Parents of the HS Class of 2023 (Part 2)

[keepingupkids]

You have wonderful choices so no need for a wider range.
Pittsburgh is a fabulous city and Pitt has so much to offer. It is a great school.

Tuscaloosa and Alabama are also amazing. It is the most beautiful campus I have ever seen. People are so friendly and all around happy to be there.

You son is lucky to have 2 fabulous choices - he wins either way.

[eyemgh]

@tamagotchi

I almost wonder if the honors classes at Oregon State are too small? I know this sounds like an odd concern… Most of the honors classes appear to be capped at 15-20 students, and a lot of the engineering core classes seem to have around 10-12 students registered (in the past quarters I was looking at). Some have fewer than 10 students. Is this too small?

I haven’t been following the thread. I was brought in by @tsbna44 regarding aerospace placement, but felt compelled to respond to this.

We’re from OR, and visited LOTS of schools all over the US. For engineering, no honors program that we encountered can hold a candle to Oregon State. Professors compete for the right to teach, engineering classes are offered, and they go deep in the curriculum. Lots to like!

[divarose]

@sun246

DS is leaning towards 161/2 if he goes there, but so many people have advised him to not do it, that he is second guessing himself! Is your enjoyment of the class based on the group you’re assigned to, AP classes you have or have not had…or what? Why do so many people say not to take it?

This is so strange, because when my D visited, the honors FYE students all said it was one of their favorite classes! Apparently it is just really dependent on the student. I personally really like that it integrates Physics, so one less class to take, and that it has smaller class sizes.

[dfbdfb]

@tamagotchi

S23 is struggling with weighing the importance (or lack thereof) of prestige / rankings in engineering (Mech E or Materials).

Not an engineer, but I know lots (extended family, including spouse), and none of them, including the one who’s co-owner of a consulting firm, care about prestige or rankings or whatever.

They care about 2 things: ABET accreditation, and professional licensure (where applicable).

TL;DR: For engineering above all other fields (except maybe nursing), college “prestige” means nothing.

[momofboiler1]

I think it depends on the kid. My D really liked a mix of class sizes but this year, she has a masters level materials class that only has 10 students and she loves it. The prof records all his lectures and attendance isn’t mandatory so some days she is the only person in the room. Needless to say she knows the prof very well and he’s been great.

I think the only potential issue would be in project groups and always having the same cohort. But if it’s a great group of kids, it probably doesn’t matter!

[2plustrio]

@Gatormama

We just got back from a Loyola New Orleans visit. It was kiddo’s first time in N.O. and he fell head over heels in love with the city. He truly had a difficult couple of days mulling it over, but he just couldn’t see himself at the school. He says it’s too small; he felt like it would be too much like High School 2.0.

My son was similar. His thoughts though were that the city made the campus feel bigger at least. With his music major he is likely going to be with a small group regardless of size of the school.

[2plustrio]

@Gatormama

Sigh. I sometimes feel like I failed him in not coming up with a wider range of city schools. We were just so hamstrung by our budget.

I felt this totally.

[tsbna44]

You all both love your kids so much and are doing everything within your ability to get your kids a fantastic education.

Nothing to feel guilty about at all !!!

[dfbdfb]

D23 didn’t feel like LoyNo would be high school 2.0, but she did feel the smallness of the campus and student body. She loved New Orleans (though not the surrounding bayou), and she actually quite liked both the college and its audio tech program, but that tour was what got her to realize that she needed someplace (much) bigger.

So it was really good that we visited there, but not for reasons that would make anyone in LoyNo’s enrollment management office smile.

[neela1]

Being an educator, how are you reacting to schools from the other side of the fence?

[ASKMother]

Definitely blessed to be done before New Years! And blessed to be full pay and not have to worry, but that doesn’t mean your decisions were any less difficult - your amazing student still had to get in!! Congrats!

[ASKMother]

This.is.us… and these are great suggestions. (Googling newspapers now! Especially the editorials!) We are currently visiting admitted students days at his top three (set as top choices by also being the top three most financially viable!) and then we’ll look at all the curriculum options. (This mom is just excited that all are within driving distance!) Luckily first two schools sort of put out a map of the four years which was amazing to have. He met with his academic advisor at one and the head of the dept at the other - loved both those. Then his surprise last acceptance rolled in and threw a wrench in his thought machine (or perhaps helped make a decision we’ll see after this weekend) It’s a larger LAC and their department doesn’t exactly match what he thinks/thought he wants to focus on within his discipline but still good CompsSci and has other curriculum that he could use long term (started mentioning Law School again).

All three schools couldn’t be more different but he loves each of them for different reasons. And is remaining on his dream school’s WL because after all it was his first love.

[dfbdfb]

It’s fun to see what’s out there, and how all the colleges we’ve seen fit into different niches.

To my mind, the single greatest strength of the US postsecondary system (even limiting it to just 2- and 4+-year colleges, leaving aside things like vocational schools and apprenticeships) is its diversity—there is a place for everyone* with the drive to pursue education past 12th grade.

*Outside of financial restrictions. That’s one of our big weaknesses.

[BeverlyWest]

Our family friend who went to OSU as an engineer worked on designing one of the early folding bikes in the US. It’s a fantastic environment for that kind of work.

[ASKMother]

Break out the champagne! This is awesome! Finish line in sight!
Would you share the top 3?

[BeverlyWest]

All answers are in! 8 yeses, 1 no, 1 waitlist. The no was a parent’s choice and big longshot. Totally our fault.

[bouders]

S23 just got a great merit email from Indiana! Woot! He struck out on private schools - 1 waitlist from a top 50 and zero for 6 from top 20’s. But, he’s got great merit from the in state public (UCF) and the out of state public (IU) that he applied to. Great outcome even though there were no “prestige” schools in the mix.

[JLynn3]

We are all done!! My daughter has accepted UCB!
Accepted: UCD, UCSD, UCSB,UCB, University of Hawaii, Penn State
Waitlisted: UCLA, UChicago,Cornell
Rejected: Harvard after REA deferral, Yale, Princeton, Duke

[ASKMother]

We were at Loyno Honors on Friday! We may have passed right by each other and didn’t even know it! Wish I had realized, our guys could have met. It is a small school but the city makes it so much larger. We loved the diversity (and I loved that it’s only 2 hours from home!) S23 met with the head of the CompSci Dept and all of his potential professors. Actually loved the small 1:1 approach - said he felt really supported.

If it comes down to Pitt vs Bama this Ttown business school alum say Roll Tide Roll!! My oldest also got into the Blount Scholars program and was so very very impressed by all that it has to offer! Make a big rah rah SEC school feel like a small highly academic LAC.

[socalmom007]

We are also done and accepting UC Berkeley! My son still wants to go see UC Davis, just to feel like he’s done his due diligence, but he’s hitting accept on Berkeley and putting down a deposit.

Accepted: UCB, UCD, UCSC, CP SLO, CPP, Purdue, Alabama, Arizona

Waitlisted: UCI, UCSD

Rejected: UCLA, UCSB, SDSU