Parents of the HS Class of 2013

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
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<p>S’13 is officially done with classes. Finals start tomorrow, but he is exempted from all but choir and theatre. Apparently, their theatre final involves their teacher cooking breakfast for them and then watching the seniors’ film finals. I think choir is sightreading. He still has to show up for the next 4 days and check in - then he can go home. </p>

<p>S’13 and I are headed to Chicago tomorrow for his first national voice competition (Classical Singer). It will be interesting to see how he does on a national stage! I’ve told him that even if he is eliminated in the first round, at least we’ll have more time for sight seeing. I lived in Chicago for 12 years, so it will be fun to see old friends and old stomping grounds.</p>

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<p>Nellieh: S has the book from St. Michael’s too- did she get " First they killed my father" story of a cambodian girl? I think that is the book they give. It is written by an alumnum of St. Michael. S got it yesterday.</p>

<p>Congrats for every ones ACT/SAT scores, and good luck for finals.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies about retaking the ACT. Deep down, I think I knew I should just let it go. Thanks for the opinions. </p>

<p>I loved the comment about ‘A’ students work for ‘B’ students! </p>

<p>I’ll probably will go back to lurking again until fall! Enjoy the summer!</p>

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<p>nellieh - congrats on the book award…these types of awards help in the admissions process.</p>

<p>D got a slight bump in her SAT scores - her scores are fine for her target list which has mostly matches and safeties…a couple of slight reaches but one she isn’t sure she even wants to apply to.</p>

<p>Parents, my kid really doesn’t have any reaches on her list. At her one “reach” she is exactly at the 50% percentile mark and they have a 30% acceptance rate. Her ECs are significant in what she wants to do and differentiate her…she has won numerous awards and has earned scholarships from these activities. Should I “make” her apply to a couple of reaches or should I let her stay in her comfort zone where she will be in the top 25% of accepted students (and possible with merit)?</p>

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<p>Momofboston - Is she hesitant to apply to a reach because her chances aren’t great or are there no reaches that really interest her? If it’s the former, I’d encourage her to go ahead and apply. Maybe wait until she already has a few early acceptances that she likes under her belt. My s will have more than a few reaches on his list, but looking at the application schedules, he should have many rolling and early applications in and hopefully a few acceptances before he pushes the button on a reach. He might decide he doesn’t even want to apply at that point.</p>

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<p>Walker: in DS’s paperwork for Boys State it said that participants who were also children, grandchildren or great grandchildren of war-time veterans could apply for a $20,000 Samsung scholarship. Right after that I called my mom to verify my grandpa was in WWII, he was Yippee! That’s the only one I am aware of.</p>

<p>OK, I feel like an idiot. I don’t know anything about SAT subject tests. In MI the ACT is the only test that is talked about. From what I’ve gathered reading other posts, some schools require them. Since DS is clueless about what school he wants to attend, I don’t know if this is something he needs. How do you know which subject test to take? If he has taken ACT (34) and SAT (2080) is he OK or do we need MORE tests? </p>

<p>Also, are your kids excited to go on college visits? DS doesn’t seem to be at all. Oh well, maybe when the stress of school is over he will be more in to it.</p>

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<p>To me, a school that takes fewer than 1 in 3 applicants and where you’re in the 50% range, stats wise, is a reach.</p>

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<p>momofboston: I’m of the mind that if they love their list & it consists of safeties & matches, it’s adding unnecessary drama to add a reach “just because.” Now if you’re not adding a reach because of being worried that you won’t get in, but the school would be a good fit then that’s another story.</p>

<p>ETA: mommaof5: there’s a handful of schools that require SAT II’s; most schools don’t, and some schools will take the ACT with writing in lieu of the SAT & SAT II’s. Here’s a list: <a href=“SAT Subject Test Requirements and Recommendations - Compass Education Group”>SAT Subject Test Requirements and Recommendations - Compass Education Group;

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<p>On SAT subject test, my daughter did very well on the SAT subject test she took in May. She told me she guessed well because she didn’t study for the test. Her APUSH teacher prepared her well. AP Physics is another story. But I’m not worried because I don’t think SAT subject test matters a lot in college admissions.
Regarding GPA and ranking, D2 received a ELC letter from her counselor. I believe this is for any California student who ranks in top 9% of his/her high school. In the past, this is guarantee to a UC but not sure what’s now for 2013.</p>

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<p>Good luck MegP. I am sure he will knock em dead. </p>

<p>Momofboston. In the end you can only attend one college. If she has schools she loves then I think you are okay. </p>

<p>We have opted out of SAT Subject Tests.</p>

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<p>mommaof5–You asked how you know which subject test to take. Look at the subject tests that are offered and compare them to the courses your child is taking. For example, my son took the US History subject test right after taking AP US History his sophomore year. You’ll find a lot more info in the SAT/ACT forum.</p>

