Oh, the ups and downs! S18 picked up two 800s on his subject exams from May, so… woot! He also picked up a C for the semester in his AP Lang class. First one, so likely won’t cause issues, but not pleasant. Also got word his GC is leaving. It’s hard to say if it’s good or bad because the one he had did leave something to be desired, but at least was aware of him, was going to work with him on National Merit, etc. Now he has to start over. He took the actual SAT last week and felt good about it (didn’t sign up for essay which freaked me out but he apparently doesn’t need it for confirming score for NMF). And then we got his “requested courses” list from the school for what he had picked out and they had several inaccuracies. Hard to say if it was just out of date or wrong when we can’t get ahold of GC now.
Family got to tour UF this week. S18 seemed excited about study abroad. I asked if that was something he anted to do… he said “Not really.” sigh I don’t get the hype but it works so colleges will keep pumping it up. He also liked all the housing options, which has become another major selling point. Seemed like a very generic tour in general though, which is what I had heard would be the case. I guess if you have low expectations, it’s hard to be disappointed. He still has it at the top of his financial safety list.
@NamePoster CONGRATS to your son on his 800s in subject tests. That’s fantastic! Based on those his SAT test scores should be super high. @bearcatfan I went back and forth on visiting a small LAC in the south that is in the same situation financially, ultimately we decided against it but that is because my daughter shifted from wanting to play D3 sports at a smaller college to wanting a larger university. I think had she stayed on the D3 track we would have visited and heard what they had to say. I’ve seen a few schools do a real turn around after getting into financial difficulty and in some ways it can be turned into a positive.
@Astro77 in my opinion your D schedule is rigorous and 6 AP courses makes for a solid schedule especially when you add in the Honors and Dual Enrollment. I know that at my D’s school they don’t always offer AP versions of courses and I’m sure colleges understand scheduling conflicts when they see these kids schedules. I wouldn’t sweat it at all. Where is she looking? Sorry if I missed that earlier
@bearcatfan oh boy. This doesn’t compare, but when my child was in elementary school she went to 2 different schools that closed down and she had to move. The second school assured us that they had good enrollment, no issues, etc. so she went there and the Archdiocese closed it at the end of that school year. So you can imagine that my concern for you is that you can be asking all the right questions of the school, and the administrators can give you honest answers, but this may be out of their hands. For my child moving again was terrible but you know your child best and you should evaluate how a mid-stream move might impact him/her and also any financial aid he/she gets.
I am in awe of some of the test scores posted here - way to go!
Good luck to all the ACT takers tomorrow. We are hoping third time is the charm. For the first time ever, she is actually reviewing on her own this week and says she feels she is ready to try again. Maybe having a couple weeks off of school, and no other projects running around in her head, will help. [-O<
Good luck to the ACT-takers! @bearcatfan I’d go ahead with the visit. You still have time to see how it all shakes out, and having the context of a visit can’t hurt.
@AmyBeth68, my DD is mostly focused on University of Maryland, College Park, and UMBC, along with some safeties and maybe a reach or two. Considering where else to apply. Loyola of Maryland? Want to stay within two hours of central Maryland. SAT is currently 1390, but she thinks she raised it a lot on June 3. ACT tomorrow. 3.97uw, 4.7+ w. Maybe some Virginia/Pennsylvania schools?
@Astro77 fantastic choices! I bet she did raise it, her stats are fantastic. ACT for my D tomorrow too…I sure hope she has a good day. She has been studying for ACT and really didn’t study for SAT and that was definitely reflected in the fact she only gained 20 points on her prior score which brought her to a 1400. A good score…,but not good enough for merit at her top choice (Univ of Pittsburgh). So lots of pressure for tomorrow’s ACT (she has a 31 currently but really needs a 33).
First day of summer for my D! Tomorrow she flies to CO and then off to Guatemala for a volunteer/service trip. She’ll be working in the coffee fields. I love the smell of coffee beans! Lucky her, except the longs days of hard physical work. I’m very proud of her, she’s worked her butt off this year. Her SAT score is in and all finals appear to have gone well. Just waiting on SAT2 Literature score to be released 7/12.
A letter arrived today inviting S to apply for a diversity* fly in, all expenses paid, at WUSTL. S says he isn’t interested, and we would need full tuition and then some in order for him to attend. Standard caveats apply - if he got in, if he liked it, etc.
At the moment, he’s pretty settled on UNM. Settled as in, he’s saying he doesn’t want to see more schools unless we’re basically driving right by already, and even then, maybe not. He’s only visited big state schools, so part of me wants him to see someplace like Pomona or Tulane - or WUSTL - so he can compare.
I am wondering if I should push him to apply for the fly in?
All expenses paid to one of the top schools in the US? I’d pitch it as a vacation or whatever. I’ve read here that WashU has great financial and/or merit aid. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
@DiotimaDM I would encourage him to go, as long as everyone is on the same page as far as what kind of merit could make it happen…just in case he likes it
Just an anectote:
D has visited several schools, including a couple that she really didn’t like. She claims each visit has been valuable, as they help her clarify what she likes and doesn’t like. She now feels armed to make a fully informed decision.
@AmyBeth68, good luck to your DAD too! Are you in Maryland? My DD has done the opposite, worked hard on SAT studying but didn’t have much time for ACT prep. Your DAD did very well on SAT with little prep!
@DiotimaDM I think if you can somehow see if his stats would make him eligible for full tuition it’s worthwhile. I’m sure admissions would help prequalify potential scholarships prior to committing to the trip. A nice problem to have.
I can’t get S to consider Wustl because… well, he says it’s silly to have a university named Washington is in St. Louis. That, and I can’t say Wustl without making a loud Wooooosle!!! noise that he hates. It is a great school but location matters for sure… and that is really the biggest issue for us.
WashU (wash-you) is what I hear graduates say. I call it WUStL (wust-le, T not silent) because of people I worked with who used educational resources from there.
My son’s friend who goes there is a bit peeved it is really far for him, I believe he loves the school though.
My brother went to college halfway across the US, and he stopped coming home after two or three times. It was too much money and trouble.
(she has a 31 currently but really needs a 33).