<p>pugmadkate, I assume you found this on the Manhattanville site. I wish I knew more about the school, since I don’t live too far way, but we don’t hear too much about it. [Facts</a> @ Manhattanville - Manhattanville College](<a href=“Home”>Home)</p>
<p>Good morning, all.</p>
<p>Kelowna - if your S is willing to visit a school or two, why not.</p>
<p>pugmadkate - sorry, but I really don’t know anything about Manhattanville - except that it’s not anywhere near Manhattan. I checked, and nobody from D’s h.s. applied there last year. I wish I could have been more help. </p>
<p>jackief - what time is your meeting today? Hope you find the answers to your questions before then - but if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll still be able to have your meeting. I know how you feel though - I’ve been looking at D’s form for about a month now…lol.</p>
<p>meeting is at 10:30 and I just finished the form 
Unfortunately, D used some of the “bad words” in her version when she prepared hers. We have time to indoctrinate her before her first interviews 
H isn’t buying the whole thing on playing the game with the word choices, but I read him a few of the posts and I think he is more willing to listen, even if not willing to play along yet.</p>
<p>jackief - LOL. At least your H is interested - mine hasn’t suggested a single adjective, though I’ve asked for his input.</p>
<p>but mine suggested the bad adjectives and then got all defensive when I told him they were the kiss of death! </p>
<p>I did use his input in the question “what qualities/characteristics/programs in a college are most important to you as you reflect on options for your child?” I didn’t like that question in general, as I feel she should be picking these attributes not us.</p>
<p>He is less engaged and his job is less flexible with less vacation than mine, so he hasn’t gone on as many of the college tours. But he does like it. Sorta.</p>
<p>My DH went on all the tours for S#1. We dragged #'s 2&3 along with us sometimes, even though they were only 10 or 11 years old. DH thoroughly embarrassed them by pointing things out to them. I mean really POINTING at things in the dining halls, etc. They thought they would have blended into the crowd otherwise. 
He hasn’t yet figured out what not to do/say in front of his kids, but since they are 17 now, I think they will lay the law down to him for any trips he takes with us. Or I will.</p>
<p>Well, my H says he wants to go, but then complains about the visits taking up our vacation time. This year, while DD and I visit colleges, DH and DS may take a little vacation on their own. That might be nice for all of us.</p>
<p>Good luck at your meeting today. :)</p>
<p>Lots of kids apply to Manhattenville from our school. If you had SATs over 1050 or weighted GPA over 86 you were in. It’s practically next door to SUNY Purchase (where I’ve been to art museum and performing arts center) and the Pepsico sculpture garden. However it’s one of the few colleges around here that hasn’t hosted a chess tournament, summer camp, math contest or something else for my kids so I’ve never seen the campus! I can say that Purchase hasn’t got much of a town feel. A lot of office parks and country clubs. It has a pretty respected education program, a friend of mine went there to get certified as a teacher. But she, of course, would not have had a typical undergrad experience.</p>
<p>H went on college tours. In fact, he went on more of them than I did. He is not as interested in the process, but he is better at talking to people in order to get a feel for the place. D went with him to Bard and RPI last summer and both of them decided that Bard is not for D despite the bucolic campus. We are planning another college trip around spring break to Atlanta to see Georgia Tech and Emory (big reach-not sure why we are going other than we will be there) and Agnes Scot (match school-I want D to see some lower ranked schools). H will be in charge of college tours, while I entertain the younger D.</p>
<p>I can’t keep up. Where is the list of “bad” words jackief is talking about in post no. 3163?</p>
<p>Kelowna, welcome to the '10 parents thread. We’re always glad to have help with our post count. :)<br>
Yes, OOS anywhere is far from here, but there is no alternative for us. Being near a Delta destination is a good idea to make getting your kid home and to school easier. My D is one Delta flight from here (or 2 Frontier), so she doesn’t have quite as many travel problems as some of her friends. We didn’t think about the travel factor a lot when we were looking for schools for her, but for S we are factoring in travel time as well as expense, especially with what has happened to the cost of air travel.</p>
<p>We have a DC/Baltimore trip planned for July. Hubby is going to take the Precious Baby King to see the Red Sox and Camden Yards and daughter and I plan to see Catholic, American, Loyola and Goucher. We’re going to stay in Baltimore, where I’ve never been, and I can’t wait!</p>
