<p>Having a car (and license of course) in the 5 college area is very helpful!</p>
<p>Iām thinking of sending my daughter to Smith for their science summer school/camp.</p>
<p>Itās great to hear all the accolades for Smith! Iām excited for her to go there, I expect she will get a great education and it will be a fun adventure for her. We havenāt spent much time in that part of the US and are looking forward to having an excuse to explore New England.</p>
<p>PlantMom, what kind of research is your daughter doing this summer? My D got a Stride scholarship and will be involved in some sort of research during the year.</p>
<p>Weāre still in limbo regarding school choice. My daughter wanted to go take a look at AU again before making her final decision. We managed a wonderful visit yesterday, yet still no decisionā¦deep sigh. Strangely enough, because the campus is pretty much shut down for the summer, the visit yesterday turned out to be the most customized visit of ALL the colleges we toured. </p>
<p>Since there were no student led tours, we decided the best we could do would be to meet with the track coach and wander around the campus on our own. We actually started at the admissions office and an admit couselor spoke with us, answering some very specific questions. We then went to meet the coach, who had rounded up three track girls to talk with my daughter. The girls were wonderfulā¦soooo welcoming, so on Dās level, so willing to take their time and talk with her. They even spent extra time with her, showing her the athletic facility and disappeared into the locker room with herā¦left me and the coach outside. It was perfect. They were gone for quite awhile, and finally reappeared giggling and totally having a blast together. D found out there are a lot of perks for the athletes. She liked that:) Laundry service, separate medical facilities with free prescriptions, priority class registration, free tickets to other athletic events, priority housing options, academic advocate (in event of athletic/academic conflicts). Lots of demands too, but worth it.</p>
<p>We had a wonderful dayā¦this is the first college visit that, in my opinion, provided an example of true college life. She was all smiles. We left campus and had lunch in DC, shopped, etc. We were in no hurryā¦took the whole day and evening. Worked our way home by stopping at lots of different stores that we donāt have access to at home. Had dinner, etc. I donāt know about D, but I totally cherish every moment of the day.</p>
<p>When we were finally headed home, I asked the million dollar question. Asked her āwhat do you thinkā? She says she is leaning more towards AU right now, but not entirely sure.
OMG, are ya kidding??? Uh, itās kind of likeā¦time to decide! :)</p>
<p>She is hesitating because UR is so beautiful, great education, they are giving her more $$$, etc. However, AU has clearly expressed interested in having her walk-on and run for them. On the other hand, the UR coach hasnāt returned any of her emails, phone calls, etc. D canāt get in touch with the running coaches no matter what she does. I even spoke with Admissions a couple of weeks ago and they said, ājust keep tryingā¦coaches are busyā. D has no idea if she can walk-on at UR. Personally, I canāt imagine that she wouldnāt be a welcome addition to the team. She isnāt by any means a ātopā D1 athlete, but sheās good. Sheās only been running for 2.5 years and has loads of room for improvement/development. We even had my coach, who is a former elite athlete and now a coach, who also KNOWS the UR coaches,send an introduction and recommendation via email. No response. I had D leave one more message today, indicating her need for information was getting to be a bit urgent, influencing decision, etc. Weāre still waiting for a return call.</p>
<p>I donāt know what she will end up deciding. I am so sorry for the quandry she is in. She has so much patience, I am astounded.</p>
<p>Northernwoods, Sheās working in her department on a SURF grantābioāwith a professor who taught one of the interterm courses. Sheāll be working on the coast for a bit and then working in a lab at Smith. Iām happy to report that she just walked in and looks happy and healthy, albeit a bit tired. She said that everything was packed up and stored last night so she slept on a couch in one of the common rooms. One of the other few young ladies chose to bake cookies at 2 AM! Sheās chattering and confident about the school year, but looking forward to a bit of R and R (until she starts her one month home stint at the local Panera). </p>
<p>Now, you can tell me about Minnesota as my son will be in St. Paul next fall at Mac. He asked me the other day if it was really cold 
Actually, I lived in Mpls for four yearsāthe coldest place Iāve ever livedāso I had to tell him yes, it was all true but that he would get used to it.</p>
<p>Ksabbo
Both of these schools must have a final notification date of later than May 1 or have given your D extensions. What is the date? My bet is that is when your D will decide. I really donāt understand the coaches at UR. I would assume if she hears positively from them she will pick that school.
