Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
College Admissions Questions (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter NewlyRetired
- Start date
El Floppo
Footballguy
Congrats! And glad and impressed by her recovery.
Any way of reaching out to the other schools and seeing if they can push the wait-list for her? I have no idea what the protocol is for this kind of thing, but have had friends do this for college with occasional success.
General Malaise
Footballguy
We have to figure out housing but other than that, yup. Over the moon proud of this kid.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Awesome!!! And the best part is that the test is in the books and there’s no need to worry about it over the summer or fall semester of senior year.
Last edited by a moderator:
bigbottom
Footballguy
I have good friends with kids currently at both Chapman and LMU and all seem to be really enjoying it (though I know LMU is still remote).Add Chapman University to the list, with a $28K annual merit scholarship.
Would only leave us with $52K a year we have to come up with.
Last edited by a moderator:
bigbottom
Footballguy
Congrats! That’s how my son found out for most of his applications last year. I think logging into the portal on notification day is common for a lot of schools.
Last edited by a moderator:
bigbottom
Footballguy
bigbottom
Footballguy
Has she done research regarding what, if anything, she should do to demonstrate her continued interest in the two waitlisted schools?
El Floppo
Footballguy
Oh hell yeah!
Amazing news...the acceptances and that incredible scholarship- congrats!
Nigel
Footballguy
One thing we’re going to do is have her hockey coach reach out and lobby for her. She had a great season for the public high school varsity team, top 4 D on a top 5 ranked team in MA. We should have played this angle sooner.
One thing we heard since decisions came is that acceptance rate this year at the one she got into was 10%. I suspect the others were st least ss tough. Hearing that, she feels even better about how it all ended up.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Any thoughts about her reaching out? I know that some schools (e.g., Georgia Tech) welcome letters form waitlisted applicants to reconfirm their interest in attending. Other schools don’t care, and maybe there are some schools where it might hurt you. It sounds like it may not be the case with your daughter, but if she has a clear number one choice that she would 100% for sure attend if she was admitted off the wait list, I’d at least have her consider conveying that sentiment unless the school has expressly stated that it doesn’t accept or want additional materials to be submitted. Heck, my son did that with his top choice before the initial decisions were issued by sending an email to the school’s regional admissions rep. But I wouldn’t have her send that note unless she was 100% sure. Again, just food for thought - not saying it’s the right thing to do in every situation (or your daughter’s situation).
In any event, I’m glad she got into one of her top choices during an extremely challenging admissions season!
Fear The Turtle
Footballguy
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz came in this week, pretty stoked to see her get into some UCs. Still waiting on #1 choice UC Davis, top 3-4 options Santa Clara and Pepperdine, and USD.Add Chapman University to the list, with a $28K annual merit scholarship.
Would only leave us with $52K a year we have to come up with.
MindCrime
Footballguy
So my son (Junior in HS) is nervous about this whole process because he isn’t ready to commit to a college major or career. I keep telling him to think of his interests and what classes he’s enjoyed in HS so far, but also to look at what career population a specific major can lead to. And I’ve explained how he can change majors if needed, etc. But he still seems nervous.
How did everyone else deal with this?
(I went to college many years ago, did not complete that degree, but went in somewhat blind originally as a “telecommunications” major because i like radio and tv. Eventually went back for a focused major about 6 years later. So my experience isn’t helping much, even though i wish i would have just changed majors or redirected at the time instead of dropping out.)
How did everyone else deal with this?
(I went to college many years ago, did not complete that degree, but went in somewhat blind originally as a “telecommunications” major because i like radio and tv. Eventually went back for a focused major about 6 years later. So my experience isn’t helping much, even though i wish i would have just changed majors or redirected at the time instead of dropping out.)
