<p>Seattle_mom ~ Congrats on your D’s decision to attend Willamette!</p>
<p>mamom ~ It’s ok to hold onto the decision cards until you feel comfortable to let go, that’s what the May 1st deadline is for, lol. There will be plenty of time in May for other kids to benefit. Too bad about your S’s 8 week Summer job cut in half…</p>
<p>momofboston ~ What a bitter-sweet moment for you and D…</p>
<p>Feeling kind of blah today… I guess it’s the weather (got warmer, but still no sun). Thursday, we are leaving for the MIT Pre-Frosh weekend. I hear it’s pretty wild. I just hope S gets some sleep while he is there and manages to complete his homework by Monday, lol.</p>
<p>I love the focus on the dailiness of life at college- food, bathrooms. Was told at one SUNY the school’s staff cleans the suite bathrooms once a week, and the communal baths in corridor style dorms once a day. Sounds good, but I work for the state and I have seen how meticulous they are about cleaning restrooms. (insert eye roll here). D will not tolerate a dirty bathroom so I see cleaning products and gloves in her immediate future.
ETA- I missed my D last fall when she was gone for 6 weeks to Italy. As she pretty much confined her list of schools to one’s in the area, I was pretty sure she would pop home occasionally/regularly knowing my girl. But now Hampshire has moved to join UA at the top of the list, I realized that there is a chance she will be 2 hours away. I will miss her dreadfully but think living at school is such a tremendous learning experience. But I am a little sad today too, about her impending departure.</p>
<p>When I released 5 of my son’s 8 acceptances last week I did it myself-because those were schools he really had no interest in ever but applied to as part of the “strategy” so my husband could negotiate the best package he could when the time came to make the final decision. I could not see any reason to keep them open-he didn’t want to go to them in the first place. I read through the threads of these schools on here and saw how much it meant to other kids who did want to go there but are waitlisted. I also read how many people are waiting to hear about aid-and since I don’t know if he was tying up money I figured it was better to just let it go.</p>
<p>It may not make a difference or it might to one kid-and if that’s all it does I am fine with it. I had to talk to a couple of admission offices because there was no way to decline on the website-these schools did require an email. They were actually both very nice and helpful and appreciated us letting them know. I had two that would not allow me to submit them without indicating where he chose-since he was undecided that’s what I put. Is that rude-well what was I supposed to put? My rule on questions is if you ask me one you’re going to get an answer. If you don’t want an honest one don’t ask the question. I don’t make it a habit to offer unsolicited advice or information but if asked will give my opinion-which could very well be wrong but I am certainly entitled to have-as is everyone else. I would have been perfectly happy to just decline the offer without giving them that information but they asked so I answered.</p>
<p>Please understand these are my opinions only. I think we all do what works for us-after all what works for you might kill me-you know what I mean? ;)</p>
<p>He has chosen a school but until he has to make his commitment final the other school will remain as an option-I agree that to close the door on every other opportunity would be foolish but I think keeping the only other school on the list he would want to attend is sensible and enough insurance. If he is stupid enough to do something to lose his chance at either school I wouldn’t want to waste the money to send him to either place.</p>
<p>My son started this again last night-I think it’s normal to have fear making such a big decision but he wants to feel 100% sure and he is only 99% sure-I mean I feel for him but I also see the toll this is taking on him, me, his sister, and my husband. When my husband loses it I know things are out of control-I am the nut in this house so to see him blow his stack Sunday night tells me it’s time to move on.</p>
<p>My patience has worn thin. I feel we made this way harder on this kid than it had to be. It’s not his fault that at some point this became such an ordeal. That’s part of the reason I have had to take matters into my own hands by narrowing the field for him as discussed in my previous post. He told me the amount of choices he had was overwhelming-and part of that is on me and his father. I hate when I have to admit I made mistakes but I sure have.</p>
<p>How many things in life have you been 100% sure of before you did them. I find looking back on my life the things I was most certain about I was usually wrong about and the things I had a little doubt about but did anyway usually worked out OK. I find this “all or nothing” thinking on my part is very unhealthy and when I see him doing it I have to try to teach him that might not be the best way to think about things. I wish at his age-and I need to remember he is still a kid-I had been taught about how to think in a healthy and productive way.</p>
<p>If this was left up to him he’d never leave the boat-so yes he needs a little push-don’t we all sometimes?</p>
<p>S’s birthday is coming up this Friday and he will be away from us on his college visit.
We will be there too, but I don’t think he will have time to see us.
Also I won’t be able to post here…
Lol, I am having a pity party.</p>
<p>We refresh the Weather Channel ap every morning and hope that the 30% chance of rain for Saturday will drop so we can take pictures at the park the kids have selected. The 20 geeky smart kids will look handsome and beautiful, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>Dinner at our local cajun restaurant, complete with friend pickles and alligator for appetizers. Prom, then supervised after-prom party of board games and movies at another parent’s house, followed by breakfast at ours.</p>
<p>Time is flying. Still sending good thoughts to those of you whose students still have decisions to make. Hang in there.</p>
<p>We are all just doing the best we can right? Well, ds - aka Mr. Procrastinator, has no intention of deciding anything until May 1. Really what is the rush? It’s like finishing something (like a scholarship app) before the due date…“why?” he asks. I will have to lie and say it is due actually April 30 just to cover the possibility mail is required right? He will do no research to figure out that I am fibbing so all is good. I swear the boy always operates like this and probably his wife will have issues with him along these lines. HA! That will be funny to watch. </p>
<p>Anyway, yesterday we went to a regional reception for admitted students for UMiami. Have to just say - no food? no drink? no UMiami pens or t-shirts or glossy brochures? I don’t just drive to the Newark airport Marriott (wowee!) on a whim. Even had to pay for parking. Drops to bottom of list. </p>
<p>Oh, but good news on the way there…the audition was successful and he will be playing at Carnegie Hall with a bunch of (as he puts it) “amazing 6-8 yr old pianists and violinists” Feather in his cap nonetheless and he is thrilled. (methinks it is a parting gift from his private teacher/mentor to be given this opportunity)</p>
<p>Hey, amandakayak, that’s great about your S playing at Carnegie Hall, congrats!
