<p>FlMathMom: I know what you mean. I remember having them wave to me as they went off to their first classes back at Kindergarden. </p>
<p>Am sending off my D’s third application tonight. I think these Priority Apps are a GodSend!
Less pressure on the kids if they have at least one in their pocket before Xmas. She is fortunate in that all three are ones she really liked.</p>
<p>D was up most the night doing AP Calc homework. thinking of dropping the class (I didn’t want her to take it in the first place!) she already is taking AP Chem and AP English, And Honors Spanish…so the rigor will be enough I think!</p>
<p>I took my daughter on a last college visit to our state flagship UMCP yesterday. The campus is beautiful and the facilities were all in excellent condition. She really doesn’t want to attend a big “rah-rah” state school. She said “I grew up with grass and trees. I want to go to college in a city.” </p>
<p>Our county calulates class rank, and they don’t release them until October 1st, so the school can’t send out any official transcripts before that date. We still aren’t sure what my daughter’s rank will be. She has a solid GPA, but I suspect the school has grade inflation.</p>
<p>Morning all
Kiddo was up til just past midnight getting hw done–its been a busy first few weeks of school and having sports practice til 6:30pm makes for long long days. It is hard for me to get sleep when kiddo is up, in the den, studying Dante Inferno, doing AP Comp Sci hw, and AP Calc BC etc etc…and its past 11pm!! I admire the diligence of my student…a very dedicated strong student, good work ethic, a nice kid to be around…
that said…mornings are a little “grumbly” because kiddo is physically tired. Somehow breakfast, coffee, juice etc doesn’t do enough of a pick-me-up…pushing the vitamins especially B this week! Yestrday kiddo was already talking about a Nap on Saturday!</p>
<p>As for me–I am getting in the car to drive 2+ hrs to meet two other CCers for lunch! We pm so much–and so found a spot “in the middle” so we can have lunch and chat. OK so driving 2+ hrs EACH way for lunch seems a bit excessive- however it will be great and I am looking forward to it.</p>
<p>Hope everyone has a great day…also be sure to read the WSJ article AND all fo the sub articles/links Some really great stuff there…in fact it made me realize how with the Common App and admit rates, I am seeing better why so many students feel compelled to “add just a few more schools to their list, just in case…”</p>
<p>Enjoy your lunch fogfog! </p>
<p>S went to a Rush concert (I would have enjoyed it) last night with friends and didn’t get home til midnight. He takes the train to school and although I can see his school from the highway as I drive home from work each day, he prefers to hang at school with his friends and take the train home rather than have me pick him up. Maybe today will be one of those days I get a text message from him asking me to pick him up. ;-)</p>
<p>I periodically check his schoolwork to see how he is doing. he never volunteers any information, and I have never found the right way to ask so I get the answers I want, so occasionally I go through his backpack with him and review. Sunday he was showing me his AP Physics homework and it was exactly the type of stuff I do in work. (I am a materials/plastics engineer) He does not like physics but does find it interesting and likes learning about real world applications. Meet the teachers night Thursday. We already know one of his teachers very well and he has had two others previously also. Unless there are problems it will be my last time meeting his teachers, ever. ;-(</p>
<p>S’s list of 12-13 schools is pretty much set. I am done analyzing admissions strategies. Right now he has 5 safeties, 3 matches, 3 reaches and one match/reach. We may add one other school that gave him a prioty app. (and others as they come in). His number one school is a match, although he has said he would feel obligated to attend one of the reaches if he got in. S said it is too good a school to turn down. He claims he would be happy attending any school on the list. I am pushing for him to start submitting applications by the end of Sept. and be completely done beginning of Nov. What is that saying about well laid plans???</p>
<p>Fogfog - do you have a link to the WSJ article or did I miss it already?</p>
<p>NMF application question. They want you to designate a first choice school. Do othernschools find out which school you designated? Can you avoid designating a first choice school? We definitely don’t want schools to know his real first choice both because my son is likely applying early elsewhere and to avoid the dreaded tufts syndrome. Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>Aniger- S is not a NMF, but from what I have read some schools give extra money if you designate them as first choice. It may be worth looking into, perhaps post your question on the FA & Scholarship Forum.</p>
<p>WSJ Article link
[Top</a> 25 Colleges Ranked By Recruiters - WSJ.com](<a href=“Best Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ”>Best Colleges & Universities - Ranked by Job Recruiters - WSJ)</p>
<p>Thanks but I am not that interested in the money aspect, don’t believe my son’s top choices give much if any. Much more concerned on strategic impact on admissions. Don’t want the early admission school or mathc/safety schools to know they are not first choices?..</p>
