It became very clear today how very bright DS’s classmates are. More than 10% of his graduating class achieved either NMSF or commended. WOW @-)
We just finished 2nd visits for S top 3 choices. I was expecting that he would confirm an ED choice but instead he likes all 3 and is torn. Looks like it will likely be RD for him as well as 1 EA for what I hope is a safety and 1 rolling for large state u that is due November 1 for merit consideration. If he could just get the main CA essay done he could hit submit on at least those two
That’s impressive @Cheeringsection . Glad that one app is completed. Hope to be there soon.
Hey, everyone. Wow, am I the only one feeling worn out by this whole process? D and I must be opposite zodiac signs or something, because, boy, do we not work well together when each of us is stressed. Anyway, a question for all you smart folks who have BTDT. D has taken SAT and 2 Subject tests. She will take another SAT Subject on October 3 to see if that one comes out a little better.
Two questions: FIRST, If we send SAT & 2 Subject scores to colleges NOW, do we pay the College Board another fee later to send the October 3 Subject test after it is taken…? Do they resend the scores previously sent? The reason I don’t want to wait until October 3 and send all scores at once is she is applying early action to at least some schools, and doesn’t want to run any risk that the scores don’t get there in time, since she already has 2 subject tests and the one that’s not perfect isn’t bad, but she is hoping for a better score – in a different subject – on Oct 3.
SECOND, since we’ll be having the College Board send SAT scores before she has actually submitted applications, I understand the colleges will “hold” the scores and match them up to the application when it comes in. How do they do that? What if (I know this is ridiculously unlikely) there was another kid at the same school with the same name and same birthday… how do the scores get into the right file? College Board doesn’t require a SSN that would definitely identify the kid. (Sorry if this seems like a crazy question, it’s coming from D, and she is stressed and worrying about every possible thing that could go wrong.)
Many, many thanks. Namaste.
@carolinamom2boys I hope your DS meets his goal of staying in the top 10. My DS had to let that goal go a few years ago. He feels fortunate to have stayed in the top 20% given those he is competing with.
@Cheeringsection I think that he has a good shot at top 10. He usually gets stressed intially , then does fine. I think it’s just a lot all at once. He can drop to 22 and still stay in the top 6% for Palmetto Fellows scholarships. I know I’ll be glad when all of the apps are completed and submitted.
@carolinamom2boys …yep. I still have his twin. There’s still a slim chance of S making sal, but it will depend on the person he’s in a tie with getting a B this semester. It could happen. Or not. At this point, it’ll be whatever it’s going to be, and in ten years no one will care.
D’s trying to hang in there for top 10%, but since she is literally in the last possible spot to still make it, she’s going to need to do some tap-dancing. In that, AP Stats is not her friend.
@Smilla the College Board will not send scores automatically for tests take after the date you request them but you can pay to send scores now and then use your four “free” send scores on OCT 3rd.
As to the second question, I think the their is a spot for middle initial, I think it would be very unusual for two students from the same school to have the same first, middle, and last name and the same birthday. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Thanks,@3scoutsmom. We will use the four free reports, but D will be applying to more than 4 schools, so I guess we’ll just pay again to have that one additional subject test sent, assuming its a good score, to the other 10 schools.
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@Cheeringsection - How did you go about confirming the app packet was complete?
Nothing is giving us a clue…not Naviance, not the CA dashboard, not the colleges’ app online sites. Should D16 call or email?
I am done awaiting feedback from the GC. D16’s apps have been being submitted since mid-July. It’s now almost October! I know students can be rejected for incomplete apps. By Friday, I want a status update on each of the 13 apps…whatever it takes.
@smilla @dyiu13 my D14 applied to Clemson and the Honors College by the early deadline in Dec. to make sure she was in contention for all special scholarships, etc. When early notification came out (early Feb.?) I stalked CC as folks posted their acceptances, etc. My daughter did not hear anything. I called the school the next business day, and they informed me that her application was not complete (missing transcript) and therefore had not be processed. I confirmed with our GC admin assistant that she had mailed (certifed) and faxed the transcripts in early Dec. - bless her heart she keeps records and fax receipts, etc. for everything! I called Clemson back and insisted that they HAD gotten her transcripts in early Dec. After a 15 minute debate and being put on hold several times, then they asked her name and birthdate again, then again put me on hold. Then, miraculously they found her transcripts! It was very evident they had a second student with her name who had also applied, and the transcripts were placed in the wrong file…but when I pressed them further their only response was that the “paperwork crossed” (their EXACT words) but it was found so all was okay and she would have a decision in a few days. I knew that this also meant that she would not have been considered for one of their elite scholarships since her file was “incomplete” . When I complained, they insisted they had still “considered” her with a partially complete file - yeah, right!