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
Sounds like my daughter, she’s about to graduate and still has no idea what she wants to major in. She applied as Undeclared at all 10 schools she’s considering. It seems not ideal because you can’t use your area of study as a differentiator when comparing schools. I will be encouraging her to consider how many different colleges/majors her final choices have to give her more options. But so far it hasn’t had much of an impact on our process.
bigbottom
Footballguy
For what it’s worth, during my son’s junior year we engaged a service to do a battery of aptitude tests. The service determines which areas in which the individual has higher than average aptitudes and then profiles various professions/careers that leverage those aptitudes. The premise is that people tend to be happier and more successful in careers that play on their strengths. The aptitudes may or may not match what the person “wants” to do, or thinks what he or she wants to do. And if the person doesn’t know what her or she wants to do, this data could be very helpful.
We used Johnson O’Connor
ex-ghost
Footballguy
Our experience is the national scholarships are very, very tough - like only giving one or two per offer. We really hit the local ones hard.
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
Hmmm, this is interesting, do you think it was useful?
You have no way of knowing this for sure, but based on your experience and your personal knowledge of me, do you think it would have said I have the "aptitude" to be a lawyer? I feel like becoming a lawyer was a huge mistake in my life and I wonder if something like this would have stopped me. But I also think that I probably would test as having a high aptitude for lawyering -- it just turns out that I hate doing it and I'm not sure that this sort of testing would have revealed that.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
My daughter's school had them do an exercise like this, and her results were so all over the place that it didn't turn out to be helpful. But I'm sure for some people it may be.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Time absolutely flies.
Almost 5 years ago I started this thread with my daughter going into her senior year in high school.
Today, she is now into her last semester before graduating college. As people who have followed this thread know, my daughter suffers from some strong emotional problems. The journey through college has not been easy for her or for us by extension.
I am happy she looks to be making it through, even though we still have a long life ahead of us caring for her.
She goes into this last semester with a strong 3.91 GPA which puts her in the Summa Cum Laude level should she maintain this. I told her to not focus on this since something as innocuous as single A-Minus this semester could knock her out of that level. How ever she graduates, this was a monumental achievement considering how painful every day of college was for her.
I mostly wanted to take a moment to thank every one who participated in this thread, asking questions, offering their own experiences, and just generally cheering on every one else's kids as they go through this process.
I have found the level of civility in this thread SO MUCH NICER than any where else on this site. No snarkyness, no "IKnowItAll", no "your thoughts differ from mine so they are dumb". This thread represents the best of what the internet should be but so rarely achieves.
I will continue to follow this thread closely as new parents start the process and wish nothing but the best for everyone and their fabulous children!
Almost 5 years ago I started this thread with my daughter going into her senior year in high school.
Today, she is now into her last semester before graduating college. As people who have followed this thread know, my daughter suffers from some strong emotional problems. The journey through college has not been easy for her or for us by extension.
I am happy she looks to be making it through, even though we still have a long life ahead of us caring for her.
She goes into this last semester with a strong 3.91 GPA which puts her in the Summa Cum Laude level should she maintain this. I told her to not focus on this since something as innocuous as single A-Minus this semester could knock her out of that level. How ever she graduates, this was a monumental achievement considering how painful every day of college was for her.
I mostly wanted to take a moment to thank every one who participated in this thread, asking questions, offering their own experiences, and just generally cheering on every one else's kids as they go through this process.
I have found the level of civility in this thread SO MUCH NICER than any where else on this site. No snarkyness, no "IKnowItAll", no "your thoughts differ from mine so they are dumb". This thread represents the best of what the internet should be but so rarely achieves.
I will continue to follow this thread closely as new parents start the process and wish nothing but the best for everyone and their fabulous children!
