<p>Spectrum, my S thought the test was much easier than the SAT. Also the essay question was better for him. now tomorrow he does a practice enviro ap test so his enviro teacher can see where he is at. great if he gets ap credit, but if he doesn’t there is no pressure on this one.</p>
<p>We just used the REAL ACT book to prep. It is pretty straight forward. The piece of advice that I kept giving my S is to read. Science, Reading and Writing sections are based on careful reading. The answers are in the section, there are no tricks like the SAT. If you can’t find the answer in the section, then the answer you have chosen is incorrect. This is particularly true with the reading and science sections. Well math is a whole different story and this is my S’s problem.</p>
<p>Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they did well today.</p>
<p>We live in southern California and my son, now a HS senior, visited SFSU while in his junior year, once with us and once with his hip aunt. As you know, you’ll find specific statistics, facts, and figures on their website, but walking around the campus and talking to a variety of students and some faculty members is the only way to really see what your radar picks up about the vibe of the place. It is very big and can feel impersonal. So much depends on the kind of person and student you child is. </p>
<p>It is pretty much a commuter campus, although there are dorms on campus as well as apartments just off campus available through the housing office for students. My son met a current student who was the friend of a friend and this girl showed him around. I wonder whether facebook might be a way for your daughter to make a connection with a real live student… or find the Hillel website and see if you can make a contact that way…</p>
<p>I teach at CSUN and know first hand the struggles associated with the California budget crisis --but --the colleges do and must go on, and an assertive student who is on top of checking enrollments and class availability online often can get (some, maybe not all) the classes s/he needs. The big unknown is how much more they might reduce the number of classes and let non-tenure track instructors go. All bets are off, in that case. But, as of now, at SFSU you can find some excellent profs, interesting and relevant classes, and all this in an amazing city. A big plus is that you can use BART to get around - no car needed, in fact having a car can be more of a pain in SF than a convenience.</p>
<p>Enjoy the visit and let us know how it goes.</p>
<p>sam: S felt good about the first 2 sections, I think they were math. He didn’t budget his time well for reading and science. He said he ended up bubbling in about 40 questions he didn’t get to. So that’s not good at all. He also liked the essay question. On the science he mentioned it referred to figure one and he said he lost a lot of time just figuring out which one was figure 1. Yikes!!! According to him it wasn’t labeled. From what he told me if he goes with the ACT he will be retaking it but I’m glad he felt good about 2 sections. I’ll keep my fingers crossed as well. Great that your S’s teacher is doing a practice AP exam. I’ve never seen that happen at our HS.</p>
<p>Hi everyone - we are back. Before I launch into our trip - just want to congratulate Hollie Sue on the Juniata decision and hope everyone who took the ACT today had good results.</p>
<p>So - Elon. It didn’t go all that well. I don’t think today’s experience was a reflection on Elon per se - more about dealing with a teenager having a moody day. The campus was gorgeous - although the weather was a little chilly and damp. Many presentations to attend - maybe too many.</p>
<p>One thing I think I learned today is that less can be more. I think I made the mistake of assuming that a 2nd visit would be helpful. In reality - driving down Friday afternoon after work/school was a really bad idea - we were all kind of tired/cranky by the time we checked into the hotel last night. And up to this point - we have stuck with 2-3 hour info session/tour type visits. Maybe a crowded day long open house was just a bad idea.</p>
<p>We did attend sessions on sports mgmt and business. Modest thumbs up on sports mgmt - definite thumbs down on business. One of the things I observed today - and this happens often at college presentations - not just Elon - is that they will have superstar type kids speak during panel discussions. These kids are impressive - their internships, conferences, awards, research, etc. But it is also a bit intimidating and overwhelming - particularly to an average 16-year-old.</p>
<p>We did meet with a Hillel VP and one of the new AEPi founders for a few minutes. I wish I could say that S2 loved speaking with them - in reality - he was pretty checked out. Was he tired? Bored? Overwhelmed? Who knows. I heard lots of great things about Jewish life at Elon - I was pleased and impressed.</p>
<p>So - what now? We have a trip planned for next week to CofC and Virginia Tech. At the moment - I am considering canceling entirely or at least canceling the CofC portion since that is a long drive and just doing VT. Now to be fair - my older son behaved pretty much the same way when we visited colleges with him spring of junior year - didn’t say much - could not tell if he was enjoying himself or not - very little feedback. So - maybe I should not be surprised by S2’s behavior today. But we are doing this for him - and if he is not into it - maybe we need to pause for a bit.</p>
