Parents of the Class of 2019

[design_mom]

I'm sure some more seasoned parents will have insight (I'm a first-timer, too)... but it's my understanding that the offers are open till May 1. By that point, you have to submit your deposit to the school of your choice. I think some schools might have "perks" for choosing earlier (like, your priority for housing choices is determined by when they receive your deposit) but the offer doesn't "go away" till May 1.

I think financial aid offer dates vary by school, but the ones my son is looking at promise info in March/April, so you would definitely have it before you have to make the decision.

 

[soccerdad72]

I'm sure some more seasoned parents will have insight (I'm a first-timer, too)... but it's my understanding that the offers are open till May 1. By that point, you have to submit your deposit to the school of your choice. I think some schools might have "perks" for choosing earlier (like, your priority for housing choices is determined by when they receive your deposit) but the offer doesn't "go away" till May 1.

I think financial aid offer dates vary by school, but the ones my son is looking at promise info in March/April, so you would definitely have it before you have to make the decision.

Yes, I believe that's the case (including the housing priority piece). The exception, obviously, is with Early Decision applications.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Can she wait and see what the financial aid/scholarship offers are?

Absolutely! (That was a big part of the decision for my nieces who are in college now.) You'll have until spring to make a final decision.

 

[Colleen27]

The last of DD's safeties sent her a fee waiver this week, so once she finishes the writing prompt for them we should be done with applications! She had to have me sign a "permission slip" for how few schools she's applied to because the school recommends five, but I'm thrilled that we ended up with four: her highly selective top choice, another selective school and two that she's almost guaranteed to get into but where financial aid offers and affordability will come into play. She's hoping that we hear back from Wellesley in time to apply to the English-language environmental sciences program at University of Tokyo as well, but I'm not too keen on putting out the (pretty significant - application fee plus international registered mail b/c they still do paper apps) costs of that application on a just-in-case basis.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Hi everyone, question about recommendation letters. Is your child still waiting for them from their teachers? I think my daughter should email the teachers and ask them when they will be done as she has submitted her applications already. I’m stressing about it and want daughter to send emails.

 

[mjkacmom]

Hi everyone, question about recommendation letters. Is your child still waiting for them from their teachers? I think my daughter should email the teachers and ask them when they will be done as she has submitted her applications already. I’m stressing about it and want daughter to send emails.

All of her teacher recommendation letters have been submitted, I believe. She told them she planned on having everything done by November 1, and she definitely emailed them about a month ago (made the requests in the spring). Now she just needs to write the thank you notes (and she wants to give them all a little gift, but she loves to give gifts, she’s one of those).

 

[Colleen27]

Hi everyone, question about recommendation letters. Is your child still waiting for them from their teachers? I think my daughter should email the teachers and ask them when they will be done as she has submitted her applications already. I’m stressing about it and want daughter to send emails.

DD has gotten all of hers except the one from her 4-H leader. When she followed up, it turned out that the invitation had gone to spam and the leader hadn't even seen it yet. So I would absolutely touch base with anyone whose section isn't at least showing as "started" yet, just to be sure the invite wasn't missed.

 

[design_mom]

My son followed up about his last week and they were submitted over the weekend. (He requested them, informally, at the beginning of the school year. Then formally through Naviance about a month ago.) Apparently the teacher had prioritized his letters by "due date." When my son reminded him that his were due November 1, he moved them to the top of the list.

I'm feeling like we're a little bit of underachievers. Only one of my son's colleges require a recommendation letter (and it has to be from a teacher). The rest are optional. He submitted the teacher's recommendation, even to the optional colleges, but I hope he shouldn't have gotten additional.)

 

[wishesuponastar]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely get after DD to get those recommendations.

 

[soccerdad72]

My son got his recommendation letters (one school required two) a week or so ago - they didn't submit them until after the Common App was submitted. What he's waiting on now is the school transcript - he handed in his requests a while ago but his counselor apparently has a large stack of them to get through. Getting a little nervous, as we're now a week away from most of the Early Action deadlines.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Congrats on all the applications submitted, acceptances and scholarships received!

