Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[aprilgail]

For ds, Science Olympiad is this coming Saturday. He has built his robot and now needs to code it. I need to get through this week. He has so much going on my head is spinning. Playing in the pit for the musical, science olympiad, interview for UB's presidential scholarship, tons of homework. After this week I (and I'm sure he) will breathe a huge sigh of relief.

That's great that your dd moved on to States. Where are states being held-what state are you in? We are in NY.

States are being held in Syracuse I believe- someplace upstate NY.

 

[Tinijocaro]

How did he do at Science Olympiads? My daughter was happy their team moved on to States. She got 2 medals, one in Forensics and one in Microbe Mission. She missed medaling in her other category Disease Detectives by ONE!

For ds, Science Olympiad is this coming Saturday. He has built his robot and now needs to code it. I need to get through this week. He has so much going on my head is spinning. Playing in the pit for the musical, science olympiad, interview for UB's presidential scholarship, tons of homework. After this week I (and I'm sure he) will breathe a huge sigh of relief.

That's great that your dd moved on to States. Where are states being held-what state are you in? We are in NY.

 

[v.t.]

Well crap. My DD was waitlisted at Minnesota too .

UGH!!!!!!!!!

 

[robinb]

I'm so sorry, Robin. I'm sure you are both disappointed. They could both turn to yes - just need to wait it out. Maybe do some research on CC to see what others are doing to express continued interest. Hugs to you and your DD...

I'm so sorry. I know that was a top choice for your DD.

Robin, tell your daughter to contact the school and let them know just how interested she is in attending. Both College Board and Money Magazine talk about how to increase your odds of getting off the waitlist:

College Board

Money

Have her send a letter with any updates from her original application stressing how much she would love to go there. Have several additional teachers/coaches/supervisors/religious leaders send in a recommendation. Has she visited? Interviewed?

I wish her luck.

Please give your DD a hug from me and my DD!! She will get into a great school and be very successful!!!

This college stuff is gonna make us all go gray!

Sorry, Robin. Hope she's not taking it too hard.

Thanks everyone! She's taking it pretty hard. The wording on the waitlist encourages students to apply elsewhere (because they can't promise anything of course!) and she's taking it personally as if they don't want her. I tried to explain that's not so but she's not listening. *sigh* I encouraged her to apply for housing because she doesn't need to be accepted to put down a deposit. I wish she would apply one more place, but I think she's really done with the whole process.

Thanks @teller80! I sent her those links and we'll talk about them and make a plan for her to contact the two colleges this week.

 

[punkin]

Thanks everyone! She's taking it pretty hard. The wording on the waitlist encourages students to apply elsewhere (because they can't promise anything of course!) and she's taking it personally as if they don't want her. I tried to explain that's not so but she's not listening. *sigh* I encouraged her to apply for housing because she doesn't need to be accepted to put down a deposit. I wish she would apply one more place, but I think she's really done with the whole process.

Thanks @teller80! I sent her those links and we'll talk about them and make a plan for her to contact the two colleges this week.

So which school is her top choice at this point? My Niece is still waiting for her two top choices to make a decision, but from the ones that have come in so far, she has 2 clear favorites.

 

[mamacatnv]

Well crap. My DD was waitlisted at Minnesota too .

Thanks everyone! She's taking it pretty hard. The wording on the waitlist encourages students to apply elsewhere (because they can't promise anything of course!) and she's taking it personally as if they don't want her. I tried to explain that's not so but she's not listening. *sigh* I encouraged her to apply for housing because she doesn't need to be accepted to put down a deposit. I wish she would apply one more place, but I think she's really done with the whole process.

Thanks @teller80! I sent her those links and we'll talk about them and make a plan for her to contact the two colleges this week.

It so hard, I'm so sorry for your DD, it does feel personal!
DD had a group of the nerd herd over awhile back and we were talking about their college plans but also about how getting in is such a crap shoot and how its not personal, they are just a number in a large (very large in some cases) pool of candidates and often those candidates on paper look identical. Berkeley gets 85K applications for approx 14K slots - that's a lot of rejections to top ranked students but its the reality.
These kids have applied to some big schools MIT, Columbia, Harvard etc. They are all guaranteed to Univ of Texas Austin and/or Texas A&M due to their class standing (Except DD, she is not top 10% she is 12%) this guaranteed is assuring that they will go "somewhere" for college but for many of them its not their first choice, its their safety school.

I've seen the disappointment in DD's friends and it breaks my heart, we want them all to achieve the dream school they have worked so hard for but the reality is, many won't and not because they aren't good enough or smart enough, the numbers are just overwhelming and its a toss of the dice. However, I think once they get over the disappointment and really look at their options, many do find the perfect fit and move on with their educations.

 

[v.t.]

