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Applying to one college


DawnM
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I don't know what it is with my kids, but they seriously only want to apply to the college of their choice and that is it.

I made my ds #2 apply to more than one but he ended up at the one he wanted anyway.

None of them have wanted/needed highly selective schools and all of them have had good grades/etc....

ds #3 now has his sights set on one school and only one.   He says if he doesn't get in he will just do CC and try again the following year.   

I don't think he will have a problem getting in and he is applying for scholarships, but I just find it interesting that all my kids have done the same thing.

He is a senior next year so I will keep you posted.   He is going to try to get in through early admission. 

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My younger son has been one and done for more than a year. He found the place he wanted to go, made sure he had what was required, and was happy not to worry. 

My older, not so much. That was about the most hellish year of my life. 

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My older kids only applied to one or two places. My dd will apply to 4, but she really only wants to go to one. The one she wants to attend has the most requirements on the Common App, so it really isn't more work. We don't expect any financial surprises.

One of my older kids who had only applied to one changed his mind later in the application cycle, but he didn't get into the other school. It was probably January or February and he was short a social studies elective that they required.

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My youngest applied to one school - 1200 miles away from home.  It made me very nervous but it worked out fine.  

My other kids - ds1 and ds3 applied to 3 schools, ds2 applied to 4 or 5 (I can't remember!).  I can't even imagine the cost and time it involves for students who are applying to 10+ schools.  And then making the final decision!  

 

 

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Despite all of the stories of students applying to a large number of schools, I don't think that is really the norm.  If a student is very interested in a particular school, knows reasonably well that admission is not an issue, and cost of attendance i not an issue, there is really no reason to apply to multiple schools.  DS applied to only one school; he did know if he wasn't accepted he could still make the local public university application deadline after he got that news and that would be his second choice, so he saw no reason to spend time applying to more than one school.  DH says he only applied to one school years ago because he didn't want to spend the time completing more than one application.

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29 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

Despite all of the stories of students applying to a large number of schools, I don't think that is really the norm.  If a student is very interested in a particular school, knows reasonably well that admission is not an issue, and cost of attendance i not an issue, there is really no reason to apply to multiple schools.  DS applied to only one school; he did know if he wasn't accepted he could still make the local public university application deadline after he got that news and that would be his second choice, so he saw no reason to spend time applying to more than one school.  DH says he only applied to one school years ago because he didn't want to spend the time completing more than one application.

My big fear was that dd would change her mind and not have other options.  She applied in July as a rising senior and I felt like a lot could change by May when she had to commit.  But I'm a worrier...  🙂  She was very confident.

 

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One and done here.

Also the CC and transfer option here -- twice. DS#1 is finishing up his second Bachelor's degree; for both he started with the CC and transferred 2 years of credits to reduce overall time/expense at the local university. But, that is what best fit his needs, his interests, and our wallet. 😉 

Edited by Lori D.
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21 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

One and done here.

Also the CC and transfer option here -- twice. DS#1 is finishing up his second Bachelor's degree; for both he started with the CC and transferred 2 years of credits to reduce overall time at the university. But, that is what best fit his needs, his interests, and our wallet. 😉 

Oldest did that.   He didn't finish college, but he is considering going back.   We will see.

This child wants to go to a state school that isn't super expensive (should be under $20k per year including books and such),but I am still hopeful that he can get a scholarship.   He is Asian and this particular school has a hard time attracting Asians, so they have a diversity scholarship available.  

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1 hour ago, Kassia said:

My big fear was that dd would change her mind and not have other options.  She applied in July as a rising senior and I felt like a lot could change by May when she had to commit.  But I'm a worrier...  🙂  She was very confident.

 

I just told myself that if what DS decided he wanted changed so much by May, he probably wouldn't have applied to places that met his new plans anyway.  He just wanted ot have a decision made--having lots of options open would have been very stressful to him.  April or May would not have been too late to apply to any other place he was interested in, anyway.  

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33 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

I just told myself that if what DS decided he wanted changed so much by May, he probably wouldn't have applied to places that met his new plans anyway.  He just wanted ot have a decision made--having lots of options open would have been very stressful to him.  April or May would not have been too late to apply to any other place he was interested in, anyway.  

Good point about the changes and also reduced stress with having too many options - my dd is the same way.  And only doing one application was SO nice!  The whole process was so easy!  🙂  

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I am making my kid apply to 8. But honestly, we don't have a true financial safety other than the community college, where he really doesn't want to go. There's no state schools. So he really needs to spread his applications so we can see what he gets and figure out what we can make work once we have the numbers in. I have no doubt that he'll get in at the majority of these schools. If we were rich, I'd let him apply to just the three or so that he is most interested in.

But Mushroom is applying to no schools. So, it all balances out, I guess. Not that auditions for dance are so much simpler and less stress...

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My second kid only wanted to apply to one. I made her do a second (easy) application to another nearby school but she never even considered it. She's attending her first choice in the fall.

