<p>The alternative (btw) would be to take Physics next year (either honors or AP) and then AP Chem, AP Physics, or MicroBio for senior year.</p>
<p>Gib son here! I have changed my username. I frequently post on the UGA forum. My elder daughter is in a program called the Foundation Fellowship. Since this is a very small group of students, it is pretty obvious to anyone who knows d1 who I am. D’s bf worked it out. So… I will login to that forum as my previous username and use Sally22 for my stuff that I don’t want necessary to be shared with D1 and her buddies. Anyone else come across the same issue?</p>
<p>@TV, if it’s AP physics B (not C), I’d suggest go with AP physics next year and AP chem the senior year. That’s just my opinion. Physics and Chemistry are related. AP Phys B is considerably easier than AP chem. If she takes AP physics B first, it helps her with AP chem the following year, even though she doesn’t have honors chem. I really think it was a mistake that my D. is taking AP chem without honors chem, nor any kind of physics. In her AP chem class, there are people who have taken H. Physics and H. Chem, and are taking AP physics the same time with AP chem. Those people are having a much easier time. D. is doing okay in the class, getting low As. That’s because she works really hard and we help her a lot. At this point I cannot predict what’s going to happen with the national exam. In a month or two we’d better have some ideas about it.</p>
<p>Gibson/Sally, welcome back with a difference face! 
it’s funny.</p>
<p>Got it Sally!</p>
<p>I think it is fine to weigh the GPA. My son had no opportunity to take AP classes as the school had none and it didn’t hurt him in admissions at least as far as I know since he took the most rigorous schedule available. My understanding is the colleges recalculate the GPA according to the way they want to anyway.</p>
<p>If your child wants to go the hardest route and has the ability than yeah by all means go for it. We are talking about stat padders who take classes strictly for a GPA boost without really having any other reason-that to me is crazy and another reason against class rank-but it happens. Do you know how many kids go to college and don’t claim credit for these classes to get a GPA boost by retaking them-I am not talking about retaking foundational classes again in your major to learn it the schools way but classes unrelated to major-that to me is a waste of their time but in the GPA driven hamster wheel they are on it happens a lot.</p>
<p>michal and others it is easier having gone through the process and having an excellent college fit come out of it to be calm-it really does work out you know-it is just hard getting there sometimes.</p>
<p>I am glad to hear of other good PSAT results. Does anyone know offhand if you can chose to take the PSAT on a Saturday in the school offers it on Wednesday? I already know if she takes it midweek it is not going to work for her since she will be in if anything worse shape next year at that time since her schedule will be even harder and there will be soccer-the huge time suck that is. </p>
<p>I don’t even know if she can improve although I suspect she may have “misbubbled” but until she is willing to sit down and go over it with me I can’t be totally sure. She clearly isn’t going to address this until the summer so I have to let it go.</p>
<p>We got an online access code from her school so we went online and looked at her answers and explanations…doing that should tell you pretty quickly if she mis-bubbled or not.</p>
<p>Hi Sally! Funny how small a world it is, isn’t it? I recognized a few people from my D’s school in the past and we laughed about it. Unfortunately, my kids would not see it the same way.</p>
<p>Pepper, that’s a smart idea to have your D take the test on Saturday rather than Wednesday. I don’t know the logistics but I bet the school or College Board will be able to work this out for her. Did you get the test booklet back? She should be able to figure out from that whether she misbubbled or not. We didn’t get an access code but D did come home with the answer book itself…or at least I think so. She also has access to naviance? Isn’t that a bit early? She doesn’t know what this is and I’m not telling her. Yeesh, that’s almost as bad as handing out ranks to first semester sophomores!</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s a lot of flexibility on PSAT test dates. You have to take it through your school (or through another HS), and the school has to choose one of the two dates (the Wed or Sat). I don’t think they’ll be able to offer an alternate test date for a busy schedule. Our HS gives it during the school day, so it shouldn’t interfere with soccer or other EC’s.</p>
<p>I caught my daughter talking to her online friends while she was at school. It has been made clear to her that she should not use her phone (she has an iphone) while at school except for the important things, like contact home, etc. But she was chatting with her online friends and she knew clearly that’d upset me. I’m so upset that I stopped her phone service for now. I can restart any time. </p>
<p>Am I overreacting? </p>
<p>She is a good kid, if you’ve heard me talking about her. but recently this online group is getting out of control. Esp. when she talks to them (nothing important, just chatting silly things) while she should be in school paying attention to the class. I’m surprised the teacher didn’t catch that.</p>
<p>herandhis – I don’t think you’re over-reacting. I think it has to be made clear to kids that it’s RUDE to be having conversations (in any form – including scanning FB and texting) in class, at the dinner table, or any other time when your attention is wanted. If it’s rude to turn your back on someone, then it’s rude to be texting in front of them. I may be curmudgeonly, but I’ve started calling teens on it. (If you need to be having a conversation with your friend, why don’t you excuse yourself? or And what does your friend have to say about this?) Ignoring the texting makes kids think that they’re getting away with it – that adults don’t see it.</p>
<p>Ahhhh, the joy of cell phones. Hard one to give advice on. I think if I were in your shoes, I would reinstate the service after the weekend with strict instructions that if she is caught again…
Can you shut her access down during the school day? D1 had a bf whose cell phone went dead after 10PM. </p>
