<p>Hi Jolynne! Another mom here, works full-time and is also D's full-time admin assist for 10 applications she submitted (no common apps). With the help of her GC who did nothing but twiddle her thumbs waiting for other students to apply, D was lucky enough to have her all to herself in preparing the HS transcript packages and sending out the recs and resume. As of right now, D has 2 really good offers on the table and 1 deferral (to her #1 school). We're just sitting back now waiting for the remaining admissions decisions, which should end on December 5th. By Christmas, D will have an idea where she will go, but we may hold off on a final decision until we see FAFSA figures. Are there any cons to waiting for financial aid results? Is that the smart thing to do? The only thing that worries me about waiting until FAFSA is housing.</p>
<p>Jolynne, my wife is an immensely talented, highly dyslexic artist (where does DS get it from?), but I have to write her grant proposals and have her dictate artist statements to me so that for this kind of thing, she's no help. [She can do anything with her hands and is great with people, just not written products]. I run a small firm and travel a lot. I have been in Europe twice a month this fall and have at least two more trips to Europe before Christmas. I've got employees who ride their folks too hard (and need my undesired but helpful hand to modify behavior) and clients that need massaging. So, I can't just drop everything to be an admin -- plus I'm no good at administrative stuff and sleep 5-6 hours a night as is. My wife's cousin does help a lot and can be very helpful here. I had been hoping that the application process would be another learning experience and that my son would take charge , but this looks like too much for him on the organizational front. [Who knows? He has consistently exceeded everyone's expectations. Even knowing how smart he is, given the severity of his LDs, I would never have bet that he could score as well as he did on the SATs or do as consistently well as he has in school.] But he still has two months to write 1-3 essays per application times 12-15 applications and has a lot of other stuff on his plate.</p>
<p>So, my hats off to you guys. I am impressed with kids who do this with no help and kids with single parents and frankly everyone else who manage it all. My hats off to you guys for being so capably on top of things. I hope we'll be able to join your group.</p>
<p>JSM---we're going to wait for the fin aid info before a decision--if anyone knew a different route, I'd be interested to hear. For U of FL at Gainesville, son sent in $50 housing deposit (to get in at 'front of line' for housing) even though he's not sure he'll go. If a school offered that, I'd take it.</p>
<p>shawbridge--you've got a lot on your plate, surely. One consolation--once your son writes a few (maybe 2-3) essays, he can usually use them for all the schools (with minor alterations). Once those 'central' essays are done, the big work is finished & it's an paper-chase of filling things out (less intense). Also, if your son has the option to do the Common App for any of his schools, that will save a lot of time also, since the same essays/info are automatically sent to those schools.</p>
<p>shawbridge - Use the common app when you can. My d applied to six common app schools - one short essay highlighting an ec and one longer essay. Four of the schools had no supplements so she was able to press that send button four times. </p>
<p>HATS OFF TO THE UNIVERSITIES THAT DON'T ASK FOR COMMON APP SUPPLEMENTS.</p>
<p>Two of the Common App schools required supplements, but looking carefully at the supplements d discovered one of the supplemental essays could be used for both schools and also one of her non common app schools. So d pushed the send button another time (5 schools so far with two short essays and two long essays (one each common app + one each supplement). Both her short essay and two long essays should be able to be used in some form again. </p>
<p>And so it goes - but not quite as overwhelming as it seemed at first glance. Though still somewhat overwhelming, all told.</p>
<p>Again - A moment of appreciation for all the universities that DON'T MAKE THE APPLICATION PROCESS QUITE SO DIFFICULT.</p>
<p>Yes, ignatius, and thank you to 3 of the 10 schools D applied to that offered her a VIP application (no fee, no essay, no long form).</p>
<p>Amen on the Common App w/o supplements and the VIP applications! Still, it is an arduous process these days. I have childless friends who, by their reactions when I recount the list making and final number (11) of schools, think I've jumped off a cliff into the valley of insanity. I'm uber-organized with spreadsheets and DS and I have had endless conversations, yet even he said last night, "Mom, how many private schools am I applying to?" </p>
<p>When my son left for school this morning in his costume, I was reminded of my little boy whose favorite holiday was, and has ALWAYS been, Halloween. Of course, he and a friend are dressing as Bill & Ted and planning on an excellent adventure tonight, and that is a far cry from dressing as Elmo!</p>
<p>Happy Halloween everyone.</p>
<p>cpeltz--I hear you. Son & his friends (HS seniors) are actually planning to go trick or treating tonight! I said, "what? you're kidding right?" and they said it was the last year they could do it 'reasonably.' Funny. Apparently a whole gang of them will do it. </p>
