@@ Parents of HS Seniors/College Apps Check-ins

[mysteriouswife]

Oct 17, 2024 10:06:16 GMT -5 W.T.Faulkner said:

Oct 17, 2024 8:28:50 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

:throws hand in the air and walks in circles screaming:

I’m over it. I just want her to do what is required of her. I cannot get the recommendation letters for her. I cannot make a meeting with her counselor.

This part is so hard for parents. I'm sorry.

Is she about to miss a major deadline? Does she ultimately not want to go, or go now? Is she anxious about the process and avoiding it altogether? Does she normally struggle with things like this?

Every year I have a kid who struggles with these steps -- and it's usually a super high achiever -- and it matters why they're doing it, even if they can't vocalize it themselves.

I would also welcome the opportunity as a counselor to talk with you about this. You can't do her applications or get her letters (but trust me, I have parents every year who do both, and Jesus, what a terrible idea that is), but you can express your concerns to the counselor. 

She is a high achiever who hates attention. She has always struggled with procrastination. She is just being very stubborn

[pinkdutchtulips]

Oct 17, 2024 8:28:50 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

:throws hand in the air and walks in circles screaming:

I’m over it. I just want her to do what is required of her. I cannot get the recommendation letters for her. I cannot make a meeting with her counselor.

If she's not ready, a JC is an excellent option. She can figure out what she wants there. I along w my parents before and a sister after me were ALL JC products who transferred and graduated from our degree granting schools. My parents did it in 4, me 5, and my sister 6 bc she didn't know what she wanted to study. 

Also there is a significant cost savings to doing your first 2y, which are usually general ed requirements, at a JC. I was able to get in some lower division requirements for my major (sociology) at my JC which helped immensely too. 

[mysteriouswife]

Oct 17, 2024 11:13:54 GMT -5 pinkdutchtulips said:

Oct 17, 2024 8:28:50 GMT -5 mysteriouswife said:

:throws hand in the air and walks in circles screaming:

I’m over it. I just want her to do what is required of her. I cannot get the recommendation letters for her. I cannot make a meeting with her counselor.

If she's not ready, a JC is an excellent option. She can figure out what she wants there. I along w my parents before and a sister after me were ALL JC products who transferred and graduated from our degree granting schools. My parents did it in 4, me 5, and my sister 6 bc she didn't know what she wanted to study. 

Also there is a significant cost savings to doing your first 2y, which are usually general ed requirements, at a JC. I was able to get in some lower division requirements for my major (sociology) at my JC which helped immensely too. 

We have thrown this option around since TN pays for associate degrees. She has a path. She is the personality who doesn’t believe deadlines exist. We told her if she missed on scholarships for being a bonehead then she will be at the local community college. H and I both went that path. We are currently enrolled to get our BA’s

[Bad Dingo]

Is anyone buying anything for dorms yet? I feel like I should start but I'm not sure exactly what to get. I did get her a mattress topper that she's already using because it's super comfy and she really did need it.

Some things on my list -
1. air purifier
2. some kind of over the fridge organizer
3. twin xl sheets
4. rug
5. first aid kit

[rooster222]

Oct 21, 2024 8:24:10 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

Is anyone buying anything for dorms yet? I feel like I should start but I'm not sure exactly what to get. I did get her a mattress topper that she's already using because it's super comfy and she really did need it.

Some things on my list -
1. air purifier
2. some kind of over the fridge organizer
3. twin xl sheets
4. rug
5. first aid kit

I'm not buying anything yet because I have a girl and she will prob want to coordinate with her roommate. Some other essentials though are ...

A fan (we like the wazoo from Costco)
Pharmacy kit with cold meds, allergy meds, etc...
Cleaning supplies like disinfectant wipes.
Power strip
Big Ikea zipper bags

[1confused1]

Oct 21, 2024 8:24:10 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

Is anyone buying anything for dorms yet? I feel like I should start but I'm not sure exactly what to get. I did get her a mattress topper that she's already using because it's super comfy and she really did need it.

Some things on my list -
1. air purifier
2. some kind of over the fridge organizer
3. twin xl sheets
4. rug
5. first aid kit

Do you already know where she is living? Seems early to shop if they aren’t leaving til next fall.

[ans1999]

Oct 15, 2024 14:10:21 GMT -5 1confused1 said:

I’m so mentally exhausted by all of this.

