<p>missypie - I totally agree with you - i also believe that this is a lottery. It is only the rare few that have achieved national/international recognition at the tender age of 17/18 that are shoo ins. Every other hard working kid is just in the pool.</p>
<p>Blue - Congrats on bluejr’s success. I totally understand where you are coming from, we too will be making difficult decisions during the next 4-6 years.</p>
<p>Good luck tomorrow!</p>
<p>Well, S received his National Merit Scholarship envelope today, and I have to wait for him to come home.
Tried the light but it is impossible to see anything interesting, lol.
Hope it’s good news!</p>
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Thanks 3257. Me - no way. I’ll ask my offspring. He’ll spout some mathematical gobbledigook, but he still doesn’t know how to set a table properly and doesn’t know why it is important to know this!</p>
<p>Cooker: I’m so glad that your dog is okay. Mine is small and can’t get to much, but she has a habit of nosing around in purses left on the floor because she loves gum.</p>
<p>There do seem to be more waitlisted kids this year, but I think it’s a function of increased applications. When my older daughter applied in '08, friends that applied to top schools had one or 2 waitlists, but they only applied to fewer schools. It will be interesting to see if there’s more waitlist movement this year. </p>
<p>I was near JHU in Baltimore today, so I tried to send positive vibes towards the campus for those of you waiting to hear. Good luck!</p>
<p>Congrats to all with acceptances, hugs to those with rejections, and fingers crossed for anyone accepting spots on waitlists!</p>
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<p>Makes my tummy hurt too. Even though son is set and happy with Wesleyan, I have a sophmore daughter…who is top of her class and already considering Stanford as a possibility. <em>Shudders</em>…just when you get one kid all set…</p>
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<p>ai yi yi is right. Has she done overnights at the other schools? She may find she likes then just as well as BC. I would be very careful about counting on outside scholarship money, usually it is for one year only. The other thing to consider is what GPA does she need to maintain to keep her merit money. I have a friend whose S may lose a hefty merit scholarship this year because he didn’t maintain a 3.25 GPA. They are kicking themselves for letting him pass out of calc 1 & 2 because of his AP score. He is now struggling in that one class and it may mean he has to transfer next year. (not getting all A’s in others either, but at least they aren’t below a B like calc 3). So carefully look at the requirements of any merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Stanford releasing tonight? Now I wish I had skipped lunch - my stomach is churning. I agree with whoever said that for the students who make that top 10-15%, it is a lottery. Don’t know whether I will tell D when she gets home or wait for her to figure it out. She doesn’t always go online until late.</p>
<p>Mamom gives good advice about GPA requirements for merit scholarships. I have a friend who constantly worries that her son will lose his scholarship. It can be very difficult to maintain a high GPA in college, especially in majors that involve a lot of math and science courses.</p>
<p>One the question of whether a “better” school is worth the money, it’s really hard to tell. I think that fit is more important than prestige. Prestige and alumni networks can be helpful down the line when applying for jobs and grad school, but kids who work hard and make the most of their opportunities do well wherever they land. I think that the cost issue comes down to what the family can afford. I don’t think that it’s worth it for a student or family to take on huge debt to attend a bigger name school.</p>
<p>^She is going on an overnight to her safety this Friday, and now she needs to visit Boston. We did not find out until yesterday about the offers. I was just not ready for close to a 16-20k per year commitment, THIS year and then if we make more money or the GPA goes down–YIKES, like you said --transfer nightmare. We are all in the same situation. While I like being bold, these days caution is also advisable. We are so proud of her!</p>
<p>Good luck with your decisions–wasn’t this supposed to be getting easier???</p>
<p>Dios Mio!</p>
<p>aria2000 - I just went into nervous waiting mode again when I read your post. D1 applied for the NHS Scholarship as well, so I’ll be anxious to see what’s in our mailbox later today. I hope you have good news.</p>
<p>MaMom - as a latecomer to this thread and to CC in general, I’m very curious about a couple things you mentioned regarding things you learned here. Specifically, what is the ziggi method of studying for the SAT, and how did you determine the best time for taking the SAT2? I’m taking mental notes and bookmarking things to come back to for D2.</p>
