Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents Forum Class of 20xx Community
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<p>Congratulations to everyone with more great news! Sorry to hear about more WLs, and I hope that those that are really important to our kids turn into admits in the next few weeks. And sorry to those who are not getting into the schools they really want. Thanks for the great perspective, OWM. I’m looking forward to being on your side of the valley soon.</p>

<p>We have five decisions coming this week, and I think we’ll be ecstatic if even one of them is an acceptance. I also think that if it is, that will probably be the school for D - she loves all of them more than any of her current schools. But she’s also coming around to three of her current acceptances, and is looking forward to visiting each of them this month.</p>

<p>But while we wait of course, there is much to do in preparation for prom, graduation, etc. and I’m glad we’ll have those distractions between now and Wednesday.</p>

<p>I need to get some perspective from mom’s of daughters out there. Moonmaid, I’m so impressed and excited for you that you found such a great bargain! But if we don’t have that kind of luck, what should I realistically expect/be willing to pay for a prom dress? I’m experiencing sticker shock right now, but I haven’t been paying attention to these things since I was in HS, which was a very long time ago. D1 has found her dream dress online, and lets just say that it costs as much as my wedding dress (for which I got a great deal, but still…). I realize this is a pretty personal question, so if you’d like to share your perspective but want to do it through PM that would be fine. I just don’t want to be a scrooge about it, but I also don’t want to go overboard. Thoughts?</p>

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<p>What a great idea! Here it is: “You can’t always get what you want . . . but if you try some time, you just might find, you get what you need!” So far, we are - three great acceptances, one waitlist we’ve declined, and only six more (lotteries all) to go. Waiting for the mailman for Pomona - why they have to mail this is beyond me. Chicago so far has been the only one who made their financial offer up front - how hard can that be, when they’ve had our information for so long?</p>

<p>I am so delighted for everyone - for the good news, and for the way everyone is able to get past the bad news. “Big Fat Envelope” is a great racehorse name - since the Jockey Club increased the number of letters and spaces permitted, you could now do it. I will suggest it to the owners I know. Alas, the foals are not mine - I just have the privilege of seeing them every day. All are now able to stand steadily and nose at the grass. Still waiting for the first foal race. I believe we’re up to 13 at the two nearby farms, and there are some very uncomfortable ladies-in-waiting, standing in their fields with their heads down. No matter how bad the wait is for us, at least we’re not mares in their 11th month with something huge to tote around with bony, knobby knees and hocks and four hooves!</p>

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<p>I forgot to add, for AvonHSDad and anyone else with a Georgetown acceptance - if you did not know, The Exorcist has some great shots of the campus, including the staircase scene. Well worth watching again just for that.</p>

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<p>I hope that everyone is posting on the master acceptances thread, because I simply can’t keep up!</p>

<p>I think that CC is noticably slower today…it will just get slower and slower as the month ends, culminating in a crash.</p>

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<p>emilebee - Congratulations on winning the lottery!!! That’s a beautiful thing!</p>

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<p>Amanda, thanks for the financial plan laugh – I shared it with my husband when he was getting all down on himself for “not being able to provide.”</p>

<p>Neither sleet nor snow, nor hailstorms nor tornadoes will keep a determined mom of Boston and her daughter from delivering themselves to college visits!</p>

<p>Moonmaid, oh nice get on the double dresses.</p>

<p>Flmathmom, sorry about Olin, but glad your son has great choices. My husband and I are Georgia Tech graduates – and not that I would advise against going, but our theme song while were there was the Animals “We Gotta Get Out of this Place!” [seriously though, it’s an excellent school – my husband’s old roommate is a prof there – he never did get out.]</p>

<p>EmmyBet, hugs to your daughter. Mine didn’t get any of her audition scholarships and I can’t even imagine how much more stressful those super-serious auditioned programs are. I hope she’ll get through the sadness soon and into the excitement of making a final choice.</p>

<p>emilybee, big WOW grats on Bates with a HUGE scholarship!</p>

<p>AvonDad, sorry about that Vandy waitlist and grats on Georgetown but darn that “L word!”</p>

<p>cko, on prom dresses: Boy, it just depends so much on circumstances. I do remember hearing that tuxes cost over $100 to rent, so in some ways a dress is a pretty good deal even with the sticker shock. My daughter has always been a bargain hunter, which is good since her school does prom for all four years. She’s never spent more than $50 total. This year I’m going to get her the prom dress she wants, which will probably be close to $300 (and this is expensive to me – I shop at the consignment store for the kids and myself). Her prom is very non-traditional and she wants a new belly dance costume. I know she will continue to use it in performances, so it’s not like a one-time-wearing deal. Good luck in your dress hunt!</p>

<p>I love the sound track suggestions so far, especially “You can’t always get what you want!” I’ll add my own comedy favorite, Tim Minchin’s “If I didn’t have you.” He’s singing about how a person finds the right spouse, but it can apply equally to finding the right college. (It’s on youtube if anyone wants to check it out!)</p>

