Parents of the HS class of 2010 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
5421

<p>YDS: I’m also late to this, but I wanted to wish your H a speedy and steady recovery. It’s good that the hospital is being careful and running extra tests before releasing him. </p>

<p>This is going back a ways, but congratulations to all of the students with those great ACT results! BTW, I didn’t realize that there was the opportunity for score choice among the ACT results (unless I misunderstood one of the previous posts…?). However, it still may not convince D to sit for that test again.</p>

<p>Other than the SAT II coming up soon, the college activity is pretty much on hold here. After our trip, D is somewhat burned out on campus visits and much of her focus is mainly on AP prep and the upcoming prom. After that, though, she’ll hopefully start gearing up for the SAT I retake in June.</p>

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<p>After weeks of lurking, I have finally signed up. I have enjoyed reading this thread - you are all so supportive and friendly. </p>

<p>My D1 (trying to transfer from cc) and D2 (2010) and I had a great spring break college trip and saw Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan, Kenyon, Carleton, Macalester, U of C, and Northwestern. We drove from DC to Chicago and did the Minnesota leg by plane. We live in the DC area and the driving was so pleasant compared to trips up and down the East Coast. Some of the schools were just a tour and an info session and others she sat in on classes and had time to talk to students at length. It was our first trip to Minnesota - what a lovely place! D2 loved some of the smaller schools and especially Macalester and Carleton. That is all for now…</p>

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<p>welcome journey!</p>

<p>momonthehill- ACT doesn’t have score choice per se in the way college board does for SAT/SAT IIs but for ACT what you do is you select which date to send and pay the fee. If you want to send two dates you pay the fee x 2. Since most colleges do not superscore the ACT, one typically just sends one date with the highest composite.</p>

<p>Although some schools now like Stanford are saying they want to see all your test data, with the pricing scheme for ACT is most likely won’t happen. It remains to be seen how one would certify on the application etc that you have sent all your scores. HTH</p>

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<p>journey, nice to have you with us! And yes, isn’t driving away from the I-95/NJ Turnpike corridor a treat in comparison? Earlier this month we drove straight west to Pittsburgh and H and I kept turning to each other and saying “where’s all the traffic?” Then again, the rest stops are also very far apart!</p>

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<p>journey, DH and S2 did some of those same schools over spring break and also like Minnesota. There was snow on the ground while they were there, but I figure that’s a good reality check!</p>

<p>S2’s prom is on a Friday night (yuck) at the end of APs (so he will have just completed seven exams) and while IB exams are still continuing (and he has one the Monday AM after the prom). These kids never get a bleepin’ break.</p>

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<p>YDS: so happy to hear that things are looking up for your DH. Scary night though on top of sad news; that would have been my thought process also. </p>

<p>The college list has lost two more. I “encouraged” my DD to make a decision about the SAT II’s (and therefore Northwestern and Princeton) over the weekend. I told her I didn’t care either way, but that I would have to sign her up for 2 in June if she planned on applying there, and then she would have to take a 3rd in the Fall if she was applying to Princeton. I explained that if she didn’t take them, and she then decided to apply, she would be behind the 8 ball and have to scramble during the Fall of her Senior year when she will already be busy with apps and a full course load. But that there was no sense in sitting for 3 more tests if she had no real expectations of applying and attending those 2 schools. </p>

<p>She hemmed and hawed but finally said that NW & Princeton weren’t even in her top 5, so she wasn’t going to take the SAT II’s. That was Friday. I doubled checked yesterday and she is so past it. So they’re now off the list. </p>

<p>Chamber Choir auditions are tomorrow; ACTs are Wednesday. We’re visiting Centre on Friday and she’ll sit in on her 1st class. Plus she’s being confirmed on Sunday and then taking the SAT’s May 2nd. Her whiteboard in her room looks like an insane person’s schedule :)</p>

<p>And, younger DD’s DI team came in 1st on Saturday in all categories! They had decided beforehand that if they did do well that they would not go onto Globals (they’ve been twice before) so they were all loose and relaxed. And then shocked when they came in first. It’s a nice way for the team to go out with a bang as this is their last year together.</p>

