Dawn, you are not alone. It is always good to check in regularly on the portal and call immediately if something is missing that shouldn't be. We just had a problem with dd, because her last names weren't matching up. Sometimes she uses her hyphenated last name and sometimes not. A few schools had issues with that. We've had issues with her counselor letter, her financial aid, and her SATs. Some schools are good about reaching out, but mostly, we were the ones who were on top of it. Glad you called!

There is a point where you are glad to have reasons to eliminate! There are so many fabulous schools. Oldest ds eliminated Lafayette because cars were parallel parked all throughout campus. And, as he recently reminded me, the students' heads were looking down - to him, no one looked happy or engaged or welcoming. I would also recommend starting with local school visits to get a feel for campuses. Lafayette was local, so it wasn't a waste of time or money. But, we live in an area where there are some great schools.

CTCL is a perfect start for someone looking into liberal arts colleges. DD's list is filled almost entirely of CTCL schools. And not intentionally! Even within their list of schools, there is much variety in cultural and academic fit. And then do what Pinky recommends - do a crossover search.

OnMyOwn, I know you've just been through this, but for the sake of throwing out thoughts for others reading this... Make sure you are very transparent about finances with your student. This is a great way to eliminate colleges. If you are counting on merit and a school doesn't even offer merit (which many don't), get those schools off the table. Do NOT even visit. Repeat. Do NOT even visit. :lol: Summer Programs. This was a nice way for dd to feel connected to a school. She didn't love any school that wasn't a super reach, so this was a great way for her to see herself somewhere. College Confidential is a good place to get first-hand knowledge about school cultures. Just don't get sucked in! Don't brush off talking to students or alumni. The schools would be happy to connect you with them. If you are on campus, go out of your way to ask current students questions about their school.

Indeed! ;)

DD received acceptance to Knox with great merit. freesia, I hear you about the wait for money decisions...

Adding a couple of different "types" of courses. First is an audit. Second is using MIT Open Courseware to self study for AP Exam. Differential Geometry (UPenn Audit) –– 1 Credit Also known as Math 501 at the University of Pennsylvania, where this class will be taken. It is a graduate course that introduces the study of curved shapes inside of two and three-dimensional space. The course will first look at curves in the plane and study both their local and global properties, culminating in results such as the isoperimetric inequality and four-vertex theorem. Next, it will move on to curves in three-space, proving the Fary–Milnor theorem. The true heart of the course will occur when it studies surfaces in three-space and quantify their curvature. It will conclude with topics on the global differential geometry of surfaces, most notably the Gauss–Bonnet theorem. Course website: http://www.dma.unifi.it/~verdiani/penn2016/guide.html Official syllabus from previous year: https://www.math.upenn.edu/~brweber/Courses/2014/465_501/CourseFiles/Math501Syllabus.pdf Course materials include: Differential Geometry: A First Course in Curves and Surfaces, by T. Shifrin Physics: Mechanics (MIT OpenCourseWare) –– 0.5 Credits This course is an introduction to classical mechanics. It involves watching lectures and supplemental videos, reading lecture notes, and working through problem sets using course materials from MIT OpenCourseWare. Topics include: straight-line kinematics; motion in a plane; forces and static equilibrium; particle dynamics, with force and conservation of momentum; relative inertial frames and non-inertial force; work, potential energy and conservation of energy; kinetic theory and the ideal gas law; rigid bodies and rotational dynamics; vibrational motion; conservation of angular momentum; central force motions; fluid mechanics. This course was self-studied in preparation for the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam. Score: 5 Course materials include: 8.01SC, MIT OpenCourseWare –– http://mirror.mit-ocw.sbu.ac.ir/courses/physics/8-01sc-physics-i-classical-mechanics-fall-2010/

Yes, there is a limit of 2000 KB for each of the four "transcript" uploads. Sometimes I include electives, if it reveals an important element of the big picture. A regular gym class or health class? Nah. Include the titles of the Great Courses under Materials Used, which is part of my course description. As far as length, I typically keep the descriptions to a half page in length. Another note: Many homeschoolers list course descriptions by subject, rather than date, putting the most "impressive" or "impactful" or "intensive" first. This is a great way to highlight your student's interests and strengths. In addition, admissions officers may not read through all of them, so it is important to front-load the best ones.

