<p>celesteroberts – I recommend a potted amaryllis bulb. Guaranteed to produce lovely blooms in just a few weeks. Paperwhites are nice, too. Much more satisfying than high school juniors. :D</p>
<p>Hello to all and happy belated Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>I am seeing here that there are many ways to approach the college search and that some of it is dependent on the major or specialty that’s important to the individual-athletics, fine arts,-while some is dependent on the personality and temperament of the individual-both parent and child, lol.</p>
<p>We are very much in the pre-list stage in this house. D has scores and grades that give her a wide range of choices (well, maybe 
) but that hasn’t proved as helpful as I thought it might be. I’m really looking for that spark of confidence that will get D to start taking the lead rather than H or me. Mihcal, I really loved hearing about your D1 because like Celeste, I find it inspiring and comforting.</p>
<p>Celeste, I wanted to add that my brother-in-law took woodworking classes in high school and it became an ongoing hobby that morphed more recently into part of a business he runs. It’s really an art; his work is exceptional. I think it’s really wonderful that your son is pursuing this. </p>
<p>I WISH I’d taken auto mechanics somewhere along the way.</p>
<p>mihcal- oooh, good idea. Actually, since I finally had the bright idea to fertilize my houseplants the way I do my garden plants, it seems like my Xmas cactus will have flowers pretty soon.</p>
<p>Then our area froze up unusually early this fall. I still have a few bulbs unplanted. I dragged buckets of compost into garage to thaw, going out now to see if I can hack some holes in the ground. If not, I may be forcing bulbs in Feb., but not paperwhites.</p>
<p>The trick would be to figure out how to ‘force’ a junior. Hmmm. Ground prime rib, sprinkled with tincture of high-grade ice cream. Plenty of lazy sunshine to sprawl in and digest. Fresh flannel sheets for good sleep. If signs of growth appear, rush to show historical documentaries and ferry to local playhouses showing T. Williams and university lecture series to foster accelerated progress.</p>
<p>Some days I heart you people.</p>
<p>Love it, Celeste! :D</p>
<p>My son is on the couch watching Parks and Rec reruns and eating raw spaghetti. Potential college essay perhaps?</p>
<p>I feel the need to say that it’s not my daughter who has the list- it’s ME who has the list- and this is not how it should be LOL. Every so often she makes a comment such as " eh I don’t like that school." There are only two schools out of the 10 that we visited that she LOVES- the rest are just " ok." I am hoping that by April she will be able to sit down and create some type of a list- at that point we will be done with our visits. Every time I put a school on the list that is an academic safety but a financial reach she makes a face- I have to remind her that these are the schools that might give her some money. She can certainly apply to some very competitive schools but if the finances don’t work out she can’t go. I think that my list has a very nice mix of schools LOL!!</p>
<p>Meanwhile so many kids are getting sick and today my kid is under the weather- headache, scratchy throat etc. It’s only Monday so by Saturday the worst of this should be behind her. Her friend was out today and they are in all the same classes. My kid keeps plugging along even when she has a cold, but of course it’s best not to have one at all. </p>
<p>I am just so stressed from these dumb tests. At least after next weekend I feel like we will have some data and maybe the stress will go away somewhat. I would like to be able to sit down with actual scores and look at Naviance data to see where she is- we may be able to predict merit money for some of the schools that give it.</p>
<p>OHMomof2, I’m not familiar with that set of books in whatever format, but is there a character that says “I don’t know” all of the time? That would be mine. </p>
<p>We’ve had a list of about 5-6 schools with a few more in consideration from time to time, but they are entirely based on one particular major D is considering. I am thrilled that she was at least able to give me a lead to follow, but I’m not really seeing her heart in it. If she is going to pursue this field as a career, she’s eventually going to have to do some blooming and show some level of passion. It’s not the kind of thing you can do half-heartedly. I told her to prepare for a conversation in a month or so to re-evaluate this possibility and to set up college visits. In the meantime, I’m trying to hold off on the conversations about it.</p>