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<p>While you can get bargains in the $30-50 range that is usually the exception and not the rule in our experience. We found great bargains at the NYC Upper East Side Salvation Army- but having a used dress does not appeal to most girls (D included) I have seen nice but simple long dresses in $99-120 range, especially at David’s Bridal. Many (most?) are above that. We usually expect to pay $150-200. I (personally) won’t pay more than that but YMMV.</p>

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<p>emilybee - Congrats on the Bates $$$. And WOW!!! That is a great package.</p>

<p>AvonHSDad - Hooray to the Gtwn acceptance! Sorry about the VB.</p>

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<p>My husband just sent me a link to this article. I thought some of you would enjoy it. George Will thinks this is the real March Madness too.</p>

<p>[George</a> Will](<a href=“http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/will032711.php3]George”>http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/will032711.php3) </p>

<p>And thanks for the feedback on prom dresses.</p>

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<p>Wow, you go skiing for a weekend and miss about 300 posts! Congrats to all, even the ones with disappointing news, because it appears that everyone’s kid has at least an acceptance or two to be happy about. Soon the pain of rejection will fade.</p>

<p>D is waiting on her fifth and final school (notifies tomorrow), but other than hearing about that and reporting on her friends’ good and bad news this week, this will be a No Talking About College week. She is in hell week for her final high school play, with rehearsals until 10:30 every night and the show dominating the coming weekend. Plus keeping up with schoolwork (she was up until 2:30 last night…). Next week things will lighten up and perhaps she will come closer to a decision… although last week she announced that she has no intention of deciding until April 30th. God grant me patience…</p>

<p>Good luck in the next few days. I’d like to wish everyone “no rejections,” but we know that’s not feasible, so I’ll just wish everyone good luck in finding the right academic home-- which is already happening!</p>

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<p>ck: Thanks for sharing the George Will article. I can relate to “Ferguson’s son worries that his happy life is a handicap.” When my daughter was writing essays, she lamented that she hadn’t had enough hardship.</p>

<p>FLMathMom: I’m sorry about Olin. It’s really tough when a kid falls in love with such a small school. I’m glad that he has other great options.</p>

<p>Avon: Congrats on Georgetown and sorry about the Vanderbilt WL.</p>

<p>Emilyb: Congratulations on the Bates acceptance and scholarship!</p>

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<p>LOL, researching4emb!</p>

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<p>Prom Dresses:
CK, there’s a huge range of prices. You can find dresses on sale at the department stores for $100-$200. The online and prom dress stores seem to run between $200- $400. Last year we found a good buy at Lord and Taylor, but this year we splurged. I would try hitting some stores in your area before ordering the online dress. Maybe she’ll find a less expensive dream dress.</p>

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<p>I just love this from the George Will article:</p>

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<p>Prom Dresses:</p>

<p>We went to a formal dress shop last year and spent about $200. Found Ds homecoming dress on clearance rack at Macy’s for about $30. So it depends on what kind of look she wants. </p>

<p>We got graduation invitations last week. Ds countdown is 35 days of school left. Boy has time flown by…don’t think I am ready yet.</p>

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<p>it had to happen…my son has been amazingly lucky…accepted at 9 schools…but he decided that Georgetown, which came today, would be the indicator of the decisions on Wed. (not Wash U, Vanderbilt, Cornell, or Northwestern)…so he was upset when the teeny tiny envelope arrived and GT flat out rejected him…not even waitlisted…but now he’s fine…just counting the hours until Wed…after lsitening to the scary/enlightening NPR link for Amherst that someone sent, it’s amazing that anyone gets in anywhere!</p>

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<p>Prom dress: On-line $208 with s/h. She could have spent far more…I gave her the option of a few dresses that were pushing $500 but she liked this one best. </p>

<p>Momdoc – Yes, I am a multi-published fiction writer. For obvious reasons, I don’t give out my name on CC. For one thing, it would embarrass the heck out my poor child!</p>

<p>It’s an exciting day on this board! I find myself checking it compulsively to see who got in where and what schools were suffering from severe shortsightedness when they foolishly rejected <em>any</em> of your children. I am just so impressed by all that they have done so far in their lives…far more than I ever dreamed of accomplishing at 18.</p>

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<p>Prom dresses: lots of girls in NYC do short dresses. modcloth.com is popular and cheap. It is a great opportunity for good shoes!</p>

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<p>missiepie… I have been quoting those few lines from Ferguson’s book A LOT!! LOL!! It just cracks me up to no end. As a mother of 5 boys I can totally relate to this… also the part about him coming in and watching his son moan loadly while banging his head on the computer. This self-realizing essay stuff is just way over the top for most boys, and especially teenage boys, and I shudder to think about next year with my own wildly unassuming and humble S.</p>

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<p>New to this list, but I find that I have exhausted the support system that is related to me (husband, mother, bother with tiny kids) They are finally growing tired of the minutiae. Good news from all schools except Rice (WL), waiting by the mailbox today for Pomona and most importantly Bowdoin…and financial aid from Northwestern and Macalester and of course the Ivies on Wed (not holding my breath, but my twins are). Eternally grateful to all these wonderful places, but FRIED! and still worried about getting the good admission news and having to give the bad financial aid bottom line.</p>