<p>I must say that I was bemused by the idea that plane tickets were required for a student to travel from Illinois to Georgia…college kids share rides, take the bus, take the train…</p>
<p>Hm. This thread seems to have morphed into a dysfunctional discussion of finances. We needed split hairs over others’ postings. Parents are trying to be helpful. Most of us have our habitual coping mechanisms which aren’t the same as others’. I made choices for my daughter that some posters here disapproved of that worked out for us.</p>
<p>The OP is just a kid, but he can pick and choose and take only those comments that are helpful to him. </p>
<p>He can also abandon the thread and not show up.</p>
<p>With two parents who disagreed already so engaged in the process, I’m not sure other points-of-view are that helpful, but he solicited them, so here there are.</p>
<p>OP: Good luck in getting all this sorted out. You have a lot of growing up to do, but then again, so do. Growth isn’t linear; we all have pockets of maturity and pockets of immaturity, and every learning curve is different.</p>
<p>I’m sure you will benefit from your college experiences, and I’m sure you take the good wishes of everyone here with you.</p>
<p>Re post #159.
Consolation, I currently write for a living. In fact, I’m in the process of doing final edits on a manuscript right now. A couple of major publishers are interested and I’m waiting to hear back for them. It will be my third published book.</p>
<p>My opinion is that EC writes pretty well, better than most kids I see. There are grammatical errors but they aren’t half as bad as a lot of what I see on CC, and I know that he will have a first semester writing course at Knox. They have those courses for a reason. My daughter attended Barnard, and she was appalled at the poor quality of writing from many of the other students in her first year writing section. My d. is an excellent writer who score 620 on the SAT CR. I’m guessing that most of her classmates with weak writing skills had better scores. If anything, I think that SATs are part of the reason crappy writers end up at top colleges – they get rewarded for filling out bubbles on a standardized test and writing a formulaic 5 paragraph essay instead of engaging in critical thinking and exploring different forms of written expression. When my daughter was deferred EA from Univ of Chicago, she supplemented her app by sending in extra writing samples – I think it was a wise choice. At the time, Chicago still made it clear that they valued quality of writing over SAT scores. </p>
<p>EC is going to do fine. His writing will probably improve a lot in college, but he’s already writes up to the standard that Knox or other colleges expect from incoming students. </p>
<p>I actually he has great strength as a writer, in part because he is prolific. The kids who really run into trouble in college are the ones who can’t seem to get the words out, who struggle over every sentence and are intimidated by the prospect of writing a 5 or 10 page paper. The first step of writing is to get the ideas out; the 2nd step is revision. You need to get past step #1 to get to step #2.</p>
<p>Calmom,
As a long time poster you are well aware that people will post what they feel is relevant, and as long as it is within the terms of service that is the way it is. The one who brought up dad’s income is you, so why are you now chastising any other posters who are appropriately addressing real financial concerns.</p>
<p>calmom, I used to write for a living, too.</p>
<p>The 800-scoring kid I know best was an excellent writer in high school, not formulaic in the least. :)</p>
<p>I think I made it clear that I see plenty of potential in EC’s writing. At the same time, he commits far more egregious errors than the average CC writer–and the average CC writer, as you point out, makes plenty of them. (Lay and lie, people. That’s all I’m sayin’ 
) That is why I would love to see him clean up his prose. (I also know that at my alma mater he would have been referred to remedial writing.)</p>
<p>I agree with your final paragraph. But revision only works if one is actually aware of one’s errors.</p>
<p>This family seems to come up with the funds when they need it, but the process sure is anxiety producing, even for those of us watching from afar.</p>
<p>I know my writing isn’t perfect, but it’s also hard to judge ones writing based on what they write on CC. I know I have errors and my writing will improve with time. And BTW the average CC writer is Ivy bound, so not a good comparison IMO.</p>
<p>The average CC writer to whom I refer is a parent. </p>
<p>And why not aspire to a high standard?</p>
<p>I was referring to other CC writers my age.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE<em>]
This family seems to come up with the funds when they need it, but the process sure is anxiety producing, even for those of us watching from afar.
