AK_Mom4 Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 DS17 received a big acceptance packet from his first choice school last night - UC-Denver ! Now he has been accepted to both his first and second choices (Portland State) and to his safety school as well. Now we just need the scholarship money to fall into place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 So far, just one - MTSU (Middle TN State University). Though we won't find out if he's accepted into the music program until probably late Feb/March. That will be the case everywhere ds applies / auditions. We are expecting an acceptance letter into Tn Tech soon, and ds hasn't finished any other applications, so he really has to get moving. ETA: The TN Tech envelope came today, but not until ds left for his piano lesson. I suppose I shouldn't steam the envelope open? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Calvin has conditional offers from York and Exeter universities - York to study English; Exeter for Classics. They are conditional on his achieving a certain number of points in his IB exams in May. He is waiting to hear from three other universities - in one case, he is likely to be invited for interview before being accepted/rejected. ETA: now has conditional offers from Warwick and Oxford too, both for English and Classics. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 1st acceptance came today - Hiram College! Not the highest on ds' list but could be a good school for him. After all the turmoil of late, it was nice to have some good news for a change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Congratulations to everyone! I am glad good new is rolling in. Ds1 was admitted to Cornell College (Iowa) with merit aid. It is probably one of his top two right now. :party: to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 My daughter received her first acceptance letter today! -- with honors from California Baptist University (her second choice school). As Laura in CA mentioned we aren't quite sure what "with honors" means. We are eager to hear from two more colleges, particularly Biola which is her first choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 My daughter received her first acceptance letter today! -- with honors from California Baptist University (her second choice school). As Laura in CA mentioned we aren't quite sure what "with honors" means. We are eager to hear from two more colleges, particularly Biola which is her first choice. Congrats. It is always so nice to get that first acceptance letter! Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 My daughter received her first acceptance letter today! -- with honors from California Baptist University (her second choice school). As Laura in CA mentioned we aren't quite sure what "with honors" means. We are eager to hear from two more colleges, particularly Biola which is her first choice. Congratulations! My son went to 24@CBU last week. He really enjoyed the visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 DD got accepted to UC Boulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Congratulations! My son went to 24@CBU last week. He really enjoyed the visit. My daughter was there as well! After visiting, CBU moved up to her second choice. It's also the college that is closest to family which helps ease my heart since we will be overseas. August is going to come too soon for this mama! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 My daughter was there as well! After visiting, CBU moved up to her second choice. It's also the college that is closest to family which helps ease my heart since we will be overseas. August is going to come to soon for this mama! Right now, it's my son's first choice. I wonder if they met each other. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Right now, it's my son's first choice. I wonder if they met each other. :) Small world! There is a very good chance my daughter will end up at CBU. We were surprised at how quickly the acceptance packet arrived. We will have to wait until March to see what kind of financial aid the colleges will offer. I had a wonderful conversation with a CBU parent during 24@CBU. Her son started at an out of state university and ended up transferring to CBU. He is a pre-law/political science major and will be graduating in this spring. His mom gave high praises to the school for the caring professors whom she said went above and beyond in providing personal attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 DD got accepted to UC Boulder. Great! My niece had a great time there. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 We just got home from our Thanksgiving trip and youngest found out he's been accepted to Eckerd College. Of course, he read the post card from his admission officer BEFORE he read his acceptance letter since our mail was stacked on our table with newest things on top. ;) He didn't mind. This will be where he is going IF finances work out as he really never found another school anywhere comparable for what he wants to do with Tropical Marine Bio/Science. Eckerd blew away "the competition" when we compared schools and what undergrads/grads have done. It's amazing how a small school that isn't ranked in the Top 100 (in National Polls anyway) can do that when you get to specialties. I think he's really going to enjoy it there. Hopefully he can stay on top of his non science classes too... If finances don't work out, he'll be taking a gap year and working. He wanted Eckerd or bust, so that's what it is. Hopefully it will work for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 We just got home from our Thanksgiving trip and youngest found out he's been accepted to Eckerd College. I believe that makes 3 boys from TWTM forums that have been accepted at Eckerd, although I think your ds is the only one for whom it is the #1 choice. I suspect that the finances will all work out fine since he was born here, right? What goes around comes around, ya know. Marine Science at Eckerd is very highly regarded. Congrats! