<p>Just a note, when DS got his Mines acceptance (10/20/09, Golden App.) there was very little info, nothing whatsoever about merit aid, when we would hear etc. I’ve not found Mines to be a responsive as some of his other schools.</p>
<p>It does look wonderful, sounded great until DS looked more closely at the male/female ratio…</p>
<p>I’m going to keep mum about that unless my son asks. One less potential source of trouble.</p>
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<p>Annoying, but thanks for the info. Now I know better than to hold my breath.</p>
<p>So, is Golden as nice as it sounds?</p>
<p>^ no clue, never been there ;)</p>
<p>Golden is lovely town. The town has maintained its historic downtown and there are tons of small businesses and restaurants near the campus. I always enjoy visiting. Pretty and pleasant to walk. (Younger D has a now ex-BF–a junior-- who attends Mines–she used to visit frequently before she went to a school 2000 miles across the country. Also I have a dear friend who’s husband works at NREL and is an assoc prof at Mines so we hit Golden whenever I go for a visit.)</p>
<p>Traffic in and out of town can be really bad during rush hour, though. In all directions. But this shouldn’t be a problem for students.</p>
<p>Town is bike-friendly and there are tons of outdoor activities nearby. Hiking, skiing, mtn biking, even kayaking on the creek behind campus. But the general area right around town is bit drier (and browner) than I prefer. A bit higher up in the mtns is prettier and greener. </p>
<p>The town itself is lacking in major shopping opportunities, but there are couple major malls within about 30 minutes drive. Likewise hotel rooms in Golden can be in short supply during events like Homecoming, graduation and Parents’ weekend.</p>
<p>The one bad thing I’ve heard about Mines is that there is a no guarantee of on-campus housing for upperclassmen and the limited availability forces many sophomores off campus into apartments.</p>
<p>As for the male-to-female ratio–it is really bad (from the male perspective…), but all engineering schools tend to be that way. However, D’s ex has said there are lots of opportunities to meet up with girls at UC-Boulder which is only about 30 minutes away and at the Univ of Denver–also about 30 minutes away.</p>
<p>Thanks, WayOutWestMom, that’s the most information I’ve heard about Golden, and it sounds fine from your description. You’ve confirmed what I suspected from pictures, that it’s not very green, but I’m not sure that’s a problem for my son. Sounds worth a visit.</p>
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<p>:)
Sounds good to me! I remember when you couldn’t get Coors in my in-laws hometown in Indiana. What was the rule/restriction? Not sold east of the Mississippi?? or was it something else? I’m a Califonia girl, so Coors has always been big.
:)</p>
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<p>Wow. If it is the dean, that would be Dr. Sharpe! He’s super nice! He’s got his PhD in MIS, but he’s also a pharmacist, which is why I think he does such a great job as the director of the Computer-Based Honors Program with all the pre-med, engineers, math, chem, etc majors.</p>
<p>I hope your son did go. :)</p>
<p>Well, the letter came today from the admissions office, and we all gathered 'round and opened it to much fanfare, and the decision was…</p>
<p>Nothing. They’ve asked him to send an updated transcript at the end of the semester. To which I say, “Huh?”</p>
<p>He’s got good grades, high test scores, solid ECs. He even attends a math/science magnet school; what could be a better match for an engineering college? There was no essay to botch, no recommendation required. Why might he have been deferred? (They don’t call it that, but that’s what it is, right?)</p>
<p>I’ve come up with two possibilities:</p>
<p>1) They worry that he’s underqualified.</p>
<p>Even though his overall GPA is above 3.5 unweighted, and he has a number of APs and concurrent-credit courses, the semester C from freshman year and semester D from sophomore year on his transcript (both in non-academic classes before he got to the math/science school) spooked them, and they want to see if he can sustain his performance at its current level.</p>
<p>2) They worry that he’s overqualified.</p>
<p>Kids from his school with his stats usually attend somewhat more highly-ranked colleges. In order to avoid wasting a slot on someone who will probably end up somewhere else, they’re asking him to re-submit his transcript in a couple of months, on the assumption that if he does, then he’s serious, and if he doesn’t, then he never was. I can imagine this being a problem with Mines, since their application is so easy and free. I’m sure a lot of people apply who have little interest in attending, but just want another admission under their belts. Then again, maybe Mines does this specifically to reduce their admission rate. Get a lot of people to apply, then reject most of them, thus improving their selectivity.</p>
<p>Which of these two scenarios do you think is more likely? Are there other possible explanations? What an anticlimactic letdown.</p>
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<p>Years ago we lived about 10 miles south of Golden. The Coors tour was something we took all the out-of-town visitors to - usually in the afternoon after our kids had napped. Back then, after the first two stops, the guide would say “And if you’re a Mines student, tasting room is the next door on your right.” - the implication being that they were just there for the 2 free beers every afternoon. It always got a chuckle from the crowd, though I didn’t see many depart… I think Mines students study too hard to go for the free beer on weekdays.
Golden (and the rest of the Colorado) aren’t as “evergreen” as people who aren’t used to the Rockies expect. Still beautiful. And compared to the rich folks over in SE Denver, you are half-way to the ski areas!</p>
<p>Bump, hoping to get more comments.</p>
<p>My wife has an optimistic theory. She says they’re going to offer him a full ride but want to make sure he’s really interested before they offer it. This makes me laugh, but of course I’d love to believe it. 
