debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Feb 21, 2016 17:17:18 GMT -5
So, tomorrow we leave on our 4-day UK college tour. We are staying in a family room the first night (arriving late and leaving early) and in a cabin on the ferry back the last night, but I booked two rooms for the two middle nights. We are attending the Offer Holder day for DS3's first choice, and visiting 2 other schools informally.
Any other updates?
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Feb 21, 2016 17:31:32 GMT -5
How very exciting!!
We he get to sit in on a class or two? Eat in the dining hall? Will he get a chance to hang out (without you) with some current students? Can he stay overnight in a dorm?
YDS is still waiting to hear from the last two schools. He got a letter, yesterday, informing him that he was awarded a significant scholarship from his first choice related to his declared major in addition to the scholarship the Admissions Committee awarded him. So, through a combination of scholarships and a New England Region discount, he would attend his first choice for $13K/year rather than $42k. We're thrilled for him. But, while this school is good, it's not great. Clearly, they want him and he loves the location. DH and I just want him to give one other of his choices some strong consideration because of its reputation. We won't dissuade him from his first choice, but we do want him to make a thoughtful final decision.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Feb 21, 2016 17:36:13 GMT -5
We he get to sit in on a class or two? Yes, one.
Eat in the dining hall? No.
Will he get a chance to hang out (without you) with some current students? Yes.
Can he stay overnight in a dorm? No. He stayed overnight at Cambridge last summer and I stupidly assumed he'd have that opportunity now too, but of course the dorms are occupied now, unlike in summer, so no. But he can visit them.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Feb 21, 2016 17:36:52 GMT -5
Wow, GRG, that is such fantastic news!!! I'm so happy for all of you!
And good for you for playing the meanies voices of reason who balance things out lol.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Feb 26, 2016 2:22:43 GMT -5
We had a great trip! The three college visits confirmed DS3's choices. He absolutely loved his first choice (and so did we) so fingers crossed he gets the mark he needs on his Baccalaureate to get in.
Also, after talking to students and seeing the residences (only from the outside unfortunately, prospective students aren't allowed inside at this time of year, but most people had their curtains open ;-) DS3 decided that while he still wants his own room, he doesn't care about having his own bathroom anymore. So that means mid-priced accommodation, which is fine.
We also did some sightseeing, ate well, and had dinner with DH's cousins before taking the ferry back last night. :-)
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Feb 28, 2016 17:31:14 GMT -5
Also, in the end we found a solution for the accommodation that DS3, DH and I are all happy with ... over half the rooms in that (cheaper) residence have a sink, so he's going to request one of those rooms. It would be nice for DS3 to have his own sink, but it's mainly because those rooms are bigger / nicer / more modern, and the price difference is reasonable ($800/year). Now all he needs to do is get the Bac mark he needs to get in.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Feb 28, 2016 23:34:34 GMT -5
Hooray for DS#3!!!
Now, Debt, are you ready to send your baby off?
I'm going to miss mine. I've enjoyed having this school year with him as an "only".
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Feb 29, 2016 12:45:52 GMT -5
It's going to be VERY hard GRG! We're very close and we really enjoy spending time together.
ETA: However, I will NOT miss doing the 6.55 carpool to the school bus!
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Apr 29, 2016 16:11:31 GMT -5
YDS just paid the enrollment deposit at his first choice. He will be attending a New England state university in a top-rated program in the nation in his major of choice (a science, BTW, LOL!!). He will pay the New England region tuition rate less the $15K in scholarships/year he was awarded by the school. His net cost is $7,500/year. I am a jumble of emotions: pride, excitement, sorrow, anxiety, wistfulness, nostalgic, lonely... This day came just way, way, way too fast for my liking. YDS: I am both proud and thrilled for you. The world is sorely in need of all of the spectacular things you will do in life.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Apr 29, 2016 17:12:48 GMT -5
Congratulations GRG! I understand that it is bittersweet to see him go off to school.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Apr 29, 2016 19:57:04 GMT -5
Sorry I'm late to this party!
DS4 has been having a much, um, more interesting college application process than our older kids did. He's been a bit lackadaisical about deadlines. His grades have dropped.
He was accepted at the college DH and I attended, and they offered scholarships, but it's really not very good for his major. He was also accepted at the sorta nearby state U, but we never received any financial aid offer. I finally called to find out why - he'd used a control character in his name on the Common Application, and their system couldn't quite deal with it. Of course, we got lots of snail mail promo stuff weekly??! Somehow they didn't get his SSN, either, so his FAFSA info wasn't imported (never thought to ask us?). So he just got that FA letter today.