S11 applied to University of Maryland and they failed to review his application, when I called to inquire it turned out that they had two western US reps that cover adjacent areas, and for whatever reason my son’s app was caught in limbo between those “territories” and didn’t make it onto either of their lists, so neither had reviewed him. And, we had double checked that all his application pieces were received well before the deadline! They corrected the error quickly and accepted him, but their financial aid offer wasn’t able to be offered until after May 1st…so my son had to cross them off the list - ugh!
The lesson learned - ALWAYS check in portals, through email, or whatever means they notify you, and if in doubt call and double check a school has received all info needed. It definitely is possible to mix up two students! We learned the hard way!
And, that “other” student probably was accepted into the Honors College and got some decent scholarship money…since Clemson thought she was the 4.0 valedictorian!
@dyiu13 Congratulations that your daughter has 13 applications done! That is more than amazing!!! S16 finally finished a rough draft of his VERY FIRST essay last night. The going is sloooooow in this household! I suppose baby steps should be celebrated?
He has completed 3 apps that are not on CA and do not require essays, so there has been slight progress in our household! However, most of his colleges are on CA so need the first essay, and supplemental essays in many cases.
@4kids2graduate Yikes! That’s exactly the sort of thing we were wondering about. I’m going have D send scores tomorrow, even though apps are nowhere near done. Once apps ae submitted, we’ll check and double check that the application is complete… Thank you!
@4kids2graduate Thank you for your info, but instead of being more relaxed , my anxiety level went through the roof because you mentioned one of our schools. Without beating a dead horse, we missed out on a " scholars " program that required the GC to fill out the application in the Spring of the jr year. She failed to nominate my son or his best friend who was ranked 2nd in the class( I think that there was a transmission error because after inquiring there were no applicants from our HS) Fast forward to this year. I’ve already met with his new GC who probably feels like she’s watching a rerun of MASH when she hears me coming( can you hear the helicopter blades in the distance)? If that’s my reputation, then so be it. It’s not paranoia if the threat is real.
@dyiu I actually called the school and spoke to admissions myself. DS is not available until after 5 most days so I did not count on him calling. This is a school with no online means of confirming the application file was complete.
@4kids2graduate and @carolinamom2boys I am so sorry to hear your stories! It confirms things other parents within our district have told me about huge bumps in the application process. Our kids do not need the added stress, nor do we, so I resolved long ago to confirm with each school. The GC and college admissions folks have a lot to do so mistakes will occur, but it is my DS and family budget that will suffer most if the mistake is not found and fixed so I need to confirm all is well.
@4kids2graduate Thanks for sharing your story. This must happen more often than we think. With all that is at stake, I think it’s wise for my son or I to follow up with all his schools.
^^ Agreed. My daughter was told by the counselor yesterday that she has a school on her list that she had to resend a transcript six times - certified. She said they were horrible. I will be watching this one very close.
Having gone through 3 kids applying EA/ED recently I STRONGLY recommend you verify everything your GC needs to submit. Most GCs who work with seniors are overworked and underpaid (at least in my state). There were several problems we had to follow up on with my one child that applied to two OOS schools our GC was not familiar with. My other two applied to our state schools with no problems (same GC). By tracking the schools receipt of everything, using their portals, you can see the holes and address them. For my OOS the last ACT test was also not recorded although sent the same date as the first one. I only found this out by calling them.
Unfortunately, it will be your child that loses out if not everything is in on time, independent of whose fault it is. VERIFY everything! If you are having problems, call admissions and let them know. I think they are seeing this problem more and more. Virginia Tech had me send in her last ACT score to use for ED and was accepted.
Also: Review in detail the actual transcript your kid’s high school/s are sending to the colleges. We discovered a MASSIVE mistake on D16’s that listed all her HS courses as remedial. Ah, no. She took all regular and honors courses. If we hadn’t caught it, I’m sure she would have been rejected from all her colleges. And, it took almost an act of god to get the transcript corrected. Sigh.
Hi Everyone, I am new to this site and thread but I have been reading your posts for some time now. I have been living everyone’s life on here and can totally relate to what you all have been going through. My D17 is my second child to go through this process. D is a very high academic student in our district and is hoping to be accepted to possibly an ivy or similar high academic schools. The stress to keep her on track with AP summer assignments due, essay writing & supplemental essays & questions, her in school and out of school sports & clubs, community service, the homework & assignments for her current classes (5 AP’s and college Spanish), her part-time job and college application necessities (activity list/resume, recommendations, GC meetings, etc.). It has become necessary for me to somewhat guide her and assist her with prioritizing each step along the way. Besides nagging (which does not work with D) it is becoming increasingly difficult to watch the calendar and stress over whether she is going to get it all done. This is a hellish time for D and for our family. When stress mounts…what do you cut out to get through? There is no good answer because there are or will be negative consequences to each choice. D barely has a moment to be with friends and just hang out. There has got to be a better way for high academic students to get into at least one or two the schools that they covet without stressing themselves out totally.