Regarding ACT:
D made a 36E and 34R this past ACT. And a 19 writing score. Ugh. Not sure what to do next either.
So sorry to hear about those of you dealing with your kids’ illnesses. It is the worst thing. And there is nothing comforting to say. No, he won’t grow out of it. Yes, God sometimes DOES give us more than we can handle. Yes, I’ve read the poem “Holland” and no, it didn’t make me smile. No, telling me that we will find a “new normal” doesn’t help either.
(PS - 11 years later, I must say that our new life did become “normal”, but it took a LONG time… I grieved the health of my child for longer than most.)
My son is out in Philmont New Mexico for the OA trail crew. Anybody else’s kid doing this?
@carachel2 Is your daughter attending classes in Germany with her exchange student?
@NerdMom88 & @carachel2: Well, yeah, but those are percentile mismatches. Something like a 36 reading, 35 English, 28 writing is all along the same lines percentile-wise.
(If the writing percentiles are that much off, I’d suggest that that’s when it’s worth the $50 for a rescore.)
D17 took the ACT twice, in March and June 2015, so she took it before the essay changes. Her second sitting she got 36E, 35R, and an 11 on the essay, which translated to an English/Writing score of 35. Glad she got it in before they messed with it. The class of 2017 has definitely been the guinea pigs. She took APUSH as a sophomore, just in time for them to change the test, AP Euro this year (also with a new test), the new PSAT, and then in March the new SAT (just for the confirming score for NMF). Hopefully by the time D19 is ready for testing they have most of these bugs worked out.
@fun1234 My younger son will be there in a few weeks. He just did his OA ordeal this spring. We are very excited for his adventure at Philmont! Is your son working or hiking - I am not familiar with the OA trail crew? An older sister of my Ds friend is working there this summer. It seems like such an amazing place although I am worried about my son - he is the youngest of his group attending.
@RightCoaster - so sorry to hear about the loss - it is so sad and such a difficult time as the kids are on the cusp of adulthood.
To everyone with children who are struggling you are in my thoughts - tough to see our kids in pain.
Not sure how top schools look @ ACT essay score. I guess only choice for those with low percentile is take again or take SAT.
@2muchquan – very helpful info on CA. I had not known that.
FYI, for any of those who are concerned with the widespread dissemination of SSN…your child can apply for college w/o providing his SSN. Not needed for CB or CA, but is required if applying for FA. Once enrolled in college, the university will require the SSN as they issue a 1099, even when not providing any FA money.
Interesting discussion about colleges (US vs Europe).
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article86282967.html
My son was working for the first week, but now I believe they are creating their 7 day trec. It was a great deal 300 for two weeks. You just pay for your ticket and bus fare. This is probably why he isn’t afraid to go away to college. He didn’t no anyone. Though he did say his group was a bunch of jocks so he was nervous they wanted to hike 100 miles each day. I guess to try to prove something. He kind of liked it last year when he did some sightseeing. He also was split up from his friend. We live in Maine.
I looked it up, and D2’s writing score in February was in the 90th percentile. June’s writing score was in the 58th percentile. She may not have done as well, but I still think I’ll request a rescore – that’s just too large of a gap!
@3boystogo virtual hugs
Popping out from my lurking perch – this thread moves entirely too fast to make an appearance. I felt compelled to come out once the talk turned to kid’s illnesses. We went through a terrible time this year (D17). Once we got the diagnosis, we could at least try to move forward. I’m sending @Mom2aphysicsgeek a dm. Your situation sound strangely familiar and I hope that you can find the right medical support.
@fun1234 Our troop is head to Philmont in August but S19 will not join. He did OA ordeal a while ago. He is not so much into scouting this year. I’m letting him take a little break and get back on it next summer if he wants to do the eagle project then. S17 is no longer a scout (just a first class) 
Just got an email from Georgetown stating that their application is now open. Here we go!
"The Georgetown University application for the 2016-2017 admissions cycle is now available online. Since we are committed to maintaining a personal and holistic admissions process, we do not utilize the Common Application and instead ask applicants to complete our Georgetown-specific forms. We encourage you to initiate your application as soon as possible, since this will enable us to arrange for your required alumni interview in a timely fashion at the start of the next academic year. "
Well, not only am I coming out of lurkdom, but this is my inaugural post! I started reading around p250, and between that and the NM/PSAT thread, it has taken me awhile to catch up. :"> Glad to be joining you all!
I have a D17 who will be applying this fall and is homeschooled. (I think I might recognize a few fellow homeschoolers here!) She should be NMSF in the fall (above all predicted ranges), and we’ve been researching merit aid possibilities.
BUT…
She has been pretty sick for the past two years, and that is really complicating the planning process. After I saw the recent posts on illness today, I just wanted to chime in and ask those of you dealing with this if it is affecting your application/selection process?
D17 is a math and foreign language nut - has already taken Calc 1 , 2, 3, 4 (Intro Analysis), LinAlg, and DiffEq. She has studied Japanese 6 yrs, Latin through AP level, and Russian w/ an online tutor. She is driven and a terrific student, but she is sick a lot and gets fatigued extremely easily. It’s hard for me to imagine her going far away and dealing with the stress (which also causes flares), but if she sticks close to home, she has very limited options - no foreign languages, really. Math would be okay (school here offers through PhD), but student population isn’t super motivated. At this point, we’re thinking she will probably stay local (missing out on NMF $) and hope for a better fit for grad school, but I’m wondering how others are thinking through this.
Just a brief one to say welcome to all the delurkers (and the still-lurkers, for that matter!), and hugs to all those who need them.
@saillakeerie …yes! She has been going to high school in Alzey. So far it sounds like she is doing just fine. How about your daughter?
I did have a brief, almost needed to be medicated moment last week when I realized her group was IN the same town for a day trip as the armed gunman who entered a movie theater. Fortunately, they were in another area of town but very nervewracking still.
DD leaves for UPenn tomorrow. She has one checked bag, a carry on and a backpack as a personal item. She wants to take her pillow on the plane too. Does anyone know if American Airlines will allow it? I’ve read conflicting things online. Some say it counts as personal item and some say it doesn’t. She can’t fit it in her luggage and needs it once she gets there. I guess worst case scenario they don’t let her take it and she buys one when she gets there!