Hope SAT scores, prom, etc went well for all. We’re in choir concert prep mode here for D19. This year she has a lengthy list of costuming requirements that seem…a bit much…? Or maybe I’m getting too grumpy for all this. Black party dress, white collared long sleeve shirt, black pants, black shirt, and now today I hear that she also needs a “swing dress.” Getting a little pricey here, folks…
We’ve nailed down our itinerary for our college visits trip and I’m tired just thinking about the schedule but pleased that after months of having this as a confused hypothetical, we have a plan. We’re hitting two LACs, one dreamy reach, and one safety as well as visiting family and friends…all in six days. The dreamy reach is costing an extra $300 total for us to travel to, which is debatable, but I guess if we’re going to get that close to it, we might as well finish the job. I’ve found what feel like “good” airfares until I think about the fact I’m purchasing three one-way tickets for each of us. Hmm. But I think/hope this trip will provide needed clarity on the question of whether D wants to seriously consider going out of state. Pros, cons. She does know for sure she wants to branch away from her high school classmates. I don’t think that part will be especially hard to achieve. Many kids from her school go to the same handful of public universities, and a sizable percentage take the community college route.
She seems to be watching a Netflix series and doing some sort of extended art project/craft in her AP Spanish class, “nothing” in APUSH, etc. I’m not complaining at all – junior year lived up to its hectic reputation…glad the worst of it is past…until S21’s turn…
Yeah, not much APUSH going on here either. D19 has NHS induction tonight but she and her friends are wishing they didn’t have to go since they have a 3 day in class AP Chem final starting tomorrow. Sigh. I can’t wait until summer when it isn’t all studying all the time. She really should be good on AP Chem. Part of it will be the written response questions from the recent AP Chem exam. Her teacher even posted an answer key (which she caught an error on). I just have to hope she doesn’t panic or freeze up over whatever the MC questions could be and then be thrown off for the rest of the test.
@SDCounty3Mom Sounds like my DD wanting to get away from her classmates. We did take her to visit a school a flight away and it did provide some clarity. She is into travel and thought it would be a great adventure, but actually doing the trip (and the 3 hour layover) was very good for her to experience. Two weeks after our return, she had decided (for now anyway) that she’d rather be closer to home. I don’t think the travel hassles were the only thing changing her mind, but it is something to consider and I’m glad we had her try it. Next up, seeing how she feels about a 4 hour drive
Like you said, it won’t be super difficult to avoid classmates. It was graduation weekend around here, and I’ve read all of the “future plans” spots in the local papers for our school and others. The very great majority are cc, the nearest in-state public, and the nearest directional (OOS but nearby and easy to get in state rates by GPA). DD seems surprised but I told her this is real life.
New major to think about…last night after her vocal concert she was talking with me and a friend about the possibilities for the musical the school will put on in the fall. Suddenly she exclaimed, “I could be a speech/theater teacher!” She has done speech contest every year (acting/singing), and the play or musical every year.
We had been looking recently at a theatre BA, with possible minors in Geography and Public Relations. At the school I’ve been looking at, the double minor would be possible and have room for lots of open choice in electives and Gen Eds. Sort of a hodgepodge but then she wouldn’t have to choose between her interests. I looked at their Speech/Theatre Education and there is very little room for choice by the time you take your education classes, theatre classes, and specifically required GE. But there is a definite career path which might make her feel more comfortable than “now what do I do with Theatre/Geography/PR degree?”
I’m a little leary due to school politics, budget cuts to arts, and having to deal with HS kids but it’s her not me! I guess for now it’s another qualification to add to the list of things to look for in potential schools.
Hey @bjscheel great your D has a possible new plan. Let her explore it some more for sure. Give her some links/info to review. I think if a kid has any sort of plan formulated at this point, run with it if it seems feasible or worthwhile.
@bjscheel I’m sorry, I forget what colleges (types, locations) you are targeting?
In Rochester, NY there is a really nice, smaller private called Nazareth College that I’ve known many people go to for education and music and it seems to have a nice theater program. It may be too far or not at all the kind of place your daughter is looking for, but your post made me think of it
ETA went back and it seems she would like to be closer to home. Hopefully she can get merit somewhere close that had the desired programs!
@mom2twogirls Yep, Midwest/directional publics (with private Christians as a dream if she gets a scholarship miracle)
I’ve looked through our list and some have theatre education and some do not. Some have more education courses than others, some focus more on communication than theatre, so that can help her decide. Will definitely show her a 4 year plan and see how appealing the course list sounds. I think that really helps when looking into a major.
