Time to start thinking about college

[zibazinski]

Mine is 34. Good luck moms of boys. 😂👏🏻

[tractor]

My son finished and submitted his Colorado School of Mines application last week, and he was able to complete the common application essay yesterday. Now he has to start working on the individual college essays, but his goal is to have them all done before the end of the month.

He’s making progress, now I have to get off my but and start on the FASFA

[zibazinski]

Oct 15, 2017 7:33:52 GMT -5 tractor said:

My son finished and submitted his Colorado School of Mines application last week, and he was able to complete the common application essay yesterday. Now he has to start working on the individual college essays, but his goal is to have them all done before the end of the month.

He’s making progress, now I have to get off my but and start on the FASFA

What kind of school is that? What do they do? I went to a memorial yesterday for a woman whose husband had something to do with that and she traveled with him all over the world.

[milee]

Colorado School of Mines is known as a top school for engineering.  But I have to be brutally honest at the risk of jamming my entire foot down my throat, but based on the experiences of at least 12 different friends whose kids have gone to Colorado for college in the last 2-3 years, I wouldn't be supportive of one of my kids going to school in Colorado.    

[swamp]

Oct 15, 2017 10:41:37 GMT -5 milee said:

Colorado School of Mines is known as a top school for engineering.  But I have to be brutally honest at the risk of jamming my entire foot down my throat, but based on the experiences of at least 12 different friends whose kids have gone to Colorado for college in the last 2-3 years, I wouldn't be supportive of one of my kids going to school in Colorado.    

legal weed?   "recreation based" lifestyle?  

[milee]

Oct 15, 2017 10:43:58 GMT -5 swamp said:

Oct 15, 2017 10:41:37 GMT -5 milee said:

Colorado School of Mines is known as a top school for engineering.  But I have to be brutally honest at the risk of jamming my entire foot down my throat, but based on the experiences of at least 12 different friends whose kids have gone to Colorado for college in the last 2-3 years, I wouldn't be supportive of one of my kids going to school in Colorado.    

legal weed?   "recreation based" lifestyle?  

No, not directly.  I actually support legalizing marijuana and now that I'm older know multiple functional, successful people who are regular partakers so I know that weed isn't necessarily the problem in itself.  And I suspect for adults who were already living in Colorado, their lives haven't changed much and it's pretty much a nonissue.  But for vulnerable teens, it's not a great place right now.

My guess is that the media surrounding the legalization created publicity that attracted a disproportionate number of the "Loser" set.  It was like putting up the Bat Signal calling all Losers to congregate in one place... and the college aged ones have.  We're in Florida, 5 years ago if you asked seniors about college interest maybe 1 out of 100 would mention Colorado and it was usually a kid who skied and/or had family there.  Now, it seems that every kid who is struggling a little or not quite making it has this big dream to go to see the beauty of Colorado.     Of the 12 friends I mentioned, not one of those kids lasted more than a year or two in college before dropping out to either be homeless burnouts or to "work" in the "industry."  

And if you have a kid that isn't part of the Loser group, then your kid is still surrounded by it.

In 10 years this won't even be an issue.  More states will have legalized and more parents will have wised up about their kids' sudden interest in a certain area.  But right now... nope. 

BTW, thanks Colorado for taking some of these people off our hands.  Florida usually attracts the losers - let's go chill on the beach! - and it's nice to share the wealth a little.  

[tractor]

Oct 15, 2017 10:33:21 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Oct 15, 2017 7:33:52 GMT -5 tractor said:

My son finished and submitted his Colorado School of Mines application last week, and he was able to complete the common application essay yesterday. Now he has to start working on the individual college essays, but his goal is to have them all done before the end of the month.

He’s making progress, now I have to get off my but and start on the FASFA

What kind of school is that? What do they do? I went to a memorial yesterday for a woman whose husband had something to do with that and she traveled with him all over the world.

It’s a very respected, public engineering school, with fairly high out of state tuition and it is very hard to get into. I don’t think he has a very good chance at either attending, or having me pay for it, but I have no problem with him applying.

[zibazinski]

Has he thought of Purdue?

[milee]

Oct 16, 2017 9:47:24 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Has he thought of Purdue?

It's like Groundhog Day here on the board.  All we need now is for Ava to start another thread on how she can't get a job in Florida or how she doesn't like her current CT job or condo.

Yes, you suggested Purdue on page 1 and tractor replied on page 1.

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2017 10:02:39 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 16, 2017 9:47:24 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Has he thought of Purdue?

