@itsgettingreal17 Congratulations!!!
@thermom D17 had heard similar things about AP studio art, so she decided to do regular sculpture instead to avoid the stress of it because like your D, it’s her sanctuary. The other advice I can give (having heard this from D’s friends) is not to take the AP studio art test if you don’t have to, because it’s a total bear and not very objective.
I’ve got four projects running concurrently right now-the senior project which is currently wet, the feminist art class assignment which is also wet (I’m mod-podging ladies butterick patterns from the 60’s onto a canvas, then I’m embroidering army fatigues on the images), a photo assignment with a partner who has the flu (I’m not getting anywhere near her-I’m just emailing her the photos and going "work from home, don’t come in!), and an illustration project for my cartooning class (watercolor illustration of a quote from a Jules Verne novel).
Plus about 200 pages of reading. If anyone wants to poke their eyes out with a paintbrush, pick up the “Subversive Stitch”, which is my current reading assignment-it’s from 1986, and it’s an angry feminist polemic with a lot of ranting about why cross stitching isn’t as valued as male-dominated art. Sigh, that’s fun-but it’s part of the class and we’re tested on it, so I’m grinding through.
D17 is just flowing easily along, focusing on a programming competition right now. TSA State is next month. No decisions yet on where she wants to go, although she has a favorite, she’s not willing to knock any off until all are in.
@thermom Yep. Exactly why my D dropped art after freshman year. The outside class time was stressing her out. And she had been involved with studio art from age 4 up to that point. Not relaxing at all.
Congrats @itsgettingreal17. Your Dd is going to have amazing options.
Sorry to those not advancing in scholarship competitions.
My week has been a roller coaster bc my 7 yod fell off the monkey bars. After hours of waiting for X-rays to be told her elbow was dislocated and then seeing a ped specialist yesterday, she has a broken arm in a huge purple cast. Feb is already crazy with college stuff, so this just added into the mix of chaos. Thankfully today she does not seem to be in pain and I won’t feel guilty leaving.
Dd and I leave tomorrow for CofC’s Aikens weekend. The International Scholars program there is quite interesting. Then we are home for a couple of weeks which are jam packed with local things that Dd is knee-deep in, and then we head to OK for their Scholars weekend (5th yr and summer tuition appeals there). We aren’t even coming home in between that and the next weekend. We are heading to my sister’s in Charlotte and then down to USC for TS weekend. Our goal for the month of February is for her to clarify what she wants for herself. All three offer very different paths with unique opportunities. I know what I think she will opt for, but all of us want her to carefully reflect on the differences before she makes her final choice.
But for us, after Feb, I think things will be winding down to some sort of normalcy.
@itsgettingreal17 Congrats!!!
@dfbdfb While slightly old news by this thread’s rapidly moving standards, congrats on U of Alaska! Always good to have your state school in your pocket.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Sorry about the broken arm! I love hearing about your D17’s accomplishments. Good luck on the many scholarship applications and upcoming visits.
@mom2collegekids Sorry to hear about your D’s injury. Good luck to your D17! Thanks for the update on her progress. All are excellent options. Can’t wait to hear where she ends up. 
We have a very busy February as well (well mostly D as I am not accompanying on any Feb trips.).
@itsgettingreal17, congrats that is great news Kelly is a great school and the Arabic to boot!
@dfbdfb congrats on Alaska!
@LoveTheBard sorry about the CocaCola but there are great things ahead for her.
@Dolemite sounds like USC is a more likely option for TE so fingers crossed.
@Testingearly good luck to your DD on the Jefferson
@Dave_N sorry about Chancellor’s
@Mom2aphysicsgeek sorry about the arm, that is no fun 
WOW I must say I am so impressed with all of your DC. My DS is smart and a good student but not at the level of your kids. It is amazing how accomplished and wonderful your kids are. I wish everyone luck in all of their scholarship interviews may they all get the well deserved opportunities.
@themom Sorry AP Studio Art is not working out for your D. At our school it’s easy enough at this stage not to do the portfolio. It’s just like not taking the actual AP Test. My (older) D did AP Art her senior year and it was a lot of work at the end. AP Art isn’t the walk in the part it sounds like it would be.
If your D isn’t planning on going into art, I wouldn’t make it a high priority. If art school or an art degree is in her future she needs to think about this because as @MotherOfDragons says this is part of what Art school is like. Producing work on a deadline and then having it publicly reviewed by teachers and peers. Many students have a really hard time with the critiques & working under deadlines.
My D16 didn’t bother with AP studio art since it would have been too much in addition to all her other AP and honors classes plus the time taken up by applying to schools. She did take a portfolio prep class at a local art spot and was able to create some great pieces for her portfolio.
Now that she’s in art school, the work demands are intense, but her profs and her peers are very supportive and encouraging. At the HS level, you rarely have many others giving you that kind of support.
Juggling things here - just when I thought we had time to breathe - 3 interviews - 2 for admissions and 1 for a scholarship; arranging college visits to schools accepted to, trying to figure out where to put housing deposits down - just in case, still waiting on 1st semester grades & need to update common app and a couple of non CA schools, if DS wants to apply for honors at a particular school - need to write yet more essays! No time to update my spreadsheets but if I don’t I’ll surely miss somethings. I think it is time to let a couple of schools know he thanks them for heir offers …
Olin decisions (at least invitations to candidate’s weekend) are out!
DD didn’t make it though. Oh well. I’m kindof glad, because (A) she was pretty sure she didn’t want to go to such a tiny school, and (B) it means we didn’t grossly underestimate her attractiveness to colleges. (She really wanted to go to MIT, but I convinced her to not even apply, as she had no chance IMO.)
Sorry about the Olin decision @thshadow, but you kind of cracked me up with your analysis of your D’s attractiveness to colleges. I can totally relate with my S though.
We also figured if we didn’t get some rejections we aimed too low… 7 acceptances so far, I’m sure several acceptances and rejections to come!
Sorry @thshadow, my S didn’t make it either.
Sorry to hear about the arm @Mom2aphysicsgeek! And good luck with February, it sounds like a bunch of awesomeness.
Sorry about Olin @thshadow. Sounds like expectations were properly set, though.
Yeah @socalmom007 - getting rejected (or not getting the MAC you needed) somewhere - but not everywhere - means that the set of schools you applied to was at least somewhat appropriate, no? Do people agree with that?
I guess the flip side is - who wants to discover that there’s some stupid college out there that doesn’t realize how great your kid would be for them?
Well, the January lull is over. Some more waiting in February and then some road trips and then it really begins with March Madness.
Just think,
60 days, we’ll all have our first answers (along with a few more maddening wait lists)
90 days, we’ll all have mostly bought the t-shirt.
180 days, we’ll all be able to belly up to the bar and buy (a happy hour special) drink and tell stories about writing that tuition check.
“See, it’s like you buy a car every year and you drive it straight off the cliff…”
College Email: RPI deadline extended to 2/3 =))
HUGs to your children @thshadow @Motiv8tedmom23 and others with disappointing news. =(( =((
@Motiv8tedmom23 Did DS visit Golden? Did he like it out here?
@payn4ward - Thank you - I don’t think Olin was a big surprise/disappointment for him. We are so close and passed it many times as he was growing up, so he had to at least try for it. We did visit Golden about 2 weeks ago. He loved it. I think it may actually top his list at this point.