Who is ready to kick off college application season for Class of ‘22?

[NittanyJen]

On 10/2/2021 at 2:58 PM, fourisenough said:

Spent a glorious autumn Saturday morning today…completing my DD’s FASFA and making very solid progress (90%) on her CSS profile. Ugh, but glad they’re (mostly) finished! 

I treated myself to a long walk listening to an excellent audiobook after my financial colonoscopy this morning! 

Got them done on Monday. That was a long day, and I was so happy to be done with that process, so I could get back to teaching! Now back to the even longer process of waiting for results from the college applications . . . *sigh*. I don’t even want that to go too quickly this year, because too soon after it’s over, I’ll be an empty nester, and we are actually really enjoying this year.

[kokotg]

Finished both FAFSAs! Now for the CSS (only have to do that one once, at least; my oldest's school only requires it the first year). 

[ShepCarlin]

Finished FAFSA this morning. DS got his first acceptance notice yesterday which was a good thing. He is still working on an essay to his "pie in the sky" dream school but the acceptance that came in yesterday will most likely be where he ends up. Overall, the experience was less stressful than I anticipated years ago (keeping his transcript and course descriptions updated on a yearly basis was my saving grace), yet still rather taxing. My right eye won't stop twitching and I eat Tums on a regular basis but I'm hoping that is all temporary ;). I'm excited for him as he's so ready to spread his wings and fly. 

[fourisenough]

7 hours ago, ShepCarlin said:

Finished FAFSA this morning. DS got his first acceptance notice yesterday which was a good thing. He is still working on an essay to his "pie in the sky" dream school but the acceptance that came in yesterday will most likely be where he ends up. Overall, the experience was less stressful than I anticipated years ago (keeping his transcript and course descriptions updated on a yearly basis was my saving grace), yet still rather taxing. My right eye won't stop twitching and I eat Tums on a regular basis but I'm hoping that is all temporary ;). I'm excited for him as he's so ready to spread his wings and fly. 

Congratulations to you both!

[Arcadia]

California State U app opened on Oct 1st. Now left the data entry for plan to take dual enrollment courses for Spring quarter and we can submit. CSU doesn’t require essays or LoRs, just plain data entry of transcripts and AP/SAT/ACT exams results.

[MamaSprout]

Done with FASFA. Sooo glad dd didn't apply to any CSS schools. Our EFC was a lot higher than any of estimators we ran. ☹️ Hopefully it doesn't knock her top pick our of the running.

[kokotg]

12 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

Done with FASFA. Sooo glad dd didn't apply to any CSS schools. Our EFC was a lot higher than any of estimators we ran. ☹️ Hopefully it doesn't knock her top pick our of the running.

Do you have an idea why it came out higher? I know some people run into problems with things like rollovers and get incorrect results. 

[MamaSprout]

4 hours ago, kokotg said:

Do you have an idea why it came out higher? I know some people run into problems with things like rollovers and get incorrect results. 

No, nothing obvious. We have a rental house, and I think with real estate being bubble-level high right now it looks like we have more in investments than we actually do.  

[Arcadia]

.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Arcadia
TMI

[GoodGrief3]

FAFSA done here too. EFC $72,000, which was some $32,000 higher than the last time I did this, 3 years ago, and not realistic at all, of course. Our income has not changed much, but we do have fewer dependents, and there were a couple other factors. 2020 was an atypical year as far as income because of overlap between my husband's retirement and his new job. Some of the schools are requiring this for merit too though, so it's done.

Most apps done. Daughter is trying to decide if she wants to put in the effort for the reaches. The fact that she is not excited about it tells me that maybe she would be happier elsewhere anyway 🙂 She has a couple of acceptances that I think could work out just fine.

[kokotg]

We have a couple of things we need to pay using money from our HELOC before we do the CSS. It seems so silly how you need to move money around like that, but also silly NOT to, even though it will likely only save us a couple hundred dollars, if that. Anyway, that's my project for this week!

