<p>I hope that Glido’s GC’s advice about meeting college reps isn’t the last word! Our HS doesn’t bring in many OOS schools. Even for the schools that do come, the teachers don’t make it easy for the kids to leave class to attend. </p>
<p>I took D to an Rice-UChicago-Brown-Columbia-Cornell info evening in last fall, but it was a huge event with hundreds of kids & parents. We have a NACAC fair nearby in early April, but it’ll be even larger and more impersonal – it’s being held at our city’s Convention Center. There’s just no way my shy D will leave a lasting impression at anyone at a zoo like that!</p>
<p>We’re off to the NACAC fair in our town tonight - quite a few schools on DS’ preliminary list are not attending, but 10-15 are, so he’ll at least get some experience talking with people. </p>
<p>GC at DS’ school noted a few weeks ago that it is often hard to get out of class to see reps…but then gave some helpful advice to students: to stick your head in during the passing period, introduce yourself and that you can’t stay b/c of class commitments but are still interested in the school. And sign the list or somehow make sure they know who you are! I suppose getting a card and writing a follow-up email could serve almost the same purpose.</p>
<p>We didn’t go to the Fort Lauderdale College fair (at the Broward convention center) this past October because A) It was on a school night and DS had too much homework and B) Most of the schools he is considering were not going to be there (Vanderbilt, Emory, Wash U, CMU…). He dosen’t need to miss doing hw or studying to meet the UF representative (especially they don’t care about interest and since his sister graduated from there and he is quite familiar with the campus). </p>
<p>Today DS got email from Tulane and Rollins. I noticed that they said that they got his name from the College Board. So is that from the PSAT’s or the SAT that he just took 10 days ago?</p>
<p>I’ve been wondering about those monstrous college fairs. Has anyone had a positive experience at one? My current thinking is that there is no information that can be disseminated in that format that is not also readily available on a website, and that a regional rep could not possibly remember my D from among the hordes. Other experiences or opinions?</p>
<p>And seiclan, I believe it’s PSAT results were just released (sold) to colleges. :)</p>
<p>D got e-mail from Tulane today, seiclan, and she hasn’t taken the SAT yet, so I’m guessing PSAT.</p>
<p>Tessie–we went to a Performing Arts College fair last fall, in Boston-- got a lot out of it. It was crowded but there was plenty of chance to talk to everyone D wanted to see; in many cases the head of the dept. she was interested in. I’ve heard the less specialized fairs are less helpful.</p>
<p>It seems that the College Board is not releasing PSAT information to colleges as quickly as they did when D1 was a junior in high school (2006/2007). She began receiving mail (not e-mails) referencing the PSATs right after Christmas. By mid-January she was getting a half dozen or more mailings a day. With D2 the mail has been light and the e-mails just started this week. Not sure who she’s been hearing from as she rarely shares e-mails with the parents. I kind of miss the paper blizzard, but no one else in the family does.</p>
<p>For any of you with kids interested in Tulane, D1 applied using their expedited application - no essay and an answer in late November, if I remember correctly. </p>
<p>She received the invitation-only application (not nearly as exclusive as it sounds - they send out thousands!) via email, and I later learned that the school she ended up applying ED to (Brandeis) had a similar app. I’ve searched on CC, but can’t find a list of schools that do this. I’d love to see if any of D2’s schools are on the list - it was great to have that acceptance in hand so early.</p>
<p>Mihcal1: Re the regional admissions officers visiting your town at the convention center - even if your DD cannot “make a lasting impression” - sign their info sheet and fill out the card. The regional advisor will enter her into the computer to show that she attended the event. (show of interest) That will be a plus over the other kids in the town that did not attend. Also, have her go armed with an interesting question (even if she knows the answer). He might remember that. If he asks her name - you will know she scored.</p>
<p>Okay, so he just got Ogelthorpe College and Wake Forest emails today. Does this mean that my son put my email on the PSAT form? All these are coming through email (mine actually)!!!</p>
<p>LOL seiclan - we’re in the same boat! My son used my email address on the PSAT and I’m getting emails from most of the same schools you are plus some others. I can see how this marketing material can get to 17 year olds - heck, it has S’s name on it, but it even makes ME feel good to get an email telling me that I might be just who they’re looking for!</p>
<p>I must be needy - I actually get applause (literally) in my line of work, but I still am enjoying the extra validation I’m getting from S’s college spam!</p>
<p>DS just confirmed that he put my email down on the PSAT form because he didn’t want to get all that college spam. I am actually glad, since he is not good about checking his email at all. He just got email from Flagler College and Emory University. I also love the way each college is telling my son personally that he has what it takes. Emory is actually a good fit for my son so I will make sure that he sees that email.</p>
<p>WalkingTessie - my daughter refuses to go to any of the college fairs because they are so large, even the smaller ones. Last Spring we went to the Colleges That Change Lives college fair and while the information session was great the large room filled with colleges handing pamphlets out was awful for her. She stood there with my husband while I went around to the colleges I researched in advance and just picked up some info. I think these fairs are very limited in what you can get from them.</p>
<p>I have to agree w/ amtc. DD and I went to one at the local convention center last year and it was a zoo. I do think there is some benefit to going to one in that it was a real eye-opener for DD. We identified a few interesting school, filled out a few forms and talked to two reps. She will not go to another one that big. It does get the kids thinking, though.</p>
<p>College Fairs are great…if you need some koozies or new pens! Other than that…no not so much. We only attend because the school gives extra credit for attending. </p>
<p>DD just got her new ranking which includes the first half of this years grades. She moved up 2 spots to #6. I am surprised she could move up since it is ultra-competitive at the top of her class. I used to dream of her being Valedictorian but I didn’t factor in how her unweighted extra-curriculars(dance, choir) would hurt her average. Sigh, it was not her dream and I’m glad that she took what she really wanted.</p>
<p>Not a single koozie or pen last night…but it was a very helpful, low-key way for DS to get used to saying hello, saying what he’s interested in, etc. “Making small talk” is difficult for him, and he learned quite a bit about what flies and what doesn’t (he probably interacted with 25 reps). </p>
<p>A couple of schools were genuinely enthusiastic about his interest, which was <em>very</em> encouraging to him (he usually thinks he’s going to end up at Flyspeck U!)…and a couple of schools were much more “eh, we don’t really care what you’re bringing, here’s the way we expect you to be a cog in our machine.” He knows that admissions people are trying to sell their schools, and if not even they can bothered to really try to do so…well, that says something.</p>
<p>debbie7452: Sounds like you DD has a really good head on her shoulders. It is really hard for 15-17 years olds to have the type of foresight ot know that, in the long run, you are much better off it you took the classes and did the activities that you really loved in high school, rather than chase the gpa. Good for her. (And don’t think that admissions officers don’t know it.)</p>
<p>PghMomof2: Wow - interacted with 25 reps. I am impressed. When I dragged my DD to one of those, I think she interacted with 2 out of about 700. We go to Office Depot for pens from now on.</p>
<p>I just looked at D2´s grades for 2 second semester. She has 2 electives, photography and fashion design, and rest of them are all IB courses. At her school they weigh IBs and APs, and she has As in those classes. In those 2 electives she has As, but I said to her, “Honey, I think you need to drop those classes, they are bringing your GPAs down.” (that was my tiger mother moment). I thought she was going to throw her breakfast at me, good thing H stepped in to tell her that I was kidding.</p>
<p>Oldfort - the highly competitive schools throug the non-academic grades out and calculate the gpa with only the academic grades. Many of them throw out the weights as well. They want to know whether the applicant is challenging herself - all those IBs answers that.</p>