Parents of the HS Class of 2018 (Part 1)

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
1201

First time posting on this thread. I have one child, a daughter, who is a rising junior. I have spent some time reading some of the previous comments and am learning so much!

One question: How much help is your high school college/guidance counselor providing your rising junior at this point? I’m kind of disappointed in the policy at my daughter’s school where the counselors are only providing information and support to juniors, and that is mostly in the spring of their junior year. That just seems late to me. In early May, my daughter tried to get an appt to speak with a counselor about summer programs, SAT/ACT testing schedule, etc. and was told not to worry about that yet - that a counselor will be assigned to her in the spring of her junior year.

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Welcome @MagnoliaMom!

I have a DS15 and DD18 so I have done this once before. It seems that most school guidance counselors referred to on CC are pretty worthless. Their caseloads do not give them the time we wish they had for our children. I find it better to research on my own or ask questions here then to hope I get information from school. Luckily I had a neighbor who helped guide me through it for DS15 and I do the same to some friends and relatives with slightly younger children. Feel free to ask us questions and we will try to help.

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I second this^^. (Hi @KSMom1518!) I have a DD18 (and a DD15) and I learned that the guidance counselors at the school really don’t have much time to help the kids with college stuff - there really just aren’t enough of them. I learned a LOT just from browsing through CC. We will help you however we can, @MagnoliaMom!

1204

Welcome @MagnoliaMom ! I’ve got a D18 and a D22 so this is my first rodeo too. I hate to add to the chorus, but… yeah our counselors haven’t done much so far, and I don’t expect much going forward. Maybe they will surprise me! Our school is pretty much the opposite of a high performing, high income, highly competitive HS. I think the main focus of most of the counselors is on keeping kids on track to graduate, if you are one of the group of high performing kids in the school ( and there is a good chunk of them, don’t get me wrong) I think the philosophy is, they’re doing fine, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Or something like that. I know they DO have a separate “college going” counselor, and I think that ramps up in Junior year. My D saw this person once freshman year, and not at all last year. I think they have one person to cover all 9/10th, one for 11th and one for seniors but I’m not sure…(Communication is pretty terrible overall hence my lack of certainty). They do put on a series of “College info nights” in the spring to which parents of any grade are invited. They are poorly attended and the guest speaker they pay to bring in is marginal at best with info. I went to one and pretty much decided I wasn’t going back. There’s more and better info here on CC.

They do info nights for seniors in the fall… which honestly I think is too late.

We get very few colleges coming through for visits. The main one that comes is the local CC, and I think our school sends plenty of kids there. No shame in that it’s actually a great school.

So, yes welcome to the club!! :-h

1205

After reading the previous comments, I now understand how lucky I am to have the counselor have. The students at my school are assigned to a counselor alphabetically by last name, no matter what grade. My counselor, who I’ve gotten to know on numerous visits to her office, is now 90 years old, is the longest working employee in our school system, and, luckily, doesn’t have plans to retire anytime soon. She has been working in our county since she was in her early 20s back in the late 1940s. Boy did she have the most amazing stories to tell! She lived in Manhattan for most of her life and went to NYU in the early 1940s. She later ended up becoming a feminist by participating in The Womens’ Suffrage Movement, which she said sparked her interest in feminism. She eventually moved over to my school when it opened in 1975 and got a job as both a counselor and a World History, known back then as World Studies, teacher. She is no longer a history teacher and is now just a counselor and has been at our school ever since. She’s pretty frail now, and has kind of always been short, but she can still keep up with the times.

She is probably the best counselor at our school. Not only does she have more than 45 years of high school counseling experience, but she has her own scholarship spreadsheet for students which she calls “The Money Tree”. She is always so helpful when I come in. Sometimes, I have to reexplain things to her because of her hearing, but we’re both very patient with each other. Whenever I had a problem, she helped fix it. When I was so stressed to the point where I felt like I was about to cry, she calmed me down. I honestly wish every student had a counselor like her!

1206

This will be my first go-round with the counselor’s at DD’s school since my DS went to a different high school. But I know my DD is very comfortable with her counselor and others on the staff whom she knows from other activities. She’s had several discussions with them about workload, planning for college, etc. so I know they are responsive.

The counselors at my DS’s school were FANTASTIC, even though it was a big public school where 100% (yes, 100%, not 99.99%) of the kids in DS’s graduating class went on to a 4 year institution (some took a gap year but everyone applied and got into at least one college). Each counselor is responsible for more than 200 kids overall but somehow they are all patient and helpful.

In the spring of junior year, each kid got a college planning packet to jumpstart the process. The packet was due back to their counselor several weeks before school ended. I actually saved it because I thought it was such a great idea and thought maybe I could use it for my younger child’s applications.

I’ve cut and paste it below. It’s lengthy, but very worthwhile!

Part 1: A “resume” to document their experiences, including the name of the coach/supervisor, amount of time devoted to the activity, and any notable achievements or honors.

Part 2: A self-assesment, with the following questions:

Where are you thinking about applying? Early decision? Early Action?

Why, specifically, have you decided to apply to these schools?

What major(s) are you interested in?

What do they offer that make them attractive to you?

