Parents of the HS Class of 2008 - Page 2

WayOutWestMom · 05-28-2011, 12:15 PM

D2 is a rising senior, double majoring in applied mathematics and neurobiology. Right now she's in Africa doing AIDS/HIV volunteer service. She'll get back to the US, be home for 5 days, then will head for her summer research fellowship in the pathology of brain cancer at a top 10 US med school. I probably won't see her again until Thanksgiving or possibly Christmas.

She is still undecided about what comes next--either grad school (for which she is being groomed by her summer fellowship program) or applying to med school after graduation. She'd like to take a gap year or two and work in a public service-type job before doing either, perhaps on the Navajo Reservation teaching mathematics or doing diabetes health education. She also has started an application for the Peace Corp--though I'm not sure how serious she is about that. Yes, this is my idealist and she is bucking for the Mother Theresa award....

She'll take her GRE in Sept. (The new version GRE. She's getting a free prep class as part of her fellowship award.) She'll take the MCAT in the spring. She'll also be writing an honors thesis next year on her independent research in the cognitive neuropsychology of mathematics. She and her PI are confident that her data are publishable and in fact her preliminary results are being presented (by the PI) at a national conference this summer.

Wow, that sounds like a lot of bragging and maybe it is, but this is a kid who is not naturally brilliant (definitely not a 2400 SAT kid), and who although smart, works very hard for her success.

Is she ending somewhere different that I thought she would? No, she went to college planning on majoring in neurobiology. So no change there. The addition of the math as her second major her sophomore year was a bit of surprise, but she started college only 1 class away from having her math minor completed so maybe not that big of a surprise. She and math have had love-hate relationship since she was 4. But she's accomplished more than I would have ever dreamed. I am tremendously proud of her.

frazzled1 · 05-28-2011, 12:42 PM

Great post, WayOutWestMom - she sounds like a great kid and I don't think you'll be one of those moms who has to do much hand-wringing during graduation.

I'm afraid I might do a bit. D3 has some solid plans made, but she's a big-picture person (as her dad noted when she was a year and a half old) and I don't know what the details are. She's a rising senior, a history major at a great public school (W & M) who wants a career in education. She's loved her time in Williamsburg and has a strong GPA - a pleasant surprise because W & M was a reach for her. She's been accepted into W & M's master's program for 2012-2013 in special ed and will take her first education classes next year, as a senior - her BA will be in history with a concentration (or something like that) in Ed, and her MA will be in Special Ed.

She originally planned to be a high school history teacher, but has worked in a couple of special-needs programs over the past several summers and discovered she has a real knack for working with special-needs kids, especially kids on the autism spectrum. One of my concerns is that she usually works one-on-one with individual kids, and I don't know how that will translate to being a classroom teacher. Other concerns - everyone says the job market is dreadful for new teachers, and some say it's even worse for special ed teachers. And there's not much job security, with school systems cutting budgets and closing schools every year.

I'd be willing to have her come home for a while if she can't find a permanent job right away, but it would be difficult to adjust after the past 3 years of having an empty nest. Her two older sisters are fully launched, which is a blessing I appreciate daily!

I hope we can keep this thread going because I know I'll need some shoulder-patting along the way.

tx5athome · 05-28-2011, 12:52 PM

Hi! D1 just finished her junior year. After changing her major three times she is now a math major (and possibly will get a computer science minor) and due to graduate on time in May of 2012. She plans to get her teaching credential. So I guess she has to apply to teacher credential programs. I also wondered if there was a thread for this year. We also have S2 who is a college freshman (2 more weeks and he will be a sophomore) and S3 who is finishing up his sophomore year in high school.

DeniseC · 05-28-2011, 01:03 PM

Consolation, no, I'm sorry, I don't know very much about the differences between the new and the old GRE.

My kid did read that scores on 'new' tests tend to be a bit lower as everyone adjusts, so wants to try the old version. But that might be nullified if the 'new' test is more straightforward, more analytical.

WayOutWestMom · 05-28-2011, 01:42 PM

The new SAT is chucking the analogies in the verbal section.

