vonlost18696 replies14082 threadsSuper ModeratorSuper Moderator
The HS profile sent by counselors is meant to help clear up some inconsistency, but to what extent does it help? Hard to say.
The holistic approach helps a bit. Our D1's LAC counts grades, rank and test scores as only 20% of the total admission value; the rest is courses taken in HS, interview, recommendations, essays and ECs. The numeric values clearly must be high enough to indicate future academic success, but are far from being a single most important criterion.
CT, I wonder the same thing from the opposite perspective. On one hand if everyone is taking "honors" I feel like the course shouldn't be weighted at all. On the other hand, it then seems unfair not to have an unweighted option.
I think the fairest thing might be to not weight anyone's GPA, but also to look at level of rigor and class rank when making a decision.
Novimom129 replies4 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
On another thread and was wondering what time other eighth graders go to bed. My two kids s17 and s19 I try to have go to bed around 9. They get up around 615.
Novimom129 replies4 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
As for gpa weighting I guess all we can do is hope the ad coms try to some reasonable degree to assess what it means. For AP at least they (hopefully) have the exam to look at, and I know the school has to send some information about what a GPA means in the context of the school and some type of rank. Pretty much what CJ said.
I'm sure it's not perfect but I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon! I suppose all we can do is ask our kids to do their best.
I initially thought you were sending your 19 year old to bed at 9 p.m. and was going to call you a control freak. Then I remembered were at CC where S19 means he's in sixth grade.
My kid goes to bed around 10:00, and gets up around 6:45. I think he could do with a little more sleep, but we never manage to get everything done before then.
Novimom129 replies4 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
Too bad I can't go back and edit. I was thinking it might be unclear but glad I got the convention right and that you figured it out. The younger one is 11. The older one in 8th grade has been shafted a bit because I usually try to get the two to bed at a similar time although if he's not done he does stay up late as well.
Seems though its not too far off... They didn't go to bed till 930 tonight anyway.
sseamom4880 replies25 threadsRegistered UserSenior Member
I don't know how I missed this thread! I've been on CC since last summer when I came on to look for options for my older D, who is, let's say, trying to "find herself" after a year in college. She's 23 and now working in a restaurant and pretty happy with her life, even if it isn't what most parents on CC would want for their kids.
I also have a 28 yo son and an 8th grade daughter, the only child of my "second life". She is biracial and you may have seen me on other threads when racism comes up as a topic. Waving hi to CuriousJane!
D goes to a 6-12 school with the goal of getting kids of color into college and STEM careers, if that's what they want. It's a small public school with foundation support, project-based learning, and a college/career/family engagement coordinator to help all the kids make it into college with the funding they need. We love, love, love it there.
There are no AP classes, but access to Running Start, where the kids can take community college classes at no cost, the ability to work at your ability level, whatever that is, and math that starts at algebra in 8th grade. The kids do internships, can go on science trips to Costa Rica and Puget Sound sailing expeditions, and so much more.
Every senior has been accepted to multiple colleges.
So, we don't have to sign up for anything-I don't want to make this too long, but I'll get specific if anyone wants to know more details.
D is very driven-she wants to teach low-income minority kids and began volunteering last summer at a camp for such children.She had some bad experiences in elementary school both with teachers and students and wants to make life better for others who look like her. She will do the same volunteer job this summer-she has continued with the after school program they have. She will also spend a week in Eastern WA at a summer camp for gifted kids. She went last year and loved it so much she's offered to help pay this summer.
As for college, D has a plan. She intends to attend an HBCU, beginning a year early, combining her senior year of HS with her freshman year in college. One of the seniors did that a couple of years ago, so we know her school is ok with that. Most of the colleges on her list allow it, if your scores and grades are high enough. I can't wait to see what she ends up doing! She's my "baby", my surprise kiddo who has been in a hurry since she was born. She makes me feel old and young at the same time.
Novimom129 replies4 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
Welcome! The thread is not getting a whole lot of action because we're talking about eighth graders and it just started anyway. So you haven't missed much at all!
