See? I know I shouldn't complain. I can't I imagine how hard it is for families of service members. I think there has just been something about going past the six months mark.

I guess I'm kinda feeling sorry for myself. We haven't seen ds in six months and have one more month to go before he is home for about six weeks. I think my pity party is exacerbated by the fact that he has several high school friends who are local and attending our state flagship. Their parents complain about not seeing them often enough, but, honestly, there is NO comparison. They might go a couple of weeks. He recently had his birthday, and that didn't help either. I did manage to get a cake delivered to him! :) I guess the lack of frequency is a downside to attending a school far away. My dh, who is in his fifties, has never gone that long without seeing his parents, even when we were living overseas.

I'm going to share a story you probably won't like. More merit aid related, but definitely a timing issue. I made a cyber-friend on CC during our sons' admission cycle (she's still my friend, and we have met a few times IRL). They were definitely on the search for money. Because of stats her ds had full tuition at Alabama (OOS). His first choice, however, was Michigan (OOS). He received some sort of money (sorry, I have no idea how Michigan works for OOS with regard to merit/financial aid), but Alabama was more affordable for them. He committed to Alabama in early-ish April. Probably mid-April, Michigan came back and offered him more (again not sure if merit or FA but NOT loans) which would have made it slightly less expensive than Alabama - though probably a wash given distance. She sent me a frantic "OMG - you are never going to believe this" e-mail. I'm sure they could have worked it out, but by that point he was settled on Alabama. So that's where he went, and. he is happy there. This whole process is a marathon, not a sprint. From August 1 to May 1 is nine months (I have also likened the process to a pregnancy). If you allow it, it will consume your entire senior year. My experience is that kids may not show their anxiety about the process as much as parents do, but I truly believe it's worse for them. I made it a policy (until all applications were in), to purposefully talk to ds about the application process once a week on Sunday afternoons for about half an hour. Just to check in and see how things were progressing. Otherwise, I did not talk about it unless he brought it up. Once the apps are in, there is nothing to talk about - just waiting. I am NOT a patient person by nature. Even though we weren't waiting on aid notices, ds did not have all his decisions until April 1. Then you have to wait while they make the decision. Once all the applications are in there is an awful lot of waiting. Longest winter ever. But going in knowing this is helpful. Here's the good news - you can go through this process with all of us!!! You will find support, encouragement, and compassion from those who have been there/done that. You can commiserate with those who are going through it with you. You can come here just to vent. I promise it will be okay. Hugs.

I try to eat low carb-ish, but the IP is excellent for making risotto! I find that my IP (I named her "Pearl") does the absolute best at making pork. I love the recipe for Kalua Pig at NomNom Paleo. Absolutely NOT low-carbish, but Pearl has made a couple of cheesecakes, too. My favorite cookbook for the IP is Great Food Fast by Bob Warden. My favorite website for recipes is pressurecookingtoday. There is also a HUGE Facebook group with lots of resources. I, too, have been amazed at how much I love my IP. It has really rejuvenated my interest in cooking in general.

Both Ole Miss and Denver were on ds's lists. Condoleeza Rice attended the Univerity of Denver. They offered ds around $20,000 - $22,500 in merit money. But, honestly, with ds getting one of the Croft Institute Scholarships at Ole Miss along with everything else they gave him (they really are quite generous to OOS students with strong stats), I think his toothpaste would have been covered!! Hotty Toddy!! (That's an Ole Miss cheer for those unaware and /or not in the SEC) I do think the Croft Institute is a bit of a hidden gem. Ds chose a school that offered no merit, and we don't qualify for need (NOT complaining about that, btw), so I'm off to stir my rice and beans. 😂😂😂

I wouldn't put names in clothes except for outerwear - things that might get taken off and left somewhere. Coats, jackets, raincoat, *maybe* hoodies.

