<p>My daughter and I are hopping on Amtrak in the morning, heading to Boston to take a tour of Harvard… sit in on a group admission session and then to sit in on a lecture… We can’t wait!!! I think she is equally as happy because she had spring late last week and this will extend her vacation by one day… </p>
<p>APOLLO6 I am familiar with TASS… it sounds like a great program… but I will not encourage her to apply… TASP is where she belongs but I heard that the application process is quite tough and very few make it through the gauntlet… I just can’t see her applying to a program just because she is black! </p>
<p>I also took the time to call the summer program that Startalk offers on the campus of a university in Hawaii… I spoke to the admissions director and that program sounds wonderfull. It wan’t completely free but not as expensive as many of the summer programs that are out there. She also mentioned a Chinese program that is offered @ a university in China… </p>
<p>What do you folks think of YFU or SYA? I have been in touch with both programs and they sound wonderful… she definitely wants to study abroad… that is her goal for next summer, but only if she gets scholarships…</p>
<p>Hi! I just discovered this thread. We have a son who loves music and loves to learn. Our school does not offer AP’s before junior year, but he is planning to take a math course over the summer. He had asked last year to double up in math, but we didn’t act on it. So…he has been complaining of being bored. I was surprised when he jumped at the idea of a summer math course. He also plans to attend a piano camp for contemporary musicians. I am biting my nails over that because the school seems to be fairly laissez faire about the dorm.</p>
<p>I know there are a lot of parents here who have been through the process before (waiving at my friends from the 2011/2015 forum!! ). For those of you that are trudging through this for the first time don’t get too concerned if your school doesn’t offer APs until the Jr year, only offers 5 APs, etc. Colleges want your students to take the most rigorous schedule that is available to them (or is reasonable for them to succeed). Students rarely have a choice in the high school they attend. Certainly seek out enrichment opportunities in areas they are interested in, foster their passions, and don’t freak out if they don’t seem to have a passion! Summer programs are amazing…so are summer jobs. Your student isn’t going to miss out on a wonderful college opportunity because of what they chose to do during their summer break…they may if they chose to do nothing.</p>
<p>I guess what I’m getting at is during the beginning of the search it’s very easy to become overwhelmed and feel that your student needs 25 AP classes, research, and published work. Your student will be judged based on the opportunities that were available to them. There is no ‘right’ EC, only the one that really interests your student.</p>
<p>Lastly, I’d like to echo seattle_mom in saying that I’m in the camp that high school should not be a four year audition for university. It should be a time for them to learn to succeed, love, forgive, and fail, all knowing the world keeps turning and their family is right there.</p>
<p>Let me start out by saying that Harvard was wonderful! If you guys get a chance to do a information session @ the admissions office, DO IT!! Harvard is a beautiful place, which I am that most of you know that already… we also got to sit in on a lecture… what a great day! </p>
<p>I must say to seattle_mom and blueiguana… that I am sure that your “lives” afford you the luxury of allowing your children to meander through this phase at a gentle pace! Which is absolutely wonderful. I wish my daughter had that same luxury… but you must understand that not everyone comes from where you come or looks like you. Not everyone shares your experience… and to assume otherwise is a little insulting… but no offense taken! </p>
<p>Our neighborhoods in our city are wrought with horrific gunviolence(when was the last time an 11yo girl was gunned down in your neighborhood?), gangs are sprouting up in every corner of our city, many of her 2014 classmates are impregnated and will be mothers before they reach their sophomore years…drug dealers and prostitutes crowd many of our corners where my daughter has to pass by to go to school… should I continue? How about the stress of her not seeing her father/my ex husband, who works less than a block away from our home? Or the stress of empty crack baggies that dot our streets? So stress my friend is all relative. </p>
<p>So if I don’t push her to maintain and rise above her own high standards, who will? I push her so that she wont be a statistic! Statistically, she has a greater chance of teen pregnancy than making it into Princeton… </p>
<p>So all the “stresses” that I place on my daugher are NOTHING compared to what she will face if she doesn’t take this time seriously!!! So yes, this is an audition, a punctilious, diligent time! This will determine a HUGE part of her life from the time she is 18 until she dies(I hope at a ripe old age)… I would much rather her have a life filled with oppurtunities and comfort versus welfare and mediocrity! </p>
<p>One of my many questions that I pose to my teens is… "After you graduate from highschool, you have potentially 70-80 years to live… how do you want those years to be? Filled with struggle? or endless possibilities? </p>
