@gr8pl8 I purposely persuaded my kid not to apply to other top schools after he got into Stanford REA, so he doesn’t have to waste time comparing and deciding. Stanford was the only college among top 10 schools he applied to. I also got a decent impression of Stanford at the Los Angeles reception, but my kid will commit to Stanford right after the Admit Weekend in all likelihood.
Her first choice was Yale…applied REA but was differed to RD then rejected. Second choice was Harvard but waitlisted. Accepted to Columbia the day before Stanford decision came out and we were thrilled…she got into an IVY. She has been to Stanford twice before for intensive debate camp and HS debate tournament finals. She really likes Stanford and after meeting some of the students (five of her classmates also were accepted from her HS, and I believe three of her classmates from last year also attend) and the admit officers she is leaning toward going to Stanford. On the 21st she will be visiting Columbia the the following weekend the admit days at Stanford. She will make her decision on the 30th after a family meeting at UCSC where my son is a RA student.
Congrats on your student getting accepted REA. If we only knew that the regional admissions officer really like my daughter we would have taken your road but her dream was to go Yale. It will be all good in the end.
@gr8pl8 My kid told me that many students were “on the fence” between 2 or more schools at the Los Angeles Reception. He said he almost wished he applied to other top schools so he can add to the conversation and have some kind of choice to make.
My kid told me since he’s the type of person (he will study non-STEM) who likes to learn from smarter people than him, he is glad that Stanford has many STEM-oriented students. I thought Dean Shaw, the professor Sopolsky and others were great. So far, no big negatives.
We never imagined that Stanford would accept her. The admit rate is outrageous. We knew of one other REA from our HS (PVPHS) and he is really smart…D looks up to him.
It is much better to not have a choice IMO. The stress is overwhelming sometimes…she is crying a lot because financially Stanford much better for us and Columbia, her other choice, is where she wants to go to because it is in NYC. It is hands down Stanford a better school and she has said so but she loves NYC. The city has won her heart but deep down she know Stanford would be best for her personality.
No negative here for sure…Go CARDINAL!
@gr8pl8 There are many academically smarter kids than my kid in his HS, but he is the only one who got into Stanford. I think he’s somewhere around 25th out of 500+ kids. He’s a likable and appreciative kid though, and it showed in his essays.
He’s excited to go there, and we are happy for and supportive of him; but I would have been just as happy if he decided to go to an Honors College with free tuition etc. I did not want him to go to Berkeley If he could avoid it.
If your daughter really wants to go to Columbia, she should. My kid is going to Stanford because it really was his number one choice even if he had gotten into all colleges in the world. For that, I am glad. Not many kids can say he’s going to his number one choice. I told him to be prepared to get Bs and Cs.
@websensation I believe she is leaning toward Stanford because of the way they presented themselves. The SoCal admit officer has made a huge impact with her personal letter to her referencing my D’s essay. 95% of the people who know her have suggested she go Cardinal!
@gr8pl8 Since I only went to Stanford receptions so far, I have no other college to compare to, but everyone was nice. From my research, Stanford students did seem more collaborative and seemed happier (maybe due to weather etc.).
Found this forum late in the search process but a decision has finally been made. For my son, 18:
Accepted: Bucknell, St. Anselm, Carroll College, UC-Davis, UC-Santa Barbara, Cal Poly - SLO, Davidson, St. Anselm, Bradley, Denver University, Franklin and Marshall
Wait List: Wake Forest - ignored the wait list letter, never really wanted to go anyways
Rejected: Duke
Final Decision (paid the deposit yesterday): Bucknell with a Presidential Fellowship. We are Californians but the Bucknell cost is going to be close enough in costs to pass up the UC’s and SLO. He also wanted a school less than 5k students and felt like he needed to “go find himself”. Scared to death he’ll be homesick but hoping he quickly finds his niche in the arts and writing communities - Greek may be in his future but it’s unlikely - he’s a unique individual who doesn’t have a need to be surrounded by large groups of friends.
He visited the NC and PA schools summer 2016 and immediately proclaimed Bucknell his #1 choice. It’s a stretch on our budget but we agree with his choice and think it will set him up for success in the Arts, Creative Writing, Journalism majors he’s most interested in.
His HS Stats:
4.6 weighted GPA, SAT 1430, ACT 34, Class Rank 16/350, 10 AP classes (3 5’s on the exams)
2 Years Drama, Musical Theater, Music composition
CSF Secretary
Multiple Campus Clubs
HS Newspaper Editor
Church Volunteer
Summer job @ major local amusement park
(For many of these brag sheets that I’ve read, his extracurriculars seemed a little weak in retrospect)
While I think his numerical stats are outstanding, I truly believe his success was in his interviews and essays - and recommendations. We didn’t review them but we’ve seen his high school writing and he has a gift of vocabulary and clarity. I look back now and think “what the heck are we putting our kids through?” I’m a manager that reviews so many engineering applications and I’ve never once given any weight to where an applicant went to college. My hope is that Bucknell provides the growth atmosphere and future alumni network in a work arena that is becoming nearly impossible for even the best college graduates. If you don’t start the internship in college - you’re already behind.
^^ Congrats!
@websensation - Yes, they seem to be very nice. We have decided not to talk about college to D until after the Columbia and Stanford admitted students days. She absolutely wants all 5’s on the 5 AP’s she will be taking. She knows that most of the AP will not apply to Columbia and Stanford
Still, I’m for Cardinal Red.
DD was accepted at:
Boston College Honours College
Davidson
Georgetown
Middlebury
Northeastern Honours College
Tufts
U. of Richmond
U. of Virginia
Still deciding and it is likely to go down to May 1st!
