Anonymous
02/27/2026 21:50
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:DD has applied broadly to 10+ schools and is more of an average student (3.5w in NoVa, test optional), and has gotten some great acceptances (in my book) but is not really in love with any of them.
She would ideally be a business or marketing major but did not apply to the business school at most college because it was more competitive.
Her current choices are: JMU, Michigan state, Indiana, college of Charleston, and is requesting review to main campus at Penn state. (Accepted to 2+2).
She is not really interested in some of the smaller schools we looked at.
How can I help her come to terms with the fact that there may be no “dream” school for her? Also she does not want to take a gap year or go to NOVA and then transfer.
Why did she apply to schools that she wasn’t interested in?
My daughter has an unweighted 3.7 and went test optional for Biology. She was admitted to St. Mary’s, UVM, JMU, F&M, SUNY Stony Brook. She’s excited but hasn’t decided yet.
There were definitely options out there. Are there any other colleges that she would get excited about which may have rolling admission?
Your daughter was admitted to great schools but I’m questioning why she applied to schools she wasn’t excited about and not in her chosen major?
Anonymous
02/27/2026 21:47
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:DD has applied broadly to 10+ schools and is more of an average student (3.5w in NoVa, test optional), and has gotten some great acceptances (in my book) but is not really in love with any of them.
She would ideally be a business or marketing major but did not apply to the business school at most college because it was more competitive.
Her current choices are: JMU, Michigan state, Indiana, college of Charleston, and is requesting review to main campus at Penn state. (Accepted to 2+2).
She is not really interested in some of the smaller schools we looked at.
How can I help her come to terms with the fact that there may be no “dream” school for her? Also she does not want to take a gap year or go to NOVA and then transfer.
Why did she apply to schools that she wasn’t interested in?
My daughter has an unweighted 3.7 and went test optional for Biology. She was admitted to St. Mary’s, UVM, JMU, F&M, SUNY Stony Brook. She’s excited but hasn’t decided yet.
There were definitely options out there. Are there any other colleges that she would get excited about which may have rolling admission?
Anonymous
02/27/2026 21:43
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She's lucky she got into so many good schools. Beggars can't be choosers. If she wanted better she should have worked harder. Every one of them would be fine -- and fun.
Go f yourself.
Take your meds.
Chill man. I think you forgot your meds. This is a forum and everyone has a right to their opinions.
I agree. Mid grades. Test optional. You get what you get and don’t be upset.
Indiana is overrated. Most kids I know who got in are mid students. These are not the 4.0 with 1500 SAT kids.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 21:28
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
I know people who’ve had great experiences at Indiana and Michigan. I grew up in the Midwest, attended an LAC in the Northeast, but there’s a corner of me that wishes I had also experienced a Midwestern flagship.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 21:18
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Great list of schools - my own kids had similar acceptances and chose JMU. Absolutely loved it.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:59
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
My DS and I both loved JMU. It's still on his list. Everyone seemed so happy there! And it's great because you don't have to decide a major going in.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:57
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Temple is another one that does rolling admissions. What specifically is she unhappy about? The locations? Fit? Programs?
Please tell me more about this. DS is in the same boat as OPs DD and he likes big cities.
Temple doesn't hold a candle to any of the schools on OP's list.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:57
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Can you go to admitted student days?
Those are good options! I hope she gets excited about one.
Those are good options! I hope she gets excited about one.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:56
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
If she wants business, maybe pick the one where that can be added later the most easily? Where it is direct admit, and she chose a different route, it may not be easy.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:52
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:Temple is another one that does rolling admissions. What specifically is she unhappy about? The locations? Fit? Programs?
Please tell me more about this. DS is in the same boat as OPs DD and he likes big cities.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:44
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:She's lucky she got into so many good schools. Beggars can't be choosers. If she wanted better she should have worked harder. Every one of them would be fine -- and fun.
Go f yourself.
Take your meds.
Why are you so worked up? Everything I said is true. And they're all fine schools. It's unreasonable for a 3.5 student applying test optional to be disappointed with these results. They're good schools! Frankly I'm surprised she got into them all.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:42
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:Maybe she’s just not excited about college in general, but it reads as not being excited about her options. I say that as a parent whose kid got accepted to their first choice school but seems kind of ho hum about it. Change is hard and college is a big change. I agree with a couple previous posters - she doesn’t need to be excited, she just needs to make a choice; college is what you make of it; it’s overwhelming; and she has some good options.
My kid also got his first choice but isn’t visibly excited. He’s a low key guy but I think he’s also tired of it and just wants to enjoy the rest of his senior year. And it’s a lot to process.
Validate her feelings, it’s all so built up with unrealistic expectations. Just help her gather info so she can decide.
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:42
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Anonymous wrote:DD has applied broadly to 10+ schools and is more of an average student (3.5w in NoVa, test optional), and has gotten some great acceptances (in my book) but is not really in love with any of them.
She would ideally be a business or marketing major but did not apply to the business school at most college because it was more competitive.
Her current choices are: JMU, Michigan state, Indiana, college of Charleston, and is requesting review to main campus at Penn state. (Accepted to 2+2).
She is not really interested in some of the smaller schools we looked at.
How can I help her come to terms with the fact that there may be no “dream” school for her? Also she does not want to take a gap year or go to NOVA and then transfer.
Many more decisions will come in during March. That's the big month for regular decisions. And it's not quite March 1 yet!
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:40
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
OP, it's a time of upheaval. All around her, it's unsettling. If she's destined for in-state JMU, a light of enthusiasm will probably just click-on some random time. Maybe when she can imagine who else is going, and imagines having a community there.
Or if she's destined for OOS, be prepared for, perhaps, an 11th hour close to the deadline decision. Maybe she'd like to go OOS but she's scared. Needs to face that, sort out. Learning of one other student she knows who will attend too, that could make-up her mind. Or she works through a lot of emotion the next couple months and attends knowing no one.
As long as you, financially, really are ok with her going anywhere, let it be ok if it's a last minute decision
Or if she's destined for OOS, be prepared for, perhaps, an 11th hour close to the deadline decision. Maybe she'd like to go OOS but she's scared. Needs to face that, sort out. Learning of one other student she knows who will attend too, that could make-up her mind. Or she works through a lot of emotion the next couple months and attends knowing no one.
As long as you, financially, really are ok with her going anywhere, let it be ok if it's a last minute decision
Anonymous
02/27/2026 20:34
Subject: DD not excited about any of her options
Maybe you need to show that you are happy and excited about the schools she got into. And you are right that with her credentials she did really well.