<p>I am jealous of those who are done with AP exams. S3 (my son, third child, for the newbies) has 3 AP tests and his first one isn’t until tomorrow. He has APUSH tomorrow, AP Bio on MOnday and AP English Lang on Wednesday. He was upset about how the show was going for drama, and was disillusioned and needs to decide if this is something he will continue with next year, so he talked to the teacher and I think he feels better.</p>
<p>Dadotwoboys - Our D’13 has her first choice, but a back-up as well. She’s visited Belmont twice already, as well as once to Loyola New Orleans, but for Music Industry Studies, which is their “music business,” and Southern Mississippi, which has a relatively new program. Finally, she visited Berklee the summer after 8th grade because she and her dad were already in Boston and were able to take a tour, but it’s too far, and not in the ballpark for price. </p>
<p>She has been in contact with the admissions counselor at Belmont and has discussed her stats with him specifically. She already meets the requirements for their highest scholarship, although they only select five students per year, so we are not anticipating her receiving that. I don’t want to count chickens before they are hatched, but feel very comfortable that she will be accepted. Just hoping for merit aid to make it a bit easier on mom and dad, and reduce the amount of loans, if any, she would have to take.</p>
<p>Both of D’s AP tests are next week. Good luck to the AP takers this week.</p>
<p>Our internet was out for day or two, so welcome to the newbies and hugs to VBCMom and her D for the family’s losses. </p>
<p>Did the STEM question get answered? A STEM kid likes science, technology, engineering, and/or math and is likely to major in that type of field.</p>
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<p>I believe that is $50k in assets, excluding equity in the house.</p>
<p>RobD: thanks for looking at the MI data. He scored a 211, so we will be hopeful. It wouldn’t bother me so much, but he told me he would be devastated if he didn’t get NMSF. He has never used the word devastated about anything (not even football, which he lives for)so I have been anxious.</p>
<p>MommyDearest13: thanks for the fin aid info. I know my husband did some on line calc and thought our family contribution (not to an ivy) would be around $15,000. He said our private school tuition didn’t figure in at all. I told my S the only way I could pay $15,000 a year was if I sold his siblings, he was ok with that, but I kinda want to keep them (the 4 yr old is cute). It would be great if there were schools out there that take all of that into account!</p>
<p>Momma that’s funny. My older kids have all been ok with sibling sales as well. That said, they don’t believe there’s much market demand for their siblings. : )</p>
<p>lol, momma, I hear ya! Congrats to you S on his PSAT! I also believe RobDs analysis that cut-offs will drop for the most part. Ill keep my fingers crossed for you that would give your S a lot of options!</p>
<p>Your H might have done the FAFSA calculator, which is just used to see if you qualify for any federal aid. If your EFC was $15K, then your S wouldnt qualify for any federal grants, only the $5,500 Stafford loan. A lot of private schools use their own methodology to determine the parental contribution since their grants come from their coffers. For those schools, you generally have to fill out the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA to apply for aid. The results amongst those schools vary pretty widely, so you have to run each calculator separately. If the college uses the Collegeboard calculator [Participating</a> Schools | College Board - Net Price Calculator for Students](<a href=“Net Price Calculator (NPC) Participating Schools | Education Professionals – College Board”>Net Price Calculator (NPC) Participating Schools | Education Professionals – College Board), you can put all your information in once and save it, then it will automatically show up in calculators for all the schools that use it. Occasionally, some of the calculators will ask for another bit of information. You might find schools that take the primary school tuition into account more generous. The people on the financial aid board might know which schools do.</p>
<p>HYPS all have calculators on their website. Harvards is actually a very quick and easy one [Net</a> Price Calculator](<a href=“http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k51861&pageid=icb.page244010]Net”>http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k51861&pageid=icb.page244010). Note that it asks for gross income (most other calculators ask for AGI, then you have to add back in all the non-taxed income 401k contributions, flex spending deductions, etc in another box.) Like perazzi said, Harvard doesnt include home equity in assets for the primary home there is a box for real estate equity, but thats for other real estate. Of course, retirement funds arent included in assets either. </p>
<p>There are some circumstances that make these calculators pretty useless like having step-parents in the mix, or owning a business.</p>
<p>We currently have 2 kids in college. I think when the first went, our “EFC” was about 20K. When the second went to college each kids EFC was then 10K. Do I have an extra 20K hanging around? Absolutely not, however we have been very frugal. The college kids do not have cars (even though EVERYBODY ELSE DOES according to them). What you don’t realize is that although you are paying for them, you are paying less for things at home (food, ec’s, gas, etc…), so it really isn’t an EXTRA 20K. And it isn’t all at once, it is spread out over the year. So far, 4 years in (4 years for D1 and 2 years for S2) we have been able to swing it without either kid, or us, having to take out any loans. Both kids are at public schools that use the FAFSA which does not take into account the equity in your house. I believe the private schools take equity into account, so it would be interesting to see what that would do to our EFC. The financial guys that give talks at the schools always say that sometimes a private school can be cheaper than a public school because they generally meet 100% of need, and generally more of it is in grants rather than loans. D1 did not apply to any private schools, and S2 didn’t get accepted to any so I don’t know if it would have made a difference in our situation.</p>
<p>^You could always run some NPCs and find out, tx5. 
