I've been MIA due to school starting and then a lovely sinus thing last week. I've been hitting the gym while dd is at the university for Arabic :) Yesterday: 6.5 mile walk w dh (4 miles the long way to our downown for produce and meat shopping at the farmers' market and then fish tacos!, 2.5 miles home) Today: massive shoulder stretching before training session at gym

Here goes... Things at specific times: --dd Arabic 12:20-1:10 --me at gym w trainer during class (the gym is literally 2 min from campus) --dd babysitting gig 2-5 --me PT 4pm --dh Chinese class 5 --dd ballet 7:30-9 Everything else: --check to see if slipcovers can be bleached --check to see if Science Olympiad rules app has been released yet --daily and Monday things --start washing slipcovers (need to be line-dried) --emails: volunteers, C, state SO --bag chicken breasts frozen yesterday --pick garden; weed --prep veg for tonight's stirfry so dh can cook before Chinese --grade psych, GoPo tests, HW FRQs :eek:

And then continue to answer very specific questions. I would be afraid of info-dumping!

Can I just say how much I appreciate all of you lovely people asking and answering questions that would have stumped Future Me? :grouphug:

There's some room here at the table next to me :D I have outlets for our devices, lots of paper and colored pens, and a choice of IPA, hard cider, and ice cold seltzer!

Hi everyone :) I've been too busy to post here regularly, plus I've been knocked down by a sinus thing since Wednesday. I can taste a very few things now--progress! Today: --walked to farmers' market and natural foods store with dh the long way, 6.5 mile loop (heavy rains last night meant we couldn't walk on state park paths) --had fish tacos downtown for lunch --planned meals for week --wrote shopping list --planned week Still to do: --print next psych and comp gov unit plans for dd --start writing first bio exam, oh joy --grade psych and comp gov exams --think about spring break plans :D --continue with college research...

Yep!

This is what I have been finding over the past few days. The list is split into • large landgrant-type universities with top-notch Critical Language Flagships (some of which are courting the NMF crowd) • a few DC-area schools with great connections and high prices, though a combo of scholarship money and grants (based on NPC) will bring them close to the cost of our state flagship • lottery schools such as Harvard and Princeton I looked into 20 schools today. Not fun. I want to thank all of you, once again, for all your ideas! I looked at every single one of your suggestions :)

Stanford would be fab. Seriously. Unfortunately we're right over that threshold for generous aid, and I suspect 8's family is in the same situation. Stanford would expect us to pay $38K (now---goodness knows what it will be like in two years!) plus books and travel and toothpaste etc. We love our dd and want her to be happy in a great college...but not at the expense of our retirement. I really appreciate everyone's suggestions :)

So Midwest people, give me schools to research costs and academics! Out due to costs already checked: Macalester, Grinnell, Minnesota (she spent time there this summer and thought it was v ugly---sorry), Michigan Ann Arbor, Indiana No religious schools unless the connection is purely historical. I'll relax the weather condition but not the small-school-in-a-cornfield condition. A large school surrounded by cornfields but near a decent-sized airport, sure ;)

The SUNYs have that pesky language concerning homeschooled applicants and needing a GED or a letter from your superintendent. Our state has no school district oversight. I'd need to do more research into dealing with that (I've kind of ignored the NY and Mass conversations!).

Yes, Alabama was rejected right away. I wish they weren't so hyper-focused on attracting engineering types at the expense of other departments. It would have made a good safety for my niece who is a senior.

Re NPCs------some are telling me that dd would get no need-based grant aid. If I know for a fact the school does not give any merit scholarships (because of published info on the website or in the Common Data Set), I crossed it off the list. Some NPCs are getting us within a reasonable range (especially if I know they offer generous merit money, even if it is competitive and not automatic), so those are staying on the list. What do I do with the schools whose NPCs gap us by more than $10K a year (grant plus anticipated scholarships)? Do I keep them on the Big List? How do I counsel dd----go ahead and apply to a bunch of schools, writing specific essays, visiting special programs, and wait to see how the money turns out? I thought we were supposed to use NPCs (which were uncommon during my older kids' searches) to eliminate options before creating the Final List and applying? As for the midwest, I asked dd where she saw herself at college. She said nothing in the midwest unless it has fabulous programs and they want to give her pots of money ;) It's just a way of narrowing down the list! Thanks :)

Thanks, Jen!

