@dyiu13 my D16 recently bought this Portable Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MPIGPUY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_VC-MxbQPJ2TB5 that can charge her iPhone battery something like 5 times. It has come in handy for Pokemongo! I have one of the lipstick chargers that @LexieAnn mentioned and can get one charge.
Regarding a new MacBook (which D16 is ordering) and Ethernet … it requires an adapter?
@Undercovermom1 - we have a newer MacBook Pro and there is no Ethernet port. You need an adapter if you want wired Internet. Look at the apple site at pictures of the MBP - they show the ports on each side so you can see exactly what is on it. Mine has a USB port, hdmi port, and SDXC card slot on the right, and a power port, 2 thunderbolt ports, a USB port, and headphone jack on the left.
@Parentof2014grad ENDLESS THANKS! Thanks, all! Really. 
Ok all of my trusty Class of 2016 parents since many of you kiddos have experience with this…do you feel that SATII subject tests are a tipping point for an application?
@labegg - In what way? The bits and bytes don’t weigh so much inside the computer but ink on the other hand. 
HA!,
I guess I am asking If SAT II tests are optional and you a 50th percentile applicant do you think the results of the SAT II test are likely to make a significant difference in an obtaining an acceptance at a non-“elite” (read HYPS, IVY school and the like for the word elite) or would an outstanding essay or stellar extra curriculars be just as valuable?
D16, D18 and I have been discussing the merits or demerits of taking SAT II tests. D16 took no SAT II subject tests nor did she report any of her AP scores so our family experience has been it wasn’t really necessary. We are trying to determine if D18 should take any subject area tests, She would be looking at Anthropology or Sociology as a major.
I totally see the value of SAT II tests for elite or “lottery” schools.
In hindsight - Do you feel that SAT II subject test were a significant enough factor in your students application arsenal to warrant the expenditure of time and money?
Both of my kids got into an Ivy and Stanford without SAT ll tests. I don’t believe they are a very big differentiator - especially with non elite schools. At least that was our experience.
SAT IIs can be very helpful for college apps of homeschooled kids. But that’s a whole other kettle of fish.
@labegg - let us say a kid is not an auto admit for a school in Texas for example, I think the holistic process of admission might consider some of the extra information. I have no evidence to support this but I believe many private school students who can’t all be in in top 10% follow the path of using SAT II scores and/or APs to push their way in.
OTOH, it is quite possible some of the schools giving merit scholarships take scores into consideration if they have an opaque process in doling out money. D got 30k from Fordham and I have seen others get full tuition from them but I have no idea what factors into their decisions for giving the varying amounts. UPitt does not have a specified scholarship process and they also give varying amounts. Whether they use any scoring for SAT II or APs in deciding the amounts, only they know.
If someone can score above 600 in a subject, it is worth submitting. Otherwise, it may not help with a 50%ile school. The percentile scores for SAT ii get really low and some subjects are starting at 80+ for 800.
DS16 never took any SAT II tests . He did not apply to any selective schools. He applied and was admitted to 5 of 5 schools, plus the 2 very competitive Honors programs and was offered substantial merit at all schools he applied to. He took 8 AP classes and was required to test for all of them because the HS required you to take the test because they paid for the class and the tests. He reported all of his test scores. You really need to check what’s required for each school . For example, UGA requires SAT II tests ( according to their website) , and I would’ve never expected them to.
D14 and D16 went 15 for 15 in admissions between them and did not take any SATII tests. I don’t think either one of them reported AP scores either. Neither applied to elite schools or any other schools that required subject tests. Both landed full or nearly full tuition competitive scholarships at private universities, and both had strong apps otherwise.
Between the two of them we paid for: PSATx4, SATx2, ACTx4, APx10 or more (lost count on AP exams), not to mention sending all the SAT and ACT scores to all the schools. Enough is enough. At some point, one more test doesn’t add anything useful to the application.
My D did not take SAT II. She applied to one school where they were listed as optional and was accepted without them. None of the other schools she applied to asked for them at all.
S16 took 2 SAT subjects only because there was a school in his list that required them. He didn’t even end up applying there. I won’t have D18 take any unless it’s required. She has taken the ACT and I think some schools will take the ACT in lieu of subject tests, but I’m not 100% sure about this.
