Parents of the Class of 2019

[design_mom]

I have a new question:

Now that DS has officially picked a school, is he supposed to write to the other 4 he was accepted at to officially decline, or do they just drop his name after the May 1st deadline??

We have a local college planning consultant person who offers good info on Facebook and in her free newsletter. She answered this question recently. She said "It's not a requirement to tell them you picked someplace else, but it's the professional thing to do." Apparently, if you do nothing and don't confirm by May 1, they'll get the picture. But if you let them know you've chosen someplace else, it helps them get a better idea of their numbers, can potentially open up space for someone on the waiting list, etc.

DS and I looked all over the student portals of a couple of his schools to find a way to decline, but we couldn't find one. This college prep consultant recommended just sending a quick e-mail to your admission counselor at the school (if you know who that is). She said if you don't have an e-mail for the specific person, there's generally a general admissions e-mail somewhere on the school's website.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Well, we should have a decision this week. DD is going to do a tour at CSU on Thursday when all the other students are taking PSATs and she's off. Once that's done, she'll decide, but I'm pretty sure she's going to go with UMASS Lowell. She really liked the campus and school. Prom is next weekend, she's wearing the same dress as last year, but I need to do some fixing of the straps we put on it, and she says the shapewear she got last year doesn't fit, so she needs to get some more. Makes me wonder if the dress is even going to fit!

Anyway, we're working on our graduation party plans and should be sending out invitations to non-friends in a couple of weeks. I can't believe they're down to 6 weeks of school left!

 

[tink1970]

DD made the decision to attend Clark U after visiting over the weekend. Her Pro list was 7 times her con list and she was just very happy with everything she saw and experienced there. It's definitely going to take some coordination for this Florida mom to get clothes for her to survive a NE winter but my SIL has sent me a list of things and I guess we'll figure it all out. Part of me wishes she would have attended UF for free, but...a happy child who feels comfortable is priceless. I'm glad the choice has been made and now we just have to survive IB testing May!

 

[laughinplace199]

DD made the decision to attend Clark U after visiting over the weekend. Her Pro list was 7 times her con list and she was just very happy with everything she saw and experienced there. It's definitely going to take some coordination for this Florida mom to get clothes for her to survive a NE winter but my SIL has sent me a list of things and I guess we'll figure it all out. Part of me wishes she would have attended UF for free, but...a happy child who feels comfortable is priceless. I'm glad the choice has been made and now we just have to survive IB testing May!

Congrats! It must feel good to have the decision made!

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Well, DD may end up having to cancel her visit to CSU tomorrow. We're under a winter weather advisory and a blizzard warning for this afternoon into tomorrow and driving may be "adventurous". She's pretty much made up her mind already that it's UMASS - Lowell, but wanted to visit just to confirm. We'll have to see what happens tonight. Of course today it's 7:30 here but still look like it's 5:00am with how dark it is due to the clouds!

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

We got lucky, the snow came in with a vengeance, but we only ended up with about 4". DD contacted CSU yesterday and found out that they have a 2:00pm tour as well so she cancelled her spot on the 9:00am and signed up for the 2:00pm. Should be plenty of time for the roads to clear and her to get up there without having to drive in rush hour traffic!

 

[design_mom]

That's excellent news that she'll still be able to go! Even though she's leaning toward the other school, hopefully this visit will give her the 'certainty' that she's making the right decision.

Since we paid our deposit at DS's college of choice, I have really noticed a difference. The "senior-itis" is kicking in I think. Now that he knows where he's going next year, he's ready to look forward and is "over" high school. Only a little over 5 weeks left, but... I think they're going to be long weeks for him!

 

[lovesdumbo]

We paid the deposit to Clarkson last night. Feels so great to have the decision made and it seems like such a great fit for DS.

 

[tink1970]

The "senior-itis" is kicking in I think.

LOL, it's kicking in more for me than DD, I believe. I'm like, why worry, be happy, stop stressing and she's still a mess worrying about school, tests, etc.