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<p>Snow on the ground …</p>

<p>It supposed to hit 98 degrees in downtown LA today. Too mas! My S will be glad by this afternoon that he’s on the swim team and in an outdoor pool, even though they will be working. Here’s hoping the temperatures moderate as promised by Friday because they’ve got a swim-a-thon going then to raise money for assistant coaches and a replacement scoreboard/clock for water polo (think something very modest, not the multi-media giant screens seen in NFL stadiums.) Team members are tasked with doing 200 laps in a two hour period. </p>

<p>If this is anything like last year, the AP teachers will be hitting it hard and heavy today, first day back after spring break. The more studious kids took time during the two week (absurd!) break to form study groups.</p>

<p>What’s really odd is the NCLB standardized test period over laps somewhat with the AP test prep/exam period. You can just guess which tests the AP students are concerned with.</p>

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<p>FindAPlace: In CA, the HS kids have to take NCLB tests? The TCAPs end in 8th grade here (they started today; youngest is thrilled) with the exception of the writing TCAP in 11th grade. They have Gateway testing at the end of three required classes (Algebra I, Geometry & Biology) the PLAN for 10th, the PSAT or ASVAB for 11th and mandatory ACT testing for Juniors but besides that the only standardized testing the HS kids have to take is that of their own choosing (early PSATs, SATs and SAT IIs.)</p>

<p>Interesting to hear how requirements are so different from state to state.</p>

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<p>Our kids had state standardized testing through 10th grade (alg I, geometry, gov’t and bio). Yuk. Most kids pass them by 10th, but there are always some seniors taking them in May before graduation, whether it’s because kids have moved into the school system, scores were lost, or they never passed.</p>

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<p>YDS – best wishes for your dh’s continued, hopefully speedy, recovery.</p>

<p>Welcome, journey919! If you are of the mind to share any more details of the schools you visited, I am sure many here would be interested! :)</p>

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<p>not up to date on state testing, as ours have been in private since 6th grade. But we did have a little snow on the ground for our hike yesterday, nothing that couldn’t be traversed with bare boots, but still slippery in spots. At least we aren’t in CO where they just got dumped on!</p>

<p>Are there any other states which require and have their own special in school testing like TN does for the ACT? On one hand that is good to remove a barrier to college for some who might not be headed that way initially. On the other, it skews the scores lower. I think I had heard once that ME required SATs, MaineLonghorn is this correct? Does any other state have their own special test dates for either of these?</p>

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<p>CA has no statewide requirement for all students to take any college admissions test, SAT or ACT. Our PTSA at the HS provides practice tests for both 2-3 times a year at nominal cost ($20), and also has an arrangement with a test prep company who does the prep at the HS, cost borne by the student … I think it’s in the $500-700 range.</p>

<p>CA does have a HS exit exam in math and English that is given for the first time in 10th grade and, for those who don’t pass the first time, in the following grades until the students passes, or doesn’t.</p>

<p>The UCs require either the SAT or ACT with writing. Until the HS class of 2012, the UC system also requires two SAT II tests, and if one is math, it must be math 2.</p>

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<p>Texas has the dreaded Taks test, but the legislature is voting (possibly) to abolish or at least amend it. My son always likes Taks week because it means no homework.</p>

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<p>Update from Minnesota: no more snow on the ground, none for a couple of weeks now. I’m back to commuting by bike. The great thing about living in Minnesota is that it makes you so deeply grateful for the Spring.</p>

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<p>I’d be grateful for spring as well. At around 98 degrees, I think someone just skipped over spring and went right into the energy draining heat of summer. Where’s our marine layer and breeze?</p>

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<p>Speaking of school testing, NC has what they call EOC testing, which means “end of course” testing. Students have to take these tests at the end of certain courses, such as biology and have to pass them to pass the class. In the lower grades, you have EOG testing, which is “end of grade” testing. Students must pass this test in third, fifth and eighth grades in order to be promoted to the next grade although the test is given to grades 3-8. There is always a debate on whether or not this type of testing is necessary and whether or not teacher just teach to the test. </p>

<p>My D has been taking these type of tests since third grade and absolutely hates them. However, I feel that she is well prepared to take any standardized test because of taking these tests over the years.</p>