<p>Education is her way out to a better life… and I will NOT allow her to take her eyes off the prize… and no, this is not about a “fat envelope” Seattle_mom…this is about so many other things…</p>
<p>@ NewHavenCtmom - Please understand that you know nothing about me, my child, my skin color, what luxuries life has or has not afforded us. I assumed nothing. I offered insight to a group of parents. My students will bury two of their classmates this week. Your assumptions are a little insulting…</p>
<p>Cayuga, my '14 is a percussionist and plays piano in the jazz band. I don’t think, however, she’s interested in seriously pursuing music beyond high school. My '11 is a vocalist. She was offered talent money at all colleges she applied to. It’s a very different process than the one for academic scholarships. My advice for anybody who wants to keepd singing or playing would be private lessons (ok, for vocalists, you really have to wait for the voice to mature or you’re just throwing money away) Vocalists, though, can start with piano lessons. Really teaches the kids to understand music theory.</p>
<p>I enjoy watching my son pursue his interests. I have no idea if he will pursue music or something else. He is evolving and it is fun to watch. What is your 2011 vocalist S/D doing? What is your 2014 D interested in?</p>
Sorry you took offense. You know nothing about me or my kids or our skin color, and I neither said nor implied anything about skin color or economic status.</p>
<p>Cayuga, the '11 vocalist will be attending school at my employer next year. She’ll be in a couple of ensembles. D2 is interested in everything! This year, she participated in 3 sports, 2 of them on varsity, drumline, jazz band, pit orchestra for musical, club fencing, volunteer work at church, and she’s got a part-time job. Next year she’s cutting back. In school, she’s interested in math. And just math. Hates English.</p>
<p>Let me start by apologizing! It was not my goal to be insensitive or rude… but I was, and I am sorry…</p>
<p>My daughter really hasn’t had much interest in music in recent years… she did sing for a prestigious girls choir here in New Haven many years ago… but she decided to end her membership with them when she was 11yo so she could play basketball for her school.</p>
<p>She is toying with the idea of learning an instrument in the fall at a local music school… but her dilemma is which instrument to play. So many to choose from …her GC has told her that learning an instrument is something she should consider because AC’s are looking for the artsy/creative side of their students… </p>
<p>And someone mentioned doubling up on math. Unfortunately, she will have to double up next year because she only took Algebra 1 this year(even though she took it in 8th grade)… so if she wants to take pre-cal in her senior year, then she will have to do the extra work next year! Which I am annoyed about… she is ok with it… she feels that she will do fine with her Hon Latin2 , Hon Spanish2, Hon Biology, Hon US history,Hon Eng2, APpsych. There is one more class that she will take… but I can’t remember off hand.</p>
<p>Here something very interesting I learned yesterday @ Harvards information session w/ the admission counselor… if you take the SAT 3 times… they will take the highest score from each category from each test! Did anyone else know that tidbit? When will your kids start taking the SAT?</p>
<p>ordinarylives–I don’t know how your D2 has time for all that! Oh to be young again… And a girl who loves math! My oldest was that way too—she still loves math, & hates having to write. Do you think your oldest will always have music in her life? My oldest studies chemistry, but is still very involved in music. When she comes home (which is not often :(, she is frequently singing around the house. I miss it when she is away at school.</p>
<p>NewHavenCTMom–What does your daughter enjoy? Both my kids are musical, as is their Dad…but I have a tin ear. Does your daughter like to learn? What does she like to do for fun?</p>
<p>I am not familiar with Harvard’s policy, however many universities use what is known as ‘score choice’ where you choose the highest score from each test M/CR/W to create a ‘super score’. I am not aware that it has to be more than two tests. Some schools want the highest score in a single sitting, and still others want all tests taken (which seems to discourage a large number of sittings, ie ‘professional testers’). To further confuse matters some schools use a different matrix for merit aid, perhaps a combined M/CR from a single sitting even if they allow score choice/super score in their general admissions.</p>
<p>*A personal thought about the ‘four free score reports’ mentioned…never send scores blindly to a school unless you are going to be up against a reporting deadline. If your child has a bad day and chokes, those scores are out there and there’s no taking them back. You can send subsequent tests that show massive improvement and the colleges may say they only look at the highest score, but if you have the chance to see the score first and not send a ‘whoops’ it’s worth the $ you spend to send the scores yourself if at all possible.</p>
