<p>I worry about a down or "laid back" senior year sonce D2 already knows where she is going because of sports. She has a rigorous senior schedule since she wants to enter as a sophomore so she can take minimum credits during sports season. SHe has always been internally driven but I just wonder how it will turn out. Apps can start to to be submitted mid-August...we shall see since her sport will already be under way!</p>
<p>PRJ - Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll check it out.</p>
<p>I took another recommendation on this thread and bought "Accept My Kid, Please!". What a wonderful relief to read that!! I highly recommend it for any parents stressed out over college (all of us??). All through the book, I was saying "Yes! That's my son!!". Aside from helping me see I am certainly not alone, it had some helpful pointers (loved the section about the 12 minute interview LOL).</p>
<p>Jolynne: What the Bauld book tells you is that it not what the applicant chooses to write but how she/he chooses to write it that matters. It really is worth a look as it gives concrete examples that may help you S write an essay that stands out from the stack. It's humorous...a little dated...and a quick and helpful read.</p>
<p>Thanks, historymom. Maybe we'll go to Borders & check those out today! It will get us (me) off the internet/college websites/etc. for a change! :-)</p>
<p>hi all
I'm an '08 mom and an '09 mom----so juggling the getting my son off to college in the next 10 days, and having the motivating talks with my daughter to start her essay, etc. it is a bit overwhelming dealing with both processes at the same time and I admit I probably need to see my son off before having the energy or clarity to truly focus on my daughter...that said, we went on a roadtrip couple weeks ago to Washington and Lee Univ in Va--my son will be starting there--beautiful campus and area...(and I am so proud of him, he was awarded a full ride scholarship there) on our way up we visited Flagler college in Fl for my daughter to check out. (I've also taken her to UF and FAU honors--she wants to stay in Fl where we live). Feel pretty frazzled, in the '08 stage of picking out xl twin sheets, refrigerators and school clothing..and anticipating my first child leaving home. hope I'm not rambling, just wanted to join you '09 parents. love to hear others having the motivating talks with their kids re: essays, common app. thanks for listening...</p>
<p>D was all excited about visiting colleges and such. She narrowed her list and is pretty much set on knowing where she wants to apply. </p>
<p>But then things came to a HALT. Because of CC (thank you to everyone), I keep reminding her to fill out those apps this month and send them in. The ACT is not available in New Jersey next month, so I am driving her 2 hours to Pennsylvania. I want her to apply EARLY before school starts and then send the September ACT scores (take it one last time and hope she bumps her score).</p>
<p>When she took the ACT in June in a neighboring town, she was the ONLY student there from her graduating class!!!</p>
<p>As far as the school gc, they STILL don't have final junior transcripts available and her friends think she's crazy to be applying NOW. I bet her friends don't even have a list broken down by safety/match/reach! If she didn't have me to guide her, she WOULD definately be at a community college in Fall '09. </p>
<p>I can't talk to her or her friends, so I just keep my mouth shut around her friends and send D email reminders, or when she breezes by I'll ask her the status of this or that, etc.</p>
<p>lindz126,</p>
<p>Haven't had too much trouble with the motivational talks with D about applying to schools because UF is her first choice, and she knows that sooner is definitely better than later when it comes to getting in the application since housing priority is tied to when they receive the application. Also, as this is her first choice school (also prefers to stay in-state), she's very nervous about admissions (even with tremendous stats), and it made her feel as though she was doing all she could getting that application in -- so it's done, app in and housing date in July. Only smacked her head on the computer screen a few times about the essay ... she's so not a writer who does well writing about herself in any capacity. She finally got it together when I told her, if it comes down to the essay to get you in (with stats like 35/36 ACT, 4.0 u.w. GPA with 10 AP classes) and they choose to not accept you ... then they're crazy and you shouldn't go there anyway. She laughed, said "you're right," and quit stressing and the essay was done in a couple of hours with a bit of tweaking. Now, she's got to make a decision as she applies to UCF and FSU ... will she be happy at one of those schools if she doesn't get UF or should she apply to a couple of out-of-state schools just in case. She loves UCF, her brother goes there, but she's afraid because we're local that if she goes there she'll remain in old patterns and not really meet new people or get out of her shell, which moving a couple of hours away would force her to do. </p>
<p>zebes ... wondering if her dad's finally going to get her to apply to georgia tech even though she's not fond of atlanta. He'd so love to tell her, "I told you so," if he could ever get her to visit. In fact, she got this huge promotional pack from them yesterday, and she was like, "whoa ... did you email them and put me on a mailing list," said with the evil eye. We didn't do that, although we should have thought of it. <g> Caught her glancing through the materials, however. <snicker></snicker></g></p>
