<p>D’s drill team has a special ring…they buy it as sophomores and then add gems each year. It’s a very cool tradition and the best part is that it doesn’t look like a class ring, so there is a chance that D will keep wearing it after graduation.</p>
<p>D1 got a class ring and asked for it specifically as a souvenir. She liked it at the time and I decided not to get bent about whether or not she kept wearing it. I don’t know if she ever wears it now. The nice thing is that they do have lots of styles and she really does like how it looks.</p>
<p>D2 thankfully didn’t want one. </p>
<p>And neither of them wanted HS jackets, so we saved $$ on that, although I actually wished they would have gotten them. I loved my letter jacket - and so do they - both of them wear it if I’ll let them! At our HS they give letters for music, theater, academics, etc., and my kids earned letters even though they’re terrible at sports. But they think the jackets are “ugly.”</p>
<p>ST - good luck with Tufts! That’s where my D1 is, where she felt was absolutely the right place for her (and still is!), where she applied ED, and where she wouldn’t apply anywhere else until she heard back from them. So here’s a touch from us for luck! (And PM me if you have any other questions.)</p>
<p>Regarding who’s working or not working on applications: I have heard scary stories about bad peer pressure (like a kid whose friends convinced her that Honors Colleges are “stupid”), but mostly I think my kids have benefited from it, that it pushed them forward in the process. I’m counting on a couple of my D’s friends who are pretty anal about applying to make her keep up. And last year she definitely saw people who were late and suffered horribly from it - not only from last-minute stress, but actually from blowing deadlines and not having options at all. </p>
<p>I’ve also had my D’s friends ask my advice about schools! One asked me if I’d read her essay!! And I feel like a mommy duck with my friends whose kids are younger … definitely I’ll be leading them to CC.</p>
<p>At my D’s school, class rings are a pretty big deal. They get them junior year, ceremony and all. My D rarely takes hers off. She loves it, and I love seeing it on her hand since she’s been wearing it for almost a year now. She has treasured her hs years, and I think the ring is a symbol of those feelings, for her.</p>
<p>Missypie, I really know what you mean about not having a D in drill team next year. Isn’t it funny how our kids’ activities, and our support of them, become such an important and enjoyable part of our own lives? Who will I watch on-stage next year? Who will I run lines with? Whose recitals will I go to? Who will I drive to auditions and lessons? Who will have funny stories to tell me about some geeky thing she or one of her friends did? My favorites are when the little anecdote is so funny to HER that she can hardly get the words out because she’s cracking up just thinking about it.</p>
<p>The measure of how wonderful these years have been will be in how difficult it will be to see them come to an end.</p>
<p>On a lighter note (no pun intended), the pounds are coming off nicely here. We may be emotional wrecks on Grad Day, but we’re gonna look good!</p>
<p>High school is SO IMPORTANT at the time, but the importance is so fleeting. That’s great for those who hate high school but sad for those who had a great experience.</p>
<p>D gets her senior portraits done soon (the ones for us, not the ones for the yearbok); I was looking through the section of senior ads in several years of yearbooks, to see what photographed well and what didn’t. Amazing how even last year’s senior are “old news”, much less the seniors from 2-3 years ago. Six months ago these kids were a big deal, now it’s like…next…</p>
<p>Our house is pretty quite right now. DW is in Kenya on a medical/humanitarian mission trip, DS1 is in Equador on study abroad, DS2 is running around town being an over-committed HS senior. I am about as alone as I can recall for at least 25 years.</p>
<p>No class rings here. Couldn’t believe the atrocious prices when the catalog came home and D showed no interest in them. So glad to have skipped them (she never wears rings).</p>
<p>Have to call and book and appointment for the senior pictures (thanks for the reminder!). D did pick out some clothes this weekend to wear for the pictures. </p>
<p>Like those interview questions. Should pass them on to D - ask her to mull over those and figure out what she would answer. GC did mention that they would have a talk on the interview process and give the kids some tips/tricks plus hold mock-interviews. Sounds fabulous - BUT, they are not doing this until Nov!! D has at least one interview set up before then!</p>
