<p>MilMom, you have broken our Stress-O-Meter. We will have to get a new, industrial strength one for you.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I have a friend who, when facing times like yours says, "Don’t fix me a drink…just open the bottle of vodka and pour it directly over my head! :)</p>
<p>Aria – welcome and congrats!</p>
<p>Mamom – Ouch! Hope the schools that you are still waiting to hear from will bring good news.</p>
<p>LearninginProg – great post. We need someone removed from this insanity to remind us to keep our cool.</p>
<p>Missypie – thanks for the Nordstrom Rack idea. We have one nearby and I need to shop for new dresses for the senior award dinner, friend’s birthday party, graduation, cruise… And just get some distraction from it all.</p>
<p>MM – my blood pressure went up just reading about all you are going thru. Hugs to you and your family.</p>
<p>Not a lot to report here. I am finally done with the FA paperwork. The last task was to fax 2010 Tax returns to one of the colleges. Which I delegated to DH, who delegated it to DS. But it got done. </p>
<p>S is working on a scholarship application, but he is so over this process… I can’t blame him, it was a strenuous journey. We are still waiting for 3 colleges to reveal their decisions this month. Next month is time to travel.</p>
<p>Again good luck to the MIT applicants, I too made a pie today to celebrate. You can guess what kind. ;)</p>
<p>MilMom and mamom, my daughter can join your kids singing the “Waitlist-which-is-pretty-much-a-rejection Blues” (and I believe from the same college as MilMom – I hope a few things will get cleared up for you soon and that you can enjoy the upcoming visits amidst all the stress).</p>
<p>I asked my daughter if she wanted to stay on the wait-list. She said “No, if they don’t want me enough to accept me up front, I don’t want to go there.” Good thing, since waitlist = no merit! She’s now convinced that her other top choices will not accept her either – sigh. On the good side, decent merit $$ from another college came through today.</p>
<p>I hope everyone’s pi day day news will be good – just over 2 hours away!</p>
<p>Well, D got another acceptance, with $40k merit(presidential scholarship), but that only amounts to 20% of the COA! No FA info yet, but that scares me since I am self employed and my income can vary from year to year. I don’t want her to start some school and then the COA for us varies so much we have to move her or something. She has two good safeties(try to tell her that) admits very affordable with merit, and are waiting for a few more schools.</p>
<p>I guess its like investing, spread it around and see what pays. The kids have a hard time fathoming what $80-150k in debt is, and the economy is not that great.</p>
<p>Oh well, best of luck to all. It will all play out fairly soon.</p>
<p>^then according to wife, shes all excited then realizes its not enough money and says"Dad will just say its out!" I was not home–you know I work, so I don’t know whats worse not being accepted or being accepted and can’t afford it. I am not the bad guy!</p>
<p>Got another acceptance, this time to American University!</p>
<p>Accepted:
George Washington University-49k a year
Northern Arizona University-Full Ride
American University- unknown </p>
<p>Waiting:
University of Denver</p>
<p>I’m going to GW though for sure!</p>
<p>Vanmo- I certainly understand what you are going through with the uncertainty of awards in further years. We had to take that into consideration for our oldest since we knew our FA was based on very unusual circumstances and if tuition rose at this one school and we changed those circumstances but they didn’t change FA to meet the new ones, we would be unable to pay.</p>
<p>Snoozn and Mamom - sorry that we are all in the same situation today. Not a great day.</p>
<p>Sb just got the call from one of her original 6 (one of the 3 she jettisoned last week).</p>
<p>Remember, she did a Scholarship Day Competition 2 weeks ago?</p>
<p>Guess what. Full Tuition! Darn it! </p>
<p>And you know what’s killing me? I feel like we’ve won a cruise and we can’t go. I keep thinking of all the kids on this thread who might really like this small Midwestern LAC listed in Princeton Review’s Top 372, known for getting kids into excellent grad programs particularly in the sciences…and I want to call the school back and say, "She’s pretty sure she’s going somewhere else, but can I give the full tuition scholarship to one of my friends’ kids on cc???</p>
<p>I have no idea what our FA will look like. We own our own business and the last few years has been tough financially. We were very clear with our S about this and he applied to schools that will meet need with no loans. I know that he did not enjoy having this conversation because it prevented him from applying ED (not that he had a favorite). As the months have passed, he’s shared that he is not the only one that has to look at the $$ factor. Most ALL of his friends know that merit/FA must be part of the equation. I do wish that writing that $55K/year check was not an issue for us, but I’m glad that he has an understanding of the financial factor.</p>
<p>Is it not strange to feel at odds with the ones closest to you and find solace with perfect strangers?</p>
<p>MM thx for the support–nice to know i am not losing my mind–yet</p>
<p>Lets see 3 kids x $200k—does not compute…</p>
<p>We will all find a way!</p>
<p>I like hearing the success stories and lament the rejections, but things usually turn out for the best.</p>
<p>MIT Pi day applicants - less than one hour left to wait. Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>ARRGGGHHH…just when you think you have all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed. We received a letter today from one of DS accepted schools saying our FAFSA was rejected. I went back to my email and still have the confirmation that it was accepted in Feb. but when I went back into the FAFSA today and it said incomplete. WHAT!!! So I went through and hit submit again and got another confirmation email that is was submitted. I hope this doesn’t mess up Financial Aid at any of the schools.</p>
<p>While we drum our fingers on the table and crack our knuckles waiting for MIT news, can I share something very sweet?</p>
<p>I called my parents to tell them about the full tuition scholarship at the school she doesn’t want to go to, and they said, “We haven’t mentioned this up til now, and since sb will be our second grandchild to go to college, only your (older)niece and sister know this. But we’ve been saving for a long time to be able to do this, and we give each grandchild $1,000 for high school graduation, to use for college expenses, and then $2500 per year while they are in college. It’s the Grandma and Grandpa Scholarship. We know it’s not a lot, but we hope, with her other financial aid and scholarships, it will help her to be able to go to the school she wants.”</p>
<p>I’m getting teary just telling you this. My parents are very frugal, never had a lot of money, and my dad never went to college. I’m so touched by this. They said I could tell sb now, or they would at graduation, but they don’t want her to feel bad for turning down the full tuition if that isn’t the “right” school.</p>
<p>All they ask is that we don’t tell the 2 younger grandchildren still in high school. They don’t want the kids to know until they’ve worked hard and done all they could to earn scholarships on their own. Then its like a bonus.</p>
<p>This may not seem like a lot of money, but for them it’s huge and I know it must’ve taken years to save this amount for each grandchild. I have truly wonderful parents.</p>
<p>^^ OOOOOOH MOSB
That makes me teary…
what a sweet sweet gift…a true gift</p>
<p>What a lovely gift from them
To do that for their grandchildren…
Having not had the opportunity themselves and to have done without to be able to give such a sweet gift…</p>
<p>Ooooh MOSB!!</p>
<p>Mosb- how very sweet of them!!!</p>
<p>MOSB-- What a lovely gift from Grandma and Grandpa. That’s really sweet. You just put a big smile on my face.</p>
<p>What a wonderful gift, mosb. </p>
<p>Now we know why you are so wise and thoughtful…you got that from your parents.</p>
<p>mosb - you and all the grandchildren are truly blessed - not just by the $ of course, but by the sacrifice and caring it represents. I love the fact that it comes AFTER the kids do what they need to. congrats on the scholarship news too - nice affirmation.</p>
<p>mosb: making me cry = not fair!!!</p>