<p>FindaPlace, my daughter and I did the same thing today! We read through the essay prompts together and she eliminated a couple straight up and I told her to start mentally trying on essay topics like hats and discarding what she doesnt like.</p>
<p>FAP - 500 people in a calculus class? Thatās just insane! Wonder what kind of access the students have to the professor? </p>
<p>Dās GC actually suggested D checking out the Common App essay prompts from this yearās version, in case she wants to start giving her essay some thought. Will she do it? I donāt think so - but Iāll remind her about that once school is out. Itās just a little too early for that, I think.</p>
<p>jackief - congrats on the prom dress. Color? Link? (sorry if Iām being nosy). Iām glad you were all in agreement about which dress you preferred - that certainly made things easy.</p>
<p>Iāll have to ask my D if theyāve started studying for the AP - she hasnāt mentioned it though, so I donāt think they have. She hasnāt even mentioned which review book she wants.</p>
<p>At Carnegie Mellon, I checked out what the art and architecture students were up to, even though itās not of interest to my son. I took calculus self paced when I was at school. I never went to lectures at all. There was a math study center with smart math geeks who would help me with problems whenever I got stuck. It worked really well for me. Iād guess that thereās limited access to the prof except for his regular office hours, but there are probably breakout sessions with TAs. Berkley has a lot of gigantic lecture classes - itās one of the reasons we nixed it for my out of state son. Itās supposed to be one of the top in computer science, but it seemed like a better place to go for grad school if one wanted to.</p>
<p>I donāt actually think that once a class has become a lecture class it matters that much how big it gets. A lecture is a lecture. I actually really enjoyed many of my lecture classes, they were more relaxing than seminars where you actually had to be prepared to participate. It was nice having a mix of both types of courses. Schools like Bard where everything is small, I think might get to be almost too intense.</p>
<p>Just learned over dinner that twice a week in April dsās APUSH teacher is offering study sessions in the evening. Iām sure he wouldnāt have volunteered that if I hadnāt asked! ARGH.</p>
<p>ML, athletics at UT are amazing, huh? Did you ask anyone about possible changes to the top 10%?</p>
<p>Ds just filled out a college questionnaire given to him by the college counselor weeks ago. Kind of interesting. There was a range of choices on questions like ālevel of intellectual challengeā with the high end being āvery intellectual/scholarly emphasisā and the low end being ābalance of balance between intellectual and social life.ā Another choice was āready/able for most vigorous academic environmentā and āready/able for normal academic pressure.ā He picked right in the middle for both of them. I guess thatās a good place to be ā¦ ?</p>
<p>Youdonātsay, they discussed the 10% rule at the information session. The admissions people said they have NO idea whatās going to happen, and if thereās a rule change, when it would take effect. </p>
<p>The OOS stats arenāt as bad as I thought - about 30% are accepted. Fewer than a third of those accepted attend, so thatās why the numbers look scary!</p>
<p>Jackie, does that mean your D is almost finished with her Gold Award? My D in 5th grade would like to get hers eventually. She has a good troop, so maybe she will. I hope your D decides to talk to a coach - itās so helpful to get another perspective about a school - makes it more three-dimensional.</p>
<p>the dress is blue with a metallic tint- it is long and form fitted, spaghetti straps and a straight across neckline with some extra material stuff at the neck and a bow like thing in the back. Can you tell I am not a fashionista but an engineer? 
If she finds a link Iāll stag itā¦</p>
<p>My calc classes were all large lectures, as were the majority of my engineering classes, we had breakout session also.</p>
<p>I havenāt had time to kill on a campus visit yet (since she doesnāt attend classes!) but I like to get the paper if I see one.</p>
<p>D spent a lot of time today researching colleges online and going through the āFiske bookā - something she borrowed from her college counseling office. She has even started a spreadsheet with a list of criteria that are important to her in rows and the colleges in columns. I think we are making progress!</p>
<p>mathmom,
S1 has friends in grad school at Berkeley (both CS and math) who warned him off UG there for the same reasons you gave. Another friend of ours who was a history major said she learned to be a fierce advocate there because that was the only way one ever got through the bureaucracy. She then went on to a successful career as a litigator and feral prosecutor. ;)</p>
<p>Canāt imagine S2 surviving a Calc lecture class of 500 kids. Yikes!</p>
<p>S1ās math classes have been <20 students, and his CS courses <12. Humanities Core is also <20. Bio Core was 40, which he found too large. He likes the seminar format, but one has to be prepared or itās like walking in naked. Nowhere to hide!</p>
<p>S1 recommends that folks sit in on a core/distribution course, esp. if that makes up a substantial part of the UG experience.</p>
<p>YDS, wish S2ās school would distribute a survey like that! S2 keeps talking about wanting an intellectual environment, but he also wants lots of school spirit. Is having a hard time finding both in the same place.</p>
<p>jackie, S2 wonāt go talk to coaches, either. I think he finds itās taxing enough just to go talk to profs and sit in on classes right now.</p>
<p>The Berkeley math prof (plus the others from UCLA and USC) had a nice discussions about how they use technology to make better presentations, and spoke to how projected images from a tablet computer are more adaptable and far superior to chalk boards or overheads. All the while, I keep thinking how all this would be more applicable to a more intimate setting, which is not one that comes to mind when I think of 500 undergrads in one lecture hall.</p>
<p>The math dept at Berkeley is quite good, considered better than the ones at UCLA or USC. Again, I think that goodness comes out more at the graduate level.</p>
<p>I have to admit, I zoned out of the conversation when the math guys started debating which calculus text was better. It was rather humorous to hear one of the older guys from UCLA claim he saw a textbook come full cycle and back into use, after having been tossed about some 15 years earlier. Then again, UCLA has managed to hang on to Terry Tau, the young phenom mathematician who could write his ticket at any U but likes the vibe at UCLA and being in the LA area. So it canāt be all bad.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Is that better than being a tame prosecutor?</p>
