<p>Shelldemeo - Wow, that is some topic!! Absolutely will make him stand out of the crowd, no other senior is probably using that topic!! My ds overthinks and overanalyzes, he edits before two sentances are down - that’s where he gets stuck… For him, there was one way to explain his passion and that was to pick one moment in time and describe it in vivid “showing” detail so you could feel like you were experiencing it first hand. The two things I advised him (that according to him helped) were don’t revise a single word until you are done with a rough draft and “show” don’t “tell.”</p>
<p>Blueiguana - Glad your quick maneuvering landed a ticket in one hand and a breakfast burrito in the other!! What a hoot!</p>
<p>Loved reading the “stories” here today. Had me laughing and charmed. Ah, the trials, tribulations and joys of raising seniors!</p>
<p>Shelldemeo - I think you’ve already gotten some good advice. Like in Aniger’s town, most people in my town, a suburb of NYC, use a private counselor for the whole process, but I opted out of that. Over a Sunday breakfast my H, senior S, freshman S, and I brainstormed topics. My S then worked w/ a high school English teacher who volunteered to help over the summer. Since S was working over 50 hrs a week this summer in a lab, I made “appts” for him on Sat or Sun mornings to sit down at the DR table, not his room where he could fiddle, to write/revise the essay. Via email w/ his English teacher, he worked on several drafts. Beforehand, my H and I had read some great college essay books, like Bauld, so that we had at least an idea of what this essay should look like in order to offer some productive feedback. In the end, S worked very hard on that essay and is happy w/ the final result, whether it does the trick or not. The key: it’s a story that only he could tell as the experiences related, and more importantly the thoughts conveyed, are unique to him. It sounds as if your son’s essay topic is exactly that, particularly if he conveys its importance/connection to him. I did book a one time consultation w/ a counselor just to look over the completed CA application. One nice thing about a counselor: the outside, hopefully experienced approval. It will ease the stressful question, “Is this essay good enough; does it do its job.” He gave some useful feedback as well. My son tweaked what needed to be tweaked, no one else saw the final product, and then it was sent off.</p>
<p>One final thought: On Thursday last, Nov 4, for the first time I visited the College Week Live site to listen to two presentations in particular, Michele Hernandez on Application Strategy and a california professor who moon lights as a college essay tutor (BTW, it seems like she does it from afar via email, which in essence is how my son worked w/ his english teacher). For the essay tutor, google getmetocollege (CC won’t allow me to spell out the site). She seem very good although very, very high energy. I’d encourage you to go to the College week Live site because these presentations are taped and you can watch them whenever you have time. While the Hernandez presentation had a lot in it that most of us know and emphasized very competitive schools, it still had some stats and strategy that could be surprising.</p>
<p>I was in my pj’s too this am as S followed me in his car to the test sight, as he was unsure how to get there and teens are not allowed to have gps. I felt it was less stressful to know he got there. That way, I was able to go back to sleep, which I regretted later when I didn’t get in my run this am.</p>
<p>My D finished up her second try at the SAT. She felt good about it - said she thought she did better on the math…I’m hoping so.
We were all up well before 7 - me for my run, H to take care of the dogs. A most unusual Saturday.
Happy SATs are over, now if she’d just finish up those apps!</p>
<p>Not much college stuff getting done here this weekend. Two remaining apps due in Jan. One school already applied to requires special fin aid app due next week so at least that will be finished this weekend.</p>
<p>No college stuff getting done in our house as ShawD has 6 hour rehearsals on both days of the weekend for a production of Chicago. She’ll barely have time to finish her physics lab, for which she’s gotten an extension due to rehearsals. But, she only has an essay left to write and neither she nor I can figure out the maximum length of the essay. I guess that is what Thanksgiving break is for, no?</p>
<p>things are also on hold here as D is in a show next weekend and her life is consumed with rehearsals and trying to keep up with her school work!</p>
<p>I started getting nervous after reading the past few pages of of posts re: the essay process. I went back to my S’s CA and reread his essays which already were sent. It was his decision to not have a teacher or anyone other than me edit them. I would have preferred to have a professional look at them altho I do think they will be fine. They definitely reflect his personality and sense of quirkiness. Too late now any way or anyway.</p>
<p>@FlMathMom - If your students personality was evident through some of these tough prompts, you do run the risk of ‘over polishing’ which can take that personal edge off. Don’t get me wrong, my son had his teacher look at his, but if your son’s was quirky and personal, call it a day. :)</p>
<p>@shawbridge & holliesue - good luck to your students this weekend and next!! It will be a physically and emotionally exhausting few days I hope your family will really enjoy! :)</p>
<p>My fingers are crossed. S2 thinks that his CA essay is done and that he will be ready to submit one application to his early action school this weekend. This will be his first, and hopefully will get the ball rolling for more. Hoping…fingers crossed…that it actually happens.</p>
<p>Okay, now a question for all of you. S2 took both the SAT and the ACT. Both were good, but the SAT scores are a little bit better than the ACT. Is it okay just to report the SAT scores and to ignore the ACT? So far we (that would be the “royal we” meaning I) have only requested that the SAT scores be sent to his list of schools; “we” haven’t sent any ACT scores. And if we don’t send the ACT scores, does he not self-report those either – just leave the ACT portion of the CA blank?</p>
<p>Now (after much prodding – okay, nagging) that he’s close to being ready to submit one application, S2 remarks “Oh, I could have gotten this done weeks ago.” Really? Really? Then why didn’t you???</p>
<p>shawbridge: too bad that pretty Harvard student isn’t a little closer to western mass because I would definitely be setting that up. As far as williams/amherst, his dad went to williams so he definitely went into it with a bias. He said that Amherst felt too snobby (his words, not mine) but I really think he sees it as a problem that I could drive to the campus with his annoying little sister in about twenty minutes…</p>
<p>2boys and amandakayak: No I wasn’t joking…that was (is?) going to be his essay topic. I too think it is original and really “him” so we will see if he ends up writing it.</p>
<p>Renaissancemom: I am going to google that site now. Thanks for the recommendation.</p>
<p>I have one more question, I am wondering if other high schools handle their A- grades the same way. My son has a 3.8 unweighted gpa. He has received all A’s or A-, and only one B- (his b- was in algebra II having not taken algebra I which was a big mistake!)
