<p>Forgot to tell y’all about ACT morning last weekend. I wake up the boy, make him breakfast, give him his peppermint lifesavers, sharpened pencils, admissions ticket, and he gets up to go, car keys in right hand, and in his left hand…the TV remote. Which is about the same size and shape as his math calculator. I gently pry it loose from his fingers and give him the calculator.</p>
<p>You think he’ll go down the aisle 10-15 years from now with the remote in his hand? :)</p>
<p>Eyemamom: Good call encouraging her to go for it. Best of luck to your DD.</p>
<p>Onlyonemom: DS will arrive at Colby tomorrow morning. He will be on campus for three days. He will meet with the coach, but it is not an athletic trip. He wants to get a feel for the college and will have an interview with admissions folks. The school paid for his flight out there and he got permission from his h.s. teachers to miss class, so we said okay. Will let you know the feedback we get.</p>
<p>I am not sure about now, but last year Binghamton had tours on Sundays. We were there on Sunday and Cornell on Monday.</p>
<p>Hopefully you’ll have good weather. When we were there last February, it was 4 degrees and windy at Bing and had warmed up to a tropical 16 for Ithaca. (Colder than usual!)</p>
<p>Well we finally hit submit for the first time today. Four down, ten to go! Plus DS submitted his National Merit application. Now we just have to figure out the SAT/ACT thing. Scores on both tests are pretty even so we are having a hard time deciding which ones to send. I know schools say they look at them the same but I keep thinking it would look better to send both so they see his scores are consistent. Also don’t know if he should send the subject tests. They are not quite as good when you look at the percentiles so on those schools where it’s optional, I’m not sure if it will help or hurt.</p>
<p>jrmama–here is my opinion, with almost nothing other than gut instinct to back it up…I would send both SAT & ACT if they line up. I agree that having both will be confirming. Now, if your son is applying to a school that insists he submit all sittings and if he took each exam say three times, then I would reconsider.</p>
<p>Subject Tests…not so sure how to advise. It seems as though the percentiles are out of line with the scores for these tests, but I am guessing that is b/c only those who will score well take those tests, so the bar is fairly high for each of them. I would feel comfortable sending anything above mid-700s.</p>
<p>Congrats to him on NM.</p>
<p>Moving backwards here…Last In, First Out…</p>
<p>oldmon4896–agree that those temps are unseasonably cold for Ithaca. It can go days w/o sunshine in winter, but rarely that cold. I didn’t realize any school had tours on Sunday. I wish more did as it is almost impossible to visit more than one school on a Saturday.</p>
<p>Glido–congrats to your son and hope he has a fabulous trip to Colby. Three or four from our HS enroll there each year. They mostly seem to be ED and I think athletes; all are happy there.</p>
<p>eyemamom–also aiming for the long shot here on your same theory of ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’. I think that was the state lottery slogan but seems appropriate for college admissions.</p>
<p>mathmomvt–glad to know that someone else’s child has not written these essays yet. Misery loving company…</p>
<p>ct1417- I like that you used the lottery slogan since that about seems the chances ;)</p>
<p>For the subject tests I have often heard to not submit unless the scores are over 700. </p>
<p>We’re now up to 11. We really have to stop, but d is just all over the place, but her heart is set for now on the school I don’t think she can get in. You know the big panic at this house will probably be the final choice. I think realistically she should get in about half of them, we just don’t know which ones.</p>
<p>BarnardMom–Have fun on your trip! Please post your thoughts as those are schools I will be looking into for another child. Would have gone for D14 but she is applying to nursing, so I don’t think they offer direct entry nursing. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!</p>
<p>eyemamom–We keep adding too…I think it’s my fault, LOL. Today, we just submitted to another college because it was free and a safety for direct entry nursing. So D14 is up to 10 schools :)</p>