It's like Groundhog Day here on the board.  All we need now is for Ava to start another thread on how she can't get a job in Florida or how she doesn't like her current CT job or condo.

Yes, you suggested Purdue on page 1 and tractor replied on page 1.

To be fair, that was 2 months ago.  I forget what I posted last week. 

[MJ2.0]

Oct 15, 2017 10:56:51 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 15, 2017 10:43:58 GMT -5 swamp said:

legal weed?   "recreation based" lifestyle?  

No, not directly.  I actually support legalizing marijuana and now that I'm older know multiple functional, successful people who are regular partakers so I know that weed isn't necessarily the problem in itself.  And I suspect for adults who were already living in Colorado, their lives haven't changed much and it's pretty much a nonissue.  But for vulnerable teens, it's not a great place right now.

My guess is that the media surrounding the legalization created publicity that attracted a disproportionate number of the "Loser" set.  It was like putting up the Bat Signal calling all Losers to congregate in one place... and the college aged ones have.  We're in Florida, 5 years ago if you asked seniors about college interest maybe 1 out of 100 would mention Colorado and it was usually a kid who skied and/or had family there.  Now, it seems that every kid who is struggling a little or not quite making it has this big dream to go to see the beauty of Colorado.     Of the 12 friends I mentioned, not one of those kids lasted more than a year or two in college before dropping out to either be homeless burnouts or to "work" in the "industry."  

And if you have a kid that isn't part of the Loser group, then your kid is still surrounded by it.

In 10 years this won't even be an issue.  More states will have legalized and more parents will have wised up about their kids' sudden interest in a certain area.  But right now... nope. 

BTW, thanks Colorado for taking some of these people off our hands.  Florida usually attracts the losers - let's go chill on the beach! - and it's nice to share the wealth a little.  

but those kids would have likely struggled anywhere they went.  There are "losers" in every town and every state.

[milee]

Oct 16, 2017 10:17:26 GMT -5 MJ2.0 said:

Oct 15, 2017 10:56:51 GMT -5 milee said:

No, not directly.  I actually support legalizing marijuana and now that I'm older know multiple functional, successful people who are regular partakers so I know that weed isn't necessarily the problem in itself.  And I suspect for adults who were already living in Colorado, their lives haven't changed much and it's pretty much a nonissue.  But for vulnerable teens, it's not a great place right now.

My guess is that the media surrounding the legalization created publicity that attracted a disproportionate number of the "Loser" set.  It was like putting up the Bat Signal calling all Losers to congregate in one place... and the college aged ones have.  We're in Florida, 5 years ago if you asked seniors about college interest maybe 1 out of 100 would mention Colorado and it was usually a kid who skied and/or had family there.  Now, it seems that every kid who is struggling a little or not quite making it has this big dream to go to see the beauty of Colorado.     Of the 12 friends I mentioned, not one of those kids lasted more than a year or two in college before dropping out to either be homeless burnouts or to "work" in the "industry."  

And if you have a kid that isn't part of the Loser group, then your kid is still surrounded by it.

In 10 years this won't even be an issue.  More states will have legalized and more parents will have wised up about their kids' sudden interest in a certain area.  But right now... nope. 

BTW, thanks Colorado for taking some of these people off our hands.  Florida usually attracts the losers - let's go chill on the beach! - and it's nice to share the wealth a little.  

but those kids would have likely struggled anywhere they went.  There are "losers" in every town and every state.

Definitely.  Colorado is just helping out all the rest of the states by attracting a disproportionate share of them.  Florida still has plenty of losers.  But we have the number we had previously less all the thousands who are now Colorado residents.  

My point to parents of college aged kids who are applying in the next couple of years - if you have a kid who has never had a huge interest or experience in Colorado or skiing, but who now expresses a burning desire to explore the magnificent outdoor beauty of Colorado... explain how Montana and Wyoming have the same beauty, similarly ranked colleges that are easier to get into and get scholarships for and wait to see how the kid reacts.  

[zibazinski]

Sorry about that. I’m such a fan of Mitch Daniels and he hasn’t raised tuition.

[MJ2.0]

LOL

[tractor]

The reality is there are so many good engineering schools out there. I think my son was interested in Colorado because they inundated our home with mailings and e-mails. For the record, we still get hundreds of mailings each month, but for some reason Colorado School of Mines really interested him.

His first choice is University of Michigan.

[zibazinski]

😐

[swamp]

Is there a bad engineering school out there?  

