Its is actually quite overwhelming for all the seniors. D20 has anxiety and as it is she is overwhelmed. S20 is a bit more collected. But, both are more stressed than before and taking it in differently - DD sleeps very little and DS sleeps all the time
On top of it their IB program does not help it - even though many things are truly due in Spring, the school admin would like to have everyone turn in early so that they do not have to stress at the last moment. Makes sense for them, but for kids who are trying to apply, it is added pressure. All in all, I am looking forward to a better spring!
It really is tough. Our dd has 5 done and sent with one acceptance so far (Alabama). Those were the easiest ones, though. They either didnât require essays, or didnât require supplementals. She has 4 more with supplemental essays (all in various stages of being written) to be done by 11/1 for early action, and possibly one other due by 12/1. All this on top of a heavy courseload. Itâs a little nutty seeing her try to balance everything.
No essay done for my DD20 either. She has an acceptance from a school that didnât require an essay so thatâs of course nice. But she needs to get her essay done so she can get three applications in by Nov 1. She has a rough draft but definitely not submit ready. On a positive note though we flew down to Florida this past weekend to visit FSU and UCF and she liked both of them, so being at the schools and hearing from the admissions officers about the importance of applying early in regards to not just getting in but getting merit aid was good. Without an out of state tuition reduction neither will be an option so thatâs a big incentive to be a part of the early applicant pool. I forget if it was FSU or UCF but one of them said they typically run out of merit aid to give out by around February.
@bgbg4us With regard to the AP scores, if the class is listed on the transcript then admissions expects to see an AP score. Itâs part of the class. What they do with them after that is anyoneâs guess but not seeing a score when transcript clearly shows the AP class might make one think the student tanked the test, and a 3 score is certainly not tanking. I would include it.
I think the exception to this might be senior AP tests this coming May. Two of my kidâs AP tests this year are required for the course, the other is optional. If one senior AP score was not included on the final transcript, I canât imagine it would be a deal breakerâŠ
@fencingmom to your point, D was filling out the common app today and it asked what AP exams she has/will take. Since she has taken 5 exams already and only plans on taking 2 exams senior year even though she has 4 AP classes. Is this an issue? She doesnât need the AP credits for AP lit and AP gov this year as they are already covered by prior AP exam scores.
Given that we have to pay for the AP exams soon and at least 2 of her schools would grant AP.credit for 3s and up, i think all the AP exams should be listed as will be taken.
DS20 is planning to take all 4 ap tests for the courses he is doin). He had a dilemma about whether to put an expected score or just leave the score filed blank - his GC seems to have advised to give an expected score but he is not sure. ?
My daughter isnât planning on taking the Physics 1 exam, and she did not list it as a future exam on the common app. Most of the schools on her list donât give credit for it, and if she happens to end up at one of the ones that do offer credit, weâll eat the $40 late fee. I would hope that when the AOs sees the AP class listed on her senior schedule without the plan to take the exam will correctly discern that we donât want to waste $100 on a test they donât give credit for.
At this point, we are not 100% sure dd will take the AP Lang if it doesnât give her any more credits than her score on the AP Lit from last year. It will depend on where she is planning on going to school though. We put on her application that she is planning on taking it, and that is true, but we arenât going to register her until the spring, when we will have a better idea of where she is going to school and if it is even worth it for her to take the test.
@socaldad2002 My D did list the 3rd test because sheâs just not sure if sheâll take it or not. There are a lot of reasons not take the AP tests senior year (cost), and the teacher may not require it. In my opinion, many seniors donât take them unless theyâre required and colleges are probably accustomed to seeing some but not all in this portion of the application.
I have advised my S20 and D20 to list their AP/IB tests and score. At this time the scores are self-reported.
S20 has done some research and says that some colleges (like Georgetown) would look at AP score in lieu of Subject test scores. So, it is important to list them if you they have taken and done well.
PSA: You may want to check your (and/or your kidâs) Spam folder every few days. I did just find an email sent from one of D20âs accepted-schools. It wasnât important, but I need to set up a filter or check my Spam more frequently.
I say I should check my spam because we set up a college email for D20, and I have everything sent to that account, from schools we are interested in, also forwarded to my personal email so I can keep track of things. I missed this one.
Dropping in from 2019 (and 2021) parent page. I like reading your stories! As for AP scores, you self report the ones youâve got so far. If youâre wondering what to do about a 3, look up the collegeâs policy on a 3 for that subject and see if they give credit. If they do, list it. If not, maybe leave it off. And itâs OK to have some blanks. S19 didnât take the AP Comp Sci test so had no score but reported his others. Iâve heard multiple AOs say that they do not read into missing scores - anything could have happened on that day and they donât assume the student got a 1 or 2 since itâs just as likely that they didnât take the test for some reason.
You donât send any official score reports for AP tests until you enroll and then you send them for credit and/or placement.
As for senior year AP scores, they obviously wonât be part of the equation and S19 took most but not all tests. Didnât take AP Physics 1 test because it would not have gotten him anything at the schools he applied to. Ended up that Bowdoin gives placement tests and he placed out of the equivalent of AP Physics 1 on that test without ever taking the AP. Check through your studentâs list of schools to find their AP policies when deciding whether to take the senior tests. I know you wonât know where your student will enroll but just defer to the most stringent policy. For example, S19 took the AP French test senior year because he would have needed it to pass out of foreign lang at some of the schools on his list. In the end, the score didnât matter because Bowdoin doesnât require a certain level of FL but we didnât know where he was going to school when it was time to sign up for the tests.
I donât know but everyone is talking about whether/when to send scores so I thought maybe you have to do it for the college you eventually pick? Youâd also think I would remember what we did work DS16.
DD submitted her first application today! Earliest she will have a decision is âmid-Decemberâ. I much prefer schools that announce on a specific date, but at least she should have something back before school break.
As much hype as there is that these college decisions will impact the rest of their lives, dont lose focus on living for today and loving on your kids. Dd just got a text from one of her friends that a sr at his high school died in a car crash early this morning. 17 yrs old and now gone. Just like that.
4 yrs of college is just a blip in life. (Truly, those 4 yrs will fly by and be over before you know it.) Donât let it become conflated to the point where it overshadows enjoying sr with them.
I agree @Mom2aphysicsgeek I showed my kid a cute picture of him looking happy and carefree today and he said, âThis relaxed kid didnât realize how much work he would get hit with in high-school.â So true. My kid is not where he should be on college apps but I am trying to stay calm. It is such a hectic time in their lives and I am really trying not to add to the stress (biting my tongue to not jump in and tell him what he is doing wrong but canât help myself sometimes). The house is getting amazingly clean because I clean when I get stressed!