Today I also got a phone call that his first choice, where DS2 graduated in 2015, had an opening for him in one major. They had declined him for his first choice major, but wait-listed him for a niche spin-off of that major. So at 4:45pm on Friday before the May 1 deadline they offer him a seat. It is much more expensive than the state U, and he hasn't seen a FA offer yet, but he realizes that his chances of significant scholarships there are slim. Tough decision - say you are interested, to get the whole offer, only to probably still have to decline for the cheaper school? Ugh, I almost wish they'd left him declined. We'd put a deposit down on state U just a few days ago.
TBH, I believe the state U would be the best school for the major he wants, now I know that I should have gone there (didn't know that 30 years ago), but he likes the geeky tech college DS2 attended.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Apr 30, 2016 17:17:58 GMT -5
Can I post as the "kid" applying to college?
So in November I applied to the AS program for civil engineering technology at the community college (with the idea to transfer to a university with an engineering program after the 4 semesters) and the early decision BS program in civil engineering at NJIT (where I would love to go, but it's more expensive and competitive than the cc). CC accepted me right away, but NJIT took forever to process my application. They finally got back to me in December/January and basically said they'd review my application again once I've taken the basic calc/physics classes I hadn't taken yet. So I took that as a "no". So I filled out the FAFSA and registered for classes at the CC. At the beginning of the month I got a letter from NJIT saying that I've been waitlisted.... huh?! I thought they weren't going to consider my application as it was. They gave me 4 weeks to decide if I wanted to stay on the wait list or not. Well the 4 weeks still isn't up yet, and yesterday I got PACKET from them saying that they're offering me admission to the program.... YAY AND WTF?!?!?!
Since I haven't yet paid the CC, I paid the "hold my spot" fee to NJIT - due by May 1 (thanks assholes, I only got the packet yesterday) and added them to my FAFSA. I still have some misgivings about this, but it is my 1st choice school. Ugh, why do schools jerk you around so much?
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 1, 2016 14:39:47 GMT -5
Can I post as the "kid" applying to college?So in November I applied to the AS program for civil engineering technology at the community college (with the idea to transfer to a university with an engineering program after the 4 semesters) and the early decision BS program in civil engineering at NJIT (where I would love to go, but it's more expensive and competitive than the cc). CC accepted me right away, but NJIT took forever to process my application. They finally got back to me in December/January and basically said they'd review my application again once I've taken the basic calc/physics classes I hadn't taken yet. So I took that as a "no". So I filled out the FAFSA and registered for classes at the CC. At the beginning of the month I got a letter from NJIT saying that I've been waitlisted.... huh?! I thought they weren't going to consider my application as it was. They gave me 4 weeks to decide if I wanted to stay on the wait list or not. Well the 4 weeks still isn't up yet, and yesterday I got PACKET from them saying that they're offering me admission to the program.... YAY AND WTF?!?!?! Since I haven't yet paid the CC, I paid the "hold my spot" fee to NJIT - due by May 1 (thanks assholes, I only got the packet yesterday) and added them to my FAFSA. I still have some misgivings about this, but it is my 1st choice school. Ugh, why do schools jerk you around so much? Yes!!!! And, you are not alone in experiencing a confusing admissions process. It all comes down to numbers. Admissions reps are now nothing more than salespeople. They have quotas. The rep assigned to you needs more admitted students. If you are one of the applicants bounced around before finally being accepted, it can be both a blessing and a curse. If you got a good financial aid package from the CC, share it with your NJIT admissions rep and ask him/her to match/exceed it (assuming it costs more to attend NJIT). This kind of thing IS expected. Good luck.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 2, 2016 13:47:51 GMT -5
Today was the big reveal. Our high school places great importance on NOT talking about the college process with kids other than your own, so parents don't ask/check-in with their kids' friends. The emphasis on privacy is supposed to lower the stress and anxiety for the kids. But, since May 1st is deposit day, the kids wear their college swag to school on the 2nd. YDS went off in a college sweatshirt, t-shirt, and shorts, LOL!!!