Below is our (rather thorough) list. No trunk (we actually had one from sleep-away camp days). Too bulky/unwieldy/heavy and just no room for it. No printer Only one set of sheets. I did, however, convince ds to wash at least his pillowcase once a week. Very easy to remove (unlike the sheets), and important for keeping acne in check. ______________________________________________________ College List wallet passport cell phone/charger (2) water bottle glasses (2 pairs plus sunglasses) Computer Supplies: Laptop iPad flash drive headset ethernet cable powerstrip (2) external hard drive for backups School Supplies: pens Pencils highlighters post its index cards Lined paper notebooks/binders ruler 3-hole punch stapler/staples paper clips/ Binder clips lap desk backpack 2 calculators (graphing/scientific) summer reading scissors Scotch tape desk draw organizer thing - with compartments (I loaded this up with the small items from above and wrapped the entire thing in cling wrap for transporting) Entertainment: playing cards Musical instrument and sheet music (if applicable) hammock Dorm Room: minifridge desk lamp back of door towel hooks/rack - got some large command hooks clothes hangers alarm clock fan - we had a tall, skinny, oscillating one (small footprint) lots of command hooks of various sizes white board one-month calendar Bed & Bath: mattress encasement mattress topper (foam) mattress pad 1 set twin XL sheets 1-2 extra pillow cases sleeping bag light cotton thermal blanket "cheap"comforter 2 pillows 2 towels Daily Meds & Toiletries: Shower caddy any meds the student takes daily toothbrush/toothpaste dental floss comb face wash body wash deodorant shampoo electric razor hand sanitizer nail clippers Laundry: laundry basket or bag detergent stain spray dryer sheets febreeze Go To Box - Medical Box (used a plastic tote with a lid and handle): anything specific for the student's medical needs sunscreen bug spray bandaids/triple antibiotic tums bug bite gel spare toothbrush acne cream benadryl tylenol ibuprofen naproxen sodium sudafed cough suppressant allergy eye drops mucinex cough drops thermometer Q-tips (need a container or just a ziploc to put some in) kleenex lip balm immodium athlete's foot spray reusable heat/cold pack Cortisone creme antiseptic Go To Box - Other box: sewing kit safety pins screwdriver - actually received a toolkit/tools for graduation and took that duct tape zip ties sharpie marker head lamp hand crank flashlight / USB charger ear plugs spare lightbulbs for desk lamp batteries (I included a list of everything he was taking that required batteries, and what kinds they needed) notes cards and stamps solar-powered radio N.B. Go to boxes went on top shelf of bookcase in the room as they didn't need to be accessed every day. Each was only slightly larger than a shoebox. Clothing: your kid can probably figure this out, but remember: swimsuit 2 sets dressier clothes (shirt, tie, dress pants, belt, socks) dress shoes good rain jacket umbrella Travel: duffel bag (smaller one for weekend trips, plus big ones he moved stuff in with) Ziploc bags - quart size for plane trips Move-in Day items Cooler with drinks/waters/fruit granola bars / other snacks trash bags cleaning wipes paper towels doorstop be sure to pack separately (backpack) laptop and anything else valuable or that would be very bad if misplaced (prescription meds) and personally hand carry to room when you move in.

Most extended family is on dh's side - I have precious little. Dh has one sister, and she has an only girl who is five years older than our ds. She has had some academic issues in the past (though she seems have gotten things together after a year break - back in school and doing fine now). I imagine our ds will complete his undergrad before she does. So, I do try to be sensitive to that. Sadly, the only one who insists on making comparisons is my f-i-l, but he in an insensitive PITA in many areas. Certainly keeping in mind that others may be struggling is a very good reason not to brag too publicly. I did have ds contact my in-laws to share his news about this past quarter. If he didn't, PITA f-i-l would ask ME, and, it's really not my news to share as it's not my achievement.

^ When ds started at his charter school, the team to beat at Model Arab League was the homeschoolers!