@Noworries12 Thank you! We’re both very excited. He really is amazing. Just last night, he made us, from scratch, Moroccan Yam Salad and a big green salad for dinner – and then went and did his homework after working a full shift at the grocery store. I’m very blessed. He rarely every complains.
@HazeGrey Yep, the ROTC set up is a pretty important consideration. I was Air Force, so he is leaning in that direction. The commute to AF ROTC at Princeton is pretty lengthy by bus so that’s a drawback. The commute to AF ROTC at Harvard is only about a 20-30 minute walk.
@Postmodern Ya, that ended up getting published. Neither he nor I initiated that. But,I’m kind of glad it did (in a way) because it gives witness to the struggles that not only he faced growing up in the face of addiction but that many kids face growing up in similar circumstances. He and I have spent so much time all throughout his childhood talking through what happened and how to understand it and frame it in the most truthful way possible. He had to mature quickly in the face of adversity. And he has been able to rise above it so far, but not without a lot of struggle and not without hurt…and not without a lot of help. It truly takes a village. It’d be impossible to thank everyone who had a hand in forming him into the man he is becoming. But there is a long list.
Ultimately, he came to realize that the truth is, no one can ever say (with any intellectual honesty), that they are better (or worse) than any other person or that you yourself, or any other person, lacks worth. If you were born as such-and-such person, with their DNA and had all of their same experiences, the best you can do is say that you MIGHT have done a better “job” than that person. But, you also might have done worse. There is no way to know.
There is no way to incorporate all of the trillions and trillions of variables into that kind of calculus. You would need a super-computer the size of a galaxy to even begin to kind of make a determination like that. And no one has that kind of super-computer. Thus, no one can judge you and you can’t judge anyone else. And that leaves you free…free of the condemnation and judgment of others and, very importantly, free of your own judgment of yourself and others.
That idea has been so important to his ability to transcend the anger and sadness surrounding his mom and instead, embrace detachment, acceptance, and forgiveness. The experience with his mom became a great source of wisdom for him (and me as well). He has developed a great empathy for the world around him. I respect the heck out of him.
@SoleCustodyDad Your kid sounds like a great person. My son didn’t go through the kind of experience your kid went through, but he’s super appreciative for everything he has and shows it to us. While many parents had to “push” their kids to do homework or do this or that and be less lazy, we had to tell our kid to take it easy.
@websensation I’m actually pretty optmistic about our collective future. There are some truly amazing kids out there that I’m pretty confident are going to make this world a better place.
DS is going to RPI and is interested in the co-terminal BS/MB or BS/PhD programs. RPI has a Summer Arch program where the entering 2017 students will take class during the summer between Soph and Jr year and do a co-op or intership in fall or spring instead of being on campus.
Hi everyone, I am seeking some input on whether my son should go to UNC or UC Berkeley for business. He is in-state for UNC but Berkeley seems to be a better option. He would have to apply to get into their respective business schools, but I believe he can get into UNC’s easily and Berkeley’s will be hard/competitive due to the nature of things there. I was also wondering about the job prospects and such. He is not too into tech, so he would mostly go a pure business route even at Berkeley. He is not sure what field/specific aspect of business he would like to go into, but he is considering consulting, management, and investment banking as of now. he like the idea of also starting a business in college if he gets the right idea, so is the “startup” culture at Berkeley something he should be more inclined towards? He has initiative and always seeks out opportunities, but I feel like he would be able to stand-out more at UNC. However, a Berkeley degree and education seems to hold more value going forward.
Investment banking salary averages are $82,000 for UNC and $83,666 for Berkeley.
Consulting salary averages are $69,500 for UNC $73,406 for Berkeley
General management salary averages are $47,667 for UNC and $73,800 for Berkeley.
Overall salary averages are $66,325 for UNC with a $7,085 signing bonus $74,942 for Berkeley with a $8,500 signing bonus
I know these numbers only mean so much, but just thought of including it for perspective.
Other than for Investment Banking, most Berkeley students get employed in the Bay Area, where the cost of living is extremely high, while UNC students usually go to Raleigh or Charlotte, where cost of living is less. Why are the consulting averages still relatively the same then?
I would appreciate any advice and input. He has also been admitted to Babson, Wake Forest, McCombs at UT-Austin, Kelly at Indiana, and Carroll at Boston College, but I think UNC and Berkeley are his best options as of now, but please feel free to share insight on any of the schools I mentioned. Thanks!
@business20211111 - Can you afford to pay full for Berkeley with no financial aid?
@TiggerDad I am hoping he gets the output, so yes, I am willing to pay ~$240,000 over 4 years, but $100,000 for UNC is still something I am considering.
Our D (MA res) unfortunately had some rotten luck. Deferred then rejected UVA, WL at WM and UR. All 3 of those schools were academic matches although she did not declare a major, no hooks and OOS is tough for WM and UVA. We did expect an offer from her top pick UR though and she was pretty crushed. Accepted at her safeties UMass-Amherst and UConn. No honors college invites and admissions at UMass told her GC that being undecided was the reason why she was not invited. Our advice - pick a major! She is going to UConn unless she clears a WL and gets a good financial offer which clearly is unlikely!! She is now considering medicine so UConn will serve her well for that. I did advise her to apply to more than 5 schools to give her more options but teens won’t be told soemtimes! She is 7/350 in her grade and has worked so hard and feels like she got cheated but life is unfair at times and it’s just the way it goes sometimes! At least she will be close to home!
@business20211111 I would strongly recommend UNC - CH. First of all, it will be a better overall college experience than Cal and he will be in a more collegial environment. If he does well he should have a great shot at the Charlotte banks plus Wall Street. My friends that have kids at UNCCH love the school.