@xaviermom2017 my son got deferred from his top choice. He has 3 safeties he has been accepted to, all public universities. He does not want to go attend them if he doesn’t have to, but would pick 1 of them and be OK with it.
He has applied to a few other schools RD, and we should hear back from them soon. At 2 of them, he is fine with the schools and he can play lacrosse there, so he feels like these would be good candidates. At 2 others, he thinks the academics and extra curricular opportunities might be better, but he might not get a chance to play lax ( he’s OK with that too).
I was hoping he would have had an acceptance or 2 this week so he would feel a little less stressed and can start thinking about what he wants to do.
Thanks @RightCoaster! It’s so crazy too because quite frankly, I think the public he is holding out for would be a great fit for him but at the same time, I think he has already been accepted to what I would consider a perfect match - from a mom’s perspective - and which is far from a public university, in fact it’s a small private - which he has been in his entire life. We are going to visit Feb 4th and I’m hoping it will just “click”. Otherwise, sounds as though he is in same situation as your son - OK with another public (actually really likes it and we are going back for admitted students day - and he can play lax there too) but just not EXCITED as of yet. Still holding out hope for that #1! Good luck to your son too!!
QOTD: I applied to two schools - my state flagship safety and a selective LAC. I still have a copy of my essay, which I typed and fancied up with liberal use of whiteout. It was neither inspiring nor embarrassing. Got into both schools, but my parents were only willing to pay the equivalent of in state public elsewhere. As the difference in COA was 2.5K vs 11K per year in 1980s dollars, the LAC was a non starter. I also ended up getting a scholarship in state so it was free. The Honors Program was modeled after the Chicago Core (again the 80s version) so it was academically interesting and I met lots of smart people, both fellow students and professors. I enjoyed my college years and now think that I probably was much better served at the big flagship than the LAC.
@socalmom007 - I started in the Fall of 1982 and graduated in December 1987. I lived in Taraztec Hall as a Freshman, then moved off campus. I poedged Sigma Chi (just recolonizing now). I was the College of Sciences representative to AS Council in 1985.
@jpc763 I was there 91-94, Humanities major and I lived off campus, didn’t pledge. We visited last summer with our son, they’ve done a ton with the campus, it looks awesome. He ended up choosing a different school, our daughter did apply, but she considers it a back up, not someplace she really want to go. I enjoyed my time as an Aztec! A mom I know was recently saying what a crap hole SDSU is, how UCSD is just so much nicer. I asked if her daughter could get into UCSD? She said “well no, she can’t get into SDSU either, she’s going to a CC next year”. Great, then shut up. It might not be the fanciest school, but it was a good school and a good budget option as I paid my way through school.
@eandesmom Our daughters dance together in HS, she’s generally a negative nelly. Her kid is going to CC and yet she trash talked every school my daughter was applying to, including my alma mater. She also trash talked my daughter’s major “what on earth will she do with a mathematics degree??? My husband has a math degree and he’s been unemployed.” Ok, and that has nothing at all to do with your husband being creepy in general? Some people it’s best to just limit conversations with. SDSU was a great school for my very limited budget, I certainly would feel embarrassed if any of my kids went there.
@eandesmom I agree! Every school has its benefits/flaws. It’s truly a personal matter of preference taking into account many different factors. Here are some examples of statements said to me “well you definitely don’t want your son to go —” or, “you would pay $$ for THAT school? Why not just have him go to UCONN?” or the best one “out of his acceptances – is by FAR the best, tons of kids get rejected and would die to go there, this is a NO BRAINER” To all of those parents I simply respond in a neutral way because I just chalk it up to them being over opinionated @socalmom007 yes, sometimes it is easier to limit conversation all together. My motto: positive words accepted, unless I have asked for your “true” opinion, which in most cases, I have not asked! lol.
