<p>I’ve never heard the exact percentage, but our students learn fairly quickly that finals count for little. My freshman D’s finals only moved her number grade up or down a point or two, whether they were great or very bad.</p>
<p>My son has a terrible time with foreign languages. He managed in HS by doing all the homework, etc. At the end of his freshman year, he got a 57 on the final. It lowered an 87 to an 84.</p>
<p>FlMathMom- great news ! Hope the weekend goes well!</p>
<p>FlMathMom - Congratulations! Olin sounds wonderful (even though they now charge half tuition).</p>
<p>FAFSA and CSS Profile forms are done! S’s second semester doesn’t start until tomorrow, but he started today taking a Princeton University math class (he is in a program where local HS students attend classes for no credit - but they still get graded along with the college students).</p>
<p>Amanda - I am sorry to hear about your loss. It took me over a year after my Mom died to stop crying, but I can now smile as I celebrate her life.</p>
<p>FlMathMom - Congratulations to you S on his #1 choice acceptance! Woo-Hoo!</p>
<p>madbean - I admire your willpower. </p>
<p>S got a thin envelope from one of the colleges. Its too early for the decision, so I though it must be a reminder to send a mid-year school report or some other missing item. So I opened it and it ended up being a likely letter. There was no way I could put the envelope together again, but fortunately for me, he is OK with me learning the good news first. I still think, I should learn to restrain myself in the future.</p>
<p>FLMathMom: Congratulations on the Olin invitation. I hope the visit goes well.</p>
<p>Keylimepie: Congrats on the likely letter. Sometimes good news does come in thin envelopes.</p>
<p>BI: I see why you’re aggravated about the exams. They probably won’t affect his chances.</p>
<p>Madbean: You have great willpower. I hope your son gets home soon.</p>
<p>My daughter is officially a second semester senior. It’s a good thing, because thanks to snow days, late openings, and now the stomach flu, she’s barely been to school this semester.</p>
<p>FlMathMom - congratulations! Olin is very selective…</p>
<p>madbean - which school is that envelope from? Must see if his “twin” also applied there :)</p>
<p>EmmyBet - no second semester here yet. Tomorrow’s the last day of exams - hopefully, they will get them in. School just sent out a note saying that they might do an early release tomorrow, but that would mean the exams will be done and the first day of the second semester will be a snow day!! Blue - that is awful about calling the exams done with some students having taken it, some without. I don’t know what they would do here if tomorrow is a snow day - I am assuming they would push out exams one(or two) more days out…</p>
<p>OK - We’re all going to do a big Hurray for these kids on Monday. I think that will cover everyone. </p>
<p>And a little hurray for ourselves. It’s certainly been clear lately that this is a time for many big transitions.</p>
<p>I think the exam decision is crummy. Boo! At our HS, exams count for 20%, each quarter 40%. My D spent her first 2 years turning A-'s into B+'s at exam time. It was really rough. Finally she has learned to take tests.</p>
<p>Congrats on the good news today - madbean, I’m thinking of you!</p>
<p>Contgrats keylimepie, that is amazing news</p>
<p>My daughter is back in high school after 6 months off (she took off first semester to do an internship in an international archive). It is a bit of an adjustment after living on her own in Rome, and making many of her own decisions for months. But she missed her friends and did not want to graduate early so back she is. I am glad for her to have this time, but it is not going to be a cakewalk as the only way the school could manage any kind of schedule/program (they only offer year long classes) was to sign her up for online chemistry and pre-calc- not the best way to learn either. Oh well, it will still be better than her junior year- which sucked for other reasons. (My daughter was honest today with a prospective student about the positives and negatives of the specialized program in which she participates- she does not think he will be attending after all. 
)</p>
<p>EmmyBet - Our kids do the 40/40/20 for semester grades as well. Mathematically a B on the midterm can pull down two As from the quarter grades. Oh well. He’s done great so far.</p>
<p>Congratulations FlMathMom! Olin is an outstanding school. What a wonderful opportunity!!</p>
<p>keylimepie - I’m totally with you on trying to restrain myself on the envelope opening! My son doesn’t mind either, but I’ve stopped now that the obvious mailings are done.</p>
<p>madbean - soooo, is your son home yet? :)</p>
<p>kinderny - That sounds like a really unique and exciting program for your daughter! I can imagine a bit of adjustment though after living more independently. Fingers crossed for the virtual classes!!</p>
<p>Blue that has got to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard-I mean it is beyond ridiculous. Is that set in stone?</p>
<p>FLMath I thought I heard some happy yelling from Florida-awesome news!</p>
<p>Keylime that is very good news as well.</p>
<p>S is now a second semester senior. 