[/QUOTE</em>]
</p>
<p>I agree with this. </p>
<p>I do realize that it is possible to drive from Illinois to GA, just not sure how many GA students are at Knox and whether schedules will work out. </p>
<p>I was a kid who couldn’t wait to get out of her hometown for college, so I can relate to EC. I think he will do great. </p>
<p>I am not judging his family’s situation, but it is worrisome. I think EC has a handle on it and I think Knox is a great choice.</p>
<p>It is about 13 hours from Illinois to GA. Not bad considering it takes 10 hours to get to South Florida and that’s a state away. I will probably fly though.</p>
<p>Honestly, my dad has told me several times that he could afford Wheaton, but it would be pushing it. I would be a lot more worrisome if I was to go to Wheaton because I would worry about finances a lot more then if I went to Knox. I know everyone is wishing me the best. I also don’t find it difficult to keep a 3.0, but I just don’t like the added pressure.</p>
<p>Knox is a great school. The location and campus may not be ideal, but the school is. I love the trimester system and how you only take three classes a term. </p>
<p>BTW, it looks like the visiting professor who is suppose to teach the Holocaust in Film and Theatre is actually a famous Israeli playwright.</p>
<p>The average cc’er is not ivy-bound. They may think so, or hope so, but there are only a handful of ivy schools with limited room. Read all the threads about the kids going to tier 2 or 3 schools, or wo have B, B+ grades, and are trying to find their niche. It is simply not true that the “average” cc’er is ivy bound, any more than it is true (not) that a family who juggles funds on an ongoing basis can afford, or not, without other juggling, scrimping or costcutting, to pay $6k for preschool. But thats exactly what is being pointed out here. Or at least some people are trying.</p>
<p>EC, I really do wish you success and happiness in college. However, it is important for you to learn how to expand your thought process and eliminate your propensity for selective hearing. This will increase your chances for success in an academic environment.</p>
<p>You had better in state options. You did not pursue them because of your own personal reasons. That’s fine. However, realizing your family is not known for being fiscally responsible you should have been spending the past 2 summers working jobs to save money. With all the research you have done regarding the college process, you know that the bottom line cost of a college is not really the bottom line cost. You are going to have to come up with money for other expenses—supplies, dorm room stuff, entertainment on weekends, pizza, personal hygiene products, transportation, books, electronics (laptop, calculator, cell phone, headphones), clothing, etc. Also, your family needs to find out if their medical insurance is going to cover you while you’re out of state. If not, they are going to have to purchase medical insurance from the college.</p>
<p>The fact that you were in a play during the year is not an excuse for not having a job. My kids played 2 Varsity sports throughout the school year and took numerous AP classes and still managed to squeeze in working during the weekends. They also worked all summer long since the age of 15. Before that, they mowed lawns in the neighborhood for money.</p>
<p>Skip your summer trip to Grandma and work. One thing you should know—you don’t wait until the summer to look for a job. The time to apply for summer jobs is NOW. </p>
<p>Don’t count of work/study. Yes, the money is available for you to earn, but unless you actually find a job and get the number of hours you need, you don’t get the money. The college doesn’t just give you a job. You need to find one.</p>
<p>As far as your idealistic idea of what college will be like, you may be in for a big surprise. You’ll understand what I mean once you’re on campus and on your own. </p>
<p>If you are serious about making your college choice more financially doable, you need to take responsibility and start earning some money. Think of all the hours you have spent on CC and how much money you could have earned during those hours. The financial burden should not be placed solely on your parents. You need to get off the computer, take personal responsibility, get a job, and start earning some money to contribute towards expenses.</p>
<p>Agree. My kids have always worked also and were expected to contribute to their college expenses. As lots of us have been saying,getting a job should be a priority. Your parents do have other expenses besides your college ones so it is only fair that you help pay for things.
