Thanks, @twogirls. That’s exactly what we would be doing, accepting at one school on May 1 and then changing after May 1 if the scholarship comes through. My d did not do ED anywhere. I think I was just overthinking this, probably because I feel stressed that May 1 is less than two weeks away! I really feel like she should go visit if she is seriously entertaining this. Congrats to your d on knowing where she wants to go!
@twogirls - I am so happy to see your optimistic post! I remember just a few short months ago when you were so worried! 
But you are right on! We can do our best to guide them, help them finds a good fit - they will find their “people”. I am so happy things worked out for your D!
Just got back from Admitted Students Day at the school that was the pack leader. D is s still not decided!
She said she thought she would feel excited, but she doesn’t.
I think maybe she is still not over her rejections from her reaches?
So no deposits have been made yet.
@rhandco My daughter contacted coaches who had been recruiting her from schools she appplied to but decided no to attend. She let them know that she would not be enrolling (and thanked them for their time). They all thanked her for letting them know and that was the end of it. If your son hasn’t done that yet, it would be helpful for the coaches to know. If he has, I have no idea why they would waste their time. Very strange.
She has received random recruiting emails from schools she never applied to and would just let them know that the school wasn’t a good fit.
@EllieMom Thanks, and yes, tech is great (especially texting and other instant messaging forms.) As it is, we live about 1 1/2 hrs from each other, and since I’m going away in fall, that will increase to over 10. We’re going to try to spend as much time together as we can this summer.
I’m not going to contact the coach myself, and he just thinks they are stupid since he said he is not attending.
I think he just lumps them in with other colleges that keep sending stuff, and he doesn’t want to have to keep saying no to everyone.
I just posted a link to “Shiny Happy People” in another thread, and I still feel guilty about that. So we will start your day here with one of my long-time favorite (and seasonally appropriate) R.E.M. tracks to balance our musical karma. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks!
[R.E.M. – “Cuyahoga”](http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/1033577/cuyahoga-unplugged.jhtml)
Thanks Wrestlersmom! Honestly this process turned out differently than we had originally thought, but she is happy and that’s all that matters. Right now she is stressing sbout AP tests- no time to study, too much stuff going on, etc. She will be fine. Worst case is she does not get the credit for the class, but given her test history that should not happen. She is already thinking of taking some intro classes again even with the AP credits because it will be a good review and it won’t be as shocking as skipping the intro class and going to the next level. Her calc teacher told her that kids getting 5’s on the AP test and then jumping to the next level are shocked at the increase in difficulty- that made her a little nervous ( what else is new) which made her think maybe she will just retake some intro classes. My knowledge of this stuff is limited so I told her to talk to her advisor during orientation. She is attending a HMFR school ( another ugh) so it might help her adjust by retaking these classes, but then again maybe it’s not necessary. Another thing I worry about is that she is very used to being the big fish in the little pond at her HS- she will not have that come August. One day at a time I guess! I can’t handle all of the variables that go into making this college decision.
cold and rainy today. Good day to do some Admin stuff. S’15 is going to fill out the “get to know me” questionnaire and upload a photo for the school ID; register for an orientation date and Parent orientation date #:-S
Oh, and address grad invitations!
@twogirls AP courses are like college courses with training wheels. And they go more slowly, often covering in a year what a college course will cover in a semester. The shock of the actual college course is not the content but the speed and intensity. One reason to ease back on the level of math class you take in college is to learn how to take a college class. Most schools let you shop around and change courses within the first few weeks if you’ve bitten off more then you can chew–or would like to chew.
Graduation invitations! How could I have forgotten?! They’ve been sitting in a box on the hearth for weeks. Thankfully, this is a job for daughter.
I’d also like to applaud the parents in this thread who are teaching their children the value of integrity in this college application and admissions process. We parents set the tone, even while the kids are the ones choosing the school. Every time I read a head-scratching situational-ethics move by a parent posting here, I feel bad for the kid absorbing this chicanery. This process has made all of us want to scream many times, but the hard part is often setting the right example for our soon-to-be independent young adults.
AP Courses that I am aware of usually cover two semesters - chemistry, biology, and Calc BC. Same thing with US History. Calc AB is one semester though.
What I suggest to college students is a few things:
- sign up for one more course than you have to each semester
- drop any you are having trouble in, in the first month of classes preferably
The thing that bothers me is when a student falls behind and “must” take 18, or even 21 credits to "get back on track. That is not the way to get back on track, that is the way to fall further off track. The way to make up classes where the student failed or otherwise didn’t meet the requirement (we even have some math classes where a student MUST get an A to go to the next class!).
My son will have to average around 15 credits per semester, and he’ll do that by taking summer courses at our local CC and AP credits.