<p>S1 is class of 2009 and has gradually been showing a little more interest in the process. He's in the school marching band so his fall is going to be very busy. He's had a list of things to do this summer including:</p>
<ul>
<li>update common app profile</li>
<li>write common app essays</li>
<li>write common app supplements</li>
<li>write UC essays</li>
<li>create his high school resume (using Naviance)</li>
<li>study for ACT</li>
</ul>
<p>Up until last night he'd done none of the above. This is his last full week of summer vacation (next week he's off to band camp in the wilderness).</p>
<p>Out of the blue, he decided to apply for UC-Riverside's guaranteed admission program. UCR wasn't even on his radar; he knows nothing about it, but he got the information he needed and ran with it. I was just happy for this glimmer of initiative :)</p>
<p>hi lindz!!! It's good to see you again. Good luck getting your S settled and D enthused! Congrats on his wonderful accomplishment!</p>
<p>Could you all help me out with something? If a student applies ED to a school and EA to a school and gets into both, gets merit aid from the EA school and the ED school gives no merit aid and cannot match the aid of the EA school, can you opt out of the ED acceptance?</p>
<p>Nope! ED means ED......your child signs an agreement that if accepted, he or she will attend. No mitigating circumstances can change that, even if it means more money!</p>
<p>actually, I think the only mitigating circumstance is money. I believe that most ED contracts can be broken if a student simply can not afford to attend after the FA offer comes in. But if that is a possibility, you shouldn't allow your student apply ED. Since FA packages typically come in after acceptances, if a student is accepted ED he/she typically knows about it before the FA information is available and it is at that point she/he is obligated to withdraw other apps.</p>
<p>But thanks for asking because I have been wondering about something I heard. Is it true that some schools don't give final FA offers even for ED acceptees until April??</p>
<p>Wanted to share some great news...son finally, FINALLY, wants to do some college visits. We're in CA and he wants to go to the northeast as he has for a year. Took my spreadsheet and actually picked out 8 schools (totally based on location, but hey, he DID pick some), and got excited when I told him about a potential itinerary next month. A lot of the interest in due to a girl he met on our Alaska cruise last month who lives back east, but I figure interest is interest. We're looking at a few LAC's, and I'm hoping he gets jazzed about one or two of them enough to get motivated with essays.</p>
<p>Maybe the laying off the incessant college talks worked? Or was it the girl? Methinks the latter, but I'll take what I can get.</p>
<p>cpeltz-I vote on the girl-but agree that interest is interest!</p>
<p>We too live in CA and are making the trek back east for the college tour. cpeltz...I would be happy to share our experience if our lists are different. PM me and we could share info :)</p>
<p>zebes--its my understanding that UF admissions doesn't look at much beyond GPA and SAT or ACT scores--just too many students who apply. my son got into UF and he was told this by several students there. good luck to your daughter.</p>
<p>hi historymom--thanks for kind words...focusing on the blessing of good things to be stressed about. my daughter has risen to the occasion and is psyched about her starting process but definitely doesn't want the craziness my son opted for--he applied to 12 schools--pretty complicated btwn fin aid, essays, etc. so this time should be a little more low key...</p>
<p>Hi all - DD looked at Elizabethtown and Lebanon Valley last weekend. She now wants to go to the open houses and learn more about them. We didn't have a scheduled visit - just went there and prowed around. I much prefer Lebanon Valley - it was georgeous - and in a quaint town - Annville. Elizabethtown was more run-down. The sidewalks were in such disrepair. Made me wonder what the dorms looked like and what else was in disrepair that I couldn't see.<br>
One thing we've already learned - if you can, try to schedule an overnight visit. DD has had 2 so far - one turned her completely off of a school and the other one really excited her. She said she felt so comfortable and at home and fit in with the students there - Messiah in PA.</p>
<p>LVC is an adorable school w/great student/teacher ratio, really caring faculty and involved and positive students.</p>
<p>Well, I haven't posted on this thread in a very long time but do pop in and read it.</p>
<p>D actually completed a college app last night. Yeah!</p>
<p>When I suggested she go for two, she started, but then stopped when it came to the essay type questions. (ie favorite book and why,etc. )</p>
<p>I'm thinking that I'll encourage her to get everything ready for her gc this weekend. Everything includes a list, with addresses, of schools that need her transcripts, any gc forms, etc. She is sort of fussing about this. Her reasoning: GC won't do it for a couple of weeks because he'll be too busy with the start of school on Wednesday. We'll see how that goes.</p>
<p>Please don't hate me-but S actually has his essay finished!!! I had set a deadline for 8-1 for him, so only one week late is great. Still no great list of colleges-but so did not want to have this hanging over his head in the fall. Still remember holding our D hostage one weekend until she finished her essay-she was so busy that the final hour had come-did not want a repeat. YEAH!!</p>