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<p>Has anyone else attended college presentations called “Exploring College Options”? My D got a letter the other day to attend an evening session with representatives from Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn and Stanford. I was just wondering how informative it was and if there is enough time to actually speak with all the representatives. We are signed up to attend a session this Sunday. Since I really can’t afford a trip to all of these schools, it seems like a great opportunity.</p>

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<p>Hello parents!</p>

<p>As I mentioned several pages back (wow, you guys talk a lot!), my father and I flew out to the Midwest to do my first college trips last week. It was a lot of fun spending time with him and the visits were mostly enjoyable and very helpful in my seemingly never-ending search to finish editing my college list (my school allows us 8 private schools and an unlimited number of publics, and so far I’ve got 15 privates and 4 publics…).</p>

<p>So, brief visit reports:</p>

<p>Carleton: rather underwhelming, I’m sorry to say. This was one of my top choices, but I had a really poor visit and so for right now it’s iffy whether I’ll even apply. The class I sat in on was very interesting to me, but only to me, it seems, since only 3-4 of the students in the class of ~25 participated. Granted, it was a largely freshman class at 11 in the morning on a Monday, so I thought I’d cut it some slack. Then, however, eating lunch and walking around campus, I noticed that everything seemed rather…cliquey. There were distinct groups of students where everyone was wearing the same brand names, groups of only racial minority students, etc, and it seemed very high school-esque and I really didn’t like that. So we’ll see.</p>

<p>Macalester: I didn’t really expect to like Mac too much, but surprisingly enough I loved it! There was a vibe of energy and activism that Carleton was seriously lacking that I completely picked up and really appreciated. Also, I like the fact that it’s a campus-centered experience that at the same time offers access to a larger metropolitan area; being from New York, I want to experience something more tight-night and closer but at the same time be able to, say, see a concert once in a while, so I really appreciated the location. Also, I’ve always appreciated Mac’s focus on internationalism, but what I didn’t realize before visiting was that that internationalism would translate into the food, which was diverse and fantastic! There was a curry bar. I was very pleased.</p>

<p>Grinnell: We drove down to Iowa from the Twin Cities, and honestly the entire state was SO flat and boring that I realized that unless Grinnell was absolutely fantastic the location wasn’t really worth it. The school itself was nice but didn’t really distinguish itself or have anything too spectacular or idiosyncratic, so it was the first school knocked off my list of 20.</p>

<p>UChicago: This was at my father’s insistence. I really didn’t like how the campus seemed so spread-out, especially how there don’t seem to be any dorms on-campus. Even if the dorms are only a few blocks away, they’re all spread out and I can’t imagine that fostering school-wide community. Also, I definitely got a certain idiosyncratic vibe from the school, a sort of self-deprecating and sarcastic intensity that my father seemed to enjoy but that I know I would be unhappy in. It was similar in some ways to what I’ve experienced at high school, and I’m really trying to get out of such a high-pressure competitive atmosphere and really enjoy my entire college experience. Overall, I know UChicago is a good school, but it really didn’t feel right for me. My father, however, disagrees, so I think it’s staying on the list for now.</p>

<p>Beloit: This was another school that I really didn’t expect to like, and it’s a safety, but, again, I really enjoyed my visit. Everyone I met was so friendly and interesting, and the events I saw advertised made me seem like I would fit right in, and the class I sat in on really tried to make me feel comfortable and it was a very nice experience overall. Beloit was the one school where I could really, really see myself (tho Macalester was a very close second), so it’s good to have such a great safety (especially since I think I stand a good chance of getting merit aid there)!</p>

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<p>teenage_cliche, thanks for the comments about Macalester. I think I mentioned this earlier, but it’s one of the more realistic schools on my sister’s list, and we haven’t had a chance to visit. Reading all these positive comments helps me feel a bit better about her otherwise very top-heavy list.</p>

<p>(Her favorites so far are Columbia, Penn, and Brown. I’m scared. :eek:)</p>

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<p>Thanks for the visit reports! I’m highly interested in 3/5 (used to be 4/5) of those schools, but won’t be able to visit any, so it was very helpful to me personally. Interesting about the self-segregation at Carleton–I hadn’t gotten that vibe from other reports. How did Mac’s campus compare to Carleton’s, aesthetically? I also think that you should drop UChicago, despite your father’s disagreement; since you have an 8-school limit, you shouldn’t waste a spot on a school where you don’t feel comfortable.</p>