<p>The good news is that our Class of 2015 kids are on the downhill slide of the demographic curve. By the time they get there, perhaps it’ll be a little more sane. I don’t think it’s helpful to look at the total percentile accepted. Those numbers definitely get inflated by the whole lottery mentality and ease of applying with the common app. I don’t think it’s a terrible thing to apply to “reach” schools, even if the reach is very, very far, but don’t be surprised by the negative result!</p>
<p>Congrats to the DS of momsings!</p>
<p>Pepper - it still may be better to take the two math classes, even if her main concern is how it looks to colleges. It’s different and impressive to double up on math, and those lottery schools see tons of kids who took all AP everything. If she wants the two math classes, maybe it’s better to be the girl mathematician who really pushed the curriculum in math? </p>
<p>momsings - congrats to your bass player!!!</p>
<p>limner - maybe we can be college search buddies. My S’15 is very interested in theater without wanting to major in it. I’m having trouble finding schools with good theater programs where a non-major can participate a lot.</p>
<p>
I totally agree, IJD. I also think we know our children. Some kids can really be inspired by the goals they set for themselves and thrive. That requires a lot of work, of course. But you get what you paid for.</p>
<p>PN, I have a friend who was like your son when he was young. He really wanted to do theater, but figured he couldn’t make a living out of it, plus he didn’t have the kind of look that Harrison Ford had. so he did some research. Penn State told him he could major in computer science and do a lot of performing. that was what he did. Now he is an engineer. He also goes around give wonderful speeches about STEM, talks like an actor. :D</p>
<p>The NYT had an article today about admit rates. They follow a few seniors every year and this one got into a low%-admit one and was not accepted to some higher%-admit ones.</p>
<p>[Acceptance</a> Rates, Apparently, Are Poor Predictors of Getting In - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/envelope-please-sush-krishnamoorthy-9/]Acceptance”>Acceptance Rates, Apparently, Are Poor Predictors of Getting In - The New York Times)</p>
<p>Rejections, while disappointing, are important part of growing up and something kids need to learn how to handle. Hopefully it will teach our kids that the life goes on… As well as teach them to appreciate their successes.</p>
<p>Part of the reason kids like my D13 apply to so many schools is that FA offers are so unpredictable. It’s one thing to get in to a great school (D got into Swarthmore and Duke among others) and another thing to be able to pay for it. My D was aiming for major merit aid so she applied to 10 schools that had programs that interested her.</p>
<p>Pinot Noir- You said-“My S’15 is very interested in theater without wanting to major in it. I’m having trouble finding schools with good theater programs where a non-major can participate a lot.”</p>
<p>You may try asking that on the theater forum here at CC. Folks there have a ton of information (my oldest kid was a theater kid).
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/</a></p>
<p>Momsings, congratulations to your S!</p>
<p>I Just Drive, I hate to be the debbie downer of the group but college admissions isn’t returning to anything resembling sanity any time soon. The population bubble has already stabilized and admit rates should be stabilizing with it. The reason that hasn’t happened is (1) the ease of applying through the common app and the anxiety over the declining admit rates–circular hysteria-- propels kids to generate applications to 20 + schools and (2) increased college recruitment of full pay foreign national kids limits the spaces available to unhooked American kids.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s fine for a kid for apply to a reach school (I worry that there won’t be anything but reach schools in a few years anyway) as long as we as parents counsel our kids throughout the process that the odds are crazy and unpredictable, pretty well stacked against them. I know too many extraordinary kids who were not admitted to dream schools. I’m not dealing with my own child or relatives at all this time around yet I still find myself stunned and indignant. The good news is that most of them have excellent choices and they will thrive.</p>
<p>Which leads me to…Pepper, I’d let your daughter take the class she wants. The process is too unpredictable to know whether one way is better than the other and it is much more important that she build the skills and interest in the areas she wants to pursue. Or at least that’s my take 
And frankly, if I want to be really jaded, when it comes to girls, it seems that more math trumps AP English every time. :P</p>
<p>3girls3cats, I think that is great point. Well, about girls and math too 
but I was thinking about the fact that we really can’t know for certain what the results will be if our kids pursue a certain path so they may as well pursue the one that gives them the most joy and helps them grow in the areas where they want to grow. </p>
