Awwww so sorry to hear about his health. Hope he “bounces” back (pun intended) quickly. I don’t know if that means anything … my D just said she feels like she caused herself and others false hope. It’s just hard to wait.
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Same. Not with the ED situations, but got deferred from one EA school that he thought was a good target/selective but not completely out of reach for him. He toured and showed interest (we just cannot ED) Oh well, maybe they circle back to him during RD. I hope it all works out for your D. Glad she was able to regroup and find a few more to add to her list. S23 has great options so far and still some great target/reach schools to hear from … it just the season to be stressed and it didn’t help hearing family chiming in all the great school they applied to - I think he and I both had a little bout of FOMO … but it’s all good now. He’s fine with his list and it is what it is - either he’ll get in or he won’t. Either he’ll get good FInAid or he won’t. He’s done looking and wondering and such… really likes all the schools he’s applied to, has narrowed down safety option and feels like he just wants to concentrate on scholarship applications so he can actually attend if he gets in!
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We also caught it fortunately, didn’t realize it until looking at the portal that the writing wasn’t submitted- we are first timers, oldest applying this year.
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But does he thus far have an affordable option he’s gotten into?
If not, you are making a mistake by not seeking one of the guaranteed inexpensive schools out - so he will have somewhere to go. Many of the apps are a 30 minute thing - and some may have Honors deadlines he might miss if you don’t act soon although you can still gain admission later.
Saying this is great except - what if this all goes sideways for you? - is a community college at hand where there are still great schools that will make budget - unless budget is under $25K because there are great schools out there $25K and less for him.
. He’s fine with his list and it is what it is - either he’ll get in or he won’t. Either he’ll get good FInAid or he won’t.
Thanks for your concern. He’s got full tuition+ awards at all of his safety schools and almost full tuition from one of his target colleges so we have a plan. We’ve always thought that if you can get tuition covered they all cost the same-ish for housing and dining. He did check out several schools that were suggested but different people but ultimately he feels solid with his list and wants to move on to scholarship focus… and we are ok with that; he’s in the driver seat. We’ll just wait on the target and reach schools and see what happens.
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Yes - stating it like this - he is in the driver’s seat.
Just wanted to make sure because some go for their list and if it doesn’t work out have a fall back. It’s what I interpreted from your writing.
Glad you have the fall backs taken care of and it’s just the dream list that’s at stake!!
Full tuition is certainly nothing to sneeze at - so if that’s a fallback, then well done!!!
Good luck with the rest.
PS - room and board is often similar but leave campus and it can be different. My son pays $699 a month for an apartment near campus and my daughter near double that as she’ in an expensive city, etc.
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Our oldest went to school in Nashville so we are aware of college costs and on vs off campus living. She was supposed to be on campus all four years but covid came and for her last two years we moved her and her roommate to a condo close to campus - they got a one bedroom (figured they would have shared less space on campus with tons of restrictions) and I got lucky finding fairly low rent considering. Her FinAid was so strong (tuition plus) they ended up paying her each semester when she was off campus, which she used for rent and groceries. It worked out very well for us… she got a T15 education and graduated debt free. Son was hoping to find something similar for his college experience.
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I wish I had. My city is Charleston. My daughters merit is more than school so we get a check back but rent and other costs still hurt.
My son graduates in May. Is joining a rotational. They gave him a list of cities and he wants naples Florida. That’s really going to hurt.
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Thankfully, my son doesn’t have much free time to analyze portal changes but those are very interesting. Some personal insight for anyone who applied to University of Miami…my daughter applied in 2019-20 and it was her only rejection. We checked the portal a few days ahead and she had a green dot next to her status and the word “cancelled” was in there, maybe near Fall 2020 enrollment. There was a lot of buzz on CC about the dot color and what that could mean, but we had a bad feeling and sure enough she received a rejection letter on the date of decision releases a few days later. I think the accepted students either had no dot or white dots next to their names. She was applying for music at Frost School of Music and had a great audition with positive feedback but it was an academic reach and they hinted her ACT score of 24 would not cut it when we toured (but said her 3.5 GPA should be ok) and she asked about admission standards. She took a $500 class to try to bump up the score and it went up by a whole point to a 25. So she wasn’t too hopeful. Had a positive attitude about the rejection and said “if they are the type of school to judge me more on one test score that my music skills and talent, it’s not the school for me.” Might have changed in the past few years, but look out for dot colors for Miami if your kid applied. Might be a telling sign.