<p>gee YDS, you really can’t keep up. First the letterman jackets and now this! GOSH!!</p>
<p>Just kidding!</p>
<p>Here is the thread again. It is in the parent cafe, I could bump it but I think it is better to keep giving pointers to it here. It comes to us from our dear friend Harriet in the 09 thread who is making us noobs aware of it for our benefits.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/36494-cc-connotations-most-important.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/36494-cc-connotations-most-important.html</a></p>
<p>It took me two times reading through it to fully digest it. It also says some of these topics are covered in “A for Admissions” I hadn’t read that book, seemed to “high powered” for our tastes, but I would be interested in if any have a review of it.</p>
<p>off to our meeting now!</p>
<p>Thanks. As much time as I spend on here you’d THINK I’d be on top of everything. I remember seeing that link but didn’t know it had the “bad” words in it. Wonder whether I’ll learn some new ones … ;)</p>
<p>OK, I’m on page 2, and I don’t think anyone would make the mistake of calling my son “hard-working”! :D</p>
<p>zm, “Precious Baby King”: LOL - I know just what you mean! Camden Yards is a great ballpark - they’ll love it.</p>
<p>zoosermom - staying in Baltimore would be great for Goucher and Loyola, but you’ll be a little far from American and Catholic. Will you be visiting the two schools in DC first, and then staying overnight in Baltimore? I just hate to think of you trying to get to the DC schools during the morning rush hour.</p>
<p>Jackief - can’t wait to hear how your meeting went this morning! </p>
<p>Queen’s Mom - can’t wait to hear what your D thinks of both Emory and Georgia Tech. Those are schools I’d like my D to consider, but they’re a little out of her comfort zone.</p>
<p>ZM, American and Catholic are on the opposite sides of DC, and I don’t think you could do both of them in one day if you are coming from Baltimore. The traffic is murder. I’ve been meaning to take D to see the Maryland/DC schools. She is interested in UMD College Park and possibly American. I’d like to do Goucher on the same trip as well. It sounds really nice to me.</p>
<p>LIMOM, comfort zone is a problem for D as well, but she is interested in schools in the South for the weather and Grandpa is in Atlanta…so off we go.</p>
<p>
Don’t tell him I said that. He’s two digits now and will be taller than I am in three inches!</p>
<p>
I THINK that’s the plan. We’re definitely going to Catholic, but were planning to do American in the afternoon. Bad idea? The thought was that we’d come from home at the crack of dawn and get to Catholic by 10 am, visit there, and then hit American later and on to Baltimore in the evening. Catholic is moving higher and higher on her list for a lot of reasons, so that’s the top one to see.</p>
<p>I have just read the entire thread about adjectives and reccomendations.
Did Curm. ever post his pamphlet/letter to GC? I would love to have a copy
What Soozviet wrote was also great - cover letter to go to every teacher writing a rec.</p>
<p>I do not know what our HS will do when it gets closer to college selection. But I know that I will do everything in my power to educate GC and rec.writers. Will flood their office with books like A IS FOR ADMISSION ,etc. :)</p>
<p>I think it is very, very important to know how a certain teacher writes, so asking them for reccomendations for a summer program or so is a good way to start.
We recently had to ask teachers for rec. letter for S as he was applying to a magnet program. His LA , first year teacher, wrote an absolutely great letter, althought now I do look at it differently. She wrote "Although I have known him for a short time, …has proven to be more than an outstanding pupil over the past severl months, during which I witnessed his mastery of the language arts and his leadership abilities. Becasue of his diligent awareness of the subject and exceptional aptitude, …has exhibited an explicit sense of purpose, while also incessantly receiving the highest achievement grade. (…)
Many of the students at …have amiable qualities, but few demonstrate the purpose and genuine intellectual inquisitiveness that …has expressed again and again. …has a curiosity that is accompanied by his enthusiasm for ideas, writing and literary works…</p>
<p>It was a very nice rec. letter, especially when compared to what the math teacher wrote: …is an outstanding mathematics student. As an eight grader in my Pre-calculus class , he has a better than cursory understanding of algebra. This is enhanced by his inquisitive nature. He asks very deep and thoughtful questions which are usually followed up by insightful observations…
At first, it does not sound bad, but this is a kid who wins math competitions, who lives for math, who has broken all the school records when it comes to AMC and so on. No mention of it at all Plus, the letter had tons of spelling errors!</p>
<p>So, get to know your teacher’s writing abilities !</p>