Parents of the HS class of 2010 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
1661

<p>D got her ACTs on the first day, the essay score two days later, and the paper copy in the mail today.</p>

<p>No problem at all yds (my new abbreviation for you hope you don’t mind) I will be watching your football games even though college sports aren’t as big out here. </p>

<p>I emailed the college counselor guy today asking to get back onto the guest naviance account, but said I could wait for next month (not really, but wanted to be nice) when they distribute to all jrs. I want to check the act scores against the school data.</p>

1662

<p>jackief - I think D’s school is supposed to be distributing naviance passwords soon. Not sure, because I still haven’t received a letter about it, but I think that’s what they said.</p>

<p>Still no ACT or SAT scores in the mail!</p>

<p>mommusic - D still gets college mail almost everyday. The most unusual recently is the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. She’s not applying to schools that far from home, and not applying to art schools at all. Today’s mail was from Pace University and Vanderbilt - but Vanderbilt’s was for their summer program, so not sure if that counts.</p>

1663

<p>D keeps getting mail for summer programs too. Vanderbilt seems to send something every week; she is actually interested in UChicago’s summer language program; and of course WashU is sending a mailing per day.</p>

1664

<p>mm, The oddest one so far was from a small, Christian, midwest college. We’re not Christians and the only schools he has expressed interest in are in New England. That one went straight into the recycling bin!</p>

1665

<p>Have any of you ever sent your s/d to one of these summer programs? S received mailings from Harvard and Stanford today ~ of course he would like to go. Is it just their way of getting money out of you or is it beneficial?</p>

1666

<p>I like the summer programs that really relate to my son’s interests, which include math. He has been to math summer programs every summer since the summer he turned twelve. </p>

<p>The college summer programs for high school students can be all right, but they aren’t a guarantee of a better chance of college admission and they seem too expensive to me.</p>

1667

<p>I agree about the expense. </p>

<p>I grew up going to a camp I loved, which I still return to visit every few years. We started our kid going to a similar camp a few years ago and he loves it. However, if I had the money and my child was interested in one of the summer camps offered by a college, I’d consider it. But I would look at it as camp, not as “plus” for applying.</p>

1668

<p>We’ve been getting mail for the college summer programs since D took the PSAT her soph year - and yes, Vanderbilt sends a lot. She doesn’t get much at all from WUSTL though. She’s gotten a little mail from them, but not the piles she’s gotten from other schools. And definitely not what I expected given what I had heard about them.</p>

1669

<p>S2 is hardly getting any mail. He swears he bubbled in the “send me mail” box this year, and his PSAT would indicate he should be getting some goodies. He got a flurry of stuff from top schools when the AP awards went out in September.</p>

<p>S1 did a summer math program (six weeks residential for less than the cost of two weeks at most university programs) three years ago. Totally changed his life. Now if I could find something similar in history/international studies for S2… He has decided that TASP is not his thing. (thanks, IB English!)</p>

1670

<p>it could be that colleges are cutting down on the bulk mail. I heard a story on NPR this morning that the post office has the biggest decline in volume since the great depression. We regularly get mail, but it does seem to be down some, compared to after psat last year. D just spent the weekend clearing out her designated college email acct, she was thinking of sending mail to colleges where she definitely isnt interested telling them to take her off the list. Chicago said on one of their postcards that it had to be returned to stay on their mailing list.</p>

<p>summer programs- My D has mostly done non-academic programs (camp) but did do one summer program at Phillips Exeter to get the experience of a boarding/go to classes/manage her own laundry etc program. She did it totally for enrichment reasons. It gave her a great taste of what living at school would be like. The programs at the prep schools and some of the colleges do have some financial aid.</p>

1671

<p>My D isn’t interested in doing any type of summer program. She wants to work, volunteer and hang out with friends as she has for the past few summers. This year, she’d also like to get a headstart on her college applications/essays - but that’ll only work if she knows where she wants to apply.</p>

1672

<p>My S went to HOBY World Leadership Congress in Washington DC for 10 days last summer. He stayed in the dorms at George Washington University. He had a great time and met other students from all over the world. Now he asks if he can attend every program that he receives literature on. I guess I should be glad that he is comfortable enough to go on his own. When he went to DC it was the first time he had ever flown alone, but he took it all in stride (in SD we don’t even have much for public transportation so he hadn’t ever taken a bus or subway alone.)</p>

1673

<p>My S attended three of the three week sessions at JHU CTY (held at Loyola Marymount U) over the past three summers. The first two were for enrichment (electrical engineering, and probability & game theory (his favorite) and the last was of his choosing (fast paced HS physics.) By the third summer session he was 16 and had outgrown the uniqueness of it all and found some of the attendees a bit immature.</p>

<p>Socially (at least for the first two summers), I think it was good for him to be able to interact with this grouping of kids and imagine what it might be like to attend a college that has a lot of high achievers. Academically, JHU CTY puts on an excellent summer program (although not inexpensive) with a wide range of class offerings that appears to grow by the year. Recently, they have added overseas language classes, as well.</p>