My oldest wanted to apply to three (winnowed down from about 8 on the early list). I made her add three more, but none of those were ever in the running for her. Interestingly, her #1 choice dropped to #3 by the time we'd visited the other two & went back to the original #1 for a scholarship interview.

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My first Ds had a personal situation come up late senior year that influenced his college choice. It couldn’t have been anticipated but going to the localish state flagship would have been a bad idea for him. He had already decided to go elsewhere but if he had chosen his second choice flagship we would have been scrambling to do something different at the last minute.

Second Ds was positive about where he would go from mid junior year. He applied in August and had already made a housing deposit by October. He changed his mind in December and was able to get an application in before a Dec 15 deadline and went in a very different direction than he planned. He got cold weather college gear for Christmas and ended up going to FL 😂
 

So I decided that my dc would apply to at least four so they would have some choices. But the extras are very simple applications to safety schools. Not asking the kids to write a bunch of essays or jump a bunch of hoops for these extra applications.

My 2021 grad only ever wanted the state flagship. Never wavered. Applied to three other simple application financial safety schools. He never intended to attend them though. He is the only one that was so positive and never wavered. He actually got a phone call about a very large scholarship from one of the extras over the winter and told the caller he wasn’t actually interested and they shouldn’t consider him. 
 

I think some sort of back up plan is good because you just never know what life complications can come your way. But the backup plan doesn’t have to be another college applied to. It can be a school you know you can apply to and register the day before classes start. Or a plan for a productive gap year. We have community colleges and four year schools in driving distance that take people right up through the first week of classes. My kids didn’t want that as a back up plan but I would have been okay with it. 

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My rising Junior has decided on one school and currently has no interest in exploring other choices.  
 

He does not want to participate in what he sees as drama, and he agrees with us (parents) about looking in-state to keep prices lower.  

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6 hours ago, DawnM said:

Oldest did that.   He didn't finish college, but he is considering going back.   We will see.

This child wants to go to a state school that isn't super expensive (should be under $20k per year including books and such),but I am still hopeful that he can get a scholarship.   He is Asian and this particular school has a hard time attracting Asians, so they have a diversity scholarship available.  

I'm not sure that the following numbers are correct but if they are UNC would be approximately 20% more than the school you mentioned. There are a lot of Asians at UNC and a lot of $ available.  

What is the cost of UNC?

How much does it cost to go to UNC for one year?
 
Residents of North Carolina pay an annual total price of $24,228 to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a full time basis. This fee is comprised of $7,019 for tuition, $11,526 room and board, $972 for books and supplies and $1,961 for other
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9 minutes ago, Lanny said:

I'm not sure that the following numbers are correct but if they are UNC would be approximately 20% more than the school you mentioned. There are a lot of Asians at UNC and a lot of $ available.  

What is the cost of UNC?

How much does it cost to go to UNC for one year?
 
Residents of North Carolina pay an annual total price of $24,228 to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a full time basis. This fee is comprised of $7,019 for tuition, $11,526 room and board, $972 for books and supplies and $1,961 for other

there are several UNC schools that are not "the" UNC that are less expensive.   there are 17 UNC schools total in the UNC system.   They are all priced a bit differently.

 

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I think if it's a safety academically and financially (or there is a good plan B), that's totally fine!  

My oldest applied to 11.  Ugh, so many hours you can't get back some of them wasted.  It did make sense as he was auditioning for programs that even at the "easy" schools had less than like 15-20% admitted and we truly could not afford our EFC.  Hind site, we could have focused the applications a little better now that we know how the money rolls.  We are lucky enough to have a great flagship (DH and I are both alum) and reciprocity with a neighboring state, plus there are some directional in both states I would be ok with.  My oldest really needed a place where an academic nerd could find a place, my DD could be successful in a wider variety of settings.  I will let my DD throw herself to a couple dream schools if she wants to put in the leg work and some LACs good with merit.  She may also want to audition for music and/or theater programs and/or scholarships.  I am discouraging straight theater BFA programs.  

Edited by FuzzyCatz
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17 hours ago, DawnM said:

there are several UNC schools that are not "the" UNC that are less expensive.   there are 17 UNC schools total in the UNC system.   They are all priced a bit differently.

 

In fact, Appalachian State in NC is probably the closest to a financial safety for us of the schools on my kid's list right now. Once we get the 10k from our not-a-state for public out of state tuition, it will be less than the in state cost for Chapel Hill - though still several thousand more than the in state cost for App. Unfortunately, it's also bottom of the kid's list. He's been to Boone many times and is like, there? Really? 

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12 minutes ago, Farrar said:

In fact, Appalachian State in NC is probably the closest to a financial safety for us of the schools on my kid's list right now. Once we get the 10k from our not-a-state for public out of state tuition, it will be less than the in state cost for Chapel Hill - though still several thousand more than the in state cost for App. Unfortunately, it's also bottom of the kid's list. He's been to Boone many times and is like, there? Really? 

