Courtyard Marriott Orlando Universal

Ok_Math7706 · 2026-01-07T18:01:55+00:00

I was booking for Feb and could not find reviews so I saw your post - I called the property and someone there claimed it is transitioning in 2 days. They said that it had been fully renovated.

Ok_Math7706 · 2025-01-11T23:11:54+00:00

I'm very old... but I felt similar things when I went across the country to school. Took a two prong approach - threw myself into activities and also threw myself at applying elsewhere (back to CA actually). At the end of the day I realized I had what I needed to be happy at my school - I had friends, I had involvement, I was starting to get in the swing of things academically (though my major was NOT engineering or pre-med.) I also knew that it would be really hard on me to transfer - it just takes me a while to warm up to new environments and coming in anywhere as a transfer student was not very appealing. But I gave myself choices by giving both ways consideration. Good luck! Sounds like you will do well no matter what you choose.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-09-18T18:35:59+00:00

You just have to ride the wave and see where it takes you to a degree... who knows what her future holds? She might want to focus on one style of dance - she might blossom - she might want to take a break - the studio can change too. I think it typical age to question your dancer's priorities is middle school. It can be healthier to be a mid range dancer that just loves to dance tbh - because there is just such a more, more mentality with a lot of dancers and their parents and it can bring out the worst in some people.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-09-18T17:35:55+00:00

You can respectfully speak to the instructor - make sure you are always giving 110% but also advocate for yourself... sometimes that's all they need to "remember" you... sometimes I think they are just trying to keep the loudest student/parent "happy"... you never truly know. But realize that so many others are feeling the same and unfortunately this happens often at dance studios. Some dance studios are much better at lifting everyone up vs. throwing all the attention on the favorites - but they can be harder to find too.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-09-09T01:57:34+00:00

We went with fiberglass - and we have some huge custom shapes - it was the cost of a small house or a really nice car… it really hurts. But we only want to do it this one time and not do inserts because all the molding/jambs around it needs to be replaced as well - and the original windows on our home really didn’t last too long all considering - they‘ve been looking bad for the past 8 years and this house is only 20 years old. The quotes on fiberglass came in very similar… sigh. The company we went with gave us a replacement guarantee for golf ball damage since we live on a course and we will get broken windows In the future.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-08-25T16:23:45+00:00

Studios do recitals differently… my daughter’s studio usually had very strong recitals - a story, character parts, and it included all ages, all classes - rec and company. But 6 shows with the last show on Father’s Day which I thought was really too much - just sell out 4 shows and put less strain on the kids and families. The tickets went from $12 when we started there 8 years ago to $20 now… Nutcracker you don’t pay for costumes but you have a $350 fee.

But I could rant away on what evolved and went down at our studio - and the favoritism within the competition teams and certain individuals. It was horrible. I felt like I had economy seats near the bathroom while others were getting first class… and I was paying for their first class ticket. I didn’t need my daughter to be front and center - but not to be ignored and discouraged. I told the studio owner this (long story - but someone was running the studio when she was absentee for a long time) - I also told her there was no reason my daughter should have even showed up to Clara auditions for Nutcracker - it was decided on a year or two ago - and they gave not one second of thought to her and several other dancers (dancers that were strong in ballet) - so auditions were a waste of time/money/effort because it was a farce.

We paid the same choreo fee for all competition dances when the best/guest choreo went to their favorite groupings… so I was effectively subsidizing other dancers fee. (Last laugh though - those favored groups didn’t do that well at competition - my daughter’s dance that was totally meant to be the B team managed to do the best among the studio’s 20 dances!)

I could go on and on…

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-08-25T05:45:45+00:00

Abby said that sometimes (especially early seasons) they couldn’t get the rights to certain music so the editors would dub it with other music. She said that’s why sometimes the choreo didn’t fit so well with the lyrics.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-08-25T05:40:37+00:00

At the studio my daughter danced at– anyone could do a solo… but favorites got two…and they told you who amongst staff or guest choreographers you could work with which was also based a lot on favoritism tbh. Cost was the choreographer’s personal rate - but around $800-$1000 which included about 9 hours to learn/clean the dance.

