<p>My son is in love with Cornell College. I was the one who suggested it originally. But I would much rather if he went closer to home, Austin College. In fact, to be honest, I would rather he go to community college and then university than have him 1000+ miles away.</p>
<p>I think Cornell College seems great. It also seems to have a better name than Austin College. Every time I mention Austin College to anyone, they think I am referring to a community college. I find that to be very frustrating.</p>
<p>Is anyone else dealing with what I am dealing with?</p>
<p>I need to add that he does also really like Austin College, it is just that it is his 2nd choice, not first.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t worry yet. He may change his mind from now until April, the schools’ offers may change his mind for you or you may find something that you like better about his first choice. I would worry more about the fact that it sounds like you don’t think he’s ready to go ahead. Any way to work double-time on getting him ready? You could always suggest a gap year if you think that would help.</p>
<p>lmkh70, I suspect you are having what is a natural reaction. It is so HARD to have them far away after they have been tucked under your wing for so long. Believe me, I am feeling it, with my last one as a senior in HS this year. That cozy little LAC in our town seems SO GREAT for her when I think about it. Or how about the fantastic one just 30 miles down the road? Okay… so then pick one that is at least an easy one-hop direct plane ride if you MUST go away. Can I say that I have found myself wishing in the middle of the night that she doesn’t get into the far away schools, then feeling bad after thinking it?</p>
<p>But I know that it is my D2’s journey, and I have to let her go. I have done it with one, and she thrived and is launched in a career in a city she loves. </p>
<p>Here is the good news about Cornell College. It is not a likely spot to be damaged by a hurricane! Or an earthquake… And they are very well versed in handling blizzards in Iowa, so at most he will get a snow day and extra hot cocoa if one occurs. It is also a very low crime location. So… he will be fine. Safe, and where he wants to be. My advice is to let him make the decision, as it is really his life to live. But send him a lot of care packages! That made both of us feel better when D1 went away to school.</p>
<p>Why not have him apply to both for now and then wait and see what happens with admissions? Some of the anguishing may prove unnecessary. Financial aid may decide it for you - or he may have a change of heart.</p>
<p>And if his maturity is what has you concerned, then I second the idea of a Gap Year. Check out The Gap Year Advantage by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson. Lots of food for thought.</p>
<p>Have you read some of the candid student reviews about Cornell College? Google to find some. You should share them with your son. I recall a fair number of students dislike the block scheduling, and I think the school’s reputation is somewhat inflated/dated. We did tour school, liked the town, thought the campus was “nice”, but its facilities didn’t compare with other Midwest LACs. Seemed more like a high school boarding school than collee campus. Also, science building was distinctly modest, and campus doesn’t have a swimming pool - which seemed odd - and cell service was very spotty.</p>
<p>Yes, my comments are perhaps irrelevant, but I do think that negative qualities should be considered too.</p>
<p>higgins2013–I have to agree with higgins–Cornell doesn’t have that great of a reputation. It’s a GREAT school for kids that have ADD or need extra help getting through college because of the block scheduling, after that, I wouldn’t send kids to that school. There are SO many better options. Does he only have 2 schools on his list? How about some other schools in Texas (assuming that is where Austin College is)-like Trinity or Southwestern?</p>
<p>Maybe the block system is what is attractive to him. Nothing wrong with that.Mt. Vernon is a nice small town and if he is like most residential students most of his time will be spent on campus. A “great school” really is a relative term. My daughter complains that her elite east coast school is like living in a bubble and it is a half hour from Boston! Let him explore.It sounds like that is what he is suggesting.</p>
<p>Thing to remember (unless finances preclude this )…your KIDDO is going to college, not you. It is far more important for the kid to choose his top choice than it is for him to choose YOUR top choice. It would be one thing if this school were awful, overpriced, didn’t have courses of study he wants, etc. BUT the only issue I see here is that the kiddo doesn’t share your top choice from the schools to which he has applied. </p>
<p>My opinion…if you REALLY didn’t want him attending a certain school, you should not have allowed, even encouraged him to apply.</p>
<p>OP, I can understand your concerns about your child moving far away from home, but here’s my perspective after having a child away at school for a few weeks: No matter how far away or how close your child is geographically, when he goes away to college, he will be very far away metaphorically! Whether your kid calls home a little or a lot, going away to college is a major passage. In my case, having my child away at college is a poignant reminder that she is no longer my little girl. This has been good news for my family, but it has also been unsettling, even if it is 100 percent appropriate developmentally. Certainly, having a child far away may not work for all families. At the same time, if your child is ready to leave and wants to leave his familiar turf, that’s a big part of what it means to go away to college. </p>