<p>Does anyone else have a family member pressuring their S or D to apply to the family member’s favorite school? My sister’s H (my BIL) teaches at a certain LAC and my sister is convinced it is perfect for my S. He would be a competitive applicant there but he has no interest in the school and I agree it is a poor fit for him but my sister is insistent that he apply. I was thinking we could lie and say he applied and was rejected, but I am afraid that BIL could and would find out if that were the case, particularly since BIL has been there over 30 years and was an adcom for at least 10 of those years. S could apply and sabotage his application, though I worry how sister would react when he is actually rejected, whether she would try to investigate and get BIL to try to help. Another option is to claim that S decided that he won’t apply to any cold weather schools, which this school is, and then cross other cold weather schools from the list, since he isn’t that keen on any of them anyway. Another option is to accept souring relations with my sister, which is something we want to avoid.</p>
<p>I think I need some sort of college applications anonymous… lol </p>
<p>I have to remember, the original list made sense at the time and still makes sense, still is a broad selection and she’ll get in some of them. It’s those darn free app/no essays - lol! I’m the reason college admissions is so competitive! </p>
<p>austin - I’m a big believer in honesty. I wouldn’t lie about the apps. I’d tell them you agree that school is wonderful and special, but that S just really isn’t interested… teens, what are you going to do about them? But you’re sure they’ll be happy for him wherever he ends up.</p>
<p>My family throws in their .02 but I figure if you aren’t footing the bill or attending, you have no vote. Much like when I was planning my wedding and everyone wanted a say in it - thank you for your thoughts we will certainly consider it, and then go your merry way.</p>
<p>eyemamom, thanks for the input. I guess lying isn’t the best policy even though it seems so appealing because it is simple and easy. I can’t claim that he is just being a typical, quirky, unpredictable teenager because she thinks of him, after having had many long conversations with him, as being extremely mature and level-headed for a teen. What I could do is claim that S needs a really good reason to go to a cold weather school and that the cold weather schools on his list have these particular unique, appealing, important features. Now, I just need to get with S and figure out what those features are. Sounds a bit like homework, darnit.</p>
<p>austinareadad, I’d try to keep it as simple as possible. If you let them, they will go on and on. To you, it’s enough that he’s not interested, and that should be enough for your sister and brother-in-law. He’s your kid, not theirs.</p>
<p>At least that’s how I’ve learned to handle it with pushy relatives. Of course that strategy worked pretty well when my kid would try to draw me into endless arguments about anything!</p>
<p>oldmom, I’ll try to keep it simple but I still think it best that I have some reasons, reasons that she should find acceptable, why S will apply to one or two other cold weather LAC’s and not their LAC. It’s a bother but my S and I both value our relationship with her and don’t want to unnecessarily diminish it.</p>
<p>Will do, cakeisgreat! I went to see Brown with my BarnardGirl when she was going through this process and I really loved it. I loved everything about Providence. We went there on move in weekend though and there were no official tours available that weekend. If she had gotten in there, it would have been a tough call between Brown and Barnard but I think she would have ended up at Barnard anyway. I would love a reason to have to go to Providence often!</p>
<p>austinareadad: You are in a tough spot. This is not as simple as a family member suggesting a college. Your BIL teaches at an LAC. Your DS’s decision to not even apply could be perceived as a rejection of the value of the institution to which BIL has dedicated his professional life. If DS applies and is accepted, but chooses not to attend - you might want to come up with a pretty believable rationale that the school id not a fit. Exact same for if your DS does not apply. If you are sure that your DS would not go there under any circumstances, my view is that it is better that he not even apply, but you have to have an articulable reason why. Do not lie. Just state the facts as they are. If your DS does apply - you can bet that your SIL will make an effort to help. then, when he get is and declines, there could be some bad feelings. JMHO - Best of luck.</p>
<p>austinareadad: you say you agree that the school is a poor fit, so it sounds like you and your son already have reasons why he doesn’t want to apply there. So why not just share those with your sister and BIL.</p>
<p>Would your BIL be willing to draw on his experience to help you think through other LACs that would be a fit? Sounds like he could be helpful, and that might neutralize sis (though I can see the appeal of having a nephew nearby).</p>