I think he is angry and just wants it over. He is not content with any of his other schools. It’s been rough. Out of his 10 applications he got into 4, all safeties, so he is disappointed.
I can relate to that - DS20 is going thru his own rough patch. IMO - wait for him to cool down a bit (give him space to get over the disappointment of rejection) and gently convince him again to join the waitlist. Its non-binding and no loss in joining the waitlist. Univ admission results feel personal (especially for a 17-18 year olds) but they have to get over and do what is best for their long career which is going to a school that makes them excited.
@roper1313 our discussion surrounding IR was that the most connected schools are in or around DC so the better and more employable option would be international business. I think DD see the intrigue with IR and hopefully we’ve convinced her the same can be achieved with IB and a minor in IR.
The AP study books have arrived today and there should be no excuses to study!
@NYC2018nyc , I agree with hs2020dad. Give him a day or so. He’s got nothing to lose by getting on the waitlist, and maybe you can remind him that, with all the uncertainty this year, they waitlist could see a lot of movement.
Best of luck to him!
Who should ask/negotiate the college for an increase in merit money? Parent or student?
It’s my understanding they will get Diploma. But, I am not sure how scoring will work. They have already done so much work, the teachers will probably assign a score based on previous work done. This is as fair as can be in these troubled times. The students that will suffer the most are the ones who have procratinated or counted on “finishing strong.”
I trust the teaches at my D20 school, but it’s a small/intimate class. She has had most of her teaches for several years and they all know her well.
@silverpurple My experience is that the student does the appeal for merit. If it’s need-based aid, I would think that would be the parent(s) request since it’s primarily based on their income. We were successful in a merit appeal; I wrote the initial draft from his perspective and gave it to him to edit and submit.
My daughter did a merit appeal (reviewed by adults before sent) and was turned down. We didn’t expect it to change, but figured it was worth trying.
@SoccaMomma We would like to appeal my son’s merit at his #1 choice. Any tips on what contributed to your successful appeal?
@NYC2018nyc I totally understand. We are waiting on DS2020’s #1 today (hopefully, they just said sometime this week ???). He was also deferred early action. I truly don’t know what to expect. I don’t envy admissions counselors right now, that is for sure!
What I would suggest is to say we don’t make decisions, especially big ones, when we are emotionally charged. Take the waitlist. You can always withdraw later once you have had time to process. Put it aside. Look at your other choices. Watch some YouTube on them. Remember even if they weren’t number one, what interested or excited you about them. Do those pro/cons. This does NOT need to be today. Do it next week. Or at least start. No knee jerk reaction. Make a choice based on those. If the deposit isn’t too dear, you can always back out if you come off the waitlist. But maybe get excited about that second choice. Maybe decide it might be #1 after all.
Best of luck. Class of 2020 is having a roller coaster ride for sure.
@jdhMom The appeal that we did for DS16 included 1) the reason he wanted to attend that particular school/why it was a good fit and top choice for him; 2) his interest and continued interest (I added visits to the school); 3) reiteration of accomplishments, extracurriculars, any updates from initial application; and 4) any scholarships already received from other colleges.
Although this seems long, it really wasn’t. I just pulled it up and it was surprisingly short. Two 3-5 sentence paragraphs, list of merit aid offered at other colleges, and list of academic and other interests.
I’m of the mind that item 4 may’ve been the biggest factor as they matched what a peer institution had given.
S20 had a very close friend (2019 grad) who applied to all the Ivies and was waitlisted at every single one. He deposited to Georgetown, but in June received an offer to his dream school Harvard. He actually turned down the offer, I know loved his first semester in DC.
I don’t think there is any downside to jumping on the waitlist for your #1, just be prepared to make a quick decision. He may fall in love with his second choice and forget all about UW.
@SoccaMomma - Thank you! That was very helpful!!!
Regarding APs. D just had her online registration meeting with Tulane. There are only a few places that APs could count towards common core requirements. And daughter has already maxed those. The Advisor actually said that had changed in the last two years and people with lots of APs were actually upset. They are preferring Dual Enrollments as professors there wanted to know the students had taken college level classes. So D is trying to decide about which tests she is going to take. She took 4 classes this year and the only one she needs to take that will help her is AP Lit, she is trying to decide what to do about Chem, Gov, and Spanish. My sick twisted kid says, but now they are only 45 minutes, why not? So we will see what she does, but Mom and Dad would support her “bailing” on 3 of them.
Governor of MA just announced schools will remain closed until at least 5/4. I understand, but getting sadder by the minute. ?
Some good news today for ds20. He found out that his request to switch from the UMass Amherst School of Behavioral Sciences (Econ) to the Isenberg School of Management was approved! It was one of the first apps he sent, and he hadn’t decided he wanted business at the time. It’s been the one thing holding him back from committing to Umass, as the internal xfer process is supposed to be pretty challenging and he has B school acceptances at UConn, CofC, and URI in hand. He is now beaming, and asked me to order him a sweatshirt, which he has been adamantly against everywhere we’ve been. Decision made! So happy for him, and thrilled to have it decided in the midst of all this chaos.
@CTCape We are going house hunting in Amherst & Northampton in late May, COVID19 willing. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the country! Great spot to spend 4 years surrounded by bright, nice kids. Congrats! 
Oh how nice—congrats and thank
you. I love it there, and it was our first choice for him, though we were trying to keep our preference to ourselves. We’re in CT but less than an hour from Amherst. Love the valley.
Well, some exciting news for D20 today, which is a welcome respite from all the chaos going on - she was accepted to Emory and is thrilled. She also got an additional email from the deans which was exceptionally sweet (I believe this went to all accepted students), acknowledging what a difficult time this is, but talking about how they are trying to focus on what is still good, despite the current state of affairs. What a class act they are.
Congratulations on the acceptances, guys! Nice to read some good news