QOTD: Both my 19 year old and my 16 year old are much more conservative than I was or am. They dress relatively modestly (although they finally conceded to shorter shorts when it became impossible to find the longer kind.) Simple hair, no makeup, little jewelry – complete opposite of me at their age. They prefer to stay at home and read than socialize, although they both have plenty of friends and invitations. They love music but find going to concerts to be too much trouble. By contrast, H and I checked an item off our bucket list when we attended an Alice Cooper concert last month. They don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs… hey, maybe conservative isn’t so bad!
Ha @Mom2aphysicsgeek, that link you posted above related to that REU thread you started, I copied and pasted into my spreadsheet containing interesting links (it’s my LOF…Links of Fascination)…when I pasted it in I realized I had already put it in there earlier this year!
Received our official transcript in the mail today after putting a request in on Monday (and paying $5). Not bad turnaround. It’s pretty dull. Lists Classes, Grades (no + or -), W & UW GPA by year, cumulative W & UW GPA, and ‘Tests Taken’ (which does not list ACT or SAT. For D it only lists the Constitution Test. I’m sure SAT/ACT use to be listed here, though). No errors as far as I can see, so I think we’re good to go.
QOTN(ight): I think both kids are more conservative. But, they are girls, so a bit more mature than I was at their age. I remember M-80s, beer, and a little bit of petty theft going on back in the day. :-"
@“What???!!” Checking my spreadsheet, I see URichmond and Case W request a Midyear Report, but I think this is true of many schools. That will be after most of our applications are already in, so I imagine they’ll let you know if they need it via their portal or an email. Your final school will also request a Final Grade Report, as well, I think.
I sent my son’s sat scores
Good news @fun1234. Where’d you send them?
My son has lots of summer work including AP english that he was not told about. He is not going to be expecting tht. It is a good thing i looked. I thought it was odd that they never talked about any?
I’ve never known an AP English class that didn’t have summer work. Good thing you checked!
Well WPI, University of Alabama, University of Rochester, University of Evansville, University of San Diego, Rensselaer polytechnic institute, Union college. There are a few schools he hasn’t sent to because he is going to try the act this September and see if it is any better before he sends and maybe he use that instead. I guess he thought with a 1500 new sat these schools would be ok with it.
Happy July 1! D and I will plan out her essay writing as soon as she gets her new work schedule. She is very excited about the new job (which is a surprise…long story) and will continue it during the school year. Senior year is going to be great prep for college as she needs to get much more organized to do everything and sleep.
The CC bubble: So D and I were talking and although we live in a fairly affluent area (6 figure median income), a large percentage of teens her age work. D couldn’t think of anyone she knew that didn’t have a part-time job. The kids here just are not involved in 20 different extra-curriculars and obsessed about doing all the right things to get into college like you see on CC.
QOTD: Do your children work and how common is it for teens in your area to have a part-time job?
Conservatism: D is far more socially progressive than I am (and I’m very progressive). But D is also very much a rule follower … to a fault at times. So I never need to worry about her sneaking around/out, drinking, smoking, drugs, partying, etc. No makeup, little jewelry, no mini skirts or tank tops, etc. I was not so much of a rule follower at her age, did do some of those things, and dressed pretty provocatively on occasion. :)) And I still enjoy a night on the town with the girls on occasion. D rolls her eyes at me. :)) I like to tease her that I’m going to roll up on parents weekend on my Harley in a tight leather outfit. (More eye-rolling from her :)) ). So I guess she is more conservative.
But…
D is getting into tattoos and has asked for one. She has a discrete location in mind and a nice motto picked out that she wants written in Arabic. I’ll take her to get it on her 18th birthday.
QOTD: My kids are exactly like myself and my husband. A very fair mix of conservative/liberal! Debates in our house are fun!
