Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
4421

<p>Back to school night & a talk on prepping for college apps. It was interesting, although I sat in the back mumbling “but they don’t meet full need” and “it’s not just FAFSA they have to worry about” and that sort of thing. I’m sure the people next to me were thrilled!</p>

<p>D has to do her resume/cheat sheet & meet with her counselor. She has to ask teachers for recs & actually <em>look</em> at the apps to see what essays have to be written. Since she’s not applying ED/EA, she’s not too far behind, but I worry because of the amount of homework she has as well as her senior project planning.</p>

<p>Somehow I’m feeling that this year is much more disorganized than it was when my older D when through this process 2 years ago. Budget cuts, no doubt.</p>

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<p>Pepper03- No it won’t hurt your son as long as he has the most challenging classes offered at his school. This is why schools ask for the HS profile.On the comon app, there is a windown where he can explain this and he really should :smiley:
He could also self study for the Aps…Just a thought ;)</p>

<p>Fog- those ap scores matters when you can get credit for them. Varies from school check that on their website. Usually 4 or 5 get you out of all 101 level classes…S1freshman in college is taking sophomore/junior level classes thanks to his AP scores.It made his hard work worthwhile after all :)</p>

<p>Kathip-i am in the suburbs of NYC… if you ever want to have lunch…we still have 20 on the list…my spreadsheet is not finish Urgh :confused: and this is my second time around!!</p>

<p>Congrats to all with early acceptances it is such a great feeling :)</p>

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<p>Posted on the acceptance thread but that doesn’t mean S is much farther along. Alabama didn’t require an essay. So he needs to work on his essays, common ap stuff etc. I think he might still take an SAT2.</p>

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<p>

Sounds good, Emmy. I shudder to think how we would schedule it now. This App Season seems all-encompassing, doesn’t it?</p>

<p>D is almost finished with Common App, and essay is almost, almost, almost in final form. She hasn’t made any major changes, but the small tweaks with each draft have made it really good (imho). Both will be finished today, along with the GC request forms. Both teacher LORs are in GC’s hands, ready to go, and NMF form is ready to go back to Principal on Mon.</p>

<p>D is on antibiotics for a respiratory infection, with a vocal audition (non-college) looming Tue. Resting the voice this weekend and praying it will “be there” for her by Tue. It’s times like these that I wish she had taken up the trombone! :)</p>

<p>For those of you whose kids may not have started the whole App/Essay process yet…one piece of advice I would offer, particularly if you are feeling panicky, is to “avert your gaze” away from the whole, big picture of what needs to get done. Pick one thing, and make it an assignment. For example, kid (or kid and I together) will read through the Common App…not filling it in yet, but just to see what info it asks for. Or…kid will land on specific essay topic by Friday…not have a draft ready, but commit to a topic. </p>

<p>My friend and her son were floundering…almost deer-in-the-headlights because they kept focusing on EVERYTHING that wasn’t even started and the enormity of the task. I helped her re-focus on this “baby-steps” approach, and now they’re making progress, where before they were sort of paralyzed because the whole thing seemed so daunting and they felt like they were already way behind.</p>

<p>Not sure anybody here is in that boat, but if so, try just biting off little pieces of it and getting them done. We have music auditions on top of the regular app stuff…plus I own a small biz, so our financial/FAFSA stuff is more complicated, and I find if I let myself think about the totality of it I want to cry. </p>

<p>Anybody remember that Bill Murray movie “What About Bob?” </p>

<p>Baby-steps, baby-steps…</p>

4425

<p>Hi all</p>

<p>Well kiddo is napping—Back on Tue all kiddo could say was how the week was long and that a nap was part of the weekend plan. Its been a heavy week of hw, tests for AP classes, sport and another EC that requires a late evening several times a month.</p>

<p>Found this interesting artile–always helpful to keep things in perspective
[6-figure-jobs-no-degree-required:</a> Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance](<a href=“http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110721/6-figure-jobs-no-degree-required?mod=career-salary_negotiation]6-figure-jobs-no-degree-required:”>http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110721/6-figure-jobs-no-degree-required?mod=career-salary_negotiation)</p>

<p>2Ed…thanks. Yes it will depend on where kiddo lands if those AP are for anything besides rigour…If only rigour–still helps kiddo with chem, phsics, calc etc etc first year. It interests me how some schools will give credit and move them up a level, while others only move a kid up a level without any course credit towards the degree…</p>