Second son went to Western for a year and it was uber cheap.   tuition is only $1,000 per year and he got a $1k scholarship.  I liked to brag that he got a full tuition scholarship!  🤣

Room and board was about $9k and fees were $3k and the fees covered book rental.

It was about $12k per year including everything.

Western, Elizabeth City, and Penbrook are all $1k for tuition for instate.

Edited by DawnM
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My rising junior currently has three schools, all of which are financially and academically doable b/c they are not highly selective. We’re trying to get her to add a couple more but I don’t expect her to apply to more than five schools. I am not entirely comfy with one school but if that’s what they want…🤷🏽‍♀️ When I applied, I only did three/four too. If the odds are good/great, there’s not much risk.

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3 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Second son went to Western for a year and it was uber cheap.   tuition is only $1,000 per year and he got a $1k scholarship.  I liked to brag that he got a full tuition scholarship!

HA!

That would be a financial safety for us. Our not-a-state money would let us pay in state tuition. But it's really out in the middle of nowhere! Kid already thinks Boone is the... ahem... boonies.

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1 minute ago, Farrar said:

That would be a financial safety for us. Our not-a-state money would let us pay in state tuition. But it's really out in the middle of nowhere! Kid already thinks Boone is the... ahem... boonies.

Are you in a neighboring state?

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My son is a rising Junior and it is motivating to him to know the GPA to be in a good range at the school he wants to attend.  It’s a 3.5-3.7 to be in the middle range.  I think it’s a good fit for him.  
 

I expect it to be very safe for admissions and finances, at this point 🙂

 

If something changes and it doesn’t look that way anymore — that would be a different situation.

 

Anyway — agreeing with others, if it is something that seems very likely to work, I think it’s fine.  

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So far I’ve had two go through the admissions process. My first applied to 10 schools, the ivies and a few highly selective schools. She is the kind of student who thrives in an environment with highly curious and intellectual people so it wasn’t a big surprise that she was drawn to those schools. She was accepted to all but one school (the closest ivy geographically ended up rejecting her although she had been invited to sit in on a class and met with a professor regularly to discuss research). Interestingly, the professor just assumed she’d get in and was surprised to hear that she was rejected by just this one school. She was glad she made the effort to apply to all ten- it is really important to apply to as many as you can reasonably manage if you intend to go to an ivy. My second student was one and done with an ED application to a highly selective, non ivy school. She’s the kind of student who knew exactly what she wanted and found it in her college research. I’d take one and done over applying to ten if it were up to me, but each student has their own criteria and decision making process. 

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On 7/25/2021 at 12:02 PM, Farrar said:

That would be a financial safety for us. Our not-a-state money would let us pay in state tuition. But it's really out in the middle of nowhere! Kid already thinks Boone is the... ahem... boonies.

I think Western was even more out in the boonies.

But if you are into skiing, backpacking, white water rafting, hiking, etc....it can be a really good fit for a lot of kids.

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When it was time for college searching, DD19 was dragging her feet about thinking about colleges, for some reason that I still don't really get. We had her apply to the school where DH's brother, sister, SIL, niece, and nephew attended, and where SIL works (also, niece is one of DD's best friends and is only a year older). This was an obvious choice, within reach for her academically, and relatively affordable. The application was easy, and they have rolling admissions, so DD had her acceptance in hand very early in the fall of her senior year.

We told her that if she wanted to apply to anywhere else, she needed to take the initiative. She talked a bit about applying to another school but never did it.

So she was one and done. It worked out well for her, and she's happy there.

DS17 won't apply to college. Our youngest two will be sophomores in high school this fall, and it's too early to know what their application experiences will be like. I'm not looking forward to it, to be honest. One of my kids already complains dramatically about our stipulation about going to an in-state school (our state has a ton of options). If they narrow down their choices to one affordable school, and if they apply early and get accepted, then I don't expect that I'll worry that they didn't apply to more places. I'm guessing I will be relieved to have it decided.

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On 7/25/2021 at 11:58 AM, DawnM said:

Second son went to Western for a year and it was uber cheap.   tuition is only $1,000 per year and he got a $1k scholarship.  I liked to brag that he got a full tuition scholarship!  🤣

Room and board was about $9k and fees were $3k and the fees covered book rental.

It was about $12k per year including everything.

Western, Elizabeth City, and Penbrook are all $1k for tuition for instate.

By coincidence, Western is the only one of the UNC schools other than UNC CH that I have some knowledge about. Years ago, when DD was in Pre-Primary in a Private school here, a bunch of the Instructors and Staff were working on Distance Learning Phd or Masters from Western.  Occasionally, Western sent one or more people here for testing, etc.    I don't know how it ranks for Undergraduate and that would depend upon the Major, but it is established at the Graduate level and I know 2 people who got their PhD from Western in that program. 

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