With respect to MIT, it honestly doesn’t matter whether it was a good or bad idea. At this point, it is done. She has submitted her application, and she has been invited to interview. She is moving forward with the process, and we should have an answer in 1.5 months.
Also, to those of you who think she would struggle with not being able to go IF she is accepted, you severely underestimate her grasp on her reality as well as her grit and determination. She’s not one to get discouraged by things that don’t work out, and she doesn’t deny the financial limitations of the world. She uses those perceived shortfalls as motivation to make sure it works out in her favor the next time. While I understand this approach may not work for others. I feel extremely confident that it is the right decision for my daughter.
We did the same thing - DS applied to 18 schools, 17 of them with plans for how they would be affordable (including merit, financial aid, and hard-to-get competitive scholarships that were long shots). The one that we had no plan for was Cornell. But at the time, it seemed like such a great fit except for the financial aspect, so we told him to apply anyway. He questioned the decision, and knew full well that there was the possibility of getting in and not being able to go.
He got in. We were thrilled and celebrated his accomplishment. It was a moment we will never forget. (It was Ivy Day - he was waitlisted at Harvard at the same time - the whole thing was surreal).
By that time(April is a LONG way from November), we had a few changes in our financial situation, and decided that if he wanted to attend, he could. Given that freedom, he decided to attend a different school - a public university with less prestige, but felt like a much better fit for him. The whole process was like an evolution - we knew SO much more in April than we did in the fall… moral of the story - have honest real conversations about limitations, but don’t limit your possibilities before the final decision is due.
Good luck to your daughter! I’m looking forward to updates
I don’t think applying to an unaffordable reach school is always a set-up for pain, disappointment, or what-ifs.
In ancient times, I was admitted to an Ivy but opted for a less prestigious school I could afford. For me, the acceptance I received didn’t create a lifelong “what if” — rather, it created a confidence boost and buffer against imposter syndrome. It helped me be less intimidated in the workplace with a certain set of professionals who liked to emphasize their alma maters.
My DD applied to one and only one reach school - Harvard. She wanted to know whether she could get in even though she knew I would not pay (full pay family). She got in, her classmates gave her a standing ovation when she went to school the next day (no one had been admitted from her high school in several years), and she was satisfied. She happily attended an OOS flagship on a fabulous full ride and had a wonderful time. No regrets. To show you she had no what if’s, she applied to Harvard again for deferred admission for her MBA. When she was accepted and also accepted to another school, though she agonized about the decision, she said no to Harvard again as the other school was a better fit.
It’s totally fine to apply to one school just to see for some students. I wouldn’t say all. It really depends on the student. Some may never get over having to turn the reach school down. I do think it helped that my DD had a great undergrad experience and accomplished more than she probably would have at Harvard. Regrets are often tied to how things work out.
A modest proposal: That this sentence be be somehow permanently affixed to the inside of the eyelids of every person who considers posting anything on College Confidential.
She was just admitted to Clemson! I am really excited that she was part of the first batch of acceptances because Clemson is the only place that she applied that did not have rolling admissions or an EA option. She should hear from all of her schools by Christmas.
I want to thank the parents who have recently shared their positive experiences with having their kids apply to one school that seemed financially unviable. Your experiences seem to be mirroring what is happening at our house. I definitely have some thoughts on this issue, but I want to wait until my daughter decides where she is going before I talk about them.
As a poster above mentioned, the college search changes drastically between August and April. I can see the evolution of my daughter’s search in just a few short months. While I don’t know where she will land, I do strongly suspect that her final decision will be based on two factors, one of which was not on her radar in August. I don’t want to say to too much about these factors now, but I will after she makes her final decision.
Yes, I’m happy to hear these comments too. Our family has saved and saved and I’ve been happy to see NPCs from all her schools show that with aid and merit all are affordable, except one. That One is a top if not THE top school. It is a really, really good fit and only possible if she gets very generous merit. She absolutely understands the situation and will absolutely apply. If things don’t work out she will be very disappointed but I think she will likely have other great choices. We’ll see.
