<p>mommylaw, I agree with shawbridge–see if the schools superscore. </p>
<p>FWIW, when I’ve asked here on CC about this type of issue (better ACT than SAT, but better essay grade on the SAT), I was told that just sending the higher overall scores was fine, that the only writing that’s important is what’s in the essay.</p>
<p>Thanks Shawbridge & SlitheyTove. I think 1 of D’s schools superscores the ACT. </p>
<p>Have heard/read that writing section of ACT (and even SAT) isn’t considered (much) for admissions.</p>
<p>^depends on the school. Cornell and Vanderbilt, for example tell you straight out that they don’t consider the writing score.</p>
<p>On a different note, I’ve gotten into the habit of wearing a t-shirt from S’s safety school around the house (think I read that here), some subliminal psychology as we get closer to hearing from schools.
Also, I lull myself to sleep by chanting “love thy safety, love thy safety”…</p>
<p>I’m envious of those of you who have students who have finished a couple applications, or finished any applications for that matter. S is still fine tuning main essay for Common App and hasn’t started supp essays due 10-15. GF is here now so I can’t nag him…</p>
<p>I am with you SDMomof3. I would like the ball to start rolling. S has his CA ready and couple supplements as well, but reluctant to push the submit button. It wont be high priority this weekend either; NMF application is due 10/8.</p>
<p>I made an inventory of all the essay that he needs to write, including short essays, but excluding short takes like You favorite book, and came up with 19! He only has 5 or so and not all of them are finished. We decided to drop one of his colleges from the list. </p>
<p>I am learning this year to choose my battles. What really bothers me is his hair, he badly needs a haircut, but doesnt want to hear about it. The reason it bothers me more than it should is partly because our school puts portraits of NMSF and commended on the wall for a year. I dont think Ss appearance right now is a school wall worthy. However, I noticed in the past that kids in the pictures looked better than usual and were also dressed nicer. So, hopefully, we will get heads-up. I didnt schedule senior pictures either - for the same reason. But I am trying to keep my mouth shot most of the time, and just nicely ask him if he want his hair cut from time to time. </p>
<p>I am planning to start on the CSS Profile this weekend; well see how that goes. What is everyone else planning to do?</p>
<p>SD - a lot of us are right there with you.</p>
<p>I eased my stress today making a succinct list of supplemental essays for D. Fortunately the writing for more than half of her schools will pretty much be complete when she finally writes her Common App essays. </p>
<p>There’s always something better to do. But the deadlines will hit, and we’ll all celebrate when the work gets done.</p>
<p>Keylime, if it’s any consolation, the NMF app is very quick and easy, especially if you’ve got the CA done. He can pick up most everything the NMF app asks for from the CA, including the essay (or slightly tweaked, depending on what he wrote for the CA.</p>
<p>Things I am grateful for:</p>
<p>-My mom is slowly recovering from Shingles.</p>
<p>-All apps and supplements at our house will be finished and submitted by Sunday.</p>
<p>-My D is NOT making anything involving large amounts of glitter at the moment.</p>
<p>-I will have a little time to work in the garden this weekend, which I haven’t had in several weeks.</p>
<p>-My sister is coming over for lunch next week – no kids, husbands, grandparents…just the two of us catching up with each other.</p>
<p>-Some friends and acquaintances (Moms of my D’s friends) realized that we all have “onlies” or “last kids” going to college next fall, and we’ve decided to form an Empty-Nesters Club. Haven’t decided exactly what we’ll do yet…lunches, dinners, maybe a book club…who knows, but we’re going to get together and support each other in the early weeks and months of our respective nests being empty.</p>
<p>-Last but not least, I’m so grateful for the gang on this thread. Literally, we’re strangers, yet the connection we share is very powerful and supportive. I hope we all stay connected as our kids move through this transitional year and they (and we) move into the next phases of our lives.</p>
<p>Count me in as one of the tired parents. D is excited about applying ED to her top choice, but after looking at last year’s ED threads on CC, I’m worried she won’t get in. It will make for a very somber Christmas around here if that’s the case. She’s planning to get all of her other essays and apps finished so she can submit them immediately after an ED rejection, but of course we’re all hoping that won’t be necessary.</p>
<p>As I type, we have a tutor here at our house, helping her with calculus. She’s been struggling in the class and got a C on the first test, so we need to get this nipped in the bud ASAP.</p>
<p>I am grateful that tomorrow is Saturday. :)</p>
<p>Relieved to see there are a few others who have students going at their own pace with apps, essays, etc. Not a single app or essay is finished around here. D1 is poking away at it. Sometimes I do a bit of mom-nag, other times there’s several days in a row where I’ve not given the ‘college stuff’ a thought myself with everything else going on in our lives.</p>
<p>GF is gone and S actually chose to stay home on a Friday night to work on essays. Wow! Don’t want to jinx this!</p>
<p>We don’t have anything completed. ShawD is VP of here student council for entertainment and feels compelled to be at every event. She recruited a well-known local folksinger for tonight’s coffee house, will sleep over at a friend’s house near school, get up early to work on homework (she says) because she has to attend/play in a coed football competition she organized between the freshman, soph, junior and senior classes (this from a girl who is very thin and is more likely to get hit in the head by a football thrown to her than to catch it), then go to her mom’s art opening, then to dinner in the city to celebrate something with a friend then a sleepover at someone else’s house. Sunday is supposed to be college app day for her rolling admissions school. The application is much easier than most. Quite doable. But will it get done? I’m not holding my breath.</p>
