I love your perspective and honesty. Where I live there are people who cannot afford to pay for college but mainly it’s because many made no effort to save for it and instead felt the need to go on elaborate vacations every chance they get and also spend it on themselves - designer clothes, fancy cars, etc. Living large as they say.
My daughter who goes to UT has seen it magnified down there as well but with girls who have no budget and can go to expensive restaurants and spend money on whatever they want. That’s just not how we live and I tell my kids this all the time. I’m not out at Neiman Marcus buying fancy clothes and I drive a car basically until it dies. My kids education comes first and I do for them what I can so they can make the best choice for them. But I get what you mean about UT and even though it’s in your backyard that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Likewise with your kid that got u to the Ivy. It just isn’t for everyone and people are often so blinded by the rose colored glasses they’re wearing they don’t realize that the kid may not want to be there or they like being the big fish in a small pond, or being in the shadows or whatever and that is 100% ok.
Thank you. They are smart good kids but there are also millions of those out here so some luck involved as well. Most importantly for all of them is to make the best of where they go because I believe you can get a wonderful education in many settings! Best wishes to yours!
Perhaps some people have received their financials already. S21 is sitting on 5 acceptances so far, waiting on 2. Of the 5, only 1 has provided the financial aid package so far.
All the Texas talk is interesting to me. My S is waiting to hear from Rice but has never visited. He’s talked to a current student and based on everything he reads or watches it’s still near top of his list. I was somewhat surprised 45% of its students are from TX, but I’m sure this is largely a function of TX being so big.
My S is doing engineering, and we’ve noticed that engineering schools tend to feed a lot of regional employers. I mean, the big tech companies scoop up kids from all over and transport them to big tech cities, but there’s still a noticeable regional hiring footprint for schools.
My S is leaning toward VaTech over Wisconsin right now b/c he knows many VaTech grads end up on the East Coast, esp. the DC area, and that appeals to him more than the upper Midwest. Also still strongly considering WPI - also East Coast.
Realizing we should look into how many Rice engineering grads stay in Texas. If my kid went there (he’d be fort. to get in, of course), would he become a Texan!? Of course, the first job is not destiny - lots of kids end up migrating where they want to live for the long haul.
It’d be interesting to see data on where various schools’ alums live – feel like I should know this, but is that avail?
This is kinda rambling. Just amazing the long term impact that stem from these choices our kids are making in the next couple of months! Ack!
A previous poster (Camasite, I think) said, “Geography is destiny.” So true. We are PNW natives, moved South “for a couple of years,” and for various reasons are still here. That is the only reason S19 is at UofSC - nothing outside the PNW would have been on his radar screen. And it is the reason S21 will probably end up at Georgetown - he desperately wants out of the South, but doesn’t want to be in a different time zone than us.
P.S. Just got accepted RD to W&M, Monroe Scholars program. We had every intention of visiting over spring break, but the logistics have highlighted the travel issues for that choice. Two plane flights then an hour bus/uber to campus? The only other option is a 7.5 hour drive. Either way, it’s a day of travel each direction, and he’s trying to imagine doing that several times a year.
I think I’d just go with the drive at 7.5 hours for drop off and pick up and do the flights for the other times. S19 came home for Thanksgiving, winter break and spring break last year and usually has a layover and plane switch. Honestly, it’s fine. He never complains. They are young and a layover a few times a year is worth it for the right school.
I bet you could find out from W&M admissions how most kids get to the airport. But I hear you too. D21 has some schools (most?) that aren’t a cake walk to get to if we want to still fly SW. Sometimes, you need a tie breaker and travel could be it.
Congrats on the Monroe Scholar get! S19 was offered that and I remember that it offered a lot of perks!
I was thinking about that yesterday. What do these schools that wait until the bitter end to hand out decisions expect people to do if they don’t even hand out the financial aid packages in a timely manner?
In other words if a kid gets into some expensive in a few weeks that they haven’t visited yet but the school is slow on providing FA info is the family expected to then spend thousands of dollars to run and fly out to visit the school? Or does everything all come at once at a much faster pace than previously? If a student is expected to make a decision by May 1/3 and doesn’t get an acceptance until April 3 that gives very little time to receive aid and visit.
I’m concerned about waitlists and how to make that decision. I would want D to be able to view any virtual options for admitted students or be able to go to admitted student events on campus for schools where she might take a waitlist spot. Not sure that’s allowed but how else is the student supposed to decide? I was already thinking we would visit any school where she accepts a WL spot in April so she’s ready to make a decision if she’s pulled off of a list after May 1, but now I’m realizing it would be way better if she also had access to those events.