It is difficult finds the magic formula the schools want, for admission and scholarships. Both of mine received their financial package. DS1 received a Corps scholarship, nothing from the university itself. DS2 received the Presidential Endowed and an Opportunity Award from the University but was waitlisted for the Corps scholarship. Granted we are grateful for anything they receive but it makes no sense. And what is worse is all their friends are getting scholarships in the tens of thousands. The PE scholarship is $3000, and that's the largest merit they offer.

 

[robinb]

So which school is her top choice at this point? My Niece is still waiting for her two top choices to make a decision, but from the ones that have come in so far, she has 2 clear favorites.

I *think* her order is: UW-Madison (deferred), UM-Twin Cities (waitlist), Iowa (admitted, but expensive), IUPUI (no response yet), Illinois State.

 

[Sanchez]

I don't think people outside of the process realize the difficulty of gaining acceptance to some of these schools. Just guessing, but I would think that those with high achieving middle school students probably believe that their children will have no problem gaining acceptance to top 20 schools. By the time they get to be high school juniors the stark realization is that many high achieving students will not gain acceptance to large state universities.

In our state, it was once a given that a good student would be accepted to Clemson. This year Clemson received 23,500 applications for 4,000 spots.http://www.thetigernews.com/sports/...cle_4d96547e-df31-11e6-bd93-d7ce3b6b76fb.html

Very good students are not getting in and Clemson's U.S. News ranking is around #60. Someone above mentioned Berkeley (and really the entire UC system) where the numbers are even less forgiving.

We sat through two Duke presentations and the "brag" is that Duke denies acceptance to over 75% of high school valedictorians.

 

[mamacatnv]

It is difficult finds the magic formula the schools want, for admission and scholarships. Both of mine received their financial package. DS1 received a Corps scholarship, nothing from the university itself. DS2 received the Presidential Endowed and an Opportunity Award from the University but was waitlisted for the Corps scholarship. Granted we are grateful for anything they receive but it makes no sense. And what is worse is all their friends are getting scholarships in the tens of thousands. The PE scholarship is $3000, and that's the largest merit they offer.

I see a lot of loans in DD's future A&M Corpus did not give her a dime.
Good luck on those scholarships!

I don't think people outside of the process realize the difficulty of gaining acceptance to some of these schools. Just guessing, but I would think that those with high achieving middle school students probably believe that their children will have no problem gaining acceptance to top 20 schools. By the time they get to be high school juniors the stark realization is that many high achieving students will not gain acceptance to large state universities.

In our state, it was once a given that a good student would be accepted to Clemson. This year Clemson received 23,500 applications for 4,000 spots.http://www.thetigernews.com/sports/...cle_4d96547e-df31-11e6-bd93-d7ce3b6b76fb.html

Very good students are not getting in and Clemson's U.S. News ranking is around #60. Someone above mentioned Berkeley (and really the entire UC system) where the numbers are even less forgiving.

We sat through two Duke presentations and the "brag" is that Duke denies acceptance to over 75% of high school valedictorians.

Just makes me think "elitist" much?..........
I think the "big" schools have marketed themselves very well, when thousands of kids think their lives/educations are over because they didn't get in their marketing has succeeded. That is sad.
If kids are planning to pursue a higher degree don't spend the money on undergrad, prestige only goes so far but debt lasts a really long time. Been trying to get this into DD's head without much success

 

[robinb]

I think the "big" schools have marketed themselves very well, when thousands of kids think their lives/educations are over because they didn't get in their marketing has succeeded. That is sad.
If kids are planning to pursue a higher degree don't spend the money on undergrad, prestige only goes so far but debt lasts a really long time. Been trying to get this into DD's head without much success

Ugh. I feel your pain. Right now my DD's #1 school would charge out of state tuition.

 

[punkin]

I too feel your pain, @mamacatnv. Niece got into a lovely in state school which I can afford with no loans for her (she would take out subsidized, but we could pay them back after graduation before interest started to accrue), but she is screaming to go out of state. I just don't get it and I cannot figure out how to make her get it either. I would understand if there were an academic reason, but if there is one, she hasn't articulated it to me.

 

[sksjasams]

I *think* her order is: UW-Madison (deferred), UM-Twin Cities (waitlist), Iowa (admitted, but expensive), IUPUI (no response yet), Illinois State.

Robin, do any of the other UW schools appeal to her? I know she was not crazy about UW-La Crosse. What about Eau Claire?

Have you guys looked into Iowa State? Its significantly less expensive than Iowa. I think your DD would qualify for a $5500/yr auto scholarship, bringing it down to the range of UMN. Its supposed to be one of the most beautiful campuses in the country and I've read Ames is a great college town and very safe.

 

[mamacatnv]

...

 

[mamacatnv]

I too feel your pain, @mamacatnv. Niece got into a lovely in state school which I can afford with no loans for her (she would take out subsidized, but we could pay them back after graduation before interest started to accrue), but she is screaming to go out of state. I just don't get it and I cannot figure out how to make her get it either. I would understand if there were an academic reason, but if there is one, she hasn't articulated it to me.

