When Larry and I graduated from high school, there was never any doubt where we would attend college. In both our cases, there was very little discussion, and, ultimately, no other option than the home town college, the University of South Alabama. Later, when Larry decided to go to engineering school, Georgia Tech was the only, and obvious, choice.
Sarah's search has been diametrically opposite. Perhaps because of our college experiences, we want her to have the opportunity to leave home and live the college life to its fullest.
Her college search began over a year ago, online. She and Larry culled through hundreds, no, thousands of colleges, trying to find ones that would be a good fit for her and her intended major - Art. Schools in disagreeable locations and of undesired philosophies were eliminated. Those too large or too small fell off the list. Art schools were discarded in favor of universities. Little by little the list was narrowed down to a more manageable number. Hours were spent daily studying web sites and updating charts. Tables and matrices were created to keep track of all the gathered information. Heads were reeling and often, tears of frustration flowed. We even sought the guidance of our friend and professional college counselor, Joe Bernard, whose objective opinion and advice were invaluable.
Eventually, after months of research, we got to the point of narrowing down the list to six schools. On the west coast: University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and University of Washington. On the east coast: Northeastern University (who has a partnership for their BFA students with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), Syracuse University, and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Next step: college applications. Sarah was really good about completing all the nitty gritty detailed bits of information required on the applications. The first one was the toughest; after that most of the blanks were filled with the same information in some form or another. Her challenge was in writing her essays. Obscure or open-ended prompts were the trickiest. (What do they really want to know?) Limiting essays to maximum numbers of words - or expanding to meet minimums! - was a constant struggle. I became Sarah's chief editor and second pair of eyes. She became really good at taking a response from one question and tweaking it to fit another. Whew! Finally, all six applications were sent off and the waiting began. Sarah has excellent grades and strong test scores, so our hopes were high as the waiting began.
In the midst of it all, we visited campuses near home. We knocked out OSU, UO, and UW, but decided to wait until we heard about acceptances before traveling east. Sarah checked the mail each day and was rewarded one by one with letters of acceptances from all six of her schools! We are so proud of her!
It took until mid-March to hear back from schools in the eastern US, so it was April before Sarah and Larry flew across the country for The Big College Campus Tour. They landed in Boston, where they spent two days visiting Northeastern and SMFA. A rental car took them to upstate New York, and they spent a day each at Syracuse and RIT. On their last night, they were finally able to catch their collective breath and had a lovely dinner with friends Mark and Susan Hittle, who live outside Buffalo. A quick visit to Niagara Falls before flying home the next day was a must. You can't be that close and not visit such a landmark!
With less than two weeks left before Commitment Day on May 1st, the pressure was on to make a decision. In the end, it wasn't that hard. Once Sarah found the college she liked most, she knew it. Today she sent in her official acceptance. And the winner is... Syracuse University!
We have an exciting summer ahead of us as we prepare for her long-distance college debut. It will be hard to have her so far away, but we have discovered the magic of Skype, and that should make it easier. I hope her college experience is everything she wants it to be, and more. Congratulations, Sarah!
Sarah's search has been diametrically opposite. Perhaps because of our college experiences, we want her to have the opportunity to leave home and live the college life to its fullest.
Her college search began over a year ago, online. She and Larry culled through hundreds, no, thousands of colleges, trying to find ones that would be a good fit for her and her intended major - Art. Schools in disagreeable locations and of undesired philosophies were eliminated. Those too large or too small fell off the list. Art schools were discarded in favor of universities. Little by little the list was narrowed down to a more manageable number. Hours were spent daily studying web sites and updating charts. Tables and matrices were created to keep track of all the gathered information. Heads were reeling and often, tears of frustration flowed. We even sought the guidance of our friend and professional college counselor, Joe Bernard, whose objective opinion and advice were invaluable.
Eventually, after months of research, we got to the point of narrowing down the list to six schools. On the west coast: University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and University of Washington. On the east coast: Northeastern University (who has a partnership for their BFA students with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), Syracuse University, and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Next step: college applications. Sarah was really good about completing all the nitty gritty detailed bits of information required on the applications. The first one was the toughest; after that most of the blanks were filled with the same information in some form or another. Her challenge was in writing her essays. Obscure or open-ended prompts were the trickiest. (What do they really want to know?) Limiting essays to maximum numbers of words - or expanding to meet minimums! - was a constant struggle. I became Sarah's chief editor and second pair of eyes. She became really good at taking a response from one question and tweaking it to fit another. Whew! Finally, all six applications were sent off and the waiting began. Sarah has excellent grades and strong test scores, so our hopes were high as the waiting began.
In the midst of it all, we visited campuses near home. We knocked out OSU, UO, and UW, but decided to wait until we heard about acceptances before traveling east. Sarah checked the mail each day and was rewarded one by one with letters of acceptances from all six of her schools! We are so proud of her!
It took until mid-March to hear back from schools in the eastern US, so it was April before Sarah and Larry flew across the country for The Big College Campus Tour. They landed in Boston, where they spent two days visiting Northeastern and SMFA. A rental car took them to upstate New York, and they spent a day each at Syracuse and RIT. On their last night, they were finally able to catch their collective breath and had a lovely dinner with friends Mark and Susan Hittle, who live outside Buffalo. A quick visit to Niagara Falls before flying home the next day was a must. You can't be that close and not visit such a landmark!
With less than two weeks left before Commitment Day on May 1st, the pressure was on to make a decision. In the end, it wasn't that hard. Once Sarah found the college she liked most, she knew it. Today she sent in her official acceptance. And the winner is... Syracuse University!
We have an exciting summer ahead of us as we prepare for her long-distance college debut. It will be hard to have her so far away, but we have discovered the magic of Skype, and that should make it easier. I hope her college experience is everything she wants it to be, and more. Congratulations, Sarah!