<p>Now, he is taking one of the CTY on line classes in linear algebra, for which he will receive HS credit. He’s having to adjust to the self-paced aspects of this (he took this too literally in the beginning) and the “take home” tests are no pikers but he’s now managed to pull in an A here as well as his other AP classes, with a class in photography to balance things out on the creative side.</p>

<p>DH is now seeing if he can secure some kind of physics lab research work for him over part of the summer. In his Sr year, he may take the JHU CTY on line class in multivariable calculus. Yes, it’s cheaper at the local community college but oh, so more convenient to do the on line version at home.</p>

<p>As an aside, he found out recently that a Sr friend of his got accepted ED at JHU.</p>

1674

<p>Please don’t stop sharing the summer program info. S finally seems interested in attending one, but it’s so hard to choose. I need to hear about lots of options out there. (But not math/science, thanks.)</p>

<p>Yesterday [Washington</a> Community of Scholars, American University](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/sis/precollege/]Washington”>Access Denied | American University, Washington, DC) arrived and he didn’t dismiss it right away. (The psych course intrigues him.) </p>

<p>There’s also JHU CTY but, for some reason, he has always ruled them out. They have a psych course at Lafayette this summer, which he might like. </p>

<p>It drives me crazy. If I probe him for interest, he shrugs, “I dunno, maybe.” If I share options with him I fear he thinks I’m nagging. </p>

<p>But the thing is, he is required to study Psych this summer. The principal said it’s the only way he would waive the pre-req for AP Psych. (don’t ask, long story) So either it’s an online course at the PC in the basement. Or he can get credit and experience in a real residential college setting. </p>

<p>Seems link a no-brainer to me. But the hard part is finding the right one.</p>

1675

<p>DougBetsy, one of the courses my D took at PEA was psych. I don’t know if it would meet your schools requirements. She ended up reading a review book afterwards and getting a 4 on the AP exam. She also took theater (a double period course) and Chinese.</p>

<p>The thing I liked about the PEA program is that it wasn’t just “go to a place and take a course” They also had sports commitments, arts/music opportunities, as well as the field trips and some college planning stuff (a fair and arranged visits to colleges). She did this two years ago when I wanted a more controlled program than what you get for example at Brown. Since your son will be older perhaps a college would be a better option. Her program included rising 10th graders through HS graduates. Have you looked at the Brown and Harvard offerings? Read the summer programs area as well for many descriptions of different programs.</p>

1676

<p>I wanted to create a new thread for this but forget where the heck on this site I figured this out the last time I did it. So I’ll just share with my 2010 buds for now!</p>

<p>Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs
Mathematicians Land Top Spot in New Ranking of Best and Worst Occupations in the U.S.
Article
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<p>By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN</p>

<p>Nineteen years ago, Jennifer Courter set out on a career path that has since provided her with a steady stream of lucrative, low-stress jobs. Now, her occupation – mathematician – has landed at the top spot on a new study ranking the best and worst jobs in the U.S.</p>

<p>Scott Brundage
“It’s a lot more than just some boring subject that everybody has to take in school,” says Ms. Courter, a research mathematician at mental images Inc., a maker of 3D-visualization software in San Francisco. “It’s the science of problem-solving.”</p>

<p>The study, to be released Tuesday from CareerCast.com, a new job site, evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. (CareerCast.com is published by Adicio Inc., in which Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. holds a minority stake.)</p>

<p>The findings were compiled by Les Krantz, author of “Jobs Rated Almanac,” and are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, as well as studies from trade associations and Mr. Krantz’s own expertise.</p>

<p>According to the study, mathematicians fared best in part because they typically work in favorable conditions – indoors and in places free of toxic fumes or noise – unlike those toward the bottom of the list like sewage-plant operator, painter and bricklayer. They also aren’t expected to do any heavy lifting, crawling or crouching – attributes associated with occupations such as firefighter, auto mechanic and plumber.</p>

<p>The study also considers pay, which was determined by measuring each job’s median income and growth potential. Mathematicians’ annual income was pegged at $94,160, but Ms. Courter, 38, says her salary exceeds that amount.</p>

<p>Her job entails working as part of a virtual team that designs mathematically based computer programs, some of which have been used to make films such as “The Matrix” and “Speed Racer.” She telecommutes from her home and rarely works overtime or feels stressed out. “Problem-solving involves a lot of thinking,” says Ms. Courter. “I find that calming.”</p>

<p>Other jobs at the top of the study’s list include actuary, statistician, biologist, software engineer and computer-systems analyst, historian and sociologist.</p>

<p>The Best and Worst Jobs</p>

<p>Of 200 Jobs studied, these came out on top – and at the bottom:</p>

<p>The Best The Worst

  1. Mathematician 200. Lumberjack
  2. Actuary 199. Dairy Farmer
  3. Statistician 198. Taxi Driver
  4. Biologist 197. Seaman
  5. Software Engineer 196. EMT
  6. Computer Systems Analyst 195. Garbage Collector
  7. Historian 194. Welder
  8. Sociologist 193. Roustabout
  9. Industrial Designer 192. Ironworker
  10. Accountant 191. Construction Worker
  11. Economist 190. Mail Carrier
  12. Philosopher 189. Sheet Metal Worker
  13. Physicist 188. Auto Mechanic
  14. Parole Officer 187. Butcher
  15. Meteorologist 186. Nuclear Decontamination Tech
  16. Medical Laboratory Technician 185. Nurse (LN)
  17. Paralegal Assistant 184.Painter
  18. Computer Programmer 183. Child Care Worker
  19. Motion Picture Editor 182. Firefighter
  20. Astronomer 181. Brick Layer
    More on the Methodology</p>

