<p>Thanks, jackief. I can understand the running out of steam thing.</p>
<p>We just got back from our vacation in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. We didnât watch ANY news all week. Towards the end of our trip, we wondered why we saw a few people wearing surgical masks! No symptoms so far. I think we were far enough from Mexico City that weâll be fine. Iâm glad our trip happened when it did, or we would have a difficult decision to make about going! </p>
<p>We had a BLAST. I highly recommend this area for a vacation! The weather was PERFECT all week (I think I saw one tiny cloud one day), the people were very friendly, and everything was well-run, unlike Cancun. We suffered through one time-share presentation to get a room upgrade and about $500 worth of freebies (golf, room charge discount, etc.). The boys scuba-dived while DD and I snorkeled, and some of us para-sailed, swam with dolphins, golfed, and went zip-lining. I want to go back!!</p>
<p>DS and I volunteered to be bumped on Sunday in exchange for $600 in airfare vouchers, hotel, food, and first-class seats from Houston to Boston. It was a good idea, except that we didnât get back until 2 am this morning, and DS had his driversâ test today at 3. Oops! I should have thought of that. He was bleary-eyed and didnât pass. Oh, well.</p>
<p>Now I have to get busy and catch up on the thread!</p>
<p>mathmom - The Vassar tour guide was preppy? Really? Out of all the colleges Iâve visited, my Vassar tour guides were the LEAST preppy. They reminded me of my arts middle schoolâflowing peasant skirts and long hair (on the girls), African-American male theatre majors in skinny jeans. I generalize, but you get the idea.</p>
<p>MaineLonghorn - glad you enjoyed your trip, and I certainly hope you werenât exposed to the swine flu while in Mexico.</p>
<p>Had an appointment with Dâs school College Counselor. I am not sure we got anything new out of it. I seem to be much more ahead of the game than she is. She did inform me that most kids apply to 6 schools at most (3 is more normal); that studying for the SAT is a waste of time; and that D shouldnât bother taking SAT IIs.</p>
<p>Queenâs Mom - interesting advice from your Dâs college counselor. Scary for the students whose parents are less aware, donât you think?</p>
<p>I am in complete agreement with you LIMOMOF2. It is scary. I guess we are on our own. There is no way I am paying for a private counselor.</p>
<p>Keil, no the tourguide wasnât preppy. She just seemed normal - not artsy, not nerdy, not preppy. I think she was probably wearing jeans and a hoodie. It was the guy from the admissions office - bow tie etc. Vassar was a lot less artsy looking than I expected, but then my guy is the one with shoulder length hair.</p>
<p>Wow, Queenâs Mom, I think youâd better get your advice here! Although admittedly, for âmost kidsâ that may well be fine. Itâs just that our kids are above average. Do the SUNYâs require SAT2s?</p>
<p>I agree, LIMOM. If S heard his GC say those things heâd turn cartsheels thinking all legwork was behind him. Iâd have no credibility up against the âexpert.â</p>
<p>mathmom, ALL children are above average. 
I have no idea about the SUNYs. I donât think D is interested in any of them anyway. The SATIIs are for her reaches and none of her match schools require them, but heck, why not try?</p>
<p>I just checked out of curiosity, and SUNY Binghamton and Geneseo say nothing about requiring SAT IIs. Not sure about the others, but if neither of those requires them, then I doubt the others do.</p>
<p>QM - I totally agree with you - about both things - but especially the âwhy not try?â part. </p>
<p>DougBetsy - Iâm sure most kids would react the way you said your S would if they heard that from their GCs. Luckily for my D (and for me), her GC seems very knowledgeable, so hopefully that wonât be an issue for us either.</p>
<p>Reading QMâs report about the college counselor made me content with my decision not to push for a meeting this springâŠweâll wait for the normal first meeting in fall of senior yearâŠ
Still, with counselors like this, itâll be difficult to trust them when it comes time to rely on them to send information to colleges. No wonder there are so many helicopter moms! I really donât think weâre born that way!!!</p>
<p>Queenâs Mom â wow⊠I hope your D wasnât really listening to the bad advice from her <em>college</em> counselor. That sounds like the advice you would get from an overworked GC with 500 students. Is this the person who will write the LORs? Maybe she doesnât want to have to deal with too many of them. :)</p>
<p>The poor woman probably has to âcounselâ 800 kids per year. She does not write the LORs. I wish she did. Sheâs very nice unlike Dâs GC who is nasty in addition to being ignorant.</p>
<p>I had a discomforting thought as I heard on the news this AM that they are investgating three LA County schools for swine flu. What would the College Board do if a site was shuttered for this Saturdayâs SAT sitting, or in the next two weeks for the AP exams? I suppose they could be coldly bureaucratic and point to extended dates (for AP) and other future dates (for SAT) but I know from reading on CC that some students (and their hovering parents) pick test dates for a specific reason.</p>
<p>Gee, I hope that didnât sound cold while people are suffering (and some dying) but it was a thought that ran through my mind of some potential collateral damage from this.</p>
<p>Weâll all keep collective fingers crossed. H is traveling by plane next month to Canada. Since he does have asthma, I told him he should speak to his MD about whether he should have any kind of protective facial gear for the plane. Hmm, I wonder if it makes a tight enough seal if one has a beard, as he does.</p>
<p>I bought several travel sized hand sanitizers and distributed them to the family and now carry one in my purse.</p>
<p>I heard our local Exchange Club has temporarily suspended their required hand shake greetings and have instituted a new tradition of the elbow bump.</p>
<p>^^I just noticed yesterday on the CB website that swine-flu infested St. Francis Prep school in Queens, NY was scheduled as an SAT test center. The website listed that center as closed and no instructions were provided for alternate locations. I assume they are scrambling to find another test center. I also assume they are providing no-cost deferrals to the June test date for those who are willing.</p>
<p>That really is horrible, vicariousparent.</p>
<p>D is scheduled to take the SATs this weekend and sheâs nervous enough without having to deal with a test center closing and fears of flu.</p>
<p>D got back from Paris, France on Saturday night & S got back from Disney World on Sunday morning. I find myself constantly monitoring for any signs of illness. I think I am probably paranoid. S will take the SAT on Saturday AM at his own high school & probably the SAT IIâs in June.</p>
<p>I wish our HS was a test site but itâs not. So we go to the closest one (10 minute drive) in a nearby school district. This is a public HS that was closed for one day last week,
due to graffiti threats found in the boyâs restroom and similar found on the Internet. Maybe I should see if I can change the June test site to one of the local universities, although itâs a longer driver.</p>
<p>Iâm thinking the kinds of kids that take SAT arenât usually the ones who do something stupid like a fire alarm pull on test day to get the building evacauted. They might have to fear for their safety from all the kids whoâve been studying for weeks for this day and just want to get it done.</p>
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<p>If doing that while being very nice to the kids doesnât get her into heaven, I donât know what will. </p>
<p>I wonder how old she is? Back in the late 80s, my high school required us to each apply to three colleges (safety, match, reach.) Friends of mine who wanted to apply to more were strongly discourage because there was just no reason.</p>