My daughter is a Sophomore currently at Rice (Cognitive Sc, PreMed) and we are from New England. She had never visited Rice but applied ED and was accepted. She had spoken to a few Rice students and watched lots of Youtube videos before she decided to apply to Rice. She (and we) think that was the best decision she made. She loves the beautiful campus, residential college system, small & close knit communities and tons of research and internship opportunities in the Houston area. She has many friends studying CS or Engineering and they have been happy with their experiences at Rice so far. The link below may give some more insights on who is hiring at Rice and where Alums end up. My daughter plans to come back to the NE (or somewhere on east coast) for medical school. Also, we were full pay and Rice’s tuition and expenses are reasonably below the east/west coast colleges.
Great point. We’re going to visit UVA over break in a few weeks but since my son is waitlisted at UNC we’re going to fly there first before driving up to UVA and take a look around so he has a chance to see the campus, etc. He has not received a single email from them since he has been waitlisted or included on any event, so these kids I suspect wind up having to make a decision at the seat of their pants. My son has said if he is stays on the waitlist and ultimately gets in he will want to go back for a more “formal” visit if he can before making a decision. We know one person that attends so can also talk to her but you are right that it is a tough decision. In this case they say no waitlist decisions until late June. It will be interesting (but great) to see if kids are taken off lists before May 1, but it sounds like a lot of people are going to wait until May 1/3 to make their decisions that spots won’t open up until after that, but let’s hope that’s not the case!
Right. But given that students usually get 2-3 days to make their decision to take their offered spot, getting down to UNC after the offer might be a bit rough. I feel like D would need to have all of the info she would need prior to May 1 so that, if she’s called off a list, she can make that decision in that small window. I can’t imagine, come June, getting a spot off a list, paying a bazillion dollars for a flight only to see a dead summer campus and then having two days to decide. Lots to think about.
But mine have never made their decisions on that in any case but more so talking to people at a school, seeing the layout, the buildings where their classes would be, etc. but yeah, for a school that only gives you a couple days it is hard to drop everything. I am hoping schools give more than a couple days. I thought last year I saw some gave a week. Of course if it’s in May there is so much going on with AP tests, graduation (ours just announced we’er having one) and the like.
The good news on flying however, is so far it’s still pretty cheap as our hotels. We’re using our credits from last year and it’s like half the price. Crazy. In UNC case they say they don’t give wait list offers until end of June so no real rush then when kids are already out of school at least.
Yeah I’m just guessing that very last minute flights will still be pricey. And, of course, there’s the stress of actually making the decision. I’d rather the pros and cons be already well thought out before an offer comes. Hard to do that since you don’t know if an offer will actually be given but maybe less stress in the long run.
Like D could accept somewhere she likes by May 1 but do enough research to know she would take a spot at X school if offered. What I don’t want is her having WL spots where she’s on the fence about changing her mind and changing course. Just trying to think through all of this before we are faced with it!
I know, I’m a total planner too and can’t stand this! My son however, seems very chill about it. I think if it were my daughters instead of him, I would have a 24/7 migraine over it from them. I’m hoping in the next few weeks our choices are made a little more clear. What I’m really nervous about is that he’s put on more waitlists instead of just outright rejected or accepted. To some degree that just seems worse. Drags on and on and gives a kid some hope.
7.5 hours is not so bad 2x per year, as @homerdog suggests.
Also, at many schools a lot of kids use social media to arrange ride shares to go home for the holidays with fellow students who come from the same area.
Love the proactive pre- plan idea! If the predictions are accurate and there is a lot of waitlisting happening we should be prepared. I didn’t realize if you came off the list you had to decide so quickly. Makes sense. Do you think the LACs will have waitlist activity through the summer?
I think it depends on the LAC. Some haven’t used WL too much in the past and some have. You can go to each school’s common data set and see how many they waitlisted and then took last year. I know things are different this year but that’s a clue at least.
@homerdog I like the idea of contacting Vandy to have access to admitted student activities in case she gets off the WL. Vandy loves in person demonstrated interest.
Great suggestion @homerdog If WL happens at schools of interest, a call to the admissions office might gain her access to events for admitted students.
We are still debating whether or not to visit any colleges in April. A lot depends on what the public health situation looks like and where she gets in. Most of the remaining schools are reaches. And nothing is closer than 7.5 hours of drive time.