Finally finished the last mid-terms. He is very happy to be done-it was by far his hardest semester yet but he feels he gave it his best shot. </p>
<p>More bad weather on the way for us as well. What a winter.</p>
<p>FLMathmom–congratulations on Olin. Must feel just great!</p>
<p>Keylime–I’m enjoying the vicarious thrills of your S’s news. Didn’t he also get a very cool EA acceptance? I’m always mixing noms up, but if so–this must make the what if-s very interesting at your house.</p>
<p>My S2 finally got home from school–opened the big env (which was for U Miami–we already knew it was a yes) to discover he was not granted a merit award. Pretty disappointing. His high school is one of those very rigorous grade deflated ones–so while they may give him credit for that in admissions (don’t know), they most likely look at raw GPA numbers for merit purposes. Ahhhh. Makes this process kind of 2-step for us. He’ll settle in somewhere, I know. Thanks for the encouragement all. But these financial defeats in the face of admissions victories are really weird. LOL.</p>
<p>sorry to hear madbean, I checked back just to see what the outcome was. My daughter’s program is also one of those grade deflated programs, and it is new so it does not have a track record. At any selective college we are going to have the same issue. I keep telling my daughter, that SUNYs are good…and she won’t end up owing money and can start grad school with no loans. We’ll see. Condolences to S2 though. It is a tough time for our kids.</p>
<p>madbean,</p>
<p>I know the feeling. We have been waiting for Purdue scholarship news for son #1 forever. With an ACT of 34, 7 APs and a GPA 3.76/4.4, we figured he’d see some money. So far, nada. I saw OWM finally got some good news for her son. I hope you and I both get good news soon.</p>
<p>FlMathmom- Congratulations!! I’ve never known anyone selected for Olin - it’s so great to get to the interview stage - wishing your S an awesome experience!</p>
<p>Madbean - I second your frustration. I would almost rather deal with a rejection than an acceptance with no financial way to make it work - that’s the scenario that is most difficult for me as a parent - but I know it will happen with some schools for my S, too. Yours will have great results as well … just hard to wait!</p>
<p>Blue - that sounds like someone got hit on the head when they slipped on the ice - surely a calm conversation with dozens of disgruntled parents and students would bring back the common sense???</p>
<p>Amanda - Thank you for taking the time to share your sad news. Please know so many caring thoughts are with you and your family!</p>
<p>Emmeybet - S is now officially a second semester senior - first day of class tomorrow. No school today but he was there all day working on an EC project and is now out to dinner with the same group of students he mentors in the competition. BUT the BIG news - he has never been so happy to get a B! - hurray for a B in IB math - it’s the calculus class and he has worked his tail off. I am so happy for him!</p>
<p>We are waiting on pins and needles for $$ info from two schools that say we will hear this week…</p>
<p>we are waiting here to find out if D was selected to interview for a fellowship at one of her top choices should hear in the next week or so. Really hoping she is selected for it as it would be a terrific opportunity!</p>
<p>See, it’s not so boring during this “long waiting time”! Lots of interesting news!</p>
<p>Congrats to so many kids!</p>
<p>Sorry, madbean. I just cry when kids are squeezed out of schools financially.</p>
<p>phb - hpe your H & D are able to fly home Tues. Boston are is suppose to see snow by the afternoon.</p>
<p>FLMathMom - Good luck to your S! What a great school!</p>
<p>madbean - S got his scholarship info from Marquette today - no amount of light allowed me to see through the envelope… Probabaly good thing, he did not get very much from them. He is still in line for another couple of scholarships, but Marquette has just dropped down on his list, imo, a cople of notches. </p>
<p>anyone elses kid keeping their favorites close to their chest? S absolutely refuses to discuss what his number one choice is now that he has some acceptances. …I need some answers!!!</p>
<p>Sorry for the news, Madbean. I think that Miami was more selective this year. My daughter’s friend was surprised to be rejected. She took a rigorous schedule and her grades were lower as a result. I’m sure that your son will have some other good options.</p>
<p>Madbean, my son received similar news today from Miami. We knew he was accepted over the weekend by looking online, however just received the envelope today without scholarship. With snow pending here in Chicago, Miami sounds pretty good. Oh well.</p>