<p>We have a rule that cell phones stay down stairs at night. I laugh when my college girl still leaves her on my desk as she goes up to bed when she is home. Wonder when she will stop that.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s possible with iphones. If anybody knows, please let me know. At times I feel we need that.</p>
<p>@herandhis, I don’t think you’re over reacting. I agree with you and IJD.</p>
<p>The cell phone issue! I am fortunate my kids are better with than phones than I am! I would think taking it away or shutting it down would help-they are so addictive that is a tough one. I think it was good to shut off the service-short term pain, long term gain. Ugh! I too have been on kids for years about this-it really is rude and when I am doing volunteer work with kids the phone either has to be given to me or put in plain sight. It is very easy though to give into temptation though so when you think she has gotten the message you can turn it back on. ;)</p>
<p>I suspect misbubbling only because when my husband looked at the answer sheet that came back there was one instance of 11 in a row wrong and another on 8 and another of 9-that just doesn’t make much sense to me. She said she caught herself once doing it and fixed it but it may have happened again.</p>
<p>I have no idea where the answer booklet is but I assume she has it squirreled away somewhere for when she is ready to look at is and register online. My son said over the vacation when I wanted to go over it in detail to leave her alone-she would handle it her way. I already have stuck my foot in my mouth over this a couple of times so I have backed off. My daughter was born in her 20’s-she is very driven and detail oriented and she will do what she needs to do so I have stepped way back. My only thought was to get that many in a row wrong is highly unusual and is suggestive of incorrectly filling out the answers. She may also have just gotten them wrong-she has real problems with MC and perhaps she won’t do well on these tests-it just is such an outlier given all her previous state testing to do so poorly-and she really had a bad day. My only thought on a Saturday testing date is at least she won’t be up until 2 AM the night before the PSAT if she takes it on a Saturday like she was this year on a weeknight-in fact she was up several nights in a row until the wee hours getting a bio paper done which was assigned last minute-that isn’t on her-and she had it seems everything due that week plus three soccer games. In fact just reading what I am typing I think I am going to just let the whole test issue go-I doubt even under optimal circumstances she would score high enough next year to make NMSF so her time and effort is better spent elsewhere. I think I need to let this one go…</p>
<p>One happy development is she is reading! She found an author she likes and read an entire book last week and is starting another one today-this is wonderful!</p>
<p>There was a thing going around on Facebook last week about a mom’s contract with her son for his iphone: [Gregory’s</a> iPhone Contract | Janell Burley Hofmann](<a href=“http://www.janellburleyhofmann.com/gregorys-iphone-contract/]Gregory’s”>http://www.janellburleyhofmann.com/gregorys-iphone-contract/)</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings about some of those entries but overall they are common sense and politeness.</p>
<p>Good news in the household. PSAT scores came back and she scored at NMSF level for Louisiana (if she were a junior), up 23 points from when she took it frosh year. Even better, she amicably broke up with her boyfriend of 11 mos. He was a nice enough guy but a major distraction. Now if only the 100 live flies would arrive via fedex today so she can complete her science project!</p>
<p>Congrats to your D, vistajay! And LOL on the 100 live flies!</p>
<p>Vistajay – most of us would like it better to get RID of 100 live flies!</p>
<p>ACK on the live flies!! I just moved offices today and while it’s nice, all of the offices on this wall are fly and ladybug magnets and I’ve ordered a bug-zapper to be installed. I can handle a lot, but Live flies are not on the list. 
Yay for the PSAT scores though!</p>
<p>@vistajay, congrats on the PSAT and the boyfriend issue. It might feel good to have a “boyfriend” at this age. It’s even better though, imo, to put it off a little bit - if they can. </p>
<p>Iphone issue follow up - Yesterday I was home when she came back from school with a big smile. I gave her a hug, then the first thing I said was “I hope your day was good… I suspended your phone.” It made me feel bad to do that. She first pretended she didn’t know “what did I do?” H. and I said “skype while at school. it’s a big nono.” She was not happy but to my surprise, she kind of just accepted that punishment. She must feel guilty herself anyway. I gave her my little cell phone to use for a couple weeks. Surprisingly she is not too upset about that. </p>
<p>I think the biggest mistake I’ve made in raising my children is that I gave D. an iphone. (she got it about 2 years ago.) </p>
<p>The contract is not a bad idea. I may modify the one link in OHMom’s post and use it with my kids.</p>
<p>Vistajay, congrats and love the 100 live flies! </p>
<p>Herandhismom, I think you handled the phone issue perfectly. Don’t feel bad about the iphone. D’s school uses ipads for schoolwork (I was against it at first but I’ve been amazed at how well they have been able to use them) and there’s a LOT of misuse that goes on there. The kids always seem to find a way and the temptation is great. My friend teaches medical students and residents and laughed to me that she actually had to threaten to confiscate a phone from one of these adults for the same reason.</p>
<p>Thought I would throw this out there</p>
<p>[Study</a> finds that more AP classes may not be better – University Gazette](<a href=“http://gazette.unc.edu/2013/01/08/study-finds-that-more-ap-classes-may-not-be-better/]Study”>http://gazette.unc.edu/2013/01/08/study-finds-that-more-ap-classes-may-not-be-better/)</p>
<p>Interesting reading!</p>
<p>Hope the flies arrived safely… assuming they are fruit flies?</p>
<p>yeah to Vistajay’s d!</p>
<p>TV4caster- thanks for the heads up. I replied to you but I don’t think it went through. No pm for Sally till I have 15 posts. … I would also love some green love ; )</p>