I think DS has decided not to apply to Bard. He was dragging his feet about finishing his application, even though most of what he had left was the "why Bard?" supplemental essay. It finally occurred to me that maybe he was having so much trouble with that one because he doesn't actually want to go to Bard and he agreed that this was probably true. They require a 5 year dual degree for conservatory students, and he really just doesn't want a dual degree. So I guess that's that. Which means Vanderbilt is all that's left for applications and that he only has 5 schools total, which makes me a little nervous. (Plus he'll probably apply to the place he's currently doing dual enrollment and where his private clarinet teacher is the clarinet prof...but he'd REALLY rather go somewhere farther away that's not...just like what he's already doing). But the options are just really limited when you factor in places he has a good shot at being accepted, the kind of programs he's looking for, and what we can afford.

Edited October 17, 2021 by kokotg

[fourisenough]

Nm 

Edited October 18, 2021 by fourisenough

[MamaSprout]

First acceptance. Small-but-not-badly-ranked private with an engineering program. Full-tuition scholarship offer based on transcript and test scores and an invitation to apply for more. She says, "I guess nice to be wanted". Goofy kid.

Edited October 19, 2021 by MamaSprout

[ShepCarlin]

@MamaSprout congratulations! That’s awesome!

[Roadrunner]

@MamaSprout🎉🎉🎉 congrats!

[fourisenough]

3 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

First acceptance. Small-but-not-badly-ranked private with an engineering program. Full-tuition scholarship offer based on transcript and test scores and an invitation to apply for more. She says, "I guess nice to be wanted". Goofy kid.

Woo hoo! 

[kokotg]

4 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

First acceptance. Small-but-not-badly-ranked private with an engineering program. Full-tuition scholarship offer based on transcript and test scores and an invitation to apply for more. She says, "I guess nice to be wanted". Goofy kid.

nice indeed! congrats to her! 

[GoodGrief3]

Full tuition!! Fabulous!!

[Bocky]

Fafsa done. My docs done. Common app profile done. Next up : entering her colleges...

. @Arcadia my oldest's EFC was something like $176,000. We were glad we did the fafsa though as she did get scholarships, including WUE. 

[Arcadia]

tmi

Edited March 24, 2022 by Arcadia

[DawnM]

We are going through this process again.    3rd son is a senior this year.   He is applying to 3 colleges.   His first choice may be shifting to a 2nd choice now.   We are in NC and he is applying to two state colleges (App and NC State) and one out of state college, Univ. of SC.    I need to see what sort of reciprocity they have financially.   

I think he will get in to all 3, but the question for the Univ. of SC is the money.   

Sorry for not just saying USC, but my husband went to the other USC (SoCal) so I feel the need to specify!

[fourisenough]

DD received her first acceptance & 1/2 tuition scholarship last week to a local Jesuit school that is a safety. The only reason for her to consider this school is if she is invited to the next step in the application process for a highly-competitive, accelerated 5-year PA program; those invitations are extended after the 11/1 application deadline. 

[MamaSprout]

17 minutes ago, fourisenough said:

DD received her first acceptance & 1/2 tuition scholarship last week to a local Jesuit school that is a safety. The only reason for her to consider this school is if she is invited to the next step in the application process for a highly-competitive, accelerated 5-year PA program; those invitations are extended after the 11/1 application deadline. 

Nice to have a yes, even if it isn't first choice!

[fourisenough]

2 hours ago, MamaSprout said:

Nice to have a yes, even if it isn't first choice!

Definitely. We both joked that she won’t die homeless (due to my ineptitude as her home educator!). In all seriousness, we were happy and celebrated this accomplishment along with her 17th birthday this past weekend. 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I was sharing this on my business pages, but thought it might be helpful here too.  The other reason not to wait until the last minute is that some colleges require a Self Reported Academic Record to be completed. This is often submitted through the college's applicant portal after submitting an application through the Common App. It takes some time to input all the courses.

+++

 

As November 1 college deadlines get closer, more students will be trying to use the Common App at the same time. This afternoon there were reports of some instability, inability to access the payment pages, and loss of information. This may get worse over the weekend.

Don’t Panic

• Always write your essays and written responses in a document editor where you can spell check, word count, and save your work. Then copy and paste into the application.

• Remember to use the Continue button to save your info as you move to a new section.