<p>MOSB- I’ve had similar thoughts. My younger D is a jock so I will be going to her games but I am a theater geek at heart myself and I will miss that. I will have to develop a greater love for sports. </p>
<p>For me this time is a lot like those last months of pregnancy. I go back and forth between savoring the moment and appreciating little pleasures, getting busy with plans and preparations, and wanting to rip her out of here with my bare hands.</p>
<p>Letter jackets are pretty big at our HS. You can letter not only in sports but in academics, choir, band, cheer, drill team, etc. Each group has its own written requirements. As an old timer, it thrills me to see so many kids wearing letter jackets. At my HS, one could only letter in sports, and since there were no girls’ sports, there was not a single female in the school with a letter jacket.</p>
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<p>My younger D is in an activity that is high stress, high drama and high fundraising, so I have a feeling that in the fall of '13, I won’t be mourning how that will be over soon.</p>
<p>I’ll have to ask ShawD if she has the ring as I haven’t seen it.</p>
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<p>When I do alumni interviews, I always ask for a resume (which helps me prepare questions). I start out the interview by saying that the kids that the school has your transcript, your SATs, your resume so they know whatever they are going to know about you on paper. The interview is a chance to convey to them what you’d like them to know about you that isn’t the already on a piece of paper. That way, I don’t get a straight recitation of their ECs. I have tried to get away from the canned speeches and the pre-packaging that the parents and college counselors and private schools have put on the kids. Occasionally it is actually interesting, though with an 8% admissions rate, very few kids I interview get in.</p>
<p>SlitheyTove, Tufts is a great place. We’re friends with a number of professors and high-level administrators and I sense a very positive, upbeat feeling among them as well as students.</p>
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<p>sooo funny…snort!</p>
<p>Gosh isn’t this the truth…it is kind of like a pregnancy–busy with details, trying to not wish it would be over and onto the next thing–trying to enjoy the present…</p>
<p>missypie, I came across an old post of yours about your S- is he still majoring in Psych. I think that is going to be my son’s major and he isn’t looking at any schools with what you would call “top” progams I guess.</p>
<p>At the moment it’s a probable no on Psych…could be English…which may turn into Library Science…He likes learning about disorders, but wasn’t too hot on the statistical/research end of things.</p>
<p>If you had asked me two years ago how likely he would be to change majors, I would have said highly unlikley, ain’t gonna happen, definitely Psych…after one semester of college, he was thinking about changing majors. So never say never.</p>
<p>I’ve heard this so many times and the lesson is not to pay a huge amount for a specific program…e.g. there was an '09 mom who was so torn…to pay very expensive OOS tution for an excellent program in X, or go with a great financial package at a school with a less distinguished program. She went with the great financial package which was wise because within WEEKS her child no longer wanted to do X.</p>
<p>I second Missypie’s advice about not focusing too much on the major. Most of my older daughter’s friends who picked a school based on major have changed theirs. One girl insisted that she had to go out of state because none of the in-state schools offered her major (fashion design). After a year at an OOS flagship, she changed her major to communication/journalism. Needless to say, our state flagship has a more prestigious program.<br>
It is very difficult for 17 and 18 year olds to realistically know what they want to pursue. I know this makes it difficult to choose a school. We are trying to focus on schools that offer many choices that interest my daughter.</p>
<p>I heard it time after time with the '09s…She is going to this school for their fabulous music program…after two months, “Mom I want to change my major to anthropology.” He’s going to one of the only schools in the country that has a certain major…and after a semester, changes to English…</p>
<p>Edited to add: With that said, I went to the only school in my state that had my major and I stuck with it. (But it was in-state tuition at a large school, so no big deal if I switched.)</p>