<p>I will say one thing I think some people don’t realize early on with their first children is the correlation between an AP class and the SAT subject test. Many don’t test for the SAT until spring of their Jr year. Subject tests are often an afterthought waiting until Sr. year. If they take an AP in the sophomore year the prep for the AP test that May is optimal for helping with the SAT2/subject test in the same subject and it makes since to take it while the information is fresh…say May or June. AP Chem is notorious for this. Best to test right after the class.</p>
<p>Depending on your school your student may register for the SAT Question of the Day through guidance. If not you can do it here. </p>
<p>It’s an easy online question that gets emailed to your student (or you). In my mind it is more about getting them used to the actual language that is used as opposed to the material. They often know the information, they just have to figure out what they are being asked.</p>
<p>For any of the above that is redundant, please forgive me. I honestly forget when I learned about what with each of my older kids.</p>
<p>NOTE: Crossed posts with Cayuga & seattle-mom… I’m a blasted slow writer!!</p>
<p>My daughter loves to learn… and takes her school work very seriously… She has a voracious appetite for reading and is constantly downloading books to her NOOK which is becoming quite expensive! Spending money on books is alot easier when its done from the living room couch versus going to the library/or on a monthly B&N run!!</p>
<p>It has been a pleasure to meet all of you here as well! I have never been a facebooker or myspace person… and I was apprehensive initally to join/post…the internet lends itself to the whole TMI factor and I was afraid of revealing too much of myself in a forum such as this… but I must say that I am happy that I joined. I have learned alot here in such a short time… Thank you!</p>
<p>She spends lots of time with her EC’s as I want to make sure she is kept busy(you know the saying, the whold idle hands/devils workshop thing)… so many of her friends/classmates are on the extreme opposite of that EC spectrum(they spend way too much time goofing off) and she thinks that she is doing too much… but her hanging out with friends at the mall or aimlessly wandering about in our town is not an option for her…there is absolutely NOTHING for teens to do here and if they did, mayhem would probably ensue and authorities would be forced to shut it down. So her friends call me strict/old fashioned… she has tried to make friends with kids who are on the same page as her academically but they tend to stick together culturally/religiously and don’t open up to her/ unreceptive to her efforts… so she is kind of stuck with the friends who are on the fence academically and have parents who have abdicated their parenting roles…</p>
<p>Any suggestions on how she can foster relationships with the more astute students? How she can break down those walls? </p>
<p>She has always hated math, but has worked hard in the subject and has done very well… she loves to write and sometimes I wonder “who is this child?” when I read her essays…her writings have always been very introspective, insightful and mature…</p>
<p>I just randomly threw that number “3” out… and thanks for the info about sending out scores! That makes total sense… also, thanks for the info on sitting for the SAT2 tests. My dtr was wondering when its best to take them… I just assumed that one would sit for them in their senior year…as you probably know, most of these colleges are asking for 2 SATII tests… when asked which one’s they are looking for @ Harvard, the answer is "any 2 that the student chooses… but only 1 in math… I guess its best to find out which schools have mandatory(specific) tests that they expect the students to take as not to overtest oneself! </p>
<p>Any thoughts on the PLAN test that is the “kid brother” of the ACT? Dtrs school doesnt offer it but I asked them if they could get it in and have her take the test in the fall…</p>
<p>NewHavenCTmom: Be glad that your daughter loves to read and write. My son is not a huge reader and getting him to write, well, it’s not the easiest thing to do. He, like my husband and oldest son, are definitely math people.</p>
<p>As for the SAT, my sons took it in middle school as part of the Johns Hopkins program. My oldest took the SAT as a freshman, because it was the first year that it was offered in its current format. He also took it as a sophomore and junior. He also took his SAT IIs in his sophomore and junior years. His kid brother, my 2014 grad, will take the SAT in May.</p>
). For those of you that are trudging through this for the first time don’t get too concerned if your school doesn’t offer APs until the Jr year, only offers 5 APs, etc. Colleges want your students to take the most rigorous schedule that is available to them (or is reasonable for them to succeed). Students rarely have a choice in the high school they attend. Certainly seek out enrichment opportunities in areas they are interested in, foster their passions, and don’t freak out if they don’t seem to have a passion! Summer programs are amazing…so are summer jobs. Your student isn’t going to miss out on a wonderful college opportunity because of what they chose to do during their summer break…they may if they chose to do nothing.</p>