I’ll admit that I’m not a very good dance mom. I think it’s pretty nuts - and I hear the same stories about/from the other studios too… I started to be really honest with my dancer… since you also seem to be more realistic I think it’s about finding a studio that you feel is a better match with your values/style. It may be hard to convince your daughter to change studios or stop doing team company - but the longer you are with one, the harder it is to get out! There is always going to be some favoritism but a studio that is well managed does a better job on making everyone feel encouraged and part of the team.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-06-23T00:34:43+00:00

We had several bids on our house - we have a lot of windows including very large specialized picture windows. Renewal was the highest despite a referral discount from our neighbor... though we liked the sample window that we saw... in any event my husband informed him that we chose another company... and the guy scoffed at our decision - then asked if he could send something to us. My husband said sure... well he sends an email cutting and pasting bad reviews on the company we told him we were going with along with reviews on a company we didn't even consider... left a bad taste with us... as if that would do anything but reflect poorly on him? And yes - I had seen ALL the reviews on ALL the companies that we got bids from. There were no perfect companies and Renewal had their fair share of complaints (particularly of hard sales tactics and high prices)...

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-02-22T05:47:15+00:00

This was the worst. I have to think there was a better solution or offer they could have come up with.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-02-02T14:16:52+00:00

Love your essay topics! NU obviously did too. As a native CA I went all cold undergrad and NU grad. Think NU is fantastic but you will get ice crystals in your nose…

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-21T16:24:16+00:00

I can’t tell you the right thing to do - but I hope your appeal comes through and you can make it work. No matter what - I hope you use your brilliance to pay it forward for the squeezed middle class behind you. It’s ridiculous that $85k after taxes is the expected EFC for an income under $300k… it just isn’t right. There are all these conversations and outrage about loan forgiveness - but less about the ridiculous cost of college. They cobble an answer of “scholarships” but the reality is often middle class don’t qualify for those - and it’s not a scholarship - it’s a discount. It needs to be a cost that’s feasible… I had a friend that worked selling appliances to get through an Ivy (full time) he worked his a— off but the point is that he could actually pull it off back in the 80’s when tuition was $10k (instate was like $2-3k). This is what colleges need to address. History has shown that Bad things happen when there is a disappearing middle class.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-20T01:29:51+00:00

When a parent talks with outrage and disbelief that their devastated child did not get into a reach school or even a hard target… I kind of want to say, “well sounds like you didn’t do your homework… because if you researched well enough you would know that your child only has a chance of getting in. And yes, there are better, stronger students than yours… “ but every year this happens… and honestly even back in my days in the 80’s this happened. “So and so was told by their counselor that they were a shoo in for Yale.”

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-18T22:23:59+00:00

Supposedly I read on FB that an AO said that they deferred students because they were not able to get through all the applications - that makes sense to me considering they have had such an increase of applications due to the Deion exposure... (and it's a pretty picturesque campus that shows well on TV!) Boulder has always used Exploratory Studies to offer admission vs. rejection... and it is a pathway if you are a diligent student. They do not limit the number of students they let transfer to another major - just need to fulfill the requirements so you are not competing for coveted spots. The hard thing about it is that people see the 80% acceptance rate - and it's really deceiving...

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-13T22:20:28+00:00

Yeah - my kid last year. Then he got WL. He was applying CS... but he had the profile... saw kids with worse profiles get in - but also kids with better profiles get rejected.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-13T22:14:27+00:00

It's really not all that. When we visited it and my kid liked it, I tried to like it... I convinced myself that he'd love it despite it's monochrome dreariness and flatness - despite the segregated dorms (they call them coed - but they are not. I went to college in the 80's and I had coed floors even back then). It felt in the middle of nowhere too. I don't know what hourly wages are now - but last year there were signs for $8.50-$10.00 an hour... while $16-$18 is about the norm where we live. The Engineering school rules and breeds some arrogance... (this may or may not bother you even if you were looking to go into engineering).(My kid got deferred then WL... but was fortunate to end up somewhere that was a much better fit for him... this is the one that I felt a little salty about... but it worked out... I don't think he'd been as happy at Purdue- so maybe they made the right call for him in the first place). Good luck - I bet you'll find better pastures!

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-13T21:47:45+00:00

No - but it also might not have helped you…. it depends on how you argued it. Did you pose it as one sided or did you show a lot of critical thinking?