My DD is adamant that she wants to leave the state - her only instate application is to what she admits was a "desperate" application to make sure she goes somewhere and because she fiddle farted around for so long she missed all opportunities at merit based aid. The price tag is $22K a year and its not even a good fit. UGH

Right now, we are going with Univ Minn Twin Cities - I am anxiously awaiting their merit offers and also working on our letter to request an accommodation for financial aid based on the significant and permanent drop in our income from 2015 to 2016 due to my hubbys employment status.

 

[TruBlu]

Congratulations! It's a good decision to have . Both are really great schools!


Sadly, my DD was deferred . She's crushed. I was expecting it because of her ACT scores, but it really doesn't make it any easier.

So sorry! It really stinks because we can't do anything to make it better.
We just had a big blow too... a no from Juilliard. Completely unexpected. DS is crushed.
But, he's on 2nd round auditions at 7 others. And his tied for #1 is still there!!! (It was tied with Juilliard - oh well, easy tie breaker!!!)

 

[Poohforyou]

I don't think people outside of the process realize the difficulty of gaining acceptance to some of these schools. Just guessing, but I would think that those with high achieving middle school students probably believe that their children will have no problem gaining acceptance to top 20 schools. By the time they get to be high school juniors the stark realization is that many high achieving students will not gain acceptance to large state universities.

In our state, it was once a given that a good student would be accepted to Clemson. This year Clemson received 23,500 applications for 4,000 spots.http://www.thetigernews.com/sports/...cle_4d96547e-df31-11e6-bd93-d7ce3b6b76fb.html

Very good students are not getting in and Clemson's U.S. News ranking is around #60. Someone above mentioned Berkeley (and really the entire UC system) where the numbers are even less forgiving.

We sat through two Duke presentations and the "brag" is that Duke denies acceptance to over 75% of high school valedictorians.

I also think state schools are marketing more to students outside their region. I can't tell you the number of state schools my dd got requests to apply from over and over. Many highlighted scholarships she'd be eligible for.

I'm not including Clemson or Berkeley in this because they've always attracted applicants from all over.

I'm sorry for those getting NOs. It's hard when they're hurting.

 

[v.t.]

I see a lot of loans in DD's future A&M Corpus did not give her a dime.
Good luck on those scholarships!

I know she wants out of Texas, but I have read that A&M will offer more scholarships even as late as Sept of next year. So maybe there is hope.

So sorry! It really stinks because we can't do anything to make it better.
We just had a big blow too... a no from Juilliard. Completely unexpected. DS is crushed.
But, he's on 2nd round auditions at 7 others. And his tied for #1 is still there!!! (It was tied with Juilliard - oh well, easy tie breaker!!!)

So sorry to hear that, hopefully he will get a yes soon.

 

[mamacatnv]

So sorry! It really stinks because we can't do anything to make it better.
We just had a big blow too... a no from Juilliard. Completely unexpected. DS is crushed.
But, he's on 2nd round auditions at 7 others. And his tied for #1 is still there!!! (It was tied with Juilliard - oh well, easy tie breaker!!!)

Ohhh man, I'm sorry. I hate to see their hearts broken when they have worked so hard.

I also think state schools are marketing more to students outside their region. I can't tell you the number of state schools my dd got requests to apply from over and over. Many highlighted scholarships she'd be eligible for.

I'm not including Clemson or Berkeley in this because they've always attracted applicants from all over.

I'm sorry for those getting NOs. It's hard when they're hurting.

We got a lot of interest from schools all over the country - example: Hofstra sent DD a code for free application, so she applied, and she got into their Honors college, they then offered up a 4 year $26K per year scholarship, yay! Well, not so yay when the cost of attendance is $65K a year.

I know she wants out of Texas, but I have read that A&M will offer more scholarships even as late as Sept of next year. So maybe there is hope.



So sorry to hear that, hopefully he will get a yes soon.

There was nothing in her offer letter and the website said the deadline for Corpus was Dec 1 - The Corpus website is pretty awful and gives a lot of conflicting information. I was hoping until her offer letter arrived and there was no aid whatsoever. She would have had a sweet ticket to Texas State (had she applied and done so timely, she did neither)

She is still waiting to hear from Hawaii and Berkeley but I really don't want her to go to Hawaii (I've had friends kids go, no one went for more than a year and none of them liked the school, it is not a non-native friendly environment, I've heard this repeatedly) and Berkeley is such a huge reach and big price tag. I think UMN is the best fit, the best for the price etc.

 

[punkin]

So sorry! It really stinks because we can't do anything to make it better.
We just had a big blow too... a no from Juilliard. Completely unexpected. DS is crushed.
But, he's on 2nd round auditions at 7 others. And his tied for #1 is still there!!! (It was tied with Juilliard - oh well, easy tie breaker!!!)

Are you going the conservatory route or a music department? Just interested, no real reason I'm asking.