My kiddo was accepted 2 years ago but opted to do a transfer degree at our local cc (thank you Oregon Promise!). We're now waiting for dorm assignments. No one told us it would be critical to sign up RIGHT AWAY (like February not March). Kiddo is 500+ on the waiting list :-(
BRAVO to your kid for choosing community college, the absolute best deal in town, not to mention a super-smart choice during the pandemic years. (For non-Oregonians, Oregon Promise pays for the first two years of community college. Check to see if your state does something similar.) Re: dorm assignments, that sucks that no one communicated about the timing. One of the hard things about the college process is the deluge of communication/email. Necessary, but hard to manage, especially for those of us with inconsistent executive function. Wishing them luck and wishing you well, Elizabeth. Thanks for the comment.
It would be really nice if I could resubmit my FAFSA using my current 401(k) and bank account numbers because they’ve changed quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. FFS. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh God, right! 🤬 I just read the FAFSA guidelines and it directs parents to discuss $ changes directly with the school’s financial aid office. https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/review-and-correct#make-changes I imagine every college will have to make adjustments. That’s not the point you’re making here, though, and that is infuriating.
Thank you for acknowledging that the last few years have been hard! My older girl graduated in spring of 2021 and the younger one is graduating this year; they will both be together at the same school next year because the elder is staying for her master’s degree. All good on the admissions front but I never expected these years to be quite so challenging as they have been. All the “lasts” are bittersweet but I’m consoling myself by thinking that you never know what is coming at you and maybe this next chapter will be more fun than I would expect!
Hard, indeed. And hard to talk about the hard, you know? Along with the excitement and pride and relief are many flavors of grief, from letting go of our kids to mourning missed milestones to mourning the end of a phase of parenting even as we look forward to the next. I’m going to follow your lead and remember that you never know what’s coming around the bend. Thanks for the comment, Lauren.
Like, I recognized this morning that I do not actually need to be involved anymore if the kid wants to get a haircut. They’re quite capable of doing that on their own!
I'm here for the comments and support. We did admissions for my last kid last year, so no skin in the admissions game, but I have many friends doing the apps this year so I feel like I was well informed. I think this year was particularly rough for admissions. It rarely goes the way you hope and it often feels like a crapshoot, but I don't know any family who "got" what they wanted. There were lots of surprises.
In my house, my two STEM kids are feeling the effects of federal funding cuts. They are both affected by dwindling opportunities in their respective colleges and other research opportunities they've applied to and it's been very disappointing. We're onto plan B for the summer—and we're still trying to figure out what that is.
Disappointing and infuriating. You don't need me to jump in and stir an already boiling pot, but I'm incensed on behalf of your kids! Whatever Plan B turns out to be, I hope it brings some good surprises, a bonus for having to take an unplanned detour.
Ugh it all sucks so much. We would have been waiting to hear but ended up sending my younger one to boarding school to repeat junior year, mostly for soccer but also because in no way was he ready to look at college last year (didn't even want to go). We are lucky enough that my mother in law started 529s for both kids when they were little -- she's a former college professor of education who very much values education! -- which we have been counting on to pay for college. We would've had just enough in each of their accounts to almost pay for school but that was before the moron in the White House tanked the market. We may get some money for the younger one for soccer but we've also had to pay for two years of high school that we never anticipated having to do.
In the fall when my friends were all going through applying I was like, phew! Now of course that we're just starting the process I envy them. :-/
Hey, Deirdre, nice to see you on this thread. The older one is graduating next year and I am so stressed about this job market. C is doing great but her college is expensive and I'm worried that we will get less financial aid from cuts and endowment taxes if that goes through. So I'm mildly panicking about how to pay for the last two years of college. Fun times.
I think you're still better off with app cycle next year. This year had so many uncertain factors that threw everything off, I think.
UGH it DOES all suck SO MUCH. Such a useful reply, I know, but UGHHHHH. I'm sorry your MILs diligent and generous planning ran into this arbitrary wall of chaos. Wishing you all well as you find your way through.
My younger kid has just committed to the sensible local school that was also, realistically, their first choice. They applied to some expensive private schools, got some scholarships, but not enough to make the cost reasonable. This was entirely expected and they are OK with being able to say they were accepted. I wish I could give them the dream school in the dream city, but the local university will provide a lot of academic choice and a friend group carrying over from high school. It will be odd to move them 4 miles down the road to campus housing in August.
