High School Class of 2016/College Class 2020

[jetskigrl]

I don't remember if I posted it here or not, but we did it. We sent in the tuition deposit!!! Our finances are going to be really tight but DD will be going to her first choice school in the Fall I just hope she plans to support me and DH in our old age, LOL.

 

[Lynne G]

Yep, accepted at our local college, and just paid $91 to have DS take the AP test. Ahh, the start of the draining my pockets! LOL

 

[jetskigrl]

Yep, accepted at our local college, and just paid $91 to have DS take the AP test. Ahh, the start of the draining my pockets! LOL

Congratulations on the acceptance!!

I do think Senior Year is designed to get us used to opening our wallets. Prom, Graduation Announcements, Cap and Gown, Senior Portraits, Grad Night, etc, etc, etc.... By the time they get to college, we are already used to the huge amounts of money being spent on them

 

[HannaBelle]

This is a bit of a detour, but who is getting ready for prom? Who knew you had to order dresses 3 months in advance! ACK

DD and I are hitting a couple of local shops this week and then driving in to Dallas to visit a mega dress shop on Sunday. She is going to have to choose something off of the rack since we only have 6 weeks. (read sarcasm) The dress shop gals are more than a bit snooty! lol

She a group of friends are renting a party bus and going in together to hire a photographer for pre-prom pictures. I have made an appointment for a blow out / up do and we will get mani/pedis the evening before.

 

[mjkacmom]

This is a bit of a detour, but who is getting ready for prom? Who knew you had to order dresses 3 months in advance! ACK

DD and I are hitting a couple of local shops this week and then driving in to Dallas to visit a mega dress shop on Sunday. She is going to have to choose something off of the rack since we only have 6 weeks. (read sarcasm) The dress shop gals are more than a bit snooty! lol

She a group of friends are renting a party bus and going in together to hire a photographer for pre-prom pictures. I have made an appointment for a blow out / up do and we will get mani/pedis the evening before.

Dd19 has been to 3 junior formal a and 3 proms - I know dress shopping ends in January, so that you have time to order, the off the racks aren't gross yet, and you get it on the Instagram page before someone else does.

I have a boy this year. We'll rent a tux, but a tie, purchase bids. He and his friends will take care of the party bus, and the lease on the shore house is signed. His date is also his girlfriend of over a year, tickets are over $100 each. Does he pay for her?

 

[indimom]

Prom is definitely the high item on DD's agenda right now. She picked her dress last weekend. We're going for a fitting to get a couple small changes this Friday (hem and shoulder strap - DD is only 5'1" so it's impossible to get a dress without a few minor changes). She made her hair appointment today. And a friend made their dinner reservations last week. Prom's not cheap, but she's paying for everything but the dress, so the damage hasn't been too bad.
My niece handled the senior pix so we aren't blowing the budget on that thankfully. And once I saw the price of the Jostens invitations, I passed on that too. Crazy expensive for a few cards, and we have a large family. So, we're making those online also using her senior pix.
Our biggest expense will be her grad party since we have a large family, but I'm looking forward to it.

What's really starting to get to me is how crazy busy our schedule is getting. I almost wish I hadn't booked a vacation for this summer (it seemed like a good idea since she may not be able to join us after this summer), but our the schedule is getting crazy!!!

 

[HannaBelle]

Dd19 has been to 3 junior formal a and 3 proms - I know dress shopping ends in January, so that you have time to order, the off the racks aren't gross yet, and you get it on the Instagram page before someone else does.

I have a boy this year. We'll rent a tux, but a tie, purchase bids. He and his friends will take care of the party bus, and the lease on the shore house is signed. His date is also his girlfriend of over a year, tickets are over $100 each. Does he pay for her?

DD has been to homecoming each year, but we have just bought a dress off the rack. I am noob and we are in a time crunch! She is 5'7" and some of the dresses were too short tonight. She wants a long flowing gown, she found the perfect dress online and it is $598. That ain't happen sister...She was cool with that and we will keep looking!

