<p>Sally what are you counting down to? CT14 I have been getting the SAT question of the day for 3 years now- I forward them to my daughter. Junior year she will be the Assistant Editor of the yearbook which is exciting because senior year she will be the editor. She is flipping out because tomorrow they are going on a " field trip" to work on the cover and she will be missing 3 classes. Thankfully it’s the end of the year and a lot of kids will be missing from her classes due to AP tests, so it’s not horrible. Next year she will also miss half a day due to a yearbook " field trip" and is flipping because she refuses to miss AP physics. I told her to take one day at a time. She can always go in for extra help to get the notes. Always something…my daughter’s last test is June 18. Sally is that what you are counting down? I am jealous!!</p>
<p>Last day of school is Thursday! I think softball girl has already checked out for the summer. Only 2 finals and she has high A’s so she is not worried. She even started cleaning her room out yesterday - which we normally do the first few weeks of the hols.</p>
<p>She leaves June 1 for 6 weeks in Europe. My eldest in Argentina, so it will be very quiet for H and I for a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>Hi all! We are back from D #2’s college graduation ceremonies and are pretty exhausted. D15 had to miss a day of school and is now making up two long tests in her most difficult subjects and planning for 3 others right after that. Needless to say, she’s a bit of a basket case. The graduation was beautiful though. D graduated magna cum laude and with honors in her major, and received a monetary award for having achieved the top gpa in her major. This was all very unexpected and she was thrilled. Her coach and her thesis advisor both came over to meet us and both eyed DD 15, suggesting that they were waiting for her in a couple of years.</p>
<p>Ds chem teacher told the class that they could easily get 700+ on the SAT 2 exam based solely on what they know already but he is also offering extra classes in targeted areas to help prepare for the test. I hope it’s ok.</p>
<p>D was accepted to a summer immersion program in coding/robotics/web design/mobile development. This will keep her very busy all summer long but will give her time to continue her music and community service. Oh, and start SAT practice, ha!</p>
<p>Sally how fun that she will be in Europe for 6 weeks!!! These kids do not realize how lucky they are. 3girls congrats to the graduate!!! My daughter is also doing the chem SAT so we can stress together. That summer program sounds quite impressive 3girls. Both of my kids will be working at a camp and my younger one will be doing driver’s Ed each day after camp. Her weekends will be filled with SAT/ACT work and volunteering. We are also going to a few concerts and will be seeing a show or two, so she will get a much needed break. We also go to the hs track every night at around 7:30 so I can get some exercise and she can run laps in preparation for her fall sports season. I fear that the summer will go way too fast.</p>
<p>twogirls - you just gave me motivation to add running to the list of activities. My daughters and I are going for our black belts next year and need to get into shape for the physical. Or at least I do. </p>
<p>Hi Sally - I’m new to the forum. That’s great that your daughters are abroad for the summer. Mine usually get shipped off to the grandparents’ but this year the eldest wants to see what it’s like to have a normal summer with friends and what not. I would love to take her and go overseas if we could afford it. That’s such a great experience. I’m hoping she’ll take advantage of a college abroad program, even if it’s just to go to London.</p>
<p>3girls3cats - The chem class was honors? I wish I had thought about the SAT 2 before. We leave on June 1 and that’s when the next one is scheduled. I guess it doesn’t hurt to wait? </p>
<p>I don’t know if any of you look at the common data sets for schools, but I’ve been looking at those today. It’s interesting to see how important certain things are to different schools - some weight only academics, others weight extra-curriculars heavier. The tests that are looked at vary. The SAT 2 tests may not even be considered at some schools while they are required at others. It’s fascinating to me. I was comparing William and Mary with University of Richmond today, and their basis of selection was completely different. This whole college application is more of an art than a science, for sure.</p>
<p>Laclos I look at that all the time. I look at which schools track interest versus which schools don’t so that we can prioritize our college visits. Some schools weight demonstrated interest while others don’t. I also find this fascinating. As far as running laps, last year I started off slowly and by the end of the summer I was able to jog almost 2 miles without stopping. I jogged very very slowly, but its better than nothing.</p>
<p>I cracked up at MIT’s “basis of selection”. They bumped everything down and put only “Character/personal qualities” as very important. As if GPA, etc aren’t more important there than most anywhere. I don’t know what that means except it leaves the door open for them to pick people for nebulous reasons.</p>
<p>Yes I looked up MIT and that is strange! Right now I am trying to figure out a schedule of visits and am prioritizing according to how they view demonstrated interest. Some schools do not care if you show interest, while others do. I need to make sure that we visit the schools where it really matters. I am also trying not to flip out!</p>