Self-Assessment: Support your responses with examples and stories.

  1. If you were to write your own recommendation, what would you say in your first paragraph that would prompt your reader to read on? WRITE THE PARAGRAPH! Make it reflect you!
  2. How have you taken advantage of the challenging curriculum and/or opportunities at XX High School?
  3. How have you contributed to our school or local community? Have you shown leadership ability, team work? If so, how?
  4. What is your passion? Give examples (current- from the beginning of ninth grade)... How do you spend your free time? What is a typical weekday or weekend for you?
  5. Which single activity has been most important to you and why? (You may choose a school-affiliated program or an independent one.)
  6. How have you demonstrated strong character and maturity? Examples and details needed!
  7. Describe any work or volunteer experiences you have had? How did the experience impact you?
  8. Describe an incident in which you demonstrated strong character (loyalty, integrity, self-discipline, kindness, commitment to high ideals, caring for others, etc.) Think outside the box, not cheating is not the only answer!
  9. What three words best describe you? Why/how so? You can always ask a friend, coach, teacher or family member if you get stuck.

Remember to get organized this summer with your applications, recommendations, college essays, and set up your senior interview with me when you return to school in the fall.

Part 3: A parent response:

No one knows your child better than you do, so feel free to make your responses as long as needed to fully address the question. No response is too long!

  1. What are the definitive personal characteristics/qualities of your daughter/son?
  2. What are your child’s passion(s)? Is there a story you could share that demonstrates his/her passion(s)?
  3. Are there any financial limitations that could impact where your student applies?
  4. How has your daughter/son demonstrated strong character and maturity?
  5. Describe one or two major events that you see as turning points in your son/daughter’s development and explain why you view them as such.
  6. His/her greatest strength/weakness is:
  7. Please relate anecdotes that describe your student's strengths, accomplishments, preferences, work habits, goals, personality, etc.
  8. Is there anything you wish to add which would help me in writing the Counselor’s Statement for colleges?

Part 4: A teacher form (the student chose the teacher) that asked:

  1. Tell me one (or more!) anecdote(s) that describe the student. Suggested topics include: • Academic performance and how it distinguished him/her from others. • Qualities as a student and/or person. • Impact in your class or activity for which you sponsor. • Personal circumstances. • Unusual accomplishments. • What you like best about this student and why.
  2. to your knowledge, which characteristics below are associated with this student?

intellectually engaged

Interested in other students

Strong sense of honor

Well-balanced
Leadership in activities

socially responsible

Successful in athletics
overly confident
Resilient

Accomplished in activities

Works collaboratively

Creative
Positive personality

Superior achievement in studies
Respected by peers

Intellectual risk-taker
Good problem solver
goes above and beyond

frequently absent

Quiet in class

Inconsistent performance

Active participant

Leader in group activities
Other: _________________

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I have a D16 and D18…IMO having just gone through this…Spring of Junior is waaay late, lol. Our GC had been absolutely useless. If you are at a large public HS and this is your first rodeo, my advice is to start now!

Your child will want to have at least one ACT/SAT under their belt by January or February. They should be thinking about which JR year teachers they might like for recommendations and developing a solid relationship with them starting this fall. Start brainstorming essay ideas and write potential essay topics down (like in some notebook app on their phone) even think about writing an opening sentence or two so when they go back to flesh it out next summer they remember what they were thinking about. Research the universities they are thinking about attending and write down the specific reasons they like it so when they have to answer a “Why X university” essay question they aren’t scrambling to find answers. They can get a vibe about what the University is looking for in it’s students so they can craft a more customized answer and not a general one. If you want to visit a University with actual students on campus, to get a clearer picture of what the atmosphere is really like, you only have 9 months to get it done. Sure you can visit during this and next summer or over breaks, but an empty campus is a sure way to kill a school.

If your kiddos are anything like mine, their heads are a little bit in the samd right now and they really don’t want to think about college, it seems so far off, but really it is only about 13 months until they could be submitting their first applications (which means essays are done, recommendations requested, ACT/SAT test scores and transcripts ordered) and 18 months before they should have all of their final apps submitted.

(Wow, that was scary to write!)

1208

Thanks everyone for your warm welcome, helpful comments and suggestions and huge thanks to @2014novamom for that incredible list of questions and information!

I may reach out to the counselors once school begins again in the fall to see if they might share the school procedure or college information packets (if they have one). I’ve searched the school website but they only have a general scholarships website link and a list of required steps for seniors to complete so that their applications can be completed. It looks like it is up to the senior to be proactive and schedule an appt because the webpage starts with “Please come and see your guidance counselor with any questions about the application process”.

Otherwise, I think I will be a regular on this site to learn all about how to proceed so my daughter isn’t behind once it’s time to apply. @labegg - Your comment about things only being 13 months away really puts things into perspective.

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I should clarify that the packet juniors got was for the process of filling out the application itself. Testing, etc was dealt with separately and much earlier. The packet was really designed to get kids thinking about what they want out of a college so they effectively narrow their search, to help them think about how to craft their essays (it was assumed that they would be working on those over the summer), and also to help the counselor write a recommendation beyond the generic.

