@Sarrip . I really felt the love at Laf. It it seems like a hidden gem.
Amazing @holychild. I think Lafayette is a hidden gem because I did not know much about the school when my household started researching colleges, but I have seen and heard so much positive feedback about the school over the last 4 years. And your DD can not beat a debt free education at a great school??
@holychild love the news and congratulations to your kiddo! I love this thread because all of you are the most supportive parent network on college confidential. Thank you for spreading the love during this time of uncertainty. Keep letting us know where your high schooler is going to college.
Thatās great! And great news from everyone else with the wonderful options and choices. It must feel very good to have this step over and done with.
Next step: move in day.
Congrats! Lafayette was on D20ās list. Had she not made it into her ED choice, she would have applied. We really loved the campus and the community. The admissions rep doing the presentation, Cristina Usino, was fabulous. She talked about everything the college is doing to increase the number of students and faculty of color on campus. They are already a few years in to their 5-year plan. She was one of the most dynamic speakers I heard when we were touring colleges. The environment seems very supportive. Great choice!
I donāt have words that could accurately express the awe Iām in for ALL of the/your students on this page. ??? Impressive! And the support you all have for one another is yet another reason Iām sure contributes to the success everyone has hadā¦ pure kindness. ? Happy tears! I pray colleges are back to normal this fall so that everyone can experience all that your schools have to offer. Well deserved.
Congrats! I hope class of 2021 is as vibrant.
Itās official that daughterās school will be holding a virtual graduation on May 30th. They have contracted with a company (not sure if I can mention the company). We went to the website and daughter seems to like the idea. They apparently will also be doing senior awards during this ceremony. May 1st they will have senior day where all of the seniors will send in a picture wearing attire representing their chosen college. They are really trying.
Coming back to update in my safe space. 
Admitted to UCSD today. Hadnāt really put much thought into it, honestly figured it would be a denial. Aid package is slightly better than UCD and I prefer the major offerings here plus if I canāt get out of CA at least I could experience living in a different part.
4/4 for UCs - Davis, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, San Diego
2 OOS rejections - University of Richmond, Chapel Hill - appealed. Yes, I know odds are 1-2% and likely wonāt change anything. Wasnāt planning on it until speaking with an admissions counselor there. Think I left a piece of my soul in that appeal letter. lol
Waiting - Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt and Stanford
Realistically have to plan on a UC attendance. Which I will research further and think about Sunday. This process is mentally draining! Need a break. Take care and stay safe everyone.
@SatanFlower69 - CONGRATULATIONS!!! A better package too!!! Thatās great. Iām sure that there is more greatness to come. I know that this is very draining and the waiting is torturous. I actually think that between this process and Covid that I actually loss hair. Praying that this journey comes to an end for you very soon and that your choice will be very clear. (Hugs)
@Sarrip Thank you! I think having to stay home and sit around waiting bc of COVID has made it so much worse than it would have been. Thereās nothing else to focus on and its driving me nuts. Never thought Iād miss my job but at the moment Iād definitely rather be there. Read like 10 novels in the past week, took a dozen walks, binge watched a few shows and it still feels like COVID will never end. But eventually it will and weāll all be ok. Take care of yourself. My father is fond of saying if you donāt have your health you donāt have anything. (HUGS)
@SatanFlower69, congratulations on the UC haul. You have 4 big ones left and we are rooting for you. But like you, I believe that UCSD is an unbelievable option regardless of what happens next.
@SatanFlower69 Congratulations on the acceptance!! I hope your journey will come to an end soon. The waiting and uncertainty is enough to drive anyone insane. @ProfSD Ms. Ursino is great. I still remember her presentation.She seemed to have a genuine love for the college, what she does and supporting all students especially students of color.
After a long journey, it came down to a four-way race. Wooster offered a fantastic FinAid package that brought the COA within the low end of my budget. Ursinus didnāt match Woosterās offer but came close, and I could make their offer work if that was sonās choice. The University of Dayton, like Wooster, improved their offer a couple of times and joined the frontrunners.
Then there were three instate schools that Iāll clump as one option. They really were one option because they all held the same allure of being close to home and affordable. He had classmates who would be friendly faces at all three schools. Heād be happy attending all three.
In the end, while DS took a last consideration of Wooster, he decided that heād rather attend a school with a larger enrollment. The FinAid offers at Wooster and Dayton were more or less identical, with Wooster offering a lower COA, but Dayton offering perks.
Last night, Son committed to the University of Dayton. UD included $1000 every year for books, and will pay for him to do a study abroad semester.
I donāt know about him, but Iām immensely relieved this search and selection part of the journey is complete. Iām even more relieved my next child wonāt graduate high school until 2024. I might need that long to recover. 
@EconPop CONGRATULATIONS ? to you and your son! Great decision. You have crossed over! So glad I donāt have to do this again! Looks like the time leading up to 2024 will be a busy time for you but you got this!
@EconPop Congrats!! Weāll be looking at that Class of 2024 thread cheering you on! (Dayton is my Dās favorite underdog school since they made a run in the NCAA Basketball tourney when she was a young girl. lol)
1 Like
Thanks, @Sarrip . The time leading up to '24 will be busy. Even busier, because I also have a '26 graduate coming along and Iāll probably be doing twofers on the visits to allow the younger one to see some campuses too.
Iāll go about the search with the same strategy, but refine it. There were so many things I didnāt know when we started 20 months ago. I learned a lot and reshaped the strategy throughout, but it will be exciting to start a new search with what I know now at the end of this iteration. Iām looking forward to the next time.
While it wasnāt one of the true determining factors, UDās basketball success this year was one thing that made UD more appealing to my son. Heād never heard of UD before applying. It made the list because it fit the criteria he and I set out at the beginning and modified along the way. Once it became a more serious option, he dug a lot deeper and liked a lot about UD.
Heād like to attend events on campus that have a school pride feel, whether sports or something else. UD basketball certainly fits that bill. Of course, now that DS is going there, UD will probably have four straight losing seasons. Winning or losing, Iāll use UD basketball as a reason to visit him a couple of times a years.
Iāll also sneak in a visit to go see the History of Funk show at the Performing Arts Center in Dayton.
Congratulations @EconPop ! One of my sonās friends is there now and he really likes it! Iām glad your son is happy.
Just wanted to share with the village that a friend sent me an invitation to a few online groups who are adopting graduates of the class of 2020. I joined the groups to see what it was all about and it turned out to be one of the biggest blessings. My daughter was adopted by a member of each group. Packages for college are being sent to her and I in turn have adopted, shopped and am in the process of shipping a box for another student in another state. One of the people who adopted my daughter is shopping from her amazon gift list and dropping off all of her health, beauty and hygiene products on our stairs on Sunday. She wants to adopt her for the entire 4 years that she will be in college. I believe that it is taboo to mention other groups but I would sure love to share more with the village as anything that can encourage our children and out a smile on their faces is a plus.
@EconPop CONGRATS to your sonā¦ AND You !!! UD was on our very long list at one point, but it didnāt pass the ādistanceā qualifications . It was there cause my brother lives nearby 
We LOVED the visit we went on, just cause we were in the area visiting. GREAT choice !! Iām SURe youāre glad THATās over Itās been a journey !! Canāt believe Iām saying this but I actually MISS it. Anyhooā¦ Duquesne plays UD quite a bit, apparently, so who knowsā¦ Our paths may cross one of these days