<p>Remember, in the age of social media and oversharing everything has become a bigger production. Did you see the piece in the NYT about the women who get expensive “procedures” done on their hands so they look better/younger for the closeup engagement-ring-on-finger shots they plan to post on Instagram?</p>
<p>At our school, they do a standard yearbook photo at registration time, so everyone has at least that. Most people opt to submit a personal photo that in many (but not all) cases is shot by a professional, and then that one replaces the default one. There are students who are known to be decent photographers and they shoot portraits for a small fee. Maybe your son can find one at his school?</p>
<p>My older boy skipped all the entreaties for having senior portraits done over the summer but did show up for the “put on a jacket” photos they did at school in September. I think that’s what ended up in the yearbook. We never did have professional photos done; we just took some nice shots of him in a jacket and tie near the flowers in our front yard and had some of those printed to send out with the graduation announcements. </p>
<p>I’m pretty sure DC#2 has already missed the first round of sittings for such things here, and he’s out of the house for most of the summer, so it probably won’t happen. </p>
<p>Our school has senior yearbook photos next week, but they are truly just a slight step above regular yearbook photos. And that step above is only because the photographer will take a little more time with each person. We’ll also have the full professional session done with multiple outfits and at multiple locations. </p>
<p>We did not do any of this either-the school has a photographer to shoot the yearbook picture and from there you can go in whatever direction you want-he did nothing more. If she wants to get extra pictures one of his friends is already a pro at this I already have made the connection for her if she wants more she can figure it out and work out an arrangement with the price-the girl would do it for nothing but I want her to be paid.</p>
<p>It is like everything else more is better-but yet people have no money? I find my kids make very good decisions on what they need when it comes out of their own pocket-I give my husband credit for making me come around to his point of view on this one.</p>
<p>I remember senior photos being a huge deal when I graduated in the 80s. Multiple poses, outfits, props etc. </p>
<p>My daughter doesn’t seem too interested, but she is aware that some of last year’s seniors got professional photos done. What I want to know is what do kids do with those photos today? Are they just for the parent’s wall? Back in the dark ages - we used to trade wallet size photos with our friends and write yearbook signing type notes on the back. I can’t imagine digital age kids doing that. </p>
<p>Here getting a senior photo session is the norm. There are a lot of weekend-professionals who do photography as well as a normal job, so it’s easy to find good, reasonably priced senior photography. (I actually do this… Marketing during the day, photography in my off time). </p>
<p>@twogirls yes, he made all the arrangements. He needed to have some ownership in this process. It was interesting the things he added on that I didn’t expect. Meetings with extra advisors or honors colleges. I expected your, admissions, etc. but in some cases he did more. After a long drive yesterday, the fun begins in about an hour!</p>
<p>Re: Senior photos, my D hasn’t expressed any interest. She will get the standard fall photo done, and then we may try to use the nice digital camera we have to get better shots of her. We can buy spreads in the yearbook (1/4 page, 1/2 page school fundraiser) and make a senior memory page that way. D would probably like photos from our backpacking trip and her playing music over the professional posed shots.</p>
<p>@mtrosemom - my daughter feels the same way. She’ll have a pic taken at school, and we will do our own little photo shoot (with our camera) for the yearbook page (seniors get a page) but I know she prefers trip photos and old photos to sitting through a real photo session.</p>
<p>We are also planning to support the yearbook with one of those memory pages. A few of this year’s seniors had professional photos they used, but I envision using some historical photos of her with her friends over the years.</p>
<p>SOG: The Marley works best with when living and partaking of the Marley lifestyle. Tough to do that in this day and age, especially at work; or so they tell me…LOL</p>
<p>No, she just missed the cutoff on the PSAT. She improved when she took the SAT. It’s a little annoying that some schools would make decisions about merit aid based on PSAT scores and not allow SAT scores to trump those. I think WPI (a school she likes), for example, would lock in merit aid if she had done better on PSAT but had done worse on SAT.</p>
<p>I’m hoping that she’ll look into Vanderbilt; from what I understand, they are supposed to be one of the very few private schools that does not look at the NCP’s income when determining need.</p>
<p>She has neither toured, nor expressed any interest in, any single-sex schools.</p>
