So today... School Laundry Pack up school books needed this summer/fall to mail to VA Sort more books for packing Pack PonyGirl's room Swimming (me, too).

ODU will probably be falling off this list, as it will not be any less expensive than LU (at at least one other) for her to attend. That's really sad to hear about VMI. There is a girl we know who is graduating this year -- we'll follow up with their family and see how things went. It's definitely something to bring up with the swim coach there, too. I can't imagine he'd be too fond of losing a strong female swimmer because of shenanigans like that -- at least if he wants to coach women.

So glad for you!

Based upon what we currently know, I expect these schools to fall off our list in the next 4 weeks (much of that depends upon how long it takes for DD to communicate with them), because they will just be way too expensive: Pepperdine Rollins Oberlin (they have competitive scholarships, and are recruiting DD, so this comes down to what the coach thinks can happen...) Wheaton (comes down to things we have heard exist, but don't see on the website) Rhodes (mostly because they don't allow stacking outside of direct costs (which don't include room and board -- at least that's what their website says) DD has 9 schools thus far that are either full ride, or would not require loans (4 reach, 3 safety, 2 match). The next band requires a lot more communication with the coach, the FINAID office and the Department Chair (math). Oh, and DD is still getting "interested in you" emails 😉 We added one to our list and sent a decline to another. DD declined Bryn Mawr and the coach immediately followed up asking why (academically it's a match, but DD is 99% certain she doesn't want to go to a small, all girls school, and that if she's going to a small school it would only be a military school. She is interested in Swarthmore which is also recruiting her and part of the same conference, and she could also take classes there if she wished. She has one all girls' school left on her list (Smith) that she's considering. I think we are now past the really hard work and now onto more fun things (although DD still has to do all of the school communications, which she does not like...ha!)

That first year is often not great for freshman swimmers at least -- due to the often tremendous changes in training philosophies and programs, the kids take awhile to adapt and progress. I follow Cassidy Bayer (3rd in fly in 2016 Olympic Trials at 16, and hadn't hit 5'5" yet), she didn't have a great season at Cal Berkley (not awful, but not incredible). Her story is fairly familiar as far as freshman seasons go. Each swimmer is different in how they respond to the training, and much depends upon what they were doing previously. Coaches I talk to often ask college coaches to please communicate dryland needs/program needs for their recruited freshmen, because we can help prepare these young men and women for the lifting programs and have them ready (and reduce injuries!!). I'm working with my son's D1 coach to create a prep program for LEGOManiac -- so he can arrive ready to jump into the program. No, kids aren't normally kicked off the team for "not performing" how they thought they were (at least not in swimming). They could get kicked off the team for not attending practice, attitude, grades, or other things, but I've never heard of a swimmer getting dumped for not dropping time. Now, other sports -- like football or basketball -- where they are supposed to do X and can't make the jump to college ball vs. high school ball, yes.

All but two schools are private. I'll check out CC. Due to extenuating circumstances, our tax information is not always a great reflection of reality (at least until 2020). I know a good portion of the differences in amounts has to do with the schools that ask about medical costs not covered by insurance (ours have been really high for 5 years... just added another $18,000 in 2018). Athletic scholarships vary greatly (we're not expecting a lot from any school, though). But, at least I know the NPC is pretty reliable. It's a starting point when DD starts talking $$ with the coaches.

Good to know. Right now, the schools have estimates ranging from $37,000 to $8,000. Kind of a crazy range!

If you've used the Net Price Calculators for college costs, how close were they to what you actually paid? There are already plenty of variables I can't adjust for (such as schools not putting information about how much competitive scholarships might be worth). We used the same numbers in all of the calculations, and are using the same basis for comparison (not including loans or work-study). Just trying to get a general idea...