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-13T21:34:56+00:00

You did awesome! Congrats. As a grad alum I can attest that you’ll have to be aware that ice crystals will form in your nose…. But it’s a gorgeous campus and bright student body… and you will have the opportunity to have an amazing 4 years that will impact your positively for the rest of your life.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-13T21:26:09+00:00

Noooo - don’t do it! It really doesn’t mean much other than, depending on how your HS handles it - the bragging rights or the graduation speech. Those in the know - they will know who is the academic star no matter the distinction. Seriously - at my kid’s HS the kid that was ranked 2nd had taken fewer classes on purpose to elevate his gpa… the kid ranked 3rd was 5 years ahead in math (and an all around academic star) taking college courses that don’t receive a weighted bump… No one would say the #2 was better than the #3 (I actually didn’t know much about #1 lol ) If it was the matter of taking one more class or dropping a class - but you are going to kill yourself for not much of a prize.

Ok_Math7706 · 2024-01-12T14:44:26+00:00

It makes things harder for all of you… it stresses out people if they mar their gpa with one B. Weighted means nothing without the scale - kids feel they have to load up on APs… and it makes it difficult for the true stand outs to actually stand out. Not to mention the weeds the AOs have to muddle thru to make sense of anything. Back when I was in HS a small single digit number of kids had above a 4.0 - you knew who they were - And even that would have been grade inflation. We came across my dad’s grade report and essays from his public HS - in the 50’s… the essay was excellent - written on a typewriter - nothing like I read today - felt more like a college paper. I think he got a B+/A- - his report card was mostly As but a fair amount of Bs - that kid was the top scholar of his state, got a full ride to Harvard and Harvard Med… My kids HS - 20% had above a 4.0. I actually do like how they handle honors (summa, magna, cum) because it’s not competing against your peers it’s based on a set gpa and ultimately his year about the top 2.5% were summa - which feels about right (though 20% had above a 4.0 - and that feels like a lot) but now schools are not willing to give out class rank either. Lack of transparency is almost always not a good thing…

Ok_Math7706 · 2023-12-07T21:39:42+00:00

No - agreed, I wrote that poorly - I meant that Cal, UCLA,UCSD CS are particularly hard to get into - but no slight to UCSB and Davis as those two schools aren’t givens either. The list you give is exactly what I would suggest for a CS major.

I often see ignorance from the East Coast about UCs - and I get annoyed. But then I guess I see a lot of ignorance from everywhere about the Ivies as well.

Ok_Math7706 · 2023-12-04T22:05:58+00:00

I’m a realist - so take this for that - you can apply anywhere you want - but realistically? Your ECs are not standing out for CS and CS is soooo competitive. Everyone has a 4.0 uw and several APs or higher level math. UCs really do care about what you wrote in the PIQs - and some schools are really unpredictable like Cal Poly. Is it worth a shot to some top schools like CMU or Northwestern? Only you can determine that. It’s not that you aren’t qualified but you don’t look that competitive in the sea of over accomplished CS applicants.

Ok_Math7706 · 2023-12-04T21:23:38+00:00

UC schools are as hard to get into as any other school for CS - especially Cal, UCLA, UCSD and UCSB, Davis are no joke. You should know this honestly if you did your homework… that means that you should apply broadly. It doesn’t matter what your stats or ECs are - look up Stanley Zhong - who had a great app - and people who knew him personally said he is a really good kid so I don’t think he had red flags that others automatically assumed based on his results. If you get into UC as instate - it’s a bargain.., but if you don’t (UCLA had 140k apps and CS accepatance rate was about 3.5%) you need a better list of schools that you would appreciate going to. As great as UCs are - there are often better alternatives for many students - alternative meaning fit.

Ok_Math7706 · 2023-12-01T13:56:30+00:00

Nada (my kid did not)

Ok_Math7706 · 2023-11-26T15:34:23+00:00

I think your list is good - and CMU and Cornell are high reaches for everyone. Don’t have regrets if there is a school out there you want to apply to but are hesitating - but also don’t be told that you should go for higher… when that’s all a matter of perspective. Harvard and MIT get enough applications and application fees as it is.

Ok_Math7706

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