Thank you for this wisdom. I also have felt like I could have guided my kid to choose some more affordable schools to apply to, since he got into incredible programs, but without enough aid. But honestly, it would make the decision process even harder if he had more than three real options when we get to that point. I feel good that “the one” is in the mix, and that’s what matters.
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I am not sure that the email to parents (one doesn’t appear to have been sent to the kid) I just got is really very well crafted to drive applications.
The subject line was Did {D23} not get into their first-choice school?
The first line of the email itself, under a(n admittedly pretty) picture of the entrance to campus, read, in bold Good news: {college name}'s application is still open!
Like, given that you’re a smallish LAC and therefore have a very specific sort of appeal, if they haven’t applied to you yet you might have been left off the list on purpose and the kid probably has some options (albeit non-first choice options) to choose from, you know?
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I know nothing about the music program. What I do know is that there is not a better place in this whole United States for music than New Orleans. You’ve visited; you know the vibe. The street musicians are better than some acts I’ve paid money to see. Musicians rise to their level, like most things in life. The opportunities have got to be top-notch there. I have zero doubt.
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Well, it’s honest, but I think it could have been done in a less hurtful way. I hope it did not go to any students!
About options: Ive seen a good number of posts here about kids who feel they’ve lost all their chances at going to college. What they thought were safeties did not come through, or other things happened that are leaving them feeling doomed and like they’re staying home in the fall and missing out. It breaks my heart. I know it’s not their dream, but it’s good to know there are colleges one could still seriously look at this month and that would be happy to have them. There might be a cool place to go to college instead of not going. Obviously, I don’t know what school the email is from, so mileage may vary.
All that said…Any Dodgeball fans here? “It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for them.”
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This is how I feel, too, and I think he would be thrilled there. He’s a jazz musician. There’s amazing talent right outside the door!
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There are likely over a 1,000 four year colleges still accepting apps. The issue for many students at this data is often finances/those who need significant aid…and it tends to not be schools that offer significant aid still accepting apps.
If anyone here is waiting for the NACAC list of colleges with openings to come out, don’t wait…the vast majority of the schools that will be on the list are accepting apps right now, and many will have more financial aid dollars today than they have later in the month, or in May, or in the summer.
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These were almost my S23’s exact words talking about the LAC that we all think would be best for him. (Despite it being over 20 times the size of his school.)
He also is struggling to decide between Bama which has better merit and a family history but where the tour didn’t go great, and he just didn’t feel as good as at Baylor which would cost several times more even with a large merit scholarship but is doable with his 529 (he won’t have the money left for later if he chooses this option.)
It’s his decision, and there are positives to either choice. Time is ticking, however. Baylor opened its orientations yesterday, and they fill completely fast, but if he moves his enrollment, he loses his place in the dorm line at Bama. (Dorm line is random at Baylor.) Meanwhile, they are on that school trip in Europe so we barely have contact.
I know he doesn’t want to choose, and I know he will have to this weekend when we are all at home again!
Followup: Nope, it did get sent to D23 an hour or so later than the one I got, just instead of 3rd person it’s in 2nd person.
I get the message they’re trying to send, but they really could have phrased it better, you know?
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I see. I didn’t realize they skewed expensive. I agree that we would not be able to just pick any school off those lists without aid.
OTOH, my son applied to a large directional university a few weeks ago, and he’s been accepted to their school of music at the lowest cost of any of his options, even with zero aid. It’s around 20k all inclusive. It’s not for everyone, and each university has its specific programs that are better than others, but some affordable schools are still out there. The decision to not go for another year is totally valid, for whatever reason, either financial or otherwise, and each student should make that choice for themselves.
Good advice about the NACAC list!
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Definitely not only ‘expensive’ schools still taking apps.
You are so right that many less expensive directionals still are, and it sounds like your S found one! I don’t know much about music, but you could take a look at other state directionals too, like Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Western Washington just to take some examples.
Even if on the website it looks like the app deadline may have passed, you can call and ask. And if it’s open in the common app, they are still taking apps.
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Well, it’s happening…we went to Ikea today and bought four of those zippered blue bags, duvets (the boy sleeps with two at a time for extra coziness), three pillows, hangers, towels, laundry hamper…it’s four months, 2.5 weeks til college. 