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 since he was born here, right? What goes around comes around, ya know. Marine Science at Eckerd is very highly regarded. Congrats! :hurray: Technically, he was born in Seminole, FL, as that's where the hospital was. We lived in St Pete. He definitely feels like he'll be "heading home" even though we left when he was all of 6 months old... :lol: On our visit in Oct he was looking at everything (in St Pete and St Pete Beach) carefully to try to put it all in his memory. We stopped out at one of the Gandy spots next to the bay and he looked right at home... If I could add a pic, I would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 We just got home from our Thanksgiving trip and youngest found out he's been accepted to Eckerd College. Of course, he read the post card from his admission officer BEFORE he read his acceptance letter since our mail was stacked on our table with newest things on top. ;) He didn't mind. This will be where he is going IF finances work out as he really never found another school anywhere comparable for what he wants to do with Tropical Marine Bio/Science. Eckerd blew away "the competition" when we compared schools and what undergrads/grads have done. It's amazing how a small school that isn't ranked in the Top 100 (in National Polls anyway) can do that when you get to specialties. I think he's really going to enjoy it there. Hopefully he can stay on top of his non science classes too... If finances don't work out, he'll be taking a gap year and working. He wanted Eckerd or bust, so that's what it is. Hopefully it will work for him. The folks at Eckerd will hear his enthusiasm and respond accordingly, I believe. So happy for him--and you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Wow, Creekland. I just looked at photos of the campus. The scenery, the weather--I would jump for joy to be there instead of a cold, snowy place right about now! Congratulations to your son. I'll admit that we've told him he'll need a dorm suite for four - him and his roommate, and his dad and me. He wasn't too agreeable to our suggestion... The school fits the kid to a T as far as location, marine options, and other things go. The only thing he's not happy about is their top designation as a weed smoking school. He likes the rest of their emphasis on "green," and "Think Outside," etc. He knows he just needs to find his niche and he'll likely do so in the labs. He also knows that weed smoking happens on all campuses - including his high school... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Congratulations Creekland and Son! I hope the finances work out for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Calvin has another conditional offer: Warwick to do English and Latin Literature. Unfortunately, the scores required are precisely the same as for his other offers, so he has no safety. He is still waiting for offers from his last two universities, but they are very unlikely to be lower. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Another happy day in the midst of my son's mental health difficulties - he was accepted to Hope College. That's two acceptances out of 7 applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Youngest got a NICE Trustee's Scholarship from Eckerd... a little larger than we were led to believe their top $$ amount for that scholarship was (so they may have adjusted their top number for this year). That's Step 2. For the rest we'll have to wait until FAFSA and see what happens. We actually don't need "free." We just need affordable with two kids in college... ETA: A look at the website shows the amount either has gone up this year - or I have a faulty memory of what it was supposed to be back when we started looking. Either way - he topped it out - and the amount is still extra nice compared to what we were expecting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 DS got his first acceptance today -- UNC Wilmington. It's his super safety school, but we are nevertheless very happy and relieved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 IME, that first acceptance is always super special - whether it's a top choice or a super safety or anything in between. It feels so rewarding/confirming - letting us know we didn't "ruin" our kids (even though we technically know that, it's still there in the mind - or at least - is/was for me). Congrats to all who have gotten that confirmation - and best wishes to all still waiting (for the first or others)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 IME, that first acceptance is always super special - whether it's a top choice or a super safety or anything in between. It feels so rewarding/confirming - letting us know we didn't "ruin" our kids (even though we technically know that, it's still there in the mind - or at least - is/was for me). I agree. Of course, I had read homeschooled kids get into college with a transcript from home- but to see it actually work with my own was nice. (Not having been educated in the US system, I had many insecurities about the process.... hey, a few years ago I did not even know what an SAT was) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 My son got his first acceptance today, from Marymount Manhattan. He found an e-mail with a congratulatory video, and the official fat envelope arrived in today's mail. It's not the tippy top of his list, but he's a little too excited to play it as cool as he'd prefer. It is, as everyone says, awfully nice to have one in the bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 9, 2013 Share Posted December 9, 2013 My son got his first acceptance today, from Marymount Manhattan. He found an e-mail with a congratulatory video, and the official fat envelope arrived in today's mail. It's not the tippy top of his list, but he's a little too excited to play it as cool as he'd prefer. It is, as everyone says, awfully nice to have one in the bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Aaaand, my son apparently has acceptance number two. He just checked his e-mail and found a note from the head of the theatre department at Alma College congratulating him on his acceptance to the college and providing information on auditioning for theatre