@stlarenas Your worst case scenario is my “double secret” worst case scenario, too!
@stlarenas and @stem2017 let’s call that the “Grim Trigger”. So bad I can’t even contemplate it. @-)
@itsgettingreal17 How kids differ! My D17 finished summer homework for Lit and will finish Psych today. She wants that out of the way before hitting the apps (at least that’s the excuse she gives 
). Her schedule actually has her essays done mid-September, so she can have her teacher review a couple. I would like her to have all non-CA apps done before school, though. That’s about five, I think. She’s got some weird hangup with her CA essay, so we’ll see. I think she’s over-thinking it.
@VickiSoCal At least with those ethnicity stats I know our kids aren’t at the same school. My kids feel the same way. D12 went to a east coast small liberal arts school and found it VEY VERY white & very odd. We are white… so white we glow. 
Her group of friends ended up as the most diverse on campus. The official line is S17’s school is
50% Asian
35% white
10% Hispanic
5% black/native american/other
But this profile make no sense as it leaves out the huge Persian/Middle East population. (Yes by their definition it leaves it out, I guess they consider them white.)
We looked at Lewis & Clark and someone asked the diversity question. From my own eye’s the school has a LONG way to go to get better diversity. They even claimed they weren’t as diverse as they would like to be. S17 is mostly looking at state schools (in state & others in the west). Diversity seems to be better there.
Yes Lewis and Clark was very white to us.
DD20 went to the beach last weekend for a run with cross country. They took a group pic. 47 girls, one blonde. My kid. It makes her easy to spot at least.
@CaucAsianDad I feel your pain. UF with no merit vs. UCF shoveling $$$ at us…
@STEM2017 The positives to UCF, from our point of view, is a solid engineering program (Aerospace), honor college (which help compensate for the issue below), merit, campus (the layout and housing), and location (Orlando). For engineering (and in general), it’s also fairly well recruited.
The key negative, IMHO, is that it’s less well funded than a UF, FSU, Auburn, UGA, etc. Which leads to larger classes, higher student to faculty ratios, more dependence on adjunct faculty and less funding for SG supported clubs, blah…blah…blah…
@2muchquan Essay hangups - that’s the elephant in our tiny apartment.
Ask my son to write a 650 word essay on the difference between jazz and pop or the why he feels people should conserve and recycle (or any other topic, for that matter) and he’ll blast out a very thoughtful piece in an hour.
Ask him to write 250 words about himself - crickets…days and days of crickets.
OK, so D’s HS is not quite as diverse as @VickiSoCal D’s. Asian population not nearly as high:
Asian 5%
Black/African American 33%
Hispanic/Latino 18%
Two or more races 5%
White 39%
@STEM2017 Could he take those ideas and turn them into an analogy of who he sees himself as being? He could start off describing the difference in the music genres and how X reflects who he is?
** Worst case scenario** Do you really want to know?? S17 somehow fails or gets a D in one of his class , or doesn’t apply and ends up at community college. I know our local CC’s aren’t bad BUT S17 already wants to move from home something fierce. I’m counting on that making him compliant in the college search.
OK… second worst-case scenario he ends up at his safety which currently in Cal State Humboldt. Unless he gets a D in English or SS he will get into this school. I just don’t really want it for a number of reasons, one being it’s very very very out of the way. Two I think he would be majorly underselling himself there. And three… really is has a reputation as one of the top druggie schools (Pot). I know he could get into drugs and any of these schools, but it’s really a huge problem in that part of the state. Trying to get him to put UC Merced as a safety instead. Problem is it’s in the Central Valley and HOT HOT HOT till late October. But it is not that far from Yosemite.
@stlaranas OHH… Tell me more about Colorado College. I think S17 would love it, but know very little except I’m entranced by it’s one class at a time scheudle. I put it on his list of schools to look at. I really think taking one class at a time would really fit S17’s learning style.
Forget if I ever posted this, but it’s kind of fun. Find your DC’s school’s peers: http://chronicle.com/interactives/peers-network
Worst case scenario : He somehow blows his senior year and ends up commuting to West Georgia.
Don’t get me started on S17’s classes in upper elementary. He was the only blond boy in class and he stood out like a sore thumb. It’s fine but my kids don’t totally get that being white is a majority in this country.
I think that “whiteness” was one of the things that didn’t feel real about L&C to him.
my DS’s class is probably 80% asian due to IB program and open to kids from other districts.
My kids school has 2800 kids, about half minority, low income, and then a pretty normal group, then the IB magnet kids. It’s an odd mix.
QOTD: Worst case scenario (that might actually happen): D burns out during the application cycle, gets admitted to many reaches where we are chasing aid and can’t attended because she was too burned out to put same effort into the scholarships as the apps. They are all too pricey without merit aid. Has to to attend safety, which right now looks like UKy. We have an unfortunate visit (haven’t visited yet) and goes in with a negative attitude
First world problems, I know…
This is my kid as well. It’s like pulling teeth and it’s been a HUGE problem. (Getting him through junior high health class was crazy.) I trying to get S17 to accept a essay tutor to help him through the college essays, but he’s being stubborn.
Catching our breath in Boston as we wait for our flight back home after picking up D17 from Smith. Lots to say if anyone wants visit reports. Together D17, D20 and I toured Smith (of course!), Brown, Mount Holyoke, Wellesley and Wesleyan. Without us D17 toured Amherst, U Mass Amherst, Hampshire and … Maybe one other? We are exhausted.
Short version: tour guides and quality/upkeep of admissions offices really matter when you’re on a whirlwind tour of several schools, Smith still remains at top of our list despite a not great tour but we were very impressed with Mount Holyoke and really intrigued to hear about their merit scholarship, which includes a new (as of 2016) full-tuition Trustee Scholarship (they awarded 11 last year). I think D17 could possibly have a shot at that. I think they also indicated that geographic diversity can play a role in admissions (must review my notes), which would obviously benefit us Montana folk (although we are not “the elusive oboe player from Alaska” that the Wesleyan rep mentioned).
So! Longer reports to come if anyone is interested. Let me know if you have specific questions and I will dig through my notes. I know a couple of posters have kids who are serious dancers. I was super impressed with Mount Holyoke’s altheltic facility, which includes at least three sprung dance floors with live musicians (maybe this is normal? I don’t know) and large video screens, lots of natural light, etc. My kid is not a serious dancer but I filed that info away for the rest of you
@Mom2aphysicsgeek We are trying everything. He’s blocked. He’s got a decent piece started but it’s all over the place. Its about his subway commute to school and the extreme range of wealth and poverty he sees every day and how its unfair and how it affects his conscience blah blah blah. We pulled in his ACT tutor (30 year retired English teacher) for help. I just want the dang thing done already and i’m getting tired of hearing “you have plenty of time.”
@2muchquan, I like that finding school’s peers link.