Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[AustinTink]

My DS just got into UCLA!!!!

 

[J'aime Paris]

My DS just got into UCLA!!!!

That's great!!!!!!! Congrats!!!!

 

[laughinplace199]

My DS just got into UCLA!!!!

Great news! Congrats!

 

[robinb]

My DS just got into UCLA!!!!

Great news! Congratulations!

 

[AustinTink]

UCLA gave him 4 days to decide. He is so confused right now. He was so happy to get into UT. We already set up housing, etc. Now this came out of nowhere. I have no idea what he will decide.

 

[robinb]

UCLA gave him 4 days to decide. He is so confused right now. He was so happy to get into UT. We already set up housing, etc. Now this came out of nowhere. I have no idea what he will decide.

That doesn't give him a lot of time!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

...She goes to U of Il in June to sign up for classes.

My DD is going to U of IL and so far we haven't received any info on signing up for classes. How did you find out about this? I'm trying to figure things out for the Summer and would like to know when we have to travel there. TIA for any info.

 

[sk!mom]

We spent most of April visiting schools.

Atlanta- Georgia Tech
Los Angeles - UCLA
Philadelphia - UPenn (waiting list- highly unlikely)/Temple Honors
Columbia - U. Of South Carolina Honors

Boston U was eliminated so no trip there. He was denied admission to Duke.

I have been following everyone's decision process and we face many of the same issues. The main issue is quality of school versus cost. We all have the highest of hopes and see our children at the best schools. Then two realities hit.

First, top schools are extraordinarily difficult to get into. Good students are not getting into flagship state universities. I hope that future Class of -- thread participants realize this.

Second, there are little to no academic scholarships at the best schools. Almost everything is need based. If you are fortunate enough to get in be prepared to pay the full amount if you make a decent living.

I will add that six months ago I thought that honors colleges were nothing but nonsense. That is probably true at some schools, but the better programs offer great benefits. The aim is to attract students who would otherwise go to top colleges and universities.

In the end, the decision is between UCLA and South Carolina Honors. UCLA has everything. Campus, athletics, top 25 ranking and reputation. The negatives are that he has no ties to California and the cost to us is around $64,000 per year.

Carolina is not a top 25 school (not even close.) The campus is great, athletics very good and the Darla Moore School of Business is well regarded. USC has the number one ranked international business program. The honors college has a few top 10 rankings, offers the best dorms, first choice of classes and individual attention. The overall cost to us is about $5,000 per year after three separate academic awards.

I guess if by some miracle he gets off the Penn waitlist the equation would change. For now, deposits paid to UCLA and Carolina.

This is a fantastic post! I wish parents who haven't gone through the process yet would read it.

We all think that our hard working/ high achieving kids are going to earn big scholarships or at least be accepted to their top choices but then we find that the cost of college has skyrocketed in recent years and they are competing against ALL the best and brightest. This thread, many like it in recent years, and College Confidential are full of that reality dawning.

The best advice is that if your student will need merit awards, then they should be sure to apply to safety schools where they will be a top candidate. This may mean that a high achiever goes to a mid-level (but still excellent) school.

 

[gemini2727]

This is a fantastic post! I wish parents who haven't gone through the process yet would read it.

We all think that our hard working/ high achieving kids are going to earn big scholarships or at least be accepted to their top choices but then we find that the cost of college has skyrocketed in recent years and they are competing against ALL the best and brightest. This thread, many like it in recent years, and College Confidential are full of that reality dawning.

The best advice is that if your student will need merit awards, then they should be sure to apply to safety schools where they will be a top candidate. This may mean that a high achiever goes to a mid-level (but still excellent) school.

There is a thread on College Confidential:

"Getting Accepted does NOT mean that a Merit Scholarship will be forthcoming...."

Should be a must read for parents (and kids) before the whole college search process even begins - eye opening!

 

[robinb]

Is anyone's child taking a class at a local community college this summer? My DD is thinking of taking Chemistry 1 this summer so she can concentrate on just one thing. She'll need 2 semesters of chemistry, biology and physics to graduate in her major so it would be nice to get it out of the way.

 

[teller80]

Is anyone's child taking a class at a local community college this summer? My DD is thinking of taking Chemistry 1 this summer so she can concentrate on just one thing. She'll need 2 semesters of chemistry, biology and physics to graduate in her major so it would be nice to get it out of the way.

I would advise her to take something other than science or math, steer her more towards a gen ed credit. The science classes at our community college are nowhere near the level of the ones at the state universities, I'd hate for her to take Chem 2 at her college and not be prepared.

But I do think taking summer classes are a good way to free up time in her schedule, she sounds motivated!