I like to think so, yes :) We are currently discussing an early graduation plus gap year vs two more years of high school. She'd be even more competitive with two additional years, especially if she makes NMF. However, if she gets into a certain summer program, she could be competitive just with that plus next year's courses. (I spent 2.5 hours talking with my sister this morning, hashing out all the options!) And NPCs make me crazy! I tend to believe the ones that ask for all but your blood type ;) vs the answer-six-questions type.

The 4 Russian Flagships are a tough group, with Bryn Mawr (ouch pricey; near to us btw), UCLA ($$$$$ oos), and Wisconsin ($40K oos----scholarship info on website is confusing so I'll have to spend time w their Common Data Set) Arabic Flagships have some affordable ones for high stat kids with Arizona and Oklahoma. Not sure about oos aid at UT Austin (anyone?). Maryland CP (also Turkish Flagship) could work as I mentioned upthread--we'll visit this fall. Their summer program might be an option should dd not get into what she wants... There are 11 Chinese Flagship programs :eek: nicely spread around the country. Chinese is dd's last choice. Does anyone know about Indiana U at Bloomington? I seem to remember they are stingy with oos aid. With Turkish, Swahili, and Chinese Flagship programs plus a zillion other languages and a School of Global and International Studies, it looks like a nice academic fit on paper (or screen lol). The oos sticker price of $45K is a bit off-putting! Thanks everyone for helping us :)

Dd ended up with essentially guided self-studying. I wrote the syllabus for approval. She and her same-age cousin met once a week during the summer for discussion (guided by me and dsis as needed) and practice FRQ writing. They had to switch to days he was off once school began (he's in public school) so they met once a month until spring break when they met several times. This was an area of interest for dd and for me so we would discuss topics all the time, as things came up in the news or whatever. We're doing the same for AP Comparative Government and Politics, though minus dnephew as he has to take AP US GoPo at his school.

We really only have one decent in-state choice which is already on the list :) I'm working through all the oos options, which can be very wearing on one's mood... Thanks for your suggestions :)

Alas, Grinnell won't work after running their NPC. But thanks for the suggestion!

Awesome, thank you!

Do you know anyone who has attended Portland State? I started the list with all the Language Flagship Schools :D Dd loves the idea of intensive language study while being able to major in a different discipline :) Two of her counselors from Concordia attend Arizona (U, not State) because of the Arabic Flagship Program. I can see us taking advantage of low Southwest airfare for a little university visit, perhaps in January :lol:

We live in a bitty state. Our major university is dd's safety where she is currently studying Arabic. Our regional agreement (the Academic Common Market) does not have an option for International/Global Relations/Studies or even Political Science. (I know someone whose son is studying a type of engineering not available at our flagship's College of Engineering through the ACM. It is a great program!) I know you were posting in general, but for dd, the "town" aspect is very important and part of school "fit" for her. She has grown up in a university town and is accustomed to walking or biking to study downtown in a local coffeeshop. She is not interested in fine dining lol. Her older sister took a great school off her list because there wasn't even a drugstore nearby. I think that's a perfectly legitimate concern when one is college shopping, assuming academics and internships etc are equal.

The ASU program looks fabulous but is not available to high school students who live outside the Phoenix area: "I am a high-school student. Am I eligible for CLI?..........MAYBE High-School juniors and seniors from metropolitan Phoenix who have already studied at least one foreign language are eligible to study in CLI. Students under 18 will need permission from parents or guardians before enrolling in ASU summer classes. There are restrictions on overseas travel as well. Please consult CLI staff if this applies to you." I'll research the schools from your first link later. Some have already been eliminated because the are not affordable for oos students in our financial situation (like Indiana at $45K and Michigan at $65K :eek:). There may be some goodies though :)

I eliminated the other Ivies after running their Net Price Calculators. I am looking for suggestions of other highly selective schools that do give aid to families in our situation (high EFC that we will not pay even if we can----I am married to a fiscally conservative Certified Financial Planner, enough said!). William & Mary, Mt. Holyoke, and Swarthmore would be good fits but are entirely unaffordable. I don't see $40K per year *after aid* as affordable.

My sister went to Macalester :) It would have been on our list but for finances.