<p>My best guess right now is that, despite the non-academic parts of her application being a little thin, she’ll probably get in to UVa (engineering )(your application there must select one of their colleges; as it happens, engineering has a consistently higher admission rate than Arts & Sciences, especially for women). If UVa doesn’t extend an offer, I’m confident she’ll get into W&M. I doubt anyone else will offer enough FA to come within $15k of the public schools. But mostly we won’t really know anything until the actual decisions and FA offers are released.</p>
<p>I’ll post any developments when they arise. Right now we’re basically waiting for the CA to come on line.</p>
<p>Use the net price calculator at each school’s web site to check whether it will give need-based financial aid that is likely to make it affordable. If not, then check for whether it has large enough merit scholarships that can make it affordable (but if she does apply, realize that the reach/match/safety assessment has to be based on the scholarship, not admission).</p>
<p>Berkeley and other UCs are normally not affordable for out-of-state students needing financial aid, due to lack of financial aid coverage for the $23,000 additional out-of-state tuition (total list price for out-of-state over $50,000 per year). But Berkeley and other UCs use only FAFSA information for need-based financial aid, so if the student lives with a relatively lower income and wealth parent, that may help with the situation (most other schools need CSS Profile as well, which considers both parents in divorced parent situations). Large merit scholarships exist but are rare and should be considered reach or super-reach.</p>
<p>My fiance’s older son graduated last night. Worst thing was that the Superintendent of Schools, in her lengthy speech, used the word supposably. Best thing was a member of the school board whose son with Down Syndrome was graduating who said he knew exactly what he wanted to say to this class, and that he wanted to thank them all for how they took his son in as a friend and never made him feel less than. Very sweet. </p>
<p>My homeschooled d got an invite to the senior photos at our local high school because she took a class there this past semester. They have three options - the free yearbook sitting, the 15-minute sitting for $40 to allow additional poses, and for $80, the deluxe sitting for 30 minutes, allowing for 2-3 outfit changes and different locations. You can also bring in “props, musical instruments, sports uniforms, pets or other items that reflect your interests and hobbies”. Pets! I’m kind of digging that one.</p>
<p>For those interested in U of Chicago, did you receive this email: </p>
<p>“New this year, you may submit your UChicago Supplement (your responses to our essay questions) directly through your UChicago account and you may do it before or after you have started the Universal or Common Application. Through the UChicago account, you can see the 2014-2015 essay questions, upload materials, track the status of your application, and receive your admissions decision. To set up your account, please visit getstarted.uchicago.edu.”</p>
<p>My D isn’t applying there so I’ve not looked at the app link, but it appears the essay questions may be available to you now.</p>
<p>Our school has no option of just going with a school based picture, you have to get a photographer and submit your own. Oddly enough S says that kids do pass out the wallet type photos, but mainly what I see is entire photo shoots posted on social media. Look at me at the lake barefoot on a dock…doesn’t matter that I have never been on a boat, lol…oh, me again with my arms crossed gazing pensively at the clouds…now I am holding my hockey stick looking vicious…now jumping in the air showing my carefree side…indoors, outdoors, full body, head shot, posed, candid, at school, at home, at the park, color, black and white, sephia…oh boy…</p>
<p>D went for senior pics just before school was out for junior year. You could opt for up to 3 clothing changes or just do the senior yearbook pic and the cap and gown pic. That was strange. They said they just do that all now so everything is done in time for the yearbook. We just did the two basic ones and have arranged for a local photographer to do more, along with family photos this summer. I think it odd that they did the senior pics so early. I don’t know that many of the kids but 4 that I do know already have drastically different hairstyles.
We are headed out to New Orleans today, to tour Tulane the next morning. I half-heartedly tried to talk her out of it. It adds about 9 hours of driving to our trip, and it seems like I’ve read so much about it being a party school. I can’t imagine her liking that at all, but she really wants to see it. So, those of you who posted positive things about Tulane before, I wouldn’t mind hearing it again. Consider posting on the Tulane forum, so I can find it again! :). </p>
<p>@someoldguy, we might just do that. We have no idea where to eat once we’re there. We think we will get one dinner and one lunch in. ( free breakfast at the hotel). </p>