Catherine - MIT broke my son's heart

[BulldogTom]

Today was the early decision date for MIT applicants. Patrick was not granted early admission but was deferred to regular admission decisions. Looks like he is not going to MIT. I can't imagine that if they did not want him now, they will want him in the regular process.

MIT's loss will be some other university's gain.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[Lion EA]

Tell Patrick to keep his hopes up, but to apply to other colleges as well. The regular process will pit him against a different pool of applicants than early admission, so don't lose hope.

[Mr. Pencil]

I can't imagine that if they did not want him now, they will want him in the regular process.

I'm sure that's not what it means. Early decision is a different process, with only a limited enrollment for certain departments. It is probably irrelevant to regular process. But welcome to adulthood, what? Time to start on the back up plans!

[SaraEA]

Tell your son that things happen for a reason. Maybe the girl of his dreams isn't going to MIT. He'll meet her at his second choice.

My son refused to apply to MIT. Part of the reason was that despite the chorus that "We're all a team here. We don't compete with one another because we were all smart enough to get into MIT so now we're a brotherhood," he didn't see that with his own eyes. While waiting for a tour to begin around noontime we sat in a huge rotunda that was apparently a passage to and from the cafeteria. Aside from some girls who went to and fro in small groups, almost all of the guys walked by themselves. My son picked that up as a lack of friendship and "brotherhood."

He ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Just a few years out, he now makes more than his parents PUT TOGETHER ever made in a single year in their entire careers. He made many lifetime friends there. So see, MIT is not the only place that can train engineers and it might not be the best place to go if you want to have a life outside of your studies.

[BulldogTom]

Backup plans have been in effect for several years. He has applied to the following schools:

UC San Diego

UC Berkeley

UC Davis

UC Merced

Stanford

Rice

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

San Jose State

MIT - deferred decision to regular admission actions

California Institute of Technology - rejected in early admissions action

Daddy wants him to apply to 2 more schools, but he does not want to apply:

Georgia Tech - "why would I want to go to an engineering school where the mascot is a ramblin' wreck? If it is an engineering school, make the mascot a sports car, not a wreck"

Vanderbilt - Daddy wants to go see SEC football games with his son, and I love Nashville. Son - not so much.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[BulldogTom]

Tell your son that things happen for a reason. Maybe the girl of his dreams isn't going to MIT. He'll meet her at his second choice.

My son refused to apply to MIT. Part of the reason was that despite the chorus that "We're all a team here. We don't compete with one another because we were all smart enough to get into MIT so now we're a brotherhood," he didn't see that with his own eyes. While waiting for a tour to begin around noontime we sat in a huge rotunda that was apparently a passage to and from the cafeteria. Aside from some girls who went to and fro in small groups, almost all of the guys walked by themselves. My son picked that up as a lack of friendship and "brotherhood."

He ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Just a few years out, he now makes more than his parents PUT TOGETHER ever made in a single year in their entire careers. He made many lifetime friends there. So see, MIT is not the only place that can train engineers and it might not be the best place to go if you want to have a life outside of your studies.

Both my son's are looking at Carnegie Mellon for their masters programs. Depends on where they get their first jobs. If they stay in the bay area, it is a viable choice for them.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[Lion EA]

Carnegie Mellon. Stepdaughter's engineer boyfriend graduated from Dartmouth. Michigan State has a large engineering school with lots of majors; the first college to have a packaging major, everything from wooden crates to the shell of the space shuttle. Bucknell or Lehigh or Penn, one of those graduated some engineers from my stepdaughter's group of friends. A friend of my son's graduated in environmental engineering from Princeton, which has a huge endowment and provides the largest scholarships to every student. A church friend's son is an engineer from Vanderbuilt (Tom: they have a lousy football team; UCONN has beaten them!). Lots of choices out there for your son.

There are more similarities than differences. He'll find one that feels like home. A wreck for a mascot can be a deal-breaker. And, that's OK as it has to feel like home for four years and a place HE can be proud of for the rest of his life. My son chose a college based on the microfridges that came in the dorm rooms, I think! Although, he did eliminate colleges based on how well they answered his questions as opposed to speaking from a script, so he had his methods. Your son was perceptive to realize that loner students will not make a good network when he's out in the work world.

Pick up a copy of

1. Accept My Kid, Please!: A Dad's Descent Into College ...
   books.google.com › Family & Relationships › Parenting › General

   Take My Son, Please - New York Times Mr. Herman explores the far edge of sanity in a memoir released last month, ''Accept My Kid, Please! A Dad's Descent Into College ...

written by a columnist in Westport, CT, about college searches for their boys. It'll ring true plus give you some huge laughs and help you relax.

[Catherine]

Today was the early decision date for MIT applicants. Patrick was not granted early admission but was deferred to regular admission decisions. Looks like he is not going to MIT. I can't imagine that if they did not want him now, they will want him in the regular process.

MIT's loss will be some other university's gain.

Tom

Hollister, CA

Tom --

My sympathies that your son didn't get accepted under early decision -- that has got to be disappointing for both of you. He still has a chance under the regular admission rules, so don't give up all hope!

As far as other schools go -- has he considered Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester MA? They have an excellent reputation, they do a good job, and Worcester is a really nice small city -- and one hour from Boston and Providence (with trains and buses each way, too). I've worked with WPI engineers; they are generally excellent.

Catherine

[kcjenkins]

Sorry he did not get the early admission, but I'd still expect a strong chance he makes it on the regular admission. But if he ends up at UC-Davis, I want to introduce him to my granddaughter who started there this fall.

[taxxcpa]

The most successful person I know, Chuck Davidson, who is CEO of Noble Energy went to Purdue for his Engineering degree.

[Gail in Virginia]

I might as well put in a plug for Virginia Tech (VPI). They also have an excellent engineering program, and play in the ACC conference - not great for football but a fantastic conference for basketball. Unfortunately, their mascot is the Hokie bird - basically a turkey.

[BulldogTom]

(Tom: they have a lousy football team; UCONN has beaten them!).

Actually, they are getting better, but being lousy means I will be able to get tickets for their home games against the GOOD SEC football schools who don't care about education. You know, like Auburn (Cam Newton scandal ring a bell) Florida (what are they up to - I think 7 transfers that want to go somewhere else to play because they only care about getting into the NFL), Texas A&M ( bye - bye sophomore Football Johnny).

And Vanderbilt is in Nashville, which I could visit on a regular basis and never get tired of going there.

Tom

Hollister, CA

[kcjenkins]

Tom, did you get the pic I sent you by email?

[BulldogTom]

Tom, did you get the pic I sent you by email?

Nothing in my inbox from you KC. When did you send it? [email protected]

Tom

Hollister, CA