<p>K2s GC read the essay and told K2 it needed a complete rewrite–or to choose a different prompt. Despite K2s attempt to tell a story about a lesson learned, the GC felt the essay didn’t tell something that made K2 unique.
K2 is sooooo not happy to start over–has dragged feet for 2 weeks…and is sure not happy to be tackling this over the long weekend. However I am hoping sor a minor miracle and some inspiration.</p>
<p>The essays/ personal statements are stressing me out. So much seems to ride on them. How important are they in the “package?”</p>
<p>Question- I understand that colleges reevaluate transcripts based on core academics only-removing all electives such as PE or art classes etc to determine a student’s true gpa.That being true what gpa should a student consider when applying to schools. The transcript gpa or the core academic gpa?</p>
<p>Lots and lots of schools just take the unweighted GPA the high school sends. Some recalculate according to their own system. I think the process is complicated enough as it is. Consider your GPA to be the one on your hs transcript; otherwise, you’ll be recalculating that thing according to a number of different schools’ criteria. Just. Don’t. Go. There.</p>
<p>D’s personal statement was (is) about her thrift store wardrobe. How important? Well I guess if a school takes itself really seriously, she won’t get in.</p>
<p>I’m speaking of highly selective colleges. I’ve heard that it’s routine to discard anything that pads the GPA and that only AP classes are weighted.</p>
<p>Stressedmum: Every school is different regarding GPA. My friend, who is a HS guidance counselor, said some schools just take what is on the transcript and go with that. Some schools do refigure the GPA, leaving out any P.E., art, band/music or vocational/business classes. That could be a huge disservice to the kid who wants to major in music or business, but it’s their school, their rules. My son needed a break class with three APs each semester last year. So that business class or life fitness class was perfect, and he never worried about his GPA. He took things he loved. The business class taught him resume writing, interviewing and what majors he should consider in college. The fitness class taught him weight training and good eating habits. He even reads labels when he goes shopping with me. </p>
<p>Speaking of Son '14, he had a good day at his first cross country invitational. Finished 14th and earned a medal. That said, he thought he would have done a bit better if the bus had arrived earlier at the meet and he could have had a proper warm up. Apparently he had just five or so minutes to warm up before the race started. Oh well. There are two meets coming up this week, so he will be better prepared.</p>
<p>Momreads: Congrats on the successful opening day of XC!</p>
<p>fogfog – that’s awful for your kiddo! So what prompt is supposed to inspire an essay that makes him unique? Why does everyone have to be unique or have their uniqueness come through in 4-500 words? This whole process is such a meat grinder and our kids are the sausage.</p>
<p>On a brighter note, I got a very official notice from the school in the mail on Saturday and my heart dropped. It’s usually not good news. S’14 is a good kid, but he doesn’t tell me everything.</p>
<p>But guess what? It was just to tell me a Level III sex offender had moved in nearby! Phew! I bet you can feel my relief.</p>
<p>This is going to be a long Fall/Winter. I can feel it.</p>
<p>Haha. I’d agree. The essay prompt that yielded NO ideas for d was about how she’d contribute to diversity on campus. She’s a racial minority, but couldn’t parlay that into 500 words without of blowing a whole lot of smoke. Mom wants to know what happens to kids who don,t contribute to diversity on campus. Says to me the school doesn’t understand diversity. We’re all different. We’re not all diverse.</p>
<p>Dropped S off for his sophomore year this weekend. Compared to last years spectacle of me crying, this was way better. Just some extra tight hugs and a few tears from me. </p>
<p>I’m checking to see the transcripts have been received. They were all sent electronically and only one is showing as received. Would you all hazard a guess that the rest of them just didn’t update yet?</p>
<p>As far as gpa - don’t stress over it. If your child is applying to a top notch school they’ve probably challenged themselves academically and have strong grades. I can’t remember the name of the book, but it’s an adcom’s year in the life. I don’t think a .1 here or there will really be the thing that keeps someone in or out. Most highly selective schools -and I’ll qualify that as top 50, probably use holistic admissions and are weighting all kinds of things beyond just stats.</p>
<p>ordinary - I have the quintessential middle class d - suburban, blonde hair, blue eyes, and in garden variety sports and activities. Her diversity essay was certainly more of a stretch, but we interpreted it to mean what makes you unique that isn’t mentioned elsewhere on the app instead of worrying about diversity.</p>