My kiddo was accepted 2 years ago but opted to do a transfer degree at our local cc (thank you Oregon Promise!). We're now waiting for dorm assignments. No one told us it would be critical to sign up RIGHT AWAY (like February not March). Kiddo is 500+ on the waiting list :-(
BRAVO to your kid for choosing community college, the absolute best deal in town, not to mention a super-smart choice during the pandemic years. (For non-Oregonians, Oregon Promise pays for the first two years of community college. Check to see if your state does something similar.) Re: dorm assignments, that sucks that no one communicated about the timing. One of the hard things about the college process is the deluge of communication/email. Necessary, but hard to manage, especially for those of us with inconsistent executive function. Wishing them luck and wishing you well, Elizabeth. Thanks for the comment.
It would be really nice if I could resubmit my FAFSA using my current 401(k) and bank account numbers because they’ve changed quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. FFS. 🤦🏻♀️
Oh God, right! 🤬 I just read the FAFSA guidelines and it directs parents to discuss $ changes directly with the school’s financial aid office. https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/review-and-correct#make-changes I imagine every college will have to make adjustments. That’s not the point you’re making here, though, and that is infuriating.
ME TOO. I’m planning on appealing because COA also went up 5%.
Geez. I’m so sorry, Jenna.
Thank you for acknowledging that the last few years have been hard! My older girl graduated in spring of 2021 and the younger one is graduating this year; they will both be together at the same school next year because the elder is staying for her master’s degree. All good on the admissions front but I never expected these years to be quite so challenging as they have been. All the “lasts” are bittersweet but I’m consoling myself by thinking that you never know what is coming at you and maybe this next chapter will be more fun than I would expect!
Hard, indeed. And hard to talk about the hard, you know? Along with the excitement and pride and relief are many flavors of grief, from letting go of our kids to mourning missed milestones to mourning the end of a phase of parenting even as we look forward to the next. I’m going to follow your lead and remember that you never know what’s coming around the bend. Thanks for the comment, Lauren.
“mourning the end of a phase of parenting…”
Like, I recognized this morning that I do not actually need to be involved anymore if the kid wants to get a haircut. They’re quite capable of doing that on their own!
I feel like this is an applause-worthy moment! 👏🏽
I'm here for the comments and support. We did admissions for my last kid last year, so no skin in the admissions game, but I have many friends doing the apps this year so I feel like I was well informed. I think this year was particularly rough for admissions. It rarely goes the way you hope and it often feels like a crapshoot, but I don't know any family who "got" what they wanted. There were lots of surprises.
In my house, my two STEM kids are feeling the effects of federal funding cuts. They are both affected by dwindling opportunities in their respective colleges and other research opportunities they've applied to and it's been very disappointing. We're onto plan B for the summer—and we're still trying to figure out what that is.
Disappointing and infuriating. You don't need me to jump in and stir an already boiling pot, but I'm incensed on behalf of your kids! Whatever Plan B turns out to be, I hope it brings some good surprises, a bonus for having to take an unplanned detour.
Ugh it all sucks so much. We would have been waiting to hear but ended up sending my younger one to boarding school to repeat junior year, mostly for soccer but also because in no way was he ready to look at college last year (didn't even want to go). We are lucky enough that my mother in law started 529s for both kids when they were little -- she's a former college professor of education who very much values education! -- which we have been counting on to pay for college. We would've had just enough in each of their accounts to almost pay for school but that was before the moron in the White House tanked the market. We may get some money for the younger one for soccer but we've also had to pay for two years of high school that we never anticipated having to do.
In the fall when my friends were all going through applying I was like, phew! Now of course that we're just starting the process I envy them. :-/
Hey, Deirdre, nice to see you on this thread. The older one is graduating next year and I am so stressed about this job market. C is doing great but her college is expensive and I'm worried that we will get less financial aid from cuts and endowment taxes if that goes through. So I'm mildly panicking about how to pay for the last two years of college. Fun times.
I think you're still better off with app cycle next year. This year had so many uncertain factors that threw everything off, I think.
Fun times, indeed. At least they are all happy where they are! Bright spots.
UGH it DOES all suck SO MUCH. Such a useful reply, I know, but UGHHHHH. I'm sorry your MILs diligent and generous planning ran into this arbitrary wall of chaos. Wishing you all well as you find your way through.
My younger kid has just committed to the sensible local school that was also, realistically, their first choice. They applied to some expensive private schools, got some scholarships, but not enough to make the cost reasonable. This was entirely expected and they are OK with being able to say they were accepted. I wish I could give them the dream school in the dream city, but the local university will provide a lot of academic choice and a friend group carrying over from high school. It will be odd to move them 4 miles down the road to campus housing in August.
Congrats to your kid...this sounds like this is a wonderful place to land.