<p>UT, I don’t like the FROPILE. In fact, sometimes I would like to fro IT in the pile, if you know what I mean. :)</p>
<p>mosb - hahahahaha! You made my day.</p>
<p>But seriously, I know what you mean.</p>
<p>I’ll share a frustrating story of my oldest son, who graduated this past Spring from Roanoke College. Son took at stats class freshman year to fulfill a math requirement for the core curriculum. He had not had stats in HS. The teacher gave them a total of maybe three tests, did not post any of the grades until a week or so before the final and did not hand the tests back. Son had absolutely no idea of his grade until he literally finished the class. Turns out he had a C going into the Final and I think he ended up with a C- for the class. Fortunately, Roanoke is extremely generous with gpa standards towards merit aid so he kept his scholarship but he started off in the hole, which was no fun. Like most guys, he did not share his concerns with us and did not ask for any advice.</p>
<p>My youngest son is going through something similar at his class at a local college where he is taking an IST class. He got an A on the first test but has no idea how he did on the team project or the last test. There is one test and one project left. No grades on-line. </p>
<p>Happy Birthday Hollie! Fifty IS nifty. I have three years experience!</p>
<p>Holliesue - A very happy birthday to you. Are any of you out there closer to the big 60 like me? </p>
<p>AmandaK - Attaboy to your son!!!</p>
<p>YDS and MaineLH - your advice is most welcome. I can barely keep up on this thread so I appreciate your visit to us.</p>
<p>Emilybee - I like your idea of working with some of the youth agencies. We have several in our area. I can’t imagine anything but a welcome response. I worked with many when I was the Volunteer Coordinator at my son’s private school (until grade 9). His HS doesn’t really use volunteers despite my repeated efforts to make inroads.</p>
<p>Happy birthday Holliesue! I’m turning 44 in a week, so I’m getting close to the half-century mark myself. And it doesn’t sound old at all ;)</p>
<p>Sound advice from YDS and MaineLH on college class selection. I have always been somewhat concerned about testing out of all the easy classes (via AP or otherwise) and starting out first semester with a slew of upper level courses w/ students who are no longer adjusting to college life. I think it is good to have a couple classes that first semester that may be easy or repetitive of HS classes- just to build confidence.</p>
<p>As for volunteering to help disadvantaged students w/ college apps and financial aid, I think its a great idea. I have a younger D, so the wisdom of this board will be very beneficial to her. </p>
<p>A top HS in the area allows “hand-picked” parent volunteers (read: the favorites) to seal and stamp envelopes. Nothing more and no advising. Parents of graduates might be an easier sell, but I can understand the privacy concerns.</p>
<p>Great news about Penn State, amandakayak!</p>
<p>Another Day…Another Empty Mailbox…Just Sayin.</p>
<p>FERPA rules do allow parent volunteers to help with college advising at a school, if the school documents it and makes sure that the volunteers maintain confidentiality as FERPA prescribes. But it sounds like most schools would rather not…</p>
<p>Collegeshopping… Isn’t it frustrating?? I am not good at waiting!</p>
<p>Collegeshopping… Isn’t it frustrating?? I am not good at waiting!</p>
<p>Collegeshopping and holliesue - Same here! I think it is driving me crazier than DS.</p>
<p>momofzach-oh it is definitely driving me crazier than my DD! she is much more laid back than I am. And my DH is completely oblivious to the whole process! ha ha!</p>
<p>Have a wonderful day, hollisue! My 50th will be right before graduation and my 60th just before D3 graduates from high school!</p>
<p>D2 is student body president, and tonight is the first big event which was supposed to be planned by one of the VPs who dropped the ball and guess who came to the rescue? She never rescues me when I need someone to unload the dishwasher or help her sister with homework! Just hoping that the night is a success and that the student body has the best time ever. Know D2 won’t get any of the glory but sure hope she doesn’t have to deal with unhappy peers.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday HollieSue! Hope you have had a great birthday! D2 is getting her wisdom teeth out tomorrow. The high school has Veteran’s Day off and also kids have no school on Friday. I thought it was the perferct opportunity and time to get them out. She is not thrilled since she has had to be out of town the last few weekends for school related events. Just got her grades and doing well. She is having a great Senior year but getting anxious with her early action decision next month. She is still working on other applications but I think she is in a holding pattern. I need to remind her that if she doesn’t get into the school she really won’t feel like working on the applications so it is better to get them done now. She did mention working on them this weekend but pretty sure it would not be a great idea if she is on pain medications:)</p>
<p>D worked really hard after school on apps. She’s adding a couple of new reaches, but she can get some of the light-supplement apps in soon - EXCEPT that one of her recommenders retired and we need to hunt down his e-mail (the school was supposed to send it to me, but they haven’t yet, got to bug them tomorrow). So close!! </p>
<p>But she’s really engaged and invested now, reading all of the requirements, getting her details straight. She’s getting excited about some of the supplements (Brandeis has some very fun essay topics)! We’re on the move!!! Maybe we’ll even hit “submit” tonight on a couple of them!</p>