<p>Weekend goal for kiddo is to have EA app done–all essays etc. All other forms are at GC/teachers. TEsting is done–we await the latest ACT to see if kiddo is closer to that tippy top score or not…
Kiddo has 2 back to back Official Visits in the coming weeks which will eat alot of time (travel/flying roundtrip plus 48 hrs on campus) so we hope to see kiddo get ducks in a row so it wont feel so overwhelming come mid Oct. and 2 weekends are gone.</p>

<p>Everyone in this house is busy…
I think I will enjoy the quiet and start my new book for book club.</p>

4426

<p>

yikes, hopes she recovers in time for audition. </p>

<p>Done! No, not the app, but his Eagle project. Well, the physical work anyway. Now he has to write up whatever he needs to write up and get it signed off.<br>
As MOSB said, little steps. Now I don’t feel bad pushing to get the apps done.</p>

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<p>Great advice, momofsongbird - thanks! We definitely have the deer in headlights look in this household. Or maybe it’s just me. S is so mired in homework/projects that he has lost sight of the college app process and is in deep denial about what needs to be done. To make things worse, our school apparently requires that everything be submitted a month earlier than actual deadlines because students’ applications are reviewed internally and ‘signed off’ by the GC. Is that insane or is this the norm? The GC explained that his name is on the app so he wants to make sure it’s the best it can be - but he’s not the one going to college, is he?! I managed to get the peer review of the personal essay turned into an optional rather than required exercise, but doubt I can take on the whole internal admissions timeline issue. Maybe we’re facing a gap year here…</p>

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<p>momofsongbird is right on track.</p>

<p>We asked our son to commit to one hour a day on applications/essays, starting the Tuesday after Labor Day. He chooses the time and what he wants to work on that day. It’s working. Some days he feels like doing the easy, fill-in parts. Some days, he’s feeling creative and wants to write essays. We will be all done on Nov. 1 and then start working on local scholarships.</p>

4429

<p>Samuck, I agree the GC response is a bit heavy handed–because the GC is responsible for HIS part–not your student’s…I understand that it is a reflection on school etc…however, it is about what product the student produces as well and only the student can be responsible for his own part…</p>

<p>As for timing–I think its because these Gcs have to process alot of apps --and need time to get those LOR etc out. That said–our GC told me the other day that the LOR and GC rec and transcripts etc can be sent via a PDF with the push of a button and can be at a college the same day the request is made…
I suppose part of it is coordinating each students file, and if each kid applies to a bunch of schools–its alot of emails etc.</p>

<p>I know a family who says the GCs at our hs dropped the ball and some things didn’t get out as they should have—better to have a GC who is thorough than one who is sloppy/haphazard.
kwim?</p>

<p>No reason though to feel a gap year is in store–its only Sept 18 - so there is plenty of time between now and Dec 30…just have to consider what your GC needs before the holiday break</p>

<p>PS Like RobD wrote --Target is having a sale on all of the college gear–30% off etc…I did pick up a mattress topper, mattress cover and set of sheets in a basic color kiddo likes plus one fleece type of blanket…there is tons of stuff on sale yet we will wait to see where kiddo goes and what kiddo wants. Still for a few basic items (like the mattress stuff you know you want (remember the bed bugs thing!) the sale is good.</p>

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<p>Mamom, congrats on your son’s completion of the Eagle project - what a great accomplishment!</p>

<p>Samuck, I wouldn’t worry about a gap year at this point – unless that’s something you all are considering for other reasons as well. But you and your son still have plenty of time to make this happen for next year. I know how swamped the kids get with homework, ECs, etc, but there are plenty of kids who haven’t started at all yet who will be happily enrolled in good schools next fall. This is a good time to get started.</p>

<p>Our school doesn’t review the kids’ apps, but they do require a minimum of 30 days lead-time on processing your requests for their portion of the app. They’re very clear that, if your college app due date is Nov 15, the school’s deadline is Oct 15. I think this is reasonable, and it does help motivate the procrastinators (not anybody on this board) to stay on track.</p>

<p>Finally, regarding bed-bugs…I noticed this week’s (or last week’s) People Magazine has an article on this growing problem and how to protect yourself. Haven’t read it yet, though. I came upon it while eating breakfast, and decided to…um…save it for later. You might want to check it out.</p>

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<p>Is there anything safe that can be sprayed onto a mattress–before putting a topper and mattress pad/cover on it…something that isn’t DEET-like…kwim?</p>

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<p>Don’t know, fog, but I’ll let you know after I read that article.</p>

<p>Right now I’m trying to fend off the same set of symptoms that started my D on her respiratory infection a week ago.</p>

<p>Looks like I’ll be headed over to Walk-In-Care tomorrow am. Just what I need!</p>