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<p>Dr Google: they have changed the definition of ELC. This will be the 2nd year of 9%. Previously it was 4%. It means you are guaranteed a spot at a UC, just not necessarily the UC of your choice. S2 was ELC when it was top 4% and UCI, Davis, and UCSB all sent him letters guaranteeing admission if he applied. Which was really nice. I am bummed that they expanded the definition.</p>

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<p>tx, thanks for the info. D1 was not ELC so I don’t have a clue what to expect, but she did get into UCI and UCSB honors program with money.</p>

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<p>Well, S surprised me this morning by coming downstairs and announcing his scores on Physics and US History SAT IIs. I was so not expecting him to remember that I thought he was telling me in what time range he had to leave (720 and 750). I am happy though I see the percentiles are just okay (and a quick glance at the SAT boards tells me these are just okay for CC, but I have gotten a thicker skin about that). Someone here once said that colleges don’t look at the percentiles for SAT IIs bc they know it is a self-selected group taking the tests. Have others here found that to be the case? Or do you need to basically score 800 to be noticed?</p>

<p>Now we just have the regular SAT next week. I hope he is done after that. So glad I didn’t have to do any hacking…</p>

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<p>Wow. I don’t check in for a day and there are 6 new pages of posts. Well done, but too much ground to cover to keep it all straight. Congrats on the good scores, awards, etc.</p>

<p>Top GPA and top scores seem to go together here. I only know the SATs of a few kids, but they are top GPAs and they are very good scores.</p>

<p>GL to your son megpmom. He’ll do great.</p>

<p>Congrats on the book awards nellieh and donivrian. Thanks to you all here on CC, I knew what a book award was before the award ceremeony at S’13s HS this morning. I’m still not clear how decisions are made, but at least I know what they are. Eight schools presented book awards this morning (Columbia, Dartmouth, Princeton, Sewanee, Smith, University of Chicago, University of Virginia and Wellesley). S’13 received the book award from the University of Chicago. The book was “The Social Animal” by David Brooks (a U of C alum). The award also came with an admission fee waiver - a nice touch and very welcome since it is a school S’13 is very interested in.</p>

<p>MTOBEIYF!</p>

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<p>Been reading the posts but just too much to keep straight for comments. Congrats to all the test takers whether you’re happy with the scores or just glad it’s over, at least for a couple weeks.</p>

<p>Our school ranks based on weighted GPA but I don’t think D knows for sure who are the 2 ahead of her. No point in even worrying about it but they do compare notes on how many weighted classes they’ve taken and it gets competitive. The school district weights by adding .025 to cumulative GPA for every semester of honors/AP. At least that way, unweighted classes don’t dilute the weighted GPA so kids aren’t penalized for taking classes in the performing/fine arts.</p>

<p>D took SAT subject tests after sophomore year because it was the right time for the classes she was taking and we just didn’t know what she would eventually need. Since she has been interested in cs for a long time, she did MathII and Physics. Turns out I don’t think she will need them for admissions but they are strongly recommended for at least one honors college she’s interested in.</p>

<p>Tomorrow is the last real day of classes (half day next Tuesday for snow make-up but hardly anyone will go.) This weekend, we are planning a nice birthday (S and I) and end of year dinner at a fondue place. Told DS15 he needs to wear a collared shirt (gasp!). I don’t think either DS or DD have realized that this dinner means sitting with DH and I for probably a couple hours! No quick escape from the dinner table and no texting… :)</p>

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<p>Wow again! It took me over an hour today (and hour I didn’t technically have… :)) to go back a few days and do some catching up, and now there are 3 or 4 more pages since this afternoon! Busy time! </p>

<p>Thanks for SAT superscore info! I will prob check the SAT/ACT thread and get massively overwhelmed over there! In April I made the mistake of looking at lots of schools’ RD threads and the stats of kids that did/didn’t get in. Wow. CC is so competitive!!! I remember checking the 2011 AP Chem thread where kids posted their results, and something like 65% got 5’s. Hmmmmm… in “real life”, only 17% of students taking the 2011 test got 5’s! I sense a major skew here on CC! :smiley: </p>

<p>Forgot to mention our school’s rank thing. We don’t do it either (although by the end of Sr year somehow the V and S are notified) My son tries to guess his rank just from talking to kids and seeing who is in his classes and who ends up on the Principal’s Honor Roll most marking periods. What we really dislike is that AP classes are weighted exactly the same as Honors classes, and so sometimes that comes into play when making choices. Also, back in Sophomore year, my S’13 chose to not take APUSH for fear of a particular teacher and also that he just doesn’t love history. As it is, she now teaches regular history, and he has her now!! In his opinion, she is the absolute worst teacher he has ever had. (He compared his driving examiner to her, which helped him deal with failing the driver’s test last week… always good to deal with failure by blaming someone else, right? :wink: ) And our school does not offer Honors history, so he has been stuck in College Prep level for 2 years, and with this teacher, is getting about a 93. Not great for his GPA. Anyone know if AP ARt History counts as Art or History? </p>

