Okay, so we all know I have a college bound senior right??!!
Then... You must also know that I have a first grade bound kindergartener as well!
If you are new to this blog, I have two children and they are 12 years apart.
This is the year of reckoning as one of them is leaving the nest to become a (semi) adult and the other one is JUST starting out in first grade and its application time for them both!
I am pro-active parent and as such I have worked tirelessly to afford them the best education possible within my means. For my Big-little, that meant living in the county where the schools are up to par and then segueing into an independent school (AKA - Private School) for middle and high school. For my Little-little that means starting the independent school search for him NOW. He now attends one of the BEST schools but there are 37 kindergarteners in one room and his attention is not good enough (I don't ANYONE'S would be THAT MANY 5 year olds in one place) for him to excel the way I am sure he could with more one on one attention.
Which is why I actually started last school year for my boy little, as I wanted him to start in kindergarten at one particular school but he wasn't ready and they weren't accepting him. >_<
That was hard for him (and me) to take, but we decided - I asked him for input, to reapply to that school and another one as well so that we can at least have some balance around the decision making process and his acceptance.
For the Big-little it's a little more complicated; she's a teenaged girl...
Go figure o-O.
She wants to go to school in NY, I want her to go to school in Maryland. Little Miss Contrary. SMH
Anyway, to our great surprise and delight, lo and behold - WE GOT AN ACCEPTANCE TODAY!! From her "real" choice in NY - St. John's University at that! She has a reach school - NYU and two other schools in NY - Fordham and Eugene Lang; Fordham being her second "real" choice.
And...
Wait for it....
They gave her 21K in MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS! PER YEAR!!!!!
***insert happy/praise/shout/dance right here!***
POW! That's what I'm talking about! That independent school education was worth it!
The only thing (or two) is that:
1. The tuition for out of state with room and board is 55K+
2. I don't have 35K in change to spare for her education
Sooooo, when I bring these critical facts to the table, she shuts me down. I told her last night, that I wanted her to apply to Salisbury State as it's a blue ribbon MD school that has so much to offer in the way of her education and fits her criteria of being at least 2 hours away (she has some nerve!).
Hopefully, she will see the light and not be bitter if she doesn't get enough aid to go to St. John's. I told her -
"Look, we are going with whichever school gives you the BEST financial aid package."
PERIOD.
Love your littles,
BBS
