@snoozn What a blessing that your Dd is so strongly committed to shaping her life! It really is amazing and I understand just how much effort she must be making.
(Our Ds has a very different personality. He sabotages himself and has had more than 1 specialist tell him that he has to want to change in order to make change. He refuses. He has turned down 2 different “promotions” at work. (Really, just changing roles but comes with a pay increase.) He hates change so much that he would rather keep doing the same thing he dislikes than having to try something new. Unfortunately, he has become more rigid since becoming a young adult. It is looking less and less likely that he will ever be 100% independent. But I am celebrating that he is living alone bc that was a huge (and necessary) step.)
@snoozn – Your daughter’s determination and independence have gotten her so far - truly inspirational and you must be so proud. Wish her all the best on her college journey. Look forward to hearing more as she pursues various colleges.
@NerdMom88 …your note about your kid changing her mind about music and engineering made me remember something about our UPitt tour. It doesn’t look like a major really, but at UPitt they have a “Music Engineering” lab and class that looked fascinating on our tour. It was created by one of the professors who has a unique interest in the way music and engineering mix. Here is the course description and the lab link. Looks like musical instrument function is covered as well. I think she could somehow combine mechE with continued interest and involvement with this lab and maybe a focused internship or co-op at a company that manufactures instruments? But keep in mind…I work in healthcare so I’m pretty much not an expert.
Description: An honors course directed toward development of basic skills in recording engineering through expanded understanding of the science and engineering of music. The course will use the Music Engineering Laboratory (MEL) located in Benedum Hall. The MEL is a state of the art sound recording facility with research and educational capabilities for sound recording and music engineering. Students are expected to have prior musical experience, working knowledge of Fourier transforms, and working knowledge of basic electronics.
Prerequisites: Instructor permission. Engineering students are given priority, and generally there enough to fill the class.
Course Objectives: (1) Students will demonstrate practical experience in recording and knowledge of the scientific and technical basis of sound and music and (2) complete projects that encompass the production high quality recordings, the design of new systems, and/or the completion of experiments relating to the course material.
Topics Covered:
Recording engineering (microphones, amplifiers, mixing, filtering, special effects)
Physics, mathematics, and psychophysics of sound and music (acoustics, speech and singing, hearing, pitch, stereo perception)
Musical instrument function (mechanical and electronic)
We absolutely loved everything about the engineering lab and program at Pitt. We live in Texas with A&M and UT literally in our backyards (both within a 3 hr drive) and nothing seemed to compare to the colalborative, supportive and professional engineering growth that Pitt seems to have.
Just went to visit D17 and S20 at their respective summer programs. They appear to be having fun so far. There are so much to catch up on this thread, it seems a mission impossible.
@snoozn Your D17 is amazing!!! There will be great things waiting for her!!!
There are so many amazing kids on this forum alone. Sometimes, I see D17 and think she will get into anywhere she sets her heart on. Many times, I feel the same for all these amazing kids too. I can’t imagine how hard of a job it is for these AOs. I wouldn’t know how to choose amongst all these kids for the perfect class!
**ED/EA etc: ** I think the rule of thumb is, other than ED (which is binding), nothing else should forbid merit scholarship applications (as long as it doesn’t also require ED, which I don’t know if there is one).
@snoozn Thank you for sharing that. What a beautiful story! I am fascinated by the fact that some kids who face obstacles or illness, etc., have the energy/drive to overcome difficulties and thrive, while some crumble under the load. I often wonder what makes the difference. What an inspiration!
Happy 4th to everyone! Thunderstorms are rolling through here today - guess we’ll have to pretend they are fireworks.
@NerdMom88 Don’t know if this is helpfu but My daughter (younger then our current seniors) has been learning Suzukiguitar for years and has taken some group lessons from a jazz professor at metro state university in Denver. He says that their music program also has a music business component to it - this is to prepare their music majors to be able to enter the music industry and be employablein many different ways… Perhaps there are other music programs that now include this aspect?
@snoozn Thank you for sharing such an inspiring story! Your daughter is amazing and you have done a great job as her mother!
My D17 sat down and started filling out application number 2. It was kind of funny to see her reaction to her personal statement. Now she realizes this application stuff takes time and a heck of a lot of preparation!