My DS is stressing me out! He's chosen 5 schools to apply to. Only 1 is a safety and he's not in love with that one. 3 are somewhat of a reach and the other is a reach. He hasn't finished his essay-did it for English but doesn't like it after teacher's edits and it isn't as good as he can do-I think he struggled trying to make his essay fit a prompt rather than just writing a good essay. He started the common ap but hasn't finished yet. He told the teachers he's asked to write recommendations that his first deadline isn't until 11/15. UGH....2 of his somewhat reach schools are rolling admissions and 1 said they let you know in 2 weeks. I wish he would just get everything in so we would have some answers and know if we need to increase his list. He definitely works at his own pace. He's driving me crazy....plus he really likes his 3 somewhat reach schools and can't rank them yet so once he knows where he gets in we need to schedule additional visits-1 is an 8 hour drive the other 2 requires flights......

He's also working on his Eagle Scout project. His first project hit a legal snag because the property was owned by 2 towns. He moved onto another one and that one required permission from the town's conservation commission...he finally got that now he's got to keep it moving...he ages out Jan 10th. One of his top choices has an automatic $2,500/year scholarship if he gets his certificate in by 2/1. Everything else I've always told him do your best. This is the only thing I have ever told him he has to do-mostly because I know he will regret it the rest of his life if he doesn't finish it.

 

[tink1970]

My DS is stressing me out! He's chosen 5 schools to apply to. Only 1 is a safety and he's not in love with that one. 3 are somewhat of a reach and the other is a reach. He hasn't finished his essay-did it for English but doesn't like it after teacher's edits and it isn't as good as he can do-I think he struggled trying to make his essay fit a prompt rather than just writing a good essay. He started the common ap but hasn't finished yet. He told the teachers he's asked to write recommendations that his first deadline isn't until 11/15. UGH....2 of his somewhat reach schools are rolling admissions and 1 said they let you know in 2 weeks. I wish he would just get everything in so we would have some answers and know if we need to increase his list. He definitely works at his own pace. He's driving me crazy....plus he really likes his 3 somewhat reach schools and can't rank them yet so once he knows where he gets in we need to schedule additional visits-1 is an 8 hour drive the other 2 requires flights......

He's also working on his Eagle Scout project. His first project hit a legal snag because the property was owned by 2 towns. He moved onto another one and that one required permission from the town's conservation commission...he finally got that now he's got to keep it moving...he ages out Jan 10th. One of his top choices has an automatic $2,500/year scholarship if he gets his certificate in by 2/1. Everything else I've always told him do your best. This is the only thing I have ever told him he has to do-mostly because I know he will regret it the rest of his life if he doesn't finish it.

I'm so sorry...I feel for you! DD works at her own pace and it seems like no matter how you try to stress to them how important things are it sometimes doesn't click. I keep reminding myself that in a year this will be history and hopefully I won't remember how many times I wanted to bash my head against the wall.

 

[Eureka]

STILL waiting on two teachers to submit reccs. One of them we know is done because DS has a copy of it. DS is getting mad at me for telling him every day to go talk to the teacher. This weekend we were going to get everything together and he should be able to submit three of his six apps if this one teacher would just upload it.

I think I mentioned in the summer that he does Quiz Bowl (similar to Jeopardy) and competed in a national competition and his team won silver. Well, yesterday we came home to see in the mail a very large certificate saying that for this win, he got a Governor's Citation. Very exciting (had no idea this was a thing) and just in time to add it to the applications (the win is on there of course already).

 

[Eureka]

Hi everyone, question about recommendation letters. Is your child still waiting for them from their teachers? I think my daughter should email the teachers and ask them when they will be done as she has submitted her applications already. I’m stressing about it and want daughter to send emails.

Yes, see my post just above. Glad to know I am not the only one stressing.

 

[mjkacmom]

Congrats on all the applications submitted, acceptances and scholarships received!

My DS is stressing me out! He's chosen 5 schools to apply to. Only 1 is a safety and he's not in love with that one. 3 are somewhat of a reach and the other is a reach. He hasn't finished his essay-did it for English but doesn't like it after teacher's edits and it isn't as good as he can do-I think he struggled trying to make his essay fit a prompt rather than just writing a good essay. He started the common ap but hasn't finished yet. He told the teachers he's asked to write recommendations that his first deadline isn't until 11/15. UGH....2 of his somewhat reach schools are rolling admissions and 1 said they let you know in 2 weeks. I wish he would just get everything in so we would have some answers and know if we need to increase his list. He definitely works at his own pace. He's driving me crazy....plus he really likes his 3 somewhat reach schools and can't rank them yet so once he knows where he gets in we need to schedule additional visits-1 is an 8 hour drive the other 2 requires flights......