But it's good to know there are other parents with 8th graders here- Your d sounds like a great kid!
I'm always impressed with how self confident your daughter is, and given that I'm a special educator working in an urban setting, I have to admire her choice of path. Now, you just need to convince her that what she really wants to do is teach low-income minority kids with disabilities, and I'll be perfectly happy!
Novimom129 replies4 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
Older one hasn't decided but likely science related. I think he'd be a good doctor and he's considering that but hasn't committed. These days he's interested in chemistry (unfortunately I can no longer answer all his questions), computers, and physics. We talk a lot of biology at the table where fortunately I can still answer his questions.
Younger one says engineer. We've countered orthopedic surgeon and he's not biting.
(Yes we're both doctors and no we won't force the issue! Although I could see s19 as an orthopod. He has the right personality and aptitudes.)
HiToWaMom1387 replies16 threadsRegistered UserSenior Member
@Jane, I love your son's future job dreams. I ike it when kids have kids-like dreams ... like FBI agent!! That's so cool.
My brother loved Dirty Harry. He spent his teenage life rolling around the floor pretend to shoot the imaginary bad guys. Now he is a police lieutenant.
I hope our kids' high school lives will not be spent just to pursue the college acceptance. They should get involved in what they love and from those activities they will find out what colleges are suitable. Not the other way around ...
sseamom4880 replies25 threadsRegistered UserSenior Member
I completely agree, HiToWaMom. All of my adult nieces and nephews and my two older kids are working in the real world in jobs that have some relationship to what they loved as kids. My S has his dream job-as a kid he liked to take things apart and see how they worked, now he gets to do Mythbusters type things for money.
I have pictures of my 8th grader "teaching" her stuffed animals when she was a toddler-from the moment she started preschool she enjoyed helping the other kids with their work-and now she's running an afterschool classroom for K-1 kids. She loves it and the experiences are coming her way. She'd do it even if she didn't want to teach, not because it will help her resume.
He's actually gotten a lot more reasonable. When he was little he wanted to be the second black president (that's actually what he'd tell people, he said that 2036 was too long to wait for the first), a human cannonball, or the doorman in a fancy hotel with a shiny uniform with buttons.
Novimom129 replies4 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
CJ-
Yes that is a stereotype I have heard as well! I guess we like our jobs well enough that it hasn't held true for us yet. Maybe we'll change our minds in the future- we'll have to see what happens.
Novimom129 replies4 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
[I hope our kids' high school lives will not be spent just to pursue the college acceptance. They should get involved in what they love and from those activities they will find out what colleges are suitable. Not the other way around ...]
I think that's what the advice "be yourself, find your passions" boils down to... and I think that's the message I'm taking to heart from the threads. Why are you going to kill yourself to be miserable? Life is too short...
Now if only there were jobs for people to build lego models all day, my younger son would be completely happy.
itsallgood154 replies1 threadsRegistered UserJunior Member
It is so disheartening when I hear physicians discouraging others to pursue a career in medicine. I would love for any of my children to follow in their parents' footsteps. To this end end I am keeping my mouth tightly shut, and letting them see by example that medicine is a fulfilling career where you can make a difference in peoples' lives. My son (High school class of 2013) is considering medicine, and my daughter (high school class of 2017 and the reason I'm in this thread) is....well, I'm not going to say anything, not even here, anonymously on CC!
sseamom4880 replies25 threadsRegistered UserSenior Member
Oh, but there IS such a job, novimom! There probably aren't too many, mind you, but I've seen some of those reproductions of landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and my hometown has scale models of the factory district, downtown and some of the Victorian homes all built by the Lego professionals. My S would have killed for such a job at one time in his life.
Replies to: Parents of the HS Class of 2017
The holistic approach helps a bit. Our D1's LAC counts grades, rank and test scores as only 20% of the total admission value; the rest is courses taken in HS, interview, recommendations, essays and ECs. The numeric values clearly must be high enough to indicate future academic success, but are far from being a single most important criterion.
