Another acceptance today for DD: Wheaton College (MA) - Balfour Scholarship

Yes, it's correct. I had to look at it twice myself, when I entered DD's info on the list. Thanks so much for keeping up this list! BTW, I see in your signature that your DD has in interest in linguistics. That's my DD's major!

Yes, Stony Brook is in the SUNY system. You might be right about the free tuition thing attracting more in state students. I have a friend who is a high level executive for a school in NY state. Her kids are in the SUNY system. I am going to have to ask her if she knows anything about it. She knows DD applied and was accepted to SB, so I'm thinking she must not, but she might know about any issues the SUNY schools are facing with regard to increased enrollment and the difficulties they are now facing to accommodate more students. Seems very likely to be a possibility and one they might not have planned for very well. I'm just glad we found out before putting any more energy into that school and before DD has to commit.

Yuk, indeed! She was never quite sure about Stony Brook, but hated to not apply to a school with her major that was within a comfortable distance from home. We hadn't visited and thought we would if she got accepted, and recently were planning to take a trip down there. I'm so glad I saw the post on CC, and we aren't wasting time and money to see a school that clearly has big issues right now. Freshman classes of up to 800? Oh, my!

Matryoshka, DD's major is offered at UNH, so the New England tuition discount doesn't apply. Sure wish it did, and thank you for mentioning it. UNH was the first college we visited, over a year ago. DD was nervous about the whole college thing, and while we both liked the campus and enjoyed the visit, she still wasn't quite ready to think about it. The more she considered UNH throughout the past several months, the more she has warmed up to it. She'll probably attend a shadow a student day. I think she would be happy there. It's a great school and lovely campus. There are so many things for her there, too. She would love to be involved in the equestrian program and her current piano instructor (an amazingly talented man) has collaborated with the piano prof at UNH and some of his students have gone on to study under him. So, she knows there is an option for keeping up her musical studies, as well, with someone her instructor highly regards. Plus, UNH is so close to where she takes lessons (Portsmouth), she could hop a bus from UNH to town and continue studying with her current instructor, too. I have thought all along that she would be happy there, if left with no other choice. Her major is not widely offered, so her list of schools were comprised of large research universities and selective schools. With her criteria for staying close to home, it made it even harder, so I'm glad she has UNH as an option, and that her option is one she can live with. I'm very proud of her and she has been thrilled with the acceptances, so that does help. She told me last night that it is nice to have validation for all the hard work, and that she has evidence of her success as a homeschooler. She said to me, she will no longer have to stare blankly at someone when they ask, "How will you ever get into college?"

UMass financial aid is in and is what we expected--not within reach. It was worth a shot. DD is disappointed, even though she expected it. Back to the waiting...

Thanks! She worked hard and it's been a terribly difficult year for our family, so the news has been quite welcome. I wouldn't say DD has fantastic stats.. I do believe something must have stood out in her application for her to be receiving the acceptances and merit awards, but it probably wasn't her 1440 SAT score or the fact she has taken no AP courses (or SAT subject tests, either). I think her recommendations were probably quite good (though she waived the right to see them, one being from a college prof from the one dual enrollment class she took at CC). Her essay was good, and was deeply personal to her, and I think the amount of reflection she put into thinking about it did come through in her writing. She did not apply EA. She was dreadfully ill from late October and into the first week of December, and thus missed all the ED/EA deadlines. She finally submitted a few days after Christmas. Unfortunately, she got her financial aid package from UConn today and it is so far from reasonable that it's off the list. We are hoping for better news from UMass, because she is very excited about that school. We knew going into it that UConn and UMass might end up financial reaches, but she wanted to give it a shot. DD is very practical and will not want to get overloaded in debt and knows the realities or our financial situation. She is also crossing Stony Brook off the list, because, by chance I came across (while I was perusing the College Confidential boards) someone mentioning the severe overcrowding issue there. We looked into it and I guess we didn't dig far enough into the school's website about housing, but it seems that about 90% of the incoming freshman (the only year guaranteed on campus housing) can expect to be tripled in a double room. The housing issues extend off campus, too. Tripling up in a room would not be a good fit for my DD. Despite it all, she feels quite validated after all the hard work she's put in. I know it will work out in the end. She hates being faced with big decisions, so it seems the universe is slowly chipping away at her list, and hopefully the best option will become clear to her. Best wishes to you as you await the news from UMass!

