So I have been thinking a lot about the AP results and if DD’18 should report or not report or do a score cancel for Physics (I am sure this is not even crossing DD’18’s mind at the moment while she is off on vacay with friends). I just read on another thred something that I really appreciated about reporting lower scores (they said to report them all) that seemed to give some perspective to the whole admissions process for me…(I am going to list DD’18’s AP scores to illustrate my point)
AP Human Geo (4)
AP World History (3)
AP Eng Lang (4)
AP Psych (4)
APUSH (4)
AP Physics 1 (1)
If the Ad com actually takes into consideration the AP scores, and I am not convinced most Ad coms actually do, what does that 1 say…well it says that DD’18 is not so good at physics. But, by reporting it DD’18 is also saying “Hey look I really messed up this one test, bad, but it is what it is and I am not going to hide it. We all make mistakes, I am going to own it and move forward”. Now my husband says that 1 , in comparison to the majority of 4s, would scream, to him, that there is a larger issue at play and perhaps it is not just DD’18’s fault and there was an issue with the teaching of the material. So I am going to divieate from our course of action that we followed with DD’16, whose scores were more erratic, and tell DD’18 to go ahead and report these scores…all of them including the 1.
By reporting the scores DD’18 is supporting exactly what her GPA and SAT/ ACT scores show…she is a consistent B student and she is capable of succeeding, not at an A level, but she will do just fine. So, for today anyway, I am feeling pretty Zen about the whole process. Some school will recognize that DD’18 will be an excellant average student, they will be happy to take her. Now ask how I feel next Tuesday/ Wednesday when she gets her 2nd set of SAT scores back and I will probably be singing a different tune.
Just self-report the AP scores if you think they will help with admissions. Send in the actually report once your DD or DS has matriculated, so you can get whatever credit is available and/or opt out of some required freshman courses.
Your daughter looks fine with reading/writing classes. AP physics is the only class/score involving science or math. How are her math and science grades generally? I admit I am troubled by your husband’s statement of “issue with the teaching of the material.” Why is the knee-jerk response to blame the teacher?
My D got a 2 on her Latin AP. That’s the highest anyone in the class got. I can’t blame the teacher. It’s a class that has only been offered for a couple of years and I think there’s a learning curve, especially in terms of figuring out the right preparation in the years leading up to it. D wasn’t expecting much, so she’s okay. And I believe she can still get the foreign language credit through dual enrollment.
Hi everyone - new here, though I registered a while back. I’ve somewhat been in denial that my DS will be a senior this year. He’s 17, super bright, typical over-achiever type kid, who hopes to study Political science with a minor in communication or journalism. He’s been first in his class of 328 since Freshman year, 1500 on SAT and 33 on ACT (though he wants to take that again because he said the time constraint messed him up - we don’t think he needs to.) AP’s so far are 5 for Music Theory, Lang and Macro and 4’s for Bio and APUSH (which he was actually really disappointed about - he was convinced he got a 5) He’s Concertmaster for the Honors orchestra and Student congress president (after 3 years as class president). He goes to the HS I graduated from and what I’m most excited about is this year he’ll be playing the electric violin in the Marching Band show (we have a really well known marching band) so for 2 minutes and 48 seconds of each show I’ll be a band Mom!! I always wanted my kid to be in the band (I was not - I was none of what he is) Ok, now the braggy part is over - and believe me, it’s all awkward to write out because my husband and I were nothing like our son is in HS. Polar opposites to be exact.
While he would love UPenn or Princeton, the more realistic reach schools are Georgetown, George Washington, Lehigh and UMD. I think we’ll be making a trip to see some Boston schools soon but I find all of this super overwhelming and I’m very lucky my husband is doing most of the legwork. We know it’s time to start worrying about essays and applications so that’s why I’m here. Time to figure out all that I need to know and learn and all that good stuff.
Welcome @MomtoCon Sounds like your son has a good head on his shoulders, if he wants to take the SAT again I’d let him, while he may not “need to” a slightly higher score might open up more merit oppertunities.
Thanks @3scoutsmom It’s the ACT he wants to take again, not that it really matters and yeah, we will let him. The SAT he already went from 1440 to a 1500 so he’s going to stick with that. But he thinks he can bring up the ACT score as that was the only time he’s ever taken it and it was very different from the SAT. So he’ll take it again in Sept and that should be it for testing (except for AP’s next year, of course.) He’s a good kid who has been dreaming of college since he was 6 - so he’s so excited while I’m trying to get my bearings. I look forward to learning from all of you guys here!
