@novicemom23kids – I think it is quite appropriate to report NHS, AP scholar and other awards, honor societies and distinctions - whatever they may be - I also think as you are explaining that NHS is very rigorous to get into that either your school profile or the guidance counselor’s letter of recommendation should explain that – it is very meaningful!
Tri M - Music honor society – also requires real service hours - bet there are others too – somehow colleges should learn about how these things work at various high schools. I volunteer in the college visit center --so if you all have suggestions, please let me know. I will inquire also.
@novicemom23kids Say it loud, say it proud! Here’s to our awesome practically-awardless kids! =D>
@novicemom23kids – RE: NHS. I think the requirements (both qualifying and ongoing) differ dramatically from school to school. I have seen Facebook posts about NHS in 9th grade. How is that even possible?
My son, an officer of NHS, does not think much of it at our school. The GPA threshold is 3.7 W, which is earned by almost 25% of the class. The application does deter some academically qualified applicants, who realize they will not be able to satisfy the in & out of school volunteer and leadership requirements. Then there are other students who have earned a 3.7 while never taking an honors class, but have volunteer activities that can check the box…and they are admitted. No interviews, but teacher recs are required.
Students are required to submit their volunteer hours, but I don’t know if the info is verified. Just confirming that the rigor of the program varies widely. Agree with others that she absolutely should report it.
Thanks @readingclaygirl for your perspective. Drop by anytime! Hope you’re looking forward to your new school!
Thank you @2muchquan I am!
@MichiganGeorgia @STEM2017 what ACT article?
@2muchquan - This one.
Introducing a moment of humor. We do not need to think about this until next summer, but I am back in the midst of purchasing the many layers of bedding as older son will be sleeping in a double instead of an XL twin next year. Sadly Costco seems to sell every size of sheets and mattress pads except double.
http://theneuroticparent.com/2015/07/college-essentials-you-wont-find-at-bed-bath-and-beyond-2.html
Not happy about the ACT changes. So…no opinion on Presidents Volunteer Service Award and where or if to note it?
He hit gold freshman and sophomore year (100+ hours) as he was in the teen category and then silver this year (175-250 hours) in the adult.
Also what about TKD black belts earned pre HS? Do they belong anywhere at all?
Sigh
@2muchquan As always, you made me laugh. Love the etch-a-sketch Go comment. Your friend’s son is not only enjoying taking the train by himself but all the deep dish pizza. Or maybe that’s just me. I love thinking of the food I can eat and incorporated eating as a post info session/ tour activity.
@STEM2017 Congratulations on your son’s 5 on APUSH. Only 11% of the kids that took that exam got a 5. He should be proud of himself.
AP Scholar - There are a limited number of fields to enter honors and awards. It’s a matter of prioritizing and if a child has so many that they don’t all fit, you have to weigh which ones make the list and which ones you may add in elsewhere. If a child is an AP Scholar and there is room to add it, add it. Not all kids are going to have a list of honors and awards and that is okay. As an admissions officer said during our last tour, if they were looking for all student council presidents, they would end up with a one dimensional campus. All of these kids are fabulous and bring something special that is their own. There is no harm in adding it. You should also put AP scores into the test section. I read on one of the college sites this weekend that while AP scores are not required, they would like to see the scores because it substantiates for them through a standardized test how the student did in the AP course since there is so much variance from school to school with grades. @novicemom23kids - your daughter should list her NHS participation. She earned it and, as you point out, each school is different and the standards are more difficult at some schools than others. She should not have her achievement watered down because other schools are not upholding the standard that her school is.
Resume - one of the schools my son is applying to requests (I don’t believe requires) a resume. I found it easier to get a full appreciation for who he is through the resume than sticking the information into the application fields so I ended up appreciating that he had to do the resume. There are a lot of samples on line and we used it as a guide as to what information to include and where. Was helpful. My son said he would need the resume for his interviews and I told him he didn’t have to provide a resume but his school had the kids all scheduled for mock interviews with alumni interviewers to give them some advice and he said the person he met with told him he should definitely bring a resume. Also told him he was able to hone in on areas he wanted to ask my son about that would not have just come to his mind if he hadn’t brought the resume.
Whoa, I’m glad D has her ACT scores already in hand! She’s done with non-AP standardized testing unless she does make the NMSF cutoff.
@longwood D has a semi-solid list. She still needs to visit at least 2 far-away schools and revisit 2 nearish schools (wants to sit in on particular Arabic classes). We won’t be able to finish visits until October sometime.
D has not started any applications yet and won’t until after August 10. I know she looked at the CA prompts before she left for her program. Her classes begin on Aug 29. She has until Aug 17 to relax before starting the essays and apps.
(Which means I have to finish all my homeschooling counselor stuff. I’ve been procrastinating by prepping AP US gov and both AP econs 
)
I’m confused now. In which section do you put the award for being awardless? 
@dfbdfb, it’s the same way with University of Colorado - Boulder; it’s CU-Boulder. Someone told me that was to distinguish from the better known Universities of California. Who knows? (Could this be a linguist issue?!) I also love Käsespätzle and am glad you typed it so I can just copy and paste rather than switch to a German keyboard set-up.
@eandesmom, if there is room for President’s Volunteer service award, you should consider listing it. My D has gold every year in high school so she will be listing it.
I read that any awards pre high school should not be listed unless it’s substantial like national spelling bee, Brodcom Masters finalist, etc… However, if your S still practice TKD, he can list any progress he made since high school.
I was on the fence for D to take ACT again. After reading the new changes, she is done with ACT then!
@eandesmom place it either under the awards or activities section depending on where you feel it best represents your child and his goals. Service is highly regarded by many colleges and is probably more important to them than some of the awards. They keep saying they are looking for kids to join their campuses that want to be part of a larger community. What better way to demonstrate that than a service award? I wouldn’t add any pre-HS accomplishments.
@ct1417 - Double is the same thing as Full.
@CT1417 Thanks for the moment of humor. I do wonder how many kids fall out of those twin size beds each year. They probably need to add bumpers to the list. :)) A couple of years ago my son said his section of the floor was startled awake by a kid screaming. Poor kid had fallen off the bed and broke his arm so badly he had to leave.
@MichiganGeorgia — yes, I know, but Costco is only selling XL Twin, Queen & King. They had a full/queen duvet, but no duvet covers and no full mattress pad covers. I am a lazy shopper, but a frugal shopper, and trust that Costco has performed their due diligence and found me the best combo of price & quality. (Having said that, I buy Tide on sale at the grocery store b/c I cannot deal with the monster bottle of Tide.)
When I outfitted two years ago, I compared prices at BB&B after the 20% off versus Costco, and Costco won every time. Sadly, I cannot find everything I need at Costco.
@paveyourpath – my son’s school had the beds up so high that I could fit a box that had to have been 22 inches tall under it. No need for risers. I never heard of anyone tumbling out. Poor kid who broke his arm!
OK—did not mean to derail this to become a shopping thread, but since the college applicant has returned to teaching himself math, no college activity since yesterday.
Noticed D17 put ‘1’ for number of languages you are proficient in on the CA. The CA defines it as languages you would feel comfortable conversing in. Bummer. I was hoping she would got with ‘2’. No awards, and now no additional FL. Oh well!
CA also mentions a service called “Scholar Snapp” to help find scholarships. Anyone doing it?