My oldest 2(D17 and D19) have part time jobs and my youngest(D21) will as soon as she is old enough. My oldest works 2 different jobs and my middle works a couple of hours when needed. Next summer, my middle daughter will be getting a job with more regular hours.This summer she is doing a small internship at our hospital. It is a mix around here if teens work or not. Just depends on the family. Our kids have to work. Not because they need the money, but because we want them to save for their future. Our only requirement of them is that they contribute to their spending money in College. My oldest has learned so much from working over the last year and she has a nice little nest egg. It actually drives me crazy when people say that their kids are too busy to work.
Well, it is official. FSU is off the list. At least now she doesn’t have to figure out how to fill out the SRAR. She has been cooresponding with the dept and their lack of well-organized semester/yr abroad with a focus only on summer abroad was a huge negative. The fact that the only funding for semester/yr abroad are outside competitive scholarships like the Boren was its death.
This means that ASU has been resurrected. It also means that she has zero relatively close options. She will be definitely be going away to college. Not as far as @dfbdfb’s Dd, but looking at the list, the closest right now is 8hrs away. Across the country is looking more likely.
Anyone who is planning on applying to Bama, The application is up!
Re sending scores - we have not sent any scores to colleges yet - thought that was part of the application process if no interest in just releasing them “into the wild”. @fun1234 & others – Do you see a benefit of sending them early to certain schools?
We used the 4 free scores. Will send the rest only if apply.
QOTD: Kind of a mixed bag in our area too as to kids working. D17 also has an unpaid internship at a downtown hospital (got to attend clinic in Genetics Dept yesterday. She loved it.) Half of her friends, or less, work. Mostly part time as counsellors, scooping ice cream, etc. She plans to apply at the ice cream shop (yea!) in the fall since she feels she’ll have
@Mom2aphysicsgeek I take it UofSC is off the list too? Barrett sounds so cool. It’s hanging on barely, but with no NMF it’s probably too much $$. No pants, though.
@dfbdfb is correct in his etymology and explanation of the “donut hole” metaphor. While seemingly understandable and generally well accepted to describe where the middle class falls with respect to college funding, it is perhaps not the correct metaphor to use, since, unlike Medicare funding, it’s not just a gap in funding – it’s an abyss! It’s not like we can cross over the gap and have another type of funding kick in; either you’re eligible for Financial Aid or you’re SOL (or hope that Merit Aid will apply).
I’ve heard the “barbell effect” analogy perhaps more accurately describe the college funding situation: the funding comes in on either side (if you’re poor you hopefully get good FA; if you’re wealthy, you can more handle full pay); it’s the ones in the middle that get screwed. Too much $$ to qualify for FA; too little $$ to pay for college comfortably without taking loans and/or sacrificing retirement savings, etc., etc.
Conservatism: Politically, we are all pretty progressive in my house. Socially, likewise. Behaviorally, I was a wild child; my husband, a nerd. Our daughter, thankfully, takes after her dad (although quite a bit cooler than he).
Given the dozens of notifications I get from this thread, I can see that were was at least one advantage to lurking…nevertheless, I’m glad to have come out of the shadows.
Quick trivia questions for the old-timers and the Super-Moderators: Does anyone know what the record number of postings on any given CC thread has been? This one surely has to come close!!
QOTD: My oldest is very socially conservative - I was as well but she is even more so. Her friend group is pretty studious and quiet so I think that influences her social behavior as well - no parties, they rarely go out and “hang out”.
When I was her age we would go to the mall, bowling, or hang out at someone’s house at least one night of the weekend and then out with boyfriends/co-ed groups the other night. We went out at least one night a week with our high school youth group and then there were clubs. These things were social clubs - not work clubs. It seems like she works much, much, more than we did.