I’m so excited and happy for him, but this was another step towards “it’s really happening.”
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Time to share heads up about Countdown app.
It’s great.
I still use it for when S21 returns home in May etc.
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just thought I would throw this out, @BeverlyWest - have you looked into University of New Orleans at all? Definitely not a school mentioned often - if ever - at CC. Probably a more-local school than anything else. I got tipped off to it when asking around on FB about great places to hear jazz while we were in town.
Specifically, here’s what I was told:
The University of New Orleans has a bar on campus called the Sandbar, in its student union, I believe. Mostly jazz students from the school play there. But one of the emeritus professors of jazz at UNO is Ellis Marsalis, and so very often, there are stellar musicians stopping by to play a set with the students.
https://www.nojc.org/sandbar/
I don’t know anything about UNO’s music program either. But I did think it was worth a mention!
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I believe that UNO has been mentioned here (by me 
). It does have some good music opportunities, but it’s more of a commuter school. Whether that’s a different story for the music school students, however, I don’t know. (For instance, I know that there’s a popular acting/MT school…Pace?..that’s more of a commuter school, but not for the arts cohort of students.)
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I’m waiting for the NACAC list. I’ve been checking everyday to see if it’s up. D was going to apply to some last minute schools but did not. She was sick a few times in the last two months, flu, flu-like illness, norovirus. Blech. And her sister who has a chronic illness has been in worse health since January. It’s been kind of a mess here, and for her catching up on missed work at school and helping at home took priority over more applications.
At least she got the EA apps in but we really haven’t had a chance to visit schools as much as I would have liked.
Unfortunately, a lot of the schools that accepted her seem to have an admitted students day on April 15. I think she needs to seriously think about which school she wants to visit on that day.
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There’s many schools still open for apps - what type of school are you seeking?
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We don’t know when the NACAC list will be up, but again, most schools that will be on that are accepting apps right now.
It does sound like she has some options now, are they affordable? What type of school is she looking for?
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I don’t know exactly what she wants because she has changed her mind since she started submitting apps. She wanted cold weather and more rural. Now she has reservations about cold weather and wants things to do nearby.
She first talked about math. Then it became environmental science in time for apps. Now she’s leaning toward marine biology. So I think she needs to be somewhere that she can have options after enrolling.
Right now she has acceptances in environmental science, environmental studies, one math acceptance and one anthropology acceptance. (The anthropology professor she spoke with at an open house impressed her.)
I think she also would do better in a smaller, more nurturing place but somewhere that she won’t get bored. And she likes the outdoors.
She has three options that are about $24K (Rowan, Stockton, Mount St. Mary’s) and a few in the $28K range (Susquehanna, Etown, Evansville, Hope, Maine, Ursinus) There are some more expensive than that (Roanoke, St. Mary’s of Maryland, Lynn and probably LSU.)
She thinks Susquehanna and Mount St. Mary’s are too remote, but their costs are the best of the private colleges.
She is waiting on SUNY ESF. I think she would get the small school benefits there with the fun of SU next door. It’s not too far from home. The only problem is that they primarily offer sciences so if sciences don’t work out for her, she’d probably have to transfer.
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She has some affordable options. She is my last of four so I feel a little more flexible this time. My D18 and D20 saved us a lot of money with one getting a full tuition scholarship and an RA position and the other getting incredible FA that covered 75% of tuition. We could probably manage a school in the $28K range, though I would do a financial appeal and possibly get a couple thousand more since we have special circumstances.
My big concerns are:
How will the change in FAFSA change our need in future years? I have a D20 with some special needs on a five year plan so we have a year of overlap that won’t be taken into consideration.
Our number of dependents might change if my D20 stays healthy enough to move out and support herself. That might change our need calculation, too.
I suspect D23 will not have a high gpa if she has a science related major. So gpa requirements for merit scholarship renewal is a big deal in my mind.
Thinking about all of this fries my brain.
If my life were to calm down a little, I could probably start working to cover a change in FA. But the merit scholarships are big so losing one of those would be a serious problem.
ETA: Thank you for listening. 
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UMAINE is great for marine biology and forestry/environmental-y things.
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