My DS left a school where he had great scholarships, but no other options when he decided to change his major to one not offered at his school. He was miserable and uncertain about what to do, so he packed up for winter break, came home, and never looked back. He wanted to enroll in a local university the following spring, but it wasn't affordable with the transfer scholarship they offered. He ended up enrolling in CC where he could not only get some gen ed's under his belt, but also some courses that would ultimately transfer to his new major. What felt like a giant step back at the time was definitely a step forward for him. Being at CC was so much more affordable, too, especially when he was trying to find a way to afford the university as a transfer student at some point. DS did well at CC and was awarded two scholarships from the university--one a community college transfer scholarship and one for Phi Theta Kappa, a distinction he earned for his good grades at CC. So, it all worked out and he got some extra scholarship money at the university as a result of enrolling at his CC. It can have its benefits. And I have enjoyed him being back home, too...

Thanks! It is exciting. Waiting on 5 more, and one with much anticipation. I hate to wish away the last days of our homeschooling journey (DD is my last to graduate 😢), but a part of me just wants to know!

Acceptances so far for my DD: Stony Brook University (Provostial Scholarship) University of New Hampshire (Honors Program Invitation, Presidential Scholarship, Austin & Winona Hubbard Scholarship, NH Governor's Scholarship) University of Massachusetts Amherst (Chancellor's Award) University of Connecticut (Honors Program invitation, Academic Excellence Scholarship)

DD just noticed the 'Additional Info' section and I think we'll use that. Just FYI for everyone, in case you're interested.

The only thing we see is an 'Activities' section and a small box to enter something, certainly not enough room, but I don't see an 'Awards' section.

DD has numerous athletic awards from the sport in which she participates. It seems the 'Activities' section of her part of the Common App doesn't have much room to elaborate on such things. If your DC had athletic awards, where did you put them on the CA? I was thinking of uploading the list as another transcript in the counselor section, but it isn't sitting right with me. Thoughts? Thanks! Nancy in NH

Good luck with the app's and auditions! I went through the same thing with my son. We traveled over 6,000 miles to 8 schools for auditions (by car!) and the work that went into the supplemental music stuff was enough to make us nuts--one school wants a repertoire list, one wants a music resume, one wants a pre-screening video, etc., and then tell us why this school? why this music program? I remember driving home from the last audition (which was about 10 hours away) on the verge of a nasty illness and wanting nothing more than to get home and collapse, preferably with a glass of wine in my hands. It all seemed worth it when he was accepted to all 8 schools and passed all his auditions, even his musical 'reach' school--the one he hoped and dreamed for, because it had a combined major program. He got in, but the financial aid package just wasn't enough. He was upset, but had other decent choices and went off to school that August. By October, he was rethinking his career plans and decided to transfer into another non-music program at another institution (that had the major he planned to combine with music at his dream school). It was a difficult decision for him, after SO many years of dedication and hard work at his piano studies. It has turned out for the best, though, and I don't regret one minute of that 6,000 miles we traveled together. It was such a cool time for me, spending so much one-on-one time with him before he was preparing to live away from home. It was good for him, too, validating all his hard work and his talent. But I can tell you, I did not feel that way back then! Ugh!

I wrote a homeschool profile and intend to paste the relevant info into the Student Profile 'Homeschooling' tab, which makes uploading a School Profile in the Counselor Profile seem unnecessary. Do you agree? I can't think of any other info other than what I plan to provide in the Homeschooling sections. Lastly, after being chastised (not here--another homeschooling group) for suggesting I will be providing course descriptions along with the transcript, I'm wondering what you guys think. I know it isn't necessary and all the schools on my daughter's list thus far don't require her to complete the Courses and Grades section, so maybe they won't care to receive that information. I always thought of the course descriptions as being a way to highlight and explain some less traditional courses and to provide info about the resources we used in order demonstrate the rigor of her education. The argument made was that I shouldn't provide anything that hasn't been requested, and I do understand how some feel about that. Thoughts? And, if I do decide to submit them, I can't remember how I did it before. Is it added as another transcript document? And if so, I guess I would have to add that to the number of "official transcripts" question for how many I will submit, right?

Just wondering if you guys have noticed this problem for following question in the Counselor Profile on the Common App: "Do you complete applicant's academic ratings on the Common Application School Report?" When I looked for help on the CA website, it says this is in reference to the "Compared to other students in his or her class year, how do you rate this student in terms of...". That was another question on the CA (in School Report Curriculum tab) that was bugging me, and apparently, they are supposed to be linked. Answer yes to the first, you are prompted (and required) to answer the second. Answer no and the 2nd goes away. The explanation states you are not required to answer it. The only answer that makes sense then is to respond no to the 1st, which is what I did, but that question is now under the Curriculum tab and it shows as still being required. The explanation shows there should be a tab for "Ratings" and that seems to no longer exist (and obviously has been moved to the Curriculum tab). Then the only answer for the 2nd that makes sense is "Prefer not to respond". That response rubs me the wrong way, because it seems to suggest I'm avoiding answering, and not giving my student the credit she deserves for having a demanding curriculum. Is it just me? Looks like Common App updated some things, but missed the mark on this one. Nancy in NH

I can see this happening in my future!

