<p>Hello, I am new here. My son was just accepted ED to Lawrence. We are thrilled! He visited campus, sat in on a class, and also met with members of the varsity sports team he will play on. It all seemed like a perfect fit. We live overseas, and so we don't run across many (or any!) former, current, or future students. So I am posting here, just to get acquainted with others. Especially interested in knowing what to expect during freshman year, tips on housing, etc. Thank you.</p>
<p>S is a freshman, just finishing his first term. Lawrence is a small place, which was what made it a good fit for him. He’s enjoying his Freshman Studies and his music classes (he’s a dual degree student). He lives in the substance-free dorm and is very comfortable. He actually will be coming home tomorrow for Winter Break, so we’ll hear more then.</p>
<p>If you have more questions, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Hi, apparently I’m not allowed to send PMs until I have put up 15 posts … so once you have debriefed your son, we’d be most interested in his first impressions, especially any tips about what to expect from the Freshman Studies, the best/worst dorms for freshmen, etc. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Thanks very much for your PM! (Alas they will not let me reply). The feedback about dorms and Freshman Studies is very helpful. From looking at the description/sample reading list on the website, it DOES sound as if Freshman Studies is very demanding, and am glad to hear they offer help on the writing. That will be especially important for my S, who although fluent in English, has taken most of his coursework over the years in French. You asked about his sport … it is fencing. He has already met the coach and had dinner with an assistant coach and some team members while visiting campus … they were very welcoming, and of course S is psyched! Thanks again … sooner or later I will get to 15 posts, and then will be able to PM.</p>
<p>D is a sophomore at LU this year. Once you get PM you can also message me if you like. She takes advantage of the tutoring on a regular basis, plus lots of study groups. The college encourages working with classmates and tutors, and I think tutors even visited freshman studies at least once. Most of my daughter’s classes have involved heavy writing. With 10-week quarters, the time flies so quickly, and she is always very busy trying to stay on top of the reading and writing load. Again, though, the school has lots of resources available for students to take advantage of. Also, the ‘international’ climate is highly valued at the college. Two of my d’s best friends freshman year were from Asia and Africa, and even our tour guide when we first visited hailed from abroad. </p>
<p>When my D began Fall 2011, the Freshman Studies faculty coordinator mailed out a welcome and the first book to read during the summer. It helped to get ready for fall. I think the international students arrive even a week earlier than freshmen (who arrive a week earlier than returning students) so there is ample time to get accustomed to life at LU. There is always so much going on; my D is taking a nap right now after coming home Tuesday for the long winter break.</p>
<p>Again, as one of the videos at their website says: “Welcome to Lawrence.” (My D watched almost every single video prior to starting school there…they are also a nice way to get to know more about the school and anticipate starting next fall)…</p>
<p>Thanks so much Lawrencemom! When I finally get PM privileges I may take you up on your kind offer! I am relieved to hear that lots of students take advantage of tutors and study groups. From what I am hearing, Freshman Studies is very challenging … and I mean that in a positive way!</p>
<p>You are very welcome. I also PM’d you about a financial aid post you made; don’t know if you received it, and I understand you can’t reply as of yet. Yes, LU is a tough school in a good way. It takes time to make friends and find a path that leads to some type of routine/happiness. I think freshman year is the most difficult in terms of learning the system, getting used to working hard in a short quarter, and finding what makes one happy outside of the classroom. There are so many options available. I know my teen doesn’t often get enough sleep! :+) What is also hard is ‘FERPA’ and the fact that now the kids are on their own. Many parents are deeply involved with school systems/school personnel here K-12, but once kids go to college, laws protect their privacy/data/everything, and they need to advocate for themselves. I’m not saying I haven’t sent out a shout to a dean/counselor occasionally, but they will not respond back without a student’s written permission. They are incredibly helpful, though…good listeners and teachers even when I don’t hear back from them except via my D. That might be a change for you…not sure what the European college system is like in terms of parental involvement.</p>
<p>Thank you Lawrencemom … actually I didn’t get your PM about financial aid … if it is perhaps sitting somewhere in draft form, could you re-send it? As you can imagine I am INTENSELY interested in this subject! On the subject of European education … don’t get me started, but the short answer is, there is very little parental involvement. Most of the instruction is very rigid and by-the-book … one of the things my S is looking forward to the most at Lawrence is being able to have more give-and-take with his teachers!</p>
