Thanks @itcannotbetrue! She has racked up a lot of extra credit over the summers and met all of her graduation requirements. She can earn up to 8 college credits in her gap program too and apply them to either high school or college. She also earned 8 college credits at NYU last summer that she is applying to high school. Her gap program is from Feb to May so she will still march with her classmates and can attend prom etc.
@chemmchimney - that is great news! Congrats! Please give us an update later on about the gap program.
@chemmchimney --WOW, so cool for your DD! What a resourceful young lady you have raised 
@CateCAParent --Oh yes, the Claremont Colleges are on her list, but not HMC.
However, they are not probables/safeties (for her at least :). . . so is anyone else being told by their DK’s College Office to have their child apply to a rolling admission school as a probable? We’ve been looking. Any thoughts here? Also, is anyone familiar with University of Denver? Thanks!
The gap program Chimneykid2 has committed to doing is called Where There Be Dragons (one of the Obama daughters did her gap year through this program. Princeton uses them too for their own gap students) If you are looking for a rugged college gap program, I would give them a look! Verto also has a program which allows students to spend 1st semester freshman year of college travelling while earning academic credit and includes a direct admit program 2nd semester into several universities all on one application. Colleges include UVM, Bucknell, James Madison and others. https://www.wheretherebedragons.com/ https://vertoeducation.org/
@itcannotbetrue Chimneykid1 did apply to several early action schools (not rolling I don’t think?) that were probables/likelys for her. She was accepted at Tulane, UVM and Northeastern early on and that allowed her to drop her safties and apply only to her reaches that she liked more than those schools where she had been accepted. Made filing the remaining applications a lot less painful! An early acceptance can be a nice confidence boost for students who are pretty stressed out about getting in somewhere.
@itcannotbetrue We looked at University of Denver a few weeks ago. It was really nice - large but with a traditional college feel. Lots of brick buildings and green space. We were impressed. A friend of my son’s goes there and loves it. If they still have rolling admissions next year, S21 will most likely apply.
I remember when my eldest received her first college admission. Even though it was from a school that was far from her top choice, she was excited and thrilled. It took a lot of pressure off to know that, regardless of what happened with the other schools, she was definitely going to college.
@itcannotbetrue , when DS did this, he had no rolling admissions schools but a couple of EA ones. And when those acceptances came in, with generous merit aid, on the heels of an ED deferral, they were very welcome! It’s good advice. The wait can be stressful, especially when friends have ED and EA acceptances in hand.
Denver’s star seems to be rising, btw.
Thanks all sharing your kiddos’ experiences. @gardenstategal , can you elaborate on Denver’s star rising?
It seems to be a school that is on a lot more kids’ radar, especially from out of the area. I suspect some of it has to do with location – Denver is increasingly popular with young adults and young companies so has a “happening” feeling. A lot of kids want schools that aren’t isolated, offer internships, etc. The size of the school, especially with grad schools, makes it bigger than a LAC yet very manageable. They’ve been innovative in working across disciplinary silos and taking advantage of the buzz around them. Average test scores have inched up. Okay endowment. It feels like there’s an energy there.
@HMom16 @itcannotbetrue @gardenstategal I actually grew up just North of Denver and my parents now live about 5 miles from the University of Denver. Oddly enough when I was in high school, I didn’t even know the school existed because the only schools ever talked about was CU Boulder, School of Mines, and CSU. The great thing about DU is that you have access to some terrific outdoor activities and events that happen year round with all of the parks available close by. The mountains certainly aren’t far if that is something you’re child is seeking, but the Boulder vibe isn’t for them. Downtown is about 5-6 miles away and it’s easy to bike, Uber, etc into the area. The one downside of Denver now is the traffic and the cost of living.
@SculptorDad am new to the forum and kid is applying to BS next year. Is a huge Astrophysics fan and is wanting to pick his BS based on their facilities. Any tips. probably from GLADCHEMS. We saw a few of them and impressed with their facilities. However most of them are Astronomy rather than Astrophysics.
Welcome, IntTraveller!
Thanks to all who chimed in on U of Denver!
She’s still not interested.
:neutral: (insert more inventive emoji here).
Anyone out there ever think that “Opposite Speak” would work best in the college search game?
ME: Why would ANYONE want to go to University of Denver, UGH!
DD: . . . . Well, I actually kinda liked it!
ME: UGH, AWFUL SCHOOL.
DD: Really? WHY DO YOU SAY THAT? I LOVED IT!!!
@IntTraveller I could be wrong, but I believe the head of Thacher’s Astronomy program is actually an astrophysicist. It is worth checking out. The kids conduct university-level research and travel to present at conferences.
Submitted FAFSA and CSS Profile today. The FAFSA EFC came out quite higher than the EFC estimated by the schools’ NPCs. I’m pretty sure it’s because of our high(ish)-income-no-assets situation, but was wondering to what degree private LACs consider the FAFSA EFC, if at all.
PS. Don’t send me to the other side please!!
@GoatMama If I were you, I wouldn’t hesitate to contact the college’s FA office.
@doschicos Good idea. Will do.
Good luck to you all. We are a year behind and not particularly looking forward to the “fun” to come.
Thanks, @CaliPops!
Yes, good luck to all the 2020s…I am reading this thread from time to time in lieu of venturing over to the “College” side.
The knowledge I’ve gained from the “other side” has proven very useful in the college application process. I only hate asking questions or advice there, because people just don’t know much about BS and tend to get judgemental pretty quickly. I have no interest in explaining or defending my life choices when seeking information. That said, I’m happy to share - on “this side” ? - our experiences with the college application process so far, and D3 athletic recruitment in particular.
As a side note, college apps, senior year workload, and fall varsity sports is a package that smacks of hazing to me. Kids are pretty stressed out.