<p>I went to our school’s Common Application presentation last night. It was actually very informative. Guidance did a slide presentation so I actually saw what the different sections and formats are on the CA. I got a better understanding of how the transcript/LOR parts work. They said that if you are applying ED or EA you should be ready to hit submit by now. Which is exactly why I attended the meeting this year as opposed to next year. A productive hour and a half of my life.</p>
<p>More on the college fair during school yesterday…D was turned off by the Sacred Heart lady, said she wasn’t friendly at all. Iona didn’t show up. She got a few pamphlets from tables where she felt bad that the person had no one to talk to. She went and spoke to the guy at my alma mater’s table but she didn’t know what year I graduated. She met up with some soccer friends right by the Arizona table (why were they at our school??) and the lady engaged them with sports talk. D asked if they had club softball and the Arizona lady said, “no, but we have varsity softball”. Lol…D said it was all she could do to not laugh at her and say “yeah, cause Mike Candrea the Olympic softball coach surely wants to recruit me!!” But my darling D just smiled, nodded and enjoyed the comment even her soccer friends didn’t understand :)</p>
<p>I have also toured various colleges with my tongue hanging out. The facilities are amazing and there are classes that sound equally amazing. The big sticking point for me is the notion of having a roommate. I have enough trouble sharing with the current “roommate.” GOL here…</p>
<p>Stemmmm, it’s good to hear that the stress level has gone down a bit. I think you’ve hit on the answer when you tell him it will all be ok. Sometimes that’s all our kids need to hear. The GCs keep telling us that. They get the pressure from themselves, the workload at school, and their peers. We as parents are the ones who can give them some relief.</p>
<p>Welcome Marylandfour! Wow, there are lots of Marylanders on this thread. I miss the area–really loved living there. Yes, things have changed in college life and admissions. Not only are the kids spoiled by cappuccino, and sushi and smoothie bars but the kids going are much more diverse and interesting. And of course way more polished than we were. We attended my H’s college reunion a few years ago and the first thing the organizer asked was, “How many of you think you could get in today?” Not one hand went up. Personally, I think we were more fun. :)</p>
<p>Twogirls, that high school isn’t the one my D attends! It is not too far away though and after looking at the CA list last night, I realized there are a few of these high schools in the region and in the state. Sheesh. No wonder CA’s cutoff has risen so much. </p>
<p>Herandhismom, a little distraction is a good thing. Enjoy her creativity!</p>
<p>Keepmecruisin, thanks for the report. I find it astonishing that a school could put on a college night to help with the common app at a point when some kids should already be finished with it. Did they put anything like this on last spring for the rising seniors? Lol about Arizona!</p>
<p>Keepmecruisin- We had a scout from Arizona at our softball game last week. He was watching the pitcher on the other team. The girl was throwing 70. Our kids didn’t have a chance against her. Not one hit!</p>
<p>We bought a house in MD down the road from Langley high school, moved in with two toddlers on Halloween in 1994, then the House went republican a few days later and we knew dh would be out a job. Headed back to the Midwest where schools aren’t as good but are much less competitive and where life isn’t as interesting but is much more affordable.</p>
<p>Continuing my comment about my area schools not being very good, I am very disappointed to learn that my S15 feels obliged to move down to IB standard level math. He scored 28/40 on his first test and the teacher, also his house parent, advised him that it will only get harder. His prior math courses just did not prepare him for this course despite his aptitude for math and academics in general. He is moving up to HL Spanish, a good thing since he had already taken AP Spanish and scored a 4 on the exam in 2012 but I am really sad that he is going to go to college without a math course that is at least the equivalent of BC calculus. I know this course isn’t essential to everybody but we were anticipating that S15 might be interested in a STEM field and now I don’t think he is going to look competitive or be prepared. :(</p>
<p>Sally, that’s some serious pop. There is a kid in our region who was throwing a legit 60+ as an 8th grader. She had control problems though and when we played her last year when she was a freshman, the only batter she threw strikes to was my 5’10" kid. She walked or plunked all the shorter kids lol.</p>
<p>3girls…they advertised the Common App night as a senior parent presentation. I just showed up anyway. I agree they should do it in the spring or early fall. Sounds like they field individual calls from parents and kids who need help with it.</p>
<p>keepmecruising, I’m jealous. Presentations about common app? At our school’s college info night last year, when someone asked about it the GC dismissively said that was something only a very few students looking at OOS schools might have to deal with. Just considering the top 50 or so kids from that class, about 40 enrolled at OOS schools with large portion of them being common app schools. </p>
<p>I got into a minor dispute with her about whether our flagship down the road required transcripts from all high schools attended when a parent asked about it and she said no just the current HS transcript. That was incorrect and I even had e-mail from admissions confirming that they require transcripts from all schools whether or not current HS has incorporated the credits into their transcript, which I passed on to GC office the next day. But she froze me with an icy glare saying she had never heard of anything like that and no schools require that.</p>
<p>Apollo, too bad about the math. But that shouldn’t prevent him pursuing a STEM major. Lots of kids that had BC repeat calc in college for reinforcement. Some schools strongly encourage that. He won’t be behind, just maybe need to study hard first semester. If he works now and masters the material in his class, whatever it is, he’ll be fine. Get those logs and exponentials under control. You can’t believe how many college kids who have been exposed to these topics many times are still very shaky about them.</p>
