https://jacobsacademy.indiana.edu/descriptions/piano-academy.html My son attended this program and had a great experience. I do believe when he attended it was three weeks long,however. It now appears to only be two.

@lewelma - any updates on where your ds will be headed for his doctorate?

Oh, yes. I am sorry I was unclear. Yes, on the required summer hours, though they may be requiring even more than that now - not sure?? I just meant that one thing that sometimes happens is that students don’t necessarily get to start when they want to. My friend’s son was admitted for Summer B. So, he doesn’t have the option of starting in the fall even though that’s what he wanted. He’s not happy about it because he would prefer a longer summer, but a fall start was not offered to him. Edit: Googled. It’s still nine summer hours.

@Brittany1116 - it really is. I have a friend whose ds attends a private high school here in Florida. He is not in the ranges I listed above and will likely be attending USF. He is deciding between there and Stetson. There were a lot of shock waves that rippled through her son’s school on decision days for UF and FSU - particularly Florida State. I will also add that she is very happy he applied as soon as he could to USF as some classmates who applied later (with better stats) were not accepted. Her son was admitted to Summer B, not fall. That is another tactic they use - admitting to a summer session or even for spring enrollment. Additionally, I believe all UF students are also now required to take a certain number of hours during summers at some point during their tenure there. My experience with UF, in particular, is that they weigh heavily on grades and particularly rank within one’s class. I am not sure how that looks for a homeschooler. They recalculate GPA (one reason is it so high for those admitted student stats) weighting for AP (1 point) and Honors (.5 points). I know you are a few years out, but I would definitely contact admissions and/or research admissions to understand how homeschool students are evaluated. I would think taking some courses through FLVS or at an affiliated college (Santa Fe level - I don’t know where you are) while in high school for dual enrollment would likely be helpful in admissions at UF. One other “new” thing for BF is that students who complete an IB Diploma automatically receive it now. Because of the tie-in to BF, Florida never abandoned testing requirements during Covid at all.

Since there has been some Florida talk on this thread and the OP appears to be from Florida… Below are the admitted student profiles for UF and FSU for high school class of 2022 as reported on College Confidential. Both of these schools are becoming more and more competitive with each passing year. Many students qualify for BF and don’t get into either of these schools. USF is becoming more competitive each year as well. Admitted Freshman Profile University of Florida admissions Mid 50 GPA 4.4 - 4.6 Mid 50 SAT 1340 - 1490 Mid 50 ACT 29 - 33 Florida State admissions Mid 50 GPA 4.3-4.6 Mid 50 SAT 1300-1430 Mid 50 ACT 29-32

https://thehermitage.com

Edit - double post - sorry!

Hello, all! OP here! I can FINALLY report that ds will be returning to The Farm this autumn to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business for an MBA! He received his admission on December 7th, so my waiting for him to make a final decision has seemed reeaaaallly long! When he was here visiting us over the holidays, he had said he was 95% sure he was going to go, but he wanted to attend their Admit Weekend first. He called us with his decision while driving back home from that this afternoon. His ding was from Harvard Business School. I think it really stung that he was not at least invited to interview. He’s clearly not an Ivy League type. His only undergraduate rejection was from Princeton - lol. I do think I, “behaved,” well through this process and did a good job of letting him take the lead as to when and to what extent he wanted to talk to me (and dh) about his decision. So, while it was hard waiting, I’m kinda glad he forced me to, as I think I grew in my parenting-an-adult skills. Thanks for coming along for the grad school admission ride!

Congratulations to your ds @lewelma!! May I ask - does acceptance equate to full funding? Or is that an additional step in the process? I’m asking because I have a friend whose ds is applying to PhD programs (albeit in a far different field - botany). I don’t want to ply her with too many questions, and I just don’t know how the process works. I’m not certain she does either. Perhaps it varies among disciplines. Cornell has shown strong interest in him, but he has more steps to take. So, I guess that means he does not yet have an, “acceptance.”

It’s a digital frame, so moving it up would expose the cord, unfortunately.

I love both of those that you linked! That first one, in particular, really blends in with the mosaic backsplash I have in my kitchen. I’m rethinking a bit. The outlets are really bugging me now, so I am thinking I might do two low, narrow succulent boxes in front of them. I have rearranged my glass shelves a bit and have removed the two non-glass items and have made a, “hole” on the top center shelf to place something with color. Do y’all think staying with glass is best or would a colored ceramic piece be better? Such as the first one that @livetoreadlinked? I’m trying to decide about the scale. I have clearance of 32”, but I think if I go too tall it will not look balanced with the stemware. Attaching a new picture to show the, “hole” I have made for something decorative.

