<p>Just a reflection....I've seen similar threads on individual colleges, but in general, this is a frustrating time, isn't it?--I'm assuming other parents of hs srs are in the same situation. Late fall was craziness for D with lots of school work, senior "project" due, college apps for 5 schools, SAT IIs, etc. Getting everything done with all the due dates was a crazy time. Now, it's the waiting game. School work seems under control, (almost light?). With one (EA) decision (accept), and 4 more to come, spread between Feb 15 and April 1, I can already see craziness in the future. At precisely the same time as getting all the decisions, and needing to come to a final college decision by May 1 is a schedule-ful of AP classes coming to a head, prom, graduation, etc. I'm already anticipating D's "evil twin" to move back into the house in mid-March.</p>
<p>As with the rest of life, it would be nice if we could more evenly distribute high school "stressors", hmm?</p>
<p>I hear ya. I think my D is going to pop if one more person asks where she's going to college next year. Of course she has her two top choices but until we get the financial packets nothing is settled for sure. I sure wish I knew exactly how this would fall so we could have a certain game plan in place. Wishful thinking huh?</p>
<p>On a brighter side, she got her first outside scholarship this weekend (Elks) - it was great to see her so excited to actually be recognized and see the payoff of working on scholarship apps...!</p>
<p>Congrats, basket. D has been applying for outside scholarships, too, and has been told she's a semi-finalist for a couple. It's nice to get some kind of tidbits, sounds like your D got a REAL treat already! D has her response to "where are you going to college" down to a really long sentence that she can (and usually does) say in one breath.... :)</p>
<p>Even though I know it's way to early to expect anything, I open the mailbox everyday thinking <em>maybe</em> something good is going to be in there. I'm having a much harder time with the wait than my son is. After the daily barrage of unsolicited enthusiastic mailings from colleges, now that we want to hear from them...a deafening silence.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Even though I know it's way to early to expect anything, I open the mailbox everyday thinking <em>maybe</em> something good is going to be in there. I'm having a much harder time with the wait than my son is. After the daily barrage of unsolicited enthusiastic mailings from colleges, now that we want to hear from them...a deafening silence.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm with you on the mail vigil, as well as asking my daughter everyday, when she gets home from school, if she's checked her email yet. Like abasket's D, she likes the schools that she's been accepted to so far, including 2 among her top choices, but nothing's settled yet, until we hear from the rest, and it seems like April 1 is seven months, rather than seven weeks, away.</p>
<p>One of the schools my d applied to sent her an acceptance on March 1 (with a nice merit award) even though they said the notification date was April 1. So keep checking the mailbox!</p>
<p>My son redistributed some of these stressors himself, by arranging his schedule for Sr. year such that the last trimester was very light in terms of AP and other heavy courses.</p>
<p>My D has gotten involved in a new EC that involves some volunteering and she loves it. Unfortunately, her grades have slipped just a little (one subject-Physics...not her favorite) so she's planning on spending more time at home. She still has to hear from 3 more schools. These are annoying me, because none of these 3 with later apply by dates are keeping us up to date with outstanding requirements... We've been having to call and email them to make sure they have everything...all are common app schools. Is there a correlation?</p>
<p>Don't know....D had 2 common app schools; each has a status display on her online login that shows that they've received everything. I just imagine admissions offices with mounds and mounds of paperwork piled everywhere and haggard-looking folks who haven't slept in days slumped over files in a windowless conference room..... I just wish they'd hurry up, that's all.</p>
<p>APM, actually, you don't want them to hurry...you want them to get it "right," whatever "right" is. You'd hate for your S to be rejected because someone in haste didn't carefully consider part of his app, wouldn't you?</p>
<p>Yes, the waiting is the hardest part, as Tom Petty once said. And, like other parents have said, I am taking it harder than D, who is seemingly unaware of anything called "college" and is enjoying her final term in high school. She has already heard from two of her seven schools, but I am eagerly checking her college e-mail (not her personal one) on the off chance that she will get a "likely" e-mail from one of her reaches. I'm here on CC just trying to distract myself until I finally buckle down and do the IDOC thing. The financial aid stuff has not been fun!</p>
<p>I'm actually hoping that my son gets to have a nice life for a month or so before we go into full-anxiety mode about the April letters and the May 1 decision deadline, and he really starts separating himself from Life Until Now.</p>
<p>I'll join you all in your pacing. For us, it's our D's grad school decision, which seems to be even more complicated than undergrad because the acceptances trickle in before the funding guarantees.</p>
<p>She called tonight with a dilemma. It now looks like she may have to either accept or turn down an offer from one of her top choice schools before she's even heard from her other top choice school. She says she feels like she's on a game show where you can take what is visible in door #1, or take a chance on door #2. </p>
<p>It's possible she'd prefer door #1 no matter what lies behind door #2. She's leaning that way, but she's not sure. That's her dilemma. Truth be told, she thought she'd have what's behind door #2 wrapped up long ago, and would never even be in the running for door#1. But we all know that with college admissions, never expect the expected.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, H and I are sweating out her decision, waiting to hear her options, and hoping for the best from 3000 miles away. I can't sleep. Tomorrow she'll call, and let us know if she's going to stay on the east coast for another 5-8 years, or if she's coming back to California. :confused:
We just want what she wants, and hope she knows what that is.</p>
<p>I've often said that some of the biggest decisions in life have to be made without having all the "facts" or info available to you. You can have months to decide what kind of car to buy, or what color to paint your kitchen, but the biggies---college, jobs, etc.---sometimes have to be made when you have to really wing it. Good luck to your d and you.....</p>
<p>I'm glad you started this thread because I've been feeling the same way. </p>
<p>A trip to the mailbox yesterday yielded a full course catalog from one of the RD schools DS is waiting on. It seems I want to double and triple think every shred of information that comes our way in this process.</p>
<p>I remember thinking that Christmas of my S's senior year would be so much fun ... shopping for stuff for college, getting all those "Rah Rah" sweatshirts, t-shirts ... maybe a tv for his dorm room. Yeah, right! Since he didn't know what school -- well, he hopes, but doesn't want to hope too hard -- I couldn't buy spirit stuff. And, since one of the school's he's looking at is near home, and he's not sure if he'll live at the dorms (he's been accepted there), no need to get all that good dorm junk like fridges and such. What a major bummer. <g> So, we sit patiently and wait. Actually, I believe he's much more patient than I am ... I only check the status pages at the schools ...uh, twice a day, which is so stupid, I know. Meanwhile, my D, who's a sophomore, is watching the mailbox because schools have just discovered her excellent PSAT scores, so she's already getting stuff. And, I'm like ... "nooooo ... just a little longer; let's not do this again so quickly, shall we?"</g></p>
<p>The most stress for me was in the 2 weeks when S decided to apply for college and then Dec 31, when he finally got applications in. The months between Jan 1 and April 1 was breathing space.</p>
<p>Now its waiting to know if he's made it thru 2nd or 3rd round of interviews for internships. Then, ASAP reminds us that senior y of college will also be a decision time. I do think it gets easier. Even if one's child doesn't get into their top choice (s) for college, and still has a great experience, they learn to relax and accommodate.</p>