 

[robinb]

I would advise her to take something other than science or math, steer her more towards a gen ed credit. The science classes at our community college are nowhere near the level of the ones at the state universities, I'd hate for her to take Chem 2 at her college and not be prepared.

But I do think taking summer classes are a good way to free up time in her schedule, she sounds motivated!

I am somewhat concerned about that but the CC in question works very closely with the University of Wisconsin and has 2 programs where you can attend the CC and be guaranteed to be admitted to the UW when you transfer. I think their classes are more rigorous.

 

[AustinTink]

We spent most of April visiting schools.

Atlanta- Georgia Tech
Los Angeles - UCLA
Philadelphia - UPenn (waiting list- highly unlikely)/Temple Honors
Columbia - U. Of South Carolina Honors

Boston U was eliminated so no trip there. He was denied admission to Duke.

I have been following everyone's decision process and we face many of the same issues. The main issue is quality of school versus cost. We all have the highest of hopes and see our children at the best schools. Then two realities hit.

First, top schools are extraordinarily difficult to get into. Good students are not getting into flagship state universities. I hope that future Class of -- thread participants realize this.

Second, there are little to no academic scholarships at the best schools. Almost everything is need based. If you are fortunate enough to get in be prepared to pay the full amount if you make a decent living.

I will add that six months ago I thought that honors colleges were nothing but nonsense. That is probably true at some schools, but the better programs offer great benefits. The aim is to attract students who would otherwise go to top colleges and universities.

In the end, the decision is between UCLA and South Carolina Honors. UCLA has everything. Campus, athletics, top 25 ranking and reputation. The negatives are that he has no ties to California and the cost to us is around $64,000 per year.

Carolina is not a top 25 school (not even close.) The campus is great, athletics very good and the Darla Moore School of Business is well regarded. USC has the number one ranked international business program. The honors college has a few top 10 rankings, offers the best dorms, first choice of classes and individual attention. The overall cost to us is about $5,000 per year after three separate academic awards.

I guess if by some miracle he gets off the Penn waitlist the equation would change. For now, deposits paid to UCLA and Carolina.

What did he like most about UCLA? My son was just accepted yesterday and we are scrambling to book flights, etc. to get him out there asap for a look.

 

[Sanchez]

What did he like most about UCLA? My son was just accepted yesterday and we are scrambling to book flights, etc. to get him out there asap for a look.

He did an overnight for accepted students day. Those events are like pep rallies and often dependent on the students you are assigned to stay with. He had a great time and met some very nice people.

Beyond that, the campus is in a very nice section of Los Angeles and the grounds and facilities are beautiful. He liked the endless offerings of clubs and organizations. For such a large school the campus is compact and walkable. Food was excellent compared to other schools and the dorms (the ones that he saw) were in good condition. You will have to check this but I think they guarantee on campus housing for three years.

Probably better to ask what he didn't like as the list of things he liked is fairly long. The tour guide hesitated when asked about class schedules. Her response was "you get what you need but not what you want." This is typical for a large school but UCLA seems to have a real problem with this. The school is on the quarter system (ask about this!) and that, combined with the difficulty of getting classes, makes the five year plan much more likely. Of course, I don't think he listened to anything the tour guide side as he was admiring her in other ways.

The transportation system is good and there are shuttles to Santa Monica and other areas of LA. Parking on campus is expensive.

The football stadium (Rose Bowl) is in Pasadena (around 25 miles away.) In normal parts of the world it is a 30-40 minute drive. In L.A. it could take hours. This takes away from some of the on campus atmosphere found in other large schools. Student ticket packages are around $150 for the year and seem to be readily available.

If visiting consider staying in Santa Monica. Some good Hilton options there and a reasonable drive to campus. I don't know how much time you have spent in L.A., but if you are not used to it be advised that traffic is horrible and will make you want to quit driving forever.

Good luck.

 

[AustinTink]

He did an overnight for accepted students day. Those events are like pep rallies and often dependent on the students you are assigned to stay with. He had a great time and met some very nice people.

Beyond that, the campus is in a very nice section of Los Angeles and the grounds and facilities are beautiful. He liked the endless offerings of clubs and organizations. For such a large school the campus is compact and walkable. Food was excellent compared to other schools and the dorms (the ones that he saw) were in good condition. You will have to check this but I think they guarantee on campus housing for three years.

Probably better to ask what he didn't like as the list of things he liked is fairly long. The tour guide hesitated when asked about class schedules. Her response was "you get what you need but not what you want." This is typical for a large school but UCLA seems to have a real problem with this. The school is on the quarter system (ask about this!) and that, combined with the difficulty of getting classes, makes the five year plan much more likely. Of course, I don't think he listened to anything the tour guide side as he was admiring her in other ways.

The transportation system is good and there are shuttles to Santa Monica and other areas of LA. Parking on campus is expensive.

