<p>Ok, the class of 2014 is on the way to orientation. I am relieved, because the wait, anticipation, excitement and disappointment are over. As a parent, I do reminiscent that trying period among our family. Afterall, it is a huge financial commitment on our side.</p>
<p>What is your reaction when you/your SD got this letter/phone call/email from the dream of their live that they are accepted/rejected/waitlisted and or off the waitlist?</p>
<p>I’ve written about this before. We had a horrible start with my current college kid’s application process. His first response was swift and short. Rejected. In October, I believe. First rejection of his high school class. It was a reach school, but the program was one where a number of kids with similar stats as my son had gained acceptance from the same high school, and the counselors felt optimistic. Usually if there is some doubt, because it is rolling admissions, he would have just been rolled into later groups. To be rejected outright really hurt. </p>
<p>That was followed by silence from the scholarship that had required a very early app to be sent. That meant rejection, though he was accepted to the school itself in late March. But in October, that was scarcely any comfort.</p>
<p>Followed by rejection from Part 1 of a two tiered app process for a school that looked like a good fit. At least we didn’t have to spend the time and money for the visit and interview. </p>
<p>In December, the good news rolled in. EA is sweet. Allows a variety of different schools in selectivity so that some safeties can be in the mix to soothe the wounds of rejection. March and April are a long way off. I just am thankful that he did all of his apps early because working on them on the heels of all of the bad news would not have been an experience anyone wants. He was accepted at a slew of schools including his first choice. That made for much easy riding second semester of senior year since he didn’t really care what the other outcomes would be. He had what he wanted. </p>
<p>All smiles when he got the letter. It arrived while he was visiting and interviewing at the school.</p>
<p>There was a great thread a few yrs ago about reactions when your child opened their envelopes (well now that would be emails). IT was a classic.</p>
<p>our worst was actually an acceptance… son had researched well and got accepted to all but one school which was his reach. but he fell in love with one school in particular, got accepted into a wonderful program and met a wonderful professor who he would have loved to work with…but even after merit aid (top they offered to oos students ) the schools coa for oos was just not justifiable against a full ride here in state. very difficult few months, showed him finances, tried to make him understand (and yes we did do the financials early in the process, and he did apply to the safety with the idea he would like it there)…but declining that offer was the hardest thing he has ever done and as a parent was heartbreaking</p>
<p>eta as a footnote, after he declined the offer, he received an email from that professor, offering him a research job for next summer!! was a very happy day</p>
<p>Oh, Parent56, I could just imagine. I, too , would have been miserable. That is the problem when you give it a chance in terms of applying to schools unaffordable without aid. If the kid gets accepted but the money end doesn’t work out, it really hurts.</p>
<p>cpt… i blame myself for part of it…yes we did the financial stuff up front, but it wasnt until we had 80K to pay vs full ride actually on the table, that i couldnt justify 80K, when it was all hypothetical i had a budget that i thought could work for that school…but when no debt was part of the equation, reasons like H’s age (66), a younger brother still to go, became more important.</p>
<p>too late to edit…but wanted to add so i dont sound so terrible in reneging on deal…up front this school was dependent on merit…and there were 2 other very selective scholarships that were part of the equation…we knew early he didnt get one (that is when we should have pulled it off list) but didnt know about the 2nd possibility, it wasnt until after he heard about the research program acceptance and “fell in love” with the school that we found out the 2nd scholarship wasnt being offered this year…it was still on the schools website.</p>
<p>My daughter had one rejection. It was the last application she completed. She had had it with the process, and her “Why this school?” essay had exactly one line about the school in it. Her stats were well within the top quartile for the school. I knew when I read the essay that it was bad, and she probably should not have even submitted the application, but she had paid the fee, started the app, and then heard news from another top-choice school before she finished it. When the reject e-mail arrived, she said: “I can’t believe that I wasn’t even waitlisted.”</p>
<p>I’d say S’s most exciting acceptance was an early write in late Feb with a really nice merit scholarship. This was a school on his A list, so that took a lot of pressure off of the next 2 months. I had heard about early writes from this school on CC, so I was hopefully watching the mailbox, but it was a complete surprise to my son and this is the college he decided to attend.</p>
<p>D’s first rejection was SUNY Purchase, my top choice for her because of cost vs NYU. I hid it for a couple of weeks because she had just not been cast in her dream role because of her age (community theatre) and it was a critical time at her school to assure her grades kept her valedictorian. Then came Ithaca College, and I showed her both at the same time, then CCM. We were just about ready to make peace with her safety school, when acceptance to NYU came. It took us months to work out the finances, scholarships, work, grants, loans, both parents stepping up, but she is going this year. Not sure about next year, but we decided that if we could manage it, the best thing was to get her there as aid for a transfer would have sucked. The safety is always here is she has to transfer from NYU in the future.</p>
<p>worst-waitlisted at the college that sent her kudo letters after the application was received-lame, and best-pleasantly surprised at 2 early writes that were totally unexpected that were received on the same day, ended up at none of the above but did choose the most rigorous and most options and activites university.</p>