We hire a fair number of interns where I work, the decision never comes down to the shoe color with a college kid.
^^ So pink shoes it is!!
I would guess that you never noticed their shoe color - and that was exactly my point.
I would love it if the candidates I interview for SW Engineering Intern/Perm wore a coat and tie! Heck, I would be impressed if they ironed their shirts!
Nevertheless, I still hire the best candidate regardless of what they wear to the interview.
I recently attended a huge district luncheon for the top ranking students at each of the six high schools in the district. NONE of the Vals are headed to an Ivy. With the exception of one Vandy, they are all headed to one of our top two State Us. Affordability has almost everything to do with the selections Iām sure.
^^ Iām hearing more and more cases like that, even from friends on the east coast. Skewed samples and all that, but I have to wonder if weāre starting (finally!) to reach a tipping point in the price vs. prestigiosity wars.
@dfbdfb --I think it helps that our top state school is highly ranked? A University of Texas admission is nothing to be ashamed of for sure.
QOTD - next summer activities? Hopefully DS17 will be during research or internship. It is cool for him this yearās theme at Penn is the Year of Innovation & they will read āThe Innovatorsā this summer. https://www.nso.upenn.edu/theme-year/theme-year-2017-year-innovation/resource-spotlight He is pretty hooked on IoT so maybe this could be a possibility: https://www.pennovation.upenn.edu/the-community/innovators/penn-engineering-research-and-collaboration-hub
@jmek15, A blue suit/sport coat is fine. My S chose navy over gray and a light blue shirt. We still have to find him some camel or beige pants. Shoes are another story. He owns one pair, and they are a cross between a hiker and a sneaker. He has had other shoes in the past, but never wore them. >:P
@CT1417 We will have to fly but I wanted to have most of the bedding so will bring the comforter set, down alternative comforter, mattress pad and mattress protector in luggage. The 3" mattress pad will have waiting at bed bath and beyond by school. I had heard the 3" mattress memory pad was a good price at Costco but weāll have to miss out on that savings for convenience and space in luggage but thank you for the suggestions. So what is the order of enrobing: mattress, 3" mattress memory foam pad, mattress pad all inside of the mattress protector, correct?
@Rightcoaster I love how sweet your son is. I am sure he will enjoy and appreciate what he does with his grandmotherās gift to him. Congratulations on the graduation!
Congratulations to all the parents and students that graduated.
@saillakeerie My sonās class actually had the fewest kids (50% less) chose the state flagship. With 7 million dollars in scholarships awarded to the class of 100 students and the scholarships bringing the cost of tuition at private colleges within the same reach as the state flagship, kids who desire to explore a new place arenāt feeling compelled to go to the state flagship.
QOTD: an internship or a study abroad program.
My favorite bedding store is on-line. The Company store. I bought solid blue 500-count satin twin xl fitted sheets off their clearance. The rest (flat sheets and duvet cover) I bought regular twin sizes. They are pricey so I wait for 30% off entire purchase sale. Their mattrice pads are expensive even after sale so I will check Costco (thank you for mentioning it.) I donāt think DS will take his ultra warmth super filled down comforter to Texas so will get a lighter one later. Flat sheets and a large towel will do for a while, I think.
Note to the parents (and really its more to the moms) with respect to your soon to be freshmen (and really its more so with respect to the sons) in terms of dorm rooms. Buy all the bedding sets/sheets/comforters, storage units, etc. that you want. Have it all coordinated and get it all set up on move-in day. Take a picture of it because the chances it will ever look that put together again are slim to none. And if it will bother you to see your kidās room not looking like the cover of a home and garden magazine, meet your kid in the lobby when you visit them. It will add years to your life. 
@paveyourpath āyes, there are privates that give enough merit to make the cost near the state flagship in some cases. But Rightcoaster was specifically noting the āelitesā and saying he noted less students that were heading there.
QOTD: DS already secured a research intern position at Vandy for next 2 summers with a possibility of spending one summer in Geemany.
Our state flagship is #1 public university, so skewered data
@carachel2 I was just trying to say that I thought more kids from our HS were selecting more affordable options instead of privates at any level. I thought more kids would end up going to pricier privates, but maybe parents donāt have enough $ saved, or they think itās better to go for the less expensive option.
I also thought maybe a lot of kids had a harder time gaining admission to the privates this year.
QOTD-- D is most likely doing a 4 week engineering class in Germany next May unless something different or more interesting to her comes up. Then she will come home and hopefully she can resume her sandwich shop job for a few monthsā¦wouldnāt want her sandwich skillz to get rusty lol. I would also be open to her taking a fun job at a summer camp or a retreat center in the mountains.
With grad school likely for a lot of kids, I think you start to look at 6-8 years of college costs rather than just 4 which leads some families to look for less expensive undergrad.
I agree @saillakeerie and we took that under consideration during son17ās school search.
Speaking of cost, I think we need to submit the first huge chunk of change to NEU this week. :((
Most of the paperwork has been submitted and I think heās just waiting on an orientation in July at this point.
QOTD: Hopefully D can find a paid internship/job in town in the area she is studying.