Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
2641

<p>Last Spring we went on several college trips. My S and I jointly decided where we were going. After looking at each school’s calendar and tour schedule, I came up with the preliminary itinerary and created a spreadsheet with dates, times, contacts, email addresses and phone numbers. </p>

<p>I then handed it off to my S who drafted the emails to be sent to each school to set up the tours, interviews, overnights, etc. I helped him revise and polish each email and he sent them from his special email address which are his initials and class year. </p>

<p>He benefited from seeing how to organize a process and his emails definitely improved over time. I hardly commented on the last few. Even tho he initially hated it, he made all the phone calls to adcoms. The first ones were the hardest. I made all the flight, car rental and hotel reservations. </p>

<p>Right before we left on our trip, he emailed or called all his contacts to confirm dates, times and directions. When we got home, it was easy to write thank you notes because he had all the info organized.</p>

<p>He complained about the process initially, but grew to love it (maybe like it) over time. I’ve eavesdropped and heard him telling some of his friends about the method he designed to handle the process. It worked for us. That is what counts. Find a method that works for your family.</p>

2642

<p>Most of the most selective schools don’t really use the interviews to assess, but rather to market. [ShawSon’s Brown interviewer insisted that he had a lot of weight with the admissions committee.] MIT may be different based on the posts. As far as I recall, neither Amherst nor Williams even offer interviews. So many applicants, so little time. I think it is when you drop down a tier that interviews matter. I think these schools that get applications from who apply to Ivies, Amherst, Williams, etc. want to know that you care because they are trying to maximize their yield to please USNWR. Schools in this group include Bates, Colby, maybe Bowdoin, Wash U (according to a poster), University of Rochester (also according to a poster), Middlebury (I think). I do think it has to do with yield maximization.</p>

2643

<p>Good morning, everyone. I didn’t post for some time, but was trying to keep up with your posts. </p>

<p>Regarding the AP classes, IMHO, each child should find his/her own balance. Unfortunately, it’s rarely the case. Our HS has about 20 APs and kids start taking them their sophomore year. I can’t say AP classes are encouraged; kids need teacher’s signature to enroll in any class. But about 20-30 kids end up with 10+ AP classes by the end of their senior year. </p>

<p>Check out the mycollegecalendar dot org website. I just recently discovered it; it has some helpful information as well as examples of Student Resume, Cover Letter, etc.</p>

2644

<p>AAAH! This is all getting very real! Wake me when it’s over!</p>

2645

<p>Thanks for the link KeyLime----found it.</p>

<p>I guess everything we debated wrote reiterates my point
–Are AP classes REALLY college level work?
In my state–public schools are not highly ranked compared to the top US schools --though that said --the dumb hs ranking of 2010 lists several publics in my city as top hs…</p>

<p>…and when a 14 yr old can do the advanced work–you have to ask then–what is wrong with the regular curriculum? Why isn’t honors challenging? Why is only a “college-level” course fitting the bill? Why isn’t the public school doing more?</p>

<p>Most of the APs do not translate to anything–like APUSH–it is nothing at the college level and so isn’t that then meaningless? GRanted the AP Eng Lang and AP Eng Lit can get a kid out of a freshman level english class in some schools, as will a 5 in the top foreign languages—though many schools (MIT etc) don’t count any of it…</p>

<p>Whilel touring schools in the northeast, I met a parent who was telling meabout an expose and study the LA Times did…and the APS are all about $$. And evidently the study says Yes–the AP level classes do approximate (some) schools intro level classes given at the colleges…and that the students skipping intro classes for the next level up were not at a disadvantage in the next level.</p>

<p>That said–this same dad said his daughter who got a 5 in bio–was quickly swamped at the college level and so I expect it is really going to depend on the rigor of the college…The LA Times also said the reason colleges do not like APs is $$</p>

<p>Our hs uses college texts for all classes…and is rigorous even at the honors level…Honors does alot more work than the regular “prep” and AP is waaaaaay more than honors. My student took Honors Chem last year --all As–and I can tell you that the AP was MUCH more difficult–the same teacher left the kids to work it out themselves…I expect our student will get a 5–we’ll see. Those best/brightest students all say that it is a MUST to take Hnors Physics before AP Physics…which is what our student did.</p>

