Is he doing Materials or Mechanical?
Congrats and being close will be so easy now!
Iāll add CMU (comp sci) to the list.
I agree with you. I wonder if schools were more conservative with acceptances this year. They still havenāt figured out a good yield algorithm since TO and several over enrolled the last couple of years.
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He is doing materials science (his first choice) but may end up doing one of the joint majors, which seems to be a pretty common path for materials science students. Thanks! 
Okay, seems this is complicated stuff! I will leave my poor kid alone and let her do as she wishes!
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The rule that colleges couldnāt try to poach students who were already committed elsewhere was recently ended. I wonder if any additional waitlist movement (if there really is any) might be the result of the fall enrollment uncertainty that that creates.
Your D is smart and accomplished. Sheāll figure what is best for her and probably surprise you.
I have finally realized that my D is smarter that I am 
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My son is in his first year of Materials Science engineering and LOVES it. Congrats
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@swan1 some thoughts from someone who has been thereā¦ we all have aspirations for our kids. But I hear you talking about:
- a thesis (which she will have to find a professor to work with and/or advise)
- summer internships a year from now (summer after freshman year) (if she wants to write a thesis, it might be better to spend a summer on campus doing research with a professor anyway?)
- graduating early using AP credits
- masters degree
take a deep breath. focus on having her find a roommate. navigating freshman year. getting involved on campus. finding her ātribeā. All those things donāt need to be done in the first month, much less 3 months before she has set foot on campus.
The only one that you could start planning for now and it could be helpful is the AP credit placement. Have you looked at UMās AP credit acceptance policy? Have you looked at a recommended academic plan for her major? I will caution you to plug all AP credits straight in for a few reasons:
- there may be sequenced classes required. These may not be able to be taken out of sequence and depending on pre-reqs, might be difficult to squeeze in early or doubled up.
- for anyone in a STEM field, it is nice to ābalanceā a semester with some classes that require the other side of the brain. Too many math/science classes in one semester can be overwhelming. If all gen eds are fulfilled with AP credits, taking a heavy load of senior-level classes may not be recommended.
- depending on their semester standing, if the students hits junior or senior status earlier than 3rd or 4th year, the tuition may be increased. You may end up paying more earlier because the AP credits kick you into a higher tuition before you expect to.
I know she (and you) struggled with her college choice, but sounds like she is a motivated, bright kid. She will be fine. Let her find her way. We all have a tendency to overplan, but let her get adjusted to campus life first.
good luck. ā”Ģ
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Using APs to fulfill gen eds, where possible, opens up some free space in the studentās 4-year schedule. The student can still balance their schedule with non-STEM classes. The advantage is that they are not tied to specific courses that fulfill gen edsā¦ they can take any humanities, arts, or other courses that they like.
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I agree. For anyone in a non-STEM field also, it is nice to ābalanceā a semester with some classes that require the other side of the brain 
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Iām going to agree with everything @lucy_van_pelt said, and expand this one beyond STEM fields. As faculty in an English department, Iāve seen firsthand the burnout that in our program can come when students take five upper-division English classes all at onceāyou may be focusing on a subject you love, but even so having a bit of a brainbreak built in is helpful for most.
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All very good advice. She usually plans and does what makes sense to her! Thatās why I believe she would be okay no matter where she goes.
I am just understanding the process. She has looked into UMD credits and told me she will get plenty. I have told her to relax and have fun! I serve as a reminder when she has anything due. She tells me my graduation speech is due tomorrow, then I will ask how is it going? Thatās all.
We told her the same in high school too, advised her against all those activities she had packed herself, she wanted to go to top school and worked hard and we all had strong feelings about college outcomes initially but she is moving on and so are we.
So we are just clueless parents trying to understand not pushy! My husband didnāt even know what schools she applied to!
Thanks for your kindness!
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The only thing I rejoice planning is writing my book and planning the chapters and I love playing with my characterās life! In real life everyone has to make their own decisions as much as possible! We can listen and provide resources, but decision has to be made by themselves.
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No a fun process for me, glad is over. DS accepted to UCF,
Denied at Duke, Denied at Florida and deferred at UM them denied.
He is going to UCF as a Jr with his AA, (Math Major).
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This reminded me of a semester in college when I took five language classes: upper-level Latin, Homeric Greek, Intermediate Russian, Modern Hebrew, and Shakespeare (which is kind of a foreign language.) My friends would ask how I was keeping them straight, and I pointed out that every time I thought of a word and went to write it down, I knew it was in the wrong language if the alphabet was wrong! Or in the case of Hebrew, I was starting from the opposite direction. 
I would never have wanted to take only one subject for all classes, which may be at the root of why I ended up with three majors and a minor.
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We are in the middle of a family health emergency with my husband, but I have been intending to write something about a banquet S23 and I attended last week. It was the scholar-athlete banquet for all the winners in our sports conference. The conference is about 12 very small rural schools, almost all public. Graduating class sizes are 20-30 average, and typically in communities with 25-50% free-lunch students. Lots of farming. These students had to have a 3.2 GPA, at least 2 varsity sports, and their school recommendation.
In the brochure, post-graduation plans were listed for each student. A few didnāt have the college listed yet when they were printed, but most did. It was a good reminder of the real world of working-middle class/median income family choices post-high school. After all, these were good students who played many sports and were liked by their high schools. They would have had some choices.
The most recognizable college plans were S23ās Baylor, one Notre Dame, and two to the state land-grant flagship, which is highly regarded. Many of the rest were heading to local community colleges; others to very small local LACs that are not ever mentioned on CC. Some were heading to small regional intermediate religious colleges/universities. There were many trade schools (welding, electrician, taxidermy!) and one was heading to the Merchant Marines. A fairly large number of others were going straight to work.
----- This paragraph seems to have disappeared because I put it in brackets in the post!
Our school is an exception. It is private and affiliated with the LAC in our small town which is nationally known, so over half the class from our school are going there. Most of those (maybe all) have a parent working at the college, so go tuition free. (Many, perhaps most, of those are NOT faculty. More typically they are staff or business office or teachers at the K-12 school.) ----
It was an excellent reminder of something mentioned regularly on the threads but easy to forget. Many good students with good ECs and grades go to community colleges, the local private colleges, regional religious schools, and trade schools. Some go straight to work. It was a really nice night, but it also made me a bit ashamed of myself for sometimes losing sight of reality over the past year!
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Relatable 
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Yeah, CCās rendering engine is weirdāit seems that how non-BBS tag text in square brackets gets rendered is browser-dependent, and IMO there should be something in place to prevent that.
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How can I make my kid attend class?
Getting phone calls every day and now letters.
Indeed it is a very good reminder for us not to judge based on fancy schools and to be grateful to have the option to attend college.
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