<p>That sounds like sub-optimal fertilizer to me, but it is winter after all, time for semidormant phase.</p>
<p>Mihcal I meant to comment on the great story you told about your daughter. I love to hear those stories.</p>
<p>@ IJD, sure you can direct the friend my way. Send me a PM & I will get you an email address. </p>
<p>She needs to get the following books now so she may become familiar with dance programs:</p>
<p>[Creative</a> Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers: Elaina Loveland: 9781617600364: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Colleges-Student-Artists-Musicians/dp/1617600369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386020874&sr=8-1&keywords=creative+colleges]Creative”>http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Colleges-Student-Artists-Musicians/dp/1617600369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386020874&sr=8-1&keywords=creative+colleges)</p>
<p>[Dance</a> Magazine ? If it’s happening in the world of dance, it’s happening in Dance Magazine.](<a href=“http://www.dancemagazine.com/thecollegeguide/]Dance”>http://www.dancemagazine.com/thecollegeguide/)</p>
<p>Dance Magazine also has an online search function based on a dancer’s preferences:
<a href=“http://www.dancemagazine.com/thecollegeguide?templateless=du[/url]”>http://www.dancemagazine.com/thecollegeguide?templateless=du</a></p>
<p>There’s also Cyber Dance that has a college list.<a href=“http://www.cyberdance.org/[/url]”>http://www.cyberdance.org/</a>
It is not updated, but lists almost every college and or university that offers courses, a minor or a major in dance. The parent and student will have to research each of these schools to determine offerings. </p>
<p>And CC’s Dance Major thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dance-major/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dance-major/</a></p>
<p>Have the family look for performance videos on school websites, Youtube, and the internet so the student may determine if they wish to further research an institution’s dance program or nix it from the list. Performances do not lie about the caliber of dance taking place at a school–lol. </p>
<p>Also, do not discount schools because there is no dance program. Some schools, like sevral of the Ivies, provide excellent dance programs as extracurricular activities for no credit. Other schools may not have a program but are in a city with excellent classes or professional companies to which students may participate in or audition for as a means to meet their dance needs. </p>
<p>This should get her started!</p>
<p>The ‘personalized planning kit’ is now up on CB website, but it says you can’t see PSAT score without the access code until 1/15.</p>
<p>I knew that would happen. We did not get my older D scores until the end of January so maybe I can get them a little early this time.</p>
<p>I don’t know what I have done, but now I am getting so many pop up ads, it’s getting difficult to even use the computer. A lot of them are showing up when I get on CC. Anyone else having this problem? </p>
<p>It seems difficult to feel confident about college choices at this point in the junior year! BHM, it must feel great though, to have that portion of the college process checked off the list!<br>
My D is still having some issues with anxiety/stress that hit her last year. 
It’s challenging. She has always been a high achiever type, not happy with anything but all A’s, etc…until this year. Her health and well being is the most important, of course, but it does add another dimension to the college search. We are really ok with a healthy mix of A’s and B’s but she’s had a couple C’s (as of interims…not report card) that she wants to fix, but doesn’t seem terribly concerned about. I know she doesn’t want to stress more, and I really don’t want to add to her stress, but I also don’t want a rough junior year to limit her options later. I think she would really be most comfortable in a smaller college, not terribly far from home and I want her to have that option. I know there are schools that she will still qualify for, even if grades slip, etc, but she also likes being surrounded by students who are ‘academic types’… So I am on the hunt for schools that have smart, academically engaged, but not ‘type A’ personality students.