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S23 is on the mend. We are hopeful that can use this time at home to research further some of his acceptances. We are also excited to start planning to attend some admitted student events.
S23 applied (REA & EA) to 10 schools before Nov. 1st (so he could enjoy basketball season… sigh). He was denied to his REA school, but is ok with that. He has 4 EA acceptances so far that he is excited about. We feel very blessed considering the current application environment.
Please do not worry about any false hope with the Richmond portal. We know most of this portal stuff is random. He does not read much into it. The waiting IS really hard. I am trying to help him transition into thinking & planning that these might be the only acceptances… which again are all great, would be good fits & have merit money… so let’s get excited! If any others pan out, it will be icing on the cake.
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@pdiddy123 It is my son, not sure that would make much of a difference. Freshman year was 2020-2021 so COVID did have a major impact, but as parents I thought that the school did a great job communicating.
My son absolutely loves both the school and the IR Program. He has enjoyed his professors and is currently applying for distinction. He applied and was accepted to GWU and American and American was his number 2. I think the location close to the mountains was the #1 reason why he chose DU.
Highlights:
- The quarter system might be a little more intense, but my son loves the fact that he can easily pick up a second major (econ) and a minor (data analytics). I couldn’t have done that at the state school I attended.
- Travel abroad program. Just got back for Maastricht University, in the Netherlands. It was a fairly competitive program but turned out to be a great value. He is bringing back 20 credits and 15 for his econ major. DU does a wonderful job of setting it all up.
- Location!! He’s a serious skier and has fallen in love with climbing and participates in both the climbing club and alpine club.
- Campus IMO is “goldilocks” in size. Close to a big city park, Washington Park, and only 15 minutes by light rail to downtown.
If you can swing the cost, I’d highly recommend DU to anyone.
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My kid would love Denver - or Boulder - but there isn’t a single option that isn’t way north of $40k, from the cursory research I’ve done. 
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This is awesome info, thank you! I do think DU gives more merit money, it seems like, than some parents may think?
Anyhow, this is really encouraging. Sounds like your son’s experience has been incredible. Is he a senior? And that he’s been happy with the IR program! I also like the idea of double majoring. I’m not a serious skier but we do ski a decent amount, so I can keep up. I like what you said about the parks being close by. That’s the one thing I fee on the fence about, it’s more urban than I might like.
Please don’t feel guilty about sharing that info. 23 checked events, etc and didn’t have that same item appearing.
I suspect 23 has shown close to zero demonstrated interest. If they don’t get in, it’s okay.
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So, what exactly is the concern here then? Your kid has great stats and options. Where is the stress coming from? Your son is in a great place and you should be very proud and happy about that. My son has nowhere near the stats some of your kids have and I am super proud of him – I tell him that every day. And we are grateful that he has good options that fit the budget.
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Same here. Salt Lake City is a way cheaper alternative.
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Apparently we have (or should have) no concerns according to several; still weighing whether your comments were meant to be supportive or patronizing (just so you know they came across the latter).
And I am super proud and happy for my son, always have been. And I also tell him every single day (I tell all three of my kids even the oldest who’s a college graduate) … I don’t believe I have said anything to lead to the contrary. I was just putting my thoughts out there like 75% of these threads about the crazy EA/ED process and how stressful these times are.
Hope your student gets all that he wants out of college, life and more. That’s all any of us really wants - to raise happy, successful, and kind humans. Good luck!
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Well, they don’t have to be is what I am saying. Good luck to you too.
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FWIW I read those comments to you in that post as patronizing as well. I was shocked to see them appear. You clearly explained where the stress was coming from, and besides, we all know many teens are just incredibly stressed and anxious lately. That person saying “well, you shouldn’t be” is in fact dismissive.
After all, we can all point out that compared to families of teens in Ukraine or wherever, we should all have no worries, and maybe CC shouldn’t even exist since none of these are “real” problems. And that is true to a point, but you brought understandable concerns for the types of families that are here on CC. I think it will all work out for your son, but I still send hugs for how stressful and distressing it can be for the students especially depending on the pressures on them that come from outside the home, as you articulated in your original posts.
Good luck to all!
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From my perspective, @1dadinNC’s comments came across as supportive; simply that it’s great to have the options you have!
However, I can also see why you might read the comments the other way, as telling you how to feel. Of course, even if you have some great options, feelings of stress or disappointment are normal and valid too… especially when you are comparing with your older child’s great results, or hearing great things about how the applications season is going right now for family members or classmates. Best of luck to you in the rest of the process!
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