Parents of the HS Class of 2014 - Page 147

mathmomvt · 11-13-2012, 02:03 AM

Our college visit strategy:

Junior year, visit colleges a reasonable distance away that will show your student a range of campus sizes and cultures, urban/rural, etc. to help them narrow down the list of places they want to apply. You may want to take advantage of professional development type days off your kids have from HS when colleges are in session to do some nearby visits, as well as possibly Feb or April break.

Senior year once all acceptances and financial info is in, figure out which schools are still in the running, and do another round of visits to help the student decide (assuming there is a decision to be made). You need to narrow it down to a small enough list to visit "meaningfully" during April vacation before making this trip. (The school my DS11 ended up attending was one he visited for the first time on this second round trip.)

Classof2015 · 11-13-2012, 07:20 AM

beadymom -- beach time is key!

mathmomvt -- glad he liked RPI -- great school -- don't you feel like you've won the treasure hunt when they see a school they like that they can get in to?

Good advice about tours. It's definitely tricky fitting them in when our kids won't miss school but when the colleges are in session. S can't go on Spring Break at all (baseball -- coach said no one leaves town or they're kicked off the team) which is kind of limiting, but there's Feb break -- we'll get in a few more.

For those of you already dreading working on the essay with their kids, Clemson doesn't require one! They actually said that -- no essay, and no LOR.

Creekland · 11-13-2012, 08:00 AM

Oct ACT results are up. S14 got a 26. Hopefully he will now be motivated to study and prepare for his spring tests... otherwise, he'll be looking at the state schools or community college. He's fully capable of getting at least a 30, but math/English just aren't his love. Now if the test were Bio...

I don't know if he'll be motivated or will resign himself to the state schools. Time will tell. (Yes, he can get into private schools - some of them - with that score, but our finances can't pay for them.)

It really was far simpler to go through the college stuff with my older two (who scored 30+ on these early tests).

But, we do still love the kid in the bush (the couch doesn't fit this guy - he's outdoors - or with his plants/insects/critters indoors).

ordinarylives · 11-13-2012, 08:34 AM

Oh, now I have to have D14 check the ACT site today. She didn't think she did so well, and since it was the first time she took the test, we only sent the scores to one directional state college. We'll have to see.

Creekland · 11-13-2012, 08:52 AM

We didn't send the score anywhere this time since we know he'll be retaking either the SAT or ACT in the spring. My guy thought he did horribly on reading and science as he didn't finish either one. He also never practiced for either one, assuming, of course, that he would naturally do well. He ended up being a little afraid to look at them. However, they both ended up just one point below his math/English, so they weren't as bad as he thought they might be. Hopefully that will provide some inspiration.

His essay score was the pits, but he never even looked at samples of good essays. He just assumed what he'd write in our high school (a low performing school where his 26 would actually be quite high) would suffice. I think that was a true eye opener for him.

Now we just have to see what he'll do with his eye opener. I honestly don't know. If he internalizes something and WANTS to do it, it'll happen. If not, it won't. It's been that way his whole life.

ordinarylives · 11-13-2012, 09:04 AM

D14 didn't do the writing part. THere's not a single school on her list that asks for it, and she HATES English and writing. She also didn't finish a couple of the sections, which is unusual for her.

Her score goal is within the range predicted by her plan test, so we'll see how many more times she takes it. She was thinking she'd try again in February and then again in April. She could do October of her senior year, too, if necessary.

Creekland · 11-13-2012, 09:12 AM

My guy's score is at the lower end of his PLAN test prediction.

29happymom26 · 11-13-2012, 09:12 AM

Ds has only taken the sat but will take act in feb. I sent him his monthly to-do list.
Register for test
Go to guidance office and take a free practice test
Research his preferred choice of study prep
One college visit. (Already scheduled)

He wasn't thrilled-
So I was thinking the wed. Before thanksgiving was a perfect chance for a college visit. But now I realize the campus will be so dead. They still have tour groups but it will be worse than summer. It is a small lac about 50 minutes away, he has only looked at larger universities but I am not sure he will keep his mind opened. If it makes the short list, we can always go back. What do you think?

ordinarylives · 11-13-2012, 09:39 AM

Wednesday before Thanksgiving? Yes, it'll be worse than summer. And on a small campus? It will not compare favorably with the big schools at all. I would not schedule the initial visit for that day.

pacnwmomof2 · 11-13-2012, 10:55 AM

I would strongly discourage visiting any school that is on vacation! Summer, during summer session, is okay because there are still some kids on campus. Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break for the college should be avoided at all costs. We visited a couple of schools during spring break and it was pretty dreadful. I kept expecting to see tumbleweeds rolling across the quad!

happyORmom: One thing to consider when planning college visits, either before or after acceptance, is your own child's schedule. Fall sport? Probably visits won't work then. Heavy AP schedule? Missing school in April probably won't be ideal. Another thing to consider is that if your school is like most in Oregon, spring break is the last week in March. Many colleges send out their regular decisions that week, which means that you can't easily plan visits to accepted schools during your spring break. That means missing school in April shortly before AP tests.

One time that we found worked quite well was late August for schools that start before Labor Day. Campuses were beautiful and full of happy, smiling students. No tests yet I guess!

mathmomvt · 11-13-2012, 11:01 AM

It's *much* harder if your spring vacation is in March and you don't have all your acceptances yet!

pdxsuzanne · 11-13-2012, 01:40 PM

agent99 and happyORmom - U of O no longer does automatic admission for GPA. Did away with it in 2011. Oregon Commentator Blog Archive UO to eliminate automatic admissions policy However, students can apply to ONE public university in Oregon for automatic admission: Automatic Admission | Oregon University System

I just spoke with our college counselor and average GPA admitted at U of O is 3.6. Looks like they are working hard at improving their ranking.

We're waiting for November SAT score before we start making firm visitation plans. Want to stay real. D14 will take Feb. ACT.

Besides a resume, a journal highlighting books they read, quotes that move them, articles that interest them, song lyrics, movie quotes is also a good idea -- especially when they have to write essays.

beadymom · 11-13-2012, 11:56 PM

"Besides a resume, a journal highlighting books they read, quotes that move them, articles that interest them, song lyrics, movie quotes is also a good idea -- especially when they have to write essays."

Good ideas! Now, if I could just get DS to read a book! haha

happyORmom · 11-14-2012, 12:08 AM

mathmomvt, pacnwmomof2, we are thinking of going on a few college tours this coming spring break while she is still a junior. But the list of colleges depends on her scores though. Oregon spring break is during the last week of March and it looked like a lot of colleges are open that week. Excellent idea about going on tours end of August. Oregon schools start during the first week of September. We will go to a few during spring break of her junior year and summer.

pdxsuzanne, thank you for the journal idea. That will be very helpful.

ecouter11 · 11-14-2012, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Besides a resume, a journal highlighting books they read, quotes that move them, articles that interest them, song lyrics, movie quotes is also a good idea -- especially when they have to write essays.

That's a really good ideas! I always have things in my head that I never flesh out or things that really capture my mind...I think this would be helpful for more than just essays!