<p>We have a system that DS has to text me the letter “K” when he gets to his destination. We use that letter a lot (as in okay, pick me up from school, okay, I am in a parking spot…). If I don’t get a K, I am calling his cell phone! He got his license 6 months ago but only uses the car on the weekends mostly or to run short errands. He is still a new driver.</p>
<p>Lol, D only has her permit-- I drove her to the PSAT but afterward she took over, driving all her friends home with H in the passenger seat. H has no sense of direction and basically forgot she wasn’t a seasoned professional. She asked him something and he said “How should I know?” But everyone is safe and I think it was good for her, she’s so used to relying on me for direction.</p>
<p>S had the PSAT this morning. He just called me and said he felt it went really well and was easy… at least a lot easier than the SAT practice tests he has been doing the last few months. He said he only left a few of the math questions blank. WHEW… glad it’s over and now he is on to the SAT on Nov. 6th. I wish we didn’t have to wait so long for the results. I’ll know his Nov. SAT results before the PSAT results. I’m really hoping he at least makes Commended. You need 220 here in CA to make NMSF… that would be a miracle.</p>
<p>Is the magic number 201 for commended on the PSAT?</p>
<p>I don’t know why the results take so long to get back. We usually get them here about December 13-16th. At least it is before the christmas break. Maybe my son’s PSAT scores will lit a fire under him to study for his first SAT in January?</p>
<p>5 boys, miracles do happen.
We get the PSAT results after the Christmas break. I think the school wants parents to enjoy the holidays.:)</p>
<p>seiclan… I thought commended was 200. I could be wrong though. Maybe it changes every year too. My S was very close to commended score last year,but you just never know how they will do on any given day. It makes sense that his score would improve in a year but you never know. He did say that the 10 hrs of sleep he got last night was a huge help!! I was so shocked when I went in his room at 10:00 to tell him to get off his computer and go to bed, he was already out cold. Big smile on my face… sometimes they actually do listen to you:-))</p>
<p>I 'll keep in mind that “K” for when 2011 son gets his license in a couple months. I’d heard about so many of his friends wrecking cars in their first couple months driving that we made him wait until 17 1/2 to start learning. He’ll be 18 before he gets his license. 2012 daughter just turned 17 but she says she doesn’t want to drive until 18, either. They’re 8 months apart in age - previously in the same grade but now a year apart due to #2 spending a year as an exchange student. Kids driving makes me so nervous but I am atypical in our area. I don’t think there are too many Hoosiers on CC, either.</p>
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<p>Same here, except Oct SAT. Commended is within D’s reach. But SF is a pipe dream. (Maryland 221 or 221, I think) But, we can dream, can’t we?</p>
<p>I found this website that has the NM qualifying contest cutoff scores for the past few years…and it lists every state. The commended cutoff has been 201 for the past two years. My state, Florida, had a SF cutoff of 210 last year but as you can see, these scores vary a point or two every year depending upon the “the water in the pool”. </p>
<p>[National</a> Merit Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html]National”>http://www.collegeplanningsimplified.com/NationalMerit.html)</p>
<p>My DS, who left here an hour ago to go to volunteer (and help out)at a walkathon (10AM-2PM) asks me for an ace bandage for his ankle. Apparently he injured himself yesterday afternoon playing flag football with his “buddy” (he works in a weekend sports program with an autistic child). I cannot believe that he didn’t mention his injury to me until now! He limped out the door to drive to the walkathon. Obviously, he isn’t going to walk the track (he will do other jobs but still)!!! The ankle dosen’t appear to be swollen or black and blue. Should I take him to a doctor or just let it run its course?</p>
<p>Good morning all! I don’t post often, but I’m following this thread every day. I don’t often feel that I have anything all that interesting to say!</p>
<p>seiclan - I’d probably just let the ankle heal on its own. If he’s walking on it and it isn’t swollen or bruised, I’m sure it will heal. maybe some ibuprofen?</p>
<p>apollo6 - I’m in Indiana too, so hi there! </p>
<p>As far as driving goes, it makes me a little nervous too, but not too bad. I have one college freshman, and one HS junior, and they both have their licenses. </p>