scholarships. He hasn't received the official letter from the college yet, but we're counting this as a win. So, of the first batch of four, he's heard from two with acceptances from both. I guess this means we do actually need to figure out how to pay for this, huh? Edit: The official acceptance letter arrived in today's mail (so we can stop worrying there had been some kind of misunderstanding), with a brochure about the next steps to enroll and a little packet of confetti in the school's colors. Very cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Aaaand, my son apparently has acceptance number two. He just checked his e-mail and found a note from the head of the theatre department at Alma College congratulating him on his acceptance to the college and providing information on auditioning for theatre scholarships. He hasn't received the official letter from the college yet, but we're counting this as a win. So, of the first batch of four, he's heard from two with acceptances from both. I guess this means we do actually need to figure out how to pay for this, huh? Congratulations! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 I homeschool them all the way through school and got them into college. It wasn't all for naught. I feel validated and relieved all at once. I completely understand. Way to go, Mom! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 My son did it!!! I've been reading all along here and seeing all these acceptances and I've been so jealous!!! Now it's my turn to brag!!! Sam just got official notification from Kettering University - Early Decision, baby!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memphispeg Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Creekland - My dd loved Eckerd, but decided against even applying b/c she wanted a larger school. She loved the whole marine science curriculum, etc. I thought she would have done v. well there. Fingers crossed that it will work out for your ds. My dd is also a native Floridian and thought she wanted to return "home". But, then she saw CA ......... BTW - we recently did a drive-by of UH at Hilo .... a v. intriguing-looking possibility for grad school???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Creekland - My dd loved Eckerd, but decided against even applying b/c she wanted a larger school. She loved the whole marine science curriculum, etc. I thought she would have done v. well there. Fingers crossed that it will work out for your ds. My dd is also a native Floridian and thought she wanted to return "home". But, then she saw CA ......... BTW - we recently did a drive-by of UH at Hilo .... a v. intriguing-looking possibility for grad school???? My guy wanted a small school, so Eckerd fits that for him too. He has had his eye on UH (Hilo or Manoa) for grad school ;) but time will tell on that. For a little while he was thinking he'd apply to them for undergrad too, but he likes the idea of a residential campus far better than a commuter campus. My other two are enjoying their residential campuses and I know he wants some of the same opportunities (no complaints here with that either). I found out today that he's already paid his deposit - straight from his own bank account. :thumbup1: He's definitely set that he wants to go there... sometimes it would be nice if he shared some more info with us earlier though. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysteryJen Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Wow, Creekland. I can't even get a top three list out of my ds1. Not a hint. He was accepted to Austin College a couple of weeks ago, and I think that school might be in the top three, but what do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 One more acceptance in the mail today from Biola University along with a nice scholarship offer. We've now heard from 5 out of 6 schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Congratulations, Maryann! My dd also received her acceptance and scholarship award from Biola today! We are super excited since this is the one we were waiting for. I was really hoping it would arrive yesterday on dd's 18th birthday, but we will just let the celebration continue! Two down now just waiting to hear from Westmont which probably won't be until after the first of the year. It's exciting to see the good news continue to roll in. Congratulations to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 The daughter of some dear family friends is a Westmont graduate. She loved it there and remains close to her college friends. I know several Biola grads, too, mostly music majors. Congratulations!! And good luck with the continued waiting -- at least there is lots of other fun stuff arriving in the mail during the Christmas season to keep your mind off those letters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 I finally have a chance to add ds's acceptances to the list. He has been accepted to Univ. of Alabama, Univ. of Indiana, Univ. of Central Florida and Purdue. He received some nice merit aid from the first 3. We are waiting to hear about aid from Purdue. Then, there are 2 more that we are waiting to hear from regarding admissions. Honestly, I'm relieved. Yes, I'm excited about all of his acceptances and merit scholarships but, what I'm most happy about is knowing that this experiment called homeschooling actually worked. Whew! Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 I finally have time too.Accepted with university scholarship at Case Western. Accepted at NCSU but won't know about semi finalist status for Park Scholarship until the 18th, deferred to RD at MIT (he was disappointed at first, until he found out that only one of his camp friends was accepted, the rest also deferred and one rejected), and accepted at UA with presidential scholarship. Still waiting on GA Tech. The rest are RD schools and won't know for a while. He was accepted with full tuition scholarships at 2 others, but he has eliminated them from his options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 I finally have time too. Accepted with university scholarship at Case Western. Accepted at NCSU but won't know about semi finalist status for Park Scholarship until the 18th, deferred to RD at MIT (he was disappointed at first, until he found out that only one of his camp friends was accepted, the rest also deferred and one rejected), and accepted at UA with presidential scholarship. Still waiting on GA Tech. The rest are RD schools and won't know for a while. He was accepted with full tuition scholarships at 2 others, but he has eliminated them from his options. 