Planning accepted student day trips!
Going to Endicott Feb 23 and Suffolk March 5th. Excited for both, I know D23 is interested in seeing if the other attendees seem like “her people” - I am really curious at what she will make of Endicott.
I’m hoping we can also stop in at Quinnipiac on our way back from Endicott.
I guess the other regular admission schools that say they will let you know 3/1 really stick to that day. EA spoiled us! I just want those last few decisions so she/we can finalize.
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My S23 just turned in applications today - University of Wisconsin Parkside, Whitewater, Stevens Point, Green Bay and Platteville. He has decided he would like to become a park naturalist. Grades for the first semester of senior were not great - he is below a 3.0 and is struggling with AP Statistics. I feel like we are at the last minute for finishing the applications, but they are getting done, yay, and then soon it will be time to choose a school and housing, etc. We will get there one step at a time.
The other exciting news is that he has earned the Eagle Scout award. He passed his final board of review in January and national has approved his Eagle Scout application. 12 long years of Scouting and it has been influential on his life, for sure.
I hope to hang around here as we work through the next steps. My fingers are crossed that he lands in a place that is good for him and he transitions to college life well. We had his final IEP meeting at school (ADHD). Kiddo still has some struggles but my hopes are up. His career choices are for competitive jobs that do not make a lot of money. But one step at a time.
Congratulations on your son earning his Eagle Scout award!
It is always a little scary when our children share big dreams with us that are so competitive; I love how clearly your support and belief in him comes through in your post.
It sounds like park naturalist is a perfect career goal for your son. S23 (ADD-I) is going to major in wildlife bio and from talking to recent grads, we are learning that skills are much more important than grades when getting that first job. It’s a very hands on major and students come out with specific skills they can list on job applications. I’m thinking the first 2 years may be a struggle for S23 with gen ed classes but once he gets through those he’ll really shine in the classes that apply to his major.
Stevens Point looks really nice! D23 was a dancer/theater kid for a while and I thought she might be interested in a BFA and so I checked them out. But by senior year she was headed in a business-y direction. Congrats to him on Eagle Scout, that is very cool. And please do hang around. We are finally getting to the good part here and it’s really great to see all of the positive outcomes.
Stevens Point is a good school for nature. S23 felt that the campus had too much concrete, but we watched some videos about the three natural environments that students do field work in and he seems to be more open to going to a school that is strong in his desired area of study.
When we were looking at majors, UW Platteville has a 100% job placement rate for their environmental reclamation and conservation majors which sounds interesting. Both of these are a little further from home. UW-Whitewater has a recent geography alum who is now working for the National Park Service. Lots to consider.
I am expecting that S23 will get admitted to all of these schools, but I don’t know for sure. This is my first kid going to college and I don’t know exactly what the next steps are. Admitted student days, additional campus visits? Placement exams? What else?
Can you explain about the fit issues at University of Denver? I am planning to visit with my Junior, but I haven’t heard too much about it. Would love to hear your impressions of the school.
To be fair we haven’t visited which is huge. Having done numerous visits of other schools I can attest that a visit can make all the difference. I did a ton of research of all the schools our daughter considered and since we couldn’t afford the time or money to visit them all we had to cross denver on based on other factors.
Her issues which may be no big deal to your Junior:
The vibe. We went to an session in our area when the AO visited and she didn’t vibe with the other students there. She also doesn’t like the tone and frequency of their communications. They feel very pushy.
The SES factor. She would be in the lower half of the SES demographic for the students there and for her that is just something she doesn’t want to deal with. She doesn’t want to stress about paying for all the social expenses.
Skiing. She loves to ski but due to an injury can no longer do so. Skiing is a seemingly a huge reason many students choose DU.
Elevation. It’s possible the elevation could aggravate some health issues she has.
Money - even with generous merit the school came in above our budget.
In the end the student can only choose one school to attend so this one we crossed off.
Thank you for sharing your opinions. I have read so many mixed reviews of the vibe there that it is hard to get a sense of the school. We will visit either way because we are visiting other schools in Colorado, but this gives me something to look for.
Best of luck to your DD! She has a lot of great choices.
My son is a freshman business major at Denver. Feel free to ask any questions.
Can I hijack here? Do you think a slightly quirky/ offbeat comp sci kid who loves to ski would fit in socially?
Thanks! I guess my questions are related to what bethy1 was saying - what is the vibe there? Is it mostly wealthy kids? Is it an issue (socially) if they aren’t skiers? Is your son happy there?
One of my DCs is outgoing and social and plays sports, but also enjoys some “nerdier” activities lol. Some D&D or board games, etc. Not really a partier - prefers hanging out with her group of friends. I can’t tell whether she would fit in, but we will be going to visit.
LOL my other twin is more of a quirky/offbeat comp sci kid! I was leaning more toward Co School of Mines for that one, but we will visit both (plus Boulder and maybe CSU) with both kids.
Yes! The thing I like about this school is even though it’s smaller, there seems to be all types of kids. Quirky, nerdy, theatre, frat & sorority, outdoorsy. What I like is you might have a outdoorsy quirky kid who is also in a frat. My son has definitely changed a bit since he got there. He used to be all sweats and hoodies and now he’s very into t-shirts, flannels and and vests for going out. And his hair is longer. The place just seems to have a very chill accepting vibe. He was somewhat quiet in HS but has joined a frat and goes skiing every weekend. He has made tons of friends. And there is just so much to do there. Hiking, biking, going downtown, Red Rocks, rock climbing, parties, bars. My son is literally never bored. I often wonder how he has any time for school. And the campus is beautiful. Lots of green space. Awesome deck on the top of the Student Union where you can get a beautiful view of the mountains.
To Bethy’s points. Yes, there are a lot of rich kids. We are upper middle class but spending $$ is on him and he realized he spent way too much first semester. He now realizes he has to eat in the cafeteria and can’t always go out whenever he wants (or he pre-games beforehand). His friends don’t care how much money he does or doesn’t have and the ones I have met are really nice kids. There are lots of kids that ski but lots that don’t. Most kids that ski go on Fridays and occasionally on Sat but they like to be back for the hockey games. Altitude hasn’t been a problem but it could be for some.
My daughter goes to a school that is much preppier and she’s had a harder time. She complains that everyone just looks and dresses the same. I think that’s why I like Denver so much.
I think there a lot of great things about this school which was why it was on our daughter’s list in the first place. 
Based on my extensive research of this school I’d say your social but nerdy kid would likely fit in great at DU!
Yes absolutely from what I’ve read about this school.
Thank you! It sounds like a great school!
We just came back for Colorado State (and ended up sending in our deposit). We did the Choose CSU day for admitted students. My sense was that there wasn’t that much of a “type” except people seemed to like the outdoors (confirmed by the accepted student FB page) and that they wanted a work/life balance. The beauty of a big school, especially a big state school, is that there are enough people to find your group as long as you understand that it may take a while and you’ll have to put yourself out there to join clubs.