grrr I hate decision limbo - we are still there as well, but may be pulling the plug in a few days. I donāt think we can get out to visit RPI and I just donāt feel comfortable having S give up on WPI without the knowledge that it is the right choice (when he feels like WPI is such a great fit) just for the extra aid.</p>
<p>Got a postcard in the mail today telling S to be sure to attend the awards ceremony because he was receiving an award from a local scholarship - it wonāt be large, but it is still a feather in his cap</p>
<p>We got some great pre-prom pictures this evening. Sās girlfriend is stunning. She is also one of those types that is extremely photogenic so I canāt stop looking at the pictures. (This was our first opportunity to meet her as he always goes to her house.) Her mom is one of the high school guidance counselors and will be a chaperone at both prom and post prom. The mom said she wasnāt happy about being roped into chaperone duties every year, but her daughter seemed fine with it (youngest of six children; very confident young woman). One of the parents in the group is hosting a breakfast at 5:00 am, which is when post-prom ends and S has work at 11:00. Ouch. </p>
<p>ksab, good luck with the decision. Iām sure she will be happy either place. One of Sās friends got off the waitlist at JMU but not the other. Iām not sure the one who got off will go while the other wants it so badly he is just sick. Such a difficult time for some kids.</p>
<h1>theorymom-Congrats on the local scholarship award for your S. Always an honor. RPI, WPI, either wayā¦canāt go wrong, Iām sure.</h1>
<p>AU granted my D an extension to May 15th since they granted her more $$$ on April 29. They recognized the need to reconsider her options.</p>
<p>No prom for D this year. She claims not to understand why that kind of event is fun. Not her thing. Glad the pics are nice The Analyst. All of the pre/post prom stuff sounds fun.</p>
<p>Ksabbo and #tm - Oh gosh. I really donāt know how you are doing this! Hats off to you both for such patience.
My S (college soph) was on his way to Beijing today. Unfortunately, someone on the plane started coughing with shaking chills while they were taxiing for take-off. They brought the plane back - disembarked everyone and, by that time, had to get a new crew resulting in a 5 hour delay. So he will miss his connection in Tokyo and be a day late for the first day of classes. I hope they put him up in a hotel - talk about sleep deprivation! Of course, his phone doesnāt work over there - something about a SIM card. Heās traveling alone but I think heāll be OK. Just keeping our fingers crossed that weāll hear from him sometime tomorrow. I must say I donāt think Iād be so cool if it was my '09 D having this adventure - is it '13 now??</p>
<p>Wow Woodyāplease tell moreāis your S handling things OK and what does he think about this??? And am curious to know what airline this was (donāt think there is any CC rule about saying ā¦)</p>
<h1>theorymom - congratulations on the scholarship!</h1>
<p>Happy Motherās Day (a little early)!</p>
<p>DH and I just spent the last hour addressing grad announcements. I completely underestimated and only order about 20. I needed 8 more. We decided to write a note and put a little pic into those 8. Actually, felt fine as they are folks we do not actually see but want to let know what is happening in our family and do not feel that they need to send a gift at all. How are all of you doing with this?? AND I am shocked at how bad my handwriting has becomeā¦</p>
<p>OR101, havenāt even started with the announcements as Iām not sure what time the ceremony will be. Our announcements will be pretty nontraditional ā probably cards including pics of geek<em>son doing all his geek</em>sonly things, designed by yours truly and produced by our favorite print shop. Have to make party invitations too. If theyāre out two weeks before graduation, Iāll be tickled.</p>
<p>woody ā Sure hope everything works out well for your son. I trust it will; theyāre pretty resourceful and resilient at that age. :)</p>
<p>No Senior Ball for my D tonight either. She and her buddies used to go to dances all together in one big group. Now many of the kids have paired off and most have driverās licences, so they want to be more couple-ish. There was talk of D and her best friend double-dating; neither D nor boyfriend drive, and the best friend was willing to give them a ride TO the Ball, but not FROM (and of course, being picked up by Mom was out of the question), which caused a tiff. In the end, D danced tonight with her performing company in a long-scheduled showcase. Boyfriend attended and was probably happier than he would have been at the Ball, and I am pleased to have saved several hundred dollars on Senior Ball expenses.</p>
<p>Sorry about sll the havoc. It is very scary and concerning about the kids who are so troubled. Lindz hope your D s ok. I would not like that at all. It seems crazier than when I was growing up. Maybe with all the ways to communicate?