8 - Youngest was deferred because the school wanted to see his fall community college grades. If he is taking a class that is of special interest to the school, that may be the reason. Or they might just be deferring the majority of the ED/EA applicants so they can compare everyone all at once. I thought perhaps since you hadn't posted that he didn't get in. Thanks for letting us know! And fingers crossed for the next round. : ) Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 8 - Youngest was deferred because the school wanted to see his fall community college grades. If he is taking a class that is of special interest to the school, that may be the reason. Or they might just be deferring the majority of the ED/EA applicants so they can compare everyone all at once. I thought perhaps since you hadn't posted that he didn't get in. Thanks for letting us know! And fingers crossed for the next round. : ) Nan Yesterday was a crazy day. Dd's boyfriend was supposed to fly in from Canada Friday night, but his flight arrived in Houston over an hr late and he missed his connecting flight and didn't fly in until yesterday (to an airport over an hour away). Life with 2 little ones 1 and 2 w/o their mommy or daddy here on top of our regular chaos (and I am in the middle of major sewing projects for my 3 youngest girls for Christmas. Trying to find time to finish them with the grandbabies here has been difficult. I finished my 8 yr old's colonial period ballgown last night).....phew, I collapsed in bed and fell sound asleep! I didn't have 2 seconds to myself until this morning. Ds is really confused as to where he wants to go and I am no help in the matter. Right now, I think he has mainly decided he is going to go wherever he can go for free. He really isn't setting his heart toward any particular school. He has told me that he is simply waiting for the financial and "specialty honors programs" dust to settle before he really starts contemplating things seriously. There are a couple of honors programs that are really more intriguing to him than just attending a specific school. We'll see. I just wish for myself that the answers were clearly defined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 8 - I should have thought of that. I knew you had some extra little ones and some extra worries. I have Christmas projects going myself. It probably is just as well that your son hasn't set his heart on anything yet, but I can see why it would be nice for you to have things settled. I don't have much advice other than to tell you that you should be careful not to let him under-school himself. We've had several friends who did that (in one case, for financial reasons) and it didn't work out. (One actually transfered to MIT. Not that I am recommending MIT particularly.) Hugs, Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Right now, I think he has mainly decided he is going to go wherever he can go for free. He really isn't setting his heart toward any particular school. He has told me that he is simply waiting for the financial and "specialty honors programs" dust to settle before he really starts contemplating things seriously. There are a couple of honors programs that are really more intriguing to him than just attending a specific school. We'll see. I just wish for myself that the answers were clearly defined. GREAT attitude! And I know what you mean with the last sentence... I don't have much advice other than to tell you that you should be careful not to let him under-school himself. We've had several friends who did that (in one case, for financial reasons) and it didn't work out. (One actually transfered to MIT. Not that I am recommending MIT particularly.) Hugs, Nan Ditto this advice. I've seen several kids under-school themselves and they've often been wistful later on - and bored with college wondering what the big deal of it all is. It's a tricky balance with finances and the right fit. I wish you all the best and hope things end up clear in the end. Meanwhile, congrats on being a great mama and grandma! All you've been able to do for them is truly their greatest Christmas present - anything extra is bonus. How's your DIL doing today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 GREAT attitude! And I know what you mean with the last sentence... Ditto this advice. I've seen several kids under-school themselves and they've often been wistful later on - and bored with college wondering what the big deal of it all is. It's a tricky balance with finances and the right fit. I wish you all the best and hope things end up clear in the end. Meanwhile, congrats on being a great mama and grandma! All you've been able to do for them is truly their greatest Christmas present - anything extra is bonus. How's your DIL doing today? It is the under-selling himself that does worry me. He did at least totally eliminate the local uni which would have been a very bad choice. I think with the specialty honors programs, some of the lower ranked schools could still be an ok decision. But, he applied to such a wide range of schools and so much of the info needed to make an informed decision is just still missing. He is wise enough to recognize that. Listening to him talk about the MIT admissions, it sounds just like everything you read about the selection process. The one who was accepted surprised no one. She has incredible non-academic accomplishments that have majorly impacted her community--something top schools value. The rejection has all of them baffled bc several believe he is a stronger candidate than most of them. One way in which these kids are different from ds is that now with deferrals they have to start applying to other schools bc most of them only applied