[milee]

Oct 16, 2017 11:31:08 GMT -5 tractor said:

.... I think my son was interested in Colorado because they inundated our home with mailings and e-mails. For the record, we still get hundreds of mailings each month, but for some reason Colorado School of Mines really interested him.

....

Oh, um.  Were we supposed to actually give all those mailings to our kids?  

I view my role as mail distribution expert for our house as a very serious one.  Inspired primarily by the teachings of Machiavelli.  The primary goal is not to deliver the mail, it's to carefully curate the selection of mail to achieve outcomes I believe are desirable.

For years, AARP mailed DH offers.  I knew this would hurt his feelings (and he wasn't even 50 yet!) so I threw that stuff away.

For the past few years, all sorts of colleges have sent DS mailings.  The mailings from colleges that were a fit and which I liked... I passed along to DS.  The rest of the stuff... went to other places.  No need to unnecessarily tempt him with the natural beauty of Colorado or the smiling hussies at the schools with subpar academics. 

If my family doesn't like me throwing away mail I don't want them to have then they can get off their lazy butts and start walking out to the mailbox themselves.

[Tiny]

Oct 16, 2017 11:37:59 GMT -5 swamp said:

Is there a bad engineering school out there?  

Any of the ones with graduates that don't get preference from the people doing the hiring in the area/employer you want to be employed?  

You can't totally discount the fact that people hire other people who are like them - and that might include what school they graduated from.   

[milee]

OK, reading over some of my posts I'm starting to understand why one of DS' college application essays was about lessons he learned from growing up with a strong willed mother. 

[alabamagal]

Oct 16, 2017 11:43:12 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 16, 2017 11:31:08 GMT -5 tractor said:

.... I think my son was interested in Colorado because they inundated our home with mailings and e-mails. For the record, we still get hundreds of mailings each month, but for some reason Colorado School of Mines really interested him.

....

Oh, um.  Were we supposed to actually give all those mailings to our kids?  

I view my role as mail distribution expert for our house as a very serious one.  Inspired primarily by the teachings of Machiavelli.  The primary goal is not to deliver the mail, it's to carefully curate the selection of mail to achieve outcomes I believe are desirable.

For years, AARP mailed DH offers.  I knew this would hurt his feelings (and he wasn't even 50 yet!) so I threw that stuff away.

For the past few years, all sorts of colleges have sent DS mailings.  The mailings from colleges that were a fit and which I liked... I passed along to DS.  The rest of the stuff... went to other places.  No need to unnecessarily tempt him with the natural beauty of Colorado or the smiling hussies at the schools with subpar academics. 

If my family doesn't like me throwing away mail I don't want them to have then they can get off their lazy butts and start walking out to the mailbox themselves.

That is why I sort my mail over the trash can!  Pretty soon it will be credit card and loan offers.  I started getting them for DS when he was in college.  He did start out with one credit card in his name, and since he pays his bills he now gets a ton of others.  The best ones are the one that don't have his correct name - a lot of them are his first name and my last name.

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2017 11:43:12 GMT -5 milee said:

Oct 16, 2017 11:31:08 GMT -5 tractor said:

.... I think my son was interested in Colorado because they inundated our home with mailings and e-mails. For the record, we still get hundreds of mailings each month, but for some reason Colorado School of Mines really interested him.

....

Oh, um.  Were we supposed to actually give all those mailings to our kids?  

I view my role as mail distribution expert for our house as a very serious one.  Inspired primarily by the teachings of Machiavelli.  The primary goal is not to deliver the mail, it's to carefully curate the selection of mail to achieve outcomes I believe are desirable.

For years, AARP mailed DH offers.  I knew this would hurt his feelings (and he wasn't even 50 yet!) so I threw that stuff away.

For the past few years, all sorts of colleges have sent DS mailings.  The mailings from colleges that were a fit and which I liked... I passed along to DS.  The rest of the stuff... went to other places.  No need to unnecessarily tempt him with the natural beauty of Colorado or the smiling hussies at the schools with subpar academics. 

If my family doesn't like me throwing away mail I don't want them to have then they can get off their lazy butts and start walking out to the mailbox themselves.

LOL  I do this too.  DS just started getting all the college mailings about 6 months ago...I think taking the PSAT test triggered them...at first I was handing them all over, but now I'm more selective.    As a side note, at first he was super excited to get them, thinking "wow, all these schools want ME", but I think he's now figured out that he's not quite as special as he thought. 

