Parents of the HS class of 2010 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
4821

<p>we are looking for a not-exorbitantly priced prom dress :smiley: I really donā€™t have an idea what the style is at Dā€™s school, she is going with friends just browsing and if she finds something she loves weā€™ll go back tomorrow. No dates yet, just a bunch of her friends planning on going, a boy who she had dated for a short time a couple years ago but is now one of her best friends and she might go as ā€œdatesā€ if neither can find a true date.</p>

<p>Booklady, we have charities around here that do that also. Great program.</p>

4822

<p>DB:</p>

<p>Go Batman! I remember the enthusiasm the puppies have is just so, so endearing.</p>

<p>Weā€™re waiting to see the results of the March SAT on April 7 before we sign S up (late of course since thatā€™s how CB designs it, grrr) for the one in May. We are blessed to have about five test sites within a 10-25 minute drive from the house. S is hoping heā€™s more blessed in not having to retake it. We shall see.</p>

<p>In the meantime, heā€™ll have enough to keep him busy over spring break. There are the mandatory AM practices for the swim team, colleges visits to Berkeley and Stanford late in the week, linear algebra, reading up on college options ā€¦ still leaves plenty of time for the beach with friends if we get a little pop up here with the temps.</p>

4823

<p>Just dropped DD off. </p>

<p>Talk about irony - as she gets out of the car, her best friend dashes up with a panicked look on her face. ( the same one I saw last night). Seems she forgot her calculator. :frowning: She borrows my cell and her mom is now rushing to the rescue.</p>

4824

<p>What is it with the calculators? I guess it was much simpler in our days when we werenā€™t allowed to use themā€¦lol.</p>

4825

<p>ACT verdict: Science was hard, Math ok, English sections easier (but math and science are not his strong suits). He did well on time, only leaving one science question undone. Now we just have to wait for scores from this and the March SAT to see which heā€™ll retake in June. Heā€™s off to a friendā€™s house - vacation has begun!</p>

4826

<p>D just came back from ACT. Said that the whole experience was ā€œslightly offā€ from the time she got there and wants the scores not sent. The proctor told them on arrival that she would tell when to start and when to stop and no five minute warnings or anything. For some reason, that made D anxious about the time and she said she spent the entire test worrying about it and being distracted although she hasnā€™t had time difficulties before. Said the science part was ā€œbeastlyā€ and left three undone on math because of time. Not a good day, but what can you do?</p>

<p>The whole thing about the pre-orientation at Mt. Holyoke has her re-thinking her list. She has no patience whatsoever for stuff like that and is thinking that several of her other schools might be too touchy-feely or ā€œself-indulgentā€ for her taste. Ugh.</p>

4827

<p>Ah ACTā€™s; DD (and the rest of her junior class) will take them on Wednesday, April 22nd at school. Itā€™s a requirement for graduation, but the version they take is without the writing section. </p>

<p>Spring Break started today (yay!) We visited Birmingham-Southern & UA-Birmingham last week; weā€™ll be at Rhodes on Monday and UGA on Wednesday. So far nothing has come off the list. The visit to Birmingham Southern has made LACā€™s more attractive. They were on Spring Break & made us promise to come back to visit when students were in session. When we pulled up they had a parking space reserved with her name on it; that made her take notice. DD had a lovely impromptu discussion with a physics professor in the library that was facilitated by one of the librarians. </p>

<p>She received one of the oddest college mailings yesterday from Ole Miss; it was a big packet that included a paper doll book(!) of 5 students from the school (Fun with Shad, Sederia, Matthew, Mary Allen & Artair.) Mary Allenā€™s page had a sleeve that you could cut out and put on the doll that was holding a ā€œRebels for Mc Cainā€ bumper sticker. </p>

<p>Her HS just sent home the app for National Honor Society this week. And she found out that she was accepted to a program at Vanderbilt for 3 weeks in July. So many things going onā€¦</p>

4828

<p>Booklady & Zoosermom, when D took the ACT, back in December, she mentioned that the science section was particularly difficultā€“itā€™s one of the big reasons why she wonā€™t retake it.</p>

<p>jackief, thanks for the tip about the Amsco answers. As of now, D plans to stick with the Princeton Review guide, but itā€™s good to have another review source, if she decides to refer again to the Amsco book.</p>

<p>The junior prom here is scheduled, unfortunately, right in the midst of AP time. After hitting the mall and looking around, D found a dress that she likes from an online vendor that several of her friends are also using. Itā€™s a little risky buying a dress like that online, but as long as she errs on the side of the larger size, she should be okay. We do have a pretty reliable seamstress in town who can alter the dress and have it ready to go within a week. D1 used to find nice dresses at the Jessica McClintock shop in the mall.</p>

<p>Weā€™ll be leaving for the college tour tomorrow. We were originally going to have D3 with us, but now sheā€™ll be staying home with H, which the more we thought about it, is really for the best. Weā€™ll be visiting University of Pittsburgh, Kenyon, Oberlin, Indiana University and University of Rochester. Weā€™ll be doing the info sessions and tours, plus she plans to sit in on classes at Kenyon, Oberlin and U.Roch. If anyone has any questions about any of these schools, Iā€™d be happy to try find some answers for them. To anyone else embarking on college tours at this time, wishing you safe travels. :)</p>

<p>And, speaking of college tours, I noticed in the NY Times yesterday, Jacques Steinbergā€™s college admissions blog, ā€œThe Choiceā€, featured college tour suggestions. Itā€™s interesting reading: [Tip</a> Sheet: Planning a College Tour? Get Used to ā€˜New England in Mud Seasonā€™ - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=ā€œTip Sheet: Planning a College Tour? Get Used to 'New England in Mud Season' - The New York Timesā€>Tip Sheet: Planning a College Tour? Get Used to 'New England in Mud Season' - The New York Times)</p>