<p>That’s a good idea. I can’t get my daughter to go on a guided tour yet, let alone talk to anyone at the school to make any record of her interest. I think she’ll end up going in-state so we’ll have time to do some touring next year. The only out of state she might consider is Florida, but they don’t seem to really care about interest. We’re going to visit there in 2 weeks, because I want to replace my lost sweatshirt mainly. I was going to swing through Raleigh/Chapel Hill and walk some of the NC campuses, but then I did the net calculator and I’d rather she not even consider those unless we somehow end up moving to NC.</p>
<p>Any idea which schools care about the interests?</p>
<p>My daughter will be going instate too unless she gets OOS merit. I am only allowing her to apply to OOS schools where she has an excellent shot at merit aid. She will apply to a lot of schools ( probably around 15 which is a lot) and we will see what offers she gets. Going to Florida to replace your sweatshirt- funny!! Anyway we visited about 8 schools so far. She was not thrilled at first but she perked up once she realized that there were other sophomores on the tours as well. We went early but since we have so many schools to see we thought it might be a good idea. I think we have a visit lined up for the beginning of September since school does not start until the 9th. Our next trip will be during the February break. I am not sure that we will be able to see every school but we will do our best. I also want her to set up a few interviews, but one step at a time!</p>
<p>Herandhis if you look at the common data set for the school you will see a chart with lots of “x” marks marking " important" " not considered" etc. you can look down the column and see what is marked under demonstrated interest. Each school is different. For example UVA does not seem to care, while Lehigh does. Demonstrated interest does not have to be a visit. It could be an email, local interview, etc.</p>
<p>Just a hint: I’ve found that the easiest way to find the common data set is simply google “name<em>of</em>school common data set”</p>
<p>thanks!! I’ll google</p>
<p>I’m way behind all of you. We haven’t looked at schools yet except to get a sense of big vs. small, public vs. private. D has been dragged along to many different schools with her sisters and has stayed at some for summer programs so she has a general sense of what it is like to be on a campus. She’s really not ready to consider trying on a school for real. Hopefully, next year. My focus is on finding the set of schools that value quiet, scholarly kids. I had not fully realized how negatively this sort of kid is regarded; I didn’t deal with this kind of personality with my older two. I also think it will be helpful to have a better sense of where her grades and scores will end up next year. </p>
<p>Sally, six weeks in Europe sounds amazing! Argentina sounds pretty amazing too. </p>
<p>Laclos, yes this was an honors chem class. How cool that you are studying for your black belt along with your daughters!</p>
<p>3girls there is no reason to visit schools right now. My husband and I just figured that we had some free time so we might as well. My daughter did not love the idea but she came along anyway and started to enjoy it once she realized that she was not the only sophomore. We are also looking for schools that cater to scholarly kids who do not like to party. My daughter’s idea of fun is going to dinner and discussing a book, although she says she wants a " rah rah " school. I did not have this experience with my older one either. I am hoping that we find a school that meets her academic needs while at the same time has a big enough group of kids that meet her needs on a social level. It’s making me a bit nervous. My daughter is not one to hang out or walk the mall with a group of kids. When she is with her friends they are either working on a project, discussing chemistry, or planning the next fundraiser. Again, I never had this with my older one.</p>
<p>S begins PSAT prep this June using the SAT study book. Our school had the kids take a mock SAT this spring and he did well in the writing section, average on the CR and math. For most colleges the SAT writing section is not considered. I also encouraged him to read and follow Xiggi’s suggestions in the CC SAT forums in addition to using the guidebook. I hope I can get him to follow through on an action plan for the summer. </p>
<p>Washington University in St. Louis considers demonstrated interest from students. We visited the campus when D’12 was applying. There are no plans currently for college visits this summer. Our school allows for 2 excused absences during junior year for college visits so we may take advantage of this if S show interest in a particular school nearby.</p>
<p>I’ve been taking D15 to visit schools since she was old enough to walk, but that’s because I like to visit places. Whenever we go anywhere, I try to swing into a college town just to check out the vibe. She’ll always have fond memories of the time mom drove on the sidewalks in Clemson because that’s where the GPS told her to go… Sigh. Hey - they were BIG sidewalks. Once, my husband and I dragged her to see the University of Richmond because he had gone to law school there and I had taught there, so we just wanted to walk around. She was totally resistant about it and being a bit of a pita until she go on grounds and then promptly fell in love. It’s a gorgeous campus. </p>
