Parents of Class of 2018 thread

She's getting academic money at all schools and NO sports money at either...including the one recruiting her. I think she's just reluctant to let go of sports, which I get to a point. Her other schools are Division 1 which she will have to try out for. Currently, she is undecided but has a few interests. Unfortunately the only thing she does know is that she likes being an athlete. We obviously don't want her choosing a school for sports.

My concern is that while she's being wined and dined right now, she will not be happy there. Granted this school has changed over the last twenty years, I still think it has the stigma of a suitcase school with a large commuter population. The school is good and will likely be cheaper, but (and I hate that I sound so snobby) I think she can do better.
I'll comment on this and let you have your thread back. My DD was a good swimmer and I know a number of people whose kids swim in college. My DD chose not to swim because (1) she wanted to go to a big D1 school and (2) she wasn't fast enough for a big D1 team. The impact of sports on a student's life in school cannot be discounted. On one hand, D1 & D2 (I think) are required to restrict the amount of time they train and provide academic support for their athletes. OTOH, D1 sports is a grind. I know one athlete who was told that she could not choose a specific major because it was too difficult to do along with the swimming. There is no wiggle room in D1 sports. You can't say "Hey coach, I have a big test so I'm going to skip practice." like you did in high school or club (frankly, my DD's club coach wasn't excited about that either but my DD did it anyway). I guess what I'm saying is to be careful about pursuing sports at a D1 college because the sport may take over the college experience and cause the academics to go on the backburner.
 
Robinb-thanks so much for that padding recommendation! I had gotten one for DD and glad to hear it’s good!
 
UGH. I can't believe we are still waiting.

DS applied to 4 schools. 3 we have heard from. He has gotten in to all. Two have given scholarship awards, we are waiting on the 3rd, but the 3rd school is most likely a "back up transfer for the future" school rather than 1st choice, but we still would like to see what they would give.

But the 4th school! HOLY COW. EA deadline was November 1st. We missed it. He turned in his stuff Nov. 13th. The school JUST told us a decision is made and they will be mailing it to us. 4.5 MONTHS later!~ Crazy. And, because he was late, there will be no scholarship.

He has all but made the decision already, but we are waiting on that last one for a final, final decision.

ETA: We talked last night and he says he plans to make a firm decision by this weekend. He has a friend from his high school who is looking at going to the same school he wants to go to and they want to room together. He is talking to him more this week, but even if that guy isn't going, he says he wants to go, so we are 90% sure!
 
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First time posting here

I feel like my heads under water with all this. My daughter attends an Expeditionary Learning school, which is she also a traveling student where she leaves her home school at lunch and travels to the technical center where she is in the Culinary Academy. She had decided this is the career path she wants and want to be a classically trained chef. It was hard enough finding schools that offer actual Bachelors of Science degrees in Culinary.

She has applied to Art Institute in Charleston and was accepted. She also applied for Johnson & Wales Charlotte and was accepted.
She applied to three technical schools where she could earn an AA and then transfer to Johnson & Wales. Two of the tech schools have sent follow up letters and one school replied that they don't do early acceptance and won't make any decisions until her final school transcript is submitted in June

We've toured Art Institute and Johnson & Wales. They are pretty much equal time & distance from home, in opposite directions.
We have family is neighboring towns of each school. DD is very independent, has been on several travel trips without parents, etc. I'm not worried about that aspect in the least. Plus each school is only 2.5 hours away, so we know she'll do great.

Art Institute was very small campus & facility. Basically a single 2 story building that takes about one Charleston city block. Essentially the housing campus is bigger than the school itself. It was appealing that the Bachelors was a 3 year, year round program. So less time in school, but still same price tag. They offer no financial aide or scholarships at all, and wanted us to sign loans while on the tour. (ha ha, no)

Johnson & Wales has more of a campus setting, albeit small, but still a campus. Traditional 4 year Bachelors, with 3 semesters per year. And Disney highly recruits from them on a continual basis. Doing the CP program has been one of DD goals since she was in middle school, so she was very pleased to hear this. They have offered her scholarships basically equal to the cost of tuition. So basically we will just have to cover dorm, meals, books, etc.

So, it was a very easy decision for her to Johnson & Wales.

DD graduating class is a little over 500 students, and I feel like we've hardly been given any info about events at all. We have the ceremony date/time. But I haven't seen anything in regards to ordering invitations/announcements, etc. I know their cap/gown packages are supposed to come in before Spring Break. (We didn't get ours until a few days before graduation) I even asked her this morning what her Senior quote was going to be in the year book, and she said her school doesn't allow them, but did say at least she got to specify which portrait she wanted in the yearbook. (uugghhh, her portraits were not too good, the photographer just would not listen to either of us :(
 


UGH. I can't believe we are still waiting.

