Does anyone know how typical it is to get an extension on an app? From some posts above, it seems like some schools give them out. (For my D, I’m specifically interested in Olin College, which is due 1/1.)
@thshadow, I don’t have any experience with extensions on apps, but from the things I’ve read about Olin (Particularly their “Candidate Weekend” policies, I’m thinking they may not give extensions.
I got a call from D2’s GC this morning. D2 is eligible for a scholarship given by her dad’s company and administered through NMSC. The GC told me that she had emailed D2, sent her materials, and even called her to the office early this month to get her to complete her part of the app. (DH and I didn’t know there was more to submit after the initial info we turned in last spring; thus, this wasn’t even on our radar as parents.)
The scholarship app was due 12/15, but GC got an extension for her that runs until 1/1. It’s now the last day of classes, and she’s received nothing – nothing! – from D2. She’s willing to come back in and complete processing of the app over break to meet the deadline, but wondered if D2 was even going to submit.
I did some deep breathing, then called D2 and woke her up. At first she claimed not to know anything about it, but when I mentioned her GC calling her in for a meeting, she said, “Oh yeah, I remember that. That was in the beginning of the month, though. It’s been awhile now.” I agreed that yes, it had been awhile, but that was irrelevant since she had done NOTHING ABOUT IT SINCE THEN.
She has called the GC with promises to complete and submit the app by Christmas. GC is going into the office on 12/26 to do her part. D2 will not be going to bed tonight until the app is completed to MY satisfaction and submitted to the GC. She will also be paying for a very nice TY gift for GC out of her own pocket.
Are any of you good for bail money? ~X(
Who else is leaving town for any significant time over the holidays, and wondering if you should have your neighbors report back on college-related mail?
@MotherOfDragons , you went to CMU? I did as well! I graduated in 86 with Mech Engineering Degree. There is absolutely no way in heck I would ever get in today with the standards now. Also back in high school AP did not exist, only honors.
Dd is with me. She just a phone call from her little sister saying she has an envelope from USCar. Here is hoping it is an Honors College acceptance!!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek - Fingers crossed!!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Good Luck!!!
@payn4ward thanks for giving me a pass on not knowing what slack and groupme are X_X haha
And thanks for the whyX link, i forwarded it to D, she has one of those to do!
Answering my own question - I emailed Olin, told them my D was out of the country coming back late 12/31, and they said sure, she can submit by 1/3.
So - if anyone is concerned about deadlines, it seems like emailing the school and asking for an extension is worth a shot.
@thshadow I don’t think app extensions are typical, I haven’t seen many at all.
EDIT: Just saw your post, that’s good!!
@thshadow - Glad you got the extension for your DD. Also, makes me feel better to hear about other kids that have important apps left to finish.
FWIW, @MotherOfDragons & @sdl0625, CMU’s the school I flunked out of—can I sit at your table anyway? 
I am not going to bank on app extensions. Just counting the hours until school dismisses tomorrow so that he can get to work on the ten apps! Having said that, if anyone hears of any extensions, please pass along as @thshadow has.
I fear that sending SAT scores and school report, LORs, etc works against the chance of receiving a deadline extension, but that is just a guess.
Apparently UMD will now send my son a monthly email to check his monthly billing statement. Can’t figure out how to log in to see what may be there, so just letting that one go.
@payn4ward – why does your son want a desktop & a laptop? My son currently has both as hand-me-downs, but they are both on their last legs: can’t update, expand, etc. He is trying to decide between a turbo-charged laptop for coding, which will then be large and heavy, OR a very basic laptop and then a ‘build-your-own’ desktop for coding. He just can’t visualize how and where he will need each. I can’t imagine lugging around a heavy laptop but I suppose he has been lugging a backpack full of books for four years. (No one uses lockers so they carry every book everywhere.)
@NerdMom88 – you are very zen. I would have been beside myself. Gold stars to the GC!
No phone calls here. Should I worry now?
