I started following “NACAC College Fairs” on my Twitter. 
I dropped couple colleges that fell off “our” (my 8-| ) list.
@snoozn I started to read wolf hall years ago but I had to return it to the library and never got it again. Phillipa Gregory’s the other Boleyn girl was one of the first historical fiction books I read over 10 years ago. That’s what got me hooked to historical fiction.
Watched 10 Cloverfield Lane this past weekend. I should have been reading. :-q
We also had the three math/science tracks. Many parents did plead and get their snowflakes into the highest math, which was per-algebra. My D still did not have her multiplication tables mastered, but we had her put into the middle track as that was the minimum college track. Problem was she was not in most advanced science classes, so she did not get placed into AP Biology. This was after she went to the state science fair in MS and was named outstanding science student.
Same issue here, no way to get out of your track. Where we lucked out is my D had a 504 plan when she moved into HS. Parents were allowed to request accommodations which needed review and approval (like extra time for testing). Our one accommodation was she could take any class she wanted and did not need to meet the normal approvals (this was a fairly common request). So for senior year she asked for AP Calc AB/BC and asked to retake Bio as AP, that will catch her back up.
Same here, did you S take a long time to ride a bike? My D did not learn until she was 13 !
I’m a little late to the book discussion, but I am a huge fantasy fan with a healthy dash of sci-fi. Currently, I am reading everything Guy Gavriel Kay has ever written after an amazing journey through the Lions of Al Rassan. His books fall into the category of historical fantasy which is normally not my cup of tea, but the writing is so fantastic I just can’t put them down.
A few people mentioned Rothfuss whose Kingkiller series I found good but not particularly amazing; I’m definitely more of a Sanderson fan. I am going to pick up a few of the books people mentioned from the library. Maybe I’ll be able to take my mind off college for a while!
@carachel2 - Carleton does not have merit aid.
Wow. Anyone looking at Eminence Fellows at tOSU? That was a school we were/are considering. Just announced their class of 2020 Eminence Fellows…20/27 are from Ohio. That makes for some pretty fierce competition for OOSers.
@2muchquan yes D is interested in the Eminence Fellows. Perfect example of why she will be applying to a lot of schools.
@texaspg yeah I was working… So was sitting in my car in between patients.
Sounds like Carleton is casting a broad net for their visit day. D isn’t even remotely interested and will not be applying. I am not remotely interested in paying our supposed EFC so it’s off the list it was never officially on! Also… It would be a slight reach maybe so… Nah.
D has learned from IB that she is more of a STEM kid and the small groups of learners are not her cup of tea. At all!
I checked in on that NHS Virtual College Fair. It’s kind of funny because kids are mostly asking stuff about food and sports.
@eandesmom Was Washington State University on your list? They are there.
UCSB is on our list and is there. Cornell is a possible and they are there. 22 total colleges.
Most of the question have easily Google-able answers – like “Do you have X major?”
Hmmm…D did not receive the Carleton invite. She has no interest in the LAC experience, however. But lots of interesting invites coming down now that colleges have turned their attention to Class of 2017. Still hoping for some fee waivers.
Let’s talk stalkers. Which colleges are stalking your kid? D gets almost daily communications from Princeton and Smith. And they go straight to the trash and recycle pile. Most of them start…did you know? Well that’s nice, but how’s your football team? lol And no merit scholarships? No thanks.
We showed interest for Case Western some time last year, so we regularly get emails from them.
This is just a guess, but it seems to me that if they’ve got your email (like, from signing up directly for information or a campus visit…not so much from the ACT/SAT) then you receive more email than mail. Total guess, but we don’t receive some of the mail that others do (friends from school), but get lots of emails from the same school. Maybe the email has cut down on our mail? Not sure, but I wish my D got that UChicago t-shirt that her friend got in the mail! It was pretty sweet.
@2muchquan The funny thing is D gets only occasional targeted emails and regular mail from the schools that she has expressed interest, but lots from the ones she’s not interested in. I especially love the ones that start…this is your absolute chance…suuuure! Nothing fun though like t-shirts or frisbees.
Princeton and USC’s new dance program are my son’s stalker schools. Honestly, both sound fantastic but the chances of getting in are slim to none.
My son’s email box is flooded with mostly schools he has no interest in. Probably 10-15 emails a day. His top school choice has been contacting him a lot lately suggesting he apply as soon as possible.
He mostly laughs at some of the silly sounding names of colleges that have sent him emails.
@Ynotgo no, WSU is not on S’s list. He will not consider it. I didn’t actually see it on the Seattle schools list. There are some on there that we plan to visit, though likely before NACAC is here . Of the schools that are on the Seattle show list that are of interest I see Oregon State, Lewis & Clark, U or Portland, LInfield and U of Montana. OSU is a real possibility, U of MT an outlier and the others I just don’t really see but we may still visit. U of MT would be the main reason for us to attend as I’ve zero desire to go to Missoula unless it’s his dream school and he is already accepted. Northern AZ actually has a program that would fit, he’s been unwilling to consider but maybe if we are there…
I would just question how much you get out of these fairs…and I do wish it was less NW focused schools and more diverse options from other parts of the country.
Thanks to all for so many great book recommendations! I think my favorite author is Margaret Atwood (I especially like some of her non SF books like Cat’s Eye and Robber Bride, but also some of the SF… Blind Assassin was interesting, and I loved Handmaid’s Tale but its been decades since I read that one).
Regarding math, I am pretty good at math (better math than verbal SATs way back when), but I have always counted on my fingers!
I have come to believe that middle school math teachers are as important to a child’s future as kindergarten/first grade teachers are with respect to reading. Algebra is the gateway to higher math and science just like reading is the gateway to learning in so many other areas. My kids did not love math in elementary school (DS in particular HATED the timed math facts tests in 3rd/4th grade, and really never thought of himself as being good at math) but we were so lucky to have the bestteacherever for 7th and 8th grade math for both kids. In their middle school, the standard curriculum covered algebra in 8th grade. That’s a bit late by “accelerated” standards, but it was the right time with the right teacher, and everything came together for them. Since then, S17 doubled up on math a couple of different times in high school (just completed AB/BC calc and AP statistics this year) and is planning to take calc III and maybe differential equations for DE credit next year. He’s also on math team, and wants to major in math in college. I sincerely doubt he would be where he is now in math if not for the middle school math teacher (was just thinking earlier today that we should send her a thank-you note, with an update on both kids’ math successes!) D19 has broader interests, but she has been sailing through geometry and is on track to complete AB/BC calc before graduating HS. This is not to discount that some people struggle with math (even with a great teacher), but I definitely think that the right teacher at the right time can make a difference, and am sooooo thankful that my kids got to experience this.
@IABooks There is a CC book club that discusses a book every two months in the Parent Cafe forum. I haven’t participated.
Here’s the June selection: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1882027-the-dig-june-cc-book-club-selection.html#latest
There’s also this thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/403424-one-of-the-best-books-ive-read-in-the-last-6-months-is.html#latest
@262mom Love to hear stories about great teachers!
S had a great science teacher in 8th grade who really influenced him. She really went over and above for a lot of kids in her class. Also, his 5th grade teacher really helped him become a much better writer, and he says that his 5th grade teacher is the best English teacher he’s ever had. His weekly writing journal with detailed feedback from that teacher is a treasured possession of his that he’s told me he wants to keep.