<p>After months of cajoling and pleading our kids to get their stuff in, how are you handling the decisions? Yes it is their life, but you have so much wrapped up in it.</p>
<p>My son had been accepted at 5 state schools. All good academic instititutions. Two in state which are highly rated and relatively afforable. 3 OOS that have offered aid to get the cost down to around $18k.</p>
<p>Within the last two days he has been rejected by 5 elite schools that would have cost me a small fortune.</p>
<p>I have very mixed emotions about this. I am hurting for him, but somewhat relieved about the cost issue.</p>
<p>This is such an emotional process! My DD was accepted ED, but today I am sad for one of her friends -- a highly competitive student, rejected by 3 elite schools. It must be so hard to get all the bad news on the same day...</p>
<p>Son 1 was OK with any of his top reach schools. He was accepted at USC, Waitlisted at Penn, and Northwestern is still pending. In fact, he told me tonight he may still go to his NMF safety, Univ of Arizona, if his accepted visit is not great at USC on Monday. His best friend was accepted at Penn but will probably go to Pacific Lutheran instead. So they are both pretty happy.</p>
<p>Son 2 was happy at a mid sized state university and a honors college so he had no stress at all :)</p>
<p>My S was rejected at Yale (no surprise there) and Berkeley (mildly surprised, his stats were in line with others admitted there, but we are OOS, so it's probably more selective). Berkeley would have been nearly impossible financially (40K for OOS , with little FA). If by some miracle he had managed to get into Yale, it might have been a tougher decision, because they do cover 100% beyond the EFC.</p>
<p>One more expected reach rejection coming, to Amherst. </p>
<p>Offsetting any bad feelings he may have (which he just doesn't seem to) is the fact that he gets to attend an overnight Honors students reception at Tulane this coming Sunday & Monday. He is really happy to be going there, and I'm glad he found a school that seems like a good fit, that we can actually afford.</p>
<p>Pretty good. I haven't been sleeping much, though! I've also been stalking the mail carrier -- our usual one is not working this week, and we've got some guy who isn't putting the mail in the right boxes, seems to forget things. This afternoon <em>right</em> about the time I was starting to get worried that son would get waitlisted to everything but his safeties, he got an admit email from one of his top two choices. So now we're mostly relaxed, though I'm trying to figure out how to get him there for a visit.</p>
<p>This is really very hard as a parent... my S was rejected from 3 Ivies yesterday, and waitlisted at the one that has been his "dream" college for years. The reality is, he was accepted at JHU, and he is studying biomedical engineering, so I am thrilled, he has been accepted at the best college for his major, but as "logical" as that is, he still had really hoped for his first choice. I am hoping that once the feeling of disappointment fades, he will realize what a great opportunity he HAS, rather than the one he feels he LOST.</p>
<p>Daughter was waitlisted at three Ivies yesterday...rejected from a fourth. Still waiting on decisions from UVA and Emory. I guess a waitlist is better than a rejection, but three?</p>
<p>Do you think it is better to get all the potentially bad news on one day, or to have it spread out? In some ways I guess it is better to get it over with and move on... but man oh man.... opening rejection after rejection.......</p>
<p>I'm a complete basket case. Work? What's work? So far d's been lucky - accepted at all her match & safeties, some with excellent merit money. But the other two kids who applied to her favorite reach school have already heard, and she hasn't gotten the letter yet. (She knows it's not because of the content of the letter, since one kid got in and one didn't.) The frustration and tension is unbearable. And there are still 2 others we haven't heard from.</p>
<p>And I'm expecting at least one if not 3 rejections, and bracing myself for it. The waiting's the hardest!</p>
<p>I'm alternately sad and neutral/philosophical about my son's 3 waitlists at target schools. Didn't apply to any true reaches. We have one more to go - Northwestern, but don't feel at all optimistic. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, in spite of our suggestions, our son chose very safe safeties and is now dissatisfied with his choices, so there's a bit of tension there. Darn - sad moment. Live and learn - philosophical moment.</p>
<p>No problem here, except to keep son focused on the fact that he must make a decision by April 30. And he's focused all right, but not on college stuff! lol</p>
<p>There's going to be a lot of interpersonal angst among the kids today and in the upcoming weeks.</p>
<p>My daughter got into her ED school and has known her fate for months, but there are even issues for her. </p>