Of course then my mother calls and asks what DD's dorm linen colors are going to be, what color her monograms should be and I start freaking out

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Well, now the plot thickens. DD really enjoyed her visit to CSU yesterday. The campus is really beautiful and they have some really good labs. The big thing for her was student life. They talked about all of the campus traditions that they have, like the day you arrive all of the beds in the dorms have a sheet on them with "70 things to do at CSU before you graduate". Some are done as Freshman, others in other years, but she thought those kinds of things were really cool and formed a really great sense of camaraderie and cohesiveness. So, now she's going to contact UMASS Lowell to see if they have anything similar. I was gearing up to be all set, now we're sort of back in that holding pattern.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Well, now the plot thickens. DD really enjoyed her visit to CSU yesterday. The campus is really beautiful and they have some really good labs. The big thing for her was student life. They talked about all of the campus traditions that they have, like the day you arrive all of the beds in the dorms have a sheet on them with "70 things to do at CSU before you graduate". Some are done as Freshman, others in other years, but she thought those kinds of things were really cool and formed a really great sense of camaraderie and cohesiveness. So, now she's going to contact UMASS Lowell to see if they have anything similar. I was gearing up to be all set, now we're sort of back in that holding pattern.

My BIL got his masters there. He loved it there.

 

[soccerdad72]

Congrats to those finalizing decisions - and good luck for those hopefully wrapping it up soon.

Our son and his future roommate are spending some time today (day off today) trying to determine what dorm they're hoping to live in. Their one primary factor is wanting to be in a dorm with A/C, but apparently only 3 of the usual freshmen dorms have it. So hopefully, our son's early deposit gets him a time slot that can land him one of those rooms. They're trying to figure out a couple other things - namely, do they want to do a standard double room or would it make sense for them to look for a quad, possibly giving them more overall space, but also gambling on two additional roommates they may or may not want. They're also considering a 'mainstream' dorm. RIT has one of the largest deaf / hard of hearing schools in the country, so there are specific floors you can choose which is a mix of deaf student with hearing students. They thought it would be a good experience to have.

 

[bjscheel]

Prom for DD this weekend...everything was perfect. And another milestone past.

 

[laughinplace199]

Beautiful!

 

[mom2rtk]

What a great looking couple! Her gown is gorgeous!

 

[laughinplace199]

DS has now attended admitted students days at 3 of his 4 schools and is no closer to a decision. Next Monday is the last one and he has to make a decision after that. It's tough because I can really see him at any of the 4, but he has to figure out what he likes the best.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

What a great picture bjscheel! DD's prom was also this weekend, she went with a bunch of friends and they had a great time (DD hasn't had a boyfriend yet, I find I'm OK with that!). Still no final decision, and she's still leaning towards UMASS but really wants to talk to one of their students about student spirit and community. I did go to the open house they had for the after prom set up in the school. Holy cow! That thing was amazing! They had a couple of bounce houses in the gym, a mini-gold course set up in one of the side halls, a TON of food stands and a whole lot of prizes the kids could enter to win. Even a casino where they were given $400 in chips to start and then could use those chips to buy more raffle entries. I think the coolest thing though was they have a big 3 story staircase that they put a slide on so the kids could slide down the stairs. Everyone goes in their PJs and hangs out all night.

DD slept in pretty late on Sunday, then proceeded to take a 4 hour nap! Yesterday was Senior Skip Day, so she and her friends went to the zoo.

 

[PollyannaMom]

DS has now attended admitted students days at 3 of his 4 schools and is no closer to a decision. Next Monday is the last one and he has to make a decision after that. It's tough because I can really see him at any of the 4, but he has to figure out what he likes the best.

I don't envy kids today! It can really feel paralyzing to them until one school just "clicks".

But chances are, he really will do fine at any of the 4, and will look back on it as the right decision.

 

[bjscheel]

3 story slide sounds awesome! Our post prom did casino and raffle entries too- but DD didn't understand about the raffle so lost out on some prize opportunities. She played laser tag most of the night.

There was a Senior Skip day last Friday but DD didn't go and most of her friends didn't either. Another one was considered for opening day of Avengers End Game, but they have a choir concert that night so they have to be at school to participate. So instead, the plan is to go to school and the concert, then head to the city for an 11 pm showing. Then DD has a soccer tournament the next morning .

Grad party invites are going out. We got 225 and they are almost all gone . How am I going to know how much food to make!

 

[bigbabyblues]

DS is home from his senior trip in Orlando, and they had a great time! He made it in time to go to a science award dinner last night at a local hospital. They give a $300 scholarship to the top science student from several schools. He didn't want to go, but they were giving him money, so he didn't get a choice. It isn't a huge amount, but every bit helps.