<p>This CC forum has given me my sanity. DD seems to take it in stride, busy with the Spring Musical...me one the other hand....now I am wondering if I should be booking the airline reservations during Spring Break. We plan to visit the schools she is accepted to-and most of them are on the East Coast...any suggestions parents? Cost is a factor-and I don't know if it is better to buy the tickets now-figuring she will get accepted by at least one or more--or wait till we get the actual notice??? What are you doing???</p>
<p>I would resist the temptation to book until I knew where I'd be visiting and where I wouldn't. That's me. Everyone makes a different decision when trading time for dollars.</p>
<p>APOL - I'm not sure what would work for you or others, but I'll share what we did last spring about visiting schools after acceptances. My daughter had already made at least preliminary visits during the summers before applying. </p>
<p>She was admitted to one school EA in December, so she knew that she wanted to plan on visiting that school during their admitted students' days. It was in California and the only school she'd applied to out there, so we made arrangements for her to visit once we learned those dates and got a relatively decent deal on airfare. In January, she was admitted to UNC, and she definitely wanted to visit, but we figured since we were in state, we could take our time in arranging that, since it was just a few hours' drive.</p>
<p>The challenges were the other 6 schools she had applied to and not knowing which, if any, she might be admitted to. Each of the remaining schools was ranked equally in her mind, with no clear preference. At the end of March, she was admitted to two schools in Massachusetts, so we bought one plane ticket for her to fly to Boston to visit the first school, then a bus ticket to go visit the other, and then a return flight out of another city closer to that school. That plan was all set until . . . three other acceptances came in very unexpectedly (plus a waitlist). There was no way she could visit all of the schools, so she made a decision to eliminate the school she was going to visit via bus and visit a school close to the one she was already scheduled to see near Boston. That involved paying I think an extra $100 to change the plane ticket, but it saved the bus fare and hotel at the school she eliminated.</p>
<p>In the end, she ended up not being able to make return visits to three of the schools she'd been admitted to. It was hard to eliminate three schools without visiting them, but it was hard enough making arrangements to visit the others without missing an excessive amount of school. </p>
<p>We sent my D solo on those visits. Part of that decision was that we had another child at home, I couldn't afford the time away from work at that time, but perhaps most importantly, we wanted to make sure she was comfortable traveling all over and negotiating planes, trains, subways, etc. in unfamiliar cities. It was a good test and adventure for her. Trying to bring the whole family would definitely have added a big expense, not just in airfare, because you would have had hotels, too. As an admitted student visiting schools, the main expense was just getting there. The schools were all very good about providing a student host, and in the case of official admitted student days, providing free food and entertainment as well.</p>
<p>Sorry if that was probably more detail than you wanted or needed.</p>
<p>Nceph, where did she wind up?</p>
<p>I'm assuming that all that travel and getting around added incredibly to her confidence.</p>
<p>I confess...I'm also addicted to my mailbox. I have a ritual of closing my eyes and reaching in for the mail to see if there are any fat envelopes. My mind knows it's way too early to hear from the rest of her schools, but I just can't help myself!</p>
<p>My D has completely tuned-out of the whole thing, since she was accepted to one of her top choices already. She's keeping herself busy with school, activities and a social life. Meanwhile, I'm researching every possible thing about the schools she has applied to. My friends are just as obsessed as I am. Every conversation always leads back to college talk. I’ll be doing this again next year with my other daughter!</p>
<p>Glad I found this website!!!</p>
<p>On the subject of college visits after acceptances, even after touring many colleges, my D applied to several schools that she only drove by. We know we like the areas they are in, but I intend to insist that she visit them if they accept her.</p>
<p>I'm sorry to hear that, a.p.mom. But personally, I think the snow is contributing greatly to a vast body of students. I was supposed to have a review test for history today, for which I had to read 10 chapters... but now....... I really think God is on my side for sure.</p>
<p>astrophysicsmom- I definitely know what you and others are going through, because we went through it last year. Everything did converge into one big mess in April, where college visits raised the stress-level in the classroom because of missing class, and of course, prom and other things that distract the already-very-distractable seniors didn't help either. </p>
<p>As for dealing with the uncertainty of admissions, my daughter really did do a good job of keeping all of her choices equally ranked in her mind, and on any given day could have made a case for any one of them being her first choice. I thought that was a safe way of preparing for uncertain results. After the applications are filed, and until the results are in, there's no reason I can see to start forming preferences. </p>
