<p>It’s been a while since I checked in. D is doing well. I finally convinced her to apply to the summer STEM program at the Naval Academy :)</p>
<p>Overall it has been an up and down couple of weeks. Last week she was nominated by her school to be listed in the paper as a “super scholar”. The same day she got that she was on cloud nine but then we got home and found out she didn’t get the Princeton book award. I didn’t think she would, but it was still a bummer. In our area, 73 schools nominate 2 kids each and then the Princeton alums choose just 10 of those 146. I told her it was an honor just to be chosen a one of the two from her HS.</p>
<p>My D has been nominated for some kind of honor award by her Latin teacher. D would probably be happier about it if she didn’t have to get up 1hr early to attend a before-school breakfast ceremony. :p</p>
<p>We did our first round of visits. My daughter was not thrilled with the University of Rochester, although I loved it. She liked SUNY Geneseo but did not come out saying WOW. She loved Cornell- the campus is gorgeous - and she loved Binghamton. We have about 8 more schools to vist this spring break and next winter break. Getting my kid to leave the house on a three day weekend is impossible - she would rather study.</p>
<p>I missed alot! The only thing I can remember from all these updates is the math question and only since my son is a Math major-he is very insistent with my daughter that whatever else she does in school she has to come out with a solid understanding of algebra and be able to write. If she has that the rest will take care of itself.</p>
<p>I loved UR. It was the very first school that she has seen ( she came with us when we did this for my older one, but different schools) so she had nothing to compare. She did say that she wants to go back and look again, and we are not removing it from the list as it’s a great school.</p>
<p>He is a good guy if I do say so myself! He also was such a piece of work during his college search process he wants to make it up to me-I think that is true! He is very encouraging to her-he told her when she started school not to waste her first two years of HS being afraid to do anything like he was-he even put her up to running for president which she lost but just the act of her doing so was HUGE!</p>
<p>He had no AP’s as his school didn’t offer them at the time and he did very well with admissions. Her decision now is whether or not to stay with a certificate program that will really limit her class choice flexibility and also whether to take honors or AP English next year.</p>
<p>I want her to be challenged but I also think HS is an important time to grow in so many other ways besides academics-they are important but at some point I think there is a diminishing return-time could be better spent on doing other things. CC heresy perhaps but for 99% of the schools out there she is going to be fine-the other 1% she probably won’t get into anyway unless she chooses to go the recruitment route.</p>
<p>My son loved UR-I am still surprised he isn’t there sometimes! He has a friend who is there and loves it!</p>
<p>Let me also add my congratulations to our award winners-well done! Whether or not what our kids are doing wins awards or not-and it is disappointing when they don’t win as great as it is when they do-the most important thing is they are putting in a great effort-good for them!</p>
<p>D also won an award…but we’re not quite sure why. She hates Spanish. It’s her worst class. She’s barely pulling an A- and it’s her only nonhonors class. She is constantly nagging her Spanish teacher for help, and the teacher keeps telling her “don’t worry so much”. SO it was a huge a surprise when D was named “Spanish student of the quarter” for her high school last quarter. We figured that was the only way he teacher could think of to get D to leave her alone!</p>
<p>How exciting!!! My daughter is jumping out of her skin to study abroad. I told her junior year of college. I am looking forward to the summer- the calm before the storm.</p>
<p>BTW: how do you deal with nosey - judgemental- know it Alls - the ones who want to know test scores and criticize your kids school choices? My community is filled with them. I need some good come backs please…</p>
<p>I’m sure someone else will have good advice. Most people in my area choose local options. They just think we’re weird because some of our kids venture further…</p>
<p>Here is an example: when I told a certain person that we were visiting a certain school, this person said TO MY FACE " you know, that is a B school ( as in its not tippy top). " I was shocked, to say the least.</p>
<p>Ooh, see I’d have fun with that and just say, “And your point is?” with a nice smile on my face. There’s a thread on here that’s titled something like “Just smile and nod, smile and nod” that talks about this issue and is kind of funny.</p>
<p>Apollo, that sounds very cool for your S! Good luck to him! That would be way outside of D’s comfort zone. She will hopefully do something similar for a semester or year in college.</p>
<p>Congratulations to all of the award-winners/nominated! Nice at least for the kids to get some recognition.</p>
<p>Congrats to the awards!! I wish my kids could get some award. but no. </p>
<p>Apollo6, how was your son’s experience in China? I hope to find a short time summer camp in china for mine at some point. I hope to choose a good one with recommendations from someone I know or from CC.</p>
<p>twogirls-Change subjects and avoid those conversations. Test scores are personal information just like salary figures; they don’t need to be shared for comparison. I told my S that if others want to tell him their grades/test scores, it’s their choice. He is not obligated to share his.</p>
<p>I told my daughter that this information is nobody’s business but ours- thankfully she agrees. If she chooses to share, that is her choice. The GC handed out transcripts to all the students- they were gathered in a group. Of course my daughter comes home and tells me that her transcript was grabbed out of her hand so that now her GPA is floating around the school. Great. I guess I am just tired of it- tired of the comments, tired of people calling me to tell me that their kid missed the cutoff for the academic banquet by like .01 and they are just a tad under their best friend who made it, blah blah blah. And I have two more years of this. Thanks for letting me vent!!</p>
<p>Sorry, two girls! How aggravating for your daughter! </p>
<p>My son is loving his time in China. He’s on Chinese New Year vacation but goes back to his Beijing boarding school on Sunday after 3 weeks with his weekend host family. He’s studying to move up a level in their Chinese language learner classes. He’s a very driven kid. I know about an interesting summer opportunity in SKorea, pm me if interested.</p>
<p>revisiting the AP discuss—here I see where some of your kids are taking FOUR or FIVE AP classes next year (amazing!) and I am currently strongly suggesting that DD2 (HS soph now) just take two AP Chem and AP Lang (I think)
She is in two varsity HS sports plus a year round clubteam for one of the sports plus has been asked to be the HS newspaper editor and my mom instinct says she’ll need SOME sleep for those studies, games, practices, meets. Also volunteering. And working on possible sport recruitment which means more sportstime and possible days away, along with the testing and college “looks” etc.that everyone will be doing.
Her public rural school does not offer AP til Jr year.</p>
<p>She is a driven kid but I see how exhausted she is after a tournament weekend or getting back home late after an away game and then stays up way too late studying for the honors classes she has now. </p>
<p>That’s impressive–the high school age kids overseas!
DD1 will be a college junior next year and she made it thru the college application process(HUGE essay, professor recs, etc) to study in Copenhagen next Spring–now she has to make thru the abroad program app., sure hope it works out for her.</p>
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