I looked around on the Knox site since i really was not familiar with it. Sounds like a very nice school and looks like you’ve made a very good choice.</p>
<p>I had better instate options? Oh really. Please tell me which schools that would be? I had terrible options in Georgia. You really think Valdosta, GA State, West Georgia, Kennesaw, GCSU, etc are all better then Knox? HA. I would not get the same education at one of these schools then I would at Knox unless you think it’s enjoyable sitting in a lecture class with 500 people. And some of you may forget, but I did apply to GCSU and I got deferred then rejected. I know people who got in with a GPA lower then me, 0 honors and AP classes, but they scored 70 points higher on the SAT which doesn’t say much. I took over 10 honors classes and 5 AP classes, I think I deserve more then a local tier 4 college can give me. I have one of the hardest work ethics out there. A kid who got a full ride in USC in California and GA Tech doesn’t do anything any more since he’s been accepted to those schools. I, on the other hand, have done even better my senior year. Also, staying instate would not have been cheaper unless I was going to GGC or Perimeter. The College of Wooster’s average SAT score was doubled GCSU’s average SAT score. I got into Wooster and it’s not SAT Optional and with merit. BTW, I have nothing against any of the state schools in Georgia. Some of my best friends are going to them, but they’re just not for me. </p>
<p>At Knox, it’s very easy to work study. I never bought another laptop, so I am saving up for a mac. I plan on buying one this summer with all of the money I have saved. I think many may forget that I am a saver. I saved a lot of money to go to France and the cruise in the Caribbean. I’m glad your kids worked jobs before they were 15, but every kid is different. I’m sure they didn’t research colleges like I did. I will be going to Florida this summer. It’s really my last time to be a kid. I have work study to pay for added expenses. Knox has made it very simple and easy to get a job on campus.</p>
<p>Back to finances, since the school choice is irrelevant.</p>
<p>If the airline tickets to see grandma are already purchased, and if your trip is for longer than a week, either see if you can cut the trip back to a week (even if there is a small rescheduling fee) and in the meantime look diligently for a job here in town for the summer (they should hopefully work with you for a week off here and there for prescheduled travel and college registration, etc) or think of creative ways to earn some money at grandma’s. She may not live in a densely populated area or a highrise, but there must be people nearby who could use the help of an able-bodied young man. She can’t be living in the middle of the everglades, for heavens sake.</p>
<p>And the analogy to the drive to S FL is a good one, though actually its probably more like 11+ hrs to the Boca/Ft Lauderdale area and could be almost another hour to the Miami area. from metro Atlanta. From where you live its probably as far to drive to Miami as it is to Knox.</p>
<p>The airline tickets are already purchased. I am going to try and find a job once I come back, but I’m planning on going there for the month of June, so I can work in July and August. My grandmother doesn’t live in South Florida. She lives by Port Charlotte and Englewood, not exactly Boca or Fort Lauderadle. There is literally nothing to do where she lives, but I’m going there to spend time with family. I barely see them once a year. I also didn’t go last year. I’m from Palm Beach and it takes 10 hours to get there by car and Miami is two hours from Palm Beach, so essentially it takes around the same time.</p>
<p>
Seriously? There is not one fast food place or drugstore or movie theater or boat marina or store or restaurant or hotel/motel or person with a pool that could use any help, not to mention any other elderly person that could use some assistance? Here’s a list of things to do in Englewood [Englewood</a> Florida - Things to Do](<a href=“Construction Equipment Rentals & Tool Rentals - Sunstate Equipment”>Construction Equipment Rentals & Tool Rentals - Sunstate Equipment) and Pt Charlotte [Port</a> Charlotte, Florida Vacations, Tourism, Guides, Hotels, Things to Do, Restaurants - Yahoo! Travel](<a href=“http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-475101-port_charlotte_vacations-i]Port”>http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-475101-port_charlotte_vacations-i)</p>
<p>If you are going to be there in June, call around NOW to places there and see if they need help. Be proactive. As other have said, if you wait til you are there to look, it will be much harder to get something. Ditto for when you return home, to try to get something for July/August, when those jobs will be filled.</p>
<p>My grandparents have a pool, but only have one car. My grandma needs it for work. I know them very well and they’re not going to take me places. They don’t exactly live in either Englewood or Port Charlotte, but close enough. Port Charlotte is the smallest mall I’ve ever been to. I’m really going to Florida to be with my family. My first cousins will be there (we grew up together), so I’m mostly just going to hang out. Honestly, I am not that desperate for money. I am going to work study which will give me $2,500 to spend. Galesburg, Illinois isn’t exactly New York. And BTW, my grandparents were the ones who payed for my ticket and they don’t have that much money.</p>
<p>It must be wonderful to have the luxury of being able to just “hang out” for a month. From what others have posted, work-study isn’t a guarantee. There has to be a job, and you have to be able to work the maximum number of hours to earn what they have indicated you qualify for. </p>
<p>Can’t speak for you, but my s’s, if they wanted something badly enough, whether it was a college deposit or some piece of technology, if we couldn’t or wouldnt pay for it when they wanted/needed it, they’d pay for it out of their savings. If getting that deposit in NOW allows you to feel closure and able to move on, then pay your mom to put it on her card and ask your dad to repay you when the IRS refund comes in. It is a choice you have.</p>