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<p>this made me smile…</p>
<p>@quotia, I’ll pm you.</p>
<p>I’m so glad to see many of you have older kids who went through this. Will be happy to hear from your experiences. I feel so ignorant about many things related to my children’s future college applications, etc.</p>
<p>Glad to see we are back!</p>
<p>D2 is on countdown till school finishes. She just finished up Track and is glad to be done with it. She went from softball, straight into swim team and then track. This is the first full week she will be home from school at 3:30. Don’t think she will sign up for Track next year- " too much of a time commitment" She is no track star, only did it to increase her speed for softball.</p>
<p>Managed to keep all A’s… so far. Only a few weeks to go. She is running unopposed for Class treasurer this week. I just love to see her become so involved!</p>
<p>Freshman year has been good for both d’s ( college girl and hs girl). Can’t believe it is almost over!</p>
<p>@Pinotnoir, Thanks!
@Quotia, thanks a MILLION!! </p>
<p>She’s working on her bibliography. Honestly I don’t think she’ll get to national but this is a wonderful experience. </p>
<p>This is such a lovely group here. We help each other and cheer each other up. If anybody needs help in math and physics, I may be able to offer some. :)</p>
<p>hereandhisMom, that sounds like a very cool project that your D is doing. Was this opportunity offered through school? Sometimes I feel like my D’s school is so large and managing so many kids that cool things like this aren’t even attempted there. </p>
<p>The next few weeks for my D will be interesting. She is running for class rep, and I think it’s going to be a long-shot - over 650 kids in her class, so she’s never even met the majority of them - and only 6 slots. She sometimes balks at putting herself out there on things like this, so I’m just glad she gave it a try.</p>
<p>She’ll also be trying out for a competitive choir group for next year. This one is important to her, so I’m telling her that it’s no big deal if she doesn’t make it (she’s a sophomore, upper classmen will have an edge) but secretly I’m really really hoping it works out for her.</p>
<p>And last but not least, she’s signing up for her summer school classes today. She needs to knock out PE, and when I dropped her off she couldn’t decide whether to take it for 2 sessions or just one, so of course I had to write 2 checks so she could decide it up to the last minute. <em>eyeroll</em> I’d prefer she just take both and just get this requirement out of the way, but it would make for a not-so-fun summer: only 3 weeks without a class.</p>
<p>Count me in for the getting to do this all again with a D12 and D15. D15 is on her band trip. D12 has already said the “This is almost the last time, it will just be the the 3 of us” to my wife and I.</p>
<p>D15 is a very different student than the older so it should be an interesting ride for the next 3 years.</p>
<p>The local science fair is this weekend, and the big drama is what to wear. D15 would be happy in jeans and a ratty t-shirt. She does NOT like how the dress pants feel. :-)</p>
<p>herandhisMom – My D2015 is going to CA History Day. She went last year, too, but that was Junior Division. This year it’s the big leagues. Very unlikely our Ds will progress to to Nationals as freshmen, but the state-level HD is still a fantastic experience. Go see as many projects as you can – the quality of the work will blow your socks off! </p>
<p>D2015 also won an honorable mention in her category for county-level science fair. She was on pins-and-needles whether she’d get tapped to go to State … turns out she won’t. She did last year (again, Junior Division) and it was a serious hassle because CA History Day and CA State Science Fair are back-to-back in opposite parts of the state. Anyway, she is happy to have garnered even an honorable mention as a freshman, and also because she won a special category award with a $50 prize. :)</p>
<p>My D2012 did all sorts of academic competitions, too, but they were completely different ones. I’m hanging onto my hat for a new-and-different ride!</p>
<p>Good luck for all of these competition kids! </p>
<p>D15 has Science Fair, state math competition and ARML in the next 6 weeks. Somehow it feels like a piece of cake after all of the middle school contests, but she takes it all very, very seriously.</p>
<p>Hang on, it’ll be a bumpy ride!</p>
<p>Long-time lurker now joining the fun! Hello, all. DH & I have 4 kids, DS2015 is oldest. He attends suburban, Midwest HS & takes the standard 9th grade Honors courses + Spanish, Symphonic Orchestra, PE (required) & debate (1st sem) + computer class (2nd sem, req). DS will go to State Music Competition in a few weeks, the only Frosh at his school going. He’s excited, which says something because he’s not always too fond of orchestra, private lessons and practicing!</p>
<p>DS is more of a sports guy, playing soccer, then basketball & now baseball for his HS. He also plays club soccer, but hasn’t made many practices, so he’s basically benched but the coach will play him once baseball is over. Playing for his school has been a real treat & he probably won’t be able to do that for all sports in years to come. Sports at his HS is huge (what else?) and he’s lucky to have made it this far.</p>
<p>He has so far taken “most rigorous” classes for 9th and is signed up for same in 10th, but I’m getting nervous about how he will cope with increased workload. He has all As so far, with lots going on in school, sports & volunteering, so he is doing well for now & mostly enjoys HS. The girls don’t seem to take much notice of him yet, which has also helped his focus on school ;-)</p>
<p>Looking forward to many good years to come for all of us!</p>
<p>@herandhis, Are you a mathematician or physicist? I do physics and I LOVE IT! Unfortunately my D’s school does horribly in their AP physics. I’m hoping to help. Is AP physics a problem in many HSs? In our area, all the high schools do badly in it. </p>
<p>Good luck to the competition kids!