@bjscheel I’ve seen that term “directional publics” here a few times lately – what does that mean? Just curious. Good for you for actually looking at course lists, by the way. Back in the day, when I myself chose to attend a LAC, I went in thinking I would be an anthropology major because I’d been volunteering at a natural history museum in high school and loved it. Turns out my otherwise esteemed LAC was really weak in anthropology (oops), something I know I didn’t research at all prior to choosing that school. I’d presumed I could of course take “Intro to Anthropology” my first year and well, it wasn’t offered. They just had a tiny faculty I guess, and someone was probably on sabbatical I suppose. But that lack of that course was extremely influential in my entire life, almost disturbingly so when I think about it. Because of that, I switched to psychology, and every decision after that was different than if I’d kept on my anthro track and career focus. I went psych/pre-med, but then didn’t feel strong enough in both calculus and chemistry so I dropped the pre-med after a year, and then ended up in psychology research, which is where I then pursued a graduate degree.
So yes, looking at the course catalog, looking at what is offered on any given academic term, looking at the courses required for the major, looking at the faculty in possible majors…all important and not to be neglected. I know I took a very holistic view when evaluating schools (reputation and ranking, location, dumb stuff like dorms and food), and should’ve been more detail-oriented in my decision making. Even the most esteemed school can have pockets of weak offerings, past-their-prime absentee faculty, morale issues, etc. One can’t of course learn all of this as a prospective student, but it’s worth some sleuthing.
@bjscheel have you looked at Lindenwood? I have a friend whose daughter is excited to go there this fall.
@SDCounty3Mom the directionals are the less popular than the flagship public universities, at least that’s my understanding from years of reading here on CC. They tend to be smaller and a bit less selective and can be good options for fit for some kids. If we lived closer to Alabama, UA-Huntsville would probably be perfect for my d19.
@SDCounty3Mom Directional public is a term I learned here- it’s a smaller public university (not the flagships) and they usually have a direction in their name- Northwest Missouri State, University of Northern Iowa, Southwest Minnesota State. Privates cost a lot more and we don’t like the giant universities, so directionals are meeting our size and affordability constraints.
I wonder about the derivation of the terms, flagship and directional? I guess that the flagship is the one who orders the educational fleet, and the directionals are the little boats that dart off in different directions? The directionals steer students to specific directions? It’s puzzled me.
Ah, thanks all. I had an incorrect theory that it somehow referred to public schools that participate in tuition exchanges, like the WUE program among the western states. Although I guess tuition-exchange schools like those in the WUE do consist of a lot of directional publics, like Northern Arizona University. Thanks for clarifying!
And those directionals that don’t have a compass direction in their name often have a place (or similar) name attached, so you get the U of Wisconsin Stevens Point, the U of Missouri St Louis, and so on.
Of course, confusing that are the states where the flagship also has a place name, like the U of Nebraska Lincoln and the U of Maryland College Park. The main test is (leaving aside the weird states like Pennsylvania where the U of State isn’t a public, or New Jersey where the flagship is WeirdName), if someone talks about the U of State, or State State U, is it the one you immediately think of? No? Then it’s a directional.
@mom2twogirls I have looked at Lindenwood when she wanted to do Parks & Rec but not lately. She can stay closer to home at a lower price, but for a private, it is a good deal and it’s close to the airport which is a plus. I’ll take a look at their majors again.
I learn so much on this site! One of the best things is recognizing where everyone’s kids are going to college and having an informed, positive comment to make when they tell me.
D19 finally got her SAT scores today and I am so relieved. She did very well on verbal and solid in math. She is on the higher end of the 50% range for her favorite schools so we are all breathing easier (this is her first take).
Then again, I’m not sure what those 25%, 50%, 75% ranges actually mean or how to use them. Any insight?
She didn’t finish the non-calculator math section and has been practicing, so she will likely have another go on June 2nd.
I was distressed to hear from a senior at my girls’ HS that “lots of people” cheat by going back to work on sections which they are supposed to have finished, and using a calculator for the non-calculator part. I’m not sure if that’s just a rumor or exaggerated . . . How would you keep track of which section other people are supposed to be on? D said she never took her eyes off her own booklet. Then again, she also took the test at our HS and said that the proctors were not vigilant.
D rolled her eyes about it, and moved on, but it really bothers me. Should I consider telling the school that we heard kids are going back to previous sections?
Unless I knew for sure I would not say anything @3SailAway . Once a school is informed that there has been cheating , they are required to let the College Board know. You run the risk of having the test invalidated.
@carolinamom2boys, the girl who told us cheating is common took the test last year, not with D19. I think the College Board should have students turn in their answer sheet after each section, or have separate booklets. Or pay proctors to walk around rather than sit in front on their laptops.
I should block this out and focus on our values and issues where we can make a difference.
@3SailAway Yay! Glad your D rocked her SAT! Relief is a wonderful feeling in this whole process…! As for possible cheating, I would be very surprised if they make it that easy to return to prohibited sections. For AP tests, they either collect the material or, if new sections are housed in the same packet, the students must seal the prior sections closed with a sticker. There is nothing left to a code of honor, that’s for sure. Since this is all College Board, I’d be really surprised if there’s no preventative measures to preclude kids from returning to prior sections. That would also be a very, very negligent team of proctors to not enforce calculator rules as well. Seems like a rumor or an exaggeration. I hope so – geesh…!
