Only one college is local, so no chance I’m going to get him on a plane to visit the others. He is busy enjoying what little is left of his senior year.
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“All colleges are the same. Plus I have already seen them all.”
#smh
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My son does similar things ('23). He once told me that he did not get a choice regarding HS and adapted. He can do the same to whichever college he ends up in. He is very laid back. Sometimes, it might be best to respect that. I am doing my best to stand back and let him drive. I know it is so hard because college is so expensive and could well be life changing experience. It was for me.
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If finances are comparable, then that might mean that he ends up at the local university? I would be reluctant to send a kid far away sight unseen unless there was no alternative.
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IDK, for some reason I’m not very worried about it. If he decides he’s good with it, I’m going to trust him. The in-state option (which he has seen) is not the best fit for him IMO. He does like it and says he would be fine with it, though. I am hesitant because they are cutting programs and the grad rate is somewhere around 50 percent. Finances aren’t a major consideration.
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I mean, he does have a point. To a certain degree, once you adjust for size, they all have basically the same features. I think if they are comfortable making the decision based on that then I guess it just becomes the first of many “adult” decisions they make on their own and we just have to respect it. I guess you could hedge and just say, I respect your decision not to visit/revisit, but if you change your mind that’s ok too. I will need to know before X date due to the costs involved, but I leave it up to you. 
Not much more you can do, and if you’ve worked with them on their list thus far, you should be confident they have no bad choices, so it’s fine to let them decide in whatever way works for them (as infuriating as it may be for us as parents!).
I think it’s hard because we’ve been with them this far and we do end up with our own favorites which may end up being different from theirs. I told my D this weekend before our first admitted student visit that she had no bad choices and any choice she makes will be a good school. That it doesn’t matter what I think, what her Dad thinks, what her sister thinks, or what anyone else thinks. What matters is what she thinks, and that she chooses the place she feels she will be able to be the most successful at. If she does that, we will all be happy for her! It’s still hard for her, she feels the weight of the decision like a boulder. But I also feel like I need the reminder every once in a while, that it’s her life, and she gets to choose. 
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I think there is something to be said for not overthinking. I know during Covid a lot of kids committed to a school they had never seen and it worked out fine.
S is a musician so one of the biggest consideration is the music program and his lesson instructor. So ultimately, that will make it very easy to narrow down the list if he decides to focus on music.
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Amen to not overthinking! I say as a founding member of Overthinkers-R-Us! 
I think we’ve been down just about every overthinking road so far: lists, lists, and more lists! All point to the same thing. She is favoring 3 schools that are nearly identical, none are 100% perfect, and all could be a great place for her if she chooses. That’s when analysis paralysis sets in. So we visit, and hope with visiting comes clarity. After one visit, we already have some. 2 more to go within the next 2 weeks and hopefully, we will be done! 
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We seem to be living parallel lives…
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Agreed! My son didn’t get to visit any of the colleges he was considering and I think that was true of a lot of kids who graduated in the last two years.
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My frustration is he spends more time researching and ultimately selecting a pair of basketball shoes (@ $200) than a college (@ $140,000).
I’m tempted to simply suggest a coin flip. Less gas is used checking out these schools.
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Well in fairness it probably is easier to research the shoes, path of least resistance and all, plus a whole lot less impactful on his life and future. College research is a beast, many schools sites are horrible to navigate. I freely admit all the legwork has been done by me in that regard. My D has neither the time nor inclination for the minutiae. I present all my hard won knowledge to her and she proceeds from there. Either looking for more on her own or going with just what she’s heard directly from me or the school.
All that said, I appreciate your dilemma and a coin toss is actually a good idea. It can provide insight on it’s own. If he flips the coin and feels disappointed by the results perhaps that is in itself an answer!
I’m sorry he’s not engaged in the process and I hope you have insight soon! 
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My D20 did a coin toss at 11:45pm on April 30th. She really couldn’t decide between two schools. We were okay with either choice but one was a lot cheaper and unfortunately that one lost. She’s been relatively happy at her school (been tough with covid) but I often wonder how she would have fared if the coin had flipped the other way.
My S22 is even more indecisive than her so this is probably going to come down to the wire again. He is attending some OOS admitted student days so hoping he just “finds the one” on one of these days.
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We’re right there with the rest of you. My D has an admitted students day on Saturday that she wants to cancel. Nope - this is the last one! This school has study abroad for theater majors and the most flexible performance opportunities on her short list. It’s also only 2 hours away.
The last minute parent’s pick has moved up to number one if she’s accepted. She also had a crisis about going to an unknown school. It was a rough week when three out of six in her friend group were admitted to University of Michigan (in-state LSA).
Knox came back with a better financial aid offer. When I asked to compare schools A or B, 1 or 2, like at the optometrist, she decided she had to see Knox after all. Off to admitted students day they went, and she’s still going to pass. My husband barely behaves himself on tours now. Last weekend he heard lots of moms asking about the drinking culture at the various schools. So he would proudly announce to the dads that he’s a Michigan State grad, “Sparty on!”
Still waiting on two results, first and second choice, of course. We’re so close!
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Juno22 how long after admission did you get your first FA offer from Knox?
I’m wondering if I should send an inquiry. S applied in January and admitted quickly but no word on FA, which affects whether it’s worth a visit.
It was an odd situation. Her materials were submitted in November, but she was waiting on a theater audition. They have a stipulation that the audition, which is for scholarships only, occur prior to the application review. She really wanted an in-person audition and visit, but Covid got in the way. She was scheduled for January 17th. It was cancelled, so she did it online around January 11th. She received an acceptance by email about 1 week later. It included a list of grants and scholarships which left it unaffordable and more expensive than a peer school in the same region. Her official financial aid offer was dated February 2nd and included an additional $8000 for a theater scholarship. Three weeks total, once they could officially open her file.
I believe the scholarship is just a line item they can use to adjust the price. Most of her schools (Midwest private LAC and public) came in with COA between $25,000 - $28,000. After the official financial aid offer, rounded up slightly, our Knox COA is $25,000.
I would reach out. Technically, my daughter submitted by the EA deadline, but her admissions counselor said he couldn’t proceed with her file until the audition was complete because she had indicated on her application that she planned to submit an audition and/or interview.
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Inching toward a decision here. 2 visits down one to go next week. 1 school has been eliminated, or as my husband prefers, put in place #3. Her 2 remaining selections are both in more northern and colder climates than we have ever lived. So, yesterday we did some end of season shopping! Got her some nice water-proof boots, and got a fantastic deal on a very warm Land’s End jacket! I was especially excited by the jacket because initially it looked like only a so-so deal, but when I put the discount code they had along the top of the site in, WOW!, it knocked an additional 60% off which was not expected, and very welcome!
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Congrats on narrowing it down to 2 schools! You’re making much better progress than we are! 10 acceptances and 10 schools still on the list. We’re visiting 4 this weekend so hoping to maybe have a winner or at least eliminate one or two. I just got a Lands End jacket this winter and it is my favorite jacket I have ever owned. Super warm and comfortable.
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S is in at Centre. He did seem ever so slightly pleased about that. Six decisions still outstanding. I think things are about to get exciting!
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23 mom popping in again.
Roanoke emailed again saying accepting last minute apps till March 15th and with merit for anyone over 2.75 gpa.
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