[tractor]

We have a large pile of mailing by the front door. My son gets the mail each day, takes the ones he wants and brings them to his room, the rest stay on the stack. I have thrown several into the burn pile, and need to get rid of another batch soon.

Now that he’s taken the SAT, and put his preference as engineering, the mailing have become more targeted.

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2017 11:37:59 GMT -5 swamp said:

Is there a bad engineering school out there?  

I sure hope so.  DS probably doesn't stand a chance getting into one of the "good" ones. 

[Regis]

Oct 16, 2017 10:37:46 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Sorry about that. I’m such a fan of Mitch Daniels and he hasn’t raised tuition.

My friend's daughter went there and paid the exact same tuition every single year for four years.

Trust me...that wasn't the case when I went there back in the last century.

[milee]

Oct 16, 2017 12:30:58 GMT -5 tractor said:

We have a large pile of mailing by the front door. My son gets the mail each day, takes the ones he wants and brings them to his room, the rest stay on the stack. I have thrown several into the burn pile, and need to get rid of another batch soon.

Now that he’s taken the SAT, and put his preference as engineering, the mailing have become more targeted.

Harvey Mudd sent DS a really cool set of playing cards; they're giant and have interesting pictures of the school and sciency things on them.  I definitely passed those on to DS since Mudd is one of my secret Nerd crush schools, but he's not interested.  Probably for the best, as that's one of the few schools that's even harder to get into than the ones he's in love with.  

I'm ready for this whole process to be over with.  He's turned in a total of 3 apps, none of them to schools he loves but says he could live with.  Two more are due 11/1 - and one of those is to his favorite school.  As the process has ground on, he's decided this one school is his one true love, it's perfect and he MUST go there so he's been obsessing about that application.

I'm glad he's putting in the work on the app, but think it's pretty dangerous to fall in love with any one place, especially places that regularly turn away thousands of kids who are "perfect" on paper.  There are 5-6 more apps he should be working on while he's waiting for the response from The One, and I really hope he gets those essays done before he hears back from The One.  Although technically those other apps are due two weeks after he'll hear back from The One, I'm pretty sure he'll be so dejected if he gets rejected that his essays will be even more dour than his normal 65 year old constipated man style.  Here's my guess on what his essays to those other colleges will be if The One turns him down:

As I have no viable alternative, I suppose I could survive four years on your miserable campus.  This fortitude will be due to the superiority of your math department and does not in any way represent an endorsement of your school.  Please assign me a dorm room in the basement of the building the greatest distance away from your athletic facility as I will be conducting important work and my research may suffer if I have to tolerate listening to inane cheering or other displays of school spirit. I would also greatly appreciate it if you could remove any traces of the color maroon from your campus as they will only serve to remind me of the fact that I am not studying at the greatest university in the world.

So yeah, we may be back to the theory that this kid may be living in my basement forever. 

[tractor]

No doubt it’s tough. My sons first choice has an EA deadline next Wednesday. He’s on-track to get everything in, but soccer is taking up all his free time right now. If they win tonight, it’s off to the State finals, and even more practices/games to take away from his college apps (and homework).

[Deleted]

Oct 26, 2017 14:43:38 GMT -5 milee said:

So yeah, we may be back to the theory that this kid may be living in my basement forever. 

Somehow I doubt that. 

[Deleted]

Anyone here have kids that did dual enrollment (PSEO)?  I'm beginning to see one of the drawbacks of our private high school choice.  They only allow PSEO classes to be taken on a part-time basis as ALL required high school courses must be taken.  While the area public schools allow you to basically just go to college full-time and get high school credit for it.  Broken foot friend just sent his stepson off to college this fall with 47 credits already.  He's already a sophomore and the entire first year of credits were free.  You don't even have to buy books.   Seems like a great way to cut 25% off the college bill. 

[Annie7]

Oct 26, 2017 14:43:38 GMT -5 milee said:

Milee,

That's the exact conversation I had with DS2 last night. He was telling me that he will have 2 essays left to do by Dec 15 (when he'll hear back from his "one true love"). He says he'll be doing 1 essay a week after applying to his 1st choice on Sunday. If he doesn't get in, then he'll finish the remaining two. One of them goes to both his 2d and 3rd choice schools. I told him to finish that essay over the others. If he doesn't get into his 1st  choice he'll be devastated and won't be in a mood to do a good job on that one.

DS1 applied to his mid-level choice as Early Action and got in and that was where he ended up going. He had no "one true love". DS2 has been building up his 1st choice for the past few months. I worry that he will be really devastated if he doesn't get in.