<p>AP music theory and AP art history are exceptional difficult classes/ subjects. I know for the fact that some highly selective schools actually count these subjects for college credits if a student got 5 on the AP tests in music theory and art history. On the other hand, AP 5 on micro and macro economics do not count as any college credits by such schools.</p>
<p>Good news from D regarding the CA essay. She is in AP Lit & Comp this year and the cousre is being taught as a college level course for credit by a prof from one of the local universities. Their first project is their CA essays. They will have an Adcon from the same school as a vistor for a day to discuss the essay process. Glad to see that all the private school tuition is finally providing some kind of extra benefits. Sure would have been nice if they had mentioned this last year. :eek:</p>
<p>The school application list is being refined. Other than being too long of a list initially, she doesn’t like any of her safeties that much. I think we will end up submitting a couple of “blind” applications for back-up safety schools that she is familiar with, has talked about, but has not visited. Hopefully, she will not need to worry about the safety schools. We told her to focus on her ED school selection and if she gets lucky with that application, she won’t have to worry about any of the others! :D</p>
<p>AvonHSDadthat is great news for AvonGirl! Sounds like her school is doing it right! Go2girl returns to school on Wednesdayshe is busy wrapping up her AP homework and enjoying the last days of sleeping in </p>
<p>Go2Family just got back yesterday from our trek to California and seven college visits. There were a few surprises and Go2girl found some safeties that could work out nicely. Her list has been whittled down to 14 schools; we have not visited all of them but feel fairly confident that they would warrant a visit if she gets admitted. Heres a brief synopsis </p>
<p>University of San Franciscowelcoming banners wave in the cool fog: University of the Best City Ever. They definitely use their fabulous location to their advantage. The campus is a bit choppy but they have a brand new science center and access to a great gym. The church on campus was used for Jennifer Lopezs movie, The Wedding Planner. Student housing is not guaranteed for all four years which gave us some pause since rents in San Francisco are high. Students have many internship opportunities and access to free public transportation. They also offer significant merit aid to high achieving students. Students had just begun school and there seemed to be a great deal of ethnic diversity. While Go2girl loved San Francisco, she wasnt really feeling the campus so it came off the list.</p>
<p>Santa Clara UniversityNot a true college town but the location is great for internship opportunities in the Silicon Valley. The campus is neat as a pin and the dorm rooms were spacious. The school offered an info session led by an adcom and then there was a 3-student panel to answer questions. All of the students seemed very bright and engaged and happy with the opportunities at Santa Clara. Like USF, Santa Clara is a Catholic university and while religion is not emphasized, there is a clear message of social justice and giving back to the community. Go2girl attends a Catholic high school and feels very comfortable with that messaging. While she was disappointed there wasnt a really college town, there was enough to offer that she will keep it on the list.</p>
<p>University of San Diegoan absolutely stunning campus! It sits on a bluff with a great view of Mission Bay. The architecture and landscaping was hard to beatalthough there was a bit of a disconnect between the quality of the buildings on the inside to the outside. Go2dad was concerned that there were not sprinklers in the dorm room we visited. Dining hall is very nice although we had breakfast there and it was ho-hum. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic but seemed to talk more about student life opportunities at USD than the actual academics. In fact, USF was also pretty light on the academics during our tour. USD has the Joan Kroc School of Peace Studies which was of interest to go2girl and hence, between being mesmerized with the San Diego ocean breeze and the beautiful campus, will stay on her list.</p>
<p>Claremont-McKennathe only LAC we visited, Go2girl was resistant but her school counselor had recommended and it became a fast favorite. Part of the Claremont consortium of 7 schools, students have the opportunity to take classes at Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps and Harvey Mudd. Moreover, if your major is not offered at CMC but at Pomona, for example, you can earn your degree taking the Pomona classes but still graduate from CMC. Even though CMC is a small LAC, its part of a much larger community. It was hard to keep my mouth shut because the schools mission and style really fits Go2girls personality. There is a huge emphasis on leadership and CMC hosts gourmet dinners Monday-Thursday nights which feature a different speaker who is a leader in their particular field. The old town of Claremont is darling with lots of affordable cute restaurants. It was a big surprise to all of us and will stay on the list.