Thanks, all. Yes, our condo has a MCM vibe to it. @DreamerGirl did link some lovely things, but they are honestly too, “busy” and kinda (??) Boho. At least for *me*. The dining table is actually glass and wood (walnut). Not sure if it showed as metal or black or ?? in the photo. The cabinets have a bit of a cinnamon hue to them, but they are also brown. The space above the top shelf on the bar is not very tall, but I think I would be more inclined to add color there than in our glassware. I really don’t like the idea of wine, beer, or whisky in a colored glass. So, I would have to look for something narrow. I do agree that starting with just one thing is an excellent idea. I think starting with the corner with either a fake plant or flowers in a vase is probably best. I love the idea of a green vase. I do think a table runner would interfere with the lines of the table bases. As I rethink, I probably don’t want anything on there. I tend to sit here a lot during the day and sort of spread out. Thank you for all the help and suggestions. And the time you put into making them! 🙂

Don’t think I can hang. Building sprinkler system runs through there. I, too, have a black thumb.

Should have added that I cannot do *real* plants. The windows are north-facing, plus I just kill anything green I try to grow! Where would you place the plant @fraidycat?

Y’all were so helpful with my fireplace, I thought I would come back for more advice on decor. Ds was here over the holidays and says (he has said this before) that our home is, “sterile,” and that it looks like, “no one lives here.” I am very much a minimalist, and I hate having a bunch of knickknacky things sitting around. However, he likely has a valid point, so I am looking to put something of interest that is easy to move/easy to dust around in this space. Could be on the table, could be on he counter (at one or either end, but not in the middle - we use it for serving). Everything is very neutral other than what is in our art on other walls and some lime/chartreuse green as an accent color.

Sorry to hear that he was thrown some unexpected curve balls, @lewelma I have no understanding of all the different types of physics paths there are other than what I have gleaned from watching the Big Bang Theory. I am sure that the process is incredibly competitive. We think that at each level, of course, but as they move up through academic levels it only becomes more so. All the best to him in finding something he desires that provides adequate funding.

Very exciting @lewelma ! How did your ds feel about the interview on the 29th? @Eos - gosh, all of that sounds stressful.

My mil always gave lots of toys - more than were necessary. But, I want to share with you what she gave that both my ds and his only cousin that they loved the most. She made photo albums for them each year and gave them to them at Christmas (you could do on birthdays). She always took lots of photos (these were back in the days of real cameras) whenever we would go visit them or they would come visit us. She often took the grandkids to the zoo and took lots of photos there or on any outing they did together. She would print out actual prints and put them into photo albums. These were chunky albums - just one pic on each page - where you slid the photos into a sleeve. Then she used labels to print out captions or descriptions for each photo and put them on the outside of the acrylic slide in thingies. She eventually quit when both of them were teens and got too busy with other things, but they are wonderful (albeit a bit bulky/clunky to have in today’s digital world) and ds still loves them in his 20s. I am sure it was labor-intensive and time-consuming to make them back in the day. Now, of course, there is Shutterfly or other book options. So, I might catalog the trip to the zoo by taking lots of photos and then making a Shutterfly book of the outing with captions so they will always have the book as a memento of that outing/day/celebration of their birthday.

@Eos and @lewelma Congrats on your YAs getting their grad school applications in! I do hope you will report back on how that process goes for them. What does the timeline look like for them in terms of next steps (are there interviews??) and when will they have decisions?

White’s, but I have no idea if they would deliver.

We are now addicted to them!! Dh also commented he tasted coffee. I did not.

I also have naturally dark hair. I used to have it colored. It kept getting darker and darker (a la Morticia Addams-ish). So, my stylist tried doing some highlights. Hated them. Just made those parts of my hair red and brassy looking. Decided to give it up probably 15 years ago. Even growing out that color was difficult. I have other friends who have dark hair who have gone lighter and lighter and eventually blonde over the years. Almost across the board, I do not feel like their current hair color works well with their skin tones. Most of my gray is concentrated in the front - almost a stripe. I have actually had people ask if it is real! For ME (no judgment for others who choose to color their hair), I am glad I quit using color. I’m sure it has saved me tons of time and money over the years.

Exactly!! Ds has a friend in his first year of his MBA program at the school. “So nice that you can talk to ____________ about it and get his perspective on what he does and doesn’t like.”

Ha! I try! I have LOTS of opinions, so it’s tough! I was constantly worrying and researching and looking on online forums. HE didn’t know that, of course. I do think I was helpful in a few ways. Until I told him, he had no idea this particular school made calls to those admitted two days ahead of the portal update. I had also sent him links to potential interview questions before his interview. I did text him ahead of time and ask if it were okay for me to send him those, and he enthusiastically replied, “Yes!” I do have a lot more free time than he does, however. It’s definitely tricky not crossing over the line from being supportive to giving unsolicited advice. I REALLY hope he chooses to attend, but the decision is his to make. I am just thankful he has the choice rather than it being made for him by a ding (rejection). If he does decide to matriculate, I will come back and name the institution.