For those who might not get what they want today, or last week or next week….
It’s never hopeless.
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D is waiting to hear from two more schools but I like her current top 3. We are going to some accepted students days to help with the decision. It’s been a very long process and I will be glad for May 1.
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Hi All! We are celebrating the end of the college admissions process for our household. My daughter made her choice about which school to enroll at and it feels good! She had been accepted at each of the four schools she applied to with partial merit scholarships from each and for most of this year she just wasn’t sure which one she was going to enroll at. She was invited to a leadership summit recently for admitted students at Texas A&M (one of the four she had been accepted at) and that event (in which she was presented with an additional scholarship) along with a department visit seeing the Visualization department- art studio, AR/VR lab, and more clinched it. She also received an invite to attend a study abroad this summer for 2 weeks in Italy for incoming freshman national scholars at A&M and it is subsidized for all participants by a donor. Each of the schools had their pros and cons and it was hard to pick based on the overall school but A&M has made available to her some great opportunities and The VIZ department at A&M made her realize her degree program in particular is simply stronger and has solid opportunities and better connections to industry than the other schools. We really like how the Visualization degree program is structured. She feels good about her decision and we finally bought some college swag! 
We are fortunate that the school that she has decided is the best fit actually even has the lowest net cost for us based on the COA and awards. We are really excited to be done with college apps and scholarship apps.
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Congratulations on a successful college application process and on your daughter’s awesome choice! What a wonderful opportunity and four years ahead!!! 
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Wow, that would have clinched it for me. Congrats to your D!
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Those waitlists are so frustrating! Glad she has plenty of other options.
That’s awesome that she feels like she may have found her place! I’m even more intrigued now, because it sounds like our students had similar results from Muhlenberg re: money and honors, but it sounds like they are pretty different kids too.
Those Cali schools are so hard to predict, and it seems even moreso this year. Unfortunate, because it makes more students apply to even more schools in hopes of an acceptance, and the unpredictability becomes worse.
Yes, it is.
Is he a positive type kid in general? I think people with that quality did to focus on the good points at each school. It’s a great quality, but makes decision making tough. I get a little bit like that as my kids are looking at schools. I like them all, but they definitely have preferences.
I completely understand. We had one of those events this year, and she got money, but not enough that I thought it was worth the extra effort.
That is great news!!
An odd mix of results for sure.
Love that!!
I think it’s been difficult for the last several years. Perhaps moreso at the moment now. Covid changed a lot of things, and I think we still have more kids than usual coming off Covid gap years.
I wonder as well. Though the standardized tests are imperfect, it seems to me that all the elements of the typical application have flaws. Good to have a variety of factors that present a more complete picture.
Congrats to all who got happy news this week, and hugs and ice cream for those processing disappointing outcomes. We are still waiting for two more decisions here, but don’t expect they will change anything. D22 is happily making prom plans. Her boyfriend lives out of state, but she is working hard to get all her buddies set up with dates and finding her own platonic escort 
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Congratulations and all the best to your daughter !!
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OK, so people who say that the admissions process is mystifying and difficult are not lying. D22 waitlisted at all her UCs. Yet, she has been awarded a Stamps scholarship at UO, the top honors scholarship at UW, and a top scholarship at Oxy. Did she flub the UC app somehow? Honestly, she’s thrilled by her choices but the UCLA waitlist was painful — not going to lie.
We are full steam ahead on the three that have shown her lots of love and more decisions to come. Just feeling woozy about the whole process!
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Mystifying, indeed!
As you may know from my stalking of you , my D22 also applied to U of Oregon, UW, and UCB, UCLA, UCSB, UCD, and Cal Poly (although she’s now leaning toward none on that list).
She was accepted at all, except for a waitlist at UCLA and rejection at Berkeley.
But what stung for her was no direct admit and no Honors College at UW, where we are in state. I don’t know if the 7 kids ranked above her in her high school class also applied and got those spots or her high school isn’t viewed as well overall. 
Or maybe her essays weren’t as good there?
That said, I admit UW isn’t as perfect a fit for her as some other schools on her list, and maybe that came through on her application.
In any event, I am so happy our daughters have been welcomed and honored by schools they like — let the mutual love fest commence! 
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Thank you so much for this! I do very much believe that they will find their right fit. Here’s to mutual love!!
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There are so many unknowns…
“why don’t they like me”
“why did I get chosen for an elite honors program”
“what went wrong”
“why did not did I or did I not get merit”
“can I thrive on campus”
“can I get support on campus”
“will I like it there”
Just a few… whether our kids say these things out loud or we’re wondering internally, questions are brewing for us all! Wishing you all the grace and discernment to tackle the uncertainty that lies ahead. From now until May1, we ARE our kids best source of guidance and support. Good luck friends!! 
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A good way to reduce the uncertainty is not for your kids to talk to you :-). But to talk to a large number of current students at their top 2 choices about everything that is a future concern – i.e., whether they will fit in there etc. Knowing about past stuff (why didn’t I get merit aid etc) is a waste of time.
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Update from today…D22 accepted to Lafayette college, waitlisted to Lehigh and rejected UC Berkeley. Excited for the next 2 days…she has 4 more to hear from…USC, Hamilton, Wesleyan and Middlebury
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Update from today
Accepted at Berkeley GMP and Boston College
Earlier in the week
Accepted UCSD and UCSB
Had been waitlisted in UCLA and UCi
Accepted UChicago and Northeastern
Tomorrow will find out about USC and Northwestern
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DS rejected at Berkeley today
Accepted to Cal Poly Pomona Honors College
Final college that hasn’t updated result: UC Riverside.
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I am so ready to celebrate everyone’s final choices!
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At our end, something unexpected happened yesterday: D22 was named a National Merit Scholar with a $2500 scholarship. I was already grateful for finalist designation and thought that was the end of it. My D did not have time to complete the extensive U.S. Presidential Scholar application so NMS is extra nice to have gotten.
In terms of US college decisions, none for her since the Stanford REA rejection in December. But 3 await next week, all long reaches. Haven’t the faintest idea how it will go.
In any event, D22 is fortunate to have 3 good options in the UK (including Imperial and Oxford), although she still needs to meet her A-level conditions.
Look forward to the conclusion of this looooooong journey!
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This is what my daughter has done. She searched on Instagram, for students that live near us (DC), that are attending SDSU and found a freshman. They’ve been talking back and forth and now will hook up when we go visit for admitted students day. The Freshman is also introducing her to some students in the honors college and her major. This has really helped my daughter feel like she’s made the right decision.
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It really is so hard to understand. D22 waitlisted at UCSB and SLO but accepted to Northeastern. She had hoped to stay in Ca. Congrats to the great options for you daughter!
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That’s not hard to understand. Northeastern wants geographical diversity. The UCs are tough for all kids, both in and out of state. Being from CA likely helped her NEU app.
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