<p>My junior took the PSAT Wednesday and felt really good about - we’ll find out in December I guess!</p>
<p>@seiclan: He probably doesn’t need a doctor, but he should stay off it and elevate (ice when he can). The usual RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate) guidelines would apply. Sometimes bruises take days to come to the surface, and I bet it hurts more today than yesterday!</p>
<p>Yesterday we all took a “work day”. I’m hoping lots of homework (as opposed to FB, etc. . . ) actually got done. <em>I</em> got a lot done, in any event. </p>
<p>I’m told that the PSAT was a non-event. Except that it seems to be a stressor. End of the quarter is next week, so all of those grades should get updated on-line. I think it’s going to be a good semester, but I can’t really tell yet. Some teachers haven’t updated grades since parent’s day in early Sept.</p>
<p>Apollo6 and PinotNoir: Add a third Hoosier to the mix! Course I lived in CA most of my adult life, so moving back 3 years ago has been interesting.</p>
<p>Hi All! We visited 2 colleges this weekend. The University of Richmond and Drexel (in Philly).</p>
<p>The University of Richmond has a beautiful campus and is currently ranked #12 for undergraduate business (which is his current interest). My son is placing it on his maybe list. Drexel was just okay. He likes the co-op program, but the urban campus didn’t have enough green area for him. He had visited Northeastern this past summer and he likes their campus a lot more than Drexel’s. Northeastern has good green space within their urban campus. </p>
<p>My son took the PSAT this past Wednesday. He is one who thought he did fine… except for the writing section.</p>
<p>Thanks for the visit report BUand BC82 -sounds like your S is starting to develop a viable list. We haven’t done any visiting yet and probably won’t until spring. D is determined to get out of the midwest so most of the places we’ll visit are not doable in a day. Of course, I may yet persuade her to look at Oberlin - it has everything she wants (at least at this early stage) but its fatal flaw is its location in our home state 
</p>
<p>hi to all the Hoosiers - both Ds spend most of the summer at camp in IN - does that make us honorary Hoosiers?;)</p>
<p>D1 took PSAT this past Saturday. She already knew she got one math problem wrong for sure :(. She was still looking up vocabs the morning of, and guess what, she was so happy that the last two words she looked up appeared on the test! Now the wait begins. She’ll probably take her first SAT in the Spring.</p>
<p>Parent of 2011’er stopping in. If your child is searching for a summer program, take a look at the Earthwatch Student Challenge Awards Program. Earthwatch sponsors two-week field research programs to a variety of locations. They are especially fond of students who come from the humanities/social sciences side of things. The awards are competitive (I think a 25% acceptance rate)…and they’re FREE. Including airfare. Most importantly, the experience can be utterly transformative. My D1 went last summer, and says that those two weeks entirely changed her perspective on what she wants to do with her life. </p>
<p>Students must be recommended by a teacher, and the teacher recommendations are due by October 27. </p>
<p>[Student</a> Challenge and Awards Program - Earthwatch](<a href=“http://www.earthwatch.org/scap]Student”>http://www.earthwatch.org/scap)</p>
<p>ST… this program looks great!! I read on the website that you have to be a rising Sophmore or Junior. Is that true? If so, I think that would eliminate our kids who will be rising Seniors this summer.</p>
<p>5boys, D1 was a rising senior when she took part, and that was the most common age. D1’s group included a rising college freshman and some rising juniors. I think where the website says “sophomores and juniors” it means the current school year, when the students are applying.</p>
<p>Bonus: summer program application essays and journals can form the germ of college application essays. :)</p>
<p>Thanks ST!! I will have my S look at it. Can you just download the teacher recommendation forms and then hand them to them to fill out? My S is a Humanities nut… loves Philosophy, Religion, English, Latin etc… but he has never really had any EC’s or academic summer classes doing them. His focus is on Conservation and Environmental issues. Has 750 hrs of conservation EC’s his last 3 summers. He is thinking of applying to Student Conservation Association… an amazing scholarship based program that is very selective too, this summer. I’m wondering what program would be better.</p>