Seems unlikely, though.</p>
<p>I am with your wife - if CSM offered a full scholarship (or even brought it down to in-state rates) we would be ecstatic… </p>
<p>But, something tells me this is not going to happen… :)</p>
<p>That being said, I did Google an article talking about a $10-million gift for the Harvey Scholars
Program </p>
<p>[Mines</a> - $10 Million Gift Establishes Harvey Scholars Program](<a href=“http://giving.mines.edu/s/840/giveindex.aspx?sid=840&gid=1&pgid=993&cid=1765&ecid=1765&crid=0&calpgid=939&calcid=1672]Mines”>http://giving.mines.edu/s/840/giveindex.aspx?sid=840&gid=1&pgid=993&cid=1765&ecid=1765&crid=0&calpgid=939&calcid=1672)</p>
<p>Does any one know anymore about this program - or have called the scholly office??</p>
<p>(I had already written my response above before reading post #27)</p>
<p>This is interesting - please keep us informed as to what happens. Our S also has good test scores, a decent weighted GPA, some EC’s (mostly Crew and Band), and goes to a math/science magnet…so, when we get our letter I will report back what they have to say…</p>
<p>@mantori.suzuki: Both of your scenarios are possible. Mines has some issues with both yield and retention, and I could see them being a bit skittish about your son for either reason.</p>
<p>Golden will be an even nicer place to live once the West Corridor light rail line is done, making it possible to access downtown Denver by train.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t think that they’re considering an offer of a full-ride. If that was the case, they would have admitted him, and then asked for a mid-year transcript for possible scholarship consideration. </p>
<p>I don’t mean to be negative, but this school doesn’t even list any full-ride offers on it’s website. Schools like to brag that they offer some full-rides as an incentive to get strong stats applications. So, to expect one from a school that doesn’t seem to have any seems…well… wishful thinking. :)</p>
<p>To offer an OOS student a full-ride - tuition, room, board, etc - costs about $140,000. I don’t know if people realize this, but full-ride scholarships have to be underwritten in some major way - either by strong alumni orgn, or some deep pocket endowment. (The money has to come from somewhere.) I don’t know if Mines has such deep pockets. </p>
<p>I also don’t think a school that was considering offering a full-ride would’ve sent this kind of “demoralizing” letter. (And if I’m wrong, Mines needs to do a better job at PR, cuz this doesn’t endear anyone.)</p>
<p>:) Your son’s test scores are awesome. 
I think they just want to make sure that he’s not one of those kids who score great, but doesn’t put the effort in at school. Of course, I could be wrong. :)</p>
<p>I hope that your son is also applying to some schools that guarantee that he’ll get a great merit scholarship with his stats.</p>
<p>mantori -
I have to say your son’s results confuse me quite a bit, DS has very similar stats and he got admitted really quickly. No essay so that can’t be it, he doesn’t remember if he had to apply to a specific degree program, could possibly have something to do with it? Regional bias, like they need kids from a certain area? It just doesn’t make alot of sense.</p>
<p>Easier said than done but I hope you can get a solid answer to this and then put it out of your mind. We had an episode last week where a computer glitch had DS and some others rejected from what should have been a sure thing, definitely messed with our head for the better part of a day, makes you question everything.</p>
<p>Your son’s stats are terrific, no doubt about that! :)</p>
<p>mantori - With approximately the same income and straightforward assets, my EFC is around 20k for non-HYPS schools. Can you afford that amount?</p>
<p>Your S has a good shot at full tuition from Pitt, which is primarily stats-based (though the on-record D might be an issue), and a chance at a full ride. Rochester full tuition is more competitive, involving an interview, but he has a chance.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, I’m being a bit tongue-in-cheek about expecting a full ride. I realize that expecting such a thing under any circumstances would be overly optimistic, especially at a school that doesn’t appear to offer such a thing. But thanks for keeping me grounded, anyway. I do need that sometimes.</p>
<p>AL34, thanks for the info about your son’s admission. That makes me scratch my head. But I am happy to hear the news. Congratulations! Having an early admission under your belt should be a confidence-booster.</p>
<p>Keilexandra, $20K per year is more than I want to spend. That will be a tough call. I guess it depends how much he likes the school and how much he’s willing to take in loans to supplement what I can afford to pay.</p>
<p>I am excited about Pitt! I hope you’re right about the full-tuition scholarship. Rochester sounds great, too. But I still hope Mines works out as a financially viable option; there’s some attraction there, at least for me. For my son…well, we’ll see.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement and ideas.</p>
<p>^Yeah, it’s more than my parents want to spend, too… thankfully, they are willing to spend more than they want to. But finances will remain a big part of my final decision.</p>
<p>AL34…did you say that you needed FA? If not, perhaps the school is “need award”.</p>
<p>^not eligible for any FA so that can’t be it.</p>
<p>AL34…I think I may have not phrased my question right.</p>
<p>I was thinking that maybe your child was accepted right away with similar stats because you don’t need any aid. Maybe Mines is “need aware” especially for OOS. Maybe they’re concerned about accepting an OOS who needs aid, because Mines thinks that the OP will decline the school when the FA package is inadequate.</p>
<p>The OP needs aid.</p>