<p>For methodology info and detailed job descriptions, go to [Jobs</a> Rated Methodology](<a href=“http://careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_Methodology]Jobs”>http://careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_Methodology)
See the complete list of job rankings
Read about the last study of the best and worst jobs.
Mark Nord is a sociologist working for the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service in Washington, D.C. He studies hunger in American households and writes research reports about his findings. “The best part of the job is the sense that I’m making some contribution to good policy making,” he says. “The kind of stuff that I crank out gets picked up by advocacy organizations, media and policy officials.”</p>

<p>The study estimates sociologists earn $63,195, though Mr. Nord, 62, says his income is about double that amount. He says he isn’t surprised by the findings because his job generates little stress and he works a steady 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule. “It’s all done at the computer at my desk,” he says. “The main occupational hazard is carpal tunnel syndrome.”</p>

<p>On the opposite end of the career spectrum are lumberjacks. The study shows these workers, also known as timber cutters and loggers, as having the worst occupation, because of the dangerous nature of their work, a poor employment outlook and low annual pay – just $32,124.</p>

<p>New protective gear – such as trouser covers made of fiber-reinforcement materials – and an increased emphasis on safety have helped to reduce injuries among lumberjacks, says Paul Branch, who manages the timber department at Pike Lumber Co. in Akron, Ind. Still, accidents do occur from time to time, and some even result in death. “It’s not a job everybody can do,” says Mr. Branch.</p>

<p>But Eric Nellans, who has been cutting timber for the past 11 years for Pike Lumber, is passionate about his profession. “It’s a very rewarding job, especially at the end of the day when you see the work you accomplished,” he says. Mr. Nellans, 35, didn’t become discouraged even after he accidentally knocked down a dead tree and broke his right leg in the process four years ago. “I was back in the woods cutting timber in five weeks,” he says.</p>

<p>Other jobs at the bottom of the study: dairy farmer, taxi driver, seaman, emergency medical technician and roofer.</p>

<p>Mike Riegel, a 43-year-old roofer in Flemington, N.J., says he likes working “outside in the fresh air.” Since he runs his own business, which he inherited from his father, he can start and end his day early in hot weather or do the opposite when it’s cold.</p>

<p>The study estimates roofers earn annual incomes of $34,164, which Mr. Riegel says is consistent with what he pays new employees. Roofers also ranked poorly because of their hazardous working conditions. “You obviously can’t be afraid of heights,” says Mr. Riegel, who once fell two stories while working on a rooftop in the rain but luckily landed safely on a pile of soft dirt. “I missed some cement by 10 feet.”</p>

<p>Write to Sarah E. Needleman at <a href="mailto:sarah.needleman@wsj.com">sarah.needleman@wsj.com</a></p>

1677

<p>Thank you for sharing that article. My daughter loves math. She says it is fun!!! However, she keeps saying she will not consider it a major, as she can only see “math teacher” as an outcome. I have done more research, but she is not yet in listening mode. I will forward her the article, and see if she wants to look into it further.</p>

1678

<p>I am fairly new to this site. I have found so much information here, that sometimes I am overwhelmed. Today, I am just needing to get some advice on how to handle a really BRWK, who is not so motivated to look at anything in the future. She is bright, but not extremely self-confident. She makes judgments about things based on her feelings, not actual facts - a real “judges a book by it’s cover”, kinda gal. Anything suggested to her, is not for her, stupid, not going to be useful, etc. She took the Dec. SAT’s and scored poorly. She would not study or do any practice tests. She thinks scores are “stupid” and not at all a reflection of her abilities and intelligence. Of course, she is somewhat correct, but this is the real world, and the colleges want good SAT scores. She describes herself as “the least competitive person in the world”. True. She is happy where she is at, and I am not sure she has any idea about what kind of future she wants. Meanwhile, I sit on my laptop, obsessing that she won’t get all that needs to be done accomplished. I don’t want to engage her too much, and push her away. I am hoping her peers will start talking amongst themselves, and she will get her motivation there. Anyone with similar students? I see a lot self-motivated, overachievers here, so maybe she is normal, and my view is skewed from CC?</p>

1679

<p>I’ll be forwarding the article to my two sons too. S1 is majoring in AE, with a math minor and a computer engineering minor. He’s been wondering about career prospects if he doesn’t stay in the aerospace industry.</p>

<p>S2 has always excelled in math, but claims to hate it. Maybe if he sees the potential in a math major, he’ll reconsider his plans for a journalism major.</p>

<p>FAP: Thanks for the article.</p>

1680

<p>D will love that article. She adores math and it is her strong point. I am glad to see it described as low stress as well. That’s exactly what she needs. Thanks, FindAPlace.</p>