Feel free to PM me if you'd like a copy of mine. Not sure it's the greatest, but DS was accepted to all the schools to which he applied, so I guess I didn't hurt his chances. DS didn't apply to any very selective schools, though, but he was accepted to a very prestigious music program that he thought might be out of reach. Nancy in NH

Yes, such a precious time. I'm right with ya--seeing little kids lately makes me longing for those days. Maybe I'll be a homeschooling grandmother someday! One can hope!

The tears. I'm sitting here, in public, no less, working on something that I can't stand doing--writing course descriptions to accompany DD's transcript for her college app's--and it hit me. I'm doing this for the last time. I should be celebrating that I won't ever have to write another course description, that I'll never have to worry that I'm not doing a good enough job with it. And then WHAM! I'm feeling emotional and I can't hold back the tears. I'm excited for my daughter, of course, and I know we'll all adjust. As I contemplate what comes next for DD, I can't help but wonder what comes next for me, too. The big unanswered question--what am I going to do when it's over? Maybe I ought to work on FAFSA & CSS Profile at home, to avoid another hide-my-tears-from-the-general-public moment. I'm sure I'll be crying for more than one reason...! I wish, for those of you facing facing similar conflicting feelings, peace and joy as you travel the last steps of your homeschooling journey. I know I'm going to cherish mine. Nancy in NH

I'm definitely in denial. It will be our last year of homeschooling, as my youngest DD is a senior. We've spent the summer visiting colleges/universities. The mailbox has been full of college marketing mail. But I just can't grasp the thought of it soon being over. My three kids have all been pretty independent during the high school years and my involvement has been waning, so you'd think I would be getting used to the idea, but I'm not. I've spent the summer thinking about 'the lasts' (you know, like the 'firsts' we celebrate when our kids our young). The last time I will plan a school year, the last time I will enjoy the engaging conversations about books we're reading, the last time DD will get to enjoy her youth bowling league/tournaments, etc. It is all so bittersweet. I suppose it would feel easier if DD felt ready for it to end, too, but she said she will be sad when it's over. I know once she gets settled into the next phase of her life, she will be fine and will enjoy it, and I'm sure I'll be celebrating each new thing she gets to experience as a young adult. Still, I wouldn't mind if it could just last a little longer... Nancy in NH

My DD was going to sign up for the Scholars Online precalc course last year and we emailed the instructor, Mr. Mabbott, while she was considering it. He seemed genuinely devoted to helping the students succeed in the class, and, from what I remember, he utilizes teaching for mastery of the content, which we found appealing. He also asked a student to email my daughter, so she could ask questions and get his perspective on the course (it was positive). DD didn't end up enrolling, due to a conflict with another online course, though, so I can't speak about the actual course, but this might be an option to consider. Good luck! Nancy in NH

DD is going to take SAT subject tests in French w/listening and Literature. What study guide would you recommend (Barron's, Princeton Review, etc.)?

At my son's CC, there is a generous refund policy of 100% tuition for any course dropped within the add/drop period, which at his school is the first two weeks. You might want to check into that, if your DD is determined to do all three. If they have a similar policy, there is no harm in her trying it out for the first few weeks to see how it goes. The only problem you could run into is if any of the courses use digital textbooks, because once the code is activated for the text you cannot get a refund. Also, my DD at 16 signed up for a course at our local CC. During the first week, she was a bit overwhelmed, wondering if she could do it. I suggested she talk to the professor. He was so encouraging about her ability to handle it that she stuck with it. By the second week, she was enjoying herself immensely and it turned out to be a wonderful experience. So, if your DD does try it, I would l encourage her to stick it out until the end of the add/drop to really give her enough time to get comfortable with the expectations of three college courses.

I used it for my DS a few years ago. He got through it ok, but only because I supplemented with another science book (Spectrum Chemistry) that my other DS used. The biggest problem we ran into was concepts being introduced that seemed out of sequence, so I found myself explaining things to my son that hadn't been brought up yet in order for him to understand the new concept (and which is why I kept grabbing for Spectrum). I can't remember any specific instances now, but it happened at least a few times, maybe more.