<p>This is a mind boggling situation for us and not one we considered. DS's #1 school put him on the wait list with guaranteed admission for Spring 2011. There is a remote possibility that he could gain acceptance for the Fall, but it is a gamble. His #2 school accepted him and even gave him a small merit scholarship. We do not qualify for any financial aid. Both schools are SUNY schools, but the majors are slightly different at both schools, with #1's being more tailored to what he thinks he's most interested in (at 17 years old of course.) He actually seems to be pumped about #2 now and we are re-visiting it tomorrow for accepted student day. I hate to have him miss out on the experience of going off to college when his friends do and staying home and working part time for 4 months. Then there's the jumping into a dorm/campus life in January after friendships have been formed, etc.</p>
<p>Honestly, I wish #1 just rejected him (back in October when he applied EA, but they deferred him to rolling admissions pool based on his mid year grades which were in the high 90's.) Instead, we have spent 6 months waiting by the mailbox only to be given this scenario that we didn't even consider.</p>
<p>If I was faced with this dilemma, I’d go to community college for the fall and then go to my first choice in the spring. Same money, get a smoother gradient to college life, and get into the school you want. Seems close to a no-brainer for me.</p>
<p>Dumb question from a parent here:::: Is there any reason why he couldn’t attend school #2 for the fall and then, if he wants, start at school #1 in the Spring? </p>
<p>no there isn’t any reason why he couldn’t go to #2 in the fall and then go to #1 in the spring, but he would have to have a certain grade point average at the school in the fall for the offer to still be on the table. I just have to take the emotion out of the decision and step back and let him come to a conclusion. It does seem a shame to give up the school he wants to really go to because he can’t start in September. However, I truly believe he would be happy and successful at #2.</p>
<p>No right or wrong answer here. Whichever he chooses is fine. The late admit makes school number 1 less attractive to him, and he just has to decide how much.</p>
<p>If the schools are fairly close in desirability, I’d go to the one that “loved” me more! Gives him more of a seamless transition to college life.</p>
<p>But of course, it all depends on the details of the respective programs, locations, etc.</p>
<p>A friend’s daughter was offered spring admittance to one of the SUNYs. It was her first choice and best option, so she went along with it, with misgivings. She was sad when all her friends went off to college in the fall, and she was left behind. She found a part-time job and made the best of it. When she finally went off to college in the spring, the orientation wasn’t as extensive as it had been for the fall students, and she had to dorm with someone whose roommate had moved out. So it was a bit of an awkward beginning, but the good news is that she settled in, and she’s scheduled to graduate with the rest of her original class.</p>
<p>This particular student entered college with AP credits, and she took a course online to catch up. I think it helped that she didn’t fall behind. Bottom line: It’s okay whichever one your son chooses.</p>
<p>Just be aware that if your son takes the fall semester off, he may lose his health insurance if he’s covered under your policy as a full-time student.</p>
<p>as far as the health insurance, I think the new health care bills ensures that kids can stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26. I don’t know when that goes into affect. I’ve heard more about Biden saying the “f” word than about the specifics of the plan. He’s only 17, not 18 until the end of September. I can’t believe he’d be dropped from my insurance that fast, but it’s definitely something to look into.</p>
<p>Since you’re self-pay, does a semester at community college help a bunch? As long as classes were chosen to get rid of some of the requirements and help keep him on track to graduate in four years, that could be a fairly significant savings.</p>
<p>I don’t know which school you’re talking about, but there’s a thread on the Berkely forum talking about being a spring admit from the perspective of kids who were spring admits. It was started by a student who did this a couple of years ago. Even if it isn’t Berkely, it might give you some perspective. The kids on there seemed pretty happy about it.</p>
<p>The law as to keeping kids on the health insurance goes into effect in 6 months - which would be late September. Also, my understanding is that kids who went off the policies in the interim will be eligible for reinstatement. I’d expect that a lot of insurance companies will go ahead and implement the change sooner, at least for young adults who don’t turn 26 in the interim.</p>
<p>NY state previously enacted a law that covers kids until an older age - maybe 29. You do have to pay extra for that - it’s not included in the family premium. As OP says, something to look into. </p>
<p>I think starting in the spring is a personality thing. My D would never, ever do it - would feel she’d missed out on too much by being a late starter. Depends, in part, on how outgoing and likely your child is to make friendships. Does your S know kids who’ll be starting in the fall? At SUNYs, there are often strong contingents from HS - good if you happen to need a built in group of friends, not so good if you’re trying to break into established circles. Look on the website to see what kind of orientation is offered for fall and spring. Ultimately I agree with above, there is no wrong answer to this question. It’s a good lesson in ‘going with your gut.’</p>
<p>We know two students who got spring admits (2 years ago) to one of our state u’s.<br>
They both had other Fall start choices but wanted the Spring start school more. Both stayed here and went to CC for the fall semester, then went to #1 Spring start sch. in January. Both are still there now, happy and doing well.</p>
<p>I will say though that lots of kids (including the sister of one of the late start students)from our town attend this state u. so when these two kids got there in Jan., there were plenty of familiar faces, making the adjustment easier.</p>
<p>I would think it tough to go to #2 school for fall and then switch to #1 sch. in Jan.</p>
<p>Like other posters, I would leave it TOTALLY up to your S. If he’s falling in love with #2 and embraces it after this visit, then I would think it’s meant to be, including the merit offer. There is something to be said for being wooed rather than pursuing, and MANY of our kids didn’t end up at their #1 school for a myriad of reasons and are thriving at one of their other choices.</p>
<p>All the fun “ice-breakers,” WOW weeks, canoe trips, etc…are held during the week before fall semester starts. That’s when kids make their friends. I wouldn’t want my kid to miss all that.</p>
<p>I completely discount the value of the fall orientation fests. They didn’t happen when I was a student, and things were fine. And when I look at my kids and their friends, sure, they made friends during orientation, and a year later very few of the orientation friendships had survived. It’s not such a bad idea to skip that altogether.</p>
<p>That doesn’t mean I think you should accept the spring admission deal, just that missing fall orientation shouldn’t count for much when you evaluate it.</p>
<p>Fall orientation made a world of difference for my D. It meant that when they all got back to campus (after a camping trip), her group of 8 or so always had someone to meet for meals. She also got invaluable advice from the three trip leaders regarding course selection, housing, all kinds of things. It’s one thing if a college doesn’t offer orientation programs - then everyone starts out on the same foot. She’s still friendly with her group, and a core few still meet for meals but she has gravitated more to her dorm mates for close friendships. She feels so strongly about the experience that she’s training to lead it next year. The advantage of the pre-trips is getting to know other freshman - well - without the distractions of campus and upperclassmen. This may not be an issue if you S knows kids at the school already or if the school doesn’t offer pre-orientation.</p>
<p>Unless it’s a real close #2, almost as desirable as #1, I’d say go with the Spring admit. Both Berkeley and UCSD commonly offer these Spring admissions, and some of the kids who get them are mightily offended and refuse to accept them. But they are only punishing themselves. </p>
<p>We know several kids who accepted the Spring admission and it worked out well for all of them. You start out a little bit behind in course work and in making new friends, but over a four year course of study that ends up mattering very little.</p>
<p>If the school really is the number one choice, choose number one.</p>