<p>Ohhhhh.....d is deciding between JMU, Udel and USC (actually she got into most of her schools, but these are the top choices). She is going for nursing.</p>
<p>I like JMU, but I don't think the 60-40% ratio Girls/Guys is a good thing. Trust me, D is quite pretty (IMO), but I don't want the pressure of millions of girls over guys making her self conscience. Udel is a great school and only two hours away..........but sometihng about USC is so tantalizing...........</p>
<p>But, all in all, we will be paying FULL cost at either of these schools, so it's not like one would be easy on the pocketbook.</p>
<p>When we toured USC, our tour guide told us about the nursing program. Apparently it is quite highly regarded and not all that easy to get into at USC. We also know a physician in Columbia SC and he speaks very highly of all the medical programs at USC.</p>
<p>thumper1, your reply about the quality of USC's medical students brings to mind something that happened to our family a dozen years ago. We were going through a tough time with our then 4 year old to diagnose a medical condition. We went to specialist after specialist. After getting more and more frustrated with the lack of a diagnosis and even more frustrated with the lack of compassion and attention to his case, we were finally referred by a nurse at The Children's Hospital in Philadelphia to "one of the best" at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. </p>
<p>There we were relieved to actually see one of the most professional, understanding and knowledgable doctors we have (still) ever seen. I remember vividly looking at his credentials on his office wall while we waited to talk to him. Where did he get his undergraduate degree? The University of South Carolina.</p>
<p>namtrag,
S had third visit with USC this week, and it really confirmed how he likes the USC Engineering program. There were about 6 students and respective parents that met with the assistant dean. He took us to a conference room in the engineering building and answered student questions, and then gave us a complete tour of the engineering building. S was very impressed with the computer engineering facilities (said it was better than Clemson's in his opinion!) and we also were taken through wings and labs for electrical engineering and chemical engineering. The engineering meeting/tour lasted about an hour. The dean was very personable, friendly, and informative. We also met with the director of Capstone for about 45 minutes, and he was also eager to answer questions and share the merits of the Capstone program. We got a "private" 2-family tour of a Capstone dorm room. Everyone really went out of their way to accomodate us. S is very excited about the Wilson scholarship and the opportunities it offers also. We feel very good about his decision to go to USC.
I know the decision-making process can be difficult, and I'm sure your son will decide what is best for him. Have a good trip next Saturday.</p>
<p>greenville
Im glad S had such a positive visit.There's a poster asking q's about Capstone..perhaps you can help him out with what you learned this week.</p>
<p>ooops Greenville, I sree you already answered him!!</p>
<p>Well, S visited W&M for the Accepted Students Day on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed himself. He thought he still had 2 weeks to decide which school to attend, but he received an email from CS Dept at USC asking him for an answer on whether he was accepting the scholarship. He hasn't answered yet, but this is at least forcing him to get the decision over with.</p>
<p>I suspect it will be W&M, and I am trying to stay neutral. (I actually favor USC). If he picks W&M, it will free up a Wilson CS Scholarship for someone else. When I encouraged him to phone some people at USC to let them know he was having a difficult time deciding, he said he was afraid to call because they would be upset.</p>
<p>I told him they deal with this situation every spring and he is not the first.</p>
<p>It would be logical for the CS dept to try to have your S give them an answer so that they could,in fact, extend that scholarship offer to another potential student.I hope hes able to make his mind up soon.</p>
<p>Namtrag, it's been a long year of waiting for all his options to come through. For some, the final decision is pretty clear - for others, it's harder.</p>
<p>Your son certainly should notify the department when he is certain he will not be attending. However, legally, he does have until May 1 to decide. Having offered your son the scholarship, I'm sure the department would prefer your son accept it and would not want you to turn down the offer just because you feel hurried to make a decision. Do encourage your son to call the department if he's having questions about the department or even to discuss their need to have an acceptance decision earlier than the legal May 1 deadline. Call admissions if he's having concerns about this or other issues. </p>
