<p>RobD: Governor’s Scholarship Program. Most states have some version of this to try and keep highly academically qualified students from going to schools out of state. We also have Governor’s Scholarship for the Arts which is the same deal.</p>
<p>Longhaul, glad to hear you and yours were safe. I couldn’t believe the images I was seeing today. So sad about the firefighter. I’ve always been so admiring of volunteer firefighters. That’s a heck of a job for pay, let alone volunteering. </p>
<p>I feel so bad. I learned that a very important VIP is speaking to the seniors at my son’s school. Last year’s seniors also had a visit from a celebrity philanthropist. The class before that met with a famous academic. I found myself wondering (more like doubting) if my son’s class will have any special visitors next year. That little taste of haterade was very unwelcomed and surprising.</p>
<p>Oh, OK. TN has Governor’s Schools. Neither of mine will have done one, but I don’t think that TN has the same type of tuition benefit for participants. The actual Governor’s school is free, and the students receive 6 credit hours, but that’s where it ends.</p>
<p>Obviously PA doesn’t really care about keeping its talent in-state. I’m guessing since we have so many schools here, unless you just absolutely wanted to leave the state, you can find a workable option. The only real incentive to stay is to make use of the state grant. But going by the npc, I haven’t been finding in-state privates to be any more affordable than oos ones.</p>
<p>Omg…my son lost a bet with a teammate and had to shave his mustache and goatie off. I think my son has had a mustache since he was 8. Lol. He looks so different! He can’t decide which look he likes better. I think I like him hairless. He looks more like my baby :)</p>
<p>just got the best news!</p>
<p>DD13a GOT AN A IN AP CALC AB/BC!!! So excited for her! She had to climb out of a hole from the beginning of the year (took Algebra II online - big mistake! Had to learn some background stuff to catch up). Was down to an 81 in the class in October. We all know how hard it is to improve your grade in those classes, I think. Very proud of her! Now hoping for that 5 in the mailbox in July!</p>
<p>That’s awesome! It takes a lot for females to get noticed in the college admission game; high scores in mathematics will definitely do that! Congratulations to your daughter!</p>
<p>TXathome re: grad school. Can you explain this better, please? So EFC for grad school was zero, but there is not a lot of grant money to go around either? So am I reading it correctly, then, that grad school is essentially full cost for most kids? And does it cost as much, generally, as undergrad?</p>
<p>PhD programs (good ones anyway) are fully funded.</p>
<p>Masters programs are a mixed bag since they tend to be professional and termial degrees. Some do have TA/GA positions available that provide a small stipend and often pay for tuition. Many do not.</p>
<p>For example, the MBA program at my school provides TA and GA positions for about 75% of the full- time MBA students. They are paid a stipend and some have full tuition paid while others have about half of the tuition paid.</p>
<p>I was fully funded for my MPA through a GA in student affairs.</p>
<p>Grad school tuition is often more expensive than undergraduate especially for professional programs.</p>
<p>The better the school, the more need/merit funding available for grad programs.</p>
<p>Vandygrad: D1 has not gotten her financial aid offer for the school year yet, so I will know more then, BUT, from what I am learning, they are considered independent once they have their bachelors, but there are not a lot of grants, etc… and the student loans are at a higher interest rate. Her program is at UC Irvine. For the UC’s most “regular” graduate schools are approximately the same price as regular UC tuition (about 12-15K/year). So if you are getting your masters/PHD in math, education, chemistry, english, etc… it will be about the same as undergrad. BUT, for professions where you are likely to make money (MBA, Pharmacy School, Law School, Med School, etc…) there is an added “professional degree supplementary tuition” which pretty much doubles the tuition (an additional 15K). Financial aid is mostly in the form of fellowships, TAing, etc…</p>
<p>So glad to hear so many did well on AP Lang. </p>
<p>Ama- NYS schools are still such a bargain compared to other state schools. It is crazy saying that about 22,000 isn’t it?</p>
<p>Mommie- I love your practical son! </p>
<p>Reeeinaz- I love how relaxed you are about past due assignments. We have not gotten any application fee waivers. Bad sign?</p>
<p>MegP- your S is certainly swinging for the fences with Juliard. Best of luck. He must be an amazing talent. </p>
<p>Longhaul- what a scary situation with the explosion. </p>
<p>RobD- I know what you mean about getting on the same page with finances. I am trying to educate my H and keep his ticker ticking. He is unbelieveably frugal and despite my educating him, I believe he thinks college will be about 5 grand a year. </p>
<p>Congrats Laurendog on being the first out for the summer. </p>
<p>We have no governors schools in NY that I know of. My area of NY could certainly use all the help it can get to stem the brain drain. </p>
<p>Walker great news on the calculus grade.</p>
<p>Reeinz: My DS also got an email from one of his top picks stating that they had a preferred app for him as well. It said something about having followed his school career…stalking me thinks 
LOL He will be applying there in September.</p>
<p>When DS graduates next year I will be given 3 preferred seating tickets. Anyone else can come but they don’t get to sit in the preferred seats.</p>
<p>School historian is responsible for taking pictures of all school events, keeping record of students in attendence at school events, etc. He hasn’t heard if he has been picked…but they want to know what other commitmments he will have next year. He told them tennis, Snowboarding club, church…I asked if he told them he may have a job…his response “I haven’t cuz I dont know if I want to work”! My response: “Get a job! I’m not made of money!”</p>
<p>Longhaul- Chemical explosion- WHUT?! Where? How did this happen and why? That is so scary!</p>