I think the fairest thing might be to not weight anyone's GPA, but also to look at level of rigor and class rank when making a decision.
Early? Late?
I'm sure it's not perfect but I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon! I suppose all we can do is ask our kids to do their best.
My kid goes to bed around 10:00, and gets up around 6:45. I think he could do with a little more sleep, but we never manage to get everything done before then.
Seems though its not too far off... They didn't go to bed till 930 tonight anyway.
I also have a 28 yo son and an 8th grade daughter, the only child of my "second life". She is biracial and you may have seen me on other threads when racism comes up as a topic. Waving hi to CuriousJane!
D goes to a 6-12 school with the goal of getting kids of color into college and STEM careers, if that's what they want. It's a small public school with foundation support, project-based learning, and a college/career/family engagement coordinator to help all the kids make it into college with the funding they need. We love, love, love it there.
There are no AP classes, but access to Running Start, where the kids can take community college classes at no cost, the ability to work at your ability level, whatever that is, and math that starts at algebra in 8th grade. The kids do internships, can go on science trips to Costa Rica and Puget Sound sailing expeditions, and so much more.
Every senior has been accepted to multiple colleges.
So, we don't have to sign up for anything-I don't want to make this too long, but I'll get specific if anyone wants to know more details.
D is very driven-she wants to teach low-income minority kids and began volunteering last summer at a camp for such children.She had some bad experiences in elementary school both with teachers and students and wants to make life better for others who look like her. She will do the same volunteer job this summer-she has continued with the after school program they have. She will also spend a week in Eastern WA at a summer camp for gifted kids. She went last year and loved it so much she's offered to help pay this summer.
As for college, D has a plan. She intends to attend an HBCU, beginning a year early, combining her senior year of HS with her freshman year in college. One of the seniors did that a couple of years ago, so we know her school is ok with that. Most of the colleges on her list allow it, if your scores and grades are high enough. I can't wait to see what she ends up doing! She's my "baby", my surprise kiddo who has been in a hurry since she was born. She makes me feel old and young at the same time.
But it's good to know there are other parents with 8th graders here- Your d sounds like a great kid!
I'm always impressed with how self confident your daughter is, and given that I'm a special educator working in an urban setting, I have to admire her choice of path. Now, you just need to convince her that what she really wants to do is teach low-income minority kids with disabilities, and I'll be perfectly happy!
CuriousKid definitely doesn't have the talks about a lot of different things, but there are some recurrent themes in recent times.
Stage manager/Technical Director/Lighting Designer
FBI agent
Judge
Egyptologist/Archeologist
Younger one says engineer. We've countered orthopedic surgeon and he's not biting.
(Yes we're both doctors and no we won't force the issue! Although I could see s19 as an orthopod. He has the right personality and aptitudes.)
I've always heard the stereotype that doctors try to talk their kids out of following in their footsteps.
My brother loved Dirty Harry. He spent his teenage life rolling around the floor pretend to shoot the imaginary bad guys. Now he is a police lieutenant.
I hope our kids' high school lives will not be spent just to pursue the college acceptance. They should get involved in what they love and from those activities they will find out what colleges are suitable. Not the other way around ...
I have pictures of my 8th grader "teaching" her stuffed animals when she was a toddler-from the moment she started preschool she enjoyed helping the other kids with their work-and now she's running an afterschool classroom for K-1 kids. She loves it and the experiences are coming her way. She'd do it even if she didn't want to teach, not because it will help her resume.
Yes that is a stereotype I have heard as well! I guess we like our jobs well enough that it hasn't held true for us yet. Maybe we'll change our minds in the future- we'll have to see what happens.
I think that's what the advice "be yourself, find your passions" boils down to... and I think that's the message I'm taking to heart from the threads. Why are you going to kill yourself to be miserable? Life is too short...
Now if only there were jobs for people to build lego models all day, my younger son would be completely happy.