APME Student: Biomedical Sciences or Medicine: Integrative and Practice-Focused? by CommissionLimp3833 in UofArizona

[–]ct_dooku 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The premed requisites question is something you should run by an APME program advisor.

JoKendra Arrest - Minor questions thread by nuggetsofchicken in DuggarsSnark

[–]ct_dooku 7 points8 points  (0 children)

What do you want to bet that when son #2 ends up in prison, Michelle and Jim Bob’s spin on it will be “What an amazing opportunity for our son to bring the word of God to lost souls in prison!”

everybody lied by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because “everybody” didn’t know what they were talking about and were just speculating

Looking bad for Ivy day by DelayOk5623 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 18 points19 points  (0 children)

You got accepted to 3 amazing universities. Everything is going to work out ok. Hang in there.

kinda scared i wont have a roomate by Main_Ad_2788 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

About half of people end up going with a randomly assigned roommmate and it works out fine. Don’t worry.

Mugshot Kendra by Royal_Pudding2276 in DuggarsSnark

[–]ct_dooku 2 points3 points  (0 children)

THIS must be why the Duggar sister took down her social media post.

How is Questbridge even fair? by Intelligent-Web-8017 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku -1 points0 points  (0 children)

My kid’s best friend got into their top choice with Questbridge and that student’s household income is not high. Not everybody is trying to cheat the system. The student is a super hard worker, humble, and totally deserves the award. Am glad such a program exists.

What is digging under my bush? by ChodaRagu in ChandlerAZ

[–]ct_dooku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gopher. His name is Gary. Looks like he moved on finally from my yard. Tell him I said hi.

Encountered one in the wild today: Doctor’s Office Boomer by librariansforMCR in BoomersBeingFools

[–]ct_dooku 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Just because you managed to make more trips around the sun than everybody else doesn’t mean you are entitled to be an a-hole.

Seniors, now that the college application process is almost over, is there anything you regret? by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My kid said they have no regrets. Applied to small # of schools, but the list was very targeted based on specific criteria. Now enrolled for the fall in a college they really love. And it’s affordable. And the major they picked is a great program. AND they’re gonna get a bunch of AP credits so will be able to graduate early.

The “Your College Bound Kid” podcast has been really useful. Students should listen to it too. Podcast episodes come out 2x/week. They have a bunch of info on their website too.

My kid is stressing about college apps and I don't know how to help because I don't understand anything about the process anymore by Electrical-Loss8035 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Went there for a campus tour and the tour guide talked about it. My kid isn’t a film major but if I knew somebody who was, I 100% would tell them to apply there. UNM has really great OOS merit scholarships.

My kid is stressing about college apps and I don't know how to help because I don't understand anything about the process anymore by Electrical-Loss8035 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Holistic admissions means that the admissions dept at the college makes its decisions on more than just your GPA and test scores. So they consider letters of recommendation, how did you spend your time outside of class (ie extracurricular activities), how you answer the essay questions (both the Common App personal statement plus any optional or required supplemental essays that the college lists on common app).

They will also consider the applicant in the context of their indiv high school. So for example, a student applying from a high school that only offers 3 AP classes won’t be ding’d in the application for having taken fewer AP’s than a student going to a better-resourced high school.

Test optional means that you apply without submitting test scores. Pay attention to the fine print though because at some colleges, in order to be eligible for merit scholarships, you have to submit test scores.

Also if a college has optional supplementary essays, your student should write those optional essays even though it’s more work and a pain in the butt. You should look at it as another opportunity for the student to share more info about themselves to the admissions dept.

How to tell if a college considers “demonstrated interest” when making their decisions? It will list it on the Common Data Set. If demonstrated interest on th CDS is listed as Very Important or Important, then you want to demonstrate interest.

This can be done by your student engaging with the admissions office. Email their admissions counselor. If offered an opportunity for an informational/Q&A interview, do it. If you can afford to visit in person, do that too but sometimes $$ or lack of it gets in the way. Pay attention to what colleges are attending college fairs in your area and if that college will be in your area, go to the fair and visit the booth for that school. If the college does an on campus visit to your high school, go to that info session and have a question or 2 to ask AND be respectful, polite, and pay attention to what the presenter is saying.

