GC has submitted rec letters!! One less thing for me to lose sleep over. Our school board is recognizing NMSF and Commended students tomorrow evening so that’s nice…and local Rotary Club is recognizing Top 5% at a luncheon on Friday. It’s getting real! Productive weekend here. DS finished apps for Texas Tech Honors College and UTD Honors Program. The 4 essays for Clemson Honors College remain–he has been sitting on those since July! Need to have that app submitted by Dec 1. I had suggested to DH that we tackle the FAFSA and CSS this weekend but his priority was to work on the fire pit he is building in the backyard!! I will try again next weekend. He knows our financial information so I need his help!
Congrats to everyone for progress made. I love reading everyone’s posts and it will be exciting to see where our kids end up.
Add us to the Oct 15th application parade. D18 submitted her UGA and GaTech apps this weekend. The GaTech app was important because it was the first Common App submission, so that’s squared away now. I believe that all of her remaining colleges are on the Common App.
I have to say that she’s gutsy (which is what I like most about her). Her Common App essay is all her, not some sort of super-polished essay from a committee. It’s funny, personal, and quirky while getting her point across. I think it will give the reader a good idea if she’s a “fit” at their college.
@apraxiamom It sounds a bit like FAFSA verification (although maybe they call it something else for that specific school).
I’d get the stuff in order now, just so you have it. You could also order a tax transcript via online or over the phone. I ordered ours (both parents and student) via the 800 number and got them within two weeks. When I did my FAFSA it said I was subject to verification, so I figured I’d get them now to beat the rush lol.
@Astro77 It’s possible there is a difference between the college app and the Coalition app. Definitely worth a call.
The school report was downloaded by the school off the Common App this morning (?). Still blank is the counselor recommendation. Does that mean she still has to do this? I’m a little unsure of the vocabulary in this section, since there are so many parts. Wouldn’t she do both parts at the same time?
The letter of recommendation is a letter I write, on school letterhead, with my signature, saying pretty much what I want to say.
The questions they ask require that I rank the student (I think the choices are along the lines of fair… good… very good… top 10% of kids I’ve taught… top 5% of the kids I’ve taught… among the best or something close to that.
I’m asked to evaluate everything from writing ability to leadership to ability to bounce back from setbacks. I would guess there are about 20 questions. (Sorry, I did mine on Aug 1. My memory is a bit shaky on the details.)
@bjkmom Is that information for the counselor section? I can’t remember if you are a guidance counselor or a teacher.
She has had all her teacher recs in for a while. It’s just the guidance counselor stuff we are waiting on. Last year she was the freshman guidance counselor, so she has never spoken to my daughter except when she went in early this year to switch some classes around. She did provide her with a resume, but she in no way “knows” her. She probably knows me better, lol.
You can find the form that @bjkmom is talking about on the Common App if you go to the Recommenders’ section and look for the PDF - at least the one I found last night sounds like the one @bjkmom is describing. It’s interesting to see what the teachers are asked to rate.
Re posts #8126, I just went on Common App and the form I saw for teacher recommenders has the following questions:
What subject did you teach this student?
How long have you known the student and in what context?
What are the first words that come to mind to describe the student?
What grade levels was the student in when you taught him?
What courses have you taught this student?
Please attach additional comments that address what you think is important about the student, including a description of academic and personal characteristics, as demonstrated in your classroom.
@gclsports Thanks for the teacher info. I am not seeing something similar for the guidance counselor - that is what I am curious about. I don’t know if she is “done” with her job or there is something else for her to upload.
Another crazy weekend. Spouse and I were at USC for D15’s Parents Weekend most of the time, then flew back to attend a local vocal competition for S18. Then he studied for quarter exams for a while before we made him sit down and complete his two apps that were due yesterday. With his mom’s help (I was watching football) he got them done, so first two apps are finally away!
S18 hit submit on the last early app he is doing that is currently allowed to be submitted (two UCs he can’t submit until Nov 1). Brings his total to seven apps in, plus another honors college app that had to be submitted alongside the regular app. Hopefully all will be in on Nov 1.
UTD McDermott app proceeding at glacial pace on S’s portion, although all recommendations (GC plus two teachers) have been submitted. I adhered to my promise not to mention it again to S, but when I brought H up to speed on the lack of progress he was pretty ticked off and he let S know it. H wouldn’t care if S had previously decided not to complete the application, but he’s upset at the prospect that S may waste the time of his recommenders if he doesn’t get the app done in time. H and I both hate to leave important things for the last minute, and we’re really tired of S dragging his feet on this. At least he doesn’t have to apply to the UTD honors program since NMF get automatic entry. If I had to watch him delay another application I’d need to take up meditation or something.
@PlateauMama - Thanks for your thoughts on the McDermott video a few days ago (Thursday I think) - brilliant advice! I pulled-up a couple of those videos for D to watch & she said “Oh, is that all they want?” She made a little outline after school on Friday, and then she made her video out in the yard on Saturday. She even showed it to me & it’s no better or worse than the ones we watched & shows that she is a real person who can form words in coherent sentences. Like a lot of these kids, she was over-thinking the whole thing & then just doing nothing about it, but now it’s done!!
She hit the submit button for the scholarship yesterday !!
Good dilemma, but a dilemma nonetheless…S18 has already been accepted into 2 of his 3 top choices (gotta love rolling admissions) and will be submitting application to the last of the top 3 soon (only offers ED and Reg Dec).
First part of dilemma is that the 3rd school is a reach (not a high reach, but def not a safety or match), second part is that they don’t release acceptances until April 1st, and third is that the school is the only in state he is applying to.
Does he sit on his final decision, waiting literally for months, or decide between the 2 he has already been accepted to so that he can have the decision made, put in a housing deposit (esp as one school does not guarantee housing for freshman) and be able to find a roommate sooner vs much later? We really hate for him to wait 6 more months only to find out he didn’t get into reach and then he is that much more behind the game.
@VaNcBorder I would make sure S understands all of the circumstances and potential consequences, then let him decide how to proceed. He needs to own the decision.
If it were my child, I’d have him wait. Kids change their minds a lot and having more options is good I think. If you can afford the housing deposit, I think I’d go ahead send that in if it allows him an earlier choice on housing.
@traveler98 I know that acceptance is automatic but I think you have to send an email and request admission. Has your son done this already or do they need to wait until they are NMF to do this?
@VaNcBorder Interesting dilemma and one that I can relate to with my D18. Here are my thoughts. Does he have a very clear #1 choice? If so is that #1 choice his reach that you’ll be waiting on until April 1st? If the answer to those questions are a solid yes then I’d say absolutely wait. I know it’s painful to wait that long, but if he gets in after accepting elsewhere it could be a real emotional roller coaster for him. If his true #1 choice is one of the other two schools and he gets a good financial package from one of them, then I see no reason to hesitate. But again…it would have to be a very clear #1 in my mind. If all three are equal, I’d wait on all three decisions and financial packages.
For reference, here is our situation. My daughter has a very solidly clear #1 school. It’s easily her favorite school in both location and program. She has been accepted already but is awaiting the financial package. If they come through with the magic number we need to make it affordable; I’m thinking she will not apply to any other schools (she has 3 applications submitted currently #1, #2 and our big in-state Safetyschool). If #1 doesn’t come through with the money and #2 doesn’t come through with the money then she’ll apply to her #3 and #4 schools. It’s such a tricky situation and the waiting is BRUTAL!!!
@LMHS73 that exactly my daughters reaction. I am so glad she had the idea to look up the videos. Her video is edited now just has to review is and make sure she likes the edits her dad did. (It was a bit long so he had to cut things out here and there.). Then I think she will be done.