to MIT. (Can't even imagine!) Thanks for the sweet words. Dil, other than missing her babies, seems to be doing really well. We will know more tomorrow. How are you doing? You are in my prayers and I remember you at every Mass. Prayers for healing and wisdom for your doctors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 I think with the specialty honors programs, some of the lower ranked schools could still be an ok decision. But, he applied to such a wide range of schools and so much of the info needed to make an informed decision is just still missing. He is wise enough to recognize that. ... Thanks for the sweet words. Dil, other than missing her babies, seems to be doing really well. We will know more tomorrow. How are you doing? You are in my prayers and I remember you at every Mass. Prayers for healing and wisdom for your doctors. I would think so too - some of those schools are putting an effort in to upping their game. It can take a while for rankings to recognize that, but in the meantime, the education is still decent. It's definitely worth it to see where recent grads have gone IMO. I think I'm doing ok (but what do I know?). Like with anything, there are better days than others, but all in all, I can't complain. It's just been an adjustment to "the new normal" coupled with dealing with "where to go and when" issues. I THINK that's been worked out now, but might know for sure later today (emphasis on might). One has to love bureaucracy. :glare: Thanks for asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 8 - In the cases we know, the under-schooling resulted in depression and misery. Some transfered and were fine. Some decided they'd given college a try and it hadn't worked and went on to do other things. From the outside, it was abundantly obvious that it wasn't college that was the problem, but which college, but for the students, this was not obvious at all. They didn't realize what a lot of difference having like-minded professors and classmates can make. They were bored and miserable in public high school and didn't realize that any other sort of schooling exists. In several cases, finances played a major part in the decision. It is rare that it doesn't, of course. When I was growing up, it was very common to say, "I'd love to go to college but my family can't afford it." Now, I haven't heard a lot of that but I do hear, "I'd love to go to that college but it is too expensive." Based on what I have seen, if it were my son, I would counsel him to pick the college that is more sure to be a good academic and social fit over even though it came with a moderate (moderate being the key word here) amount of debt rather than a free college that might or might not be a good academic fit. I would be worried that my son was making a decision that wasn't right if he were determined to choose based on "free", worried that he was doing what he thought was right without the experience to really know, worried that he was trying to do what he thought was right for the family, worried that he would not be able to carry through on that determination later and have to go through the difficulties of transfering or even not finish his eduation. Depression scares me. But this, as I said, is so situation dependent that it is also scary to give any sort of advice. : ) Anyway, I am glad your DIL is ok so far. Creekland, I hope things settle out ok for you, as well. A peaceful Christmas to both of you. And by peaceful, I do not mean free of a lovely chaos of wrapping paper and pretty lights and squealing small children, but something entirely different. Hugs everyone, Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 I think I'm doing ok (but what do I know?). Like with anything, there are better days than others, but all in all, I can't complain. It's just been an adjustment to "the new normal" coupled with dealing with "where to go and when" issues. I THINK that's been worked out now, but might know for sure later today (emphasis on might). One has to love bureaucracy. :glare: Thanks for asking. Extra prayers that a plan is established and gives you some sense of control. :grouphug: 8 - In the cases we know, the under-schooling resulted in depression and misery. Some transfered and were fine. Some decided they'd given college a try and it hadn't worked and went on to do other things. From the outside, it was abundantly obvious that it wasn't college that was the problem, but which college, but for the students, this was not obvious at all. They didn't realize what a lot of difference having like-minded professors and classmates can make. They were bored and miserable in public high school and didn't realize that any other sort of schooling exists. In several cases, finances played a major part in the decision. It is rare that it doesn't, of course. When I was growing up, it was very common to say, "I'd love to go to college but my family can't afford it." Now, I haven't heard a lot of that but I do hear, "I'd love to go to that college but it is too expensive." Based on what I have seen, if it were my son, I would counsel him to pick the college that is more sure to be a good academic and social fit over even though it came with a moderate (moderate being the key word here) amount of debt rather than a free college that might or might not be a good academic fit. I would be worried that my son was making a decision that wasn't right if he were determined to choose based on "free", worried that he was doing what he thought was right without the experience to really know, worried that he was trying to do what he thought was right for the family, worried that he would not be able to carry through on that determination later and have to go through the difficulties of transfering or even not finish his eduation. Depression scares me. But this, as I said, is so situation dependent that it is also scary to give any sort of advice. : ) Anyway, I am glad your DIL is ok so far. Creekland, I hope things settle out ok for you, as well. A peaceful Christmas to both of you. And by peaceful, I do not mean free of a lovely chaos of wrapping paper and pretty lights and squealing small children, but