The football stadium (Rose Bowl) is in Pasadena (around 25 miles away.) In normal parts of the world it is a 30-40 minute drive. In L.A. it could take hours. This takes away from some of the on campus atmosphere found in other large schools. Student ticket packages are around $150 for the year and seem to be readily available.

If visiting consider staying in Santa Monica. Some good Hilton options there and a reasonable drive to campus. I don't know how much time you have spent in L.A., but if you are not used to it be advised that traffic is horrible and will make you want to quit driving forever.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info! We visit southern California every summer, but tend to stay south of LA. We have seen the traffic on the 5 many times and have turned the car around and abandoned day trips to LA. He would want to have his vehicle with him but I can't see it getting much use.

We still have one more waitlist school to hear from (or not) before he makes his final decision. This is so stressful!

 

[J'aime Paris]

Is anyone's child taking a class at a local community college this summer? My DD is thinking of taking Chemistry 1 this summer so she can concentrate on just one thing. She'll need 2 semesters of chemistry, biology and physics to graduate in her major so it would be nice to get it out of the way.

Taking classes over the summer never occurred to me.
I'm guessing DD won't be onboard. She's got a major case of "senioritis" right now. I think she just needs to be done and have a break.

On the plus side, she trained for her new job as a beverage cart girl on Tuesday, and worked by herself yesterday. She's known the course for years, so she was ready to go on her own.
In addition to her hourly wage, she made $54 in tips! She was very pleased with that, and it should only increase as the golf season and good weather progress. She's working again today and this weekend. Hoping she can save some real money for college spending since we are paying tuition, room, books....basically everything....

 

[AustinTink]

That doesn't give him a lot of time!

It really doesn't. They want to open up spots for the next wave of waitlist kids. I know my son would not want to take a spot from someone who is still waiting. He will have to decide by Sunday.

 

[Poohforyou]

There was a direct correlation between the merit $ my daughter got and the school acceptance rate.

I've said before about flagship state schools, they're heavily marketing at kids out of state/region. My daughter was sent very attractive opportunities from Texas, Minnesota and South Carolina. She ultimately decided she didn't want to go that far but it was tempting.

 

[cats mom]

There is a thread on College Confidential:

"Getting Accepted does NOT mean that a Merit Scholarship will be forthcoming...."

Should be a must read for parents (and kids) before the whole college search process even begins - eye opening!

DD has a friend who had to decline the admission offer at her 1st choice school because very little merit aid was offered and the family couldn't afford the high cost of attending. She has paid a deposit at one of her backup choices, a very good school and very affordable after scholarship offers, but she's still pining away hoping she gets an offer from a waitlist school. I'm just shaking my head because clearly she's not going to get the big merit aid offers coming off the waitlist, if it even happens, and the waitlist school is the most expensive by far. I do feel bad for her because she has worked very hard to be top 10 in our large, competitive HS and I know she, and her parents, were hoping that would provide more opportunities than it has, but I think some of these kids just get so invested in the idea of certain schools it's hard to face the reality of what's financially feasible.

I see it happening with athletes as well. Another of DD's friends has been focused on volleyball to the exclusion of almost everything else for at least the past 4 years, probably longer. She played HS, she played club, her parents hired a recruiting firm, she went to more college showcases and summer camps than anyone I know. Deposits are now in at 2 schools, a D2 and a NAIA level. Both offered her a spot on the team and some money, but not even close to the big D1 full ride she, and her parents, were hoping for.

 

[robinb]

I see it happening with athletes as well. Another of DD's friends has been focused on volleyball to the exclusion of almost everything else for at least the past 4 years, probably longer. She played HS, she played club, her parents hired a recruiting firm, she went to more college showcases and summer camps than anyone I know. Deposits are now in at 2 schools, a D2 and a NAIA level. Both offered her a spot on the team and some money, but not even close to the big D1 full ride she, and her parents, were hoping for.

We knew that "investing" in my DD's swim career was a poor investment. We did it because she liked swimming and competing and we liked to watch her swim. Good thing too since she decided that she didn't want to swim in college. I shudder to think about the thousands (and thousands and thousands) of dollars we spent over the last 13 years on club swim, swim meets, travel meets and $300 tech suits.

You never know why your friend chose the schools they did. I know someone whose DD will be playing softball for a D3 school because she would get to play immediately. They came up with some "merit" money for her since they can't pay for athletic scholarships. Playing everyday more important to them than accepting the offer at the D1 school where she would warm the bench her first season. You said they have deposits down at two schools? How can they do that? Wasn't it just athletic signing day last week? I thought that they have to commit to one school by that time. Or is it because the other school is in the NAIA? In any case, I think it's crappy to say "yes" to two schools and have them count on your athlete being on their team.