<p>Its not unusal to hear about a hs student who THINKs they are mature and bright enough etc–and able to do all the APs without any honors prep–and depending on your school --that could be true–
and then–what is wrong with the hs curriculum???
If thats really true–and a school isn’t challenging, then why not test out, finish hs early? Bill Gates has consistently talked about the failig of our educational system.</p>

<p>In our case, our student will have exhausted the science and math depts at the hs this yr
as a sr…our student will graduate with 8 yrs of math, 6 yrs of science,
5 of history, 4 eng, 4 foreign language plus some electives…
If our student was at our local public hs–or the out of zone public with IB there was nothing available for sr yr…I have continued to compare the curriculum/tracks at the local public online…switching our student out (back in middle school) was the right choice for us…</p>

<p>Certainly the criticisms of the AP system are well placed, as the original intent was for an advanced hs sr to be able to get a jump start–not to mitigate a failing hs curriculum.</p>

2646

<p>The mycollege thing is interesting–</p>

<p>however-- IMHO no 17 yr old needs a 3 page resume.
When an executive is expected to boil down education and career to one page–isn’t a kid’s resume of 3 silly? Many apps ask for a student to list only MAJOR ECs/significant accomplishements…Doesn’t one line per award suffice?</p>

2647

<p>At some large public high schools, AP classes are a way to separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were…the serious students from the non-serious. It was always in my son’s regular classes that he found out who was buying drugs, etc. I’m not saying the AP kids are angels, but they are much less likely (at our school) to have disciplinary issues.</p>

<p>I think that the AP classes do teach college level material…which is why I think it’s madness for 14 year olds to take AP Human Geography. I don’t think they have sufficient life experiences to understand the material.</p>

<p>Lots of the top quartile kids receive poor/failing grades on their tests in the AP classes, due to the difficulty of the material. However, most of the AP teachers at our HS do things that allow them to add points to the students’ averages…participation grades, easy projects, extra credit, etc. That is the way the courses differ from the college course. In college, you may have a midterm and a final and that is it. In high school, you are likely to have 8 tests, but also a string of participation grades (that are 100s).</p>

2648

<p>^^ ha ha “participation”<br>
really?
What AP teacher worth their credential gives “participation”… kwim
Thats a good example of why often the AP classes aren’t “college level”</p>

<p>good pt</p>

2649

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<p>FL MM That was brilliant!
How are you adapting that for the apps process? any tips?
Would love our student to manage this with as few a # of reminders of deadlines as possible…</p>

<p>I am wondering how to put all of the apps deadlines into the came calendar with the school work and EC commitments–so our student can look ahead and see whats what. </p>

<p>Any Ideas?</p>

2650

<p>fogfog – just curious, what classes is your student taking next year. My S. is in the similar situation, he ran out of math, science and foreign language classes in his school this year. Next year he will be taking some classes in HS and others in a nearby U. I was never in favor of graduating earlier, but am not thrilled with this arrangement either. The drive time from our suburb to U is about one hour each way and his rank and weighted GPA will go down even if gets all As, since college classes are not weighed in our school. But the alternative would be for him to take classes that he is less exited about and I don’t want to deal with a kid who is miserable/not challenged at school.</p>

<p>Our school is one of the best public schools in the area with about 450 kids in the graduating class. It’s open enrollment school, so it has good, bad and ugly in every grade.</p>

2651

<p>I created a spreadsheet for my D. It listed each school, the major offered (because some schools offer BS Ed and others BS in Exercise Science or Kinesiology), application deadline, application fee, major scholarship, scholarship app deadline, scholarship requirements, honors program requirements and costs. I even color coded it according to the school colors…way too much time on my hands one day…LOL</p>

<p>So far its helping. She is a very visual person and needs to see things for it to really sink in.</p>

2652

<p>FLmathmom, I’ve got to say,I agree that you came up with a brilliant plan to ease your son into the college process while you, the adult, still takes care of the logistics such as travel arrangements. Kudo’s to you!</p>

<p>I think the participation points are legitimate in humanities classes. All of my kids have said how boring a class is if the students don’t participate and that’s the one thing I’ve heard from teacher friends who work with older kids - there is a tendency for the kids to just slouch and listen.</p>