<p>Have to keep remembering that this, last year of high school will bring quite a number of 'last times.' Have to remember to slow down & appreciate those moments.</p>
<p>You're absolutely right - I hadn't thought of that when I smiled at this grown boy in a costume, but it will be the last time I help him put together a costume. What an overwhelmingly bittersweet feeling that is...</p>
<p>We always go to the State Fair as a family on Columbus Day. Son was very aware that it was his "last time" this year.</p>
<p>D went to school dressed in costume and is going trick-or-treating tonight with friends. She received an email from East Carolina about a HUGE Halloween party for the students tonight. East Carolina is a school that offered her admissions last week that she is seriously considering accepting.</p>
<p>Needless to say, having a HUGE Halloween party made her think that she doesn't have to say goodbye to Halloween forever.</p>
<p>I started thinking of "lasts" when we were planning on what/where/who to visit for Thanksgiving. D wants to go OOS, so having her home next year for Thanksgiving will be a huge treat, and probably the first time we'lll see her after she ships off to college-land in August. :(</p>
<p>JSM -- I know the sadness ... D1, now a senior in college, has never been able to come home for Thanksgiving. She's now applying for grad schools, and says she'd like to attend one where "I can come home for Thanksgiving." </p>
<p>In the meantime, D2 is applying to college this year, and her choices are scattered around the country. Our favorites would also make it impossible to come home for Thanksgiving; I don't know how I hope this will turn out!</p>
<p>Happy Halloween to all! Re. lasts, last night was the last home soccer game for my two. We did a little ceremony on the field right before. It was very bittersweet then the game ended in a tie. </p>
<p>I am not one of those who thinks that a tie=everyone goes home happy. Obnoxious of me I know and yes it is better than a loss but still I far prefer a win. What does that reveal about my character? ;)</p>
<p>Son was just admitted to his second favorite school. Don't be crushed if a "thin envelope" arrives....this acceptance was a plain, one page letter in a plain envelope. (One school included purple confetti; another had the main building with doors that opened that said "You're in.")</p>
<p>S recieved his "thin envelope" from University of Portland yesterday. I was glad historymom warned me that UofP comes in a thin envelope. So what is that about? I kinda liked the fact that I could tell without waiting for my S/D to come home from school. D told me to open anything that came and to call her. S said, "you would cheat me out of my first college experience" (!LOL!). That took me by surprise. So now I sit in the car after I have picked up the mail and hold it up to the window--and yes, I saw that it was an acceptance. But now we will have rain for the next 10 days...guess I will have to resort to a lamp.</p>
<p>LOL at all of you! The first acceptance to come in for D came in a purple envelope, looked like an expensive wedding invitation. Inside you opened up the card and there was an "admit one" sorta looking event ticket. So cute. D jumped for joy. Another school she was accepted to, I cheated and looked online, then we received the letter. It wasn't as special as the purple envelope and fancy invitation.</p>
<p>Wow-S just called his #1 choice to ask if they had received all his materials. They at first said they had not received the transcript (sent 10 days ago). Very friendly, checked the name of the GC and found the transcript. It had not been put in the right place. He was SO glad that I had suggest he call. Actually, I offered and he said he would take care of it himself after school. (I was proud!). So-just wanted to say--do check. Because I knew that another school had all of the materials I almost did not bring it up with S. WHEW!!!</p>
<p>Another trick-or-treater here--he hasn't done this in years, but now there's a girl on the scene so he does as told! :) makes me nostalgic. But back to business, oregon101 are we saying we need to call the top choices to make sure everything is received? Don't they hate getting so many calls?</p>
<p>mom in virginia--I am so so glad! that S did. I have to thank historymom for mentioning that she had called and they were use to it and friendly. Some of the schools have an online check but this one did not --which made me uncomfortable. Oh--S also has hated costumes since he was little but now that GF wants to be Cinderella he is Gusto (?) and made his own mouse costume. Now why don't I have that much power???</p>
<p>My oldest son received his admissions letter Friday afternoon from the U. of Alabama. At first, I thought that he might blow it off -- since we begged him to apply (he is a NM semifinalist who got a great offer from the school). But he was happy and wanted to go out to dinner to celebrate. He calls it a backup, but he is also thrilled that he is the first kid in his senior class to land admission somewhere. The person who was most thrilled was his younger brother, who has been watching the college application process and got to see what an admission letter looked like. Meanwhile, the apps will continue to go out -- he has about 10 to go.</p>