<p>It’s sort of like my theory of dealing with crazy people. If you try and second guess them and behave in a way to elicit a certain response, sooner or later you find yourself right there in the crazy with them. You just have to act as if they are sane and behave accordingly. Because if they are crazy, they are going to be crazy now matter how you behave.</p>
<p>Pepper I agree with 3girls3cats…if she would prefer two maths over one more advanced English, I say let her go for it. She’ll enjoy the year more, presumably, if she enjoys math.</p>
<p>Plus, practically speaking…there aren’t a ton of women going into math and science (relative to men) and they are somewhat sought after by many colleges. If math is her gig, extra math courses may help set her apart from the large number of AP-everything kids.</p>
<p>Win-win?</p>
<p>MD no I knew that was the opinion of your IB coordinator-no issue with you at all I just wanted to share my experience and caution against general advice-that’s all. :)</p>
<p>I went back and read my post to make sure I said what I meant-not always the case-but yes! My position to her is if you feel you must take this AP Lit Class-take it as a junior. I advised her to check with the GC as it may be perceived as not taking the most rigorous schedule and I wanted her to know that before she decided as she wants to be a viable applicant to those schools I saw listed here. I would advise her to take the two maths and Honors English-this would be more suited to her interests and I would hate to see her miserable in a class that I know she will find very overwhelming due to the volume of reading I know is required-so I am against AP for the sake of AP-and I am against her doing something to impress some admission committee at any school-I want her to study what she wants and challenge herself and it seems like yes-the double math is that route. So she wants to take the AP because she feels she must-but she really wants to take them math because that is what interests her-I hope that all makes sense.</p>
<p>momsings congrats!! That is wonderful!</p>
<p>Threesdad you made me laugh as our weather in New England was just as wonderful and the girl loved being picked up after school practice to go practice her other sport she plays right now for her club-at least she didn’t need her frozen hands for the latter practice-this weather really is the pits. :(</p>
<p>Left I think I understand your strategy which kind of scares me!</p>
<p>I must agree with those who think the reach schools aren’t going to get any easier-the foreign students who are full pay are a definite factor and the ease of applying doesn’t help. However, there are so many really good schools in this country that all of our kids are going to be just fine-they are already ahead of the game with how much we already know that can help them-and making that list we also know to factor in cost as well so they will all have good choices when the time comes. :)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone about my DS–we are thrilled!</p>
<p>I really believe it is ok to apply to a few reach schools but apply realistically as well. I often don’t think parents have an understanding how difficult a reach can be to get into and then allow their kids to apply to several thinking they will at least get into 1. Also, “reach” is individual, no? My niece just finished applying to and getting rejected by several ivies. It is a good thing she had some other top notch schools that she applied to, which for her were a match (maybe a reach for someone else). It really is about doing your homework, and “know thyself”. Also, I wonder if sending out a zillion apps without visiting the schools first is a good idea or not. Schools do seem to like for kids to check them out first, although I get that it isn’t always realistic to do.</p>
<p>For example, DS is a talented musician. Is he Curtis (4% acceptance) talented? Probably not. I most likely wouldn’t let him audition there, just like I would not have let my older S apply to an Ivy (he wasn’t interested anyway) However, there are excellent music programs that he will qualify for and some reaches that he can audition for as well–you just never know.</p>
<p>The real question is how many unique applicants there are in the pool. The Common Ap folks could actually tell us this if they wished. The number of foreign students at the most selective schools has been very, very stable, so even if more are applying, that just means that pool is getting tighter over time, not that it has any effect on the other sub-pools.</p>
<p>I think it’s very hard for parents, much less kids, to know how they stack up nationally or internationally unless they are involved with activities on a national/international level, and that’s very, very few. The top of the high school class locally means something, but you can’t really tell how that kid compares to a similar kid in the next state over. The real issue for application strategy is can you as a parent, and your kid as the student, handle rejection, because there will be some, even for the best and the brightest. And you need to have a plan when there’s more rejection than planned. But once you’ve done that, why not dream big if that’s what you want?</p>