SAT II was required at all but one school D16 applied to for Engineering applicants.
@RyanG1207 - Yes. I should clarify that both of my D16s had SAT and ACT scores to submit. Which we used in lieu of SAT ll scores. Like Parent of 2014grad, my kids did well in admissions and merit aid without SAT ll scores. I don’t like to think about what I paid for PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, IB, and app fees. But it all paid off in the end without the added expense and aggravation of SAT ll tests.
My sweet girl applied to 10 schools. Five of the schools were highly selective and required SAT II if she submitted her SAT score. One school did not require but highly recommended the SAT II test, regardless of whether or not the student submitted the SAT or ACT score (Georgetown). Two schools did not require SAT II if the student submitted the SAT score. She also applied to two test optional schools.
She took the SAT and ACT twice. With all of the work required for her IB diploma program including IB exam preparation there was no way that she wanted to…and we would ask her to sit for the SAT II tests.
Watching students post their stats here on CC and chatting with other parents during this application cycle, I’ve seen kids with outstanding scores across the board get waitlisted and/or outright rejected. While I understand that highly selective schools have only so many openings, it was something to see the students who believed that they would be rewarded for all of the study time not get in. In fact, when several of them learned that others who had what that school considered “special something” we’re accepted with lower scores they were devastated.
IMHO it seems that several schools have chosen to waitlist or outright reject a student who they believe will be offered acceptance to other schools that the student would more likely to attend (don’t know if this is what’s referred to as the “Tufts Syndrome”). Those schools are attempting to change the perception that they are a “safety” school.
My sweet girl was accepted to American University’s School of International Service and the Global Scholars Program (3 year BA/MBA program). We were super excited until we learned that she received no merit scholarship funds.
When I called and spoke with the AU admissions office to ask what the criteria was for merit, I got “this year we had a very competitive applicant pool and the cutoff GPA was 4.07”. When I replied “my daughters GPA was 4.16” she stumbled a bit until I said “she also applied test optional”. She then said “Oh, we handle test optional students different”. When I asked “in what way?” She provided me with an admissions officers name…who I contacted…and that person never called me back.
GW did not miss a beat when they accepted her with a presidential academic scholarship. IMHO I believe AU knew she applied to GW and believed there was a high probability she’d be offered acceptance. Further AU they accepted her not only because she was a highly qualified student but because our school (which is small) has had a student accepted into the AU-SIS-GSP over the last few years.
The testing part of the process is an interesting ride. You can have a student who “seems” mediocre based on GPA but earned excellent scores and vice versa.
It’s all very interesting.
I know I’m long winded…But it felt good to vent for a minute
Only 3 weekends (including this weekend) left until we leave for move in so I started organizing the storage bins we’ll be bringing with us and listing the contents on the outside with post its. All the bedding and towels have been washed and are in a big suitcase. I’m trying not to be too sad!
I believe @sseamom will be opening move in season for our CC class of 2016 next week. Good luck and safe travels!
Who else have early move in dates? We will be leaving mid August to take one week vacation in the area before dropping DD at her pre orientation program and flying back home.
We leave on Tuesday. D is still not done packing, though there is very little left. There is some question about what we will be shipping to her-right now it’s just a box of books and some desktop stuff. Today will be a 20-hour day for her. Right now she is with dad getting her ID renewed-none of us thought to check on the expiration date until the other day when D needed hers for a field trip to see the inside of Boeing’s airplane plant. After that’s done, she and friends are going to the water park all day, then they’re taking the light rail downtown to see the huge, long summer parade. It starts at dusk and runs three hours, then they’ll come back here. She’s tired already.
It still doesn’t seem real to me, but I did cry yesterday when I was getting the maps and directions to the places we’re going all printed out.
D took no SAT II tests and her school has no IB or AP classes. Her application process and expenses were pretty simple. But we were never going for traditional colleges and she was accepted at all 10 of her schools, with merit at most. One just dropped the ball so she never followed up with them, and the other doesn’t offer merit to OOS students, though you can get in-state rates for certain situations. Another one that fell out of contention by the time she heard from them.
We are leaving the 15th for D16 and the 17th for D13. Time is FLYING by.