• Early mornings will have fewer users than evenings.

• If you have problems, hit Continue to save what you have, refresh your browser, or log off and try again later.

• Don’t wait to the last minute to submit your applications!

[fourisenough]

Yikes! So happy we’re finished with apps and financial aid forms. I absolutely do not work well under pressure!

[NewnameC]

On 10/25/2021 at 1:30 PM, fourisenough said:

The only reason for her to consider this school is if she is invited to the next step in the application process for a highly-competitive, accelerated 5-year PA program; those invitations are extended after the 11/1 application deadline. 

 

On 10/25/2021 at 1:48 PM, MamaSprout said:

Nice to have a yes, even if it isn't first choice!

Congratulations. It sounds like this school could be a first choice if she is accepted into the PA program. Good luck to her.

[kokotg]

I finished the CSS a few days ago, and then found out that a couple of schools want us to also submit our actual tax forms and/or W2s. So not done yet! I have a nagging feeling that he needs One More School on his list, so he's taking a look at Peabody at Johns Hopkins now. The clarinet guy charges $175 for a sample lesson, so I hope Milo at the very least has an excellent lesson, even if he doesn't end up applying. We're trying to decide whether it makes sense to go see Vanderbilt in person pre-audition. It's only 4 hours away, but there's not a lot of time left before audition season. 

[fourisenough]

1 hour ago, kokotg said:

I finished the CSS a few days ago, and then found out that a couple of schools want us to also submit our actual tax forms and/or W2s. So not done yet! I have a nagging feeling that he needs One More School on his list, so he's taking a look at Peabody at Johns Hopkins now. The clarinet guy charges $175 for a sample lesson, so I hope Milo at the very least has an excellent lesson, even if he doesn't end up applying. We're trying to decide whether it makes sense to go see Vanderbilt in person pre-audition. It's only 4 hours away, but there's not a lot of time left before audition season. 

I swear the work will never be finished!

Holy expensive lesson; It had better be life-changing!

I would definitely make time to visit if possible. DD is living 1,000 miles away from home and none of her schools (except our state flagship, which she knows well) are within easy visiting distance from either of us. We are not going to do any visits until April when she has offers/acceptances in hand. I think I am missing the visits more than she is since she doesn’t know any different!

[kokotg]

17 minutes ago, fourisenough said:

I swear the work will never be finished!

Holy expensive lesson; It had better be life-changing!

I would definitely make time to visit if possible. DD is living 1,000 miles away from home and none of her schools (except our state flagship, which she knows well) are within easy visiting distance from either of us. We are not going to do any visits until April when she has offers/acceptances in hand. I think I am missing the visits more than she is since she doesn’t know any different!

The sample lessons are such a mixed bag; most of his have been free, but then the ones we've paid for have all been $150-200--there doesn't seem to be any in between! I love college visits; I'm so bummed we got cheated out of them last year with covid! The only reason we wouldn't go is because he'll be there in person for the audition (if he passes the prescreen) in January--and they're still not doing actual tours of the conservatory right now. 

[Arcadia]

California State Apply done for CSU. DS16’s AP score report is sent to the California State Apply system as requested. 
Now DS16 has left the UC application to work on.

[easypeasy]

On 10/28/2021 at 11:43 AM, kokotg said:

The sample lessons are such a mixed bag; most of his have been free, but then the ones we've paid for have all been $150-200--there doesn't seem to be any in between! I love college visits; I'm so bummed we got cheated out of them last year with covid! The only reason we wouldn't go is because he'll be there in person for the audition (if he passes the prescreen) in January--and they're still not doing actual tours of the conservatory right now. 

Peabody does have a really nice tour setup on audition days (at least, they did in January 2020). But, the professors don't usually do lessons because they're too busy with all the auditions. So, a visit is necessary if you want to really meet the professor in advance. My daughter already knew the professors there for her instrument and had already had lessons with them previously, so she just went to the audition day to get a feel of the campus, etc.

(Hotel Indigo is a great place to stay if you're looking - just a short walk from Peabody)

[easypeasy]

I'm currently reviewing Bonus Kid's essays. He's a good writer and has surprised both of us with the depth of emotion in his writing. Super proud of him!

