Parents of the HS Class of 2018 (Part 1)

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
2801

I can’t wait to hear all of the post-visit reports! For some reason, I really enjoy those, even if it’s a school that S probably isn’t interested in.

We’ll be hitting UT Dallas, Texas Tech, OU and maybe U New Mexico during the second week of April. S’s favorite on paper is UNM, but it’s not a strong preference. He also likes certain things about UTD and OU. Texas Tech is on the list mostly as contrast to UTD. Both are full rides or nearly full rides. Both are STEM schools. S likes no football, no Greeks at UTD, but Texas Tech has a med school.

There’s a girlfriend in play, now, and while they’re not at the point where going somewhere together is a number one priority, he’s keeping an eye on which schools might be a fit for her, too. She’s a good student, cute as a button and super smart. She wants to be an editor or an English teacher, so OU would be a great fit (excellent professional writing program), and UNM would work, too. Texas Tech probably, and UTD not so much. That leaves Tulane and Michigan State, both of which we’ll visit later, probably next year.

She’s a year behind him, so no clue about National Merit for her yet, esp. with the high CA cutoff. S has been waffling about re-taking the SAT, so I suggested that the two of them prepare for it together over the summer and take it in August. That way she’s super-prepped for her PSAT and they’ll both have the SAT out of the way.

He told me I’m evil. :smiley:

2802

Evil genius I think he means @DiotimaDM ! :)) I love it!! I love the visit reports too! Maybe because that’s the fun part of this whole thing, the “shopping” ;))

Thanks @3scoutsmom you are correct. Short list is ok as long as it is well curated, which this list will definitely be! I do have that bad tendency to overthink things, which I must resist!

@my2caligirls no secret alas, I think she honestly got lucky. The Feb science had a section that I had been reading all the kids kinda freaking out about how hard it was and what were they even talking about? I asked my D and she was mystified, had seen nothing like that. So I did some more digging and saw somewhere someone mention DNA. So I asked her if there was a section about DNA. She looked puzzled for a minute and then oh, yeah there was blah blah science speak jargon jargon… it was a little confusing I guess but it was just all that stuff I did last summer…

So yeah, turns out the pricey biology programs she did last summer that convinced her she hated biology also gave her some knowledge base that came in handy for this ACT. I’m pretty sure she didn’t need any of the knowledge to answer the questions. I think ACT science is still mostly science reading and graph interpretation, but I think the background helped her not panic at the jargon because it was familiar, so she could just proceed with the questions.

Our budget is also about in-state UC, though we are willing to go a bit higher, if only she would consider ANY of the state schools… she does have her reasons and I understand and even support them, I just wish we could find one that works.

2803

Debriefed my D after sitting in on six (SIX!) classes today at McGill. McGill was the first college she visited in earnest nearly two years ago, and for quite a while, it was her unequivocal number one choice, but now seeing it again after having visited some other colleges in depth, McGill has moved down her list a few notches. Reasons are a bit nebulous and not any fault of the university or its students, she’s just feeling that the fit isn’t quite right. She felt more comfortable at UBC and U Toronto (which we will see again in a couple of days).

I am sure this is not the case for every student (and likely won’t be for my S20), but for this one, visiting early and often and thoroughly has been very important.

2804

@ShrimpBurrito I gave a presentation at UBC several years ago and loved the campus and its environs.

2805

@DiotimaDM Isn’t it just stunning? I am very impressed with how organized UBC is, as well. It’s big, for sure, but they do a masterful job with marketing. We attended a special event for American prospective students in November and they didn’t miss a step.

2806

@ShrimpBurrito , I wanted to thank you again for your comments and let you know how things turned out.

My dd had a meeting about scheduling. I let her know she should be open to any possibilities.

She came home with some ideas, read course descriptions, and came up with a plan I really didn’t expect. But I think it’s good for her and will give her a chance to explore some new interests before college.

She’s not going to take AP Lit. I thought it was a given that she would take it, but she really isn’t crazy about lit and she thinks she can gain the same reading and writing skills through a college level theology class she really wants to take instead. She knows the teacher and doesn’t want to miss this chance.

An even bigger surprise is that she will probably take AP Physics 1. (Her school isn’t offering the calculus-based one.) This really shocked me because she had been really frustrated by physics, like no other class before, ever. But at some point, something clicked, and now she’s tutoring other kids in the class. The teacher told us the level of the class has risen due to her help. I don’t mean to brag but I’m stunned because I had no idea this was happening or that her interests would develop this way.

She’ll also due AP Psych. Unexpected, too, but I think she’ll like it.

So thank you for your help!

2807

@go2mom will be interested to hear how your trip goes! We know a someone at Xavier, strong student. We are heading to PA over spring break for 4 visits in 4 days. My son took the SAT Saturday. He thought math went well, essay was the toughest. He used the free reports for those schools that require the essay since he took the ACT while back without it. We are looking for merit and didn’t want to pass on the free aspect as we may have several applications going out in 6-8 months. Between AP tests, SAT/ACT tests, and applications, every little bit helps. Also we know from my daughter’s experience, the schools we researched used the highest scores for merit, it didn’t hurt sending multiple scores.