<p>She has also done a week at Auburn for creative writing and will do a week at Radford this year for a science summer bridge. I wish I could get her to commit to something longer than a week somewhere, but that’s all I’m going to get her to do. I’m glad she’ll have some experience living on campus in a couple of places. </p>
<p>What I’m wondering is whether kids who are presented with college like this ever feel the same kind of school loyalty and rah-rah that kids who are raised with one college in mind feel. I grew up in a very school loyal family, and although I went to that school also, it’s not really where I wanted to go and I resented it. My family has already tried various ways to induce her to want to go to that school, but I guess I’m just trying to make sure she knows there are plenty of options. Although, honestly, there aren’t plenty of options because when it comes down to it, she’ll go where she gets the best bang for her buck.</p>
<p>Some schools, whether they consider overall interest or not, will notice an interest in a particular aspect of their institution. As in, “I would like like to attend your school because of your strong x department, y sport, or z music ensemble.” Any school recognizes interest in terms of research you do about it.</p>
<p>Merit scholarships can be great, but if you are a strong student, who would qualify for merit aid, consider a need blind/full need school. They essentially promise to make up the gap with grants (without loans or with just modest loans) between your EFC and sticker price. My dtr, for example, received better aid from a full need school than one thst offered merit aid. One nice thing about full need schools is that there is no class division–no honor programs, no merit aid. The message is: it’s an honor to be here, and you’re all in the same boat. </p>
<p>Some of the full-need schools are SAT optional and are ranked among the best in the nation, e.g., Bowdoin and Bates. </p>
<p>I visited a few schools with my sophomore son, and I agree that there were always some to many sophs. Besides, in a few weeks they won’t be sophomores anymore. </p>
<p>Re MIT: that was one of the schools we visited, and there may be something to them looking at intangibles, or to use their buzzwords, “a good fit.” At the info session, the Admissions Director said, “If we wanted to, we could populate our freshman class only with perfect SATs, but we don’t.”</p>
<p>DD and I attended Exploring College Options last night. [Exploring</a> College Options](<a href=“http://exploringcollegeoptions.org/]Exploring”>http://exploringcollegeoptions.org/)
Some people think that these tours aren’t helpful but I thought it was a great low stress environment to provide exposure to a variety of schools. The room held probably about a 1,000 parents and students. My request to her was to listen and then tell me what you think during dinner. I didn’t identify any schools or give her my preferences. I told DD to relax, listen, and wear what makes you comfortable. Afterall this is what the schools are going to get. She was dress casual in her cheer jersey, shorts, and flip flops. Others were obviously trying to impress and dressed up. </p>
<p>If your child has older brother or sisters and have been on actual visits, this type of event will probably bore them. Harvard-no interest. Georgetown is at home and didn’t interest her. She knew Stanford fairly well because of the summer program she attended last summer there for 3 weeks. Duke no real reaction one way or the other. Penn was the school that stood out for her for many reasons. Finally, Penn gave me the opportunity to find out what was interesting and why she liked that school. The others gave me the opportunity to discuss what she didn’t like. </p>
<p>I used this as an opportunity to tell her how hard it is to get into these schools, the cost/FA, the number of applications, and the quality of students that attend. She could see from the room filled up with parents and students trying to impress that these schools were very popular. </p>
<p>You many know these things already but below are a few interesting things to note from the session.
• A question came up on GPA/SAT range. No school gave an expected GPA/SAT range. They all answered with we look at the application holistically. Whatever that means.</p>
<ul>
<li>Merit aid. Penn and Harvard are need based only.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>*Duke, Stanford and Georgetown give merit aid. BUT their merit aid is primarily in the form of athletic scholarships only. Duke also has 50 full scholarships for the entire freshman class. The admissions representative said that the # of students receiving merit aid is so small that most people should really look at need based aid as the primary method for FA at these schools.</p>
<p>Duke and Penn clearly declared that they take 50% of their students from ED giving those in ED a better chance. G’town said that EA doesn’t give you a better chance you just find out earlier. They also said that in the EA round that they accept or defer all applications. Stanford takes 1/3 from REA. Harvard did not give stats.</p>
<p>That’s my report. Hope it helps someone. It gave DD some clarity. We would probably have considered Gtown, Penn, and Duke. Gtown will probably be out because she doesn’t have a real interest and no FA. We will continue to look at Duke and Penn. I know that these will be our reach schools. UMD-CP is our safety school over 50% from her HS accepted each year. UMD has her ptential major and she would not have a problem going there.</p>