Our son took a friend to prom, he bought dinner and they did not rent a limo or do group pics. We went to her house and did pics before they left for dinner. Tux rental was much easier than dress shopping, and cheaper...

Edited to add that they bought their own tickets and DD's group is doing the same. For my prom, my BF paid for everything but I know my Dad gave him a couple hundred dollars. He lived with his single mom who was a cake decorator at Kroger. She had the florist make me a wrist corsage that was ginormous, but gorgeous! Good thing I am from Texas and it worked for me...LOL. I am not sure what to recommend about your son and his date, sorry! What does he think?

 

[jetskigrl]

I wish we were planning prom. I still don't know if DD is going. And if she does go, we will buy something off the rack because it will be a victory if I can even get her to wear a dress (she is the ultimate tomboy, LOL). Her group of friends tend to shy away from these events and only this year (after another girl that was kind of the anti-school-event ring leader didn't come back to school) did they start attending those things. So they all went to their first dance (Homecoming) as a group. But since DD isn't dating anyone, she is unsure about prom.

But we still have a little time because her prom isn't until June 4th.

 

[MomofKatie]

This is a bit of a detour, but who is getting ready for prom? Who knew you had to order dresses 3 months in advance! ACK

DD and I are hitting a couple of local shops this week and then driving in to Dallas to visit a mega dress shop on Sunday. She is going to have to choose something off of the rack since we only have 6 weeks. (read sarcasm) The dress shop gals are more than a bit snooty! lol

She a group of friends are renting a party bus and going in together to hire a photographer for pre-prom pictures. I have made an appointment for a blow out / up do and we will get mani/pedis the evening before.

DD hasn't really looked at dresses yet- she looked at a few online, but we haven't been to any stores. I hope to get her out this weekend when she is home- we might also order a dress online so there is enough time to get something else if it doesn't look like the picture (or fit right).

Last year, I helped her find a dress, shoes, and necklace about 3 weeks before the prom. On prom day, I drove the dress to her (it was big and fluffy and wouldn't fit on the bus). Since DD attends boarding school far from home, quite a few parents came to help their kids get ready, take pictures, and volunteer at the prom and/or afterparty. I mainly just watched the girls get ready, then drove them to dinner. After staying overnight at a nearby hotel, I went back to school the next day and took DD and her friends out for brunch. I took the dress and accessories back home with me after dropping them back at school.

 

[punkin]

DD will not be going to prom unless something changes. Her school doesn't have prom, so unless she's invited to another school, she won't go.

I do have an acceptance to report. A state school with a tiny merit scholarship.

 

[jetskigrl]

DD will not be going to prom unless something changes. Her school doesn't have prom, so unless she's invited to another school, she won't go.

I do have an acceptance to report. A state school with a tiny merit scholarship.

Congratulations on the acceptance and scholarship

 

[coneeny4]

We went dress shopping a few weeks ago and found a dress but we had to order it because they had a stain on the front. We got it and it was at least two sizes too small we sent it back and got a refund. My DD went back last night to one of the stores we already checked out and found the perfect one and bought it. She was so excited that it was 10.00 cheaper than the first one..lol

 

[tzolkin]

Don't know how I never saw this thread. (Have noticed ones for other years, but not current seniors).

I think we made our final college decision yesterday. DD had already made up her mind (we even did the $200 deposit so she could apply for housing two weeks ago), but I was still curious what one other school was going to offer for financial aid. Got that letter yesterday and it's definitely a no-- still $35,000 after merit and need based aid (not including loans).

While it's nice that schools send information out sooner, I almost think it makes it more stressful. When I was a senior, every school sent an acceptance package that included financial aid in mid-March. So you got everything all at once and could compare. You also weren't stressed out wondering if/what/when you were going to receive info because you just knew that's when everyone was going to respond.

DD has received emails, mail, and phone calls about her acceptances and scholarships, some less than two weeks after she applied. It has been all over the place. Her top choice emailed her acceptance within a few weeks (before December), then she got a package in the mail with a plaque for her merit scholarship in mid-December, then last week they called and told her she also received an additional $4500, but I'm still waiting on the email or letter so I know the specific details of her complete financial aid package.