@twogirls and @latichever - they issue of whether to retake AP is a hot topic in out house right now. Wrestler got a 5 on AP Calc AB. He expects to score well on BC, Physics, and Stat this year.
The wrestling coach advised retaking Calc for the reasons Latichever mentioned. He said he has had other kids who got 5’s not do so well at Truman. Wrestler has really been sold a bill of goods about AP in general. His position is that because his HS calc teacher taught at Clemson, he must be getting the “college level” experience.
I welcome anyone’s experiences in this area. I am for retaking it and at worst, having it boost the GPA. He registers June 5 so I am hopeful he will stay openminded with his advisor!
That’s why dual enrolled classes are good. They are college classes, so the pace shouldn’t be a shock when I go to “real” college - just the number of courses at that pace will be higher.
It was actually kind of funny - when I took my first dual enrolled class, which was Calc I, except for the tests (which were quite stressful at first because for the first time in my life I wasn’t being graded by my mom), the class was actually easier than home school math. I was used to doing one section per day. In the Calc I class, we covered 2-3 sections per week. I this sort of euphoria “you mean I don’t have to do math EVERY school day?” Granted that the sections were longer and such, so some could take multiple days, but overall the pace was actually a bit easier for me.
My older girls were both kind of shocked by the difference in college level teaching and learning. And they came from a private prep school. We think of the math level being harder (and it is) but the real shocker for my girls was the pace and demands of the humanities classes. Unless you’ve attended a high school that’s really emphasized reading and writing, it’s an enormous jump. Suddenly they were being assigned 150 pages of reading to be done between class meetings and a paper a week. Not every page of the assigned reading needs to be read of course but it’s a learning process to figure out what is important and what isn’t and writing high level papers so quickly was new to both of them. For one girl it was energizing but for the other, well, not so much.
I took classes at Penn (this was easy to do in the 1970s - there were no entrance qualifications) while a senior in high school. I’m glad I did this while in high school because it was a shocker to be in the Biology 102 class with 500 other students (so many pre-meds, pre-vets, pre-dental students). I think I took the class Pass/Fail, so there was no impact on my GPA one way or the other.
@Wrestlersmom, does the Truman math department offer placement tests for incoming students? Your son may want to ask faculty what they think.
I am leaning towards making him take Calc 1 no matter what:
- he would stay with his cohort, so even though the class might be huge, he should have friends in it
- the college has a notorious reputation for difficult math and physics classes - I’ll assume the math courses are taught similarly, so better to become familiar “with the system” in a class he is familiar with
The reasons not to:
- save money
- cut his overall class load (not take any math first semester instead of Calc 2 first semester)
The thing about saving money, we need to have a talk about his summer plans. He plans to work somewhat, but mostly weekends due to his job, and we want him to take CC courses.
Oh - does anyone have any thoughts on taking a CC course before starting a four-year college? Would my son need to contact his department to make sure it will transfer?
I think it depends on the student. My D will be attending WPI. They give a placement test and make a recommendation based on that, but it’s up to the student. They said many students do take the AP credit and start in the middle of the Calc series, and they do well. They said students who follow their recommendation usually are successful. We aren’t sure what she will do about Calculus. I had assumed she would retake it but will consider accepting the credit.
Regardless of how she does in Physics, she will not take the credit. I don’t think she is as strong in physics as in math, and I don’t think she has been prepared well enough to skip any physics. She will maybe take credit for some other classes that would be electives.
I agree the issue is really about the pace of the work. She is very comfortable with the HS pace and sometimes finds Calc a little slow. (We don’t have an honors track, and only have AB calc). But, I know the pace picks up a great deal in college and it’s hard to know how a student will respond to that. I would rather see her have a successful first semester, than strugggle. There is plenty of time for some struggle.
@VMT, wrestler already said he plans to retake the physics class no matter the AP score. He feels the same way you do about the material.
Truman does have a placement exam. It recomended Calc I but he said that there was material on the placement that they were just starting to cover in BC.
Wrestler is a kid that sometimes bites off more than he can chew – literally and figuratively. Lol. He is a hardhead. I am strongly leaning toward the retake – and dealing with “I’m going to be 18 on Tuesday”. He asked what he was getting for his birthday. It turns out he will be starting his first job as a busser at a restaurant AND he received his selective service card yesterday. I told him those two things were his “welcome to adulthood” gifts!
D will take 2 math APs this spring (BC calc and Stats) and I think we will use that score plus the college’s placement exam/recommendation to figure out which math class she will take next year. Personally, I’m leaning towards her taking at least one of them again, since I think that the first semester will be difficult no matter which classes she takes. But of course, these kids have their own minds and ultimately decide for themselves.