<p>But then at lunch - he surprised me by out of the blue telling me which 2 teachers he had picked to ask for recommendations - so clearly he is giving this topic some thought. Maybe I just need a new teenage boy decoder ring - for I am surely perplexed.</p>
<p>rockvillemom, I think the second visit to Elon may have been more successful than you realize . You had mentioned before that you favor smaller schools and that possibly your son might apply to Elon ED. It sounds like if nothing else the visit may have helped with keeping options open. It does not sound like the visit was postive enough to have your son apply ED. Your son was the one if I recall who brought up VT. That is positive since the idea came from him. That is a fairly easy drive from where you are (probably about the same or closer for you than for us in eastern Va-5 hours minimum for us if no traffic). Maybe that would be an interesting one to try and within a reasonable drive from you. It may also not be the right one but you won’t know if you don’t visit. UMCP may be worth another look since it’s instate. University of Miami means a plane and if you start down that path, the process would certainly get more complicated. Good luck!</p>
<p>HollieSue-Congrats on Juniata. Anxious to hear your D’s experiences.
RVM- Thanks for the detailed post. I know you know, every visit is valuable, even if there’s a negative vibe. I’m still hoping you visit CofC at some point. I really liked it there and think it’s certainly worth checking out. However, it was during our second visit that my d sensed it might not be right for her.</p>
<p>Hollie Sue: Mazal tov on Juanita and your child’s wonderful success!</p>
<p>Rockvillemom: Do not think a second trip is a bad idea. I think it is a good idea to see a school 2 or 3 times when your child could end up living there for 4 years. Why didn’t you like the Business school presentation? Is it possible that perhaps your son does not want a school which involves a long drive from home? Did your son like the food served (sometimes the food can be a deal maker or breaker)? Do you still want ED for Elon?
Does your son have friend(s) at Virginia Tech? Perhaps he wants a school with some familiar faces and a shorter drive from home.</p>
<p>Based upon what you wrote, I suggest that you give serious thought to Towson. I heard the Business school presentation 3 times by different staff on different visits and am really impressed with the high quality of education (they have the right accreditation) as well as support services (many clubs, internships, etc.). Towson has everything you are looking for. Elon’s campus may be much prettier in the countryside, but the important fundamentals are at Towson. Perhaps try to schedule your visits during spring break or the summer. Please tell us all more about Elon and why you think this visit did not click as well as you hoped. You went after the first quarter is over, and your son sounds very easy going, so it sounds like your son may not have liked Elon as much as before. Far better to learn about the school on a second visit before making a final decision for 4 years.</p>
<p>We were at U. Maryland College Park to hear a lovely concert. I think UMCP may be too big for Rockville Mom’s son, plus there is the concern about applying to highly competitive Smith Business school. I hear a lot of positive feedback about UMCP, particularly strong for Jewish activities, but there is the fundamentals of large classes in a huge state school.</p>
<p>I recall that RVM was concerned about JMU Business school. Clearly, she picked up a vibe at Elon’s Business presentation that did not go as well as expected. I am really curious about what happened at Elon’s Business presentation. Was it done by star students? The Business presentation at Towson was very professional.</p>
<p>Trip timing: My bias is to best visit schools during welcome student week in August before school starts to get an idea of the kinds of kids coming, how they are greeted at the new school, and see what the activities/clubs are available. However, if you have a junior visit day coming up, maybe take a plane or make more stops on the long drive.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your good wishes. RVM- sorry your visit didn’t go as well as planned. My d was often a bit *itchy ( fill in blank with either a b or w) duringcollwge visits. She refused to do things I thought she should i.e. sit in on a class. It was often frustrating for me. I finally accepted that her decision making process was different from mine. Funny thing… I did all the research on the schools. I don’t think she looked at one website. She gave me criteria. I came up with a list. I obsessed about every single detail involving the schools. I made the visit arrangements etc. Well two years ago when I first read about Juniata I thought it was perfect for her. On her first visit she loved it. We looked at many schools. It always came back to Juniata. So I guess I am saying that you should trust your gut instinct and those of your son! Good luck.</p>
