<p>Youdon’tsay–doesn’t sound like a slacker to me. DD is BUSY, but no educational programs or anything involving advanced learning other than a week-long mission trip for church. After that its marching band practice and her summer league for her sport. She might read a few novels over the summer though :D. She is trying to figure out how to fit in some volunteer/shadow work at the hospital though. </p>
<p>reeinaz–Coe will seem less busy that Philly, that is for sure, but it still has an urban vibe–at least to this small town, Midwesterner anyway.</p>
<p>Steve, I will admit dd looked at Michigan. Minnesota and Wisconsin initially, but quickly gave it up. We live in a very warm part of the country and she doesn’t think she can handle the cold. One thing we did is add all the locations we are looking at for dd on to our weather app for the iPhone. A couple of times a week we compare our temps to the weather in other places. Really helped her visualize what other places might be like.</p>
<p>MomofNEA, a couple of years ago, ds got a few application fees waived when meeting with the reps at some fairs. Not a ton of money, but every little bit helps.</p>
<p>Just found out that D13 has been accepted by NSLI-Y for a scholarship to spend 6 weeks in China this summer! I am so excited for her and happy because this means she will not give up on learning Chinese. She also plans to spend the first month after school lets out volunteering on the Arizona/Mexican border with No Mas Muertes so I won’t get to see her much. I did tell her that she needs to fly in and out of her home town for her China trip so that I will get to see her. So much for any college visits… Oh well, I couldn’t be happier for her.</p>
<p>S put in his schedule for next year and it is very STEM heavy if he gets all his 1st choices… calculus, biotechnology, advanced chem, computer science. He opted out of Spanish 4. I’m a bit worried but I have to trust that he wouldn’t sign up for a course he wasn’t confident he could do well in. That’s why he decided to be done with Spanish. We won’t know his actual schedule until a few weeks before school starts.</p>
<p>Apollo6, Fantastic news for your D. Wow. China. How cool. How many languages does she know?</p>
<p>My daughter is fairly fluent in Spanish because she spent a year in S. America as an exchange student in 09-10. She is taking IB standard level French and higher level Spanish at school but she has very little confidence in her French because even though she has studied it for four years, her instruction has never been very good and she just took up French again this year after a two year break. She took a college level first year Chinese course last year followed by a Startalk Chinese summer program but her current school doesn’t offer Chinese so she was getting discouraged. When I talked to her this evening she was very excited and motivated to talk to the Chinese speakers on campus and start studying Chinese again. </p>
<p>What amazing course choices, Reeinaz! It sounds like he’s signed up for what he really loves. It sounds tough but if he loves it, I’m sure he’ll be motivated to put in the work.</p>
<p>Now that I write it out, he doesn’t sound like a slacker. :)</p>
<p>Apollo, that is sooo cool. I tried to get ds to apply for one of those trips, but there wasn’t one to a place he wanted to go. Oh, well. Your dd sounds like a neat girl.</p>
<p>I can’t wait for this week to be over for ds. He’s had five BC Cal tests this week (one a makeup) and a makeup physics test. And because almost the entire class did poorly on one of the Cal tests, there’s an “extra credit” test tomorrow. Lucky them! At one point in the semester, he had a 41 and has managed, he thinks, to pull it up to a solid B. This kid will be the death of me. I’m glad he decided to not go pass/fail after all.</p>
<p>Apollo, congratulations. I really wanted my son to apply to that program but he resisted. Will your D be staying with a family or in a dorm? I am still keeping it in consideration for a gap year…</p>
<p>Can’t believe that summer is only 6 weeks away for S2! His grades for this marking period were posted today and they were fine. He’s really got senioritis already so I hope he can just focus for 6 more weeks. He’s got 2 trips (one with school choir and one for a voice competition) before school is out, and state testing - so I don’t think there’s a whole lot of instruction going on. He just has one AP this year (APUSH), which is his favorite class, so he’s not too stressed. My college kid, however, has enough stress for everyone - heavy class load, stage managing a play, auditions for fall shows, signing a lease on a new apartment and looking for a job. Glad she only has 3 weeks left!</p>
<p>S got his third quarter report card yesterday! No surprises- Consistant with his past performance.</p>
<p>Now one more quarter to go…the end of year is fast approaching. We are busy planning for college tours around boston area this spring break.</p>
<p>My S’s summer plans are not decided yet- The botball team is going to hawaii to participate in international robotic fair and competition in mid july. So I can see him working over this full time till then. Most of the programs we looked at intercepts with this trip- so he didn’t bother to apply. Plus- his school assigns lots and lots of summer homework for AP classes…He has signed in for all Ap classes next year.</p>
<p>DD13 is sitting at Lafayette filling out paperwork for her tour (what’s my GPA and SAT scores, mom?). DH is with her and they will be head over to Lehigh in the afternoon and Bucknell tomorrow. Three match schools for her to get a feel for what she likes and doesn’t like. I’m so excited to hear what she thinks!</p>
<p>DD will take mostly AP next year (Eng, Chem, Physics(H, no AP here), Calc AB) plus art and chorus. It’s a solid schedule with some fun in there too.</p>
<p>We are in full prom mode here. DD13 is attending both Jr and Sr prom this year. All men in the family do not understand why she needs two dresses. Good thing their votes don’t count. :)</p>