<p>Oh, and VeryHappy - My D ended up at Harvard, which was the sort of last minute addition to her schedule. Had anyone asked her in February if she would end up there, she would have said "no," because she didn't expect to get in and didn't expect to like it. I think students and parents look at schools very differently after there's an offer of admission.</p>
<p>I've been wondering how we'll handle the visits. Of the 10 schools my son's applied to, we've visited them all, but half in the summer. We're going to wait until the acceptances come and then plan a trip during April break, but I doubt we can cover CA, OR, , PA and MD. Maybe we'll go to the west coast during the break and take a couple of school days off for the east coast schools. Of course, he might not get in everywhere.</p>
<p>bethievt - I think once the acceptances are in, you son will realize that there are some schools that he just could not imagine choosing over some others. If he gets into A, B and C and can't imagine picking C over either A or B, there'd be no reason to visit C. At least that's how it worked for my D. We did say that if she felt any need to visit C after seeing A and B, that we'd figure out a way to do it, but it was going to be a contingency plan only. Our spring break fell before the acceptances came out, so we didn't have that option for visiting, which left us with very limited time to visit. If you're not trying to hit all of the official accepted student days, it'll be more feasible to visit more schools when you want to.</p>
<p>nceph</p>
<p>I have a feeling that it will happen as you say; that when he knows where all he can go, some places will rise to the top. It will be interesting to see.</p>
<p>You all crack me up...what a relief to know that I am one of many who has worn a path to the mailbox while my S patiently waits for news (whose the adult here?!?!) What is even more funny to me is that my HS Senior, who for months received more mail than every one in our household combined, is virtually not getting any mail, and yet my HS Sophomore is getting 2 or 3 mailings a day from colleges.....here we go again and I don't have closure on my oldest yet! :eek:</p>
<p>Oh thank goodness!!! I am not alone!!! Thanks to all of you on this thread</p>
<p>We are waiting primarily for UC results (Mar1-Apr1). I just want to know, when did February become the longest month of the year? S is cool, calm, and collected....only irritated by the daily question 'did you check your email?'. I have now been informed that he will notify me if/when he gets something interesting in email and to stop bugging him.</p>
<p>We went to my S's web page at a school he's been accepted to and pushed the extend button on a scholarship he's been offered. Eventhough the offer letter says there will be no loss of scholarship even if you push the extend button ('til may 1st), it was still scary. There are no ducks in a row in this houshold ... they're scattered about, quacking in my dreams and my S sleeps down the hallway ignoring the cacophany.</p>
<p>So not fair ...</p>
<p>Zebes</p>
<p>Thank you all, especially nceph and TheDad, for your input as to whether I should buy airline tickets now for spring break without knowing which schools would send acceptance letters. Its a tough call. After listening to you, I think I am of the mind to wait-I will have a week to book the trip after hearing from the schools-I just have to trust that everything will work out!
On another note---when your child received their acceptance, was the financial aide packet sent along with it, or is it sent separately? All of my D's schools send out their decisions at the same time-end of March/beginning of April-none were rolling admissions. Thank you in advance for your insight.</p>
<p>This is a great thread to read. I have been doing the same thing. Going to one of my D's college websites twice a day, EVERY DAY, because I know it's one that could change any day. We heard from one rolling admit. with great news a week ago. There is this one I look at. Then the others are all late March to April 1. It's ridiculous that I'm so obsessed. In the meantime, my daughter is so casual about it. She never even asks about the mail. If only she would show more interest or angst, I could assume a different role and say, "just be patient, stop looking everyday and you'll get a nice surprise when you least expect it..." But we have different perspectives. Different reasons for wanting to know and a different sense of time. But whoever said to be glad they aren't rushing your child's decision, that's a good point.</p>
<p>The waiting is hard, isn't it!!! :eek: In our case, we're just waiting for financial aid packages and a few honors program decisions. (Ah, the glory of early action and rolling admissions decisions!) But still, the waiting seems hard. I am just about to send off the idoc forms and then I will be waiting with baited breath to see which of DS's options meet the test of affordability and fit. I am just ready to have this all done with - and move onto the fun stuff like buying extra-long sheets. ;) March will be a long month, too, I think...</p>
<p>Yes, I want to buy the sheets and stuff too. I'm not a recreational shopper, but I love buying stuff for my son. That part will be so much fun, but this waiting is hard. Then I do feel silly being so anxious, with all the real problems in the world, but there it is. I'm silly.</p>
<p>Now that's just mean ... Checked mail, saw envelope with one of the schools we're waiting on, and as heart begins to beat faster ... I notice it's one of the myriad letters my soph daughter's getting after her PSAT's. Aaaargh!</p>
<p>Zebes</p>
<p>Zebes---that's funny. D2 (soph) got 7 college mailings yesterday; 4 today. We told D1 (sr) that she'd been officially dumped in the "lost cause" files. So far, D2 hasn't received any mailings from D1's schools....but just in case, I'll be sure to read the addressee info before I get too thrilled, thanks to your experience :)</p>