@bigmacbeth yes, she took Anatomy last year and loved it. That’s the class that really inspired nursing. She’s taken Honors Bio and will be taking Honors Chemistry next year. Also next year, her guidance counselor added a Sports Medicine class that also has a laboratory component, but it will be nowhere near the rigor of even a regular physics class. Her science schedule has been off-track since her freshman year, since the first course in the Honors science sequence - Honors bio - conflicted with the time of freshman band.
Our high school graduation was today. That means D20 is officially a senior. She did Junior Marshal duty at the ceremony today. Sunday she leaves for 6 weeks. When she gets back, it’ll be time to buckle down on those applications!
@chb088 Congrats to your D20! It is a great thing getting through junior year. I can’t wait myself for summer to begin.
We visited Tufts today. D20 liked it, but realized she likes every school she visits. I think she liked that she could choose core courses that she’s interested in, rather than being required to take a specific English class, for example. They do have a fairly heavy foreign language requirement (6 courses), but sounds like Engineering majors don’t need to do it, because the Engineering curriculum is intense.
The commute there was…frustrating. I thought we would never get there. It took about twice as long as expected. Fortunately, we left plenty of time. Unfortunately, we had hoped to have lunch when we got there, but there was no time for that. Side note: every school should end their tour with directions to the bookstore and dining options. Tufts did not, so we didn’t even eat when the tour ended at around 3pm. The commute home was equally frustrating.
One other pet peeve…schools that charge prospective students for parking. Especially in summer.
There did not seem to be much in the way of shops and restaurants right off campus. They mentioned several times that there’s a shuttle to Davis Square, where there are shops and restaurants, so I guess that’s where everyone goes. And it seems pretty easy to get into Boston using public transportation.
The info session was pretty dry. Just one AO talking for an hour straight. Our tour guide did a good job. Loved the Jumbo history. And the views from campus were spectacular!
@momzilla2D my younger 2 really loved the Tufts tour last summer even though it was about 98 degrees in Boston that day. Since then I think D20 has had enough other schools pass it that I’m not sure whether it’s going to end up on the final list or not, and honestly S22 isn’t going to have the GPA to get in unless he really makes a turn-around next year (he’s not an awful student but he needs to care more about his grades and less about his video games…).
Our school (public, class size around 400) only has AP physics 1 officially and I think there were 2 sections of it, or maybe 3. Unofficially the physics teacher has supplemental classes 2x a week after school for interested students to work on extra material to prep for the physics C exam. The timing didn’t work out for D20 as it was the same days as chamber singers rehearsals.
@chb088 Congrats to your D.
Our school graduation is over next weekend - DS is missing it as he got into a summer camp (that he was earlier on waiting list). Its a camp that he really wanted to do (and its free…so I am happy too)…but going there means he has to leave right after his finals and missing all the grad parties of his friends from class of 2019. Wish he had a few days of break after the finals and before the start of the camp but its a well-known quality camp in his intended major and he don’t want to lose the opportunity. Hopefully he gets his 2-week down time after the camp is done in mid-July. For him, August is the app month.
Does anyone here follow colleges from your C20’s list on social media? For instance, Emory announced last week what their short answer prompts would be for the next cycle. It can give your student a little bit of a head start.
@momzilla2D
Tufts charging for parking in the summer always bothered me too. The presentation is very dry and also they do not show you as much as they should in the tour. If your child attends there drop off is also a mess. In general I would not say that they are well organized. Lots of little grievances (for academics too). Having said all that my D really likes it though and currently it is very high on her list. She will apply for sure.
Did anyone’s child take the ACT last weekend? I don’t see any discussion about it at all. I can’t wait for this year to end. I have a child in the class of 2020 and looking forward to the end of the process. I am just curious, how many AP classes are your children taking in their senior year?
@holychild My kid is taking 0 APs, not offered by school (small, rigorous independent school as discussed above.)
@bigmacbeth yes I follow about 7 of D20’s college list on Instagram, and in some cases also the college’s admissions office, president, and the sport my kid does in HS (but prob won’t do in college, sigh). I like seeing the colleges go through the seasons and celebrations and also nice to get announcements of admissions events and info.
@holychild My S20 took the ACT last weekend. He’s figuratively holding his breath until scores come out next Tuesday.
No APs for my S20 either, as he also attends a small, independent private school. My D18 went to a public magnet school, and she took five APs senior year. It was a lot, and she burned out on college apps very quickly.
@holychild DS20 is taking 5 APs senior year but a couple of them are known to be “easier” than ones he has already taken over the past few years. He takes them because of the structure of the class versus regular classes, not for future admission reasons.
We are all looking forward to the end of the year in a week an a half and the slow down of activities!!! Between work and three kids activities, I’m exhausted!! DS will start working on application pieces after a brief vacation and college tours in early July.
D20 is taking 4 APs next year. Yes, definitely have your kids follow the schools they apply to on Instagram. It’s helpful!
@hs2020dad Congrats! That camp sounds worth it!
@holychild D20 is taking 2 APs (Psych & Stats, so not bad). I also asked her to take it easy due to college apps, maybe some college visits, two sports, and just so she can have fun with her friends during her last year.
I have a close friend with a D19 who will be attending Tufts. He started the process a year+ ago thinking his D would be attending an Ivy, with a scholarship. Tufts was supposedly going to be her ‘safety’. 
By the end of the process he says that he felt Tufts really liked full-pay kids (which she is). She also applied ED II, so I’m sure that helped considerably.
“For math sequence all my kids took:
9th grade pre-AP Algebra 2
10th grade pre-AP Pre Cal
11th grade …”
Hey, 3scoutsmom, what is the" pre" designation? No Algebra 2 “course”? No geometry course?
Wow, I’ve not ever seen anything like this.
6109. There was a little talk about ACT 4 pages. Mine is taking 6 AP's. Two are one semester Econ/Govt a graduation requirement ( not those classes specifically since there is non honor ones too)
Mine is taking 2 APs and 4 IB classes. I’m encouraging her to get a lot done over the summer on apps as the fall is going to be challenging - especially as she’ll also be finalizing her extended essay. She’ll also have Nutcracker which is a huge time sink.
D20 is taking 4 APs and 2 community college classes next year. 2 of the APs are semester-long Gov/Econ classes.
Mine is taking only 4 classes (assuming it fits achedule wise) at the high school and may be done by 12:30
AP Calc BC
AP Bio
AP Lit
AP Micro/Macro
Then she will take both semesters of Physics for Scientists/Engineers at Cal State so 3 evenings with a lecture and one afternoon with a three hour lab.
She is gifted, Ld and ADHD. Regular classes bore her and she blows them off, but more than 4 or 5 AP/college classes is too much so this seems perfect. This semester she had just 5 AP classes.and nothing else and it looks like she may get all As for the he first time ever.