The counselors also held college planning presentations for parents starting freshman year, by class, so that information could be tailored. They also posted videos on You Tube.

DD’s counselors have a high standard to meet, LOL.

1210

Wow @2014novamom that IS a high standard to meet!! Really great info, thanks for sharing!

On the topic of getting kids thinking about what they want etc. I just picked up a book “College Match” by Stephen Antonoff. I really like it and think my D will as well. It’s really thin so not as overwhelming as some, but packed with “get to know yourself” surveys and activities for each step of the process. Which is another aspect that’s nice. It’s thin, but it covers a lot of ground all the way through essentially strategies for having a successful freshman year! So this is book that is savored slowly, and I think, won’t overwhelm kids skittish about the process. At least that’s my hope. I gave skimmed through the entire thing in a bit over an hour I want to say. I gave it to D, she’s going to take a look at the first chapter or 2 next week when she is in between summer programs. It also handles the topic of finances pretty well. Namely it tells kids to get on the same page with their parents about this, and there is a whole chapter written for parents to read to understand the basics. Most importantly doesn’t treat this aspect as an afterthought in the search process as I see so many sources do.

He actually has many of his worksheets available for download free from his website as well.

Yep @labegg we’re definitely a bit of head in sand over here, but slowly pulling out and blinking around.

Which reminds me of the other thing I bought: the US College & University Reference Map, which I was geeking out over because I love maps and this thing is so cool! Big map, with 1400 colleges and universities on it. Great for getting a feel for where some of these places are. Plus it has markers for public vs. private, religiously affiliated, specialty schools, women’s colleges, info on size etc. Anyway, I was telling D about this and she was dutifully rolling her teenage eyes because she “does not like maps the way you do Mom”. But when she saw it, she kinda liked it too, and even said we should put it up somewhere and put pins in for all the schools we are looking at! I joked that I would put it right outside her door so she could always be thinking about it, and she said “yeah sure”!! <:-P

OK sorry for the novel, I never intend to write so much but then…

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@1822mom - I have never heard of the US College & University Reference Map. I will have to look in to it. I too love a map. And yes, even though our kids “use maps differently” these days, sometimes it helps to see it “bigger”. I know my D18 really has little idea where schools are located.

After some impromptu college visits the past couple of days, UT-A, Southwestern U, Texas State University, San Marcos. We determined that she really is more interested in urban schools and not college towns (which makes me sad because I love a good college town). I said we should cross off Clemson and Auburn from her list as those are not “urban” locations. She was truly surprised that Clemson is really not “urban” in the sense that she is thinking of urban (ie. large metropolitan areas like Chicago, Dallas, NYC).

She claims to not want to feel isolated…whatever that means…she declined Southwestern University this weekend because it was in the middle of nowhere (Georgetown, Texas). In reality it is 5 minutes from Round Rock - population 110,000 and the Round Rock - Austin - San Antonio I-35 corridor has something like 4 million and is packed with every possible thing you could ever need including an IKEA less than 10 minutes from this particular school’s campus.

I think a big map would be beneficial.

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Hello, I’m new to posting here but have a feeling I will be here often in the next 2 years

1213

Welcome @steffers456

1214

Hope all of your DC receive really good AP scores over the next few days!

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Welcome @MagnoliaMom ! I have to agree that many high school guidance counselors are overburdened and do not have the time or resources to provide timely help to sophomores. I hope you will find that CC has information from parents and students who have been through the process and can help you fill in the gaps. No doubt, spring of junior year is too late for the receipt of some information.

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3 on WHAP. She was happy it was not a 2 but I think a bit disappointed it wasn’t a 4. All in all statistically average.

1217

Lousy first-time AP Bio teacher: 3. S18 feels “meh;” I’m just glad he passed. Passing makes it much easier when one has to self-report AP scores on the Common App.

1218

My DH is an AP Bio teacher. They changed things a few years ago such that the vast majority of students end up with 3’s. Only about 6-7% get 5’s. He finds it very frustrating.

1219

Well I just took my writing SAT practice test and now I have both my reading and writing practice test scores.

My Reading Score: 31/52
My Reading Score (Out of 40): 28/40

My Writing Score: 28/44
My Writing Score (Out of 40): 28/40

Combined Score (Out of 80): 56/80
Combined Score (Out of 800): 560/800

I feel both good and bad about my score. I only improved from my reading score on the PSAT, which was a 510, by 50 points. I feel like I shouldn’t be too hard on myself though. I mean, I may have only improved 50 points, but I did it in three weeks. I also had a lot of trouble sticking to my schedule. I feel like I’m doing way too much at once. I didn’t really practice as much as I should’ve.

Do you all think I might be able to get a 650, on both math and reading/writing tests, by the end of the summer? My goal is a 1300 on the SAT. I feel like I could improve another 90 points between now and then. I’m going to try the math portion of the test tomorrow, however, I feel like that’s going to be a little worse, Geometry-Wise.

1220

Scored a 4 in English language. Very happy with this especially since she does not take the course until this year. Her school has everyone in advanced honors english 2 take it at the end of Sophmore year but they take it again at the end of Junior year if they score less than a five