<p>Summer plans are a bit up in the air. We go to school so late here; June 23rd is the last day of school. We vacation for a week with family and DD will work at her Uncle’s camp for a week or two. She wanted to work in a lab, but has yet to figure that out and she has so little time to do it. I think she will end up volunteering for our Congressman’s campaign as she can do that more sporatically and still get some good work done.</p>
<p>The Jr/Sr prom thing is foreign to me. Here everyone just has “prom” and juniors and seniors attend the same dance. </p>
<p>I still laugh over the college search sites and the “match” schools for DS–of which, there are NONE. He doesn’t come up with a single match school on any site we have tried, mostly because the site information is no up to date with his major. His #2 and #3 choices are perfect matches for him, have his major and have everything he wants in a college (size, location, activities, etc.). He has visited both and would be happy to attend either. We’ve used the professional website for his intended occupation to search for schools instead.</p>
<p>DD doesn’t come up with many matches either, mainly because of the size school she wants and that she wants a scholarship for her sport. It’s been hard to find a school that has everything she wants. So far we have found 3. One is still on the list, probably #2 choice right now, the second was our 5 minutes on campus and we knew it wasn’t right school and the 3rd we haven’t visited yet but on paper, it is very similar to her #1 choice but offers scholarships for her sport. We will see.</p>
<p>Apollo6, I just have a hard time reconciling my son’s interests with what seems to be his aptitude. There was a lighter science course that I was trying to steer him towards. It seemed to be a class that discussed and wrote about the ethics surrounding various scientific issues. His response was “Why would I take a science course with no lab?” I said “Oh, you like science?” He said yeah. I then asked why he’s getting Cs. He said “But they’re high Cs, almost Bs.”</p>
<p>Lafayette tour impressions: One of the most beautiful campus’s ever. Too small though for DD13. Large group tours, but somewhat disorganized. Less informative and more “we are the best school ever, rah rah”. This is her first official tour so it’s staying on her list for now, but thinks it is too small. We shall see. I like small better than big, but DD is not so sure. It is up to her, so we shall see what she does come fall. </p>
<p>I love our Jr Prom b/c it involves the kids doing a “red carpet walk” to the waiting tour buses that take them to the prom and drive them back to the school at the end. Kids love it b/c it is a big “production”. Parents love it b/c the kids are driven to the school by parents for the most part, are required to walk a straight line down the red carpet, and are driven back and forth. This cuts down significantly on drinking before or during prom as school officials are seeing the kids during the red carpet walk, on the bus and during the prom. It’s good clean fun and the kids actually really like it. In NY, kids don’t drive till they are 17. I don’t even think the kids “get” that this is mostly about substance control b/c the red carpet walk is just part of the school culture.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to compare test scores from your school to years where you were delayed starting because of a hurricane or something (if that has happened in recent history). Good point about having a month jump on learning–that is a LOT of time in the classroom vs the states starting after Labor Day.</p>
<p>Geogirl, my junior prom is a production too lol. But in NY kids drive at 16- I just got my license yesterday. In NYC no driving until your 18 alone at all.</p>
<p>Hey Jazzii - I wonder if it is different in different areas. We are on LI where at 16 they get a jr. permit which allows them to drive with a parent in the car. This, of course, would not work for prom! At 17 they get their “real” permit and have no restrictions on driving. </p>
<p>SteveMA - When I think of academic “match” schools, I think of schools where my kid falls within their 25-75% SAT range and within their top 10%, top 25% ratios, so that they are likely to be admitted. Then I think of financial match, as in can we afford it if accepted. Whether it has the intended major is a totally different filter to me. We looked first for schools that excel in her intended major(s) and then defined whether it was a match, reach or safety. Of course, for real high stat kids every school is a match. It then becomes about the acceptance rates. HYPS are not really matches for anyone, ever. In fact, we had a real high stat kid apply to tons of matches (which for him were top 10 schools) and one saftey. Guess what? Yep, he is waitlisted at one “match” and will likely attend his safety, a local instate school. He could have done so much better if only he had widend his net a bit further down the list.</p>
<p>Our school starts late, after Labor Day, which means we go until June. After AP tests they don’t do much and then we have TONS of summer homework. Generally my kids spend the summer. Our state varies widely on when schools start. It is up to the individual school districts. Lots have gone to starting earlier to get more time in before testing. Ours is very resistent to starting before Labor Day. </p>
<p>Driving: In California, they can get a permit at 15 1/2 (drive with a parent), and a “restricted” license at 16 (no one else in the car for a year, can’t drive after 11pm, etc…). </p>
<p>Prom: Generally they get a group together and go in a limo or a party bus. If caught drinking, our district has a zero tolerance policy, so they will be transferred to another school. Often there is a breathalyzer at the check-in table and kids are randomly tested. </p>
<p>Summer: Hopefully his summer plan is to be a sailing instructor. He applied, but has not heard back yet. In addition he will have cross country and tennis practice, a family vacation, etc…</p>