<p>My kid worked hard over the summer, and developed a fairly large college list. After going through the process with older siblings, this kid was very organized. Her college applications were submitted in early October. She figured out some reaches, matches and safeties, and was 100% sure of her major by the time she applied. She really liked three or four of the schools, but said she could see herself at any of them. Everything good.</p>
<p>Here we are in mid-Jan. She's been admitted to five schools, two of which she's still considering. She was deferred at two other schools, and is waiting to hear from two more (one of which might be her current first choice). Suddenly is panicking, and has decided to apply to two more schools. She's very enthusiastic about both of the new schools. One of them we had visited, but she had thought it would be too expensive and hard to get into her major there. She likes the location and the web-video tour of the other one, and just read a story about it in the news that intrigued her.</p>
<p>When she went to the GC yesterday to get her transcript, she said there were 10 other students in line for help with applications.</p>
<p>Is it common for kids to have last-minute panics and changes of heart over their college lists? Is it another form of senioritis? Or does this indicate that I need to put D in a padded room with no more sugar/Christmas cookies until she settles down and picks a school?</p>
<p>I think so…my girls see it at their school, but since a lot of their friends were able to do ED or EA1, not anyone close to them. Their GC had “can I add a few more”, especially to OOS state schools.
They applied to colleges they liked or loved and one state safety, they can’t love (at least right now) but that’s the way it is when you need a good amount of FA. One of them is “done!” but another is still looking for financial safties she would like, although I think we went through the alphabet already! I’m sure it will end this week.</p>
<p>If she had five admits, and four potential admits, she already has too many choices. I can’t see the wisdom of applying to more schools now. Has anything changed substantially since she applied to schools in Oct? Financial situation or a new accomplishment?</p>
<p>I honestly think she will have a tough time making a choice if she applies to more colleges and gets in. Better to spend that time researching and deciding between the well researched choices she already has.</p>
<p>I agree, if money isn’t an issue, she probably has a great list. Visiting schools she didn’t visit might be harder in the Spring if the list gets too long.
My daughter was worried more about aid, but she knows she got a good scholarship at UConn, it’s just not a good “fit” in some ways.</p>
<p>Neighbor’s D only applied to one sch. (a state u.), her favorite and was accepted last month. Neighbor told me last week that her D had suddenly decided to apply to another state u. Asked if she had changed her mind about sch. #1. She said “no” but she would feel even more sure that it was #1 if she got into #2 and felt unswayed by it.
Who can explain the mind of a seventeen year old girl?</p>
<p>PackMom - Maybe that’s the problem. I’m expecting a seventeen year old girl to be rational. I should know better.</p>
<p>Debruns - LOL - We went through the Alphabetical list and a few of the college books a few times too. I thought if D had rejected School A the first twenty times through the alphabetical list, that she would reject School A the 21st time too. Sigh. </p>
<p>I’ve been thinking that this flurry of activity reflects the fact that some Seniors are nervous about their choices. It’s their last chance to envision themselves at that large state university with huge concerts and bowl games, or at that cozy LAC with the ivy covered buildings and old oak trees. Once they commit, the fantasies become reality. I’m thinking “Runaway Bride” here.</p>
<p>If the schools she’s adding are significantly different than those already on her list, it may be she’s reconsidering geography, size, etc. I think there are some kids who added schools after getting good EA news (as in “well, maybe I should reach higher” and some who reconsidered their list after getting bad EA news (reality strikes). “What if” starts looming large about now…</p>
<p>My senior has an acceptance at one of favorites already, but is nervously awaiting the other decisions. “I want choices,” he says. Having options helps to validate the choice the kid may really want.</p>
<p>It seems better for her to do these last applications than to regret not doing so when it is past the deadline, assuming you can afford the application fees.</p>
<p>Even the uber-competent kids hanging out on the parents of '10 thread have considered adding a school or two, so I guess it’s pretty common. With four acceptances in hand, I tried to get ds to knock schools 10 and 11 off the list, but he didn’t want to. He’ll probably have an easy time making a decision, but all these choices will drive me nuts.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to several schools during January. By then, she was able to polish up her stash of essays quite a bit, and the later applications, to schools that gave out merit money, were far more impressive than those she had sent off at the last minute for the January 1 deadline. And, although she had been admitted to PSU by then, she had not yet received a decision from Schreyer, and had not yet heard about merit money from most of her preferred schools. (One of those who would not consider PSU without Schreyer.)</p>
<p>A couple of years ago a good friend of my daughter was still waiting for her acceptance to her state school - Temple. I forget why but she was deferred forever… (she eventually was accepted, went and is doing well).</p>
<p>She had no money (literally) - her mom signed over her parental rights to her uncle.
Anyway - around March or April they sat at my house and searched online for all colleges that did not have an application fee to which she could apply online.</p>
<p>She not only applied to a bunch of schools but was awarded merit scholarships to a number of colleges as well. I was amazed. I think she was accepted and got money to 5-6 colleges - alll within 100 miles of us.</p>
<p>Actually, I think there’s something a little unhealthy about adding on more colleges once half a dozen applications are in. It is a bit like the caged tiger that can’t help but prowl up and down –</p>
<p>My thinking tonight may be influenced by the horrors in Haiti. Thousands of dirty, wounded people without food, water or shelter – and our blessed teens fuss about wanting “choices”??. Maybe, instead of another $50 college application fee, there ought to be a conversation about sending a check to Doctors without Borders or other aid groups . . .</p>
<p>I stopped by the GC’s secretary’s office today. She told me kids were adding tons of new schools to their list. Apparently, this has become a much tougher year and many kids did not get into their ED / EA school. So, now they are all worrying, and adding many more schools than expected.</p>
<p>“Debruns - LOL - We went through the Alphabetical list and a few of the college books a few times too. I thought if D had rejected School A the first twenty times through the alphabetical list, that she would reject School A the 21st time too. Sigh.” </p>
<p>I know what you mean, my D almost started to change her mind about a college that wouldn’t allow her to use any merit aid to go abroad, but she really wanted that choice, and then said she wouldn’t apply. My girls only applied to late colleges that were free, some always were, some sent them emails. I was surprised some well rated colleges like Colgate (they didn’t apply there) still has free applications and late dates. Most women’s colleges also do (except Simmons and Barnard I think) and one daughter did apply to one of them…she hadn’t looked into it as much before and saw things she liked. She had hyper-focused on her favorites before.
She said her GC was busy now but for whatever reason, talk of college had ended among students and everyone will probably be quiet until April.
I’m almost done, still haven’t hit submit on fafsa and CSS yet…</p>
<p>Go for it. Why shouldn’t she apply to more schools, if its not a financial problem? My son has changed his top choice each time an acceptance came in - there’s still lots of time to decide where to go. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think the financial climate is forcing kids to cast a wider net. As long as there is no app fee, I don’t see a problem. Agreed that a contribute to Haiti is appropriate right now. What devastation!</p>
<p>I dunno. I think we’d all have to do some pretty drastic lifestyle changes before we could accuse a kid sending out extra apps as acting particularly unseemly. And perhaps they, and their families, *have *sent checks to aid groups. (A lot us have, I believe).</p>