I don’t think there’s ever an end to testing. DD16 just announced she plans to graduate a year early and go straight to grad school so she’s starting to prep for the GRE
@apraxiamom DD’18 is a solid B student in her honors level math and science courses. My husband “knee jerk” reaction is that a 1 in comparison to the other scores might signal a problem other than just with the student. In this instance, it is really was poor teaching. We had to go in to the school to speak with the Assistant Principal about the teacher. Come to find out that we were not the only parents who had been in to talk about this specific teacher. This was only the second time in 12 years of dealing with schooling that we have ever gone on to talk about poor teaching skills. The teacher was on a specific plan to meet extra with the curriculum Asst. Principal on a weekly basis to report on her teaching plans etc. By the end of the AP class, they had not even covered all of the material that would tested on the Exam. Certainly DD could have self studied more.
The Regents Scholarship (full ride) gets around 300 applicants per year for approx. 30 spots. There are cohort-based activities / opportunities similar to UTD's McDermott, but on a somewhat lesser scale. The Regents cohort are required to live in a specific dorm. NMFs can pick any dorm.
NMFs get an iPad, which is awarded as an extra $600 during freshman year. Regents do not.
The Amigo (OOS tuition waiver) isn't guaranteed, per se, but will be awarded to students with the required criteria as long as funds are available, and as of the end of June, UNM was still awarding Amigos for Fall of 2017. Ditto for the WUE / LUE levels.
Hugs to @Astro77’s D and anyone else’s kiddos who were upset with testing results. It’s so hard to watch them invest so much of themselves in these results, and even harder to convince them sometimes that they are more than just a number on a test!
Haven’t checked on the AP score yet. I mentioned to her about the VPN thing, but she seemed uninterested, so I think we’re waiting until… Sunday?!? I suppose I should be grateful she isn’t that interested in it. Did check the Spanish IB score today, she got a 4 (out of 7), so obviously not a top score, but she was expecting a 3 so she was pretty excited about that 4. It’s all relative.
Other progress in our house was creating her Common App account and starting to fill in the basic info. She got stuck in 2 spots: SSN, enter it or not? We typically don’t provide SSN. Her school doesn’t have it, nor do any of the testing agencies, and I know her ultimate college may need it for disbursing aid, but does common app need it and do the schools need it to process her app? I am inclined against it, but am still unsure. If anyone has further thoughts on this, I welcome them.
The other hangup came in a strange spot. My H used to work for a university, but hasn’t for about 7 years now. One of the questions under the parent section asks if the parent is currently employed by, retired from, or never worked for a university. And those are the only options, none of which are true. She ultimately went with retired from since that was the closest to the truth. But we both thought it was odd that an option for separated from university now employed elsewhere, wasn’t an option.
Anyway, she felt very accomplished to get those basic bits done, and tomorrow she is 2 weeks post-surgery! She’s doing awesome despite really starting to get stir crazy already (though she doesn’t complain because if she does I mention essays she could be writing to break up the boredom :)) )
Welcome to the newbies, including those just lurking. We know you’re watching. :-h
We experience both extremes of the testing spectrum at our house. It’s so hard to watch your kid struggle, especially when they put forth the effort despite their unique challenges.
@1822mom D was working on the ASU app the other day, and it wouldn’t let her get past a certain point before inputting her SS#.
So, my D, who did way better than she expected on the APs, is on a massive confidence high and is exploring every possible college option, since we’ve said a soft No to full-pay elite schools. She’s been researching U Edinburgh the past couple of days. One of the best in the world for her major, Linguistics. It’s within the financial window we’ve set, and it’s great to see her so confident and brave, but I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. D’s good friend, who starts at U Aberdeen this fall, is coming over tomorrow to pow-wow with D.
My sibling loved it, but that was many many moons ago. Still visits Edinburgh to this day, almost every year.
What’s up with those kids who don’t want to use a VPN and get their AP scores early? 8-| I’m actually kinda curious to know if D’s indifference will carryover to Sunday, when the scores become officially available here in CA.
Speaking of ASU, @ShrimpBurrito did you ever see the movie Ted 2? It’s sophomoric humor, which my D and I like, but there’s a scene in the movie when the three main characters are on a road trip and talk about ASU. I read that the movie’s producer is a U of Arizona grad, so that may give you a hint, but we found it LOL funny.
@ShrimpBurrito My husband did his junior year abroad at the U of Edinburgh. Whenever we mention it to DD’18about applying (Not that stands a real chance of being accepted) She always say “Of Course, who wouldn’t want to go to a school with boys who ‘layer’ and have an amazing accent.”
@CuriousInCincy I may PM you with questions if D keeps riding this train. She won’t have an opportunity to visit the school, although she did see the city as a tourist five years ago.
I always wanted my kid to be in the band (I was not - I was none of what he is) Ok, now the braggy part is over - and believe me, it’s all awkward to write out because my husband and I were nothing like our son is in HS. Polar opposites to be exact.
I suppose I should be grateful she isn’t that interested in it. Did check the Spanish IB score today, she got a 4 (out of 7), so obviously not a top score, but she was expecting a 3 so she was pretty excited about that 4. It’s all relative.