Thanks for all the replies and thoughts. No need to ask ds as I know he wouldn't want me posting the GPA on FB. I feel like I have a good sense of what is and isn't acceptable to him. I absolutely err on the side of asking if I have any uncertainty at all. He texted a pic of him and two friends from the Rose Bowl, and I asked if I could post it. He said not to because it wasn't his photo - it was one of his friends. Some things - like cute throwback Thursday pics from when he was little - get posted regardless! He has no say on those! Ha ha! He doesn't seem to mind, and I would absolutely stop if be asked me to, but I think he enjoys the little kid pics, too! And, I abstain from any "nekkid" photos even as a tiny infant. I do get it. I see lots of braggy photos of younger kids with accomplishments of all kinds - school, sports, music, art, etc. I like them. I guess I just feel like there is a point where the children have more claim to those things than the parents do. To me, that is when college starts. I'll certainly post when he graduates (assuming he does). His school does not have Latin Honors, but I would add that if it did, and he earned them. I did tell him to text the grandparents. Otherwise, they will ask the next time I talk, and, again, I feel like it's HIS news, not mine.

Shameless brag - my ds earned a 4.0 this quarter! His grades have been consistently strong, but this was his first 4.0. His school has plusses and minuses, so a single A- prevented the elusive 4.0 winter quarter. This time he had an A+ of equal weight to balance out his A- yay! I have friends who post this type of info about their college-aged children on their FB timelines. Photos of letters making the Dean's/Chancellor's list along with listing the specific GPA for the semester/quarter. I will freely confess that I was pretty brag-y on FB about ds when he was in high school - probably more than I should have been especially with regard to college admissions/scholarships, etc. However, even then I never posted specific grades or test scores (had friends who did post those). I still occasionally post about ds and what he is doing but in a more "Ds finished his sophomore year of college and this is what he's doing this summer," sort of way. Just general info. "He loves it, he's doing great," etc. I feel like I can safely, shamelessly brag here. Don't most of you feel this way? But do you share this type of info on social media? I think ds would be mortified if I was this specific. Just curious. ETA: Ack! Sorry for the typo in the title.

This is where we were: come big or stay at home. Had ds not gotten into his primo school of choice, he was not going to choose something in the middle. I have to say that I do not understand paying full-freight at a $60,000+ per year school just because it's private. There would have to be a very compelling reason (program offered, location, etc) to do so. We feel like the full-freight price tag is worth it for the school ds is attending. He would have never chosen a match school that offered a "tuition discount" merit scholarship of $20,000 per year. This is what we found to be the case at many of the privates. An okay, but private school at $40,000 - $45,000 price tag (reduced from full-price by a $20K merit scholarship) did not seem like a good deal to us when state public U's could be had for free. The situation could be different depending on whether one qualified for need-based aid. Only time will tell whether attending the top school will be worth it from a financial standpoint. From an experience/opportunities/fit standpoint, it has definitely been worth it to us thus far. But we only have one kid, which also makes a big difference.

Cost and provincialism. My state is somewhat unique. While I know when one speaks of "flagships" it's in reference to academics, but many states have at least a couple of larger state U's that are fairly "even" or at least equally well-known. E.g. University of Florida and Florida State. Often here if you ask a local parent what his/her graduating senior's plans are, the response will be, "Dd/ds will be going to the university in the fall." THE university. Yes, there is more than one university in my state, but everyone knows which one is THE university. My dh went there. His dad went there. My dad went there. Obviously, cost/money is a factor, but there is a bit of a knee-jerk response (whether said aloud or not) of "Isn't THE university good enough for you?" if your child pursues other options, especially those that are highly ranked. There is a good LAC in our state (one of the CTCL), that is acceptable to the masses if you're quirky or pre-med. Leaving the state kind of triggers defensiveness since so many people attended THE university. Fortunately, the culture was not that way at all at ds's public charter school, but it is small and had (she's since left since ds's time) a GREAT college advisor. She was a huge fan of LACs and had a wide knowledge base of schools. Many of the students from his charter school aim for and achieve admission to highly ranked schools. Most who turn those down do so because of financial contraints. A wise decision, IMO. But there are only about 60-70 kids per graduating class. We also have multiple, large public high schools in our region, one of which graduated 1,000+ students this year. One does have an IB program. From those large publics there are always a few students who go to Ivys and Ivy-equivalents each year. But the vast majority of students just carry on to THE university with their friends. When you have a state flagship in your backyard and many family members who attended there, it's kind of an easy choice to make. Because we are full-pay at a private, ds will be on his own for any graduate school he might do. That was his choice since he had less expensive (including two free) options.

