Sharing College Info

[Sandy V.]

AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! Still no letter today!!!!!!!! How long can it take - it's less than an hour away by car!!!!!

Oh, well, it's supposed to be available online at 4:00pm - of course, there will be thousands of kids looking, so I don't know how the site will hold up!!! But we should know something today.

Two of DD's best friends are hoping to hear good news from Georgetown - congrats to your DD!

Thanks for the nice thoughts about Homecoming - she is "super excited" as there are four senior spots and she's gotten one of them - she hasn't been on Homecoming Court before. Wish it counted for something in college acceptances!!!!!

That is SO frustrating. At least you can go online soon and get the word.

Thanks for the kind words about Georgetown. One day, DD wants to get the heck out of Colorado, and the next, she's thinking that CU-Boulder isn't such a bad place and that it would be nice to be up the road from Mom and Dad if she needed us. She's our oldest, so this is all very new territory. I hope that your DD's friends get good news from Georgetown as well.

 

[gometros]

Is your daughter a long shot to Cornell? If she is, I'd get her app in RIGHT NOW. If she's not - for example, SATs in the 1500s or 2200s+ on the new test, or valedictorian - wait. If not, get her in early. Negotiating position means nothing if she can't get into the school.

She's not a long shot by a long shot She's 10th in a class of 300 with SATs in the high 1300s. Her brother got in with similar stats, although he had a higher SATs, but then again, he applied to the School of Engineering. She's is applying to the COllege of Arts and Sciences. Plus she has an excellent resume. There's a saying about Cornell as compared to the other Ivys. While the others are hard to get into, they make it easy to stay in. Cornell is relatively easier to get into, but they make it tougher to stay in.

 

[gometros]

Can you explain how exactly this is done with the "estimated tax"? If I have the last pay stub from Dec. should I be able to fill the form out? And how do you go about updating?

There is a check-off box that indicates that you are providing estimated taxes. When you have your final tax information, you resubmit and indicate that it is an update. If you have all your information now, go ahead and submit it.

 

[DVCLiz]

Well, some not-so-great news - she was deferred. I feel reasonably sure she'll get in on the next round, but she's obviously disappointed. Oh, well, there are three more to hear from!!!! This waiting is the worst....

 

[Sandy V.]

Sorry about the deferral, but sending good vibes that the news will be better later.

 

[DVCLiz]

Sorry about the deferral, but sending good vibes that the news will be better later.

Thanks - some of her friends I considered "smart" didn't get in this first round either, and the two I think of as "really, really smart" did, so we're hoping for good news on the next round. Also, no Homecoming Queen for DD, but her best friend was chosen, so I know she's happy about that!! All in all, a crummy day that ended pretty nicely.

And DD looked lovely, if I do say so myself!!!

 

[Pugdog007]

Glad I found this thread! We spent the day today at the Univ of Alabama where DD had an interview for a scholar's program. I was so nervous for her! She has already been accepted to Univ of AL and to Auburn Univ, her first 2 choices. But if she gets into this program she will definately be going to Univ of AL. After reading the comments regarding financial aid, I don't think I'll even bother. I don't believe we will qualify for anything. And our state doesn't have any of the programs available in FL, MS or GA. Such a shame

 

[Mary Anne]

Pugdog007 you should do the financial aid forms no matter what. That is what the schools themselves use to hand out extra money. Even if the state/federal doesn't give it to you the schools might.

 

[gometros]

We just heard from our second school today. My DD got into the two state schools that were her safe schools. Of course, considering one of them was my alma mater and less than what an Ivy League school will cost, I've been trying to convince her how great a school it is

 

[Mary Anne]

We also had great news today. Another acceptance from an out of State school and a second letter from a school that we've already been accepted at upping the schlorship to $12,500 per year; the tutition is only $17,000 so it's very tempting;

All of this is before the Fsa.

 

[Feralpeg]

gometros and Mary Anne, congrats!

 

[msdznyduck]

Finished the FAFSA and submitted it today.......of course we're rich
so don't qualify for financial aid, but hoping that the schools will consider DS for scholarships or awards, or whatever.
Great thread........let's keep it going.