@snoozn Thanks for sharing. Very impressive how your D is doing. I don’t want to give quite so much detail about my kids on this board although it sounds like we have things we could share. After S17 underperformed freshman year in H.S. I had a full neropsyc workup and that helped get things back on track, he’s been labeled 2E but that’s as far as I want to say here. Somewhere the last two years have become magically because S17 is a totally different kid than he was 2 years ago & in junior high. Confident, making friends, EF skills 100% improved, and he has become fiercely independent as well. The trick now is finding a university that will both accept him and challenge him. He’s very good at math but has a hard time believing it because we are at a high performing H.S. and there are kids who make top 10 in the country in math competitions that he compares himself against.
I also have a D12 (sounds so odd to call her that since she’s 21) who just graduated from a LAC in an art field and moved home after graduating. Again don’t feel like saying too much about her here except she struggled in school because of LD’s and thus I’m quite proud of her since we had H.S. councilors who were not even steering her to 4 year schools. Despite graduating with a BFA she is not very independent despite going to 4 years of university on the other coast. (She lived in dorms the whole time.) Our next challenge for her will be to get her launched on her own. She has a summer job, but no real plans for the future & no idea what she is doing in the fall.
@snoozn: Your D sounds very impressive! Her story really illustrates the power of a “growth mindset”—something that everyone can benefit from, to one degree or another (and that parents can help foster).
@mdcmom and @dfbdfb: Interesting article and interesting observations about politics and academia. I am also a left-leaning academic (a social scientist, even, but not a politics expert), and I see these trends (including right-leaning in some disciplines) as a reflection of the polarization (fueled by echo chambers on both sides of the spectrum) that has overtaken so much of our country’s political discourse. Also, I have heard people argue that the dividing line between left and right has shifted to the right (at least in terms of fiscal policies), so maybe some people who used to consider themselves “in the middle” may now identify as left-leaning?
More than anything, I want my kids to be exposed to diverse perspectives and to develop their critical thinking skills in college. I think I experienced all of this at the very liberal elite northeastern college that I attended (beginning at age 16, BTW). But maybe campuses like this have become more extreme than they were in my day. I know I don’t want my kids going to college in an echo chamber.
That being said, I also suspect that more political socialization occurs on the internet than in the college classroom these days. I have often “joked” with my kids about the profound influence of Hank and John Green on the political views of their generation.
@snoozn your d17 seems like a real go getter and that will get her far in life regardless of challenges she may face. I like kids like her.
It was son17’s birthday over the weekend. He’s been needing a new bike, so we got him one. He was really happy. We are going out for a bike ride and then take kayaks out to cool down. It’s lovely here in Maine, enjoy your 4th of July!!!
I know a few of you on this thread have kids, like mine, who have applied to U Alabama. Have any of you received your CWID that they promised in 24-48 hours? We have not. I’m assuming it’s due to the holiday weekend but I’m just curious.
Nothing yet. I received an email indicating that my CC was charged and an online receipt to print for paying the application fee. I asked D and she has not received anything yet. Being new to all of this we don’t know what to expect.
@snoozn You have an amazingly determined D17, and between the choices you’ve made, services you’ve obtained for her, and her grit, she has come amazingly far and will go farther! =D> Thanks for sharing.
@mcdmom Interesting article. Interesting that the West isn’t as lopsided as the NE. Here’s in CA, the state gov’t is effectively controlled by a single party. But, when 2/3 or more of the legislature and all statewide offices are held by Democrats, you find out that not all the people on the left wing have the same opinions and priorities. Perhaps similar differences within left-leaning faculty become more noticeable when most faculty are left-leaning. (But, of course, in academia CA has some universities with significant right-wing influences, such as Stanford.)
@mamaedefamilia Great news that the ACT seems like it will be her better test. DS had taken 2 SATs and then discovered that.
Yesterday, we drove DC21 to his 1-week LGBTQ leadership camp in the woods. Long drive and now back at a very quiet house. Quiet that is, except that our dog has no clue what to do with herself, since she isn’t allowed to sleep in our room.
Thank you for your feedback on the burka comments. It is very difficult to raise and guide a very political active kid when you are not that political inclined and 1st generation Americans. I appreciate the fact that we have a supportive, kind, and sharing atmosphere in our forum!!
@snoozn, what an inspiring story!! I am rooting for you and your D!!
Happy Independence Day and proud to be Americans!!
Alabama Application - D submitted her app today. She said there wasn’t anyplace where it asked for a transcript. Will we see that request after she gets the CWID? We probably can’t send transcript until mid-August anyway… high school starts in early September, and high school office opens mid-August.
@Mommertons You have to request your daughters transcript from your GC/school. Many of us are in the same boat with getting our kids transcripts anytime before the end of summer.