I liked UGA but not known for engineering. I believe their programs became ABET accredited the past few years. They might be looking to expand and grow their engineering school. Idk.
UGA is looking to expand and grow its engineering school. That can either be a plus or a minus. Without being named a Foundation Fellow (FF), I suspect my daughter will end up elsewhere. The FF program sounds pretty incredible!
We have known this since last spring, but if my daughter ends up a large state school, I think she will want to be a part of a cohort program. Alabama has Randall Research while Mississippi State has the Presidential/Provost Scholars. UGA has the FF, and Clemson has National Scholars. Acceptance into one of those cohorts would play a huge role in her final decision. UCF treats their NMFs as a cohort, but I want to do more research on this.
The next few days will be busy with college items. First, my daughter’s MIT interview is this afternoon. Second, she’s trying to wrap up a few scholarship applications this weekend. And third, we head to Clemson for an on campus visit on Monday. It will be her first campus visit to a school where she has already been accepted!
Also, we found out yesterday that Luke van Blaricom is no longer UCF’s National Merit representative. Does anyone what happened or where Luke went (not sure if he is still with UCF)? Also, UCF changed some verbiage on their web site to indicate that NMF package will not be what it has been in prior years (naming UCF as your first choice school MAY make you eligible for additional scholarships). If that is the case, I think it is safe to say that UCF will be coming off my daughter’s list.
We toured Clemson earlier this week, and we had a really nice time. We had visited in the summer of 2020, and the campus was a ghost town. However, Admissions had directed us to a map with a self-guided tour on the back. After this visit, I can say that the self-guided tour provided by Clemson was amazing! We really felt like we knew where everything was on campus this time, and we had absolutely no problem getting our bearings.
Having said that, we met with engineering for a casual one-on-one meeting. He was able to answer all of our questions, and it sounds like my daughter’s AP credit will take care of all her freshman year requirements except for two required engineering classes. On top of that, the Honors College offers honors sections for many engineering classes. This is a huge draw for us because most of the other schools have recommended fulfilling the Honors requirement with gen ed classes, but my daughter has/will place out of those. For those colleges, it’s disappointing that my daughter cannot avail herself of many of the benefits of Honors classes (small class size and better instructors). On a different note, the AO asked where else my daughter has applied (She was very excited to mention that she had been accepted to Clemson!), and when she mentioned that was a NMSF and will be getting nearly full rides at both Alabama and Mississippi State, he told us very directly that Clemson will not be able to compete with those offers. He touted the advantages of Clemson, but honestly, Clemson has always been a long shot for that reason. We know that they are stingy with merit aid, but we will have to wait until spring to see what the numbers look like.
After the meeting with engineering, we grabbed a quick bite to eat in Downtown Clemson before heading over for our campus tour. Side note - Downtown Clemson is such a cute college town, and it feels very safe! The campus tour was great, and it was a nice bonus that our tour guide was a Chemical Engineering Major in the Honors College. She was extremely friendly and personable.
Overall thoughts - The campus was very much how we remembered it, but it was so nice seeing students! Also, the campus felt more open than we were expecting, and that was a good thing. No masks were required outside, even on the campus tour. Masks were required inside buildings, unless you were in an employee’s personal office with the door closed. All the people we encountered were friendly and helpful. Clemson has a lot going for it, but I suspect the money is going to be a hurdle. Our decision is not going to come down to cost alone, but I suspect Clemson will be above our budget. I think that we would all love to see it on the list when decision time comes.
Today was an exciting day in our house. My daughter was admitted to UGA as well as the Honors College. We didn’t realize that Honors College decisions would be released today so that was a very welcome surprise. Also, for the first time, my daughter’s friends also received acceptances at the same time as she did. It’s a reminder that this isn’t just about picking the right college; it’s a phase of her life that is passing quickly. Too quickly for Mom.
My S22 got into UGA and the honors college as well. We too are hunting merit. I’ve heard from several sources that EA admit to UGA with auto admit to honors does not necessarily translate to a decent merit award, or even any at all. Different departments review scholarships and it is more holistic than honors auto admit. I guess we’ll see! My son really likes UGA though. Good luck!