Other than that I don't know what else is changing.

~~~~~~

@frazzled--I will be hand wringing because she has NO idea what she'll be doing in-between undergrad and whatever grad/prof school she'll end up in. Her plans seem to change on a daily basis. I figure she can live at home if wants to take a volunteer job after graduation. Or I can send her to live with her sister who just moved into a 3 bedroom house near the state med school campus. (D1 starts med school this July.)

The need for spec ed teachers is highly dependent upon their field of specialization and the geographic area. Teachers trained to work with autistic children seems to be the one area where there is an increasing demand. At least around here. It's tough work and kudos to your daughter for undertaking it.

PackMom · 05-28-2011, 02:03 PM

It helps me to hear that others have kids who can see graduation on the horizon but don't have their lives all mapped out. People keep asking me what S2 is going to do. I wish I knew. I wish he was as concerned about it as we are.

aliceinw · 05-28-2011, 02:20 PM

Another mom of a rising college senior here (though she won't finish her junior year for another ten days - trimester system), and I too had wondered why everyone else seemed to have a thread but us. I also have a S who is finishing his first year in college (hi there, tx5athome).

My D is a linguistics major because she really enjoys it as a topic of study, but to date has professed no interest in pursuing it on a graduate level. In fact, she hasn't really given any concrete clue about what she'd like to do, because I think she doesn't know. I can see a few ideas percolating in her head, and I fully expect her to figure it out in due time. And she has a very independent streak, so I'm pretty sure she will be expecting to support herself one way or another (waitress job, anyone?). So I'm not worrying. That's not to say I won't help if she asks. She mentioned that she may take the GRE this summer, but won't start thinking about it till she gets home. So she probably doesn't even know there's a new one and an old one. Could be interesting.

DonnaL · 05-28-2011, 03:05 PM

From what little I understand about the new GRE, the verbal reasoning section still has reading comprehension, but replaces analogies and antonyms with "text completion" and "sentence equivalence" questions.

If the sample questions are anything like the real test is going to be, these new sections appear to be almost absurdly easy -- certainly no more difficult than the SAT:

GRE Revised General Test: Text Completion

GRE Revised General Test: Sentence Equivalence

jrpar · 05-28-2011, 03:07 PM

My soon to be senior son is very focussed on post grad job opportunities, without parental direction (although he does frequently consult with us about what he is thinking). I think this is a result of having gone through a very time-consuming and intense interview process this winter for a summer internship in his chosen field. I would say he went into the winter process relatively naive about how hard a job search can be, and came out of it having learned a ton - resume refining, prepping for interviews, networking with others already in the field. A friend a year ahead of him was an invaluable advisor on how to interview. It was a great learning experience, although it was tough to do this and keep up with school too.

My sense is that there will be more opportunities for the class of 2012 compared to what my older son's class (2009) faced. Hope that proves to be the case!

esobay · 05-28-2011, 03:35 PM

rising senior D here, too. She's the reason I got on the CC crack train. I found it too late to help her much, not that she needed it much. Helped lots more with her college 14 bro.

Anyway, she also changed her major, added and subtracted minors, enjoyed her time abroad and has an internship this summer. This will be her first internship/work in her field. After Freshman year summer she didn't find much, although she did work as a clerk. Soph summer she spent on campus (semi-required at Dart). So this is the first opportunity. She is already technically a Senior given the summer quarter on campus. She is taking this fall off and will finish off the two quarters left on time. Not sure what she is going to do Sept to Jan. Not sure when she'll take the GRE. Not sure what she'll do long term.

I am not too stressed out over the lack of planning, she will get something going in time. I am MMORE stressed out because she finally got diagnosed with Mono. I thought she might have it when we saw her Christmas. Now it is the week before big projects and finals and she finally went to the Dr. after two weeks of temps, low temps, but DUHH. It is hard to be so far away and not be able to help. And doesn't help at all that my sister had mono which lead to a host of other problems.

She'll be home for the first time since Christmas for 4 or 5 days, then off to drive to internship... with a guy, not us! We do plan to go visit, but I liked the other plan where she flew directly to internship and we met her there with a car and hotel so she could be coddled for a day or two before starting work.

One week until we make the graduation hotel reservations!! yikes!

mini · 05-28-2011, 04:41 PM

Mine graduated in three years, magna cum, senior department award for best student. Had internships in India and Jordan. Turned down a bunch of very good jobs, has a very well-paid internship this summer with KPMG, then accepted into grad. school for a Masters in Accounting for her fourth year, and getting her CPA.

Cayuga · 05-28-2011, 08:11 PM

Hi all--I am glad to see this thread. My D is a senior as well and she is one of those who has no idea what she wants to do. i do know she is quite worried about it. She is a chemistry major and what can you do with chemistry other than a lab job or grad school?

geezermom · 05-28-2011, 08:27 PM

I'm happy to see this thread, too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is wondering what comes next but trying to keep a respectful distance. Will write more when I'm at home in a couple of days and not typing on my iPhone

Alumother · 05-28-2011, 08:33 PM

So this group of parents has the full spectrum of kids, from those who know exactly what they want to do and are down a road if not already employed, to those who know pretty much nothing about what they will do next. We're probably somewhere in the middle. My son, '12, is my second to graduate. Daughter, '09, is working and already planning for what comes next. Son is writing a creative thesis in Comp. Lit. at Princeton, i.e. short stories or a novella. He had to apply to write a creative piece, so I am very happy for him. That said, I'm unsettled.

I had a good idea of how to facilitate my daughter's process. I have far less sense of what role to play for my son. Hence my hopes for the thread. I too would like it to stick around. While the economy may be somewhat warmer than in '09, the world is shifting so much, globally, and industries are changing in dramatic ways. I hope to learn from you all, and will offer knowledge wherever and whenever I've got any that's relevant.

Speaking of which, my working background is in software product management, should anyone have that as an interest.

Cayuga · 05-29-2011, 07:44 AM

Alumother--Thank you for starting this thread. I will be one of those mothers who are stressing about their D's upcoming graduation. It is hard to strike that balance between appropriate helpfulness without nagging/passing on the stress. My H is better at it than me. (Grammar police--is it better than me or better than I?)
Consolation--My D is similarly introverted like your son. Bright young woman, wonderful person, but not so good at getting herself out there.

Esobay--I am glad your D will be home for 4-5 days so you can 'eyeball' her! Is she good at following MD advice?