Parents of the HS Class of 2017 (Part 1)

@Ynotgo, I think deciding what scores to send is going to be a big headache for a lot of people, including those whose scores are at a lower tier than your S. :wink:

At this point I would not know whether to send ACT, SAT or both for my D. But we’re waiting for June scores and she’ll probably take both again in the fall. Problem may be solved then.

I think one of the big issues is whether schools are going to use the CB concordance for new SAT (not an issue for your S, luckily). A few of my D’s schools have posted which direction they’re going, but most have not.

In your case, I don’t think it matters too much since all the scores are stellar and he did max out math twice. But it’s not like they’re going to be sitting there wondering why he didn’t send in another test that he may or may not have taken if you don’t send both.

@carachel2, a permanent eye-roll button! Yes, I bet EVERYONE needs that for at least one family member.

My family is no problem. My Dad was a bit disappointed D wasn’t applying to his alma mater (he’s a retired electrical engineer, which is what she’s going into and he’s thrilled about that). She would have, but they don’t have the specific program she wants.

It’s a little worse on the in-law side. H’s family is a total liberal arts non-STEM family. My H (engineer) is the black sheep and he and I have always felt there was a lack of respect for what he does as being “important”. D’s first choice college is Smith, but most of the others are tech schools as well as schools they haven’t really heard of. H’s Dad comes from a rather high-falutin’ family of lawyers, politicians, college professors, artists etc. So he ONLY ever talks about Smith and obviously loves the idea of her attending there. While it is her first choice, it’s definitely a gamble (especially financially) and I wish he’d show a little interest in her other choices. But all in all not too bad I guess. At least he’s not insisting she apply to Harvard or that we take out loans!

@MotherOfDragons and @MichiganGeorgia, oh, I bet my D can top either of yours in the bad handwriting department! At one of her first IEP meetings, her case manager said that teachers had requested ALL work be turned in typed so that they could actually read it (not including math of course – that would be pretty challenging). She brings in a Chromebook for any in-class writing. Thank goodness she got a handwriting accommodation for the SAT essay and was able to use a computer.

Still not all caught up!! Your guys are too fast for me.

D leaves for Lehigh. DS20 will miss her the most…his daytime cook and maid will be gone for 4 weeks…we cooked our home grown organic purple bean that she made me grow, only 1/2 pound this time. I hope we will have a better yield by the time she comes back!

@MotherOfDragons , due to the reason you listed, D had long taken CMU off her list.

With one week between Atlanta and Lehigh, she has been catching up on her TV shows, and we are all chilling…while your guys busy applying :wink:

@snoozn would you mind sharing some links where they describe ho they are going to use the new scores. Other than saying CB has provided concordance tables, I haven’t seen a school describe what they are going to do. Saying they are going to use a concordance table doesn’t help. Which one? Are they converting to a CR+M score, an ACT score, an old 2400 scale score? I would love to see an example of a school that knows what it is doing!

@Ynotgo regarding scores to send to STEM schools you can choose what scores to send in – ACT & the SAT with maxed out math sound good. He has some subject tests too ??

@Mom2aphysicsgeek, sure!

University of Rochester (https://enrollment.rochester.edu/apply/freshmen/#tab4)

Case Western Reserve (https://admission.case.edu/apply/standardized-testing/)

Gonzaga University (http://www.gonzaga.edu/Admissions/Undergraduate-Admissions/Apply/Admission-Requirements.asp)

I really hope all the schools will put out their official policy before applications are due. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot just leave us hanging.

@LoveTheBard thanks for the suggestions. U of MD is in the top 3 for ds but I’m not sure the money will be there unless he decides to and gets an ROTC scholarship. I wanted him to consider ND but he’s fighting me because of weather. Grrr.

@Collegecue wrote

Don’t you mean “Brrr” :D.

@Mom2aphysicsgeek @snoozn Eek. The concordance tables feel so brutal. I feel bad for some of the kids who only have newSAT scores.

Stress
Stress for me right now is DD’14 not reading her email (after all my reminders) and discovering today that she needs to submit a different verification from the IRS for her financial aid, when her payment for her semester abroad is due this Friday. :(( She was “checking” her email by reading the subject lines but there was very very important information that she missed. For a smart kid, she sometimes can be pretty careless.

I see a lot of phone calls in my immediate future, though really she should be doing it. Usually I have (make) the kids take charge of these things themselves, but she is going to be at work during the FA office’s phone hours. Plus she is so stressed I don’t know if she can do it…but maybe it would have been good to help walk her through it anyway, except for the work thing.

OK, thanks for the vent.

@snoozn The Gonzaga link looks like the are converting the ERW+M to an old CR+M but with a slightly harsher curve than CB (not much, but by 10 pts. Makes you wonder why CB didn’t just concord the the curve to the old scores.

I can’t remember which link, but one said they would have out Info in 2018. Gee, ok, but let’s back peddle to 2016/17!

My Dd only has the new SAT scores. Her scores are high enough that she doesn’t want to retake and she doesn’t want to take the ACT, but she is sitting in the cusp of some competitive scholarships depending on how they concord. She isn’t likely to score that much differently if she bothered to take it again, so this is a wait and see what the heck they decide to do game.

You guys are slowing down. I know it’s a marathon, not a sprint, but pick it up a bit.

@MotherOfDragons EXACTLY! Brrrr. Lol.

@SincererLove and @MotherOfDragons —Why is CMU off the list?

I finally booked the flights to Pittsburg. This violates my ‘along the Amtrak line’ view of where I would like my son to apply.

@mdcmom – Right there with you. Reading your vent will suffice as my vent. Same story, different household. I know I need to remove the safety net and look away (with older one) but can’t just yet.

@CT1417, I hope you booked to Pittsburgh, PA and not Pittsburg, Kansas :wink:

@mommdc – OK, you made me panic, as I am not a frequent air traveler and probably do not pay quite enough attention, and would not have known to worry about there being a Pittsburg in Kansas…but it appears that I have booked us to PIT airport code.

We will be in Pittsburg for more than 24 hours so I welcome suggestions beyond campus tour, info session and interview.

The presence of three airports in the NYC area makes me pay attention that I book my return to same airport I departed from, unless I plan to take a car service. I have known many who have landed at Kennedy only to realize they left the car at LaGuardia…

@CT1417 This may be bad, but knowing someone else is in the same boat makes me feel better. Do you also have the semester abroad deadline looming? I’m also having trouble getting to the IRS verification button on FASFA, and trying to get the transcript from the IRS directly isn’t working either. I can click the download button but nothing happens. Bleagh.

@mdcmom —no, different ‘to do’ list, also going undone.

Your problems sound much more time-sensitive. Weekend tech issues are the worst b/c you know that it will be impossible to connect with a person first thing Monday morning, as all the other weekend calls are coming in at the same time. Good luck!

Woo, S’s first acceptance. (yay for autoadmits)

Woo hoo @flatKansas!