How old is he and what instrument does he play?
Are they doing Weill Recital Hall or Zankel? Or maybe Stern???
Funny reading about UMiami reception, lol.</p>
<p>Amanda: Congrats on the Carnegie Hall performance! </p>
<p>When I read Pepper’s post, it reminded me of a reading that we included in my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah service years ago. Whenever I have trouble making a decision (which is very oftern), I think of this. I think it relects a lot of what we’re feeling about our kids at they sit at the crossroads. Warning: it always make me cry.</p>
<pre><code> Live each day to the fullest.
Get the most from each hour, each day and each age of your life. Then you can look forward with confidence and back without regrets.
</code></pre>
<p>Be yourself but be your best self.
Dare to be different and to follow your own star and dont be afraid to be happy.
Enjoy what is beautiful.
Love with all your heart and soul.
Believe that those you love, love you.
Forget what you have done for your friends and remember what they have done for you.
Disregard what the world owes you and concentrate on what you owe the world.
When you are faced with a decision, make that decision as wisely as possible then forget it. The moment of absolute certainty never arrives.<br>
Blessed is the generation in which the old listens to the young and doubly blessed is the generation in which the young listen to the old.</p>
<p>Hey - no tiger mom references, that chick scares me.<br>
Aria - This is my 17 yo ds who graduating!!! You must be mom to a music major or something because I am not and I have no idea which hall it’s in, just that it is the prize to the competition that they play there. For all I know, they play outside on the sidewalk or in the vestibule. I just think it is nice that he gets to have something to be proud of considering the disappointments and stress our little clan has had.</p>
<p>Amanda–I have to laugh at the UMiami comment. Yesterday, their basketball quit to become the basketball coach at Missouri. Now, many people here in the Show-Me State are not pleased with the pick, but others say Miami didn’t give him the “tools” to be successful.</p>
<p>Guess they don’t give their admissions recruiters the tools to be successful either!</p>
<p>amandakayak, now I understand why you said you couldn’t add that on his resume, lol. I thought it was because he was too young for it to “count”.
Yes, both S and I are musicians. S is not going to be a music major though. I was hoping he would, but he has other plans.
Your S should definitely be very proud, and it is so exciting, he will love that experience!
BTW, I am positive they are playing inside, lol…
What piece is he playing?</p>
<p>The ship will stop in many ports this month with the last port call scheduled in 26 days when all final commitments to schools are due. (Or nautically speaking, it’s time to sink or swim.)**</p>
<p>Aria - Ravel - piece en forme de habanera. Nice part was his teacher gave him a professional accompianist to work with for the audition and I suggested he just work with one of his friends so now she gets to play there too and she’s just a soph so it definately goes on the resume!</p>
<p>AmandaK, Had to laugh at your reaction to the lack of goodies for a regional reception, because I totally get that. While I tell myself it doesn’t matter - and bite my tongue on mentioning stuff like that to son, it’s there in the back of my mind when I think of the colleges. At Clarkson we did a summer open house for HS seniors in August. Unusually hot day and they didn’t have bottles of water available until lunch time. Arcadia gave out bottles of water and free t-shirts. For the dinner with the dean at Drexel they had lanyards and wonderful white-tablecloth food. Just like the friendly admissions people and students that your kids connect with, all of the superfluous stuff adds up. It would be good for the colleges to pay attention.</p>
<p>Thanks amanda, that’s a great piece, love it! I understand why the teacher would want him to play with someone very experienced at the audition, but it turned out even better the way you suggested, lol. His friend is a lucky girl. :)</p>
<p>MomofBoston–touching moment. I don’t think my DS has even thought about the fact that this is him moving out, even though he will be home for “visits” after he starts school.</p>
<p>AmandaK–I can relate to your procrastinating son. My DS does the same thing, every time. Arghhhh. He has one more scholarship application due May 1 and will probably finish it May 1.</p>
<p>My DS got a job offer from our VA delegate for our area. He’s a local guy who went to my DS’s HS and has been very active in our community. He comes to every Eagle Scout ceremony he’s invited to and presents the Eagle with a VA flag that’s been flown over the State Capitol. My DS needs to think about it though, because it’s re-election stuff and going door to door. Not hard work, but tedious and lots of slammed doors. But it’s a job offer!!!</p>
<p>Is anyone else stressing over what to wear for some of these admitted days. Meeting the College President, etc? My wardrobe isn’t business wear–I work in a very casual atmosphere. DS and parents also got invited to meet with the congressmen who are alumni of one of the schools. Since we are in the DC area, they are having a reception–help! I’m leaving now for a power shopping trip–wish me luck!</p>