DS applied to 4 schools. 3 we have heard from. He has gotten in to all. Two have given scholarship awards, we are waiting on the 3rd, but the 3rd school is most likely a "back up transfer for the future" school rather than 1st choice, but we still would like to see what they would give.

But the 4th school! HOLY COW. EA deadline was November 1st. We missed it. He turned in his stuff Nov. 13th. The school JUST told us a decision is made and they will be mailing it to us. 4.5 MONTHS later!~ Crazy. And, because he was late, there will be no scholarship.

He has all but made the decision already, but we are waiting on that last one for a final, final decision.


I feel the same way about the waiting! I'm pretty sure my son will choose the second school he was accepted to way back in December. After all he applied there EA. In my mind that makes it a top choice or he wouldn't have picked it. Of the 2 we are waiting on I think only 1 is really a small consideration because the other won't be affordable so that's basically off the table. They are supposed to release decisions by Thursday evening. He refuses to commit until he gets all his responses. His boss keeps asking because she wants to know when he's leaving in the fall so she can plan a replacement. Of course she has plenty of time, but I think she's as impatient as I am. Lol.
 
DD got into all 8 schools and got into honors or invited to apply to honors for almost every school. There are still two financial aide offers that we haven't heard from. It is down to 2 schools unless one of the financial aide is spectacular. My dd is lucky in that she fell in love with one of the schools. Cost wise while it wasn't the most expensive it was still pricey. We are still waiting for the financial aide appeal to help make a final decision. I called the admissions rep Friday who said that she knows the appeals board is behind but we should get a decision before May 1st. The school had several snow/no electricity days this winter. It is a lot of hurry up and wait, wait, wait.

Our high school requires pictures come from a specific photographer near the school. We didn't use them for senior pictures just for the yearbook. I know my daughter filled out an online form for the yearbook but no idea what it includes. No mention of ordering cap and gowns yet. After the mess up over the graduation date and change of principals etc I'm happy that we at least know the date and time. Since dd isn't at the high sch for ool that much (dual enrollment all classes on a college campus) her guidance counselor has already told her that there will be some events coming up that she will need to be at school for closer to graduation. Actually I have been very impressed with how much the guidance counselor keeps dd informed of things.

DD finished all the scholarship applications from the high school she was eligible for and either mailed or dropped them off at the high school. She found a few online ones to try for. She also did an application for one from our temple. She is already getting one from our temple for seniors from our public high school since she is the only one eligible. The second one is for all seniors and so far no one else has applied. DD got the mayor to write her a letter of recommendation for two local scholarships that asked for one. Hopefully the people reading it like him.

We found the perfect graduation/18th birthday gift for dd. She loves figure skating. It is actually one reason she wants to attend her top choice school. It has a figure skating club and she would have access to 8 hours of ice time a week. They compete in intercollegiate skating competitions at places like MIT and do something at hockey games. US Figure Skating was looking for USFSA members who are at a specific skating level or higher to skate in a group number at Stars on Ice. DD is signed up to skate in the Providence show since there is no Stars on Ice in Boston this year. DD loves group routines and was thrilled when I told her I would pay as a graduation/18th birthday gift. It is a bit of a nuisance going to Providence 3 times for the practice and show but it will work out. We will have to leave accepted students day early but dd has already done the tour etc and the new parts are in the morning.
 
I think after tonight we will have answers for both of our daughters. I am going to be so relieved when it is over.

Then we move on to taxes, prom, graduation, and getting ready for move in. What a busy time of life!
 


I'll comment on this and let you have your thread back. My DD was a good swimmer and I know a number of people whose kids swim in college. My DD chose not to swim because (1) she wanted to go to a big D1 school and (2) she wasn't fast enough for a big D1 team. The impact of sports on a student's life in school cannot be discounted. On one hand, D1 & D2 (I think) are required to restrict the amount of time they train and provide academic support for their athletes. OTOH, D1 sports is a grind. I know one athlete who was told that she could not choose a specific major because it was too difficult to do along with the swimming. There is no wiggle room in D1 sports. You can't say "Hey coach, I have a big test so I'm going to skip practice." like you did in high school or club (frankly, my DD's club coach wasn't excited about that either but my DD did it anyway). I guess what I'm saying is to be careful about pursuing sports at a D1 college because the sport may take over the college experience and cause the academics to go on the backburner.