We have never looked at my kids' sports (or activities) as a method to gain scholarships -- but as a way to hopefully set them apart at admission time. All five schools my oldest son applied to (and was accepted by) gave generous Merit Aid. The only D3 school DS applied to, he received a full-tuition scholarship due to swimming, school and scouts. The swim coach there claims to have really pushed for him to receive the scholarship. DS chose the school that he had no idea if he could swim there, but made the decision based upon his cost to attend and their offerings in his areas of interest. He will be swimming D1 this fall -- they had roster spots available and I believe expect that he will help keep their GPA up. He will be the slowest on the team at the start -- but probably will catch up and be pretty competitive. He will have a work-study job, swim, and go to school. That will be his life. There will be little or no time for anything else. DS is still dropping significant amounts of time, and the coaches expect that he will explode this fall. I'm excited for him. PonyGirl is currently going through this. The money conversation will come early and often. Her advanced coursework and test scores (PSAT/SAT/ACT) guarantee a fair amount of merit aid at most schools she's applying to. There are others (Princeton/Dartmouth/Swarthmore, etc.) that have different ways to evaluate, but should still be competitive -- assuming DD is attractive to them. DD is a child who is perfectly happy doing nothing but school, work and swim. She is beating the odds, dropping significant time after age 17 -- but mostly because her training over the past 6 years has been at a much LOWER level than the girls she is competing against. Coaches who have spoken to her about her training schedule are pretty impressed with her times given the fact she practices an average of 8.5 hours a week during the competitive season and little dryland (12 hours during the off season, with 1 hour of dryland/day which is 6 months out of the year). Most of her friends swim an average of 15 hours during the competitive season with about 5-6 hours of dryland a week, and more during breaks. The expectation is that she will explode when we return stateside to a more rigorous training schedule (it will be nice not to have to fight for water, and for her to have other kids pushing her). I am excited to compete again in 8 weeks 😄 Even more excited to swim long course for practices. Academics were the first thing the coaches looked at -- kids still have to apply, but most of the coaches (for both DS and DD) were more focused on what they had been doing academically. I've tried to stay out of the conversations except for things like NCAA eligibility and really just focused on explaining the financial issues to my kids, going through CLEP/AP/DE credit transfer issues, aspects of the schools they might like/dislike, scholarships/cost to attend. I expect my kids to work at advocating for themselves, talking to the coaches, and the university/college people. It's hard -- but vital. Because things can easily go wrong, and they need the ability to communicate what they need. I'm here to run ideas by, vent, or otherwise advise -- but in the end they have to be in charge of this decision process.

School Swimming Clean in the basement (just get used to seeing this one for about 4 weeks) More NCAA paperwork College email followups (I follow up with DD... she really doesn't like doing this stuff, but SHE really has to do it). Maybe celebrate my anniversary this weekend.

Excellent! Your description of Messiah is just what we experienced -- and your reviews of Dartmouth and Princeton have definitely influenced my perceptions of the school. DD has a much better shot at swimming for Dartmouth than Princeton at the moment, but DD would be wholly put off by Keggle. Although, a party culture is kind of a non-issue, since she is not a party girl and pretty solid in her own skin on that one. We'll have to make a drive up that way, I'm sure! I've never been to NH though -- thankfully, we have friends up there to visit 😄

Her priority is swimming NCAA -- she can train with our club team during the off season (summer/vacations) without issue. I just have to pay the USAS fees, and she can swim unattached. She has reached out to local clubs around schools she is interested in attending, but probably wouldn't make their cuts in time to be on the freshman roster (Jr. National Times). So far, every club she's reached out to about training with them and assisting with coaching (as a volunteer) has been very open to the idea.

Work on swim stuff Work on school stuff (NCAA follow-up -- school compliance officer said he spoke to NCAA and DS is cleared for D1!) Sit down with middle child re: school/pack out/Eagle Project Start work on the toy area (someone save me). Continue work on PonyGirl's NCAA work (first major file done, get the second set ready to go this summer). Follow up w/PonyGirl re: coach emails; recommendation letters; senior year planning. Pray unceasingly for: my job stateside, DH promotion (made the cert, waiting on interview), DS starting college; negotiations for house in VA Beach; mom's illness; dog's illness; figuring out how to get the dog back to the states PLAN TRIP TO ATHENS!

We do... so far it hasn't been an issue, mostly because where we live, he can't get himself to/from anywhere. However, once we return stateside, this will become an issue, as oldest is living at home and going to college. He will have to leave the house pretty early for swim practice Mon-Fri, so any issues will probably self-correct due to that! In general, we've sat him down and talked about house rules and courtesy. House rules are about standards for the house (he has younger siblings -- when we first discussed this, I know he thought we were overreacting, and then his younger brother asked some pointed questions -- unprompted -- and proved our point). Common courtesy is simply, we share the space, take care of yours, help out around the house, and don't make us worry or wake us up. In practical terms, he cleans up after himself, helps out with the dog, trash, dishes, yard, whatever, texts us if his plans change, or if he's going to be out later than expected (ALWAYS), and doesn't wake us up. That's the short & sweet edition. We've had the big talks about alcohol (he's been able to legally drink here for 3 years), the talks have included mixed-gender parties (never gone to one), NEVER driving, setting limit BEFORE you drink, not drinking in secret, etc., etc.

She does plan to visit VMI this summer. She spent a week at Navy (on campus), and the military atmosphere doesn't seem to phase her (yet). If she gets into AIM at USGCA, she may have a better opportunity to evaluate this life. Washington & Lee will be visited the same time as VMI... she may hate it, but she loves the historic feel to what she's seen at W&L and W&M GMU, she may feel is too big -- but it's a solid school, and she needs to meet with the coach and the math department and see if it stays or goes. Yes, I'm well aware of the bias wrt LU. I've experienced it. But, she loves the school. She wanted to not like it -- but fell in love (it was one of the last of about 13 schools we visited). Things could change, but to be honest, it will probably take a lot.

lol... well, getting it down from 84 was quite the accomplishment. Yes, there is a lot of diversity in the list at this point. DD needs to speak to the swim coaches, there is a bit more digging into the school itself (AP/CLEP), additional scholarship opportunities to explore, and in some cases, visits. I doubt she'll apply to 25 schools. 15, is a good possibility. But, we've done more or less all we can do for now. ODU is a school that is local to where we will be living, which makes it the cheapest option by far, if nothing else works out (I don't expect that it will be needed, but it is a school she could apply to late in the game, if she felt nothing else was going to work out.

