Did your child get into their dream college or university?

[EveHammond13]

I'm going through so much emotional angst over this sometimes I think I just can't deal.

[Freddie]

1. Yes

Penn State. Best of luck to you!

[MissB]

2. The advice is

Have a dream life, not a dream school.

We were clear upfront with our kids as to what we could afford. It basically boiled down to - go to one of the instate schools or get a darn good scholarship at an out of state university because mom and dad were only going to pony up $X/year and no loans. They were welcome to apply anywhere, but if they didn’t get the scholarship then they’d not be going there.Yes, there were some heartbreaks in the process.

Both kids are at out of state universities and they love their schools. Both will graduate with no debt.

One kid graduates in April with his mechanical engineering degree. He’s getting responses from his grad school applications. That’s where he decided to go for the stars. One of the Ivies has offered him a funded masters/PhD program that includes a 30k/year stipend.

Clearly going to an out of state public school didn’t hurt his chances for a decent grad school program.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. More or less.

There are an incredible number of very good schools out there. Big ones, small ones, middle sized ones, public, private, religious, and on and on.

There is no one perfect school for one person.

The thing is, a lot of parents and students get caught up in the hype, and it's a real shame. Many lesser known schools are fabulous.

I will refer you to two books. Colleges That Change Lives and Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That’s Right for You both by Loren Pope. They are both absolutely incredible. Most parents of college-bound kids should read them, preferably around the time your kid is a sophomore in high school.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

4. No, but it worked out well in the end.

My kid wanted to go to U Chicago and got wait listed. In fact, my kid got waitlisted at 7/10 schools applied to. However, an Ivy accepted my kid, who graduated Summa Cum Laude.

It's angst-filled time. It will work out, though.

[femmocrat]

5. No, but it worked out for the best.

He met his future wife at the second-place school and we have two beautiful granddaughters! Sometimes things happen the way they are supposed to.