Parents of the HS Class of 2013

[MDMom1314]

Taco Tuesday kicked my A$$ last night...too many Margs and not enough Tacos...LOL
So I apologize in advance if I am a bit slow this AM

Erlanger/Momto2013grad: Welcome!!!! Like I always say, this is a great group
Next...I shall call you Erl and Momto respectively. Sorry, I have a thing for nick names...just ask Ldog

Momto: We are VERY behind the 8-ball as well on the visit thing. Jr has been to his dream school the past 2 summers for Track camp...but as everyone knows, it is a HMFR school.

Erl: How does your D feel about leaving the West Coast??? Does she have any CA schools on her list??

Momma5: I miss my days of being a FB mom :'( (FB stands for Football here..not Facebook ) Enjoy your last HS season and please update as I still go through major with-drawls since Jr stopped playing after his Soph year. Huge congrats on the donations!!

Jr comes home today!!! Can you tell that I have missed him
Not sure that D14 will be giving up the car that easily...so that should make for an interesting death match.

He texted me last night that he still wants to do the Harvard recruiting day in Aug...UGH!!! Was really hoping to avoid that trip...and the big $$$$ spent for it.

[mommaof5]

AP scores, FINALLY!
5 in chemistry
5 in Eng. Lit.
4 in gov't & politics
Yay!!!!!

[89wahoo]

Momma- what state are you in? Great scores!! I'd be thrilled with those...
MDMom, I so understand that.... its not the same without them.
D is at a farm picking potatoes today as a volunteer activity with her camp. D is not into dirt. Or worms. What I would give to be there to see this. I texted her, "pickin' taters?" and she was not amused. Guessing she's not planning a life in the potato fields of Idaho. However, she does seem to have made a good friend this week which is nice.

[MDMom1314]

Momma5: Congrats!!! Those are great scores

Wahoo: LOL at the "pickin taters?" text...sounds like something I would do. And it is always nice when the meet a good friend at a camp. Jr roomed with this year with his good buddy that he met last year at camp.

[our2girls]

Hey all! Halfway through vacation in the north woods of Wisconsin...no coverage in the cabin, so I'm at the lodge getting through withdrawl symptoms from no CC!

Congrats to the AP scores - seems like everyone's mostly happy!

Annie - great news on your D's knee!

Welcome to new posters - you're gonna like it here

Our D has DE classes that are called 1818. Not sure which of D's colleges will take them (they are through St. Louis University), but we pay about $85 per credit during the regular school year for the college credit. She will have 24 credits by the end of hs. I believe state schools accept them, more selective schools not as much.

One thing to be aware of with DE classes, and other college credits, perhaps, is if your son/daughter has more than 30 credits accepted, can s/he receive a merit scholarship for a freshman student? I read something about that somewhere, I think. Worth looking into, if a freshman merit scholarship is tuition for four years, or they go in as a sophomore and cannot get the scholarship, is it worth trying to have the college accept the credits?

I'll try to keep up with the posts, but the fish are calling!

[socialdramamama]

Hi,
Congrats all with great scores & summer programs. No AP scores yet in GA by mail but I did call(patience is not our virtue) & she got great scores on all 3. Enough for AP scholar. They are only allowed 2-3 APs per year starting Jr year. None offered earlier.
Just got back from overnight trip to the coast for DD to sing at a convention. Had to get back for Musical Theatre camp auditions.
our2girls- I agree that people should check on DE & what it means for scholarships & acceptances. We have a Community College right here in town but they discourage DE for the top students. Selective colleges prefer AP classes. Sometimes the DE students end up with a higher class rank but in the application process the non-DE students end up with better colleges & better scholarships.
Anyone working on resumes & can recommend a good website?

[MDMom1314]

SocialD: I don't know much about the Musical Theatre world, but how important are the camps for your D? BTW, your schedule makes me tired just reading it!! LOL...

[drmom123]

Hi all. DD called me on my cell phone at midnight again... I was asleep and missed the call. she didn't leave a message. Not sure what she was calling about. Of course, that makes me worry. don't you think if it were good she'd leave a message? Anyway, we'll see. Happy to hear about everyone's travels. I bet the fall is going to be ZANY!

[erlanger]

MDMom--D will also include West Coast schools--UCs + Pomona or Pitzer. I think she's a bit torn--likes Cali but attracted to the East Coast beautiful campuses. She's a chamelion type and could be okay on either coast. She's working this summer in a lab at Caltech and has reluctantly admitted she likes it there too! Probably not going to apply though as she is wants a liberal arts experience and Caltech is a special, more focused place. She's a combination poet and scientist, and interested in languages, so LACs or UCs provide limitless opportunities.

[mommaof5]

MDMom: I will be glad to post about "FB", hopefully it will be good stuff. S13 will be varsity and S16 freshman team so we will have a lot of football this fall!

89Wahoo: we are in the middle of MI.

I'm not a huge fan of DE. S16 finished hs english requirements the end of 9th gr. and was encouraged by his professor to enroll in college classes. The more we looked into it the more it looked like a gamble for him. He had no idea where he wanted to go and there was no guarantee for a transfer, we decided AP classes were more universally accepted and easier. After commuting him in a carpool one morning a week, and dragging younger kids with me I liked the idea of him taking his classes in his hs.

[reeinaz]

regarding DE vs AP classes. I read anecdotally that colleges would rather see you take AP classes at your school rather than taking the equivalent classes at the community college. I think the reasoning is the assumption that the cc courses aren't as rigourous as AP classes.

[blueshoe]

ree, that's certainly the way our school system thinks of them. DE courses are weighted less than APs.

[ahsmuoh]

Our school also will not allow DE - there is no question in their mind that AP is harder (at least in dd's school) Last year only one student got a 3 on any AP tests - all 4's and 5's. Lots of B's and C's in the classes too!

Anyway - I have a question about all these kids looking at schools so far from home. At my dd's school it seems that sophomores and juniors all "want to go to school in the south" (about 6-8 hours away) and then when you see the list of schools that the girls actually go to - only a few actually go far away. Do you see that trend in your school? If you are traveling a lot looking at schools are you confident your dd/ds will really move that far away from home? We are looking at schools pretty far away but they are schools that dd can get lots of merit (those schools with automatic merit for stats) so we can afford to fly her home a couple times a year if she wants. We told her that is the only way she is going that far from home. Plus.....this mom will miss her dd!

[MommyDearest13]

Here, DE classes aren't weighted at all. The only class that is offered as both DE or AP is senior English - the rest they only offer one or the other so no choice involved. Only 9 APs offered at the school, so DE is usually better than nothing - particularly if you're planning on going to a state school. I've never heard anything about not getting a freshman merit scholarship if you go in ranked as a sophomore. Even if S goes in as a sophomore, he will probably still need 4 years to complete the sequence of classes, but it could give him a lighter load or the option to add a minor, etc. I've read a lot on these boards about scholarship recipients starting with a sophomore rank. Anyone know of any specific colleges that have a problem with it?

mommaof5 - congrats to you S!

[MDMom1314]

Ahs: I am about to jump out of my skin waiting for Jr's plane to land!! I told H that there was no way in HELL that he can leave the state of CA for college...I would be a wreck I am comfortable with him being an hour or so flight away...but not 5+. Walking past his empty room this week has been killing me!! On the bright side, it has stayed nice and clean...
But I will take having my boy home over a made bed and clean room any day of the week!