Kid had a minor finger injury the other day. Fortunately it will not interfere with typing. I took the opportunity to remind him, if you are sick in the days before the deadline and you really don’t feel well, or something else comes up, you still have to get the apps done anyway. Better to get them done earlier just in case.
And the other usual reminder, that the rest will be so much easier once that first app is submitted.
That’s it, that’s all I have to say. No update here lol. What’s that old saying, this too shall pass…
How did you all spent the waiting between applying and decisions?!
DS24 has applied to 3 schools and working on 2 more… He is busy with APs, applications, work, volunteering, home coming, etc…
In the instant world, patience is getting tough (for us, parents)!
I think the anxiety is due to the fact of uncertainty in the process, lot of $ involved and kid’s life choices.
I had a similiar conversation yesterday where I said “If you trust 17 year olds over 50+ years olds that’s your choice”. And ending that with telling him his prefrontal cortex will not be fully developed till 25.
I plan to force the whole issue out of my head and pretend that we’re not waiting. (I’ll let you know in February how that’s going).
But before we get there, C24 actually has to apply somewhere. They have four apps due 11/1, and my “mom deadline” for those is 10/15. Two of those schools are among C24’s top 3 choices, so as far as I’m concerned that’s the biggest hurdle. After that, I don’t actually care how many more schools they decide to apply to.
I think a lot of these kids are natural procrastinators or don’t realize how much the little tasks add up to. He realized it when spending several hours dealing with SRARs and general technical issues.
We’re at the point that other than keeping track of LoR submission, the safety and target applications are submitted. So I feel pretty ok in this space.
There are a few reach applications with supplemental essays pending, a few due 11/1, one due by Dec holidays. But the way I see those is that either he will be really motivated to get those in or he won’t be that motivated (in which case, I won’t be that motivated to spend the hefty tuition bill either!) In any case, it will work out the way it should! I suggested he prioritize/pace himself based on the ones he most wants to submit so that if he runs out of steam, he’ll have at least taken his shot for those top priorities.
We do a Sunday college meeting to go over it all. She’s gone through and identified what extras need to be done for the apps, and is focusing on finishing the first one (due 11/1) this week, and then there are 2 due 11/15 and one 12/15. The most complex (and her reach/ first choice) is an 11/15 so it will be all downhill from there. When I pointed out that once all her apps are in, the meetings are done, she was happy to hear that, ha!
I will add columns to the spreadsheet with prior years’ decision release dates, including weekday and time of day. Current list has no schools with a Dec release date.
I just realized that I have no idea what the SRAR means. If our school sends transcripts do the kids need to fill it out? S24 is applying to some EA schools that use it but if the transcripts are sent is it needed?
Only some schools require it in lieu of the official transcript. So I think it’s generally one or the other. Northeastern is only one I know of that requires both. It’s a pain because they apply, get a link/ID, set up the portal and then enter all the transcript info into SRAR. Tedious.
I noticed the other day on the Northeastern website that they require SRAR in the portal. I don’t think there are a ton of schools that require SRAR, but a few do. Not too many require Courses and Grades in Common App either, though all it takes is one on the list to need to fill that out. Some kids will strike a school from the list for this type of demand LOL but this is one task that a parent can help with.
This is a good time to take a relaxed stroll through the admission websites to check for any additional requirements and the low-down on whether interviews should be requested.
Speaking of which… should a student request an interview if they don’t actually want to do one? Is an interview request important for demonstrated interest? I think only two schools on the list offer these and I have mixed feelings.
It also helps ME - I make notes through the week and ask all at once instead of peppering her with questions all week long.And she does well with a task list - she is the first, so it’s new to us, despite my career in higher ed - I am not an admissions person!
There’s SRAR and SSAR - different schools require different things. They’re a pain but if it’s the same system and multiple schools require it, you can use the same one.
I think - if I remember, Miami Ohio and Pitt were on the same one - SRAR. And then UF and FSU were on a different one (SSAR) - although i’m going by memory.
The dream schools are the ones that have neither - which is most.