Where your kid has decided to goWhy (what factors tipped this school into the 'win' category)MajorOther important info Where: LEGOManiac (the name still fits after all these years) is headed to Old Dominion University Why: Full tuition scholarship. Every engineering program he's interested in, he apparently will swim there, and he can live at home -- so he only has books and fees (and transportation) to really worry about earning. We'll get him a meal plan anyway -- he just found out one of his old BSA Troop 1717 friends has also committed to ODU, so he's got friends there already (and getting to know the swim team online). Major: Electrical Engineering (I won't be too surprised to see this change to Mech E or Computer...)

I remember that thread! I'm still a ways off from having an empty nest... 8 years or so. These last ones are going faster than I'd like. Congratulations on your book -- and finding a new path!

Laundry School Swim (back to the pool we go... the sick ones have recovered enough... have to write the workout tho) Make food for Court of Honor A couple small NCAA things to wrap up Get remainder of stuff to the new head coach Sweep the upstairs, clean a bathroom Work on concessions binder for swim team

Thank you. My older son and I did a brief drive through during one of his doctor's appointments. I completed the Net Price Calculator on their site, and it's coming up with about $4,000 in Merit Aid (which isn't much). She isn't far off time-wise for swimming (could be middle of the women's roster, but that won't be much, if any scholarship $$). I do think DD will find the campus a bit larger than she'd like, but we are going to visit and meet with the coach. Having just gone through this with her older brother, I know that sometimes there are pockets of money that the school doesn't talk about until after you apply. I still have friends on the faculty there and in the area. I know DD would find a comfortable group of friends, as well.

I completed and submitted all of LEGOManiac's NCAA paperwork. I have completed (through sophomore year) all of PonyGirl's NCAA paperwork. I'll submit it tomorrow. I'll have to send in the next packet this summer. My goal is to have it ready to submit before we move (it's mostly done...just a few things I have to do).

Laundry (I really hate this tiny machine... I started off with one that was about 1/2 the size of my US washer, I'm down to one that is 1/4 the size -- swimming family and towels is NOT a good fit for a TINY washer). NCAA Course Outlines. The forms are all double checked. The outlines written. Now, I just have to get LEGOManiac's into one GIANT PDF form (DH is doing that for me). I still have about 5 course outlines to finish up for DD, and then get all of hers into the big PDF file). I am *ON TRACK* to get these all signed & sent off to the NCAA Eligibility Center on Monday! With any luck, they will pre-qualify PonyGirl, as she will have nearly all of her core course requirements DONE. I'll have to submit the rest of her junior year documentation, but I may not have to submit anything but a final transcript for her senior year (please, God, make it so!). This has been well over 36 hours of work. Tried doing a low carb Chick-fil-A. Going to have to try something else... or do small test batches. The batter slid right off (I think the girls used too much milk/egg and it wasn't drained enough. The flavor was great. AND, I didn't have any tummy issues from the fried breading (usually an issue for me). Next up: Finish all of my transition documents for the swim team and Boy Scouts (Concessions Binder & Fundraising Binder). Tomorrow is clothing clean out day.... dreading it (see laundry above).

Congratulations! So many places she can easily get to from Switzerland! She's going to have a wonderful experience!

All of my son's stuff is sitting at my parent's house in Virginia 😉

I graduated from Liberty in 1990... while there have been a number of changes (most for the better...Jr. not withstanding), it still retains the things I most appreciated about the school. I explained to my daughter that some of the irritating things are only irritating because as a young adult you can kind of get tired of being told "you can't do this, you can't do that" -- but the reality is, it wasn't a problem for me because I was never a party girl, enjoyed going to bed early, didn't like alcohol, and pretty much life was school, debate, and work. I didn't take most of the gen ed courses, because I tested out of them. My experiences in the upper level courses of both speech and poli sci were heaven -- I was allowed to think and express ideas that very much went against R-thinking at the time, and my professors engaged with me, never discouraging me, but instead encouraging me to continue to question and dig deeper. It was a freeing experience. I was part of debate team, as we started a rise to national attention, was part of the first individual team to qualify for nationals (NDT), and even had the privilege to beat teams from Harvard, UKY, USNA, Dartmouth and other well known schools. It was at Liberty, I grew not to fear having my beliefs challenged by honest discussion, and it's also where I learned to suss out who was questioning because they had a desire to engage and who was questioning out of a desire to play "gotcha." My daughter sat down with the Math chair for over an hour talking about her interests in math, and it was a great experience during our visit. She went there wanting to hate the school, and came away in love with the campus, the teachers she met, and dreams of attending LU stuck in her head. Every school will be judged by that standard. She felt similarly at Messiah.