Working on the FAFSA/CSS for him as well, but it's complicated. He lives with us, but not in an "official" capacity. Long story.

He's got all his application stuff filled in and his LoR writers have already sent in their letters. He's been through a lot and has a huge cheering section rallying behind him.

He's applying to 10 schools. Several safeties, two sky-high reach schools, a dream school, and a few in-betweens.

[kokotg]

7 hours ago, easypeasy said:

Peabody does have a really nice tour setup on audition days (at least, they did in January 2020). But, the professors don't usually do lessons because they're too busy with all the auditions. So, a visit is necessary if you want to really meet the professor in advance. My daughter already knew the professors there for her instrument and had already had lessons with them previously, so she just went to the audition day to get a feel of the campus, etc.

(Hotel Indigo is a great place to stay if you're looking - just a short walk from Peabody)

Thanks! He's doing this lesson online; I'm not sure if they're offering in person or not yet, but I don't think we'd be able to get up there anyway. He's had all except for one of his sample lessons online, which is not ideal in a lot of ways...but also saved us a ton of money and probably meant he could do more of them than he would have been able to do if we'd had to travel for all of them. Thank for the hotel suggestion; I need to start thinking about all that!

[Roadrunner]

11 hours ago, kokotg said:

Thanks! He's doing this lesson online; I'm not sure if they're offering in person or not yet, but I don't think we'd be able to get up there anyway. He's had all except for one of his sample lessons online, which is not ideal in a lot of ways...but also saved us a ton of money and probably meant he could do more of them than he would have been able to do if we'd had to travel for all of them. Thank for the hotel suggestion; I need to start thinking about all that!

Are those lessons a must? Are kids not doing them at a disadvantage? 

[kokotg]

35 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

Are those lessons a must? Are kids not doing them at a disadvantage? 

Disclaimer: I don't really know what I'm doing with the whole music school thing. My understanding is that the biggest reason to do sample lessons is that the individual professor is hugely important for music majors (and in DS's case in particular, as a clarinetist looking mostly at smaller programs, there's generally only one clarinet professor), so it's very important to see whether you'll work well with that person. Secondarily I've heard it can be an advantage to have established some kind of connection with the professor in advance of the audition. 

My DS has definitely found them helpful, both for trying to figure out what schools would be the best fit and just for getting to have lessons with some great clarinet teachers. And we'll see how well this holds up when he gets decisions from schools, but he also feels like he gets a good idea as to whether he's on the right track applying to a particular program. He's mostly gotten a lot of good feedback and encouragement, but there have been one or two lessons where the professors have maybe politely signaled that the school isn't a good match: "it's really hard to get in here as an undergraduate..." etc. Which is nice information to have. 

[easypeasy]

3 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Are those lessons a must? Are kids not doing them at a disadvantage? 

For both my music kids - the lessons were essential. I don't believe they would have been at a disadvantage as far as being accepted or not at most of the schools, but for some... they definitely would have been.

For my first music kid, the lessons were more important in who they filtered OUT. There were several well-respected programs with renowned professors teaching her instrument. On paper, they were a match made in heaven! Then, she went into the lessons expecting to find out which professors she preferred. While that DID happen, she also had some shocks.

One professor had great emails up to that point. In person, though, he could barely string a sentence together and couldn't make eye contact with her. She'd known others who had been in his studio and they'd never mentioned such a thing, but for whatever reason, he could not talk to dd. His studio is mostly males, though, so ... that could've been the issue.

Another was brutal. Everything he said was laced in barbed wire - even his compliments stung. His emails had been fine. On the phone, he had appeared fine. In the lesson, though? Oof! He talked smack about students in his studio too. A definite no. (He heavily recruited DD too, thought he'd been sweet as pie, apparently!)

Another was FINE during her lesson. A real nice guy. Then, she sat in on a lesson he was coaching with one of the higher-performing students in his studio. The teacher turned into a real a$$. DD was like, that could be ME some day, so he got scratched off her list immediately.