Dream School, Kids Being Depressed, Straight As with AP Honors…
I spent some time reading through some of these posts and I wanted to share my story. I share this with my pre-law students to ease some of their concerns. Here it is:
I grew up basically right next door to Yale and by 7/8th grade it WAS my dream school - without any influence from my parents. So, yes, kids can have dream schools of their own choosing. I would walk by the buildings and admire the architecture. I would walk by the gates and imagine sneaking in to get a glimpse of the courtyards. By the time I hit high school, my whole life changed and I was caught up in the mix of my friends - who all wanted to go to UCONN. My grades took a hit because I was socializing too much and all that mattered to me was spending time with the boyfriend. Yale became a thing of the past and all I cared about was getting into UCONN and hanging out with my friends. I spent one semester at UCONN Storrs and then dropped out the second week of the second semester. I never felt comfortable there and the school was way too much of a party school for my liking. In summary, college wasn’t really what I had anticipated at all. Coming from a very small private HS, I just didn’t make the adjustment to a large public university setting. I ended up enrolling at one of our other State Universities in New Haven, got a job and declared economics as my major with absolutely no plan in mind. I was an average student, commuter, mostly Bs with one major. It wasn’t until my senior year in college that I decided to take a path, set some direction and apply myself to my studies. I took the LSATs on a whim - no prep course. Ended up at law school - from a local state college - on a scholarship. It was in law school that I worked the hardest - finally finding myself and a career path. I passed the Bar my first time and have been practicing ever since - 24+ years. It has been a great career. I picked up teaching pre-law classes at a local private university and have been also doing that for quite some time now. I love what I do and guess what? I didn’t need Yale, in-fact, I didn’t need a dream school at all. No-one pressured me, no-one mandated a certain college, no-one persuaded me in terms of my major and most importantly, no-one told me I couldn’t be what I wanted to be. I worked through all of those decisions by myself with my parents watching and “gently encouraging” on sidelines.
The reason I’m writing this is that these kids nowadays do have too much pressure and it comes from all angles - coaches, parents, teachers, friends, social media and the list goes on and on. Also, we as parents feel too much pressure. I see so many parents on here dying to hear back as to whether their kid was accepted to an Ivy school or a reach school. Here is some advice, first of all, your kid does not need to go to an Ivy school to be successful and happy. Secondly, a reach school may not be the best fit for your kid. If a student is deferred or denied - I think it’s a pretty good clue that it wasn’t the right school for your child and perhaps a blessing in disguise. Many students succeed at a much higher rate when they are the "big fish in the little pond’, as opposed to the “little fish in the big pond” for reasons that are quite obvious. Lastly, where our kids end up going to school, if at all, does not reflect upon us as parents as either “good” or “bad”. My parents were fabulous and “Southern CT ST College” wasn’t exactly an Ivy, and it wasn’t a reach, it wasn’t even UCONN - but my parents were just as proud to announce it to everyone anyway and I loved them for that! It was their ability to refrain from directing my future that allowed me to create my own path to a career that I love and appreciate. At the same time, I truly loved every step of the way. When I felt overwhelmed, I was able to change my situation and correct my environment without having to answer or explain myself or feel like a total disappointment to my parents or myself.
So, just something to read from a different perspective, where someone took the road less traveled to a great career. Please don’t feel so pressured about where your kids go to school. Rather, focus on where they would be happy. Academics are offered at every educational institution but a happy student is definitely a more productive one. Trust me, I often have to remind myself of this when dealing with my own son - college class of 2021 - who is in the process now. It is a tough process and he has been both deferred and accepted to colleges of his top choice, so I’m right there with all of you. Hang in there! Happier days are ahead
@CT1417 Yeah, S17’s backpack is like 40 lbs. I call it the black hole. What goes in never comes out adding more weight.
S19 has a MacBook Air and a desktop. Mac is is light and he uses in classes. He built a gaming PC desktop with $$ graphics card. I hope S17 will have a space in dorm room/desk for a gaming PC, laptop and book for homework.
@payn4ward --I cannot lift the backpack and sometimes stub my toe on it. He is not a large person so I don’t know how he carries it.
Older son has MBP and uses it for everything but he is a business major so different requirements.
Younger son knows what he wants for coding (very similar to gaming computer apparently). He thinks he will want it with him at all times and wants Ubuntu (spelling?) on it. I am leaving this choice to him as he has never owned a new computer. Only consolation is that he probably won’t have to lug as many textbooks around college as he does in HS.
And you are not kidding about space on dorm room desk for all of the above. Add a small laser printer and the all-important stereo receiver, TT, and speakers…I don’t know if the computer fits on the desk!
If I could swear, I would. Right on @xaviermom2017
Laptops and desktops-D17 built a gaming desktop with her dad last year, and it does the lion’s share of work for her, but she also has a super cheap HP light laptop that goes into school with her that she accesses the online stuff and takes notes with. She saves everything into the cloud.
@dfbdfb we’re the tartan washouts, lol. I think you already know this story, but H made it through three years of chem e before bailing, and I had to leave after one (finances). It’s a great school and we’re happy that we found each other there, but fit is REALLY important there, imo. It has a very strong, specific culture. I actually think if H had been in the major he should have been in (CS, which is what he eventually got his degrees in), and I’d had the money, we would have been ok there.
D17’s sat 2 came back, and she still didn’t break 700, so I think Olin’s out. But, she’s super happy with the three that are yesses so far, and she’s really hoping for a fourth yes from UMD, so I think it’s probably for the best, if super weird that she kept scoring so low compared to the regular sat’s and act’s.
@BigPapiofthree I looked at UMich instate rules after becoming aware of the UT ones, but they were impossible except for parents moving there. I thought that they were state rules but Mich St rules were much more lax