My daughter’s heart has been set for Pitt for over a year. We live in NC and have visited the campus several times. She’s even attended camp. She applied on Oct. 2. We have not heard from anything. She used common application and is uncertain if she did SRAR. I am reading these responses of acceptances. We saw a picture of an upcoming letter from admissions in the mail that will be sent to us today. We are so worried about being rejected. She’s an honors student with a 4.0 GPA. Her SAT is 1230 and 26 on ACT. This will destroy her if she doesn’t get in. What do rejection letters look like? Should we be worried?
Where did you see this?
I do know that Pitt takes longer to review apps where transcript was sent rather than student completing SRAR. Did your D answer the 3 pitt essay questions as well? Since Pitt does not read common app essay, the 3 pitt questions are important.
I hate to say it and I hope she gets in but how IMO it was a mistake to allow your D to set up one school where her standardized tests fall below the 25th percentile as her “dream school” https://oafa.pitt.edu/explore/class-profile/ Hopefully her high grades will make up for lower standardized testing. As a general rule I hate the idea of students setting up one college as the dream school and pinning on their hopes and dreams on one acceptance – it is much better, much healthier to create a solid college list that includes reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (run the net price calculator for each school) and that they would be happy to attend.
I hope she gets into Pitt but if not you may have to let her sulk for a day or two and then move her along to other schools with similar attributes that may be a bit less competitive in terms of standardized test scores. Perhaps also consider some of the excellent test optional colleges. https://www.fairtest.org/university/optional/state
You can signup with US post office and receive scanned images of your mail before it is delivered.
Probably too late now, but the idea of a “dream school” should be firmly quashed. Does she have a list of matches and safeties that she’s willing to attend and you can afford? Keep her working on those apps this weekend to get her mind off it, and to have some forward momentum if she gets bad news from Pitt
Thank you all for your feedback. She did apply to other schools. @Mwfan1921 We saw the image on our email of the scan from USPS on our upcoming mail arriving today. @intparent She is stubborn and refuses to apply to any NC except for one. I agree with you on that one. @happy1 Thank you. Her application status stated it was complete
If she gets into one such university, do NPCs indicate they’re affordable?
Pitt is very score-focused (and PSU is very GPA focused). It’s a reach, especially if the 4.0 is typically weighted for NC.
Where else is she excited about? Any school that shares some characteristics she likes about Pitt?
In Pittsburgh, there’s Chatham, point park u, Duquesne. If she likes urban and cold, UCincinnati, Marquette, Elmhurst, Loyola Chicago, lake Forest, Butler, Goucher, Umn Duluth…
My kids were given choices, but the option to be “stubborn” given the cost of college wasn’t a choice. Hope she likes the NC public…
And we said, “No college is a Dream School unless the right aid comes through and we can afford it.”
Curious what the mail says.
The letter indicated she didn’t submit her transcript in which she did. I had our school resubmit it. @MYOS1634 She applied to urban schools like Univ. of Chicago and Loyola.
She applied to one NC public school where I went. Hopefully, she’ll come to her senses and go there once she realizes money doesn’t grow on trees and I am paying a high tuition.
Her scores are much too low for UChicago. I think you need to help her add a couple more matches for her test scores (also they need to be affordable when you run the net price calculators).
If costs are a concern then you must make her understand Pitt is simply not affordable. She will not come to her senses if she has been lead to believe going to Pitt is possible. The sooner you have the conversation the better.
It is ok to not be able to send her to her dream school. There are many great opportunities in NC.
I think its’s time for some very rapid damage control.
What’s Plan B? What happens if she doesn’t get in, or if you realize you can’t afford it? Has Pitt been allowed to be not only her favorite, but her one and only?
Even your user name–" Hopefulpittmom" places all her eggs in that one tiny little fragile basket. This isn’t about just her dreams, this is apparently about yours as well.
You cannot allow her to be “destroyed” by the possible rejection from one college in a country of thousands. Today you need to sit down with her, share you concerns.
It’s absolutely time for the “You’ll bloom where you’re planted” speech-- for both of you. You both need to realize that she will be exactly as happy or miserable as she’s made up her mind to be. And that today you both need to come up with a list of schools where she can decide to be happy.
@hopefulpittmom19 you will be full pay out of state for Pitt and that is a fact. Is $45,000 a year what you told her you could pay for her college?
@hopefulpittmom19 :
You wouldn’t let an 18 year old but a house on her own, right?
It’s important for her to find colleges she likes and are affordable. She can’t do it alone. With budget considerations and 3,700 universities, she needs your help.
Today, * as soon as you read this * run the NPC on every college your daughter applied to. Do it by yourself and print out each result. Which are affordable, affordable if you stretch and she takes the federal loan, unfortunately unaffordable even if she takes a loan?
Think about the discussion you need to have - it need to take place this weekend (especially since many scholarship deadlines are Dec 1). She can’t feel cornered sotou need to show her all her choices - and what isn’t a choice.
She needs to have choices in the Spring or it’ll be devastating for her. And she needs to know right now what you can afford. There are lots of affordable colleges depending on what she likes and what your budget is, and this forum is full of supportive parents who’ve been through it already. We can help 
Having your EFC, your budget, and her wishes would help us help you help your daughter.
Let’s say your budget is 38k a year. She gets into Uncc, UNCA, Pitt, Simmons w/20k scholarship, Duquesne, College of Charleston, Temple. She can earn 2k through a part time job.
- she can go to UNC Charlotte or UNC Asheville and have a car + a semester study abroad + an internship in NYC (and you still have money left)
- she can attend Simmons without debt because she got a partial scholarship but she’ll use up all her part time job savings.
- she can attend Pitt if she takes on the full 5.5k freshman loan and uses up her savings and keeps working part time
- she can attend College of Charleston or Temple with the federal loan
- Duquesne is 50k, you can’t afford it at all even with loans
If you list the exact universities and your budget we’d be able to suggest alternatives that match both what she likes and your budget.
In addition, depending on your EFC, you’d either adopt a merit strategy or a need based strategy (ie., how will you get more financial aid?)
Just a suggestion but also make sure she picks at least 2 affordable safety colleges where her SAT and GPA at or above the 75th percentile. These are the schools where she’s likely to get merit and excel academically. These aren’t always the big state flagship schools.
Not sure how true this is but I think students with SAT scores above the mid 1400s are considered for merit at Pitt. I’ve seen one as slow as 1420, but most seem to be higher 1400s.
If it makes you feel better, we live in PA and one of my kids would love to go to school in NC. Your state has an amazingly affordable and reputable college system. PA schools are ridiculously expensive, especially for OOS students.
I just wonder if her counselor helped in making her list of schools. University of Chicago is not in her range. Not even close. North Carolina State is supposed to be a great school.
I forgot to note that Pitt has a feeder school system. Is it possible for her to apply to one of the regional campuses which are less selective? Then she can transfer to the main campus for her last two years.
^Pitt Bradford, Pitt Johnston
But they’re very expensive OOS.
A 4-year experience in NC would probably be preferable. But it would offer a choice.