Last edited by a moderator:
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
It was obviously likely a million times less sophisticated when I took these tests but I remember when our class took them and one kid came out of it being recommended to be a parking lot attendant
To top that off, he was one of the smartest kids in my class and went on to Harvard. Safe to say the school stopped using that testing service after that
The_Man
Footballguy
My kid just got into American U with a $10K coupon (more commonly known by its marketing name of "Merit Scholarship")
It is one of the few schools he got to tour pre-Covid and was high on his list for a while but he doesn't seem that interested in any more. I think it might be a really good fit, so hopefully they reignite his interest with some post-acceptance stuff
This is also an interesting test case on how Regular Decision is going to go. I'm hearing it's going to be very unpredictable with lots of Wait Listing. Interesting that Tulane, which I think is a good bit more selective than American, gave him $18K in merit aid during the Early Action round. He's already ruled Tulane out, based mostly on a pandemic-fueled realization he doesn't want to be farther than a car ride from home, but maybe we can leverage that offer if he decides he likes American after all
So far UVM is tops on his list (another Early Action acceptance), waiting to hear from George Washington U, Boston U, and Tufts
It is one of the few schools he got to tour pre-Covid and was high on his list for a while but he doesn't seem that interested in any more. I think it might be a really good fit, so hopefully they reignite his interest with some post-acceptance stuff
This is also an interesting test case on how Regular Decision is going to go. I'm hearing it's going to be very unpredictable with lots of Wait Listing. Interesting that Tulane, which I think is a good bit more selective than American, gave him $18K in merit aid during the Early Action round. He's already ruled Tulane out, based mostly on a pandemic-fueled realization he doesn't want to be farther than a car ride from home, but maybe we can leverage that offer if he decides he likes American after all
So far UVM is tops on his list (another Early Action acceptance), waiting to hear from George Washington U, Boston U, and Tufts
Fear The Turtle
Footballguy
Congrats on your daughter's fine achievement. It's been fun rooting for her these past five years. Also, A...freaking..MEN concerning your comments about this thread's civility and helpfulness.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
Even longer ago, but my dad was told in high school after taking the 1950s version of an aptitude test that he wasn't college material, he should become a laborer or learn a trade. He got his bachelors/masters/PhD in 9 years and paid $400 total out of pocket.It was obviously likely a million times less sophisticated when I took these tests but I remember when our class took them and one kid came out of it being recommended to be a parking lot attendant
To top that off, he was one of the smartest kids in my class and went on to Harvard. Safe to say the school stopped using that testing service after that
bigbottom
Footballguy
My son wanted to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. I had my doubts because while he took advanced math and science courses in high school, he didn’t do robotics team, know how to code, or really have any sort of exposure to engineering as a discipline. And with no one in our immediate family with a background in the field, I wasn’t sure that he had any idea of what an engineering career involved. And given that he was a decent writer and enjoyed his non-STEM classes, I thought the Johnson O’Connor testing could be a helpful data point. When we went back for our consult, it turns out the aptitudes that were his strengths matched a career in engineering. So it didn’t so much help him choose his path as it provided some validity for his choice and peace of mind for me. But keep in mind, the testing matched his aptitudes across a number of potential career choices - it didn’t say “you should be an engineer.”
As for you, if I were to guess, I think you do have aptitudes that match a career as an attorney. But again, just because you’re good at it (or have an aptitude for it) doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy or be fulfilled by it. The premise that people tend to have more job satisfaction when doing something that matches their aptitudes has all sorts of exceptions I imagine. Lots of people hate jobs they are good at.
And as for those tests we took back in the day that said what career we should pursue, I’ll say that the Johnson O’Connor testing was pretty extensive - 7+ hours over two sessions I believe. And then a consulting session.
In the end, it’s just a data point that you have to consider with all the other data points. It’s not a magic eight ball. But for a kid that has absolutely no idea what he or she wants to do, it’s a helpful exercise to find out what their aptitudes are.