 

[Caradana]

Congratulations to your daughter about Homecoming Court! I also hope that the news from Chapel Hill is good.

I just made reservations for DD and I to attend a Georgetown Open House for accepted students at the end of February. She's still waiting to hear from 5 other schools, but it's nice to have a non-binding option waiting for her. I'm really excited for her and hoping that DH and I can figure all of this out and still keep our sanity. We're just starting to work on the FAFSA, and boy, my head is spinning!

Sandy, congrats. My sister (and roommate) is Georgetown '03. Drop a note if you have any questions for a recent alumni.

 

[gometros]

By now all acceptances have been sent out, I'm curious how your kids did and where they are going. My daughter did not get into Brown, Penn or Cornell (which she really wanted), but quite honestly, I think it's the best thing for her. She was really broken up about it. It wa a tough year this year with 28,000 applications for 3,000 spots and the only thing we can figure is that her SAT scores may have been the deciding factor. They were good, but not good enough for Cornell.

However, she did get accepted to American Univerity's Honors program and was offered around $19K in scholarship money, so that more than makes up for it. We're going down next weekend for the accepted students open house.

 

[Sandy V.]

Bringing this back up to the top . . .

Daughter has decided to go to the University of Colorado-Boulder (Honors Program).

I find myself in an odd position. Her first choice is not MY first choice. However, this is the first of many important decisions that SHE needs to make, and I need to respect her decision. So I'm biting my tongue.

There are a lot of good reasons why she chose CU over Georgetown and UCLA, price being a huge consideration. She went into a lengthy ratings analysis of all three schools, and CU was her "winner". And it all felt "right" to her at Boulder. So while I would have made a different choice, I have to keep telling myself that I'm not the one going to college! She is.

We are very excited for her and proud of all of her accomplishments. And we try and tell her so as often as we can. It will be nice to have her less than 2 hours away, so it's not all bad. And DH and I won't be so cash strapped. Gotta love in-state tuition!

 

[Mary Anne]

Sandy, I could have wrote the exact same post as you. My son, also, did not pick what would have been my choice but he picked the best choice for himself and like you said, he is the one going not me. Like you it was an in-state College so the tuition is almost next to nothing by comparision of what it could be. Let's put it this way, it's far less then I'm paying for Catholic High School.

He only has about 10 days of high school left after this week (which is spring break for him) so the end is really in sight. Graduation is the first weekend in June but we don't know which day yet. (don't the know I need to know these thing to make plans :\)

I've started looking online a college dorm stuff.

 

[DVCLiz]

Well, our news is: DD was waitlisted at UNC and Wake Forest, accepted at The College of Charleston and Wofford. Wofford has been her first choice all along, so she elected not to go on either waitlist. Always nicer to have been asked and be able to turn it down, so her feelings were a little hurt (and mine, too, at Chapel Hill - my alma mater, after all!) but DD knows what she wants and Wofford has everything she'll need to really thrive. I'm excited for her!!! Sad about out of state tuition, though.

Gosh, isn't it nice to have all this angst over with???!!!!

 

[buddy&wooz]

My son made his final decision this past weekend. He was accepted at all 4 schools he applied to, and it came down to the three state schools, even though the one private school offered him enough money to bring the cost in line with the others. Unfortunately for my wallet, he didn't pick the state school that offered him 3/4 tuition scholarship, but he did pick my alma mater, so I can't say I'm too upset . I think it's a great match for him, I think he's just happy to have the decision behind him!

 

[Caradana]

Great news for all of you good moms. Feels good to have the stress off, eh?
Liz, I am going to check out the Wofford website. Must be terrific if it grabbed the heart of your daughter!

 

[Sandy V.]

DVCLiz, I know 2 girls from Colorado Springs who are going to Wofford this fall to play soccer. I have heard lots of nice things about the school. Best wishes to your daughter there.

Mary Anne - thanks for your kind words. I send off DD's deposit this morning so she can start the housing application process. She's very excited - so it's hard not to get caught up in her enthusiasm. She's made the right decision for her and that's the most important thing.

Caradana - you are right; it DOES feel better to get to this point. Now on to the fun stuff, like buying dorm room supplies!

I hope that everyone's son or daughter has a great time at college this fall.