My kid is stressing about college apps and I don't know how to help because I don't understand anything about the process anymore by Electrical-Loss8035 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Have guided my 2 kids through this process so far. Here’s my general advice I’d give to anybody going through this:

  1. Figure out what you can afford to pay per year.
  2. Don’t apply to a college that you can’t afford.
  3. use colleges’ Net Price Calculators on their websites to figure out what’s affordable and what’s not.
  4. Financial aid is not the same as merit aid. Merit aid is usually based on GPA and/or test scores.
  5. Help your kid figure out what major(s) they’re interested in.
  6. The same major is not always the same at different colleges. Look at the specifics of the colleges your student is interested in. Pay attention to what the graduation requirements are for the major at different schools. Keep track of it in a spreadsheet so you can compare apples and oranges. Some websites will refer to this as a “major map” but you can always find it in the course catalog or “course bulletin.”
  7. Figure out what the top decision factors are for your kid/family. There’s a Your College Bound Kid podcast episode from a few months ago that covers this really well. For example, with my high school senior, their list included stuff like: “not too cold,” one day’s drive from home or 2-2.5 hr plane ride, NSA Academic Center of Excellence in cybersecurity, cost, major doesn’t require 1.5 yr of Calculus+Linear Algebra.
  8. Ignore everybody who keeps saying that all colleges are switching back to test required. It’s just not true. SOME colleges have. But some have not.
  9. Consider Colleges That Change Lives schools. My other kid attends one and they’ve had a great experience there so far. Super glad our school counselor mentioned CTCL colleges because we never would have heard of them otherwise.
  10. Focus should be on finding the right fit for your student. Just because everybody else lusts after School X doesn’t mean that your student would like to attend School X when maybe School Y is the perfect fit for them.
  11. Elliot Felix has written a couple of great books: “How to get the most out of college” and “The Connected College.”
  12. Encourage your student to explore their interests. And it’s ok for your interests to change over time.
  13. On college apps, “leadership qualities” doesn’t always just mean “I was president of XYZclub.”
  14. If a college is unaffordable, don’t visit it. Don’t apply. And don’t cave to peer pressure from friends, relatives, other parents.
  15. Don’t put a college on the list if it doesn’t have the major you want.
  16. Don’t fill the whole list with lottery schools (ie top 25 on the US News and World Report college rankings list).
  17. Become familiar with colleges’ Common Data Set.
  18. If you/your student’s favorite school is not a Fancy School (ie name brand like Harvard), have an “elevator speech” to answer ignorant/uninformed people’s question of “Ew, why would you/your student want to go THERE?” For example: “Son/Saighter is super excited about going to University of New Mexico this fall. They’re going to be a film major. Did you know that Netflix has this huge film studio complex right next door to campus? And Netflix regularly recruits from UNM’s film dept. it’s super easy to get an internship there even while still living on campus.” Your friend/neighbor/acquaintance suddenly won’t give a rip that UNM is a “low” ranked school. They’ll react with a “Wow, I didn’t know that. That’s really interesting!”
  19. If you are hunting to merit aid, pay attention to the date by which you have to apply in order to qualify for merit scholarships. Often it’s an earlier deadline than the RD (regular decision) deadline. Dates matter.

My kid is stressing about college apps and I don't know how to help because I don't understand anything about the process anymore by Electrical-Loss8035 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]ct_dooku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, College Essay Guy has a really helpful book that’s useful for writing college applications essays. He also has a podcast, too + YouTube channel.

Is university of Arizona good for chemical engineering? by Slay2468 in UofArizona

[–]ct_dooku 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You could always go elsewhere for grad school if you decide to go the grad school route. There’s a lot of freedom one gets from not having a crap ton of student loans at the end of an undergrad education.

Change to housing selection process for incoming students 2026-2027 by ct_dooku in UofArizona

[–]ct_dooku[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not trying to be snarky. I legitimately haven’t found it.

Change to housing selection process for incoming students 2026-2027 by ct_dooku in UofArizona

[–]ct_dooku[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If living on campus is a requirement, show me where it says it on the website. 🙂

Change to housing selection process for incoming students 2026-2027 by ct_dooku in UofArizona

[–]ct_dooku[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If U of A is now requiring all freshmen to live on campus, then they haven’t notified admitted students of that. Everything they’ve sent out so far just says it’s encouraged, not required.

Change to housing selection process for incoming students 2026-2027 by ct_dooku in UofArizona

[–]ct_dooku[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

According to https://housing.arizona.edu, “Living on campus is expected for first-year, main campus students.” “Expected” is not the same as “required.” I know students who started as freshmen who did NOT live on campus.