We’re approaching college a little differently as my son has the goal to play baseball. He really wants to play at the D1 level, but the recruiting landscape for the class of 2025 just had the table flipped, so to speak.

We visited two D3 schools last week, one I really liked but he is still leaning towards staying home and going to a JUCO.

It is ultimately his decision so I will support him in whatever he chooses.

He is going to apply to those schools so we can see what kind of financial aid he can get.

We are in the same boat! We are going to a JUCO on Nov. 5th to check it out. He has had some D2 interest but no offers yet. Baseball is such a mess. We also know kids who were committed to high level D1 programs and have decommitted. I am wondering if recruiting won't be finalized until the start of spring baseball. 

We are also applying to schools he likes academically and considering playing club. We are NC so he has lots of good/affordable options. He is applying to some of the ones that are free this week and will complete his other apps by November. 

[devonpow]

Oct 21, 2024 8:24:10 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

Is anyone buying anything for dorms yet? I feel like I should start but I'm not sure exactly what to get. I did get her a mattress topper that she's already using because it's super comfy and she really did need it.

Some things on my list -
1. air purifier
2. some kind of over the fridge organizer
3. twin xl sheets
4. rug
5. first aid kit

I’ve started an Amazon list. I spent some time perusing a few Facebook groups (99% of the posters are crazy lol) and articles and from thise threw a bunch of ideas in a list. I figure once we know where he is going and what dorm he is in we can start buying. Also if he’s going a plane ride away I’m not ordering anything big - we will have to fly in early and buy stuff there.

[rooster222]

Just wanted to share that we put together a spreadsheet because the information was becoming overwhelming and my dd is starting to get acceptances and offers for specific univ scholarships. My oldest dd only applied to a few schools so this wasn't necessary but this dd has applied to 11 and may add a few more. Anyhow, spreadsheet categories in case anyone is interested in making their own...

Univ
Program Applied to
Application Completed
Decision Date
Tuition Cost
Room & Board Cost
Scholarship Amnt offered
Scholarships to apply for
Deadline for scholarship application
Tour Date

At a glance we can calculate what the costs are and what still needs to be done. Hope this is helpful!

[sju]

DS finally got his essay done and submitted his first early decision application two nights ago. He still has to complete one form that is made available after application submittal and should be set with that one. I insisted on him meeting with the school’s college and career person because there are questions on what he should do. He should have done that before applying to any university but what can I do.

I think he is planning to apply to 3 more. All in State because 1) he doesn’t want to go far, and 2) he is applying undeclared.

I am curious how the scholarship offers are presented by universities. I imagine it varies. Are some in the same acceptance letter?

[rooster222]

Oct 23, 2024 14:32:10 GMT -5 sju said:

DS finally got his essay done and submitted his first early decision application two nights ago. He still has to complete one form that is made available after application submittal and should be set with that one. I insisted on him meeting with the school’s college and career person because there are questions on what he should do. He should have done that before applying to any university but what can I do.

I think he is planning to apply to 3 more. All in State because 1) he doesn’t want to go far, and 2) he is applying undeclared.

I am curious how the scholarship offers are presented by universities. I imagine it varies. Are some in the same acceptance letter?

So far my dd has 5 acceptances and I think 4 came via email. The scholarship offers either came with them or a separate email that followed. 3 of the 5 gave her scholarships and 2 invited her to apply for full tuition.
Her other schools are not rolling acceptance so she has to wait until Dec 15 to begin hearing from more.

[formerlyak]

Oct 23, 2024 12:50:42 GMT -5 rooster222 said:

Just wanted to share that we put together a spreadsheet because the information was becoming overwhelming and my dd is starting to get acceptances and offers for specific univ scholarships. My oldest dd only applied to a few schools so this wasn't necessary but this dd has applied to 11 and may add a few more. Anyhow, spreadsheet categories in case anyone is interested in making their own...

Univ
Program Applied to
Application Completed
Decision Date
Tuition Cost
Room & Board Cost
Scholarship Amnt offered
Scholarships to apply for
Deadline for scholarship application
Tour Date

At a glance we can calculate what the costs are and what still needs to be done. Hope this is helpful!

I did similar last year but added years 2,3 and 4 and added an increase of 4% per year so I could see what the full degree cost was and how that compared to our budget.