<p>Some of her closest friends have had disappointing results, and others are finding that colleges that they love and that accepted them will be financially impossible. Some kids will be heavily pressured by their parents to accept the generous merit scholarships that our state university routinely offers to top students, even though they would prefer to go elsewhere. And some kids are going to end up at that state school because they aimed too high and didn't get in to their other choices.</p>
<p>There is a certain awkwardness regarding those who had perhaps-unfair advantages (those who could afford to apply ED, athletes, legacies, URMs), but it's hard to fault kids for playing the hand they're dealt (and in the case of URMs, they have no choice in the matter, unlike the others, who could decide not to exploit their advantages if they wanted to). My daughter is one of those who will feel this backlash, because she was both an ED applicant and a legacy. She's going to be on the receiving end of some resentment, and I don't know whether she's ready for it. </p>
<p>I think this is a time when everyone needs to be sensitive of others' feelings. It's not just college decisions that are at stake here; friendships may also be on the line.</p>
<p>Very good points made by Marian! Everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do. We have gotten a bit of grief/disbelief from friends for choosing an expensive private U. over a SUNY (and S. applied ED, no less). So guess you could say we're almost in an opposite position from whynot-- happy for him, but not happy about the cost!</p>
<p>Questions remain-- did he really need to apply ED to get in? Looking back, probably not. Would he have been offered merit aid elsewhere? Maybe. Can we swing this? Yes (H. has never doubted it, I'm the worrier). Are we still happy with our decision, though? Yes. We did our best.</p>
<p>My son probably applied at too many schools, but I didn't want to be the one to quash his dreams. This way there won't be a "If you had not said no" phrase thrown out. </p>
<p>His accepted schools are good. GA Tech is an excellent academic school. He will have to work hard and be surrounded by very, very good students.</p>
<p>D has been accepted at 4 of 6 schools, and we're still waiting on the other two. I have a feeling they will be rejects or waitlists at best, since we've heard nothing from either of them for awhile now. Funny, D has become more interested in the schools she hasn't received replies from than she was previously. I think she's still hoping on the reach, but I'm not too optimistic there.</p>
<p>It remains a roller coaster of pride and panic. Her top choice so far has a stretch finaid package that will absolutely require some contribution from her non-custodial (deadbeat) other parent. She is hesitant to approach him and I've pretty much left it in her hands since for me to get involved would probably only get ugly. We're still hopeful somehow we can make this work even if he refuses to cowboy up. You would think some people would be proud and want to help their kid out, but there are reasons people are ex-spouses!</p>
<p>D's second choice (or first, depending on what minute it is), is probably doable without NCP help. I know she vascillates towards this one sometimes when she thinks about the location (near her cousins in OH) and it is a great, if not well-known, school. It's going to be next to impossible to attend more than one admitted weekend.</p>
<p>The "fun" thing is that we get to do it all over again next year with DS who's a junior. That is, if the psych ward hasn't got me yet.</p>
<p>Erin's Mom - you said many of the things I was thinking as I read this thread. My D has been fortunate to get into 5 of 6 - still waiting on the 6th, which is a reach. The other five have all offered some money, and have been courting. Like you said, that 6th school has become somewhat more desirable just because it is elusive, both reach-wise and financially. </p>
<p>D hasn't verbalized much of what she's thinking these days. Still waiting for a few financial aid packets, and she's afraid to express too many opinions prior to getting those. But she admitted to me yesterday that she feels good about having so many choices of schools she really likes and feels she fits at. She is learning from friends at school that many have either taken the path of least resistance - applying to a sure-fire admit but aren't excited about it. Or being rejected from the only one or two schools they applied to. She is amazed at how few kids really did any research into finding schools where they were a good match.</p>
<p>I wish we had time and money for her to visit her top choices again. Each school has positives and negatives for her. So there's some angst wanting to make sure that she has a good grasp on what will really matter to her a year or three from now. Programs? Weather? Size? Distance? Cost? But until she starts talking, I really can't help her, and she's not ready to talk yet.</p>
<p>Bingo! DS has received 4 admits with merit, 1 ivy rejection (no surprise), and 1 top LAC waitlist. Will hear from his last school tomorrow. Still has a scholarship weekend in April. He's overwhelmed at the thought of trying to sift through financial info., and less confident as the decision nears of what he has previously thought "important" at each place. Definitely not ready to talk, while I'm obsessing with CC and biting my tongue!!</p>