<p>LOL</p>
<p>Got another one here who doesnāt want to be a nuisance and talk to coaches, yet. {sigh}</p>
<p>OMG, ds has just gone off to bed after we had what, for him, is a long talk about college. Heās really rethinking it all now. He says heās not sure whether itās talking to the seniors about their plans or what, but heās not sure he wants to pursue what he thought he wanted to study and not sure what he found so attractive about the three small LACs heās been looking at. He wonders whether when he takes economics next year whether heāll really like that and therefore change his mind about what he wants to do. And he really thinks his one favored reach college is the best of all worlds. </p>
<p>I told him that his dad and I donāt care in the least what he studies and that Iām reeally happy heās giving this some thought, that my wish to have him start visiting colleges early was just a way to try things on for size and maybe get an idea of whether thereās one category or trait in a college that became a must-have. We eliminated a couple of safeties in Naviance and added a new school that I thought might fit the bill. Heās good with taking a little tour this summer just to see whatās out there. It was a great conversation.</p>
<p>Iām probably nuts, but I am actually relieved heās rethinking all this. Iām always afraid that his nature is to take the path of least resistance and so he wonāt change course even when he knows he should. The next year might be harder than I first thought.</p>
<p>YDS, if he is finding himself less enthralled with the LACs and thinks he might want to major in something heās not sure about, sounds like a bigger school or two on that summer tour might be handy (or could he get online and look at course catalogs to see what kinds of courses/majors might pique his interests). Better that he realizes this about himself now (and heaven knows changing majors is a NORMAL thing for him to do) than after he has committed to somewhere specifically for a particular major ā and then changes his mind!</p>
<p>Eso, she is pretty ferocious when need be!</p>
<p>University of Rochester seems to have a āroom drawingā for uppperclass men/women. So it looks like housing isnāt guaranteed for all 4 years. Great school, but might be something to consider in the process. I personally hate the idea of setting up one of my kids in an off campus apartment. Less financial aid as well.</p>
<p>Nice that some of your kids are really getting into the whole college search thing. </p>
<p>YDS - CountingDownās suggestion is really good - maybe your S should consider bigger schools - small universities - which may have more options than the small LACs. I know thatās playing a big role in the schools my D is looking at because she isnāt sure what she wants to study, so she wants lots of options available.</p>
<p>SLUMOMāI lived in a dorm all 4 years and it was really convenient and a no-brainer, for me. Two of my kids, however, wanted to make the transition as juniors to off-campus housing. They thought it was exciting to find a house with friends and be āon their own.ā </p>
<p>So, whatever works.</p>
<p>Itās good to be āon campusā the first couple of years, to be dialed in to all that campus life has to offer, and for many places today thatās substantially more than when I went to school. Other than a student being overwhelmed at the after study hours activities, itās a good thing.</p>
<p>After the first two years, cost factors and the independence of the student in life skills will be the determinant as to whether off house campus is best approached at this time, or after undergrad. Those life skills including feeding (by this I mean the menu selection, shopping and cooking for oneself or a small group.) Sometimes even the guys pick up on a small amount of cooking and shopping if they are in Boy Scouts but here Iām thinking long haul. </p>
<p>Itās important for their health. When I got out of grad school and moved to the other coast for his first job, my Mom made me promise Iād take vitamins every day, just 'cause.</p>
<p>ML- yes she just needs to get her project approved and then do it. Hopefully will finish it this summer as it is an outdoor project. Both my girls have gotten tons out of Girl Scouts as older girls, including national and international destinations and many other opportunities. Hope your D stays involved, so many drop at that age.</p>
<p>We potentially will be visiting a couple schools in Apr, which donāt interview yet at that time, I might try to make a compromise and ask her to either talk to a coach or sit in on a class. It is a school where interest is important but is in the match/safety range for her.</p>
<p>We had a similar questionaire to YDS, but D isnāt sure the counselor has read hers yet, as he is suggesting some schools which do not match (in her opinion) her wants. Sometime soon, maybe after getting ACTs back, I want her to have another visit with counselor to go over her current list and talk about his assessment and for any additional he suggests I want her to ask why he is suggesting it.</p>
<p>We have a college meeting tonight, it is a panel with some admissions officers. Will report back tomorrow.</p>
<p>Was it this thread or another that talked about Northeastern being hot? There is an article in todayās Boston Globe about it, and how they are changing focus. Donāt have the time to look for the link right now, but someone else may have already posted it. This is the first thread I come to when I visit this nutter site, ya know :D</p>
<p>He called this morning from school to report that:</p>
<p>1) He turned in his questionnaire
2) Scheduled a follow-up mtg with the college counselor for this week
3) Talked to his regular counselor to get the paper work about summer cc classes
4) Talked to his APUSH teacher about nighttime study sessions this month
5) Turned the principal down on an offer to miss two days of class to work on a project because he didnāt want to miss BC Cal.</p>
<p>He is on a roll!</p>
<p>The plan for this summer was to tour everything from very large public in-state uni to a 1,300-student OOS LAC. Iām sure weāll continue with that plan, but maybe weāll add Tulane, which hadnāt been on the list (and Iāve never been to Nawlins!). And he seemed more enthusiastic about one school I had told him to put on his list when he saw it was bigger than the tiny LACs. The one other thing he said on his questionnaire that has remained constant is that he doesnāt want to go to far from home, which really limits options.</p>