Of course, she also found some she liked. Her favorites wound up being two that she had already met and worked with through music festivals and one that she met with an in-person lesson during audition week (he carved out time to meet with her and was just wonderful! It's where she ended up!).

DS was a bit weird in that he only applied to one sky-high reach school (it was COVID and he said he'd take a gap year if this one didn't work out). He had a lesson with the professor and was in love. The professor reciprocated and gave him a general "if you can get accepted into the university, I want you here" sort of nod. DS devoted his life to bringing up that ACT score and got the magic number. Got into a university with single-digit acceptance rate and a music program with also a single-digit acceptance rate for his instrument. He's still pinching himself and happy as a clam.

Bonus kid is, thankfully, not a musician. Unless you count the drum set he bangs away on when he's stressed out! 🥴

[fourisenough]

DD was admitted to three more of her safety schools today, two of which she’s thrilled about! All three offered almost the exact same amount of scholarship (a bit more than 1/2, which appears to be their max merit ). She really needed some good news today…she was feeling overwhelmed and a little weepy. Great timing! 

[kokotg]

34 minutes ago, fourisenough said:

DD was admitted to three more of her safety schools today, two of which she’s thrilled about! All three offered almost the exact same amount of scholarship (a bit more than 1/2, which appears to be their max merit ). She really needed some good news today…she was feeling overwhelmed and a little weepy. Great timing! 

yay--congratulations to her!!

[kokotg]

DS did an online info session with Peabody at JHU today and she offered him an application fee waiver...the application fee is $120, so if he ends up applying that will cancel out a lot of the cost of the sample lesson anyway! It would have a lot more a of a real conservatory feel than anywhere else he's applying, I think...they have an affiliation with Johns Hopkins, but the campuses are 2 miles apart, so not the same kind of connection to the main college he'd have at Oberlin or Lawrence, though he'd be able to take classes there. Interestingly, the other one that would have similar separation is his in-state option at Columbus State--the music school there has a separate downtown campus, while most of the campus is a bus ride away. 

[DawnM]

Nothing like waiting until the 11th hour.   DS finally finished his common app at 10:30pm last night and applied to NC State and App State.   I think he will get accepted into both, he isn't sure about NC State.  

My prediction is that he gets in to NC State but with no scholarship awarded and I don't see any issue with getting in to App but I am hoping there may be some $$ attached.   He is applying for a specific scholarship, but we will see.

[Eos]

On 10/31/2021 at 11:19 PM, Roadrunner said:

Are those lessons a must? Are kids not doing them at a disadvantage? 

No and yes, in that order.  It's a system that really benefits people who are able to afford the extra trip/lesson, and who have the social capital to understand how it works. 

In a more equitable music school world, sample lessons would be more like pre-recorded master classes for the students to see what the teacher is like, and all auditions would be behind-a-screen-blind with musicians seated before beginning to avoid the judges hearing the student walk and guessing their gender.  The judges could submit their choices and the university could then choose based on building the class they want.  Oh yeah, in that same alternate universe, all music schools would be need-affirmative!  A mom can dream, right?

@easypeasydoes have all the right reasons to keep the in-person sample lessons, though, sheesh!  So sorry to hear those horror stories!

On 11/1/2021 at 3:00 AM, easypeasy said:

For my first music kid, the lessons were more important in who they filtered OUT.

Edited November 2, 2021 by Eos

[kokotg]

On 11/2/2021 at 4:49 PM, Eos said:

No and yes, in that order.  It's a system that really benefits people who are able to afford the extra trip/lesson, and who have the social capital to understand how it works. 

 

I've been struck by how different the financial aid landscape is for music schools, too. Generally speaking, the most selective colleges and universities are the ones with very generous need based aid--the ones that meet 100% of demonstrated need (and very often they're also the colleges that have little to no merit aid; all of their FA is need based). This is very much not the case with conservatories, though. The best stand alone conservatories all seem to be very stingy with need based aid. Juilliard has a two billion dollar endowment and just super crappy need based aid (at least according to their NPC). So when I see those hand-wringing "why isn't classical music more diverse?!" articles....I have some pretty good guesses about why! Of course in practice it probably doesn't matter much for most kids anyway what conservatory FA is like, because it's already so expensive to get a kid to the point where they're competitive for admission at those types of schools. We spend an absurd amount of money on private lessons, orchestra fees, good quality instruments, etc. and it's definitely a financial stretch for us. And then people will casually mention that it's ALSO essential that you drop $8000 or whatever on summers at Interlochen. So, yeah. We'll see what happens to my poor, Interlochen-less kid. 

