<p>I came across this article today, which gives some general insight as to the state of affairs inside the teenage brain, right at the time we parents are guiding them to choose that best fit school. Interesting neuroscience research going on in the field.</p>
<p>You are right SCU, she does need to drive the process. I am trying to be the navigation system. I am giving suggestions, sending links, etc. I have told her that I will send her stuff I think is interesting, but if she doesn’t want to read it, then that is fine. I want to assist, not overwhelm. Just like my gps, if she decides to take a different route than I think is better, I will just adjust my guidance. I do hope this will be as easy to do when the process gets rolling with apps, essays, etc.</p>
<p>I don’t know how much I can comment on my brain changing during sleep–I don’t sleep much! Usually 6 hours on school nights and then 10 on weekends. But I’ve always seemed to be a few years ahead of my peers in intellectual maturity (though not “smartness”!); I started college research in winter of sophomore year, and my closest online acquaintances are all in their 20s. Neuroscience is quite interesting.</p>
<p>Touche on your comment about not sleeping much, which seems to be the scourge of teenagers across the country. You’re correct to observe that intellectual maturity and what some call “street smarts” (and others call plain common sense) don’t always develop in tandem. For myself, I found that my emotional maturity lagged the intellectual side for years. I told DH it was a good thing we didn’t meet until later in college.</p>
<p>Ahaha street smarts? Yeah, not me. I’m seriously afraid of going to college in a city (other than the fact that I prefer picturesque landscapes to urban tree-planting) because I’m just the type of person to turn left instead of right and end up in a really bad neighborhood. Driving, too–I’m terrible at navigation.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2 - My daughter did inherit one thing from me - a very dry sarcastic sense of humor… </p>
<p>her email to me probably read something like this: Dad - found the perfect school - check out this link. </p>
<p>I was perfectly set up to find some Scripps like orange grove with smiling students skipping to class happily - instead I get an all boy’s school cow ranch…</p>
<p>Keilexandra - I’m sorry to hear that you’re a little afraid of cities. Now I’m sort of surprised to hear that you’re considering schools like U of Rochester and U Pitt. While I know Rochester’s campus is lovely, I’ve heard the surrounding areas are not that nice. I don’t know much about U Pitt, but Pittsburgh is a fair-sized busy city. I’m anxious to hear what you think of Pitt. </p>
<p>Good morning, everyone. I haven’t posted much recently, but I’m still here…lurking and trying to keep up. </p>
<p>I wish I had something to contribute. But, we’re kinda in a lull at our house. Waiting for SAT scores, prepping for April 4 ACT, and a little bit of damage control before Son’s third marking period ends. (Nothing critical. Just laziness. Currently a “B-” in American Wars elective, AFTER sailing through APUSH last year.)</p>
<p>Welcome to the newest joiners. It’s great that you’re here.</p>
<p>Yeah, we have end of quarter madness in my house too. D was up last night with AP World and Chem test prep. Tonight, it’s more AP World and Pre-calc. Not to mention all the other assignments getting pied on at quarter-end.</p>
<p>DS and I were very impressed with the University of Rochester. Nice campus, good presentation, and the research possibilities look interesting. I don’t know if we can afford it, though!</p>
<p>Like DB, I don’t a lot to add to the discussions these days. I am over my head in Eagle Scout Court of Honor preparations for next week. We started making all kinds of plans while ds was on spring break – we had to because of time! – and then he came home with his own ideas, which is totally cool, but now I am scrambling to pull it all off. And, by next Tuesday, he has to finish his Questbridge application. AACK!!!</p>
<p>good luck YDS, when is the award ceremony scheduled for and we need to hear about the trip soon also.</p>
<p>MaineLonghorn- is your S interested in universities or have you any comments on the “big three” LACs in Maine or are they too close to home? My D has interest in Bates and Bowdoin. She didn’t like Colby, see below on the remoteness factor.</p>
<p>DB- we keep getting info from St Mary’s of MD in the mail and I have previously said I’d like D to consider it for cost and selectivity. I know you have visited and have commented on its remoteness, which was a turn-off to her for other colleges without an adjacent town. However, since it is much cheaper than others on her list I think I would float the idea to D that if she ended up going she could have a car. I don’t think that would sway her decision, but might allow her to add it to her list.</p>
<p>Thanks DB, I’ll look forward to the visit report. They mention they are one of two public honors LACs, I wonder what the other one is.</p>
<p>I assume you are going to the open house program that day. Let us know how worthwhile that is as well, I see they have some open houses scheduled for the summer also, which might be modified if they don’t have any students there, but might be a way to fit in a visit for us.</p>
<p>Please post after you visit St. Mary’s. We are probably not going to make it there until late summer (when we also plan to see Goucher, UMD-CP, and American U), but it is a possibility.</p>
<p>Spring break so far is very productive at our house. S (along with H) visited U. Chicago, Kenyon, Oberlin and Muhlenberg. He did not like any of them, except the first two.
Although, I had to twist his arms to get him to go, he is glad that he did the visits.
He is now off to lacrosse camp.
While they were gone, I took a mini vacation.
I am not looking forward to school resuming next week. :)</p>
<p>ontheedge - sounds like a successful trip - at least now 2 schools can be removed from the list, and your S has two schools he likes. D still hasn’t had spring break - it’s coming in mid-April. </p>
<p>QM, Jackief, DougBetsy - you’ve all gotten me curious about St. Mary’s - that’s one school D hasn’t received mail from yet. She receives a lot from UMCP, and has received one piece each from Baltimore and Towson. Now, I’ll have to check out St. Mary’s.</p>
<p>LIMOM- I think it might be part of the survey questions on the PSAT, as D doesn’t get a lot of mail from places mentioned here, she has yet to get a scrap of paper from WUSTL! Anyway, she wants small, outdoors, and non-urban, and I want some financial and admission safeties she doesn’t turn her nose up at. It rubs me a little off that St Mary’s mentions how they are an honors college, and all the students are honors students (Lake Wobegon anyone) every other sentence, but maybe that would have the opposite effect on her. We have only had two students apply from our school, one admitted and did not attend, so not much to go on there.</p>