something entirely different. Hugs everyone, Nan Thanks for your thoughts, Nan. One option that he is considering that I don't think would leave him underwhelmed, nor overwhelmed, is a triple major at UA. He really like the dean and he is the one that pointed out that ds has already almost completed a math minor in high school. Ds would have enough credits transfer in that a triple major in electrical engineering, physics, and math is definitely doable in 4 yrs. He has applied for a couple of outside scholarships and is entering a couple of science competitions. If he wins any of those, he could (unlikely) win up to an additional $70,000 in scholarship $$. That would totally change how he approaches things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Thanks for your thoughts, Nan. One option that he is considering that I don't think would leave him underwhelmed, nor overwhelmed, is a triple major at UA. He really like the dean and he is the one that pointed out that ds has already almost completed a math minor in high school. Ds would have enough credits transfer in that a triple major in electrical engineering, physics, and math is definitely doable in 4 yrs. He has applied for a couple of outside scholarships and is entering a couple of science competitions. If he wins any of those, he could (unlikely) win up to an additional $70,000 in scholarship $$. That would totally change how he approaches things. How much room is there for interesting independent projects or being involved with interesting research at UA? I think I would just want to make sure that where-ever he is, he has a possibility of doing more than just the ordinary classes, even if he has lots of those at a higher level. I'm sure you've thought of this, but it is sort of like the difference between the calculus class my son took at the community college and the AP calculus class that his cousin took. They both taught calculus, but the focus of my son's cc class was teaching basic calculus to a variety of students, some of whom had no interest and some of whom were ill prepared. The focus in the cousin's class was very different. It involved not only teaching the basics of calculus but also involved lots of fun problems, interesting applications, and taught higher level problem solving skills. My son is struggling in his university calc classes because he didn't have that extra challenge in high school. There was one person in his calc class that was what Jane calls a kindred spirit, and their mutual goal was definately more on getting through the class than on offering each other interesting intellectual challenges. The cousin has a group of friends moving through the AP classes together. They share the interesting extra bits they find, share their enthusiasm for different aspects of the subject, work on the harder problems together, and motivate and challenge each other. The experience has been entirely different. Feeling isolated is a major problem. Conventional wisdom in my family says that university is supposed to be the place where you discover you aren't alone. Your son may already have friends to commiserate and play with, ones who challenge and inspire him, If so, then it might not matter quite so much where he goes to college, with technology making it so easy to stay part of each others' lives while living apart, now-a-days. Or it might. Just something to think about. The good thing about a state flagship university is that in theory, there will be a few other people there who are academically a good fit for someplace else (like MIT) but who financially can't go there. If it were my son, I would definately try to convince him to avoid the smaller state colleges, no matter how much they want him.. Yikes! I'm writing a book here! As far as MIT goes, judging from having watched various friends of my children apply and be accepted or not, it seems as if they have an ample, world-wide supply of super-academically able applicants. They seem to be looking for a certain type of creativity and ... funkiness?... inventiveness?... not sure how to describe it. It seems like the only way they can find it is to judge students by what they have already achieved. Not a system that favours late bloomers. How does one rank the creative potential of thousands of applicants? I could be wrong. It isn't like I am looking at a large sample size. (It is bigger than just a few, though.) Hopefully they are also trying to pick students who will survive their university. It is in a city. It is large. It is multi-cultural. I'm sure one has to do a fair amount of watching out for oneself - doing one's own advising, finding one's own help. Anyway, I suspect you could probably reassure your son that if he does not get in, then it is because MIT decided he was not a good fit for some of the other factors, not because he was academically unprepared. He had demonstrated far more academic ability than at least one of the people we know who was accepted recently. (Totally guessing here, but she was obsessed with flight. It could be that they were looking for more flight-obsessed students that year because they were working on drones, or something like that, something more to do with balancing their class or with a new area they wanted to emphasize in their university.) It might be more of a situation like an orchestra that needs more string players turning down an absolutely brilliant bassoon player. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Oh - and best of luck on those contests and competitions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 A nice surprise in the mail today. My son got a letter from Alma College (one of the ones to which he was accepted last week) notifying him that he has been awarded two scholarships. One of them is a nice chunky one we knew he was eligible for based on the college's website. But the other, for an additional $2,000 per year, was unexpected. He'll still need to audition well and collect some performance-based scholarships in order to make this one feasible, but it's a nice start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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