Last edited by a moderator:
bigbottom
Footballguy
Congrats to your daughter (and to her parents) on this amazing achievement! And I agree with your sentiments regarding this thread. We were the beneficiary of so much great advice, insight and encouragement from so many people, yourself in particular. This is easily my favorite thread of all time by a wide margin.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Had he gone a different direction, he might have been the best parking lot attendant of all time.It was obviously likely a million times less sophisticated when I took these tests but I remember when our class took them and one kid came out of it being recommended to be a parking lot attendant
To top that off, he was one of the smartest kids in my class and went on to Harvard. Safe to say the school stopped using that testing service after that
This is funny in a way. I had been a fairly frequent poster here in the FFA. Sort of moved along and on with life and things. All of a sudden my oldest is a Junior in HS and looking at colleges and this thread was the first thing that came to mind. It is such a wealth of knowledge and advice as well as a lot of just general cheering on of everyone else's kids. Great stuff.
Edit to Add - I remember when you started this and shared about your daughters struggles. Huge congratulations to her for getting to where she is and achieving so much.
Last edited by a moderator:
bigbottom
Footballguy
Congrats on the latest good news! I’m not sure I’d have been able to survive 4 years at Tulane, but I would have had a good time trying!
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
First "disappointment", wait listed at Santa Clara. Her response was "I'm not that sad, it makes my decision easier." But it ups the pressure on getting into Davis with one of her top 4 not a straight yes.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Unfortunately, there is almost no chance of her ever working a traditional job. She can't, or maybe more specifically, won't use speech to communicate. I don't believe she could ever do a traditional interview.
Our long shot hope is to try and find her work she can do online. She is a writer and an editor, and while those fields are extremely tough, there might be a slight chance since money is not really a concern for us, she can take any low paying job online.
We have never really had the luxury of long term thinking though and it is mostly day to day with her care. If we can't find something online long term for her, my last hope is that maybe she might give working at our local library a try. Since my wife and I both work there, I think it would be much easier getting her foot in the door than any where else with her issues.
The heartbreaking thing is that she has proven time and again she can succeed if she would just let herself take a baby step. But as my mom told me the other day, it is pretty clear her brain works in different ways than most people. If you spent 5 minutes with her, you would come away thinking she was some where between extremely shy, and special needs. If you read one of her papers, you would come away thinking she was brilliant.
It is a strong dichotomy.
Last edited by a moderator:
El Floppo
Footballguy
All the love to her and you guys, gb. If there was ever a perfect time for her to be in a position to finish college, this era of remote work is it. Obviously super smart and sounds equally capable...just a matter of landing something with an outfit that understands and can work with the social component of her life.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
Wait listed at Pepperdine, but accepted at UC Davis! So that's 7 acceptances, 2 wait lists, and USD still outstanding (which she isn't considering anymore). Really proud and happy for her.
Davis, St. Marys, Pepperdine, and Santa Clara have been the leaders for most of this process, and with two acceptances and two wait lists, looks like her decision will be down to those first two. She is considering a two-day trip down south to visit LMU, Chapman, and UC Irvine, something I'm encouraging her to do but I can tell she's just not sure she wants to leave Northern California for school.
Still dealing with the FAFSA mess as well, but narrowing in on cleaning that up (ex-wife initially filed as divorced, which is obviously true, but she's re-married so underreported total income).
Not sure I've mentioned it here but she has multiple life-threatening food allergies, so accomodations for that in student housing will absolutely be part of her decision. That part is a bit overwhelming, as she has rarely eaten food prepared outside of her homes her whole life.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
Congrats @SFBayDuck and daughter! I would assume that Davis in-state would be considerably cheaper than St. Mary's, plus it would have a more broad selection of majors. The food thing would likely be handled better at a small, private school though. No offense to Timschochet, but I wouldn't consider Chapman over Davis.
Galileo
Footballguy
Some folks in here upthread a little ways were talking about aptitude test services. I'll throw another service into the mix called YouScience: https://www.youscience.com/ And here is a little trailer/promo for the service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9mWOTOMfoA I can't really speak to the quality or usefulness as of yet, but I know our high school is having all the 9th-11th grade students take a series of 11 short aptitude tests through this service. So, our guidance department and the higher ups in the district seem to be on board with it. Students are actually completing these this week, so I am not aware of any outcomes yet as it pertains to my own child. At the very least it may help some students identify strengths, weaknesses and interests which could help point them in a general direction of possibilities to consider as they look to the future. The tests include Visual Comparison Speed, Numerical Reasoning, Spatial visualization, Inductive reasoning, Sequential reasoning, Idea Generation, Work approach, Timeframe orientation, Vocabulary, Interpersonal style, and Interest profile.