Loyola Marymount-Also a Jesuit university on a bluff, LMU is in on the Westside of Los Angeles. Beautiful campus and by far, the most beautiful people weve seen anywhere! Lots of students on skateboards. School had just started this week so we got a good sense of the vibrancy on campus. It was funny because they even had crossing guards! A large part of their student body is from California and it was shocking how many cars were on campus. Go2girl had an interview but her gut told her it wasnt a good fit. So its coming off the list.</p>
<p>USC-School was in session and we were lucky to see all of the clubs, sororities and fraternities peddling their message to new students. It was crazy! Very fun to see so much going on! We had a 1-hour info session, 1-1/2 hour tour, followed by a 45-minute info session with the College of Arts and Sciences. USC did a fantastic marketing jobexcept that they didnt hand out any bottled water and it was in the 90s. They also made us pay for parking. I was waiting for a big Trojan Football speech but it never came. USC really has become an academic powerhouse. The focus was academics and attracting students who would take advantage of its multidisciplinary culture. With almost 40,000 students (undergrad is about 17,000) there was a palpable energy. Unlike our visits at the Catholic institutions, there was no talk of community service or social justice. In fact, when asked, how involved are students in community service and social justice? by my daughter, the adcom made a snarky remark that a lot of kids just want to get that over with in high school and be done with it in college! I asked if the students were at all political and was met with a blank stare from our tour guide. BTW, that same adcom said, Dont believe ANYTHING you read on College Confidential. That made me laugh. Go2girl did learn that the Mock Trial team does pro bono work with a firm downtown which definitely appealed to her and so its staying on the list.</p>
<p>Cal Poly SLO-Go2Dads alma mater. We strolled down memory lane. Not the right fit for Go2girl but what a fabulous college town! And for prospective engineers, they really have their act together.</p>
<p>Sorry this is so long but I thought it might be helpful for those who might now be able to make it to California themselves.</p>
<p>Great reviews Go2mom! You must be exhausted though. Thanks for all the quality info.</p>
<p>Really great reviews of the California schools. I agree with glido- that must have been exhausting!</p>
<p>I briefly asked S '14 if he had done any of his Eagle paperwork or work on essays this weekend and he just glanced at me. Then I said “You know what, school starts Tuesday and you’ve been working so hard the last couple weeks, it’s fine that you took this weekend off” He and 8 friends are going to the local Renaissance Festival in full costume tomorrow. School starts Tuesday. </p>
<p>He still doesn’t know whether he successfully passed the finals for Econ and Civics so he can “pass out” of those two classes. He took those tests on Tuesday. Nothing has changed in his transcript but his schedule hasn’t changed either. I hope he can find out early Tuesday in case he needs to change his schedule.</p>
<p>Great reviews go2mom! Glad to hear about Cal Poly Slo which on our list.</p>
<p>I just found out we might not have to deal with the CA at all. Only two of my guy’s schools accept it anyway, and one of those (his current top choice) has it’s own he could use instead. Looking at it online, it seems easier than the CA. So, that would make it just his reach school that uses the CA - we’ll see after a visit if he feels they are worth an app… If so, then he’ll likely use the CA for both. If not, he’ll just fill out the easier app.</p>
<p>At least he’s only done the basic info on the CA - nothing in depth. He had a list of 6 questions to ask his GC and stopped. We’ll put it all on pause until after visits next month.</p>
<p>Thanks for the visit reports Go2mom! Few students from here are interested in Cali schools, but I always feel more informed when I know more about ANY school. Since I often get asked for suggestions, it’s helpful to have more info.</p>
<p>So good to hear the visit report, go2mom! My D added USC to her list after we visited one evening on our quick 2-day trip to CA. It was a beautiful evening, and students were out and about. She loved the energy, school spirit, and gorgeous campus! Really appreciate reading about your tour and getting a more indepth view, as our visit was more of a spontaneous “Let’s stop by USC” on the way back to the hotel on our last night.</p>
<p>AvonHSDad, how I wish and would love my D’s English class to work on the CA essay when she starts back to school tomorrow! I will keep my fingers crossed. She’s logged into the CA, but I don’t think she’s gotten much further than that. Really hoping she’ll get a draft done or at least get a good start on her essay today. Once school starts tomorrow, she’s going to be so busy. One of her favorite school’s coach told her she needs to have her app in NLT 15 Oct if she wants a shot at financial aid. She’ll definitely need some great FA to have any chance at attending there.</p>
<p>I remember D’11 had to turn in her essay for AP English senior year. She hadn’t touched it all summer (despite some industrial strength nagging) but once it was assigned as homework with a due date, she knocked it right out.
S and I were invited to a college admission info event on sept 22 (he was invited; I told him he had to bring me - I can’t count in him absorbing all the info). I’ll pass on any tips.</p>
<p>DS knocked out another essay yesterday - it was a supplemental for one of his CA schools. Making progress.</p>