<p>RVM I hope you and your S can figure out what he likes and dislikes about Elon. I remember when touring with my older S he rarely seemed interested in the tours. What brought him to life was when he overnighted on the dorm or when there were breakout sessions for students only. I found with my S1 that talking about the school afterwards revealed that he was taking in a lot more and formulating opinions that weren’t obvous to me. Up until now Elon has sounded so perfect. If it isn’t it is better that you know now. But it would be great if you and he could have a discussion about it. I know that’s sometimes a challege with young men of few words.</p>
<p>Rockvillemom,
Do’t cancel your trip to CofC! A friend’s son was just elected SGA president there (he is jewish). Worst case scenario, if you don’t like CofC (my ds didn’t, fwiw) you can enjoy Charleston or go out to the beaches.</p>
<p>My d’s rejections of schools after a visit centered around what people were wearing. Hard not to smack her upside the head, but as HollieSue said, you have to trust their instincts. But then I remember what Kramer said to George --“Trust the little man in your head.” George responded, “My little man is an idiot.”</p>
<p>I recall Rockville Mom’s earlier discussion of James Madison U. Her son really liked it, but RVM was concerned about entrance to the B-school.</p>
<p>Now with a 30 ACT, perhaps RVM’s son should consider an application to UMCP Smith School of Business for freshman entrance along with Towson Honors. I am curious about RVM’s impression of the B-school at Elon.</p>
<p>I think it is clear from this discussion thread that if there is interest in becoming a Business major, best to get into the B-school from day one, or attend a school where internal transfer to the B-school is more likely.</p>
<p>Agreeing with jym626: Charleston is a wonderful place to visit, for any reason. Having the excuse to “look at a college” is as good as any. Since CofC is right in town, it’s easy to visit without a lot of effort.</p>
<p>My s behaved as yours did, when we toured colleges and I had a very difficult time with his apparent lack of enthusiasm. After awhile, I really had to step back and separate my eagerness and desire to embrace the the experience from his more detached way of examining the situation. A 17 year old boy does not see or react to the world like a 50+ mom.</p>
<p>I remember talking with other moms at college Open House events: we all wanted the opportunity for a “do-over.” Like many youth-related experiences, college is wasted on the young!</p>
<p>Hi - calmer mood this morning. I just want to clarify that S2 still likes Elon very much. I think his grumpy mood had more to do with the fact that having been there a few times already - between his visit in the fall and visiting with S1 a few years ago - he did not feel the need to be there yesterday. It was a good idea in theory - but in reality - it was just too much - too rushed - too overwhelming, etc. I thought it would be valuable to attend the presentations on the various majors - and I still do think we learned from it - but I really neglected to take into account that S2 would have a ton of homework this weekend - last weekend before spring break - a lot happening this week - and now he has to do it all today. I made a poor decision about his time allocation basically. Oh well - live and learn.</p>
<p>We are going forward with our CofC/VT trip next week - it is spring break - so no homework issue. We also have a more leisurely pace with fun days mixed in - not just college visits - and are sticking to a 2-3 hour info session/tour at each school.</p>
<p>stillnadine - agreeing with you 100%. A lot of what happened yesterday was a communication issue. If he had just told me that he had a ton of homework and felt he had visited Elon sufficiently - we could have saved ourselves a headache. </p>
<p>Business major - despite his grumpy mood - it was useful to learn more about the business major program - even if what we learned is that a business major is not for him! The panel - even the students - were in suits. Big turnoff. They were very accomplished and quite intimidating. A lot of focus on making presentations and being filmed while doing so and then watching these presentations back - this was for marketing. To my fairly quiet, shy kid - this sounded like torture. He felt more comfortable with the sports mgmt panel - more laidback and casual.</p>
<p>I think one of the problems is that his 16-year-old brain cannot envision how much he is going to grow/change/mature in the next 4-5 years and that he will be able to do these things in the future.</p>
<p>VT has a hour long business school presentation that fits in our schedule next week. I would be curious to attend and see what he thinks - how it differs - if any - from Elon. But I am going to remain flexible and if he wants to do it - we will and if he does not - we won’t.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t be a college process without a few bumps in the road, right?</p>
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