<p>With regard to Cornell College: I visited the college last spring. Some of the campus facilities require some sprucing up, but the campus and town are charming nonetheless. Something to consider is that it is under new management: They inaugurated a new, dynamic and charismatic president last school year. He is evidently a pretty cool guy; he’s one of those leaders who walks around the campus and talks to everyone (students, faculty, secretaries, groundskeepers) because he really does consider every member of the campus community to be important.</p>
<p>If you suggested it, took him to see it, and let him apply, I think you have to let him go through with it. You’re the one who is getting “cold feet”. It looks like my son may be another one over 1000 miles from home. We’ll have to start a thread offering support for each other, and all the other parents in similar situation. I see that one thread has started on how to ship items.</p>
<p>“Thing to remember (unless finances preclude this )…your KIDDO is going to college, not you. It is far more important for the kid to choose his top choice than it is for him to choose YOUR top choice”</p>
<p>YES! Exactly! If ever kids SHOULD move far from home and spread their wings, it’s at college, before they have SO’s and kids and mortgages and jobs. It’s exactly the time to try new places and ways of life. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that of my 4 siblings and I, those of us who went more than an hour away for college are the ones with broader views and have taken on more challenges in life, even if some of us moved back to our hometowns.</p>
<p>Then there’s the whole issue of pushing OUR wants on our kids. Kids who choose a school or a major because that’s what mom/dad want instead of for themselves tend to end up struggling at some point. I don’t know any in that position who haven’t.</p>
<p>Well, I remember when he wasn’t excited about any colleges, so overall this is good news.
Unless finances or something else preclude it, I recommend you let him make the ultimate decision, but you can certainly engage him on pros and cos of different schools. Let him apply to both, maybe spend more time at both, especially if he gets in, and worry more as Mar 1st gets closer. Remember, it’s only for a semester at a time…</p>
<p>SteveMA, I totally disagree with your assessment and think it’s unfair to both the OP and Cornell College. I have read many great things about Cornell and think it offers an intriguing alternative to the traditional four-class-at-a-time pattern of most LACs. Colorado College is also on the block plan, and a lot of kids like that school too. </p>
<p>Second, you know nothing about the child in question or what his options are. For all you know Cornell College is a stretch for him. Or maybe HE JUST LIKES IT. As Icarus said, what constitutes a great school is relative. It’s insulting to insinuate that your “better options” are also those of the OP’s family.</p>
<p>To the OP: You might suggest a couple of options that are somewhere slightly closer than Cornell “just to see” if he is interested. Knox, Rhodes, and Hendrix might also appeal to him, even though they are not on the block plan.</p>
<p>“Why not have him apply to both for now and then wait and see what happens with admissions?”</p>
<p>Not directed at the OP’s situation, but if there really is a place you’d never ever let your kid go, I think it’s crueler to let them apply and have acceptance in hand and then say no versus just take it off the table at the start.</p>
<p>Unless finances or the given school is being chosen for sketchy reasons which bear on a student’s maturity, it should be the aspiring undergrad’s choice with some guidance from the parents.</p>
<p>Agree generally - but I think it’s a worse scar to “let” someone apply knowing that you’ll never let them go there, than to forbid them from applying in the first place. Neither is a great situation to be in, but I think it’s a lot deeper of a wound / scar when someone has an acceptance letter in hand already and then has it yanked away.</p>
<p>Also, remember, if you don’t let him move now, purely for the reason that you want him close, it’s very likely/possible he’ll just do it after graduation (most people I knew in college are not sticking around where their families are living). Also, know that it can create resentment (again, I am talking about a situation where it’s purely because you want him around, not becasue you can’t afford it or something). If he doesn’t want to stay in your area or around family, don’t force him.</p>
It is not a likely spot to be damaged by a hurricane! Or an earthquake… And they are very well versed in handling blizzards in Iowa, so at most he will get a snow day and extra hot cocoa if one occurs. It is also a very low crime location. So… he will be fine. Safe, and where he wants to be. My advice is to let him make the decision, as it is really his life to live. But send him a lot of care packages! That made both of us feel better when D1 went away to school.</p>