<p>Longs- I also feel badly for kids who haven’t had the finances explained. I’ve had the talk over and over and over. My Dh and I did the Dave Ramsey thing five years ago and at that time and ever since have talked about money to our kids and our no-debt policy etc etc etc. In fact, my D wanted to take a creative writing class as a Sophomore and I made it contingent on her attending Financial Peace University. I want my kids to not make the mistakes I made. Definitely made an impact … S 13yo wants to be a financial planner or something like that.</p>
<p>Speaking of applying to Harvard just to see- D want to apply to Vanderbilt for the same reason. We have told her unequivocally that she is NOT GOING. If she wants to apply for a challenge- fine. But nope, not happening.</p>
<p>Walker1194, congratulations on your D’s calculus mark!</p>
<p>Nellieh - This isn’t relaxed. It’s cake and tequila 
And I wouldn’t worry at all about not getting any of the VIP emails yet. The ones that he’s getting are from not very selective schools that already had him on their mailing list from early in his junior year when I first started researching schools. They’re all rolling admissions schools too. So I can see how it benefits them to get an early start on evaluating the applications.</p>
<p>Walker - wow! An A! That’s awesome. Historically, have the AP scores matched the grades in that class?</p>
<p>Terinzak - I have no idea how my son’s school does graduation. It’s a small school so it will be interesting to see how many tix are allocated. Next year’s district schedule is finally out. The last day of school is 6/21 so I’m guessing graduation will be around the 18th or 19th.</p>
<p>Longhaul, so sorry to hear about that!</p>
<p>Walker, wonderful news about the calculus!</p>
<p>Re the VIP/preferred apps - DD hasn’t received anything. I’m annoyed actually, because the collegeboard had the wrong info for DD - they had the wrong high school listed, and her current school is much stronger than the one they had listed. They also didn’t have an email address. I’m pretty sure that’s why she hasn’t seen that much in the way of unsolicited mail, and no unsolicited emails. </p>
<p>I tried again to see if DD would go to a summer writing class at one of the colleges on the list. She would have none of it! I really think it would help her, but oh well… on to the next adventure.</p>
<p>DD is trying to decide if she’s going to ask a certain teacher for a LOR. It’s a class where she hasn’t always done her best, but she is doing well now. She’s something of a smart-alec with him though, and challenges the teacher quite a bit. She actually asked him today if he thought she interesting or a PITA (not during class.) He told her that she always shows lots of curiosity about the world around her, and said “interesting.” He could give her a great recommendation because she’s very involved and takes the lead in his class quite a bit. Or he really could think she’s a PITA!
thoughts?
I told her to ask the GC (she’s very close to her and she could probably get a good sense.)</p>
<p>We are also trying to avoid any college debt. DS kept the Zell Miller scholarship.Full tuition in Georgia for
3.7 & 1200 minimum SAT M&V. Other scholarships paid the rest of first year. I am interested to see how my DD fares. She hasVIP invites from colleges we have never heard of. She is singing for Kiwanis tomorrow & Early morning TV News Friday (4 am!) . We are glad AP tests over.
…</p>
<p>S has received 3 provisional acceptances from Clemson. Not sure why they have sent three but we started getting them after he took the ACT. </p>
<p>Not sure if this pertains to any of you but S’s school is a Title IX school so several of the schools waive application fee for students who attend one of these schools. I remember seeing a list some time ago and I remember Amherst being on the list but can’t remember other schools. I have a feeling these application fees will get pretty expensive especially if we don’t do early decision AND get accepted ED.</p>
<p>Wow, there is a lot to catch up on when I check in at night these days! Vandygrad, way back (this morning perhaps), you mentioned guilt and I just wanted to tell you that I feel exactly the same way–my parents paid for a private school for me (though I did get some aid and workstudy, it still cost more than the state school they wanted me to go to) and I feel rotten guilt about it today because I also don’t think I fully appreciated it. I appreciate it now, of course–and the irony is that now they are the ones telling me to push DS toward an Ivy (which, BTW, is beyond unrealistic) and I’m talking about state schools. Ah well. I still feel guilty. </p>
<p>School ends here June 22, but really the last day of classes is June 9 and then finals begin–so the frenzy will settle down in just a few weeks. I definitely want DS to get some rest but am facing his summer with a bit of trepidation…how much can I nag him, how much should I nag him, and what should I realistically expect…? </p>
<p>Annoying mail keeps trickling in. I feel like Al Pacino in that last Godfather movie. Just when I get used to the idea of a solid, financially and academically safe school, some seductive mail comes and sucks me back in.</p>
<p>CBG: when I started plugging numbers in the application spreadsheet last week, application fees came to $650. That was without sending test scores. Of course that was including the 9 schools on her list plus the 5 that I’d like her to consider. Realistically 2 on her list will come off in the next few weeks & only 2-3 of mine will go on. So “only” about $450. Plus test scores. ETA: 1 did just come off…and I was asked if Kenyon was on “my” list which it wasn’t but now it is. </p>
<p>Although I did just realize this…D is taking 2 SAT II’s on 6/2. Those will be one & done no matter what. I just looked at the College Board site & if she has those sent to the 4 “free” schools, her SAT scores go as well. 4 schools on the current list want SAT II’s, so she’ll have those sent to them and those scores will be taken care of. ETA: I just added the 4 schools to her registration. Gulp. </p>
<p>Also just realized that her school administered ACT isn’t showing up on her ACT account. Because she didn’t give her SS# and now there’s 2 different ACT ID #'s. Guess that’ll have to be dealt with this week…</p>