My D is in the minority, could not wait for her liscense.(sp) has had it 1.5 years. She helps with driving her sister to school. although thinking brakes was a car noise cost big bucks-OUCH. D2 is taking drivers ed this summer. Driving is double edged sword, I miss the talks for sure, and I do worry. Especially late driving. I guess I worry period.
Prom is right before graduation, D will look great, she isnāt one who spends crazy time on herself, but when she does she looks beautiful. Still need to get shoes.</p>
<p>Happy Motherās Day to all of you mothers for bringing your sons and daughters into this world and raising them so well. Whatās great is that for most of you, the big problems are where to go to college and can we find prom dresses and not, and not much problems much more severe or darker. I donāt know any of you, but I sense that we all have a lot to be grateful for. So, enjoy.</p>
<p>Weāre off to yoga as a start to Motherās Day. HS sophomore daughter has discovered that she has 2 papers and 2 quizzes and one test in the next 3 days (big problem: whereās the planning, this couldnāt have been a surprise) and she does have lots of anxiety so weāll probably skip going out to the fancy sushi place for dinner as planned. But, weāll get there at some point. Iām leaving for Europe for the week, London plus Paris and possibly Stockholm. So, Iāll shop at Costco and Whole Foods for the week before I go. Plus, her hard drive fried and Iāll replace it before I head off. A low key Motherās Day. But, having watched the process of giving birth, Iād say all mothers need to be celebrated.</p>
<p>Grad party announcements have been mailed, still scanning photos for video and spread tons of mulch to get started on yardwork. Planted lots of flowers yesterday and more to go this week. Ran out of potting soil so H is on his way to pick it up for Motherās Day. </p>
<p>Happy Motherās Day everyone!!!:)</p>
<p>Weāll spend most of the day at the soccer fields. The sun is shining but still a little chilly. If it warms a little I will be content to spend time watching the game even though D2ās team is not āsupposedā to win this semi-final game. Enjoy the day!</p>
<p>Happy Motherās Day, everybody!</p>
<p>ksabbo and #theorymom, amazed at the strength with which youāre hanging in there. woody, hereās hoping you get some news soon, and that itās good. (I was going to say positive but I think thatās not what we want to hear.)</p>
<p>Hope everyone has at least moments, if not longer stretches, of full-on mom appreciation today.</p>
<p>(And shawbridge, thanks! Weāll make much of you next month. :D)</p>
<p>Bon voyage, Shawbridge. Happy Motherās Day to all. Indeed we have much to be grateful for.</p>
<p>My kids just presented the Motherās Day gifts of hand made cards, beautiful orchids, and bird feeders and seed. We love to hike, and normally weād take a MD hike, but itās already sweltering and the high here is supposed to be 96. Just canāt get motivated. And S1 has studying for his AP exams as well as his final high school course. He, too, has been procrastinating.</p>
<p>Happy Motherās Day Everyone!
Shawbridge - āWhatās great is that for most of you, the big problems are where to go to college and can we find prom dresses and not, and not much problems much more severe or darker.ā I thank my lucky stars for this every day.
Well - WoodyS just called. He missed his connection and checked into a hotel at the airport in Tokyo. Everyone on the plane passed the cursory medical exam upon arrival. S said that swine flu is passed not by coughing but by fear! Heāll miss the first day of classes but he doesnāt think itās a big problem. He sounded just like his dad - was going down to the bar for a beer and some sushi then off to bed. Iād rather not publish the name of the carrier although Iām surprised it hasnāt hit the news. I donāt want flags to go up upon his arrival in Beijing!
I think itās amazing that this kid (19yo) is so nonplussed by the whole thing. For all of us HS '09ers, we should remember that however anxious we are about sending them off, the next few years are such a time of growth for them - like those first 2 years of their lives in some respects. Now I better stop before I start weeping into my coffee.</p>