<p>I’ve given up hope that we’ll hear anything before the holidays. Maybe I’ll be surprised and a couple will actually come through, but none of her schools are promising anything before Jan or Feb. And because she still will have her auditions through February we have no chance of being through with this process in any way before the usual spring dates.</p>
<p>But for now it’s nice to see her having fun getting this part done.</p>
<p>Tessa, I made boychild get his wisdom teeth out during Feb break of his soph. yr. Needless to say he was not a happy camper. </p>
<p>Make sure she ices a lot. Really helps with the swelling.</p>
<p>Happy Birthday HollieSue! Not quite at your number yet but getting there!</p>
<p>Darling D getting antsy and concerned that she’s either not going to get in to her ED school or that she completely misjudged and has no idea why she loved it?! Maybe she should apply to more just in case?! I think not! She has 2 EA’s and one RD as back up in the pipe. I think she’s just second guessing and hearing lots of talk at school about people applying to more than 4 and very few ED. ED deadline is on the 15th of Nov but decisions on Dec 15th. We know they have all downloaded her app so we wait…and not very patiently! </p>
<p>Our HS has a mentor program for first gen kids trying to get it together for college and I helped for 2 years but the first year the kid couldn’t even pass her TAKS to graduate high school never mind college (unfortunately a very disadvantaged kid, heartbreaking) and the next kid was top 10% and smart as a whip and had all her stuff together before we even met! I can’t say as I thought it was a well organized program and declined to help this year although I have helped friends who are not as interested in the whole search and admission thing - I confess I am more than a little obsessed with the whole thing (in a good way I think!)</p>
<p>Something I’ve noticed is that people are going to do what they’re going to do … maybe the best way is just if you can find a way to help someone personally.</p>
<p>Kids at our HS do OK at going to college, but not as well as I’d hope they would. There are plenty of college rep visits, and open house nights to talk about fin aid and college choice and all kinds of post-HS alternatives. People just don’t really go. There could be more of a general culture of aiming higher all around, but that would take more than a volunteer group to make happen. </p>
<p>But it’s an issue on both ends. We also have some really wonderful and ambitious students who don’t have a clue how to go about the search and application process, and they and their families turn down help even when it’s offered. People are just that way.</p>
<p>I’d love to help out kids who otherwise might not have a chance, and maybe I’ll find a way to make that happen. One story I recall is a guy from when I was growing up, who never would have gone to college except that he played a sport, and the coach said a great way to keep playing was to go to college. That sparked the kid, and changed his whole life; not that he was a recruited athlete or even got a scholarship so much, but just that it actually occurred to him to continue his education just because he wanted to play.</p>
<p>You just never know. I’m just glad we have a strong, plentiful, and affordable group of public colleges in our area. Most of the kids at our HS at least consider that option, and it’s very easy to follow through.</p>
<p>OK folks, this is a bit of a digression - but so much fun, I just had to share. Maybe some of you have Whitman on your application list? We just returned from visiting S who is a senior there and he invited his advisor over for dinner to meet us. A totally delightful tenured prof who spent three hours around the table with us, talking literature, travel, and enjoying a hearty home made meal in the home of five students. We had such a great time! They have a true respectful friendship, and this wasn’t the first time a prof had been over to dinner. Just thought I’d share, as both my hubby and I realized it would never have occured to us in a zillion years to invite a prof over when we were students! It was an interesting experience for our 2011 HS grad, getting him wondering if that kind of close environment feels great to him, or not. But we sure had fun :)</p>
<p>puma12, What a great experience for your 2011 college grad-to-be! He’ll remember those times, and it has added a richness to his education you can’t find in books and lecture halls. What a gift. Fun for your 2011 hs sr. to see what college can really be like in the right atmosphere. Sure sounds like an evening I would enjoy!</p>
<p>One of the universities my son is applying to has a program that encourages students to take their professors to lunch. I believe it is once a semester and I think they are reimbursed a certain amount…I could have the details wrong, however the premise being a desire to engage the students and professors outside the class. From what I understand it builds on a long standing tradition of a learning community with many professors and their families living among the students.</p>
<p>It sounds like your older son found a rare part of college education that doesn’t exist much anymore.</p>
<p>Puma - sounds so nice, and what I would hope for my kids to experience, unfortunately unless one of my kids takes the LAC route…</p>
<p>Just a little laugh for the morning: as my ds is leaving this am: “So Mom, I can’t drive (dd) home from school today because I am on the ultimate frisbee team and we have a game today.” First I have heard of this, and frankly, the last time ds and a frisbee met was at a party last year when he got hit with one and required stitches to his eyelid. OK, so I did laugh. I thought he was kidding.</p>