<p>I know what you are saying and my S is 16. So I think you need a lot of choices. I was in an interview with my S where the Dean asked him - what would be your dream job or what would you like to be doing - something like that- and it wasn’t Psychology- so who knows.</p>
<p>Celebrating D getting all her materials in to her counselor and teachers for requesting recommendations. Only 2 students ahead of her in getting everything in for EA deadlines. Essays not started though…</p>
<p>It has been very difficult to accept my D’s focus on a specific major (theater, possibly a BFA). She has left herself a number of “escape routes” - not applying to any conservatories, so she can change to practically any other major at pretty much all of the schools. She also can transfer, and she knows people do that. So I can live with this, and don’t feel like I’m just going through the motions when I’m encouraging her to follow this dream.</p>
<p>Also, my D1 went to college undecided, yet I would have bet huge money she would have ended up in the general area she is majoring in. It’s been written all over her since she was a little girl.</p>
<p>And D2, who flirted with some other interests that I didn’t feel were right for her, has ALWAYS lived and breathed theater. Not so much that she was doing shows for us around the house, but that by the age of 7 she was discussing at length the various merits and faults of multiple productions of plays she’d seen, and her favorite activities pretty much all include theater in some way or other. </p>
<p>I myself tried incredibly hard not to major in what was my obviously strongest interest, but ended up happily in it anyway (so much for being a rebel). </p>
<p>I am not arguing that people have destinies, or that anyone, let alone everyone, locks into anything forever. I believe strongly in being flexible and changing one’s mind. I just do think that sometimes you do know. I guess I feel just as much that some kids can’t wait to study what they’ve always loved, and that other kids haven’t yet even heard of what they will always love. It just depends.</p>
<p>I guess the only thing that I really think is that they should have the freedom to explore and follow passions, and that anyone - even if they’re 80 - should be able to switch gears and try something that excites them.</p>
<p>You better believe that even if this D gets into a very channeled program I’ll never say, “Hey, you wanted this - you got to keep at it no matter how miserable or wrong you feel.” If she wastes money, then she’ll deal with that; she knows where the ceiling is. But she won’t have to feel ashamed of herself. Life goes on, and you can learn from anything.</p>
<p>PS That pregnancy analogy is the best ever!!</p>
<p>I was pleasantly suprised to find D working on her NASF essay tonight. And, with no nagging from me. (Not that I haven’t been nagging her about other things). It is due toher school by 9/27.</p>
<p>State Flagship priority app is due 11/1, but counselor deadline is 10/1-which is next Friday. How did that sneak up so quickly? D is also submitting priority app to Tulane. Both apps are nearly done. Then she has a small breather before next 2 rounds of apps/counselor deadlines hit (Dec 1 & Jan 15) </p>
<p>For those of you with experience, is it better/preferred to submit all requests for LOR/School report/Transcripts at one time, or as the due dates approach?</p>
<p>Congrats to all of you whose kids are pushing forwards with their apps. That Oct 1 date sneaks up!!</p>
<p>mommylaw - re: LOR/transcript request - Our GC has student give LOR requests to teachers directly. Transcript request go to GC admin staff. </p>
<p>The GC and student set a date to meet at least two weeks prior to FIRST app due date. All LORs need to be given to GC before then. GC then puts teacher LOR, her LOR, school profile, transcript and anything else in a sealed envelope (one per school). The student sends them out as needed. </p>
<p>It seems like an excellent system. It would be better if we could use the Naviance/Common App interface, but apparently our computers are not up to snuff. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>EmmyBet - Sounds like you’re really struggling with your daughter’s choice of major. I changed mine as often as I changed my underwear. I started as a theoretical mathematician (but I could not understand Calc), then I went to computers (but didn’t like working with punchcards), next was a Rabbi (but I thought the hours would be bad), then criminal justice (but I am totally not athletic). I finally heard about accounting and that it finally what I ended up doing. I even graduated on time! Life has a strange way of working out if we let it.</p>