I was a bit surprised at how low his gpa seemed. When I looked into it a little closer, I noticed that a 93% is an A- with a lower gpa grade. Other schools, A- begins at 92%
Is that across the board or do each high schools deal with that differently? He is hoping that they will just recalculate any way they do at the colleges because his courses are unweighted and the school does not rank. He took a very rigorous courseload so he is bummed his gpa seems low. Probably nitpicking at this point…If they were to rank (albeit with unweighted gpa’s) his counselor thinks he would be around the top 7%.</p>
<p>At our hs, gpa calculated 93 is A-, 87 if B+…A+ = 4.33, A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33. My ds has the 3.8 uw too, only when you get to weighted gpa does it seem to make the point that it’s not shabby. Kids in our a/b level classes get easy As little homework while the honors/ap kids work their tails off for a B.</p>
<p>shell, I’ve sent you an email. ShawD initially decided that she wouldn’t apply to any school that her mother could drive to for breakfast, which ruled out all of Massachusetts. Interestingly, our son is 1.5 hours away and it has turned out to very nice. He’s come home for weekends a couple of times when he really wants to sleep and more frequently when he goes to a debate tournament in Boston, he may stay over Saturday night before heading back to school either Sunday or early Monday AM. He can pick up food, touch base with the person who helped him develop strategies for managing his dyslexia, and say hello to us and to any friends who are on a year off.</p>
<p>Grading scales vary widely, as does weighting. A 4.0 may be the glass ceiling at one school with no weighting, while a 4.6 isn’t uncommon for top 5% at schools that give 2pts for AP classes. Your school will have the exact grading scale used on your students transcript so the universities will know how to decipher it…what does an A mean? Our students had one grading scale for two years, a second for two. That is noted as well. If your school ranks this will help put the grades in context as well.</p>
<p>For instance, we have a 10pt scale with +'s (but not an A+), however we do not have -'s. AP’s are 1pt. Unlike amandakayak, a + is a .4, not .33 (ie, B+ = 3.4)</p>
<p>Until 2yrs ago we had a 7pt scale. Surrounding counties altered the grades retroactively, much to students glee! Ours kids grades stood and the change is noted. Universities that are used to seeing our students know without even looking. All universities will check the grading scale.</p>
<p>shell, and anyone else who is looking for essay advice, I just remembered two blogs I found earlier this year when I was searching the web for college essay information. Both are written by college essay counselors located in California. One is Craig Heller and his blog is titled, “College Essay Solutions”; the other is Janine Robinson, and her blog is “No Fear College Essays.” If you should decide that he needs an essay counselor, as I said earlier, I would assume your son could work via email with someone who isn’t local. My son never physically met w/ his English teacher this summer, or even spoke w/ him on the phone. </p>
<p>I think that the CA essay seems to create the most stress, perhaps because it’s also usually the first written. My S worked on his own for the supplementary essays, some of which were/are really tough but at least interesting prompts. Maybe that’s another reason they seemed easier for him to write: the prompts are more pointed or if not, at least so interesting that he had an immediate reaction. In essence, the topic is a given.</p>
<p>Shell–In addition to the student’s transcript noting the grading scale, the school’s profile that it submits along with the transcript should provide additional information, such as the range of grades by quartiles. Also, the guidance counselor can indicate on her recommendation form that your child has taken the most rigorous courseload available, and that should help.</p>
<p>As additional example to the ones listed above, my children’s school gives As (93 and above), then B+, B, B-, etc. Honors get one additional weighting point; APs get two. The top students have averages of slightly over 5.0 weighted.</p>
<p>Some colleges will re-compute high school grades to put them on the same footing. This can actually be a disadvantage in a situation like my daughter’s, as her transcript doesn’t reveal numerical grades, and therefore there is no way for admissions offices to know which grades would have been A+s or A-s. Other colleges just take whatever the school provides and try to work with that.</p>
<p>My S’s school only has A, B, C, F. A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, F = failed. No D b/c they work with you to master the material to at least get a C. 96% of incoming freshman graduate senior year in our Title 1, 80% minority, free-lunch school. We have amazing teachers and leadership. The kids in IB and taking AP classes get their grades bumped up when calculating weighted GPA.</p>
As far as williams/amherst, his dad went to williams so he definitely went into it with a bias. He said that Amherst felt too snobby (his words, not mine) but I really think he sees it as a problem that I could drive to the campus with his annoying little sister in about twenty minutes…</p>