Thanks Robin and everyone. I went to a sport centric Big Ten school and know the reality and DH played football at a D3 school for a coach with D1 aspirations. We've conveyed this to DD...but what do we know? LOL. Actually, DD knows too but doesn't want to admit it. We were fortunate that at the very first school she went and looked at, the admissions officer doing the presentation was asked by another prospective student about sports. He made it very clear that D1 sports is a job.

At the moment, DD seems to be veering away from the D2 school that she was only interested in for track. Not sure why, but we are rolling with it. She has some nice options otherwise, but is a little stressed. Day by day...
 
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Johnson & Wales has more of a campus setting, albeit small, but still a campus. Traditional 4 year Bachelors, with 3 semesters per year. And Disney highly recruits from them on a continual basis. Doing the CP program has been one of DD goals since she was in middle school, so she was very pleased to hear this. They have offered her scholarships basically equal to the cost of tuition. So basically we will just have to cover dorm, meals, books, etc.

So, it was a very easy decision for her to Johnson & Wales.

Awesome! We live in Charlotte. I don't know much about Johnson & Whales though. I do know the nearby community college has a pretty good culinary program though and many start there. But it sounds like a great deal to get tuition covered.
 
Hooray! We have answers! I am so excited and proud. They both received small merit scholarships, and large need-based institutional grants to schools that meet almost 100% need. The only reason we really qualify is because they are both in school at the same time. The cost is brought down to around what our state colleges would be. The kids will also have some skin in the game, and will be responsible to pay for a portion of their costs through work, scholarships and / or loans, but should be able to get through undergrad with little to no debt if they work hard and are smart about their spending. DH and I will help as well.

DD17 will be attending Union College to study biomedical engineering.

DD18 will be attending Bentley University to study accounting.

I ordered Union swag last week and now that DD18 has decided, I am going to get some Bentley swag on its way, too.

They are going to be 2 1/2 - 3 hours away from home, in opposite directions. Union is on a trimester system and Bentley uses semesters, so their breaks won't really coincide well. It is all starting to become real. They are leaving, and it is going to be really quiet (and clean) at my house. I don't usually get emotional about them going, but today is a bad day for me.

I hope everyone gets their answers, soon!
 
My son has made a decision! He will be going to Western Carolina. He got a scholarship which will cover full tuition (which means a $1,000 scholarship as Western is one of the schools on the NC College Promise program, which means tuition will go to $1,000 next year).

Oh, and we have FINALLY heard from all 4 schools. He has gotten into all 4. We are waiting on 2 for scholarship info, but it doesn't really matter at this point. He has already paid the deposit at Western and is very excited about it.

He is going to go to their summer program as well. He is quite excited.

On another note, he bought a prom ticket last night! :lovestruc He is going with a group of friends and I think they will have a great time. (none of my boys have dated yet and I am not complaining!)
 
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Today is a struggle day for me. We went up to Michigan Tech in Houghton, MI this past weekend for preview day, and all three of us really liked it. It is a great school, albeit very far away from us, but good people and great programs. I really thought it is a perfect fit for my DS. On the way home (Our 8 1/2 hour drive), DS says although he liked it, if he gets into U of Michigan, he will go there because it is closer, and that's always been his first choice. Today, he received a waitlisted decision from U of M.:guilty: Now we have to wait again, as he won't hear anything until after May 1. As he has already accepted his ROTC scholarship to Michigan Tech so he would not lose it, he emailed Michigan's AFROTC to see if there is any chance to move up the decision because of scholarship transfer deadlines. I wish they had just given him an outright rejection, intead of stringing us along for a few more months, when there is only a slim chance he may actually get in (last year, only 11% of the waitlist were eventually accepted, and some of those did not hear until July!:confused3). I am struggling with this, I really now want him to go to Michgan Tech, and just be able to move forward. I need help in accepting his decision to wait!
 
Today is a struggle day for me. We went up to Michigan Tech in Houghton, MI this past weekend for preview day, and all three of us really liked it. It is a great school, albeit very far away from us, but good people and great programs. I really thought it is a perfect fit for my DS. On the way home (Our 8 1/2 hour drive), DS says although he liked it, if he gets into U of Michigan, he will go there because it is closer, and that's always been his first choice. Today, he received a waitlisted decision from U of M.:guilty: Now we have to wait again, as he won't hear anything until after May 1. As he has already accepted his ROTC scholarship to Michigan Tech so he would not lose it, he emailed Michigan's AFROTC to see if there is any chance to move up the decision because of scholarship transfer deadlines. I wish they had just given him an outright rejection, intead of stringing us along for a few more months, when there is only a slim chance he may actually get in (last year, only 11% of the waitlist were eventually accepted, and some of those did not hear until July!:confused3). I am struggling with this, I really now want him to go to Michgan Tech, and just be able to move forward. I need help in accepting his decision to wait!