Although, you might be better off not knowing! What is your Renaissance Mans plan?</p>
<p>Tx5athome: I hope we will be able to do as well as your family. We actually have a college savings account for him, but no where near the amount we will have to come up with. But he is a bright kid and his goal has always been the best school for the least cost, so we will hope for the best. </p>
<p>Hope everyone’s AP exams are going well. AP Chem done and he was happy with it. AP Lit today and AP Gov on Monday. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!</p>
<p>tx5athome, I’m glad that your son and his partner won their matches, it’s a pity that the team lost, though!
VBCMom, So sorry to hear about your D’s coach and the other losses that your family has faced recently.
blueshoe, Wow, what a tough draw for your D! Good luck at the regionals.
Welcome, our2girls!</p>
<p>Mommydearest: We are still working on my “Renaissance Man”'s plans. Most of the kids in our area apply to 4 or more University of California’s and a couple of Cal States. His brother is at UCLA and wants him to go there, admissions are unpredictable, so it is hard to say if he will get in, he liked the tour at UCSD, he will probably apply to Berkeley and UCSB as well. He has quite a few “lottery schools” on his list (Brown (spent a week last summer there), Yale (my dad is an alumni, but not a buy a building kind of alumni so I don’t think it is much help), Pomona, Claremont McKenna, etc… In addition he will probably apply to Cal Poly SLO (We need to visit, I took D1 and S2 and I LOVED it, but they were put off by the fact that you have to know what you want to major in and it is not easy to change majors). I am not sure what he wants to major in, sometimes he says he wants to go to law school. The good part about him is that he really is a happy guy and will probably be happy wherever he ends up.</p>
<p>Hi MommyDearest13: Pre-CD means Pre communication disorders major. Students can declare they want to be a communication disorders major, but can’t actually enter the program until junior year (applying as a second semester sophomore)</p>
<p>Now, I will admit that dd13 seems to have a good chance of being admitted, at least from my persepective, if she keeps the grades she curently gets in HS in college. But, I had no idea it was THAT competitive. I thought it was just for grad school</p>
<p>I’m glad we realized it now…it’s a big question we will ask on our college tours…how many kids declare as a “pre” major…how many are accepted…what is the criteria for admissions, etc.</p>
<p>@momma</p>
<p>I’d keep the 4 yr old, but farm out pre-teens.</p>
<p>I have found some private colleges whose NPC does make adjustments for younger kids in private school elementary/high school. Haverford was one that adjusted. Pomona did not. I don’t have the list in front of me, but another CA school did adjust (Redlands?)</p>
<p>I’d advise running the NPC for each college of interest.</p>
<p>just finished all the paperwork for the summer program - DS couldn’t figure out why he had to sign so many things, I told him America is the land of liability He also couldn’t figure out why he should write down three things his roommate should know about him - “why do i have to write this stuff down, he’ll get to know me when he meets me!” </p>
<p>longhaul, you gave me a nice smile to end the evening (time zone difference ) - especially after reading about VCBmom’s sad story - i’m really sorry your daughter has to go through that.</p>
<p>Finally faced reality and changed my notification to daily email update instead of weekly - i figure i can sneak peaks at work while you’re all sleeping ;-)</p>
<p>We can sell our kids? I knew I should have had more than two.</p>
<p>I’m sorry for all the sad news.</p>
<p>I’ve got nothing to report. Ds isn’t home from school yet so no idea how the Latin AP went. Anyone else’s kid taking that one?</p>
<p>Aloha, New to the forums. Loaghaul? I would really like to know if this is true and even better, which schools account for the costs in private schools for siblings. </p>
<p>Your quote (I can’t figure out how to quote message in reply, sorry): I have found some private colleges whose NPC does make adjustments for younger kids in private school elementary/high school. Haverford was one that adjusted. Pomona did not. I don’t have the list in front of me, but another CA school did adjust (Redlands?)</p>
<p>YDS: I WISH our HS offered Latin as a class! When asked, they said it was too hard to find a teacher, would probably only be a part time position, yada, yada, yada. I think they would be surprised how many kids would sign up for Latin classes.</p>
<p>Tx5athome- Poor S3! I’m sorry the head writers are promoting themselves to the exclusion of the other kids. That stinks. 
