Parents of the HS Class of 2013 - 3.0 to 3.3 GPA - Page 2

yabeyabe2 · 10-19-2010, 10:10 AM

Reeianz,
Welcome to the "real world" part of CC!

Best of luck with the reports. Have you considered reaching out to his teachers directly to set up communication that does not depend on your son?

Do you have a college list ready?

Hang in there

hudsonvalley51 · 10-19-2010, 03:50 PM

yabeyabe2 -- love your posts, but I should note that neither Alfred nor Vassar are very close to the Adirondacks (that might be St. Lawrence or Skidmore). Vassar is close to the Catskills, while Alfred is on the Allegheny Plateau on the northern fringe of the Appalachians. Catskills, Poconos, Adirondacks -- none of them would be considered real mountains by someone in Colorado.

reeinaz · 10-19-2010, 03:57 PM

Oh the school is great regarding communication. All of what I know it's because I was either cc'd on an email that was sent to him or the teachers email me directly. It's a relatively new issue that's being worked on. Last year, I was always blindsided at the parent teacher conferences. So it's a start.
College list? I think I come up with a new list monthly

silversas · 10-19-2010, 04:49 PM

This looks like a good thread for me to follow, and I am particularly heartened by the post about a child with ADHD/Aspie (I hope I am forgiven for my infinitely long first post a bit ago on my own thread).

I wanted to particularly reply re the LAC's... the intensity of social experience and invovlement can be overwhelming for some, so to some it can be nurturing and safe, to others intrusive and pressure; flip side, larger population can allow student to get lost or make a private person feel safe. Another match issue.

As to Vassar -- one of the few to reject my first b+/A- child, now a college senior, I would say it is a GPA 3.5 or above school unless things have changed or student is a superstar in some other ways.

hudsonvalley51 · 10-19-2010, 05:00 PM

silversas -- Vassar's admissions office also puts a high premium on standardized test scores. For unhooked applicants you'll want a score of around 700+ per section on the SAT for a fair chance of admission.

silversas · 10-19-2010, 05:09 PM

yell at me if I'm extending this vassar thing too long... but I found this sort of thing helpful back then... Agreed: my older son had 750 math but 620-ish verbal, and a zillion AP's, and we were hoping they would find that an interesting mix for a gung ho applicant, but NOT.

yabeyabe2 · 10-20-2010, 12:38 AM

Hudson, thanks for he mountain range correction. And yes, none of the eastern mountains compare with the Rockies, but if someone wanted to leave the Rockies area or go to a small college but still have access to mountains, there are not a lot of choices. For beautiful autumn scenery, hiking in quiet hilly woods or beginner level skiing, the eastern mountains are fine and have many good small colleges nearby.

newfaith · 10-20-2010, 07:15 PM

Thank you for this thread. My D is only a HS freshman but we really are encouraging her to think ahead and keep her GPA up. I hope and pray for a 3.5GPA but she'll probably end up in the 3.0 - 3.3 range. She plays three sports and is active in church so can't complain because she is a good kid. I'm so please to find a site that makes me feel like I havn't failed as a parent because she's not a 4.0 student with a 2300 SAT. Thank you.

yabeyabe2 · 10-20-2010, 07:20 PM

Newfaith, welcome and best of luck

reeinaz · 10-27-2010, 09:23 AM

grrrr...interim reports are in and as expected, my son got them for 3 classes. So in addition for preparing for the end of quarter exams, papers, and projects, he must also make up his missed assignments. Is it possible that he just enjoys having to come up from the rear??

yabeyabe2 · 10-27-2010, 10:43 AM

reeinaz--I doubt he enjoys it-I suspect he just doesn't care.
For your "monthly" college lists, have you looked at small schools where any issues will be spotted early? It might help you sleep better when he is on his own

Hang in there!

texasmom14 · 10-27-2010, 10:59 AM

Mazewanderer.....sorry for my very tardy reply. Had to travel for work and was swamped at night. Several weeks, no CC. Anyway, we live in Texas and some of the schools that seem like a good fit for DS are OSU (Oklahoma), Texas Tech, UNT. All of these schools welcome high test score/low GPA kids. Plus, the general atmosphere is much less competative that what we saw at UT, A&M, TCU etc. In our area Baylor is also a school that admits this GPA level but I don't think these kids thrive there.

Downside of OSU, Texas Tech etc. is that some have the "party school" reputation which makes me a little nervous. DS is very social and would much rather be with a fun group than studying. However, after watching very disciplined DD for the first semester I think A&M and UT would be a really bad choice for DS.

Up until this week DS has been consumed by golf. Until the hockey coach asked him to come skate a practice. He made the varsity hockey team last night. He is very excited - I am very worried that we have reduced the hours he is available for me to nag him to study.....nagging not always successful but now I'll have to consolidate my nagging into the small windows available in his schedule. Arghhhh.....

I am also back in heart attack mode - he is a fairly newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetic. I was just getting confident in his ability to manage his blood glucose levels on the golf course while walking 36 holes....hockey will be a whole new challenge. It would be so much easier if he loved Harry Potter and sat quietly in the big comfy chair. Apparently NOT his destiny.....

reeinaz · 10-27-2010, 11:53 AM

yabeyabe2-yes, definitely small schools. I've even spoken to him about the local community college as a viable option, which it truly is, especially given his interests, and not just a last resort. I just want him to really have options when the time comes.
And of course he cares. Everytime I ask if he cares about his future, he swears he does :P

Texasmom14-I've put a daily nag alert on my phone to remind me. My heart goes out to you regarding his diabetes and his activity level. You certainly don't want him to see it as a hinderance but it is very much a concern. Maybe google search successful pro/college athletes with diabetes and see how they managed? Would that be at all helpful to either of you?

yabeyabe2 · 10-27-2010, 04:27 PM

reeinaz,

If the small schools yo are looking for are not too far from PA, I would be happy to help, having conducted a similar search. My son is a freshman at Susquehanna

yabeyabe2 · 10-27-2010, 09:59 PM

Folks may be interested in the new Campusvibe trip reports on Drew and Muhlenberg by a prospective theater major