Thank you. I know your son will be at a great school, too. 
That’s great! We are still sitting on making our decision. After writing to UMD we found out we had 5k per year which we were not notified!
Since we are OOS COA is still 55k!
Since we have Schreyers and Rutgers same cost of attendance as Schreyers. It’s been hard to decide.
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Just think all three may be the right answer.
There isn’t always just ‘the one’. So no matter which of the three you go with, it’ll likely be great !!
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Hoping so! Thanks!
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One never knows good or bad . But you take your best swing and hope.
It’ll be fine !!
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And Econ twin has committed, his final two schools were UNC and Bowdoin. He would have strongly considered UVA Echols but FA was horrible and appeals process was a nightmare. We have a Polar Bear, Bowdoin Accepted Students Day was amazing.
Admitted
UMD Honors
Indiana Kelley Merit but was too essayed out to do the scholarship application (he did 60 essays and 12 interviews)
UNC Excellent FA
UVA Echols, Cost 3 times the best FA and 2.5 the other full need schools
Bowdoin - attending
Hamilton
Grinnell
Waitlists
Williams
Harvard
Northwestern
U Chicago
Penn (Wharton)
Denison w 25K merit
Denied
Yale
Swarthmore
Princeton
Stanford
Duke
Dartmouth
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What an exciting place for a jazz student, congratulations!!!
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Is Econ guaranteed at UNC or do you have to apply for it as a soph?
Hi all. 
I found College Confidential kinda late in the game, but I’ve found the college search forums and specific school threads SO helpful. I think it’s my first time posting over here in the Parents forum. We are agonizing over the final decision now, and I’m so stressed. For my daughter it seems like mostly between Oberlin & Oxy, with a few other “maybe”s. It’s hard to weigh the pros & cons—seems like the balance keeps tipping one way and then the other. I truly don’t know how she (or we as a family) will decide.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi & thanks for helping create a community for the overwhelmed parents!
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Yes, he didn’t apply to the Business School, so he would have studied Econ under Arts and Science, either the BA or BS. He may have applied to business school Sophomore year.
More in the vent category - my cheap-a** father, who moved in with us seven months ago, lives with us cost-free, we schlep him everywhere to doctors, he literally lifts not one bloody finger to help financially or physically – just made a big deal out of handing me two checks for D19 and S23, both of whom graduate next month.
No cards, mind you.
Just two checks.
For $50 each.
And no, he is not hurting for money. Far from it.
My husband is livid and wants to hand them back.
I don’t see the point. He will not change.
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I’m sorry, I’ve seen this play out before in other families… they hold out the possibility of inheritance over their kids heads as a way to manipulate them into waiting on them. It’s never worth it (well, i guess if they were worth hundreds of millions and in very poor health… maybe).
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This sounds very close to my father too. Stole the savings bonds my grandparents gave me for birthdays growing up, never helped financially with anything including college, asked me for a loan and perpetually promises that he’s going to give the kids money for graduations to get a reaction but so far never has. Yet constantly tells me how well off he is.
You are a saint though to let him move in.
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So, S23 seems to be pretty much decided on Oregon State! 
He will be in the honors college, and also received the WUE so it will be similar in price to our in-state UCs.
I will confess that I still have mixed feelings! My husband keeps talking to me (in private) about his reservations about sending our kid to a “low ranked” school. Every time I talk with my husband, I am standing up for our son’s choice and telling him all the good things about OSU. But maybe my husband’s concerns are affecting my personal feelings. I don’t think OSU is “low ranked” … it’s a respected R1 university, but it is also not a school where people ooh and aah when they hear the school name. It just gives me a nagging feeling, is this REALLY the right choice?! Will he have a lower quality experience in some way, compared to other schools on his list?? But maybe I would have these worries no matter which school he picked?!
For completeness, here are the other schools where S23 was admitted (to engineering programs):
- UW Seattle ($3k merit)
- UMN Twin Cities ($20k merit)
- Ohio State ($16.5k merit, honors)
- Pitt ($20k merit, honors)
- U Conn ($23k merit)
- CWRU ($33k merit)
- Northeastern (NUin)
- Drexel ($9.6k merit)
- U of Toronto ($12k merit)
- U British Columbia ($10k merit)
- McGill
- UC San Diego
- UC Santa Barbara
- UC Davis
- UC Irvine
- UC Santa Cruz
- Cal Poly SLO
And where he was not admitted:
- USC (deferred, chose not to pursue RD)
- UC Berkeley (waitlisted)
- UC LA (waitlisted)
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It’s hard. I can really relate. That said now that our D23 is committed to her lower ranked option it’s been very exciting to see how excited she is! It’s a true test of faith and resisting the negative influences of others. Trying not to care what others think - still - even now in my 50’s.
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The ranking matters more in some professions and less in others. If you think your son may pivot to professions that are more ranking sensitive, then you need to consider ranking seriously. Otherwise not.
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what would those be?
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No, I don’t think there is any chance he will end up in a ranking sensitive profession. He will probably be majoring in either MechE or EE. I don’t know exactly what he will end up doing for research projects or future career directions, but he is interested in materials science, battery technology, semiconductors, race cars… Oregon State will give him a lot of freedom to explore, and it sounds like he will have pretty easy access to research opportunities, clubs and project teams, study abroad, and internships…
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I would say that certain companies/industries prefer graduates from certain schools and it’s not necessarily ranking that matters but the school.
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Congratulations, and try not to stress about rank!
First, Oregon State is a major, known state institution. It is not “low-ranked.”
Second, my own story:
When I graduated as valedictorian of a very large (550 class), very competitive professional-class striving public suburban high school back in the day and turned down Top 20 schools to go to Alabama on the only (at the time) completely full-ride-make-a-profit-from-college named scholarship there, my high school was appalled. I do not overstate.
They barely acknowledged the Bama alumnus who came to present the award at awards night. At graduation, I swear they didn’t mention my plans before my valedictorian speech or mumbled them. For five years before me, every valedictorian had gone to either Stanford or Cal Tech. The guy the year after me also went to Stanford. The salutatorian my year went to Cal Tech. Despite my having won some major national awards with major publicity in my city, my high school was humiliated by me and basically disowned me. Again, I would like to say I exaggerate, but I don’t. My parents were enraged. I didn’t care. I went to Bama and had the best four-year period of my life. I had a great experience and outstanding education. Not one regret from me or my family about the choice.
And don’t worry. When I was named a Rhodes Scholar, my high school suddenly remembered who I was.
It’s all about fit.
Edit: Okay, not all about fit. Let’s assume affordable, has the major, etc. If he loves the school, he’s more likely to excel. Those with good grit are likely to excel even without loving the school, but my S23 isn’t that type, and I’m not entirely sure I am either. I needed to feel the love.
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