Oh no! That would be almost unbearable! My DS has heard from all 6 schools. 5 acceptances and 1 rejection. I don't think he's going to choose U of M. I wish he could give your son the spot. Too bad it doesn't work that way. I asked my DS this morning where he will go, and he said he's not ready to make a commitment yet. I'm so tired of waiting. At least he has to commit by May 1. I'm about 99% sure he's going to choose Stanford. Although I really wish he'd choose U of M it would actually cost us more than twice as much. Even if my son chooses Michigan Tech that's 8 hours away vs 36 to Stanford! I just wish he'd make a decision already!
 
Oh no! That would be almost unbearable! My DS has heard from all 6 schools. 5 acceptances and 1 rejection. I don't think he's going to choose U of M. I wish he could give your son the spot. Too bad it doesn't work that way. I asked my DS this morning where he will go, and he said he's not ready to make a commitment yet. I'm so tired of waiting. At least he has to commit by May 1. I'm about 99% sure he's going to choose Stanford. Although I really wish he'd choose U of M it would actually cost us more than twice as much. Even if my son chooses Michigan Tech that's 8 hours away vs 36 to Stanford! I just wish he'd make a decision already!
I hear you! The waiting is the worst part! My hope is they let him know sooner than later. I really don't like the waitlist game, as well as the decision game. I miss the old days, where it would be a yes or no, and once you and they decided, that was pretty much it. If only we parents could decide for them ;). We do know better, even if they may not think so.
 
My son enrolled at Stanford! He did it Friday, and he didn't even tell me. He made an announcement last night at dinner. We had an early Easter family dinner because some of my family members are working on Easter. He was so casual about it. His grandpa asked him if he decided on a school, and he said yes I enrolled yesterday! (If I had looked on my credit card online I'd have seen that he charged my credit card. Lol).

I'm definitely happy/sad. I knew this was coming as soon as he got accepted to Stanford because it's his dream school, and the price is so low for us. They are very generous with financial aid. I would have loved University of Michigan for how close it is, but it wasn't his first choice. Plus it cost a lot more for us. All in all he was accepted to Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley, university of Michigan, and Michigan tech. Rejected from Harvard.

So now I get to plan! We will be flying him out there this fall. They don't move in until September 20. So it will give us a long summer at least. The dorms are apparently really small so he will be traveling light. They do recommend a bike for getting around so I'm debating buying one out there or taking his as checked luggage. Apparently that's allowed on southwest which is what we usually fly. I have all these details in my head now. Little things I need to figure out. I wouldn't really let myself plan until I knew for sure. I'm not sure how well I'm going to handle my baby being so far away.
 
My son enrolled at Stanford!

So now I get to plan! We will be flying him out there this fall. They don't move in until September 20. So it will give us a long summer at least. The dorms are apparently really small so he will be traveling light. They do recommend a bike for getting around so I'm debating buying one out there or taking his as checked luggage. Apparently that's allowed on southwest which is what we usually fly. I have all these details in my head now. Little things I need to figure out. I wouldn't really let myself plan until I knew for sure. I'm not sure how well I'm going to handle my baby being so far away.
Congrats! As far as the bike is concerned, check on Facebook to see if there is a Stanford parents group or a resale group. There may be a graduating senior who wants to get rid of his bike and can store it on campus over the summer. Same with other big things like fridges and microwaves.
 
Congrats to all those making final decisions!!!!! So exciting!

When does your child graduate? Ours is held Memorial Day weekend Saturday. Next month! There are a lot of final performances and events between now and then.
 
Congrats to all those making final decisions!!!!! So exciting!

When does your child graduate? Ours is held Memorial Day weekend Saturday. Next month! There are a lot of final performances and events between now and then.
DS graduates the Tuesday after Memorial Day. An odd choice on it’s own, it is also the first day of finals for my freshman son. I’m more than a little annoyed that the school planned this conflict. With 350 seniors, I am sure we are not the only family with another child at the school struggling with difficult decisions. Does DS 15 miss his brother’s graduation or does he risk poor grades in his finals the next day? They only offer one make-up slot that week, so there’s only so much we can tweak his schedule.
 
Congrats to all those making final decisions!!!!! So exciting!

When does your child graduate? Ours is held Memorial Day weekend Saturday. Next month! There are a lot of final performances and events between now and then.
Graduation here is June 21st.
 

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