I have several old cassettes (marked 8mp) of videos that we took on our camcorder when ds was little. I'm trying to figure out the best way to get those converted to DVDs and/or some other digital form. A friend suggested a company called South Tree video, but some of the reviews are not very good. She was happy and felt like the price was excellent, however. Any suggestions? There is a local camera shop that does this, but I think they are quite pricey. We have > a dozen. I want a good piece, but I also want reliability.

Wowza! Got curious and looked this up. Room and board for next year is > $17,000! https://www.hmc.edu/admission/afford/cost-of-attendance/

I have a ds. We have one, 30-minute phone call per week with intermittent texting/messaging. Definitely not every day. I try to forward funny things or local items of interest. He rarely is the one who initiates texting unless there is big news or some sort of issue that he needs help with. But, he knows we are here for him, I think. I am pretty good with care pacakges. Ds usualy gets three per quarter, so nine per school year. Sometimes all homemade goodies, sometimes a mix of homemade and less perishable. Three of those care packages are "group" care packages. We have a group of around 12-14 moms who get together for Haloween/fall, Valentine's Day, and Spring final exams. I coordinate this through a group message on FB. We get a headcount of how many are participating each time (usually 10-15; some have a couple in college), and then we know how many to buy/bake for. Everyone posts what they are bringing so we don't have duplicates. Homemade treats, store-bought treats, Mac & cheese, microwave popcorn, beef jerky, highlighters, pens and pencils, etc. Everyone comes to my house (it's BYOB - Bring Your Own Box/Bag), and we pile everything up on my kitchen island. The moms take their boxes and walk around and toss in one of each item. One mom always brings card stock, stickers, etc., and we make individualized cards for the kids. The kids LOVE the group care packages. Always a big variety. It's a great way for the moms to stay in touch, too, and learn what everyone's children are up to! But I do plenty of other care packages on my own. I also try to line/decorate my box based on a theme or the season. I don't always have time for this part, but I *try* to do it most of the time. Always include a card/note in ds's boxes. Sometimes a t shirt if we have traveled somewhere. Edit: so many typos!!!

It wasn't as hard for me as I thought it would be. Ds is > 1,800 miles away. We don't have near the level of communication that some of you do, but we always have a weekly phone call (usually about 30 minutes). We do some texting during the week, and I occasionally message/forward him something of interest on FB. I think everyone has to find what is right for their own family. I must say I have been feeling a bit sorry for myself as of late. Probably b/c of Mother's Day. Many friends of mine have kids at our local Big State U. Even for those who have kids farther away, many of them are now home for the summer. Ds did not come home for Spring Break, and he is working on campus through the end of July. We will have gone seven months without seeing him by the time he gets home!!! That's just a long time!

Thanks! I did some looking on YouTube last night. I could be wrong, but this *seems* more involved than what I am looking to do. It appears that there is a lot if space for cards/text, and I really don't want that. Obviously, I like the idea of a description, but I think this is just more than what I personally want. I need to explore more, but it seems that shutterly just lets you assemble and THEN purchase. Although, I assume one must pay for the photo storage??? I really don't know. But, I am glad you enjoy this app! I think it's more elaborate than what I want. Thank you for your help!