<p>Another link
[Employers</a> Prefer Hiring From State Schools - WSJ.com](<a href=“Recruiters Favor State Colleges & Universities for Job Hiring - WSJ”>Recruiters Favor State Colleges & Universities for Job Hiring - WSJ)</p>
<p>Great news about the kid liking all the schools on his list. Yay! I can’t say the same for my kid - her reach and preferred schools are very different from her safeties, no way around that (in her field, it’s what makes them reaches, and she has no safeties in their exact geographical areas, either). It would definitely mean a lot if she ends up with one of them as an option. BUT she is fine with the others, and has a plan B (grad school) that keeps her long-term goals intact. So I’m OK with that, and I’m convinced she’s being honest about being happy, too.</p>
<p>This week she’s taking a trip (for a totally different reason) over to a public she does not want to go to - too “typical” and full of people she knows - but I think she’s going to get wooed by the department. That should be an interesting learning experience for her. And I think there’s a tiny chance she’ll come back willing at least to consider it - maybe the program really is so extraordinary that it would be worth it. Regardless, it will strengthen her feelings about what she’s doing and how to get there. All good.</p>
<p>Aniger - is there a thread in National Merit that goes into this? Seems a good idea to go right to the source on CC.</p>
<p>Aniger - Congrats to your son. All my readings said to put undecided and then come April (I think) you tell them your decision. That is what my son is doing. The NMF scholarships at the schools he is applying to range from $2K to $17K but you have to name the school as your first choice. I believe the online instructions to the NMF app explains all this.</p>
<p>There is a huge discussion of the NMF details and strategy in the Financial Aid forum. It is neither a simple nor transparent system, so learning how to navigate it well is not easy.</p>
<p>I don’t post that often, but I read this thread every day. Had a couple of things to throw in from recent discussions.</p>
<p>First, this is a goofy one – working on the Common App over the weekend, filling in all the bits and pieces. Very similar to doing your taxes with Turbo Tax . . . log in and out as many times as you need to, until all the errors are fixed! Anyway, one “error” that keeps showing up is you have to enter your high school graduation date. Here in the Austin area, lots of schools use the Erwin Center, which is UT’s big indoor arena (used for Longhorn basketball games, concerts, etc.) – so the last few days of May through the first week of June, the Erwin Center might host 30 high school graduations. Problem is, the Erwin Center sets the schedule and then informs the schools . . . and our schools haven’t been informed of the graduation date yet. On the other hand, DS is still working on his essay, so we’re not ready to launch yet anyway.</p>
<p>Which brings me to item #2: DS is a good but not great student. Has a fairly high GPA due to many AP classes, but not that great SAT or ACT scores. But it’s okay; he’s not going to HYP or Rice or any of those schools. I’ve read on here about people writing their Common App essays over the summer, revising them 12 times, etc. etc. He hadn’t even mentioned a peep about his essay, other than acknowledging that he had to do one.</p>
<p>Well, last night, he typed it all up and gave it to me to read. He chose the “super power” topic. And it was the funniest, sweetest essay! I laughed out loud in three places. Yes, it needs a few little tweaks, but the general idea was terrific. He said they will work on their essays during English class and his teacher will read them and offer comments. But I was really pleased with his first draft. His personality is definitely there.</p>
<p>cpgm59: We have the same issue with graduation date. Our county doesn’t assign them until the spring. I’m not sure what my daughter put in.</p>
<p>Congrats on the essay! I wish my daughter would start hers.</p>
<p>Last open house for D tonight. Will be going to meet the teachers - although from past experience, these nights are so rushed, there isn’t enough time for any personal interaction with them. </p>
<p>D and I talked a little bit about a second essay. Brainstormed a few ideas. She’s going to take a stab at it sometime this week. Sometime!! Tonight’s a xc meet, tomorrow night is the first home football game. I asked her to sit down with me sometime and go over the first priority app she wants to submit - her reply was that it would have to wait till the weekend. Really? All work on college apps only over the weekend? We’ll get through this somehow…repeat…we’ll get through this …</p>
<p>Since Texas mandated the school start date, the graduation dates are about the same, too, so venues are at a premium. We also have no time or date for graduation which is ridiculous…why not book the same place every year? It’s not like we’re ever going to skip a year.</p>
<p>^ Graduation date isn’t set yet, however it’s fairly easy to guestimate between a specific Thursday/Friday. We know the end of school and prev. graduation dates, so can easily backtrack exam dates based on Memorial Day. We have to jockey with several other schools for the venue date and time, so it’s a matter of the venue not getting back with the schools. We’ll just plug it in as that Friday, and S2 will hope for Thursday. :)</p>