OOTD 2: Jobs. My D does not have a job and does not have time. I know to people who live in a different area or different situations that doesn’t make sense but it is our current reality. She doesn’t have anyone to drive her to a job as my H and I both work and we are in suburbia - no public transportation and too far to walk. She still rides the school bus to school at 6:20am and we swing by to pick her up from her after school activities at 6. She is struggling to find time to get her license since we are working and when we get home we are running her and siblings every which way or we are too exhausted to go out driving. We each spend close to an hour in the car commuting home - tough to make dinner and then get back in the car. During the school year her theater schedule is every day after school for 2-3 hours. Fall drama/musical/spring drama - the musical overlaps with the others for about 2 weeks. We could say no drama, but then she really has no activity - it is her “sport” along with music (doesn’t take as much time). She gets home from drama at 6 most nights - much later during tech week and performances (6 weeks a year). After dinner it is homework and then bed. She spends 3-4 hours a night on homework - especially those AP courses with all of their readings.
I guess I don’t understand how other teens in other places do have time for a job - not judging just in awe of how they fit it in. None of D’s friends have jobs during the school year. None of our neighbor kids, relatives, kids from church have jobs during the school year. School is their job (this is likely why my 3.9+/4.6+ gpa kid is not in the top 10% at her school - they are all spending 3+ hours a night studying and it is expected that they all get 5’s on 10+ APs). During the summer she watches her younger siblings while we work. Last summer she was a sleep away camp counselor in training for the summer - I guess that is work (although it was unpaid through the girl scouts) - tons of volunteer hours. This summer she is doing a few weeks of camps/activities, watching siblings, practicing driving, getting a head start on her APs, working on college essays – If she could find a ride (unlikely) and they would work around here gone a week here and there schedule (more unlikely) she could have tried for a job this summer - just didn’t see how it would work.
Job for senior year… She may be giving up drama during the school year for a job- but not sure how that would look to colleges. She is not willing to give up musical - she has worked hard to get to senior year where hopefully she will get the lead or supporting lead – It goes from December to late March so there would be a large gap. During that late winter time she will be taking weekends to revisit schools and attend scholarship and accepted student weekends. She is in school and doesn’t graduate until the second week of June (if snow it could move to the third week). If she goes to a southern school (bama, Auburn, UofSC) she will need to be on campus the second week of August for rush. She will have an orientation in there as well. Not sure who will hire her/train her for 6 weeks of work but she will try. Her current plan is to try to get a job from April - August and skip spring drama. She feels that her classes should be much easier by then and except for studying for her APs in May the homework should be slowing down - we will see.
2MQ, USC is still on the list. I need to verify with Dd, but I think that their NMF scholarships can go toward study abroad (and theirs are incredibly well organized and no concerns about transferring credits back to USC. That was a possible problem with FSU even if you did manage to get awarded funding for semester/yr abroad.)
Out of curiosity I checked Bama’s scholarship page. http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out-of-state.html Now has 2016-2017 at the top and no changes. That gives me hope for some of her top choices! ETA: ok, on 2nd thought, does that 2016-17 refer to freshman yr or applicants? Maybe it hasn’t been updated??
@CA1543 If you know the schools you will be applying to there’s no downside to sending scores. Some people think it may represent early interest. Possible offer of a fee waiver to complete your app. Who knows? We sent them to one school who requested them in order to attend an honors college event. Will be sending them to more starting this coming week.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek - I believe that the Alabama information is for the incoming class of 2016-2017 for the scholarships - I don’t think that has been a change since last summer but I could be wrong – it is all starting to blur together. I think for our kids it will be 2017-2018 scholarship information. We have been checking every day this summer watching for the change. Hopefully there is no change or little change - then we can exhale and apply. Until the information goes up we are a little hesitant here -especially in light of Temple’s issues and changes- we are worried that UA might decide to make the scholarships competitive to slow down the undergraduate growth now that they are shifting their focus to graduate level growth.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Bama should be updating the scholarship page mid-July.
@novicemom23kids with a schedule like that it would be impossible to have a job. We bought a 3rd car when my oldest got her license, which really made life so much easier. My D17 tends to do her homework during any free time at school that she has. She is the kid that goes to the library during lunch. Last year she ran varsity cc,track,worked 3 days a week and was very involved with 2 cc’s at school. She was able to do it, but it did become a lot. She decided to give up running and add in more work for her senior year. We left it up to her and so far it has worked out really well. She also added in a boyfriend…