She has also always been one to do well self studying for tests but hasn’t been interested/able to study for SAT/ACT. Some days it can even be hard for her to focus on homework. She did well on her ‘cold’ SAT (thank goodness) but obviously not what she would likely get with some prep. Just so much running through my mind…first and foremost, I want her to feel better!!! Right now, I am sure she just doesn’t feel confident that she will feel ready for college and worries that it will be more of an emotional challenge than an exciting time. I am hoping that will change for her, and she will find her balance and feel ready and excited…soon!</p>
<p>shoboemom----can you run a virus scan? (Norton AntiVirus is what we use. You can download–not free, and not inexpensive either.) I am no expert, but the sudden arrival of pop-up ads may mean a virus.</p>
<p>Ads appearing at the top of the NY Times banner or down the side of Weather.com are not the concern, but ads that pop up in the middle of something you are working on are a concern.</p>
<p>Separately, I have Ad Blocker on my computer so I don’t see ads on CC or the NYT or anywhere. I don’t have it on the iPad so am always taken aback to see ads again.</p>
<p>RE: PSAT score reporting. I believe the scores are sent to the high schools for distribution to the students. It annoyed me when Guidance would not distribute them immediately upon receipt, especially since we pay for the students to take the test and it is administered on a Sat morning, so I didn’t see why the scores had to go to Guidance first.</p>
<p>Shoboemom, it sounds like your D is trying to insulate herself from the stress of high school and the college search process. I believe she will be ok and then some and that you are doing exactly the right thing by supporting her. We all share your anxiety at some point or another (or always, in my case) but I truly believe that the more we are able to suppress our feelings and provide a haven for our kids, the better things will go and the better they will be. Sign me up for the search for the school that attracts smart, academically engaged students who aren’t type A! </p>
<p>I came here right now to vent about a source of stress that bothers ME very much: the stress that comes from competitive peers. Your D sounds mature in that she’s rejected this path and perhaps doesn’t want to deal with it in her own life. One of D’s close friends took the SAT in November at the same time she did. D said her friend was crying the day they looked up their scores. This girl is a driven kid who is a stellar athlete who is already being courted by several colleges. She reported to D that her parents are extremely disappointed in her SAT scores. She then point blank asked D if she’d scored over a certain number. D has been counseled not to discuss scores with friends so she was uneasy and rattled but eventually admitted that she had. The girl then said she had too but asked D, almost angrily, why, if she’d scored at that level, would she consider taking the test again.</p>
<p>Either the girl was shamed into lying about her scores or her parents are crazy. Or both. She has lied to D in the past about her grades in classes they’ve shared. And her parents expect nothing less than perfect scores. This is a highly ranked athlete who is already being recruited by highly regarded schools! My D was very shaken by the interaction. For one thing, the friend is ostensibly miserable over scores in a range that my D (and any other rational person) was happy to get. For another, she is rattling my D. She is always minimizing D’s accomplishments and touting her own. The problem is that most of D’s friends fit this type in some way or another. I once made the mistake of talking to a parent of another of D’s friends. She went back to her child and asked whether my D was smart! Just because I hadn’t talked about grades, scores, ambitions, schools?? I learned my lesson and kept my distance. I would prefer that my kid not go to college with most of these kids! </p>
<p>D told me that she was grateful that her parents are nicer than her friend’s parents. I hope I can continue to keep in mind the atmosphere she is living in by day each day as we go forward.</p>
<p>Oh, and no, I’m not seeing any pop up ads here.</p>
<p>As to the PSAT, given what I’ve posted above, I’m in no rush to see the scores distributed to the students. I’m glad that D’s already taken the SAT and had it scored. I think it will help to put the PSAT in perspective.</p>
<p>CT1417: It annoyed me when Guidance would not distribute them immediately upon receipt, especially since we pay for the students to take the test and it is administered on a Sat morning, so I didn’t see why the scores had to go to Guidance first. </p>
<p>This will annoy me to no end if this happens. There is no reason to hold the scores for more than a day I think. I believe some schools don’t distribute them until January. I don’t understand that.</p>
<p>Re: tons of popup ads, if you don’t use AVG (free antivirus) download and run that; I’d also download and run an anti-spyware program like Super Anti Spyware, also free.</p>