He's also working on his Eagle Scout project. His first project hit a legal snag because the property was owned by 2 towns. He moved onto another one and that one required permission from the town's conservation commission...he finally got that now he's got to keep it moving...he ages out Jan 10th. One of his top choices has an automatic $2,500/year scholarship if he gets his certificate in by 2/1. Everything else I've always told him do your best. This is the only thing I have ever told him he has to do-mostly because I know he will regret it the rest of his life if he doesn't finish it.

Do all of the schools accept the common app, because the last essay option sounds like it might work. 7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just thought I'd share what the dean of a state university (MA - ETA not UMass) told us at an Open House (in 2016), which was that just about every in-state student who had either a decent GPA or decent SAT scores (that balance out) and applied for Early Action, would get in, whereas they might not get in after that. He said that as taxpayers, this was our university, we pay for it, and that our kids have a right to go there. (Paraphrasing.) I saw that this turned out to be true with some people we knew - i.e. they likely would've gotten in for EA but didn't apply, and wound up not getting in for regular admission. Posting this because I know there are some here, perhaps reading and not posting, who are stressing about whether their kid's going to get in somewhere. One of the best and most important things you can have them do is to apply for EA at state schools. Good luck to all.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Do all of the schools accept the common app, because the last essay option sounds like it might work. 7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Yes. AND....I've already told him that...he was trying to get his essay to fit the "challenge" prompt and it made the essay sound a bit contrived. It would have flowed much better if he just wrote from the heart and not worried about the prompt or what he thinks admissions wants to hear. They want to hear his voice and learn about him not that he overcame some challenge...

He's going to work with my SIL to finalize it this weekend. I'm going to call her and talk to her about this. Hopefully he'll listen to her if not me.

Just thought I'd share what the dean of a state university (MA) told us at an Open House (in 2016), which was that just about every in-state student who had either a decent GPA or decent SAT scores (that balance out) and applied for Early Action, would get in, whereas they might not get in after that. He said that as taxpayers, this was our university, we pay for it, and that our kids have a right to go there. (Paraphrasing.) I saw that this turned out to be true with some people we knew - i.e. they likely would've gotten in for EA but didn't apply, and wound up not getting in for regular admission. Posting this because I know there are some here, perhaps reading and not posting, who are stressing about whether their kid's going to get in somewhere. One of the best and most important things you can have them do is to apply for EA at state schools. Good luck to all.

We are in MA. He of course doesn't want to apply to UMASS. We haven't visited it but he thinks its too big and they don't have his specific major. My DH graduated there in 1982 and didn't love it. I think it's changed since then. DS's safety is UMaine (also doesn't have his specific major). They will tuition match to UMASS. I do think DS would be happier at UMAINE than UMASS so I don't know if I should push a UMASS application.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We are in MA. He of course doesn't want to apply to UMASS. We haven't visited it but he thinks its too big and they don't have his specific major. My DH graduated there in 1982 and didn't love it. I think it's changed since then. DS's safety is UMaine (also doesn't have his specific major). They will tuition match to UMASS. I do think DS would be happier at UMAINE than UMASS so I don't know if I should push a UMASS application.

This was not at UMass, it was at one of the other state universities.

I don't believe it applies to UMass, which is harder to get into, especially Amherst.

I edited my post to reflect that.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We are in MA. He of course doesn't want to apply to UMASS. We haven't visited it but he thinks its too big and they don't have his specific major. My DH graduated there in 1982 and didn't love it. I think it's changed since then. DS's safety is UMaine (also doesn't have his specific major). They will tuition match to UMASS. I do think DS would be happier at UMAINE than UMASS so I don't know if I should push a UMASS application.

Oh, and he really should at least visit! Besides Amherst, there are UMass campuses in Boston, Lowell, Dartmouth and Worcester. Boston is a beautiful campus right on the Harbor and has brand new dorms. Lowell has a good engineering program. (I can't remember if that's what your son was interested in.)

 

[LouChris]

Congrats to everyone who has received acceptances and scholarships DD has sent out 6 applications and received 3 acceptances. We have gotten an acceptance from her number 2 school SEMO (South East Missouri State). She did not want a big school and I wasn't going to push her. My mother, and two of my aunts graduated from there so out of state fee's will be waived and she will get a nice automatic scholarship with her SAT score. We are still waiting to hear from her number one pick which is Truman State. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm so proud of her even after dad dying unexpectedly this August she still managed to pull 4 A's and 3 B's in all AP and honor's classes. I want her to get her first pick so badly as she has worked so hard this quarter.