Love it - thanks for posting it. The inner city tutor in me loved this part I love how she signs it

I can't get the smileys to work for some reason - so just pretend you see me cheering this part :)

Maybe you can convince your dh to retire to Wyoming or the Dakotas. ;)

Honestly the cc's around here (Texas) wouldn't care about either a transcript OR an SAT score. Are you sure that you need either? And I think April will be your favorite month of this year!! :hurray: :grouphug:

Yes!! How many of us have said we wouldn't get accepted to colleges today? My dh often says he wouldn't get hired at his Fortune 50 Company today. It would be interesting to know where she got accepted.

http://online.wsj.co...0064578654.html I'm not sure whether you have to have a subscription to read it, so here it is just in case:

Updated in post #1....

Authors to look for: Diane Stanley Mike Venezia Lucy Micklethwait James Mayhew Laurence Anholt

I am traveling at the moment but wanted to say I appreciate all your input. I plan to touch base with the student and her mom when I return home and will share all your great suggestions with them then. Thanks so much!! :)

Love it!! Thanks for posting. We have several friends who work for JSC so I sent it to them :)

Love it. Wonder whether he can find a Groupon for his fat club ;) I love Groupon and its cousins. But my dh has felt they couldn't stay in business very long. :(

Thanks for starting this thread! We're going in a few weeks with dd who is doing study abroad in the UK. We went to Italy once but only spent a few days in Venice, now we'll be there for a week. We're excited about exploring a bit deeper! We loved the glass blowing in Murano. And we enjoyed a gondola ride. My dd loved watching the artists paint masks.

I would definitely follow through with it. We didn't qualify but my dd's best friends at college are Questies. One huge advantage is they found out whether they were accepted even before the Early Decision applicants. I believe the applicant "ranks" the participating schools, with the understanding that if they "match" with any of the schools they select, they will attend. My dd's school has lots of fun things for Questies, pizza parties and free tickets to social events, etc. http://www.questscholarsnetwork.org

My dd had a dance teacher like this - she specifically told my dd that she didn't spend time on what she was doing right - they only had an hour together, and they needed to spend that time on what needed to be corrected.

Thanks so much for this great advice, ladies. Brenda, I'll definitely look on College Confidential and collegedata.com. I'll be talking more with her mom this week about strategizing - I know she has some merit aid at the state school (she's National Achievement Finalist) but I don't know the mix (merit/need) from either school. And I think her mom was confused about the amount from dream school. They definitely qualify for need based aid (single mom works seasonally) but she's in a private college prep school and I don't know that her counselor is well versed in all things involving financial aid...

Thanks for the update and thanks for changing the thread title :) :)

A girl I have mentored has a full ride to one of our large state schools. She has been accepted at her dream school but the money isn't there (and her family TRULY can't afford a dime for college, she lives in the 11th poorest zip code in the US). So it would be great if she could get more $$ out of dream school. If you have asked and been successful, could you tell me how you went about it? And did the student do the asking? By phone or email? I was thinking something along the lines of "I would love to attend dream school and am ready to commit if you can match large state school's offer..." but I'd love to hear what has worked for you. UPDATE: I tried to call the girl's mom a few times but got no answer, the younger sister (goes to the school where I tutor) said she was sick. Then I was traveling for 3 weeks. Fast forward to today, I finally reached the mom. Her dd has been woo'd by the state school (more money, paid visit, etc.) and in the interim has fallen in love with the state school and accepted there. Her mom sounded so happy and relieved. Thank you so much for all your input - I'm sure I'll have a future time to put it to good use! :)

What a lovely girl - beautiful smile and those curls! Oh my. We're not meant to bury our children. :( Thank you for sharing the videos.

The name of the ship (Triumph) is ironic. :glare:

Thanks! Wish I was in the market for Playmobil as well - but I forwarded it to some friends - maybe they'll let me come play with it at their house :)

That would drive me nuts and I'm an empty nester. I love people but I also love my "me" time. That's a bit egocentric of them to expect that you will drop whatever you are doing - as if you were just waiting around for them to come by.... I like the idea of opening the door but not letting them in - once they're in, you can't make them leave. You can chat for a moment at the front door and then say you have to get back to (whatever, even if was sitting on the couch reading a good book!). Practice saying it in your mirror so you're comfortable with your facial expressions. Once or twice will likely cure them of the drop-in habit.

So good to see you here and get your update! :grouphug:

Just an FYI on the cell phones, many (most?) American phones don't work in the UK without a SIM card. If you plan to have the girls communicate using your American phones, be sure to check with your provider before going. A cheap alternative would be to get a monthly phone over there (about 10 pounds).

The museums in London are free admission so, yes, they would be fine without much money. Do you feel your daughters have a good sense of direction? Can they read a map? The London tube has maps in the cars, in the station, everywhere. If they started out each day knowing where they are going and how to get there, they will be fine.