Okay, we have rallied hard over here. S19 is really taking the SAT thing in stride. He decided to register for the August SAT sitting. And we discussed adding more test-optional schools to the roster of possibilites.
I am pleased to report that Mr. InfiniteWaves’ and my alma mater is officially back on the list (yay!). And we have visits scheduled over the next several weeks to Dickinson, George Mason, La Salle, and U of Scranton. If the test scores don’t come back up, S19 will have a solid collection of test-optional and true safety options.
And he will still apply to Penn State because of the branch-to-main option. But the heat is off for rolling admissions. He will apply to Penn State when he is able to. The Common App for PSU doesn’t open until 9/1 anyway.
Really proud of this kid. He is shifting gears quickly and staying flexible.
Cheers to all as we navigate this insanity. 
@InfiniteWaves what does your S want to study again? Good luck on your upcoming visits, just remember it will all work itself out over the course of the next 10 months ( yes, next April!). That’s a long time away and many things can change. It’s going to be fine.
Thanks @RightCoaster . He wants to study English and writing. And is considering ROTC. His schedule is so packed in the fall with marching band and XC, it is hard to schedule visits and time off from work. That’s really my only source of insanity. The calendar. We have three weeks until band camp and XC start. And then the weekends are full until November. And all of these schools are within two hours of home, so why not visit, ya know?!?
@InfiniteWaves If he wants to study English and writing there are a lot of schools that will be worthy candidates. That’s good news.
At our school they allow the seniors some days off for school visits during the year. We took a few Fridays off with my older son and went on a few visits. Maybe your school does this?
@RightCoaster @homerdog - Thanks for the advice. This process is so up and down.
Her spirits are back up a bit, and she has changed direction today to focusing on mission trip. Due to violence and travel advisory, we’ve been re-routed to join another team in a different country. D19 is in sewing machine therapy right now in preparation, so that’s good.
School visits tomorrow and Friday - last and only ones for the summer. I’m excited because they are both driveable.
I got it covered, @RightCoaster . Your comments are so kind and much appreciated. Leave it to an unexpected SAT score to send me into a college planning panic.
@InfiniteWaves we can empathize with you. DS19 does not test well on long, standardized tests, although he has done better on the ACT.
FYI, the Penn State app goes live August 1. I spoke to admissions today.
@myboys01 It is my understanding that the MyPennState app goes live on August 1. For those who wish to use the Common App (new for PSU this year), it will go live on September 1.
https://news.psu.edu/story/525893/2018/06/21/academics/penn-state-joins-common-application-2018-19
Son19 just woke up, washed his face, munched down a bagel, threw some pomade in his hair and put on his favorite shirt, and headed over to senior picture day. Ha, boys. Literally no fuss, no care. Took about 12 minutes in total.
@RightCoaster Love it. My S19 will probably roll into his senior photo session in the exact same way.
Also, I have to thank you again for the kind words yesterday. CC has had me thinking that an SAT score starting with “11” (In the 600s for EBRW and 500s for math) means the world is coming to an end. I’ve been checking the CDS for schools on the revised list. And it seems that S19 is right smack in the middle when it comes to scores.
Perhaps this is because, also thanks to CC, we’re looking at the right schools for a kid like him (and the kid I once was): high GPA (honors/AP English/history, regular track math/science) and average test scores. I mean, the kid wants to study English. I’m assuming that the Penn State School of Liberal Arts won’t expect him to have the SAT scores of a mathematician. And if they do, whatever.
I’m sharing all of this because I am assuming S19 is not the only one in this particular boat on CC. With a parent who is going through this for the first time. I’ll be good to go when it’s S21’s turn. 
@RightCoaster - I hear you on that! S19 had his senior pics on Tuesday. Aside from the pomade, sounded just like your son lol.
Heads up for UAH prospectives - they just updated the automatic merit scholarship grid. Now free housing is only for two years, and is only for perfect ACT and SAT scores (36/1600). Kind of a bummer, but luckily their housing is pretty cheap comparatively, so it’s still on the list (with the free tuition, it’s cheaper than commuting to in-state university near us, with a better engineering program).
Ah my D has her senior portrait session for yearbook photos later this morning. We’ve received numerous postcards, emails, texts and phone calls to remind us to show up. ~X( Don’t worry, we’ll be there! Yesterday I told D to get everything ready for this appointment, yet this morning she tells me she has nothing ready. Ugh! In our area, everybody does pricey photo shoots for senior portraits. Stylist, makeup artist, personal photographer, really? For pictures that are going to be stored in a plastic bin like all of the baby pictures. I’m trying to find a way out of it. Since we don’t have a “real” camera, it is going to be a bit tough though. I have several point and shoots that we haven’t really used in a few years…
@jellybean5 We don’t do this senior photo shoot thing either. I’m surprised that our neighborhood isn’t into that sort of thing but I’m glad they are not. I’m sure S19 would pull a “right coaster” and jump out of bed and go right to the photo. D21 would take forever with outfit changes and hair changes.
We have so many great photos of our kids and most of them I only have on the computer. I started putting family photos in our hallway when the kids were young but I got lazy and S19 is about eight years old in the most recent photo. lol.
@InfiniteWaves You have a great attitude, which will bode well for your son in this process!
My son skipped his senior picture day. I got home from work and heard “I twisted my ankle yesterday and it hurts to walk and besides I didn’t know what to wear”. Fortunately I was able to reschedule it for later in the summer. For us this isn’t a neighborhood thing but a school assigned picture sitting.
S really hates having his picture taken so I think I will need to work at home that day to ensure that he gets out the door and actually goes to it.
@InfiniteWaves You should come over and visit our parents thread for 3.0-3.4 GPA kids. Even though your son doesn’t fit that criteria, it sounds like his test scores are more in line with the kids there and the school selection will be similar to what people there are looking at. For an example, my kid’s big super reach school is Pitt. Its quite different from this thread.
@InfiniteWaves There are so many really bright, curious students who don’t do well on standardized tests! Or, I should say, don’t do well when compared to some of the superstars in their school/who we read about on this forum. Comparison is the thief of joy.
Not to mention all the great schools that are test optional, like Middlebury, Wesleyan, Skidmore, Bates, Bowdoin, even U Chicago (although I’d look a bit askance as that until we see how many kids they accept next year who didn’t submit test scores).
Hey – what do you guys think about contacting (via email) your kids’ counselors over the summer with college questions? Yay or nay? I want my D19’s counselor to…to not be annoyed by my daughter’s family in any way since it might leak into the recommendation somehow, but I have QUESTIONS.
@JenJenJenJen I think it’s fine to contact the counselor by email with questions. I can’t see it being annoying.
Not everyone on this thread is targeting prestigious schools either. So far, my d19 is most excited about an instate public (and we aren’t California! So it’s not a big name)