<p>ShawSon is home for the evening. Drove into town for a debate tournament and then out to the burbs to visit us. Exhausted from an all-nighter doing linear algebra and advanced micro. Apparently, the micro teacher proves theorems and derives important equations, but doesn’t discuss applications and then the problem sets are intricate applications. He’s pushed back the first unit test from Friday to Monday to Wednesday to Friday. Could it be that he isn’t teaching well? ShawSon has formed a group of 7 including a math whiz and a few kids with lots of econ background so that they are figuring it out, but it is very inefficient. They are definitely working much harder than they would be if their teacher were more effective. I have proposed hiring a tutor, but ShawSon seems resistant.</p>
<p>D2 has first college interview in the morning at a local Starbucks. She’s a bit nervous. Hopefully that will be the first of many application-related tasks that we can check off this weekend. Her principal wrote a letter on her behalf for a nomination letter to West Point that captured her academic and EC pursuits beautifully.</p>
<p>D1 will likely be up all night waiting to participate as part of the Game Day crowd in Eugene tomorrow morning, anticipating the game against Stanford in the early evening. At least it’s not raining. </p>
<p>Hard to believe September is gone. There’s plenty of school spirit here, but thankfully, no glitter!</p>
<p>Shaw - love the description of your D’s life! That’s definitely what is up around here, and why the apps go so slowly. I am grateful that my D isn’t swamped just with homework, that much of her busyness is because of great stuff she is doing: music and theater rehearsals, other art projects, time with friends, helping teachers and other students with activities at school, spending quality time with us. And yes, homework, reading, etc. This weekend she’s been gone for two days on a school trip to a Shakespeare theater. She is having a full, fun life - with challenges as well as excitement and relaxation. </p>
<p>The apps and that work will happen.</p>
<p>Thank you for the story about your S, as well. Hearing about the next step is helpful - the reason why we’re all going through this, after all. My college D called yesterday; she is running around 7-10 hours a day this semester, with classes, labs, jobs, meetings, rehearsals (she’s in choir), and the follow-up to this summer’s research internship. Today she’s going to a “practice GRE” session; yesterday she went to a career fair for environmental majors. Real life is hitting! </p>
<p>Good luck to phb’s D! I’m thinking my D should set up a couple of interviews for the LACs on her list. She’d probably enjoy them, actually. Luckily for most of her schools it’s not necessary or even possible. And good luck with WP!</p>
<p>October will bring us all new opportunities, new worries, and new triumphs!</p>
<p>Morning All</p>
<p>Today is Profile day–I have asked DH to sit with me --the laptop and past tax docs, quicken etc–so we can pull this together…
Since we need to estimate this year…use last years etc. etc.</p>
<p>Kiddo is on a campus visit–and I was looking at the return flights–has a 3 hr layover from 5:15 to 8:40pm tonight–so we have a late airport run at 11:15pm …Hoping the visit went well and that the Fri night was fun, safe and not wild…however it is Boston so anything can happen…</p>
<p>I haven’t counted all of the essays to be done, I dont know if I should–or - if I just need to let kiddo take a look at it all tom and assess what kiddo thinks should be done next…Kiddo has heard my thoughts… The GC told kiddo a month ago that all was in good shape (because of drafts) however I am not sure kiddo has thought about how many weeks have flown by since that mtg…</p>
<p>Had a fun family night last night playing cards! I am so grateful for every moment that we get to spend together as a family these days. I am always so aware that these moments are so precious and soon to be scarce!</p>
<p>Good luck to phbD! </p>
<p>I will try to work on Profile today as well, but first have to dial up to work and check couple things.</p>
<p>S left for a quiz bowl tournament this morning. I left him lunch money on the kitchen table, he forgot to take them. Do I have to supervise everything?</p>
<p>Just think of it as practice for next year, when they call from college and say “I lost my (ID, room key, bank card, etc.) and had to go deal with it, plus I have a big test tomorrow and I think I’m getting a cold …” We’ll all learn to say, “Gee, honey, that’s rough. Good luck with it all!”</p>
<p>I bet you’ll find out he had some money in his wallet and thought he’d save you a few bucks, or he borrowed from a friend who borrowed from HIM last time …</p>
<p>EmmyBet, we a looking for his keys daily, and his ID once or twice a week. :)</p>
<p>I know he’ll survive, he has a pre-paid credit card, which he cant use for lunch since tournament is in some high school, but he can use it if they stop for dinner somewhere on the way home. Hopefully his friends are not as absent-minded as he is and have some extra $$.</p>
<p>My older D went through the horrible embarrassment - and cost in money AND time - of having security at her college have to change her lock when she lost her keys the FIRST time. I can’t remember what happened the next couple of times, but she eventually got tired of the hassle. </p>
<p>Around my house we have a saying - based on my husband’s uttering it daily - “Where’d you put my - never mind.”</p>
<p>My kids laugh at me because we can’t ever leave the house without my having to go back in to get what I forgot … hopefully before we’ve left the driveway, or at least the neighborhood.</p>