<p>But it sounds like he's being torn between two good options. Someone gave my d this piece of advice: Go off and make the decision. Decide which school you want to attend. Don't tell anybody what your decision is. Sign the scholarship letter/committment decision for the school you've decided on. Live with the decision for 24 hours. If student feels happy/relieved during those 24 hours, he's probably made the right decision. Then tell other people - parents, friends, etc. Put confirmations in the mail. Wait a day; send out "no thank you letters." </p>
<p>But definitely call the department and ask for the May 1 extension (at UGA they want decisions by April 15, but allow you to write a letter requesting delay until May 1.) Remember, they want your son or they wouldn't have offered him the scholarship and if they feel he is, in good faith, still working through the college decision, they will be happy to wait. If they are unwilling to wait until May 1, that tells him something about the department, also.</p>
<p>Just an opinion from someone whose kid had similar difficulty deciding from among some great schools - all of which she would have been more than happy to attend.</p>
<p>Thanks, Webbie. I think they just wanted an idea so they could plan for alternatives. I am going to encourage S to call, not just to let them know, but also to get advice from them, insight, etc. Otherwise, I am trying to stay out of it as much as possible unless he asks my advice.</p>
<p>Well, just wanted to let everyone know that my S has decided to go to W&M. I really am relieved he has finally figured it all out, but I am sure going to miss you guys! I will contunue to be an advocate for USC, and I hope all the best for you and your children in their pursuits.</p>
<p>S said it was very difficult to decide, but he liked the setting of W&M, and the fact that it is less than 1 hour from home, so he can live on campus, but can get home easily if need be. I was somewhat disappointed but I have to support his decision. It's not like he turned down USC for some rinky dink community college. </p>
<p>Fortunately we have just enough saved for his 4 years at W&M, but there won't be anything left. So now if he wants to study abroad for a summer or a semester, he will have to earn the money, whereas if he had gone to USC, he would have had plenty of money for that sort of thing.</p>
<p>Again, I am sad about USC, but happy that my S is going to one of the best public schools in the entire USA .</p>
<p>Congratulations namtrag! I am sure that having the decision made is a huge relief for all of you.
Good luck to your son at W&M - I am sure it will be fun for you as an alum.
You can still cheer on the Gamecocks!</p>
<p>congrats to you and your son on great choices. W&M great choice.</p>
<p>My son is a college freshman 3 hrs away by car. To get home he can take a bus from school to nearby station and make it in 3 hrs ($50 round trip).
I can't begin to tell you how nice and convienent this has been for all of us. He has come home for different reasons(holidays, breaks etc.) 6 or 7 times during the year. We have been to visit twice. My point is that I never knew how much of a perk the distance from home was until after he went away to school. This summer he will be back up there for an internship which requires he moves somewhere else for the summer. I can't imagine the expense these trips would have been had he been on the opposite coast. He certainly wouldn't have had the option of coming home so much. Just a thought.
Congrats on having the choice out of the way!</p>
<p>Yes, it will be great for us. We can visit him almost anytime we want, yet he is far enough away to make living on campus a wise decision vs commuting. (I really wanted both my S's to go away to school and experience living on campus)</p>
<p>It is really something we take for granted: living within 45 minutes of such a well-respected university. OOSers are paying $35k+ to come to W&M. </p>
<p>Believe me, I am a huge Gamecock fan now, and will continue to be.</p>
<p>Namtrag...Congratulations on your son's decision. You can still visit here anyway...it's a welcoming crowd. I know...DD didn't choose USC either, but I still am a big fan of the school and have recommended it to others. Looking forward to hearing about your son's experiences at W and M.</p>
<p>Namtrag, Glad to hear that your s has decided where he wants to go! I know he is relieved to have made his decision. Now you all can just enjoy the rest of his senior year. Like you I was quite taken with USC when we visited over spring break. My husband and I definitely would like to go back to school and be 18 again! :) Maybe all of us parents can start our own USC grad school of some sort! </p>
<p>Our S loved it, too, and definitely will apply. He, like your s, would like to get some type of OOS tuition waiver and merit money, but who knows? Again, best of luck with everything in the next few exciting months!</p>
<p>Don't forget to apply for your refunds of any enrollment and housing deposits. The request for enrollment deposit has to be postmarked by 5/1. As for the housing deposit, $100 of the $145 fee is refundable if requested before 6/30. I processed these request about a week ago and can supply the addresses I used in you need them (via PM request). Congrats to your son !! Either choice would have been excellent. But what matters is his choice.</p>