@xaviermom2017 I have definitely seen a number of situations where kids who didn’t want to attend the school they were accepted to ended up absolutely loving it. It’s normal to have a period of disappointment, but most kids will adjust. Also, there is always the possibility that he could transfer to the dream school after a couple of successful semesters. For example my college story was that I applied to 2 schools, was waitlisted at one and enrolled at the other (state) school. Had terrible SAT scores and a bumpy first semester, but turned it around and transferred to a better school in my Junior year.
ugg, @socalmom007 nothing worse than a negative dance mom!!
@jmek15 thank you for the insight! Glad to hear things worked out for you! I am crossing my fingers that 1) a miracle acceptance comes his way; or 2) he really “feels” the vibe at one of these other schools when we attend accepted students’ days soon
QOTD - I was a major underachiever that managed to get by with an A- average at a highly competitive public math/science specialized HS in NYC (Stuyvesant). Academically, the school was a terrible fit, but I had some amazing friends, so it’s all good. I was been thwarted in my desire to live out my hippie dreams at Berkeley in the mid-1970s (I graduated HS in 1974; my parents thought I was too much of a rebellious hippie/druggie and that Berkeley would but me over the edge; the fact I was only 16 didn’t help my case.) Ultimately, I picked my college based on whether or not I had to write an essay (as an underachiever, I chose not). I ended up at one of the SUNY Colleges for 2 years, followed by a junior year abroad/gap year in which I stayed in Europe until my money ran out (let’s just say, I was rather frugal and managed to stay for nearly 6 months on $1,000.) I came back to NY and worked for a bit; I ultimately transferred to Georgetown (also not a great fit, but that’s another matter altogether…by then, however, I had become a bit more mature and was less of an underachiever). If memory serves, tuition at SUNY colleges in the mid-70s was $325/semester. Georgetown tuition in 1980 was $4,970/year.
@JenJenJenJen - you mean it wasn’t a good idea for my D17 to write about d*ck jokes in Shakespeare?!? Maybe she won’t get that scholarship after all… ;))
QOTD: I applied to one school – UIUC – was accepted for early admittance, and started in January of 1984. I had a Pell Grant and an Illinois State Scholarship all the way through, worked summers and during the school year, and took out loans in my own name that took me 10 years after graduation to pay off. In retrospect, it seems like such a simple process; nothing like today’s “college arms race.”
I finished 1 application to UIUC for engineering. I was in-state and no essay was required.
While waiting for an answer, I dabbled in some more, Bradley, Marquette, ND, MIT, but never finished them because they required essays.
I was accepted to UIUC before Christmas. I was selected for a NMSC corporate sponsored special scholarship (I was commended, not NMSF).
Tuition doubled during my four years of attendance, from $800 yr to $800 a semester. The scholarship sponsor let me work in a factory the first summer where I made about $7K working 48-56 hours a week on the night and overnight shifts.
QOTD. I applied to 9 colleges. Didn’t visit any of them as they were too far away. My MIT story is that I wanted to be an engineer…so it seemed a good fit. Was accepted but chose an LAC instead. Good thing. I came out of college a religion major and headed to seminary.
Didn’t get through the thread in time to edit one post.
QOTD:
Applied to 8 schools I think. I pulled out my dad’s electric typewriter to fill out applications (used lots of correction tape!). H was reminiscing about one form that was on colored paper (yellow maybe) - harder to hide corrections. I wanted to get away from Nes England winters so applied mostly to southern schools. Very happy with my school, but slowly did work my way north (part-way back for grad school).
@xaviermom2017 Maybe have him join one of the facebook groups for one of his acceptances? I know some kids don’t want to do that until they’re enrolled but it might build some enthusiasm to talk to other kids who are planning to attend.
Also, re: Penn State: you probably know this already, but if you are concerned about him getting in, applying DUS and being willing to do summer session gives the best chances (other than applying by the priority deadline, which it seems he missed.) Even if he didn’t put down DUS and summer on his application, you can call admissions and get it changed.
