^ I got into an argument with “Mom 2 College Kids” in my infancy about why my out-of-state kid should qualify for (state funded) need based aid in ANY state because I pay a huge federal tax bill every year and most colleges require federal dollars for their survival.
I didn’t win that argument. I won’t be arguing with her again anytime soon.
^^^ Lol…getting into an argument with M2CK is a right of passage here on CC. b-(
@RightCoaster Fun weekend and that’s great your son has a friend going as well, should make for an easier transition!
@STEM2017 :))
We should start a thread about which titans of CC you’ve argued with and lost #-o I think I’ve come out the worse for wear with several :-t ;
Ok, time to get serious for 2 minutes.
I’m having a little freak out session at the moment and I need expert advice…
Ohio State is still on S’s list - its in the top 3. We were under the impression that he was admitted directly to his major - Aerospace Engineering. His application status page says Engineering College, Aerospace Engineering Plan.
But we are learning now that acceptance into his major is competitive and requires ** another ** application including GPA, coursework, ECs, etc. They apply in their sophomore/junior year. WTH? Is this true? Before we make the phone call to them, does anyone have any experience with this?
Please don’t crush me for not knowing this. I think my S and I are pretty good at staying on top of things. I just assumed, based on his admission letter, that he was a direct admit to the program.
When I first started posting in this thread, I don’t think my reality check comments were much appreciated. Btdt for college acceptances/rejections and dealing with $$ issues, too. Not pretty outcomes just isn’t a fun conversation starter.
I had a great debate/argument on the virtues of 3-2 engineering programs with FallenChemist. We enjoyed the banter so much that we took the debate off line to DMs. What a great person he was. I’m lucky to have had that experience.
He actually gave me my first and only CC “warning” And, as always, he was right and I was wrong.
Attended a nice but very crowded VTech reception yesterday at the home of a local alum. We were sans DS as we had just dropped him off at the airport for his Purdue visit, but still learned a lot and got a very positive impression of the school and surrounding area. It really does sound like an amazing place - I only wish it weren’t so hard to access from where we live - 11+ hour drive, no direct flights, etc.
Waiting to hear from DS whether Purdue is “the one.” No pressure. :!!
Edited:
@Stem2017 that’s one of our concerns for Purdue as well. Everyone goes in FYE then has to apply to their major going into sophomore year. About 90% are successful, the other 10% probably figured out that engineering is not for them.
@STEM2017 if it turns out that actually competing to get into the major is required, I would opt for a different school. Engineering can be a stressful enough major for a lot kids. Having the stress of wondering if they will actually get into their desired major could be soul-crushing level stress. Ds knows students who wanted to get into nursing and didn’t. It is awful.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek That’s very good advice. He is guaranteed his first choice major at Virginia Tech if he gets a 3.0. If he gets below a 3.0, he is put into a competitive pool. A 3.0 GPA should be achievable for S. And if he can’t get a 3.0 in his intro classes, then engineering is probably not for him anyway.
But I’m still trying to figure out OSU’s process. If he needs to fight with 500 kids for Aerospace spots based on freshman and sophomore year GPA, then that’s not for him.
@STEM2017 @saillakeerie is one of our best experts on Ohio State- perhaps she will chime in? In general, there are lots of programs that seemingly admit into engineering, but there are requirements to stay in engineering including
declaring after a year or so and minimum GPA. Penn State is one. My feeling is that even if there isn’t another formal “written application” there are the GPA strings attached to get in and stay in an engineering major at any college so this isn’t very different and wouldn’t be a deal breaker to me. Seems to me a “plan” is a vote of confidence of desired path. Would be great to confirm that in fact no one gets straight into their program, and that all students have the same designation of “plan”.
@STEM2017 U Washington has a similar process. My DS got into pre science they take very few direct admit into CS. Then you have to apply to CS and only about 25-30% of kids will get into the CS major since it is very competitive. They also give preference to WA state students as they should. We have decided to not even consider it as an option. No use going to a school where you might not get your major [-X
@STEM2017 I looked at a LOT of schools for aerospace, including Ohio. If memory serves, you do need to apply for a major in engineering – something like a first and second choice – but I think the first choice percentages were high, like well above 95%. We had better financial options without that catch, so I didn’t look any further.
Do go poke around online. That’s where I got my info.
@stem2017 Yes. It really depends on the scenario. For example, kids wanting IB at USCaro but not direct admits face huge competition for admission. (I think the avg GPA is 3.9 and the total number per class is fixed at 120 and that includes all of the direct admit students as well.) Direct admit kids have to maintain a certain GPA. I can’t remember exactly, but I think it is a 3.5. Easier to maintain the 3.5 than get admitted later on.
@jmek15, My D15 goes to a school in VA that requires she fly into beautiful Roanoke Municipal Airport. It is a PITA and takes her three planes from where we live, but VA Tech may be worth the inconvenience. And there are benefits to airports with only 2 gates, such as no problem making it through security!
@HappyGoLucky2017 – Love your new photo. Go Big Red!
Have I shared this video with you before? I think it was a graduation project six years ago–not sure. It had been posted on Vimeo but the university seems to have adopted it. It will mean more after spending time on campus as a student.
http://www.cornell.edu/video/this-is-by-alex-silver-and-jon-tai
My D has finally made it official: UF for her.
There was little doubt it was her choice once she got her acceptance in February, but she wanted to wait until April 1st until she dropped all other options. She has applied to the Marching Band, has started looking for a room mate match online and now wants to change her start semester to Summer because she can’t wait to get out of the house started with her college career.
@bamamom2021 I am now obligated to join the Not Alabama contingent, but it has nothing to do with its academic opportunities.
Congrats @CaucAsianDad , that’s great news! UF is a great place. I have fond memories of visiting there. I dated a lovely young lady who was a Gator, even though I was a Seminole. We had to keep our love secret. 
Congratulations @CaucAsianDad! And thanks very much for all your helpful Florida (UF, FSU, USF, UCF, UM, etc, etc) information over the past months!
@CaucAsianDad Congratulations! Is that a special summer program for freshmen your D wants to do or the regular summer session? Our S did one for freshmen at his school a few years ago and it was a great transition into the university. Allowed them to get comfortable with the school during a quieter time and by the start of fall term they were old pros.