<p>And lastly, he only has 3 years of math because he finished B/C Calc this year. Only other math option for him next year would be AP Stats, which he has no interest in. Do I need to call admissions of every school we are interested in to see if he needs that 4th year of math? Would it be worth taking something like Differential Equations or Linear Algebra at the community college? Would CC (NOT College Confidential! :)) credit even count at top schools? Or should we try one of those classes at our state school? (Rutgers) Very torn between what he would like to do and what would “look good”. Would not taking Math senior year look like he’s slacking off, even if he’s taking like 5 other AP classes? Any opinions on the value of AP envir science? Not sure why he’s taking it, and I think Stats should replace it. Or maybe Econ… Opinions?</p>

<p>And as to concussions, last summer my nephew was at our high school seeing off my son S’14 for his German Exchange trip, and we were playing around the deserted hallways with my 2 Golden Retrievers. One was running down the hall and on the slippery floor couldn’t stop. She ran into my nephew and it was sort of sickening as he fell backward and his head thudded against that hard, tile floor. He couldn’t see straight for a while and had great difficulty remembering what had happened, where he was, etc. His concussion kept him from enjoying his normal activities at the shore for the next month of his summer. I felt so bad about that… Another friend had a daughter who had gotten a concussion playing soccer and was not supposed to be taking gym. Gym teacher somehow ignored that and had her on the balance beam. She fell and it all started over again. As of last January, I believe she was still in PT and had trouble finding certain words she wanted to say. Also blacked out on a roller coaster at Great Adventure… concussions are scary things… No more soccer for this girl, but they are thinking track. </p>

<p>Awards: our school’s academic achievement awards are on the 31st, the same day S’13 re-takes the drivers test. He has won something, but they won’t tell us what it is. We just go and find out. Hopefully Math! S’14 skipped German 4 and is in German 5 as a Sophomore with a 100 average, and I don’t think he’s getting an award… :frowning: There is only one other sophomore in German 5 (OK, 2 others, but one of them moved here from Austria a year ago, so that doesn’t seem fair, does it? ;)) Anyway, I’m hoping the 31st is a happy day for us! </p>

<p>Lastly (did I say that already?) S13’ has a Bio project due at 12:00 AM, which is in 5 minutes. One of the lab partners is supposed to e-mail it… fingers crossed…Nothing like waiting til the last minute - literally! :D</p>

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<p>momofboston-I don’t see a reason to apply to a reach but I agree with the others, a 30% acceptance rate is a reach-even if she is target academically. I think there is a point where there aren’t any academic reach schools for some kids, a lot of kids, but the reach part comes in the acceptance rate. DD doesn’t have any reach schools on her list and probably won’t. DS has one but isn’t really counting on getting in because of their low acceptance rate–but he is still going to try. Our focus is looking for places where they can get the best merit aid and still have good programs.</p>

<p>2 1/2 hour band concert last night, and that was just the top 4 bands, the other 4 bands played before our session, for 2 hours. They also do band awards-recognizing the solo contest winners, all-state band, etc. It’s a good thing the bands are good :D.</p>

<p>Busy week for sports ahead, section playoffs to determine who goes to the state tournament. </p>

<p>We still have 2 weeks left of school though. The kids have pretty much checked out though.</p>

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<p>Good morning all!</p>

<p>I can’t keep up either! Forgive me for not replying to everyone, but it sounds like we’ve had some great scores and awards. Congrats to the kids who are now rising seniors!</p>

<p>Re the SAT2 scores, I wouldn’t worry too much about percentiles, unless you are looking to ivys or mit. But even then, scores over 700 are definitely in the range. </p>

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<p>I agree with that, especially if you are a female applying to an LAC or a male applying to a STEM school.</p>

<p>DD has 3 schools on her list that I consider reaches, and only one of those is one where she isn’t in the 50% range. Of course, if we didn’t need some aid $, the list might have a few more reaches…</p>

<p>DD is feeling much better - really bored because she sat around all day yesterday! She has today off from school and I told her she could go to practice (but not do anything) and then out with friends. I think we may have dodged a bullet, but I also know that symptoms in girls can worsen a few days later, so I still need to be cautious. We have a friend who suffered with second-impact syndrome for a year, because her concussion wasn’t diagnosed and she didn’t show symptoms right away.</p>

<p>I hope everyone has a great day getting ready for the weekend. My office is closing early today, woo hoo!</p>

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<p>Morning…
Is there a specific site that lists the 50% act/sat ranges…or should I go to each College site? Her GC isn’t the best for this advise…
I’ve been looking at College Navigator and they list 25 and 75%
I’m not good at the math part :)</p>

<p>Congradts on All the Awards…they Deserve it!!!
D’s school doesn’t do awards either… :(</p>