 

[Monykalyn]

While it's nice that schools send information out sooner, I almost think it makes it more stressful. When I was a senior, every school sent an acceptance package that included financial aid in mid-March. So you got everything all at once and could compare. You also weren't stressed out wondering if/what/when you were going to receive info because you just knew that's when everyone was going to respond.

THIS! My DD is torn between her 2 schools-she really wants her top school but we are waiting on financial aid package - hope we get that soon! Deadline for her senior awards banquet/recognition is March 16 so that is kind of her deadline for deciding.

Got tons of announcements in mail today regarding graduation, after grad "lockdown" celebration, senior breakfast, awards etc. It is getting very real now!

My DD is going with several friends to prom-has had her dress a few weeks now-went and looked in stores then ordered online-custom fit (we had to measure everything LOL)-since she is 6'1" tall it was pretty much the only way she was going to get a long dress to fit. She is borrowing my high heels I bought a couple years ago for NYE bash-she is starting to practice walking around in them too. Made hair appointments today. I will do her nails (I have tons of polish, nail dryer, gel dryer etc)

We leave in 2 days for our mom/dtr trip to Washington DC!

 

[coneeny4]

Still waiting to hear back from one school.

 

[jetskigrl]

Anyone else totally shocked by the cost of attendance/financial aid reports?

Not that I didn't have a general idea, but boy seeing it in writing is tough, LOL. I know the majority of the items are the same everywhere (books, supplies, personal expenses, etc). But wow, LOL.
With DD's scholarship and the unreal amount that the government thinks we should be able to afford to pay, our only other financial aid was loans (but we expected that). Still scared me when I saw the amount

 

[punkin]

Anyone else totally shocked by the cost of attendance/financial aid reports?

Not that I didn't have a general idea, but boy seeing it in writing is tough, LOL. I know the majority of the items are the same everywhere (books, supplies, personal expenses, etc). But wow, LOL.
With DD's scholarship and the unreal amount that the government thinks we should be able to afford to pay, our only other financial aid was loans (but we expected that). Still scared me when I saw the amount

Yes. It's terrifying. DD hasn't even heard from the truly expensive schools which give no merit aid. Right now her best offer is $22,000 per year at a $49,000 per year school. We can swing that and she might have another small scholarship pending. If she gets in to one of her top choices, we will have to take out significant loans. Still waiting...won't know till the end of March.

 

[punkin]

So DD got her first rejection yesterday. She's taking it surprisingly well as the school was not a favorite. However, now she's worried that this is an omen that all the other schools she still has outstanding will now reject her.

 

[sk!mom]

This is a bit of a detour, but who is getting ready for prom? Who knew you had to order dresses 3 months in advance! ACK

DD and I are hitting a couple of local shops this week and then driving in to Dallas to visit a mega dress shop on Sunday. She is going to have to choose something off of the rack since we only have 6 weeks. (read sarcasm) The dress shop gals are more than a bit snooty! lol

She a group of friends are renting a party bus and going in together to hire a photographer for pre-prom pictures. I have made an appointment for a blow out / up do and we will get mani/pedis the evening before.

We were here two years ago. After looking everywhere and me thinking that she would never find the PERFECT dress, we drove to Dallas and she eventually found it off the rack at Neiman Marcus. We honestly only even went in there as a last resort. It fit perfectly and needed nothing. She loves it so much that she says she will wear it this Spring to her Sorority formal. She's actually looking forward to wearing it again and having the chance with a group who will not have seen it before.

Good luck!

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

Found out today that DS was awarded a Presidential Scholarship at one of his top-choice schools!!! It's for full tuition ($40,000 per year) plus an enrichment stipend! We are sooooo excited!!!

He still has not heard from his other top-choice school...but I know that he will NOT be given that kind of package there, lol. Yesterday they sent an email saying their acceptance letters would be mailed starting next week....after months of waiting, it's pretty scary to think that all is about to be revealed.

Big decisions in the next few weeks!