<p>(And yes, I DID just go through this last year with my D’12/16.)</p>
<p>Having gone through this last year as well (I am remembering a few names I’ve seen already :)) I am just amazed at the difference between our DD '12 and our DS '15. I really believe he will be fine no matter where he ends ups. He is completely unaffected by any prestige rating or perception of popularity. I know I will have to push him to apply to a couple of reaches; but he is oblivious to HYPS or any Public Ivy (UMICH, UNC). He loves football and the Big 10, and when I try and challenge him to pick 1 or 3 “potentials” to apply to? he just shrugs it off.</p>
<p>School is effortless for him. He truly is a natural and gets straight A’s. And at this juncture? I don’t know if he’ll ever get that “fire in his belly” as they say… as of now, I feel he’d be as content at South Dakota State or Minnesota State, Mankato (no offense) as any Ivy or other USN&WR top 100. :(</p>
<p>D. spends most of her spring break study for the AP exams. I’m actually really touched by her willingness to do this. At the beginning of the school year, I was nervous about the AP chemistry she decided to take. She is taking it without honors chem. And she is not really a science kid. She did a summer camp study chem, but at the end of the summer, I didn’t feel she was ready to take AP. She insisted on staying in AP. I couldn’t do anything to make her move down to honors. </p>
<p>Months passed. She really worked hard. She gets As in school. Right now from the few sample tests she did, we can safely say she’s either getting a 5 or at least a 4 in the exam in May. that’s the challenge she gave to herself, and she did it wonderfully. I’m really proud of her. :)</p>
<p>Great, herandhis! You SHOULD be proud of her!</p>
<p>Good luck to all who are taking the AP and SAT exams!</p>
<p>h&hMom - hope she brings “5s.” Is she taking SATIIs as well? Probably good idea to combine.</p>
<p>Momsings, congrats to your kid!</p>
<p>OHMomof2, thanks for that link. I was thinking this morning that I better not be getting anxious over college admissions at this early dateIll never survive Ds senior year. ;)</p>
<p>3girls3cats, thanks for the words of wisdom. I last went through the college admissions insanity when S graduated HS in 2007. It was crazy enough then, and it appears to only have gotten worse. </p>
<p>Speaking of all that anxiety, I need some advice. Ds high school has lots of AP courses as well as a full IB program (or programme, as they say). D was planning on being an IB certificate student; that is, just taking lots of IB and AP classes. We decided on this route because she wouldnt be able to take all the electives she loves so muchtheatre, musical theatre, and chorusif she did the full IB diploma. </p>
<p>However, this summer, the chorus teacher is getting certified to teach IB Music (basically chorus with IB bells and whistles), which means chorus will count as an IB class, and D has no overt reason not to do the IB diploma. She has her eye on several highly selective schools, and the rule for them is to take the most rigorous coursework available. Well, in our HS, thats the IB diploma. </p>
<p>The GC says D needs to go for the diploma if she wants those schools, but I know D isnt enthusiastic. I, too, have reservations. The amount of work just sounds overwhelming. The good news is that shes a math whiz. She signed herself up for HL IB math, and I have no doubt she can handle that. She also, however, didnt sign up for any science, saying she wants to take IB psychology (not even listed in the science section) and thats it. I dont think thats going to cut it, whether she does the full diploma or not. She could take AP physics or IB Environmental Systems (a 2-year class). Does anyone know anything about the latter?</p>
<p>I hate that Im sounding like an overinvolved nutcase. I usually try to give advice and not take the wheel, but were lining up Ds academic path for the next two years (and beyond), and I feel I need to help her examine her choices.</p>
<p>Any thoughts or suggestions on whether she should go for the full diploma? On the science question? Shes still the one wholl have to make a final decision, because shes the one wholl be doing the work.</p>
<p>Her brother went to a top LAC from this HS, but it didnt have the IB program then. Sigh. I think Im already proving LeftofPisas theory on crazy . . . ;)</p>
<p>@limner - my D is in IB magnet/dipolma. S1 (08’) went thru the same program. </p>
<p>I am not exactly sure what the question is but… IB Psychology doesn’t meet IB Science requirement but the IB Env Sci does. It will prepare students for IB SL ES exam and AP ES exam. I have not seen too many kids taking it thou. Usually kids take IB Phys/Bio/Chem 1 (then take AP and IB SL exams) followed by IB Phys/Bio/Chem 2 (then take IB HL) exams.</p>
<p>If this doesn’t answer your question, please PM me. I will try to help out. Also, did she sign up for IB Math HL next year? What math is she taking this year? It is the highest math available, I think… 2 steps above Cal BC (BC, MV, the IB HL)… My D “thinks” she will take it in her senior year.</p>