Congrats @eandesmom on UVM! It sounds like a great school. My brother’s step daughter is heading there tomorrow for a visit. Way to go!
We are also done! D hit the enroll button at UGA. Go Dawgs!!!
@eandesmom yay for UVM, I knew your son would go there all along !!
@itsgettingreal17 congrats to the new Dawg!!
Congrats on UVM and UGA!!! So excited for those that are done!
@NerdMom88 you do not want to know what I spent on a prom dress, omg! $-)
Just got back from accepted student events at Cal Poly 
I think D17 and the bf were impressed. We kept hearing things like “if I go here”, “if we go to separate schools and see each other on the weekend”, etc… I think the visit helped them both wrap their heads around what that could be like. D17 really liked the dorms we requested as first choices. The parentals are hopeful, not quite cautiously optimistic yet… hoping a decision happens in the next week or so. For many reasons their instate options really are best for each of them, we just need to get them to see it.
Geroge Mason sent D another emails inviting her to apply! :))
@Mom2aphysicsgeek It is amazing more information is not disseminated by the high schools. It’s great you were able to inform some parents! Congrats to your son for ‘nailing’ the GRE!! I’m kind of hoping my daughter doesn’t give up on her physics dreams since she’s basically taking a year off from it, who knows what will happen! For now, she’s studying for her AP C exams.
@NerdMom88 Ha! The prom dress, oh my! D got hers last weekend and stayed under the budget I gave her, so I was rather pleased 
@itsgettingreal17 Congrats on the decision to UGA!! <:-P
@socalmom007 I’m so happy to hear your daughter liked it! Sounds like they’re both ‘coming around’! :)>-
And @eandesmom I’ll congratulate you again here! Happy Happy Joy Joy in the UVM decision! <:-P
I’ve been lurking for a while, amazed at many of the opportunities your students have, and happy and envious of you have decisions made in your houses. Congrats!
S17 is considering a number of schools for engineering. He wants to be able to change majors if he decides he wants to, and wants a full campus feel/experience. He seems is considering WashU and some big public schools–UCSB, CU Boulder, WSU, maybe UC Davis. All are OOS. Glad to read the positive reviews of WashU and St. Louis generally. S17 has now been there twice, but neither parent has been able to go. Anyone have any thoughts on WashU for engineering?
@socalmom007 Cal poly sounds like a winner!good luck.
@Hankster1361 those all look like good choices. I’d love to spend some time in Boulder.
Thanks @Fishnlines29 and @RightCoaster ! While we were at lunch she and the bf were checking social media and saying “oh…this impressive kids…is here today”, “oh, so and so is here and says they’re committing…” I think it helped put it into perspective, you’ve been accepted to amazing schools, appreciate it. They were also talking about the bf’s friends in CS who were shut out completely. Again, amazing acceptances, value them.
@socalmom007 and @Fishnlines29 I kind of sabotaged myself. All of the reasonably-priced stores that carry gowns had closed in the last two years and D17 was very open to borrowing or buying used, but after a couple of thrift shops I suggested we stop by a high-end department store, thinking we might find something on sale. There were a couple she like on sale but big-mouth me mentioned checking the other racks, and the rest is (very predictable) history.
I’m trying to remind myself that this is only the second new dress we’ve purchased for either girl in six years of dances. They’ve shopped resale, worn what was already in their closet for Homecoming, gone to a local organization that loans dresses, and D17 has worn two of D15’s dresses. Overall, I’m still probably ahead of the game, right? Right?
I don’t even want to add up what I’ve spend on prom!! Dress, limo, hair, nails, accessories, dinner…ugh.
I’m sure you’re ahead of the game @NerdMom88 !!! Ok, I’ll make you feel better… want to know how much D17’s dress was? After tax… it was… just over… $600 freaking dollars. It’s insane, believe me, I know. But she was so happy and felt so beautiful. Last year’s dress was $220, so I figure they average out, right? Right???
@NerdMom88 Yes - you are still ahead of the game. I have to say that, because I’m in the same boat. We went overbudget for D’s prom dress, but I keep telling myself that it is the only dance she will have gone to in the entire HS years & I haven’t had to buy her any other dressy dresses. Plus, I made her buy her own shoes for it. Luckily, the dress fits almost perfectly and needs only minor alterations, which a friend is doing for free. The length is perfect though. We ordered it online, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to work.
But I have to say I’m in awe that you have managed to utilize resale and borrowing - my D hasn’t ever had luck with thrift stores for dresses. We have managed to find some of her work clothes there, though.
Ok, @socalmom007, you made me feel better. D’s dress was about $385. I’ve never spent that much on an item of clothing that wasn’t meant to be re-worn, other than my wedding dress (which was a handmade Tudor-style gown and wasn’t much more than that.)
@michiganbuckeye, I’m sure your D will look gorgeous. Get lots of photos! We got a homecoming dress at a resale shop for about $20 that both girls wore, and D fell for a Maggie Sotero dress today at a hospital thrift shop, but it was just that little bit too small. Someone else will get a real bargain, though! Last homecoming, D came home one day with a dress and told me she’d gone with a friend to a place here in town that loans them for dances. It looked adorable, and all we had to do was clean it and return it. We plan to donate our dresses to them this summer.
D got lucky at a thrift shop that had gotten a large donation of quality formal dresses. Her prom dress was twenty bucks (!)
@mamaedefamilia, doesn’t that just make your day?
@MSHopeful, my kids have never had a limo, and the only time we did professional makeup and hair was for D17 last year, when her outfit cost $0. She looked beautiful…
After spending way too much on her prom dress last year, dd purchased this year’s dress at a resale shop while on a college visit. It was a rainy morning and we had a couple of hours before a tour so we stopped into a consignment shop in the middle of town. She found exactly what she was looking for (unique color), it fit her like it was custom made, and the price was a steal. Trying to get it home in the carryon luggage was interesting but we were thrilled with the price and pretty confident that no one will have anything similar at the prom!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek and @Fishnlines29 - I sat next to the parent of a ninth grader on the plane returning from the east coast who benefited from the collective wisdom I’ve gathered here and from just just having gone through the whole process. It was a veritable info dump.
@NerdMom88 I’m thinking the bargain prom dress will offset four years of college tuition? =))
If only.
@Hankster1361 have you considered ucsd or usc for engineeeing? Ucsd has an ugly campus imo but stem is pretty good. USC has engineering plus and its easy to change majors (most of the time) and talk about the whole college experience, he will certainly get it there. Also how about some of the Texas?