Our area eliminated science fair several years ago because of a budget problem. I think it’s a very bad move.</p>
<p>Hi, This is my first post too so I guess, I’m very green!! S12 is in year 7 now and knowing that getting Ivy league colleges are not easy, I’ve decided to start college preparatn early. S12 wants to study architecture and has a good flair of drawing; but I guess we need more. What subjects do we pay particular interest starting now? and how do I pepare him to be disciplined at his academics, He is average now but he has potentials to be on honors roll. Help!</p>
<p>@suzy, many schools participate in National History Day program. It’s a great one. </p>
<p>@mihcal, congrats to your d. Good luck. Yes I agree it’s a wonderful experience and great achievement to be in the first few places in the state. My D. is excited. She is working on her bibliography, along with a ton of other things. </p>
<p>@maxwell, I’m a physicist! It’s holy, isn’t it?! 
Maxwell equations are among my favorites. They’re Godly. sorry I don’t mean to brag about physics but I really love it. My D’s school does poorly in AP physics as well.</p>
<p>Hope I’ve posted this link correctly, but thought the insight shared was very useful - espc to those of us who haven’t had kids going thru the college admissions process before.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14245815-post111.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/14245815-post111.html</a></p>
<p>That is absolutely fantastic thank you for bringing that to our attention.</p>
<p>You are already way ahead of the game if you are posting or viewing this thread. </p>
<p>I went through this last year and was almost clueless until I found CC! I wish I had found in when my son was a freshman in HS but you know I don’t think we would have changed much-definitely making sure the schedule was in order and definitely it would have helped with figuring out when to take these standard tests-but we had a very happy (although completely unexpected) result so we were very fortunate.</p>
<p>I look at is this way-I am not going to have my daughter do anything she doesn’t want to do in HS within reason-for example she will take the hardest class schedule because she is capable of doing the work-but other than that she needs to pick what she wants to do with her free time. She is pretty athletic and she likes a couple of sports but gave up the one she was best in-I accept that because although I wanted her to stick with it she is playing not for me but for her-and I need to remind myself about that once in a while as I am making my “helpful” suggestions!</p>
<p>Joining the Parents of the HS class of 2015. I have been on the 2014 thread with my son, who is the 3rd of 6 children but he just became S15 because he has accepted a scholarship to study in China next year with NSLI-Y as a kind of early “gap year”. I also have a S’11, D13, D16 starting high school next year and two younger ones. After S15 comes home he will probably attend our state’s boarding school for gifted youth for his junior and senior year. I look forward to “meeting” you and your children.</p>
<p>@Apollo you have a house full of kids! 
How nice.
Welcome!</p>
<p>Yes, it is a wild ride and far from over.</p>
<p>Hello Apollo! You have a brave child! I have been talking to my son about finding a summer on campus for next summer. He refuses to think about it. He is a homebody.</p>
<p>That is good advice GoAskDad - thanks for posting! I’ve got to take exception with this one line though:</p>
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<p>That’s just crazy.</p>
<p>Other than that, all good advice! :)</p>
<p>Hi apollo!</p>