I have been selected for verification in the last couple of years. There was a drastic change in my financial situation; I was also not able to use the DRT because I filed "married, filing separately." At least, that's the way I remember it! ETA: ThisIsTheDay: I liked your post, but I didn't really like it! ;)

Start with The Fiske Guide. They also have an online option. Hang out on College Confidential, if you dare. :) Some sites have ratings. It doesn't mean they're accurate, but it may be a good place to start. These are just some characteristics you can research: Most conservative: https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/most-conservative-colleges/ Most liberal: https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/most-liberal-colleges/ Best Greek: https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-greek-life-colleges/ Most Diverse: https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/most-diverse-colleges/ Ask here, via a thread or PM. Writing the check for tuition is much easier when they have found the right fit. :)

We received our Susquehanna f/a package. It was almost triple the EFC, but we expected that. Been down this road too many times. ;) It is still in the doable column for us, though. We will have two others in college; not sure how their packages will look. Remember that Susquehanna does not meet close to full need - it's something like 83%. You will likely see a difference in other schools, if they meet a higher percentage. But so many other factors go into it. For us, FAFSA-only schools will be the best deal.

Thank you, Janet! I will look at these in-depth over the weekend. They look fabulous.

I was waiting to hear this news! Congratulations! Crossing my fingers for you and your ds...

:bigear: Listening in because dd14 recently discovered that she loves creative writing and is good at it. It was Bravewriter's Kidswrite Intermediate that revealed this, but dd prefers creative non-fiction and there aren't any classes for that.

We will have three kids in college next year and our EFC is almost half (when all kids are added together). And this is only FAFSA. Not sure what the Profile will reveal! Lisa - just a tip. If your kid has already been accepted - and they are smaller schools - reach out to the admissions rep who read the application. They have a vested interest in knowing what is preventing you from attending. In some cases, you may get them on your side. It's worth a shot.

Last week, I saw Alan November speak. I am inspired to create my own digital literacy elective for dd. Any quality resources or topics that you can recommend? I am looking for in-depth, critical thinking resources to help filter out false and biased information. that is similar to what I saw.

Workload for Socratic tends to take 9th grade dd between 2-3 hours a week, excluding the live class. She is NOT a perfectionist! It is only reading, annotating, and attending the 1x week class. DD loves the class and we will be signing up for the spring session.

When oh when is WTMA beginning their spring registration?

Jumping up and down for you and your ds, Jackie!!! :hurray: :thumbup: :party:

You don't need to self-report any scores on the Common App. In fact, if applying to a combination of test-optional and test-required schools, be careful to either 1. Not self-report to any or 2. Send the test-optional schools as a batch without the scores self-reported. Wow. That was a mouthful. Grantmom, I would just send them blind.They are only going to take the highest. Really, truly. It would really stink if scores were delayed and you couldn't even overnight those scores in time. If the student has a really good gauge when done with the test (really thinks the scores are horrible) you could always cancel within the deadline.

I understand your fear! Believe me! Just remember that schools really only want the highest scores, because it makes them look better when the student looks better. When they say they're going to overlook certain scores, I really believe that they do. You could be a little strategic in how you report the scores, though. Make sure it isn't self-reported on the Common App. And make sure it isn't on transcript. I really don't think you need to worry, though!

Agree with Janet. It isn't given much weight, even when required.

So, so, so happy for you and your daughter!!!! :hurray:

Yes to sending score reports directly to the schools. A mid-year report is only beneficial to schools when applying regular decision. Early action/Early decision schools don't use it for decisions. Of course, you will eventually send the mid-year report with the new scores, but for early decision purposes, the score reports are the way to go. In addition, if a student does extremely well in that first quarter (around now) grade-wise, send an email to the admissions officer with those grades as an update. It only helps, especially with borderline applicants.

St. John's College in MD acceptance! $29,000 merit. So glad to have this acceptance. :)