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on May 4, 2016 6:45:32 GMT -5
Sorry I'm late to this party! DS4 has been having a much, um, more interesting college application process than our older kids did. He's been a bit lackadaisical about deadlines. His grades have dropped. He was accepted at the college DH and I attended, and they offered scholarships, but it's really not very good for his major. He was also accepted at the sorta nearby state U, but we never received any financial aid offer. I finally called to find out why - he'd used a control character in his name on the Common Application, and their system couldn't quite deal with it. Of course, we got lots of snail mail promo stuff weekly??! Somehow they didn't get his SSN, either, so his FAFSA info wasn't imported (never thought to ask us?). So he just got that FA letter today. Today I also got a phone call that his first choice, where DS2 graduated in 2015, had an opening for him in one major. They had declined him for his first choice major, but wait-listed him for a niche spin-off of that major. So at 4:45pm on Friday before the May 1 deadline they offer him a seat. It is much more expensive than the state U, and he hasn't seen a FA offer yet, but he realizes that his chances of significant scholarships there are slim. Tough decision - say you are interested, to get the whole offer, only to probably still have to decline for the cheaper school? Ugh, I almost wish they'd left him declined. We'd put a deposit down on state U just a few days ago. TBH, I believe the state U would be the best school for the major he wants, now I know that I should have gone there (didn't know that 30 years ago), but he likes the geeky tech college DS2 attended. [ I know I may be too late, but you can play schools off of each others -- take your best financial aid offer, share it with the school that called, and ask them to match it. Schools often do match, although not always. And they absolutely expect this sort of thing.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on May 5, 2016 8:46:54 GMT -5
DS4 has decided it's too much trouble/ too late to pursue it. He says he's fine with state U.
DS2, who attended the tech college, DID successfully play them off against another similar priced school. However, the difference in cost between state U and tech school is more than double. His scholarship at state U is relatively small, after TAP and PELL. He was granted 10x the scholarships at my alma mater, but it will still be less OOP at state U. The chances of tech school offering 15x scholarships to an 11th admit are slim.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 2, 2016 0:17:08 GMT -5
DH just left to take DS3 to one of his Bac exams. Today is one of the 3 most important ones, as is tomorrow. I got up at 6.30 to see them off. The UK system gives "conditional offers" ... they will take them if they get a certain mark on their Baccaulareate, so these exams are really important for the kids hoping to go to college in the UK. I'm so nervous.
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Post by zibazinski on Jun 2, 2016 2:08:37 GMT -5
DH just left to take DS3 to one of his Bac exams. Today is one of the 3 most important ones, as is tomorrow. I got up at 6.30 to see them off. The UK system gives "conditional offers" ... they will take them if they get a certain mark on their Baccaulareate, so these exams are really important for the kids hoping to go to college in the UK. I'm so nervous. Good luck to all of you!!
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jun 2, 2016 2:09:11 GMT -5
Can I post as the "kid" applying to college? So in November I applied to the AS program for civil engineering technology at the community college (with the idea to transfer to a university with an engineering program after the 4 semesters) and the early decision BS program in civil engineering at NJIT (where I would love to go, but it's more expensive and competitive than the cc). CC accepted me right away, but NJIT took forever to process my application. They finally got back to me in December/January and basically said they'd review my application again once I've taken the basic calc/physics classes I hadn't taken yet. So I took that as a "no". So I filled out the FAFSA and registered for classes at the CC. At the beginning of the month I got a letter from NJIT saying that I've been waitlisted.... huh?! I thought they weren't going to consider my application as it was. They gave me 4 weeks to decide if I wanted to stay on the wait list or not. Well the 4 weeks still isn't up yet, and yesterday I got PACKET from them saying that they're offering me admission to the program.... YAY AND WTF?!?!?! Since I haven't yet paid the CC, I paid the "hold my spot" fee to NJIT - due by May 1 (thanks assholes, I only got the packet yesterday) and added them to my FAFSA. I still have some misgivings about this, but it is my 1st choice school. Ugh, why do schools jerk you around so much? Still, congrats!!
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Jun 2, 2016 8:33:48 GMT -5
I ended up backing out of NJIT. When I added up all the additional transportation costs, tuition costs, travel time, and DS's needs for before and after school care, I decided to go the 2+3 route at the CC. It just makes way more financial sense right now. Just applied for a Sallie Mae loan. Holy interest rates, Batman!!!!
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 2, 2016 12:58:43 GMT -5
Thank you! He says he thinks it went well today. The whole Bac process lasts over a month, so it's pretty drawn out and stressful.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jun 3, 2016 12:46:15 GMT -5
Thank you! He says he thinks it went well today. The whole Bac process lasts over a month, so it's pretty drawn out and stressful. Are they separate tests in individual subjects (math, science, etc.)?
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 3, 2016 13:15:53 GMT -5
Are they separate tests in individual subjects (math, science, etc.)?
Yes, and there are also several orals.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jun 3, 2016 16:38:27 GMT -5
Are they separate tests in individual subjects (math, science, etc.)?Yes, and there are also several orals. Sadists. ;-)
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 16, 2016 15:54:25 GMT -5
DS3 has finished 5 out of his 10 Baccalaureate exams. He's done 2 oral + 3 written exams (the 3 most important ones). He still has 3 written exams next week + 2 orals the following week, but hopefully the worst is over!
