<p>D has put WU back on her list 
Said list is now up from 4 to 5 :mad: I swear she will be waiting until 5/1 at the 11th hour…ack</p>
<p>Wheee!!! Keeping my fingers crossed for you historymom. S is very happy with his decision to attend and so are we.</p>
<p>D is comparing WU and Occidental. We were there last Friday and one of her comments was that the student body did not seem very excited about the school. We were there for most of a day and the campus actually seemed not that crowded. The few folks we saw were pretty laid back, not really in sales mode, tho perfectly nice and appropriate. </p>
<p>So – are the students happy/excited to be there? Is there a buzz at Willamette?</p>
<p>D got happier and happier to be there as the years went on. In fact, if the sun shone more, we would probably never see her again. 
She absolutely loves her friends there and regrets leaving them more and more each summer. Can’t say if there is a buzz there but will say there seems to be lots of contented kids.</p>
<p>HEY–Historymom–fabulous–just let me know who WU is up against and I will find some trash on it.
A friend of the family graduated from WU (transferred in) and loved it and found the community very warm and cozy. That is what I have heard from other–very accepting, nice people and a very involved and happy facaulty. The president is a very impressive speaker (was ill at the accepted student day in April) and very welcoming. Insisted we stop by his office when we have time and was sincere.</p>
<p>Historymom- LOL…
What are you going to do for excitement after the girls finally decide on their schools?</p>
<p>I guess it’s a good thing that she has choices she truly likes…
I am not looking forward to being in your shoes next year.</p>
<p>I must be a glutton for punishment because I felt annoyed that me made no April visits. Both of my kids knew immediately. THE ONE has come through. D did insist we wait on the FA offer, and I guess so did S. But that was the only hesitation. I was looking forward to some visits as accepted students to see what that felt like, some waffling, but there was done.</p>
<p>Howdy mythmom! Yeah…what was that like??? Since you missed out on those April visits do you feel like you’d like to accompany my D on her final college visit next week. She couldn’t be in more loving or capable hands ;)</p>
<p>oregon101 so glad you want to get your mits on my girl I so love WU and would be thrilled if she picks it but I can’t find anything negative about the other 4 schools. All choices are great! A blessing and a curse ;)</p>
<p>Karen, she is spending the night in Assumption tonight with her sister and since I haven’t heard anything she is apparently having a wonderful time!</p>
<p>History: I would love to. You know I would. But there are these pesky things: money and work. Aside from that, I’d meet E at the airport in San Antonio with bells on. Not sure how much E would like it though, even if it made her mamma feel safe.</p>
<p>All will be well.</p>
<p>Historymom: This is one that my D is looking at. What is driving them up in your D’s Estimation now? Rugg lists their History Dept highly (my D’s interest) and have added it to my Control Panel (now that my S is almost there in his decision). We are planning a Oregon trip in the near future. So many colleges/universities there that she is interested in. May be able to keep her on the west coast</p>
<p>kumitedad: So nice to see you here!!! It has gone up in her estimation because the soccer coach sent her an email offering her the chance of trying out for the team. She really likes WU very much and can see herself there easily. The other schools she has on her list include two Catholic schools…we are Catholic, one in-state public well know for prepping kids for her future post grad plans and the one she is visting with mythmom next week All wonderful, no possible missteps therefore a rough decision.</p>
<p>Well, I have good news! While Willamette wasn’t able to meet my full need (I don’t expect any college to!), they came close to offering what two other LAC’s did. This is a surprise, because I sadly took the school off of my list, and narrowed it down to two colleges. However…it’s back on now, and fighting for first place. I really, really want to be back in Oregon, I can’t stress this enough. I love the state, and everything about it. I’ve stayed on the campus for a week and lived in and around the town, so I’m very happy with the location. As I said before, my brother is even an alumni. Now, I need to do research on the departments.</p>
<p>I’m interested in either International Studies and pairing it with a language (preferably French or Japanese), or Psychology (which seems to be popular).</p>
<p>Basically, it’s come down to Knox College (Galesburg, IL), Wittenberg (Springfield, OH), and Willamette now. I have a waitlist or two (Brandeis namely), but I highly doubt they’ll be able to give me any aid. Anyone want to help convince me to pay a little more for WU?</p>
<p><em>heads off to do his research like a good student should</em></p>
<p>D is a psych major and has really enjoyed the classes. As for studying Japanese, you’d have a great chance at getting a Japanese student as a roommate the first year (and more if you wanted).</p>
<p>OK, saying goodbye ::sniff::. I won’t haunt this forum anymore because D has decided to go elsewhere 
Though if DS decides to take high school more seriously than middle school I may get another chance at it ;)</p>
<p>Hope all who have decided to attend or who have kids who chose WU are thrilled with it. It’s a wonderful place.</p>
<p>Oh HM, I’m really going to miss you. I was so hoping we’d get to meet up at Opening Days. I’ve enjoyed reading about your Ds’ path to their final decisions and wish them all the best. Thanks for sharing with us.</p>
<p>OH Historymom–lots of fun to meet you. Best of luck to your D’s and know they will do great things.</p>
<p>Ugh…still haven’t made my mind up, guys. It’s down to money now. Do I want to pay 18-20K or so a year to be in my favorite state/climate, or 7-9K a year to be in the middle of nowhere, though still at a very good school (Knox College)? Would going to Willamette as undergrad help me stay in the Pac NW due to alumni, or does that just not matter? Help me please, I don’t know what the right thing to do anymore is. =( My family’s been little help.</p>
<p>Well–will you have LOANS to pay back from either scenario & how much? Graduating with crushing debt is really a bad idea, especially with the current economy. Loans can also increase–with interest + increasing tuition & expenses every year.</p>
<p>OceanMadness—is it really down to the money? The reason why I ask is because you are still wavering, which suggests you don’t want it to be about the money because you really prefer to attend Willamette.
If it is about money-you know the answer.
If it is not just about the money-you know the answer.
G’Luck! APOL- a mom</p>
<p>Thank you two for responding so quickly!</p>
<p>HImom: Yes, both situations require loans. Knox is covering 83%~ of total coast of attendance, making loans about 7-9K a year. Willamette is covering about 60%~, although my loans will be twice as much if not slightly more, not to mention the tuition is about 5K more. There’s always the chance for some extra big scholarships, or to see if I can squeeze more out of the financial aid department next year. </p>
<p>APOL: Mostly, yes. I don’t want crushing debt, but I also want to be somewhere I love. I’m just not sure if my attitude coming in/atmosphere/alumni is worth the extra money. I can be happy at either school and not look back, but one may be better than the other in the longrun for certain reasons. I wish it wasn’t about the money, but my EFC was exactly $8.</p>