2653

<p>gamomof3, I have done something similar. Ours is color coded for match, safety and reach. Although I admit to changing the colors of the individual schools a lot because I am having a hard time figuring out with my mismatched GPA/SAT S exactly what is a match/reach or safety. As I read tibits about different schools here I add stuff in the comments section.</p>

2654

<p>Hi everyone, I’m a student, not a parent so I guess I am intruding on your party but is it too late now to book interviews for 7th July? And also, what should go into the email when requesting and interview? Thanks so much! Btw this is a great thread and I’ve been lurking here once in a while, I must admit. Edit: please also tell me how I should call the Admissions Office, I’ve never done this before and I can’t make contact with my counsellor before it’s too late to book an interview.</p>

2655

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<p>Sometimes it’s not that the curriculum is too easy, but that the students really are ready for that level of work. This is absolutely not the norm, but it does exist. It’s easiest to see this in math, since the coursework has a clear linear (bad math pun :wink: ) progression. Some 9th graders at D1’s school are taking Calculus AB or BC. This isn’t thought of as unusual. Clearly, these students are more than ready for college-level math. The same ability to perform at a college level at an early age isn’t necessarily restricted to math or science. These ninth graders might not be writing at the level of a freshman at a T20 LAC, but their writing is certainly at (if not above) the level of the average freshman at one of our state flagships. </p>

<p>One of our local state U campuses has a program that allows exceptionally gifted youngsters to start college as early as age 11. There are roughly 150 youngsters in the program. There are very, very few public or private schools for this age range that could field a curriculum that these students would find challenging. </p>

<p>I agree that in general the vast majority of 14 year olds aren’t ready for AP courses, and/or won’t be completing the work at the level that CCers would regard as college level. On the other hand, I think a significant fraction of diligent hardworking 14 year olds ARE capable of doing work at the level I see from local community college students.</p>

2656

<p>Hi Putturani! You are absolutely NOT intruding–parents on the forum adore the students who hang out here. </p>

<p>For interviews, the best way to tell if you can schedule one for July 7th is to call the admissions office and/or check their website. Some schools want you to schedule interviews via the web, others want you to call. You can find the phone number for the school on the website; generally, you’ll want the admissions office. Just say “Hello, I’m calling to schedule an admissions interview please.” Either they will transfer you to the right person, or tell you to go to the website. Note that “please” and “thank you” are very helpful. You don’t need to go through your high school counselor to schedule interviews.</p>

<p>If you happen to catch someone on a bad day, or they’re just naturally grumpy, don’t take it personally. It’s their problem, not yours. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Are you willing to tell us where you’re scheduling interviews?</p>

2657

<p>The public school population represents the bell curve…sure you’ve got plenty of students with above average intelligence but you’ve also got plenty of kids with below average intelligence. You really can’t expect one class to be equally suitable for the kid with an IQ of 85 and the kid with an IQ of 120. </p>

<p>Most states dictate many of the courses the students take in high school. In Texas, it’s 4 years of English, Social Studies, Science (specifically including Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and Math (specifically including Algebra and Geometry.) Unless you want a lot of students to be unable to get a HS diploma, you’ve got to design Alegbra and Chem and Physics classes that even those in the “below average” categoy can pass. And you’ve got to call those classes “regular” and go up from there (Pre-Ap, Honors, AP).</p>

2658

<p>Hi Slithey, thanks. I guess parents would like kids who’re nerdy enough to hang out on a college forum. LOL I just checked and the website says it’s ok, thank Goodness. I’m first scheduling in Pomona and then in some others like Amherst, Barnard etc. I will also have to check the time difference since I am an intl. Generally, what do you have to bring to campus interviews? Do you need to bring a transcript, SAT scores etc? Also, would you address them as “Sir”, “Madam” or would that seem to formal? That’s what we would do in my country but I don’t know how it works in the US.</p>

2659

<p>Putturani - welcome to the party. </p>

<p>I am assuming that you didn’t apply to any of these colleges yet and they know very little about you. In this case, bring all your records - transcript, SAT scores and most importantly resume or activity list. Give the interviewer your resume/activity list, keep the transcript and SAT scores just in case.</p>

<p>You can’t go wrong being too formal in my opinion.</p>

2660

<p>Actually, some of your interviewers can be current college students. How would you address someone 3-4 years older than you? Be yourself. But, be your best self.</p>