My daughter got in to 10 schools, but none of the top 4 “dream” schools… made the selection a bit harder because all had some pros/cons… Bottom line is that she will make wherever she goes the “right” choice by what she puts into it. 3 years later D says she can’t picture being anywhere else=) That said, as a mom of a UF student from CA, there are a few huge items that should be considered once you have the subset of schools with strong programs in her major…
Size… if she goes big you may need to do the sorority thing to get her into a smaller subset to make connections
Distance… seems cool to be on the opposite coast and you say you can visit, but it’s tough. When they get sick or just homesick its hard. D didn’t come home once last semester and it was long… as they get older they want to do trips on Spring break and not come home then either. Plus its pricy. But they grow up really fast and become capable responsible kids much faster with no safety net
Cost… as my second one heads out this year, the cost is even more important. To each his own, but an extra $10 to $30K PER YEAR towards our retirement is good!!!
Good luck, and I think the best advice to them is to stress there is no magically “right” school… they need to make the one they choose the right one!
Remember this anxiety well last year! Here are some important things we considered after getting those acceptance letters;
Being admitted to the major vs being admitted to the school itself.
Overall cost (taking into consideration how many years it takes for students to graduate from each school).
Does the school have a career center? And what do they do help their students with internships & future employment.
Pros & cons after visiting each campus. Some schools will send invites to attend an “Accepted Students” luncheon or even weekend. Take advantage of these offers!
I haven’t read all responses, but in case it hasn’t been mentioned -
Unless your child is pretty darn confident in invented major, I suggest considering the strength of the school as a whole, and not just one major. My son “knew” he wanted to major in business, but he wasn’t 100% sure he would stay that major. He turned down a school with a really good B scholl that offered him tons of money, for another school with a really good B school, but that also had many other strong programs. He will soon be a senior business major, but I was glad he made the decision he did.
My other son went to a school very strong in engineering/math/science, but lacked much depth in social sciences, etc. I was never worried, because I couldn’t see him NOT majoring in something technical. He now has a degree in math.
Although the organic vegan diet is important - don’t let that issue weigh you down. There are often clubs sometimes dining clubs on campuses - possibly “underground”. This isn’t all that uncommon. All major supermarkets have organic fruits, vegetables, and free roam, grass fed etc. She can also have these things cooked and delivered! Once she settles on a school - check out the local fitness centers. They can guide you to a local “fitfood” supplier - you can purchase by the meal or by the pound. Good luck and breathe
I went to school when there were no Whole Foods. Even in Boulder, there were small stores that sold some organic veggies and there was a farmer’s market, and no Whole Foods or Sunshine Market or Fresh Market or Sprouts or Henry’s – and people survived!
When I grow up, I wanna work at Alfalfa’s!
Where the cheese is dairy free.
A Birkenstocks, Spandex, necktie patchouli grocery store.
I’d have a job, picking through the produce - no pesticides for me!
I’ll be a working moderate income socially conscious Boulder hippie!
And I’d drink soy milk all day long
And fest on bulgar, wheat grass, and Windom Hill songs.
Ride home on my mountain bike,
Just in time to turn on my solar powered growing lights.
I’m a spreadsheet girl, we have a spreadsheet for all of the schools our daughter applied to, we log in admissions decision and net cost once we have scholarship info. We also have faculty to student ratio and Forbes and US News rankings. This should get us narrowed down some, those that are affordable, well rated, etc… beyond that, visiting is super important. We visited 10 schools last summer, some our daughter thought she’d love she wasn’t impressed with in person, others she was on the fence about she fell in love with after the visit. We are in a holding pattern until April 1st, then we will visit any that are contenders and we have not been to. I’m hoping it’s a clear picture by mid April, but as of right now I don’t know, she will have many good options.
Well of course they do, but there were just as many tofu eating students there in the 70’s and they survived without Whole Foods. My daughter went to Laramie, Wyoming as a vegetarian and made that work in a world of pig roasts and beef bbq picnics. The is no Whole Foods in Laramie. If there were a Whole Foods there, she couldn’t afford to shop at it.
My kid was lucky to get EA into his match schools which already were screened for affordability. So when it came time to chose, academically and financially it did not make any difference. Of course there are always difference but not once that we thought interfered with his academic goals. He ended up choosing the school that offered the better opportunities/environment for his main EC. It sounds superficial but why not? A year later he is very happy!
I’m chuckling at the talk of organic grocery stores and Whole Foods and the like – as if my college-aged children could afford to do all their food buying that way, much less cook all their own meals, at least the first couple of years. My oldest has been on his ‘winter work’ internship this month and last, and he and his roommates are realizing just how expensive groceries are! They’re eating lots of beans and rice. I think he’ll be relieved to get back to his regular college where he has a full meal plan.
Here’s my two cents:
be sure that the student is able to cross over into dance classes for classes if majoring in the sciences; we encountered a problem with one public university in theater minor and science major combo.
distance…move in and visits, etc, are much easier with a 6 hour drive than a 12 hour drive or arranging flights. For example, DD17 is 7 hours away, she drives herself back and forth whenever she wants to come home. I was a nervous wreck that first year! Move in and out: we follow her, in the minivan full of stuff, we stay in a hotel. Next day we move stuff in or out and then drive back home. It’s not too bad… But 12 hour distance would be harder. More time away from home and the dog in the kennel, etc. All else being equal nearly equal, I would recommend the shorter distance.
We are talking with DD2017 about a backup major in case she changes, so we are eliminating a school that doesn’t have that alternate possible major.
UPDATE:
We visited three of the final eight contenders. The Decision: University of Illinois - Champagne/Urbana. What did the trick? The people she met with there, including advisors, professors and students (and the dog, Spencer, that greeted her at the door of the Animal Sciences Dept). Virginia Tech was still a contender even after the U of I visit, but they shot themselves in the the foot with a poorly organized and executed overnight experience. You never know what will do the trick. Invest in the Visits.
Congrats for your daughter dad and you too.
My daughter is between a private and a public private accepted her public still waiting. I support her both schools are great she just feels the private sees her potential more and she feels very comfortable when she had visited 3xs already like she belongs there. All comes with a lrice whether public or private but the attention was def seen at the private. Hope all works out shes giving it 1 more wk to see if public accepts her if not by end next wk we pay commitment fee. Congrats again to your daughter
My oldest has been on his ‘winter work’ internship this month and last, and he and his roommates are realizing just how expensive groceries are! They’re eating lots of beans and rice. I think he’ll be relieved to get back to his regular college where he has a full meal plan. 