</p>
<p>YDS- You have a strategy?! :::jealous!::: Glad your S feels that he did well on the AP test. Best wishes to him for the next one!</p>
<p>SteveMA- My D has a blessedly similar “no homework” situation tonight. She has APUSH test tomorrow and she’s going to put in about an hour and call it a day. She’s going to go with me to her brother’s gymnastics class so she can ogle the teen boys on the Pommel Horse. Priorities! And LOL over the “new invention called an airplane!” Cracked me up!</p>
<p>DrMom- I’m surprised “everyone” has already asked teachers for Recs. In my D’s school, most of the parents and kids seem really slow to get started and I would be willing to bet that very few even ask before their Sr Year. I do need to have my D go ahead and ask next week though, and give them a “cheat sheet.”</p>
<p>RobD- Reading your post made this seem so real all of the sudden. I mean, I know it is… D has been working on essays in English class also for the Common App, we’ve talked about letters of recommendation etc but even so… OMG!! We are like three weeks until they are SENIORS! My mind is officially blown. I’m excited, scared, breathlessly nervous. Can’t imagine how I will feel around March of next year… or how she will feel either!</p>
<p>MomofBoston- My D is okay now but she had a meltdown that was a couple of days long last week. Your D will come through it (but will you? lol) and then she’ll know she can for the next time. Hugs to you though- it was very stressful around our house last week.</p>
<p>MDMom- Yay for Jr for his great score and getting to run too. Double bonus!!
Re: Baylor- don’t have any really current info on it but grew up in TX so know about it that way. Has a national rep, particularly in medicine. Lots of school spirit. Most kids are TX kids, I believe. Generous with merit money. Definitely a heavy Christian influence- dancing was banned until a few years back.</p>
<p>89Wahoo- My kids get out around the 8th of June b/c no snow. Otherwise, they have gone well into the middle of June. They have a long summer this year!</p>
<p>Longhaul- I am so sorry. My youngest (10yo) has ADHD and I am often that Mom who doesn’t know what is going on. Just as an example- on Monday he had to perform with his string bass at 6:45 PM in black pants and a white button down shirt. He remembered to tell me this at around 6PM. I was running around trying to find the pants, the white button down was in the dirty laundry heap with spaghetti sauce spilled on the bottom part of the shirt, etc etc. I was about to wring his little neck. So I feel ya, girlfriend. I also am tripping out that I can expect this will still be happening 9 years from now… Hugs! Have you been to Juniata? I have some pics from when we went if you want me to try to dig them up for you.</p>
<p>Welcome Wrldtravlr! >>>“he seems to have inherited from me the slow seepage of anything mathematical as soon as it is learned,”<<< This made me laugh aloud! What an apt description of it! Same happens to me! And 3 proms! Wow! Must be quite the dashing lad you have there! And :hahaha: over the Scream Face too! You crack me up!</p>
<p>Welcome Mommaof5!</p>
<p>Welcome also to Earthmother65- fun to read about Prom on your side of the pond! Small world, really. Ours is next weekend. It’s hard for me to imagine wine or beer at 16 because it’s so Verboten here but I wonder if kids there get more responsible about alcohol at an earlier age, since their exposure happens while they are still at home and under parental supervision. I lived in Italy 3 years as a tween and I remember that even very young children would be allowed sips of wine and such. </p>
<p>CBGMass- Aw, poor S! Hopefully he did better than he thinks. </p>
<p>Okay, I think I’ve finally caught up from last night. I was getting my CC in an emailed digest but I think the pace has picked up to the point where that’s not gonna work anymore! </p>
<p>Do you all have any plans for Mother’s Day? D13 and S(13yo) are singing in multiple church services on Sunday, so that will consume the morning hours. Not sure what else we might do besides that!</p>