Oldest went to NorthEastern back when NMF got full tuition scholarships. He works as a firmware engineer now.
The twins situation is complicated. One will be a NMF, the other won’t, our state has some of the highest cut off in the country. Twins will be applying mainly to schools that meet full need (so lots of reaches). I expect most schools that require the CSS along with FAFSA will consider # of kids in college at a time. One wants to major in economics and the other math/CS. After taxes are done, I’ll be calling several schools individually to discuss our situation. I don’t know if you saw this earlier in the thread but my husband/boys Dad died this year after a long battle with cancer so I can’t just plug numbers into a NPC.
Starting to look into college tours over spring break. I know schools calendars are kind of a in covid vortex right now, but I’m guessing things will calm down by March/April. How are schools handling admission visits? Anyone looked into this. I know the policies have varied wildly in COVID times from full tours to individual tours to roam the campus like wild goats.
I’m thinking of the same (spring break visits) but haven’t looked into scheduling yet. From my past experience, covid or no, they open up appts about a month at a time because it depends on student tour guide availability. So we might not be able to schedule now for March anyway.
I’m also trying to squeeze in some college visits over spring break. Math twin really likes Rice, but we’ve never even been to Texas. He is considering applying ED, but can’t do that without a visit. I wish we could pick up Rice and move it closer to the East Coast and into a cooler climate. Oh and still meet full need and less selective. Okay, a girl can dream. But that’s as likely as a 70 degree day here today, we our currently getting the first snow of the year.
our D23 is doing a spring sport (tennis) - and they get pesky when the kids miss their sport for spring break. she’s not recruitable, maybe we too will plan some college tours then and just brave the wrath. I do know from my older kids that we liked tours when kids were in college and around campus. fingers crossed covid doesnt interfere.
What kind of leadership ECs do they have? Are you looking at the big Scholarships like Stamps, Robertson, etc Are you looking to stay in the Southeast? UGA’s Fellowship award is very nice. Stamps partner schools include a number in the Southeast including UF, UGA, LSU, and Ole Miss. Robertson is either Duke or UNC. Not sure what it takes to get nominated for Morehead at UNC for OOS.
Oldest (DD) went to Stockton BS Mathematics now pursuing a Masters at Rutgers Camden (Applied and Computational mathematics)
My youngest (DS) is at Montclair State (History/Secondary ed) and just completed his first semester and was on the football team. Pulled a 3.94 after being an A/B student in HS with some prodding LOL.
Both Stockton and MSU were perfect fits for the 2 of them.ì
DD is a bit of an introvert but really found “her people” at Stockton and is spending break on AZ with some of her friends.
DS is finally enthused about school now that there is no more math or Spanish
In state made the most sense as AP and DE courses from RCBC would fully transfer and were the cheapest option requiring only Stafford loans
I haven’t been here much so it was a nice surprise to get your reply. I have one about to start her last semester at Rowan. She’s done very well but found her passion outside of academics, which was kind of a reversal from high school. And my D at Rutgers Camden loves it now that she is on campus. She did not do particularly well in high school or in her first year online at Rutgers, but this semester did surprisingly well especially considering she decided to take math and science courses. My 2023 kid will likely end up at a NJ public now too because of the new fa programs courtesy of Gov. Murphy and the state of NJ. It’s just a matter of finding out what’s the best fit for her.
I have a daughter at Rice. It’s over 1000 miles from us. I remember how many times when she was trying to make the decision about where to attend she said, “If only Rice were closer”. She applied RD and we didn’t visit until after she was accepted. Hope you get to visit over spring break. It’s a beautiful campus and the kids and staff are very welcoming!
Thanks for the feedback on the NJ schools. I am going to take my D23 to check out Rutgers-Camden. She is a practical kid who is looking for more of a pre-professional college experience, and she wants a diverse environment. We will check it out!
Older son went to Grinnell which could be a disaster to get to. We tried to visit 3 times before he committed and last time after flights were cancelled again due to snow we flew him alone from East Coast to Las Vegas and then Des Moines. He still decided Grinnell was worth it and had 4 wonder years (with lots of other transportation adventures). I assume it’s easier to get to Houston.
Yes, Houston is pretty easy to get to. There are 2 airports - Hobby and IAH. Hobby is mainly Southwest. We love Southwest for my daughter because they are so flexible about flight changes and have the free checked bags. Also because the student body is relatively small and Rice is in a city and right next to the Med Center, hotel rooms are easy to find. I remember when I went to college all the hotel rooms in town would be booked for major events and my parents would have to stay quite far away.
S23 is giving me an ulcer I swear. He’s having quite a hard time catching up with the days he missed before the holiday break. Lack of motivation is the cause. I told him that I suggest he realize he is digging himself into a huge hole before it becomes a grave.
@2plustrio were in a similar situation although my son’s academic situation is quite bad right now (meaning, it’s not about not getting As). My DS23 missed a ton of school last semester, including mono which took forever to get over, and then anxiety induced headaches and stomachaches/vomiting. His teachers worked with him the best they could but he was also avoiding/procrastinating/lying. The principal has called us in for a meeting tomorrow, the first day back, to try to correct the course for this semester. We have a great school system and I’m glad to have their support and ideas. Have you read the book “He’s Not Lazy”? I’ve brought it up before. It explains “unmotivated” kids/boys with an eye opening perspective; I found it very helpful.
Good luck; I feel for you. What worked best for my son getting makeup work done was specific work times with each teacher to get through the makeup work, whether that was before school or during his study hall. Being in the classroom with the accountability to get the work done and to hand in completed work when finished, and be able to ask questions if needed, was the key. This was easier to set up with some teachers than others but it was the most effective method.
My son should have spent the entire evening catching up on homework (he has an online class that he needs to finish by next week), and instead he was looking up his GPA and how GPA’s are determined at other high schools. It’s practically impossible to get a 4.0 at his school, which grades on a 4.0 scale with a 3.7 considered an A and 4.0 something like an A++. My son was homeschooled until 8th grade and I didn’t bother him about GPA since I felt he was doing his best and I hate the whole concept, but it’s like he suddenly realized what it means in the college game! I’m confident he’ll make it into some college with enough FA and merit to make it affordable for us, even though he’s no NMF like his older brother, but I’m highly doubtful it will be one of the big city universities he is in love with at the moment. It’s not easy to plan all this out with a kid who doesn’t do well at thinking or planning ahead.
I can’t even imagine how difficult this has all been for you and your boys. Hugs.