4433

<p>fogfog - there was talk of a bed bug spray on the 2014 thread a while ago. Or perhaps it was a bed bug proof mattress pad?? Either way - I am definitely getting one for D next year…</p>

<p>MOSB - good idea of dealing with the app in chunks. I told D the same thing yesterday. She’s making progress - slowly,but surely. I just have to tell myself to be more patient! She worked most of the day yesterday on her HW and apps after sleeping most of Friday evening thanks to a bad cold and a headache.</p>

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<p>I stopped in at Target yesterday to get some cards (they have such a good selection!) and remembered someone saying on the “your good buy of the day” thread that there would be college stuff on sale so wandered over there. I got a nice mattress topper for my son for $17 and saw that they had some bed sets for 75% off! Unfortunately, the xl twin ones were only in camouflage pattern or pink flowers and that really wouldn’t work. I’m thinking of going back to look for a laundry hamper thing.</p>

4435

<p>So yesterday at Temple and break fast, EVERYONE kept asking about where D is going to apply or where she wants to go and then putting in their opinion about where she should apply! I was so sick of it by the end of the day. The suggestions they had for her, while of course well intentioned, made no sense! (suggesting urban schools or large schools when I told them she was looking for a small school in a small town). My D also told me that she was ready to scream with everyone asking her questions about her plans. It is going to be a LONG year…I will have to learn to take the advice of another thread… Smile and Nod!</p>

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<p>Fog~ BBB had a bed bug spray during Dorm shopping season.
Here was most of the '14 moms decided was the best:
spray + the mattress cover +the mattress pad + the mattress topper.
Over killed but if you are worried here you go…Check the threat on what you never used at college…Also start saving those BBB coupons…I saved good $ with them.
You will find out that boys do not want/care much where girls go a little bit overboard IMHO, a lot of funny thread out there right now.
S1 wanted good bedding, lighting, fridge (bought on line pick up on site), ironing board and iron…the rest we collected throughout the summer.
I bought quality to make sure I did not have to do this every year.
Marshalls, Overstocks, Amazon were also very good resources.
Hope this helps :)</p>

<p>Hollie~Smile and nod is what got me through last year (thanks DB).
Remember people do not really care they are just nosy …hence you do not have to answer just smile . When I get annoyed I usually say well he has 20 schools he likes so we will see where he lands…People usually run the other way LOL…they do not care enough to hear about 20 schools…:D</p>

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<p>2education, you just had me LOL. </p>

<p>Loved the advice of taking baby steps; so much less overwhelming.</p>

<p>here, we’ve decided that during the week S will concentrate on HW, sports. On fri nites, he’ll study for the SAT II math 2 exam until Oct. 9 when he takes it, and on Sat/Sun, he’ll spend part of the day on college apps, the rest on HW, and take breaks at night. This weekend he’s doing final tweaks to the common app essays such that they’ll finally be considered done, and rewriting his ED supplement. each weekend going forward will be devoted to one or two school supplements (some are a lot easier than others) until they’re finally all done.</p>

4438

<p>^
^</p>

<p>Had to laugh about Target and the college stuff–</p>

<p>If you have DDs – there is tons of stuff–so much in so many colors–lots of gagets and stings–and yes I think there is a tendency for girls to buy more, cooredinate more etc etc–
and that being said–girls are more likley to want to wait if they think they will want to coordinate and decrorate rooms etc…so waiting makes sense</p>

<p>If you has DSs, on the boys side–there is far less regarding choices/colors etc etc…and I suppose that is because retailors know from sales #s boys so are less likely to care to pick it now or wait and pick it next year…and boys probably go for simpler stuff…</p>

<p>Just guessing since I am not a merchandizer/retailer…</p>

<p>Of the sale items I picked up yesterday–kiddo is keeping a few things and the rest will go back.</p>

<p>After reading some of the threads about college shopping etc/dorm needs–kiddo will probably take things like towels from the house–and I will replace the house towels with new stuff…</p>

4439

<p>^My mom bought me 3 new JC Penney towels to take to college 30 years ago, and we are still using them today. I bought D brand new towels, and had them monogrammed (I think it was free with my LLBean CC) I hope she’s still using them in 30 years!</p>

4440

<p>DS just “pushed submit” on his first app. It is due Oct 1. He felt so relieved. Six more to go, but five are common apps. We both are looking forward to them all being in the hopper.</p>

<p>holliesue - My poor S got the grilling yesterday too. Of course everyone had to share their stories and suggest he should look at other schools. He learned to smile and nod very quickly.</p>