd applied at 7, picked one, and decided the next year it was the wrong one and then transferred.  Yet another dd picked only one, went there, and I can't imagine a more perfect school for her.  (She can't either.)

 

It really isn't about how many you pick.  I think it's more about how well you know yourself and your future goals.  Some kids just aren't as far along on that path as others at that age.  But, in most cases I think it can work out fine, either way.

 

 

Edited by J-rap
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It really isn't about how many you pick.  I think it's more about how well you know yourself and your future goals..

 

And what the acceptance rate of the college is. ;)

 

There are high-achieving students who pick the perfect (highly competitive/selective) college -- and not not accepted. So that would be a checkmark in the column of reasons why to apply to more than one college.

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I do think it most cases it is fine if the student knows what he/she wants and the parents feel good about it and money works out, etc. The only caveat I would normally have is that we are still nine months away from moving on campus. Kids can change alot in that time. For that reason I might encourage my dc to also apply to a university that offers a wide range of majors and opportunities in case dc had some kind of change in major, or decided they didn't want a small school or whatever.

 

 

However- for my own kids I have a slightly different perspective that came only out of a strange experience. My ds got enough aid to attend an out of state private university. His second choice was our state flagship which is about an hour away (he would have lived on campus). Ds had a gf all throughout high school who lived about 30 minutes from state U. I can't get into the whole story now but a bazaar sequence of events (including breakup with said gf) occurred that made us believe our ds absolutely had to get out of town and away from this person. He needed to get out of town ASAP. It was about 2 weeks before move in that things really went haywire. If my ds had been scheduled to attend State U, I would have been on the phone calling all over finding someplace else for him to enroll.

 

That all sounds very dramatic, and I am not a dramatic person. But we had an odd circumstance come up that would have necessitated a last minute shift if his second choice school had actually ended up the destination. So, our personal experience has led us to want our kids to have an out of town safety school on the list. I know that sounds very strange but I have known other teens who just had to get out of town to get away from certain friends and have a fresh start. I realize that doesn't apply to OP's situation but it is why my kids don't have a "one and done" approach. You never know when some unforseen circumstance can force a last minute change.

 

All that said, the regional state universities in my state take applicants right up until August 1 and our local Christian U would allow mine to apply last minute. So, those can be safeties in a way even if dc didn't apply early in the process. So, I figure I have a backup plan with a few cards to play at the last minute if need be.

 

I would want a backup plan if some unforseen circumstance came up that made the choice school undesirable at some point between now and enrollment. (But it is very possible I have the personality to go all worst case scenario about every decision ;))

Edited by teachermom2834
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I only looked at one school, only applied there, was accepted in October (rolling admissions), and was happily done. I loved my time there, and it’ll be twenty years since graduation next year, and I’ve never doubted my choice for a second. Sometimes you just know.

Here, too.  I just knew.  And thankfully I got accepted.  It met my needs more than I even realized when I was applying.  One and done and I still have fond memories and am grateful the school pushed me into areas I would never have considered before.

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She initially said she felt like she *should* apply to more than one school because that is "what you do". But I am not so sure it is necessary to waste the time or money.

 

Well the reason that is "what most kids do" is because they have no guarantee they'll be accepted to their first choice, and/or no guarantee they can afford it even they are accepted. Your DD has already been admitted to her first choice, and you know you can afford it, so what would be the advantage of applying to other schools?

 

If the school she's been admitted to isn't really a clear first choice (e.g. she wistfully thinks about how cool it would be to go to Second Choice College, but they're missing one of the more minor items on her wishlist that First Choice College has), then maybe it makes sense to apply there in case she changes her priorities between now and April. If there's a chance of a really big scholarship at Second Choice College, while First Choice will be a tight squeeze, then it might make sense to have a backup plan in case of financial emergency between now and next spring. But applying to other colleges just because most kids apply to multiple colleges doesn't make any sense, because she's already achieved that those kids are trying to achieve with multiple applications!

 

FWIW, DS is one-and-done, because that is standard for recruited athletes. I think there are actually a lot more OAD students than your DD might realize.

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I only looked at one school, only applied there, was accepted in October (rolling admissions), and was happily done. I loved my time there, and it’ll be twenty years since graduation next year, and I’ve never doubted my choice for a second. Sometimes you just know.

 

I my case, I thought I knew, but the college I first attended was a terrible fit for me and I was miserable.  I applied to 7 schools, but this school was by far my top choice and I was so incredibly excited about going and ended up hating it there.  No regrets since I met DH in my first semester, but my experience was that I didn't really know until I was living there.  

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If the school she's been admitted to isn't really a clear first choice (e.g. she wistfully thinks about how cool it would be to go to Second Choice College, but they're missing one of the more minor items on her wishlist that First Choice College has), then maybe it makes sense to apply there in case she changes her priorities between now and April. If there's a chance of a really big scholarship at Second Choice College, while First Choice will be a tight squeeze, then it might make sense to have a backup plan in case of financial emergency between now and next spring.

 

That is the thing, I think the other choices are not schools that she is dreaming about, one of them is her choice for graduate school because they have a graduate program that is in line with her interests (which we both realize might change). The first choice was a safety and she received enough scholarship money that it is feasible for us and in line with what we would pay for a state school. The other schools are a bit of a reach for her (she is graduating a year early) so we did the "chance me" last night and I think even if she got in, she would not receive much in the way of merit aid. 

 

There is an in-state school that accepts applications until August first, it is not her first choice and not a school that she would ever dream of going to, but should something apocalyptic happen, she could definitely get in and go there.  

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Not necessarily--ds only applied one place.  If you know that where she is accepted is financially feasible, you think it is a relatively good fit, and you know you child well enough not to think there will be some major change in what she is looking for in a college in five months, then I think it is fine to relax and enjoy that the process is over.  

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My son was one and done as well. The only caveat I will add is that you should explore all the majors offered to ensure it covers areas in case they change their mind about what they want to study. 

 

Ds was initially considering one major and decided that he would prefer another. We only have a minor in that program, so he applied for transfers schools, but ended up staying put and deciding to major in math instead. The numbers on the transfer applications didn't add up enough to make it worth transferring to him. 

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I think one and done is fine IF you have already explored your other options AND your first choice fits financially as well as being your first choice.

 

My son applied to several schools, but he applied to his first choice early decision. We found out in December that he was admitted and received his financial aid package. It was all good so we pulled out of the application process at other schools. 

 

 

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I had one that did this with no regrets, and one that later learned something about her first choice school that made it fall from favor. She then did a late application elsewhere and it cost her scholarships. I would encourage one backup application "just in case" from our experience.

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I suspect she is one who enjoys the game a bit. Sometimes the auditions are more exciting than the actual production :-) One and done is just fine! But if she wants to toss out another application or two and you have the funds and she has the time to do so, I say let her go for it.

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I think one and done is fine IF you have already explored your other options AND your first choice fits financially as well as being your first choice.

 

My son applied to several schools, but he applied to his first choice early decision. We found out in December that he was admitted and received his financial aid package. It was all good so we pulled out of the application process at other schools. 

 

:iagree:

 

My current freshman only applied to one school.  However, he had visited a lot of other schools before making his decision to apply ED.

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