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
Yeah haven’t been updating every day but my kid has now been admitted to the engineering programs at four different schools (Washington U. in St. Louis, UC San Diego, Ohio State, Virginia Tech), still waiting to hear from four more (Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Carnegie Mellon).
I wouldn't necessarily assume that. There are so many companies now where people are comfortable operating remotely, with a lot of communication happening through either email or (more commonly in my experience) Slack.
There are also a fair number of companies that are going out of their way to support all sorts of 'inclusion' efforts, and might go out of their way to find a way to make things work for her.
Assuming that she's not hesitant to communicate with others in writing, I would think that she just needs to find the right opportunity in the right company. I think the key here is that it sounds like she should be very upfront about her situation, because 'faking' anything else doesn't appear to be an option.
Her pitch could be something along the lines of:
- Here's why I'm a great candidate
- Here's the catch
- Here's how things could work anyway
Happy to help brainstorm via PM if you want.
Drunken Cowboy
Footballguy
Drunken Cowboy
Footballguy
bigbottom
Footballguy
Congrats, that is awesome! Davis was her first choice, right? If so, what are the considerations that might lead her to go a different direction (other than the food service issue)? I know people who’ve gone to LMU and really liked their experience. Chapman has a bit of a reputation as a school for spoiled OC rich kids (and yes, my kid goes to USC so I’m not being judgy). UC Irvine is a good school in a great location (though I’m biased as I went to high school in Irvine).
As for the diet situation, would you consider campus apartment living where she cooks for herself? I know that many school cafeterias are much more conscious of food allergies these days and go to great lengths to have separate food service areas for the most common allergies, but even so, maybe it would be better for her to prepare her own meals?
bigbottom
Footballguy
That is awesome! My co-worker’s daughter is headed to Wash U in the fall and is super excited. Have you visited the campus with Peter? I hear it’s absolutely amazing. Best of luck on the remaining four!
bigbottom
Footballguy
Great post. I believe NewlyRetired said his daughter is a really good writer. My friend has pursued a career as a copywriter (advertising copy, mostly). I don’t know much about the industry, but it seems like maybe something in this area could possibly work? Or perhaps a copy editor for a publishing company? Apologies if these unsolicited ideas are not welcome.
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
Peter has never seen Wash U, his mother is trying to plan a trip to take him there in a couple weeks. He hasn't seen Ohio State or Michigan either so depending on his interest there might need to also be last-minute trips to those. College visits are something Peter has done with my ex, I haven't seen any of them. I'll wait to just check out wherever he ends up going.
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
He's applying to engineering schools at all these places. If you mean something more specific I'd probably need to ask him.
The Z Machine
Footballguy
There's also the technical writing path. Lots of needs for people that put together detailed technical stuff and not have it read and look like crap. Does your daughter have any skills in illustration? Has she ever taken a technical writing course?
Drunken Cowboy
Footballguy
fatguyinalittlecoat
Footballguy
I know he’s planning to study mechanical engineering but I think different schools have different ways the departments are set up. I’ll be sure to report back when I know where he’s going so you can warn your faculty friends about him.
scorchy
Footballguy
Son and I visited Macalester last week on our midwest college road trip and it came off really well - felt like an almost ideal location in St Paul. However, he's pretty much decided that a small LAC most likely isn't for him. In context though, both of us strongly preferred Mac to Carleton, where he didn't really like the campus or the "feel" and had a very negative reaction to Northfield. It's gonna be interesting to see if his thoughts on LACs change when he visits Middlebury, which is isolated like Carleton but I'm guessing has a totally different campus vibe than both Minnesota schools.