<p>3girls, if you want to go to college, no prob getting a private room with private bath if you enroll at one of the places with fancy new dorms. It’s $2,000 more a year, but get your housing app in early so you’re at top of list and privacy is yours. D has that, but with her IBS we put request through disability office to be absolutely sure. She does know kids that got it just by simple request on housing app. Talk about spoiled. She never had private bath at home. I don’t have a private bath, even with her gone. And the gourmet cakes and specialty foods they have in the honors dining, jeez. Good thing she bikes around campus to work off the calories.</p>
<p>This thread moves so quickly it’s hard to keep up! </p>
<p>At my Ds school they really downplay the PSAT. I think they don’t want to add to the stress. There are a good number of NMFs each year though, so the kids probably feel badly if they don’t make it. </p>
<p>TwoGirls – I’ve had similar conversations with people. It’s hard not to reply when people as you about this stuff. But then they don’t always want to hear what I’ve learned. I’m trying to avoid these conversations but it’s hard to do.</p>
<p>Wolverine – I’m with you on all the food choices at colleges these days. It came as a complete shock when we saw Starbucks, Panda Express, Jamba, and other chains on campus when we toured last Spring!</p>
<p>Today is my DDs 17th birthday and she passed her driving test!</p>
<p>She is a junior and we went to a college fair last week…I noticed that she was more swayed by part of the application process (you can go to class with a student!) than the actual college. But I can use that knowledge to steer her to appropriate colleges.</p>
<p>celeste I love the soccer story. Your S sounds like a very empathetic and generous young man :)</p>
<p>D’s HS has announcements each day over the PA, a longer version goes out by email. The email includes sports info, club meetings, deadlines, what colleges are coming when, etc. So I happen to know that our HS of 800 or so kids had 2 NMSFs and about 10 commended scholars. I am sure they get recognition at honors night which is every spring and recognizes kids for NHS, various awards and academic competitions, etc. </p>
<p>Speaking of NHS, D just texted me that she has been accepted. She worked pretty hard on her application, especially figuring out what her leadership qualities are and how she exhibits them, and she was a little worried she wouldn’t make it. A few of her friends were given their apps back last week to correct (list more? explain better? not sure) but she wasn’t so assumed she was either definitely in or definitely out…I am very happy for her that she is in :)</p>
<p>Re: merit awards for just OK students…my S was an OK student with just OK test scores. He was offered merit at almost every school he applied to, mainly LACs in the midwest. Merit is out there for any kind of student, but schools have to want you for some reason. In his case he’s a musician with strong ECs in that area and is an engaging outgoing kid who shines in interviews and essays, took hard courses, and he was a boy applying to a LAC which is a bit of a hook these days. These are great schools, but not super competitive, many are CTCL schools. A couple were high matches for him on paper, they admitted him and offered merit anyway.</p>
<p>Don’t be sad…I took what must have been Calc AB when I was in High School. I took Calc 1 again in college and that time I really <em>got</em> it. If i had tried to go to advanced Calc then that would have been a struggle. I majored in Electrical Engineering and am employed as an engineer today. </p>
<p>If you look at the typical course progression in Engineering, I am pretty sure it starts with Calc 1, not 2 or 3 (multivariable). So your son is just where he should be.</p>
<p>apollo - my oldest took Calc AB his senior year and ended up becoming a math major and will have 9 grad courses under his belt when he graduates this spring! I don’t think your son is limiting his future options by not completing BC Calc. Truly. :)</p>
<p>OHmom, congrats to your D!! That’s a great accomplishment.</p>
<p>Bopper, congrats to your D on passing her driving test! </p>
<p>Apollo, I’m going to echo what others have said. Don’t be discouraged for your S yet. A very talented family member who is now a math prof told us he failed high school math. He too “got it” in college and then soared. I agree with you that it takes a good math teacher (and a willingness on the part of the student to work through frustration) to get to that point. He’ll get there yet. Personally, I think they moved him down too quickly. My D started off in her freshman honors math class with 70s on tests. The teacher told us to have patience and that as long as she was willing to work at it, she’d be ok. It took time but she gained ground as the year went on and ended the year with an A. She now feels that math is less daunting than history. This is quite a switch for her.</p>
<p>Apollo - my old boss had to resign after 2000 hanging chad election. He was a dem appointee and he had to check out when everything settled. I remember listening his interview on the radio the day before he packed his box. It was a sad day. </p>
<p>As for your son’s math, can you get him some extra help? A tutor maybe? What was his last math class?</p>
<p>My question today is why do CO2/smoke alarm batteries invariably decide to die at 5am?</p>
<p>Ohmomof2, “an engaging outgoing kid who shines in interviews and essays” That’s what I want. It’s a golden ticket. He could make a large income if he knew a way to effectively bottle and transmit those skills.</p>
<p>Thank you for the link to the other thread and the positive anecdotes. I hope I don’t hear similar bad news about HL physics. As long as that one works out, I think it will be okay. He will be an odd applicant next year - a male with strengths in languages and music but not so much in math and science. Who knows, maybe atypical will work in his favor.</p>
But that shouldn’t prevent him pursuing a STEM major. Lots of kids that had BC repeat calc in college for reinforcement. Some schools strongly encourage that. He won’t be behind, just maybe need to study hard first semester. If he works now and masters the material in his class, whatever it is, he’ll be fine. Get those logs and exponentials under control. You can’t believe how many college kids who have been exposed to these topics many times are still very shaky about them.</p>