<p>RenMom - regarding distance from home, we live right in the middle of the country, and D1’s possible schools range geographically from coast to coast. We live 20 min. from the WashU campus, which is the one and only reason she didn’t apply there. She really wants the experience of being away from home. Not to get too philosophical about it, but I went to boarding school a continent away from home for HS and then to college a hemisphere away, and I’ve always said that I couldn’t have done that as happily and confidently as I did if I hadn’t felt completely secure in my parents’ love and concern for me. So I see it as a positive sign that D1 is ready to leave the nest, knowing that she can always fly home (figuratively and literally) when she needs to. With one exception, however, she’s only applied to schools where she has easy access to a major airport or train/bus service, so she’s never more than a half a day away. And we’ve checked out the cost of air travel to each of the cities to be sure that with early reservations the cost of an airline ticket is reasonable. One of her west coast schools actually added a $1000 travel stipend to her FA package, which was very nice. The one challege I haven’t figured out yet, is how to get all her things there and back again each year, if she goes to school thousands of miles away. If we get to that point I’ll be looking to CC parents for advice and suggestions.</p>
<p>Regarging Bowdoin - We first read about it in 2006 when Newsweek published its article on the 25 “New Ivies”. It caught D1s attention then and we visited last spring. It didn’t make her final list of schools to apply to, but mostly because, per our thoughts above, travel between here and there seemed like it would be more complicated than at other equally desirable schools. </p>
<p>Regarding the George Will article - my favorite part was </p>
<p>"America is thickly planted with 1,400 four-year institutions. Motivated, selective students can get a fine education at any of them unmotivated, undiscerning students at none. Most students love the schools they attend. </p>
<p>And the admissions quest can have splendid moments."</p>
<p>Here’s wishing many splendid moments to one and all.</p>
<p>VAMom - Thanks for the update on the Eagle Scout. It’s wonderful that he is taking first steps to get into college. And even though his parents have discouraged him from going to college, he is lucky to have other adults that take interest in his future.</p>
<p>Aria – if I had to guess, I would say it’s the $2500 National Merit Scholarship.</p>
<p>Stanford’s acceptance rate is 7.1%?!!! I have a 10yo D and wander what it is going to be like in 7 years.</p>
<p>Yay, S got a $2500 National Merit Scholarhip! You guessed right, keylimepie!</p>
<p>ckofpng ~ Thanks! Unless it’s a typo, I believe the National Honor Society is a different scholarship. Good luck to you anyway!</p>
<p>Something amazing happened today. Obama was in town, and he happened to visit the science and engineering fair where S was all day! So S got to see him real close. :)</p>
<p>@cooker: hope your dog is OK. I too have a big dumb snarfmonster. Most recently he survived eating half a Fiestaware plate. It really is amazing what they can get away with.
@college4three: a noble sacrifice on the Twix. I’m sure your pooches appreciate it.</p>
<p>I definitely agree about the lottery. In fact I have a college admissions manifesto I may share here some day. It involves acknowledging the lottery.</p>
<p>@blueiguana: so sorry your son was unable to go to nationals. What a trouper.</p>
<p>@ckofpng: search CC for xiggi method. Xiggi is a power user here. He wrote instructions about how to self-study for the SAT. They are quite sensible and only require a motivated student…</p>
<p>Aria- you are right of course. I read your post much too quickly. Congratulations on the National Merit Scholarship!!!</p>
<p>Best new I have had today is that one of D’s classmates was accepted @ Hobart, her dream school. Love that these kids are all rooting for each other through their own anxiety!</p>
<p>Pretty quiet on here today, in the lull before the storm. Only about a post an hour this afternoon.</p>
<p>Best of luck for everyone with lottery tickets for tomorrow.</p>
<p>Hi 2011/2015 Posters. I’m a 2010/2014 mom remembering what the last week in March was like in our home last year and sending you good wishes and hugs. Our son received a variety of news from October to April. The rejections hurt - a lot - but that hurt didn’t last too long. The waitlists were also difficult for him and he chose to stay on only one. Fast forward one year – He is a very happy freshman and he truly believes he is where he was meant to be. So do we! Wishing that same thing for each of your children and for each of you.<br>
</p>
<p>^ Great post BlessedTwice.
Thanks!</p>
<p>On the FinAid front
Had to “laugh” and think of everyone here when the “highest aid” available from state flagship included more than 75% loans, and the balance was in state “merit” aid (aka lottery proceeds) and student contribution.
Had to read the award several times and called a fellow CCer to ask…“really” is that all those high stats get with our state program! Ha!</p>
<p>Positive thoughts to those waiting for news tomorrow.</p>
<p>Fresh Cyber brownies all around!</p>
<p>BT~Thanks for the kind words on the '11 thread…
What a difference a year makes 
Where have you been I missed you </p>
<p>See you on the other side ;)</p>
<p>So anyway-Thanks to the folks on this thread for helping each other in our “moments”. </p>
<p>In the grand scheme of things its nice to find a group of intelligent people with a wealth of info that we can share and use to our common benefit. Our kids are the future and will make the world a better place. Wonderful insights. Ok --no more wine for me.</p>