I do not know much about this program, but here is the link to the board on Questbridge on College Confidential. Might find some answers there. There are many intelligent and helpful folks on CC (particularly on the financial aid page), but you do sometimes have to wade through some silliness. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/questbridge-programs/

I looked at your link. I don't get this at all! It sounds like you need printed photos and its scrapbooking?? Slip it in a pocket? I don't understand drag and drop?? Is this not paper stuff?? I'm sorry I am so dense. I am not tech savvy at all! I really want to do this, but just glancing at the site gets me confused! The good news is that I found print sheets for lots of film I have already developed and I was able to match up all but three rolls of film! So, yay!! It *had* been developed!!! That stuff is already in albums. I like the category boxes for the BIG box. I don't think that will be too difficult. I am going to have to accept the fact that not everything can be in the same format. I will have boxes for the really old stuff and albums through about second/third grade. I just need to figure out what to do with the digital stuff I have. Thanks for the suggestions!

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/state-dish-towels ^link to tea towels

Here is what I have: LARGE (probably 70% larger than a bank box) filled-to-the-brim box of loose photos of ALL sizes (some now non-standard, some 2x3, some 11x14 and all sizes in between) that span over 100 years - up through about my college graduation. Childhood photos of my parents, early married photos of my parents, childhood photos of me, etc. A dozen filled albums that hold about 280, 4x6 photos each. From dh and my pre-marriage until we started homeschooling. Many of these are neither fabulous nor necessary, but they are "done," in a manner of speaking. Mystery Walmart sack with canisters of 35 mm film. Close to 60 canisters!!!!!!!! No idea which, if any, have already been developed. Ack!!!! Clearly nothing got developed during the 6.5 years we homeschooled as there are NO printed photos from during this time frame. A gazillion photos on my iPhone/iPad beginning when ds enrolled in his charter high school (he's now a sophomore in college) of which many are duplicate shots or screenshots of recipes. Pretty much all commingled together with some of great value (high school graduation pics) and some of no value. Some are in "albums" on the iPhone or iPad. No printed form of any of these. Probably been awhile since these were backed up but no major life events since they last were. I would REALLY like to get my act together and DO SOMETHING with this mess I have created. I have no idea where or how to start!!! Part of me feels like I should have everything sorted and stored in the same way. Part of me thinks that's silly. And impossible. Additionally, I have no concept how to do this in bite-sizes pieces so that there isn't a large number of messy piles all over my house forever. It. Is. So. Overwhelming. To. Think. About. What would you do???? Thanks for any and all advice! I don't post on this board much anymore, but I felt confident someone here could head me in the right direction.

I never pulled all-nighters. I did usually survive on about six hours of sleep during the week and played catch up on the weekends. I had no idea about ds, and this thread prompted me to inquire. Likewise, he has yet to pull an all-nighter. He said he is more likely to stay up late because of "play" rather than "work." He recalled one instance of staying up until 3:30 playing pool in the commons area of his freshmen dorm. He said the latest he has ever stayed up working is about 2:00 am, and that is very uncommon. He really is good about managing his time. He rarely seems stressed. I'm going to take a little bit of credit for the time management skill. I have many, short mantras that I have drilled into his head from an early age. One is, "Work before play." It seems to have (happily) taken. The cause of all-nighters is clearly (from this thread) not always procrastination. However, for a humorous take on that challenge, take a gander at this Ted talk. Pretty funny stuff.

Sorry. Double post.

A lot of places will handle visits and perhaps even interviews through an admissions website. Not every place will grant on-campus interviews. If they do, some will have admissions people interviewing and some will have students interviewing. Some will have alumni interviews. These may be in your hometown or near where you live. Not every place is going to accommodate specialized visits. I have a friend who was rather appalled at the lack of individuality afforded students who visited one higher ranked school. I think her expectations were unrealistic and being overly indignant about it is not going to garner much of a positive impression. She remarked that they were "herded like cattle." Some places have thousands of visitors per year. Some could not care one hoot if you visit or not. The best hope for specialized visits will come from contacting people within departments. Smaller schools are also likely to be more accomodating. The time of year you visit may impact the ability to have something more unique. Generally speaking, there will be an information session and a tour at all schools. Perhaps the opportunity to attend a class. Generally, you must sign up for these online and then you "check in" when you arrive. Also keep in mind that visits can be done after an acceptance and many schools will have admitted students weekends.