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I’m so glad it’s worked out, @MACmiracle ! Isn’t it funny how they surprise us sometimes?

2809

Son seemed to really like Miami University in Ohio. He is liking “big, but not too big” right now. We go visit Trinity, Tulsa and Oklahoma in 2 weeks. I’ll be intrigued to see how they compare. He felt “at home” in Oxford Ohio. No exposure ever to Texas/Oklahoma so may be an eye opener.

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I will provide a full report! If anyone has any questions, we visited the following schools when we were looking for my daughter…USF, Santa Clara Univ., Cal Poly SLO, Claremont-McKenna, Univ of SD, Boston Univ, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Clark Univ. She is attending Vanderbilt.

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What did you think about Santa Clara, @go2mom? My D may be interested. Tough to beat that location!

2812

We’re currently at 11% Like rate (1 out of 9) for college visits, so you’re not alone @1822mom.

2813

I don’t want to get this thread off on a political tangent (please no, I get enough of that elsewhere!), but I thought this has some serious implications for our kids’ admissions in particular:

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/13/nearly-4-10-universities-report-drops-international-student-applications

2814

Does anyone here have a student who is thinking about a gap year?

S is leaning strongly toward taking one, and I’m in favor of it. We know he has to secure admission first, then get permission to defer attendance, and we know we have to make sure that any merit aid he’s offered will still be there for him after the gap year.

His plan at the mo is to finish his EMT certification, work for a year, and give himself a break from the academic achievement hamster wheel. By the time he graduates, he’ll already have three to four semesters worth of college credits, so if he goes straight through, he could easily graduate in 2.5 - 3 years. That’s a good thing, but if he then goes straight into medical school, I worry about burnout. I also worry about him applying to med school at age 20 / 21. Isn’t that a bit young, or does every apply at that age?

I went from kindergarten straight though my MA with no break, and boy was I ready for a brain break after the MA! Eventually, I went back to a Ph.D. program (stopped at ABD), but I was out of academia for several years first.

S has largely charted his own path academically. We have insisted on hard work / good grades, but we have never pushed him to take certain classes, do certain ECs, to compete for class rank, etc.

Example: He has 9 college units scheduled for this summer, plus a medical-related EC with volunteer hours. Two of the classes are online. Those are great for him because he learns material very quickly. One class is butt-in-chair. I may have to talk with him about the summer plans. All three classes are thematically related, so each will probably make the others easier, but I wonder if that’s too many hours?

We know about glide years between undergrad and med school, so if he doesn’t do a gap year, I think a glide year is a good idea.

Part of this is that one of his school options (OU) has a BAMD program where doing undergrad in two years means three years of free tuition at the med school (all caveats re: MCAT score, GPA, continued interest, admission, etc. apply). If he’s going to entertain the idea of doing a sprint to finish undergrad, he wants a break first. (Disclaimer: we are not pushing him to do the sprint.)

Anyhow, so, gap years - what does anyone else think?

2815

Know nothing about gap years. But it sounds like a good solid plan in your son’s case…Medical school is such a grind.

2816

A gap year makes a lot of sense in your son’s case, @DiotimaDM. He sounds like he’d put it to good use and that he has a good head on his shoulders. I know two kids who took gap years and it worked out very well for both of them. One big caveat: I’d check with the schools he is interested in now to see if they allow merit to carry over after the gap year. I’m not sure that all of them permit that.

@odannyboySF, I do have concerns that internationals will be afraid to commit to schools in the US. I think that’s ultimately a negative. Diversity is a good thing, and we need more of it on college campuses.

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@DiotimaDM, back when you first mentioned the possibility of your son taking a gap year to work as an EMT, I asked my surgeon H about it and he thought it was a brilliant idea. He says you have your whole life to do the dr grind, and there’s no rush to get there.

I took a gap year (two, actually) between undergrad and grad school. I was eager and ready to go when I started my MA, while my peers were tired and burned out. I ended up being cheerleader at times. :slight_smile: I did take a few refresher undergrad courses at the beginning, to make sure I was prepared. I’m glad I did it that way.

My D really liked today’s tour and classes. As if he could read her mind, the tour guide addressed some of the concerns D had expressed to me yesterday. I think she’s feeling better about McGill as a whole. We’re enduring a pretty significant snowstorm here today and D says she’s fine with it. She’ll spend two weeks here for McGill’s Summer Academy, of course when Montreal is at its best. I wonder how this is going to end…it’s early in the game still!

2818

Santa Clara has a beautiful campus. Smart kids and a fantastic location perfect for Silicon Valley internships. The town is nothing to write home about and it’s a good hour away from San Francisco. They offer some nice merit $$ to high stats applicants. Kids who go there love it. Very enthusiastic community. It’s a feeder school for many of our Catholic high schools in Portland, OR.

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@gotomom, thanks for the report on Santa Clara. I thought it was near San Jose–what is that like? Also, can you tell us what you thought of Boston University and Univ. of SD?

2820

San Jose is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US, yet with barely any downtown or nightlife. Think: suburbia with lots of tech/corporate campuses and strip malls. Some good food though (especially Indian).