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jun 16, 2016 21:31:06 GMT -5
DS just signed up for 15 credits for summer term, he starts next week. He is trying to get an associates transfer degree so that he can transfer to a four year college next year--ETA, transfer as a Junior-- (if he gets the associates, everything transfers, if he doesn't, some stuff might not, then he's wasted time and money having to take it over again). If he can't do it in a year, he might take two years and get two associates degrees, the transfer and another. He needs 90 credits for the degree, and he should have 28 already (from AP classes taken his Junior and Senior year of High School). He won't find out until July if all his AP classes will count though. If they do, he'll have five terms to get all the credits (12-13/term). That's doable.
So, yea for him finally being motivated! He's actually taking an art class he's excited about (drawing, he wasn't so fond of ceramics when he took that).
Also, he was able to get his GPA up, so now he is approved for "Oregon Promise" which will pay around $3k-$4k a year for community college! So hopefully my out of pocket will only be around $4k this year (he is going to get a job and also save for college).
I'm hoping he can finish college in three years, that would save both of us a lot of money.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jun 16, 2016 23:24:48 GMT -5
DS just signed up for 15 credits for summer term, he starts next week. He is trying to get an associates transfer degree so that he can transfer to a four year college next year--ETA, transfer as a Junior-- (if he gets the associates, everything transfers, if he doesn't, some stuff might not, then he's wasted time and money having to take it over again). If he can't do it in a year, he might take two years and get two associates degrees, the transfer and another. He needs 90 credits for the degree, and he should have 28 already (from AP classes taken his Junior and Senior year of High School). He won't find out until July if all his AP classes will count though. If they do, he'll have five terms to get all the credits (12-13/term). That's doable. So, yea for him finally being motivated! He's actually taking an art class he's excited about (drawing, he wasn't so fond of ceramics when he took that). Also, he was able to get his GPA up, so now he is approved for "Oregon Promise" which will pay around $3k-$4k a year for community college! So hopefully my out of pocket will only be around $4k this year (he is going to get a job and also save for college). I'm hoping he can finish college in three years, that would save both of us a lot of money. Apple, you might prepare yourself, at least emotionally, for your DS to spend four, or even more years in college. Many programs and professional certifications are designed around five years of college. For example, when I was in school, the standard four year accounting program would qualify you for a CPA certificate. Now the educational requirement has been increased to require just a few credits less than a Masters to do what I was able to do with just a Bachelor's degree.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 17, 2016 0:53:32 GMT -5
That's great Apple, sounds like he's on his way!
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jun 17, 2016 9:41:06 GMT -5
YDS heads off to orientation this weekend. I will be going -- there are parent sessions. Oh, well, truth is he wasn't up to the 5 hour drive each way on his own anyway. If the parent sessions are boring enough, I will bail and go explore the area on my own while he gets oriented to college.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jun 22, 2016 13:04:41 GMT -5
So, we went to orientation and it was a reasonably worthwhile experience. Every college has its own administrative quirks, so I'm glad I got tuned into the ones at YDS' school.
On the ride home, YDS told me that he is strongly considering changing his major. While I wouldn't ever force him to study something that he hates, the change he is considering would cost him significantly in terms of merit scholarship money and the tuition break he is eligible for because our state schools do not offer his originally-intended major (but do offer the one he is now considering).
He is also a young college freshman -- doesn't turn 18 until just before he leaves for college. Senior year is full of pressure and stress and transitions. While he has matured in so many ways since this time last year, like so many kids his age, he is still figuring life, and his future, out.
Not sure what to do here. The program he was originally applied to and was accepted into is one of the top programs in the country and is highly selective. He is golden as far as jobs go once he graduates, and as I learned at orientation, there are more highly-paid summer jobs and internships available than there are students to fill them. I am thoroughly impressed with the faculty I have met during our several visits and the facilities (labs, software, equipment, etc.) are second to none (related companies fund this program very generously). The major he wants to change to is still a science, but is offered at our in-state university (for which he is on the waiting list, still, because the school unabashedly prefers out-of-state students who pay twice as much tuition). He can attend his current school, but we will pay out-of-state rates and that will nearly triple his costs. He is reluctant to do so because of the work, but he can pursue a double major in both the original program and the new program and keep his merit scholarships and the tuition break. There is some limited overlap, so it is possible to complete both degrees in 4 years, although our research shows that most students doing so take 5 years. I may have to push him on this last option because the price difference between the original program and out-of-state tuition for the new program is so significant.
Poor kid. He is really struggling to figure this all out.
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