<p>I don’t know how to retrieve a message…I’m about to start working, so I won’t go hunting. The short of it was: I am also interested in 529’s and how they affect financial aid. The people in the LU financial aid office are phenomenal, so definitely bombard them with any questions you have. They are very patient and answer all questions. After doing FAFSA, my D did get some Lawrence merit aid on top of the scholarship (hers is the same amount of gift as your S’s and the $7M continues each year as long as she maintains a certain GPA) plus a bit of campus work-study…and yes, we have the federal loans and then personal savings in the form of an UGMA account (now empty) and then my dad starting a 529 that we will begin to tap for next year, probably. It’s true that in the LU admissions letter they only tell you about scholarships they are awarding, but don’t say anything about merit aid until they get your FAFSA information. I think the college also has a sheet you can fill in where you can let them know about any issues that might affect financial aid as you meet the deadlines for Fall 2013. Good luck with it. And yes…your S will enjoy LU and the variety of teachers he will meet/get to interact with. Off I go…</p>
<p>D received email from Lawrence admission:</p>
<p>“With our notification date right around the corner, we want to remind you that Lawrence University still does things the old-fashioned way: we mail our Early Action admission decisions via First Class postal mail on January 15. Even though our decisions will be going in the mail next Tuesday, your decision should arrive at your mailing address sometime later next week… unless the United States Post Office has developed a new super-fast way of getting their mail trucks around, in which case it might arrive sooner than that. (Why postal mail? A staggering majority of our applicants we have surveyed say they prefer their admission decisions in their mailboxes, not their inboxes.)”</p>
<p>Cannot wait…</p>
<p>Ah, your post brings back the memories from two years ago. My D was at the mailbox every single day waiting and waiting to see if she got admitted. One confusing note: we had received an earlier mailing from the financial aid office reminding us to do FAFSA/etc… and we wondered, ‘Does that mean I am admitted?’…maybe that snafu has been worked out! At any rate, best of luck to you, and I hope your D gets that big white envelope that says, “Welcome to Lawrence”… if admitted, you will get all sorts of little reminders in the months that come about what LU students prefer in today’s world. Again…good luck!</p>
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<p>Have they surveyed in the past couple of years? This is an area that is changing VERY rapidly. My D (and I) consider it a bit quaint that some schools are still using “snail mail” for this, but not more convenient or preferable. If nothing else, online gives everyone the decision at the same time. Via snail mail, and you get people posting, “I am on the X coast, and mine hasn’t come yet… :(”.</p>
<p>I’d rather get the email or portal update with decision and them wait for the big envelope… Waiting is killing me (not my D :)</p>
<p>Lawrence: It’s 2013.</p>
<p>My son also is anxious to hear, the sooner the better. But . . . he received the big envelope from another school on Friday, one that also sent word by regular mail. Pretty exciting, getting to open up first college acceptance in front of dad and big sister home from college. Not sure an e-mail is quite the same. Anyway, just a few more days.</p>
<p>One other school my D applied to does it through their portal (not just opening an email). And the portal has this pretty cool graphic that zooms around and congratulates you if you are accepted. So it was as good as a big envelope. And then the big envelope arrived about 10 days later. Maybe they saved on postage, sending the big envelopes with a cheaper rate, too. No idea what the portal shows if the kid is rejected… but no one wants that envelope, either.</p>
<p>LU does have/does use a lot of technology… maybe you should all give them some feedback re: the portals that other schools use. In the meantime, I enjoy reading your posts, having ‘been there’ January 2011, and I can feel and relate to the apprehension/nerves. May good news come to all who patiently wait by the mailboxes each day. Hoping to see ‘happy posts’ soon on CC…</p>
<p>My DD applied to 5 schools, and all are sending admissions decision by postal mail (not email or portal). I prefer the mail approach - love those big envelopes with gold stickers. Although when it’s a skinny envelope, the short walk from the mailbox back to the house somehow becomes a very, very long walk…</p>
<p>I had no idea that Lawrence sent their decisions by mail only. I was upset when I didn’t receive an email from them today. What day do you think the letters will hit Northern California? I will be gone Thursday and Friday out-of-state and I hope to find the letter waiting for me by Saturday when I arrive home. :)</p>
<p>…hopefully with four days lead time, the U.S. Postal Service will have your decision in your mailbox when you get home Saturday. If you go to their college website, they have some humorous posts on their admissions blog re: using snail mail v. email…yes, the suspense is awful, isn’t it? I hope you get the acceptance you are wishing for. Be sure to post back so we know!</p>