[Roadrunner]

39 minutes ago, kokotg said:

I've been struck by how different the financial aid landscape is for music schools, too. Generally speaking, the most selective colleges and universities are the ones with very generous need based aid--the ones that meet 100% of demonstrated need (and very often they're also the colleges that have little to no merit aid; all of their FA is need based). This is very much not the case with conservatories, though. The best stand alone conservatories all seem to be very stingy with need based aid. Juilliard has a two billion dollar endowment and just super crappy need based aid (at least according to their NPC). So when I see those hand-wringing "why isn't classical music more diverse?!" articles....I have some pretty good guesses about why! Of course in practice it probably doesn't matter much for most kids anyway what conservatory  FA is like, because it's already so expensive to get a kid to the point where they're competitive for admission at those types of schools. We spend an absurd amount of money on private lessons, orchestra fees, go quality instruments, etc. and it's definitely a financial stretch for us. And then people will casually mention that it's ALSO essential that you drop $8000 or whatever on summers at Interlochen. So, yeah. We'll see what happens to my poor, Interlochen-less kid. 

I was just today staring at their price tag.  How I rope my DH into writing this check, I don’t know,  but I am going to try. In the meantime, looking for cheaper alternatives. Sigh. 

[Eos]

C

Edited February 6, 2023 by Eos

[NittanyJen]

A got his first acceptance tonight, with substantial merit from Goucher. 1 down, 4 to go, so we still have a long wait ahead of us, but it’s nice to have one in the bag. It’ll be interesting to see where they all shake out so he can decide in the end. One other college won’t notify until December, but did write to him and encourage him to start applying to their scholars program, which I take as a hopeful sign as well.

 

Editing to add: and today he got his second acceptance, from UD (Delaware) and another college that won't notify until later wrote to him to tell him he should be applying for their semester abroad, so that's 2 yea's, another 2 hopefuls, and one that I know from past experience won't say a peep until April.

 

Edited November 5, 2021 by NittanyJen

[fourisenough]

DD had her first (only?) interview yesterday. We Zoomed in the morning to do a mock interview and to check her set-up for lighting/clear background, etc. She felt confident going into it and terrific coming out of the interview! The alumna with whom she interviewed was warm, chatty, informative, and so interesting. If the purpose was to get the candidate excited about the school (and I really think that’s a big part of it), it worked!

Now she said she hopes she’ll have more interviews because it was a good experience. But this is a weird kid who loves auditions (ballet) and standardized tests. She works well under pressure! 

[kokotg]

On 11/3/2021 at 10:32 PM, Eos said:

Oberlin is the exception to this.  The Con is need-blind and dd received life-changing financial aid there.  The road to getting her there - lessons, summer festivals, renting instruments - was filled with fundraisers and a lot of debt.  To the bolded: yes. 

I didn't realize it was need blind--great to hear! We got a FA package from Oberlin when my oldest was considering it (college not con), and it was excellent. 

 

[kokotg]

12 hours ago, NittanyJen said:

A got his first acceptance tonight, with substantial merit from Goucher. 1 down, 4 to go, so we still have a long wait ahead of us, but it’s nice to have one in the bag. It’ll be interesting to see where they all shake out so he can decide in the end. One other college won’t notify until December, but did write to him and encourage him to start applying to their scholars program, which I take as a hopeful sign as well.

congrats! Getting that first acceptance is always such a relief!

[Eos]

3 hours ago, kokotg said:

I didn't realize it was need blind--great to hear! We got a FA package from Oberlin when my oldest was considering it (college not con), and it was excellent. 

 

Yes, weirdly the Con is need-blind and the College is need-aware.  My son at the College also had excellent need-based aid, but I did worry about him getting accepted because of his need.