4829

<p>RobD - ROFL at Ole Miss and the paper doll book - especially the one holding the ā€œRebels for McCainā€ bumper sticker! I agree - thatā€™s an odd one for sure. Donā€™t they realize the election is over? Plus itā€™s not really PC to send out such a thing, is it? Guess they donā€™t careā€¦lol.</p>

<p>Sounds like your college tour went really well - and wow about the parking space with your Dā€™s name! Now, thatā€™s special treatment! Congrats to your D for getting into the program at Vanderbilt - what type of program is it? Iā€™d love to hear what she thinks ov Vanderbilt when she gets back. Good luck with the NHS app. D handed hers in last week, plus got an invitation to the Foreign Language Honor Society (no app needed for that one - yay!).</p>

<p>zoosermom - yikes! While I canā€™t blame your D for rethinking Mt. Holyoke, I canā€™t believe sheā€™s reconsidering her whole list! Sorry about her problems with the ACT. D took it in Dec., and she had a problem finishing the science section - just bubbled in the last 2 or so answers. I think the science section tends to be difficult - I know the day D took it, that was the biggest complaint on CC. Not sure what the cancellation policy is with the ACT - but when D wanted to cancel her SAT in January because her calc stopped working, I made her think about it, and she decided not to cancel it - a good thing, because her scores went up in both CR and M (down in W, but only a little). Did she at least get to bubble in those math problems? She could have gotten lucky and guessed correctly (though my D did not :frowning: ).</p>

4830

<p>momonthehill - thanks - while I donā€™t have any specific questions, Iā€™m interested in hearing your thoughts, and your Dā€™s, on U of Rochester. Itā€™s on my Dā€™s list of schools recommended by her GC. I know interest is key with that school, but I just donā€™t know whether weā€™ll have time to make it there this summer, and it seems out of the question for the fall. Itā€™s not at the top of my Dā€™s list because of the snowy winters, but otherwise, itā€™s seems like a good fit for her.</p>

4831

<p>Iā€™d be interested in learning more about both U of Rochester and U of Pittsburgh. My only specific question at this stage of the game is whether on campus housing is guaranteed for all four years.</p>

4832

<p>when D called after the test, all I got from her was a ā€œgood.ā€ Hope for a few more words later. </p>

<p>zm- Iā€™m sorry the test didnā€™t go well for your D. I hope she can go to MH you already have a trip planned donā€™t you? before writing it off her list. Hope she can look past this one thing before judging the rest of the school. It might be a good topic for her interview, since she has strong feelings on it. And donā€™t cancel the scores, as you pick individual ACT dates to send to colleges, so a bad date wouldnā€™t have any effect.</p>

<p>Hope everyone who took the test did better than expected and good luck to all embarking on trips and spring breaks. Iā€™m hoping D finds a good prom dress option at the mall, if not we will try out a larger mall farther away sometime, maybe next weekend. Our prom is during AP weeks also, the Friday of the first week.</p>

4833

<p>My son took the ACT today too. He felt that the math section was the most difficult of the sections, and found the science section to be easier than expected. Go figure. He thought the reading was moderately difficult, and didnā€™t comment about English. I know that he did not care for their writing prompt, but he told me that he did write a lengthy essay. Good thing that he has a current passport because last night he informed me that he could not find his hs IDā€¦yikes!</p>

4834

<p>

I actually think itā€™s a good thing for her to re-confirm the schools that stay on and to add a couple of new schools. Iā€™m pretty sure that Barnard and Bryn Mawr will remain, though, because they both have very compelling reasons.</p>

4835

<p>Iā€™m of the opinion that the college list should be in constant flux as opinions change and new information is added. So reconsideration is a good thing!</p>

4836

<p>It may be on the website, but I didnā€™t see it. Does Rochester have a language requirement?</p>

4837

<p>Congrats, RobD, to your dd?</p>

<p>When ds did a practice ACT test, I was shocked how poorly he did on the science section. Definitely scared us off taking it for real. Hereā€™s hoping everyone ends up with good scores.</p>

<p>Tonight we need to have a talk about the May and June testing stuff. If Latin isnā€™t offered in May, then he may just have to wait until June and wing it in October for his second try.</p>

4838

<p>Like jackiefā€™s D, Son said the test was ā€œgoodā€¦no worse than the practice.ā€ Now that a few hours have passed since he got home I probed a little more. He agrees that the science was beastly and the proctors mismanaged the clock. But, he was able to finish all sections. He seems to have had a distinct opinion about the essay prompt, so letā€™s hope that energy comes through in his writing.</p>

4839

<p>I think that my son found the science section in December to be more difficult. I think that he did not find as much science backround necessary for this test, but getting the info out of him is not easy! He does not want to say he did well, and then have us disappointed in his scores, so he he is very cautious with what he says.</p>

<p>I know that he did not like the essay prompt, but he still managed to write a lot. He said that he wrote more for this essay than the one in December. He told me that he needed to sit and think a bit longer about what to write this time. LOL, I guess that meant he had finger cramps by the end of that essay.</p>

4840

<p>Well, my d took the ACT for the first time today. Glad to hear others found the science and math difficult - she didnā€™t finish either of them. But she said she finished the essay with 10 minutes to spareā€¦ Iā€™m thinking that might not be a good thing. Weā€™ll have to wait for the scores to see!</p>