Parents of the HS Class of 2020 (Part 1)

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
1661

@socaldad2002, my younger is 6, so things will be even worse for him. Hubby and I joke that we will send him to college at our home country even though his language skills are mediocre at best, but he is clearly a techie and will communicate via whatever computer languages will be in use by then anyway. Jokes aside, it is getting extremely competitive. DD got a second summer program rejection today. We knew it was a long shot since it is aimed at underprivileged kids, but I encouraged her to apply anyway since you never know, right? I expect next year will be even more brutal with rejections from scholarships and competitive summer programs, and could well affect her self-esteem. So I am on the wall whether she should apply, but shielding her from failure all the time is not an option, right?

Actually, would love to hear some advice/opinion from everyone else, thanks!

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@socaldad2002 agree with others about the foreign language. Top schools want 4 years same language in high school or as high as school goes. It is considered a core for all four years. If she has access to Spanish 5 or AP Spanish after Spanish 4 or a college level (some schools let you take them in high school via virtual or dual enrollment) you may want to explore. If she goes as high as she can in Spanish (and your high school profile confirms this to the colleges) then you might want to consider a second foreign language. I recommend you look at a few colleges you are considering and go by their recommendations ( not requirements). Have a high school senior this year and the competition is intenseā€¦can only imagine what we are looking at two years from now.

Also for those wondering about volunteering as an EC ( even if it is not at a non-profit) that would be a an EC. The common app has room for 10 ECs and volunteer is a category. The idea is to show where the student invests their time and how they grow in this category. They are looking at the depth of involvement, time management and passions.

1663

D20 is now a fully certified USA swimming instructor and Red Cross certified lifeguard.
All set for summer earning potential.

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@MinnieFan interesting point about foreign language. Are there any colleges that recommend 5 years of a foreign language? Looking at some college data sets for select universities UCB recommends 3 years, Cornell 3, University of Washington 4, etc. Iā€™m just wondering how much that extra 5th year would be important especially for a business major?

1665

Your 5th year in some schools is the AP level.

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@socaldad2002 they are not looking for kids to get to to a certain level as much as have it as one of the 5 core classes all four years (along with history, English, math and science). Some schools only require 3 years of science or foreign language but recommend 4 for example in that case you really need 4 to compete. While no one knows for sure in sophomore year all the schools they are applying too it is good to get an idea from the ones you think you are. If a student takes Spanish 2 freshman year, 3 sophomore and 4 junior and then has the ability to take 5 or AP or a college dual enrollment senior year that is what a college that recommends 4 years wants to see. If at those options are not available at that high school and that is explained on the profile the school sends to the college than that is another story. Such would be the case with University of Washington according to your research.

UCB and Cornell might be okay with ending with Spanish 4 in junior year even if their are other options but you would want to confirm with the schools for sure. Since you will not know until senior where your student is applying better to just have the foreign language all four years. Most likely she will then place out in college.

As far as being a business major that does not matter on the high school transcript. If she can take electives for that that is great and supports her interest but they really want to see the core 5 at the most competitive levels the student can handle.

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Regarding Spanish, D took 3rd yr in summer so she had room for her AP Seminar and AP Research classes during the school year to earn the AP Capstone diploma when she is a Sr. Itā€™s my understanding that since her 3rd year language was not HS sponsored she cannot take her 4th year as part of her school courses but can earn it next summer, private program. I guess our feeling is that her course rigor is fairly strong with 9 APs and 3 Honors courses completed by senior year. There is (or should be) a balance between academics and teenagers actually having some fun during high school that isnā€™t class work and studying 24/7. But on the other hand she is competing against her peers who may be more driven?

1668

I was told it is to take only 3 years of foreign language as long as the third year is somewhat close to college level. For example, at our school, there is Spanish 5, but it is only available to those who took Spanish 4, not AP. D took Spanish2 as a freshman, taking Spanish3H as a sophomore, and will take AP next year. Our GC thinks that would be enough for any college. My friendā€™s daughter took Spanish1 as dual enrollment at a local cc, and was also told this would be sufficient for any UC. She is a STEM kid, though, not sure it would make a difference.

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No idea what happened hereā€¦ I didnā€™t mean to post anything.

I really appreciate the conversations happening here. My D is really more interested in having fun then working hard. Such a difference from my older 2. I would have truly appreciated this thread when they were in school.

1670

Iā€™ll start off with ā€œyour mileage may vary,ā€ but Cornell doesnā€™t specifically require 4 years of language other than English ā€“ D17 only took 3 years of Spanish, and was accepted there. She applied for engineering and chose additional science electives and to stay in band all through HS instead of continuing with a language.

Edited to add: Our HS has up to 5 years of language counting AP.

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At our school the sequence is
Spanish 1
Spanish 2
Spanish 3
Spanish Lang AP (4)
Spanish Lit AP (5)

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@socaldad2002 her course rigor is excellent and I am one of those who wishes the kids were able to have more balance and enjoy these years instead of being in a pressure cooker. That said as my D18 and her friends are going through this the level of competition is incredible. I just wanted to give you a heads up before your daughter is filling out those apps.

If the schools you think she will be applying to recommend 3 than that is the minimum number. I do know middle school does not count even if they complete 1 or 2. It looks good if the start at level 2 or 3 as a freshman but they still want two more years completed in the high school years.

The only other thing I would verify is how you can get those outside Spanish classes onto her transcript if the high school does not recognize them. Were that a local or community college? If so those could go in on their own transcript. Just not sure what you mean by private.

It is really challenging to help the kids navigate these stressful expectations and still enjoy childhood. My D18 has a couple of reaches but we kept it pretty real. Her friends ( in the same high level classes) have more reaches than fits and it has been a rough month to say the least. My D20 is not in top levels and while I am concerned about merit I am thankful we will be shopping in a different catalog for our next college search.

1673

the foreign language is tricky. S20 is looking mainly at state flagship; arts/sciences college. They require 4 yrs in HS or make up the difference in college. They will take 8th grd as one yr thankfully, so kiddo is done after jr. yr.

We double checked this; and his response was that if they wanted 4 yrs exclusively in HS, heā€™d double back and take yr 1 as a senior since heā€™d already had 2-4 in HS! Heā€™s always thinking. (This is not at all advice for those of you looking for top schools. :wink: )

1674

@MinnieFan to clarify, when i said the high school doesnā€™t recognize her 3rd year of Spanish what i mean is she cannnot take a 4th year through the HS but will take it with a private instructorr.over the summer before senior year. (She did this with a friend in the summer after her freshman year).

I believe the Spanish courses are reflected on her official HS transcript itā€™s just that once you go private you cannot take Spanish 4 at her HS. I guess she could take AP Spanish though if she tested in? Regardless she will not be taking that class as she has other APs age wants to take.

Btw - her target schools right now are the top 6 UCs, USC, Cal Poly SLO, UW, Santa Clara, LMU, SDSU, CSULB. Itā€™s really going to depend on her test scores. She got a 1260 on pre-PSAT which isnā€™t great but she didnā€™t do any prep. This summer she will be prepraing for both the PSAT and SAT. If she doesnā€™t do well, will study and take the ACT and maybe multiple times as needed.

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Our state has a common course numbering system, so if you take ā€œhigh school Spanish Iā€ in 8th grade, it still counts and is transferrable from school to school. But, if your school has a different course number, then it doesnā€™t count. (I donā€™t remember what the course number is.)

1676

Spanish credit at university of Illinois I donā€™t believe accepts junior high credit. 2 years of junior high Spanish for example puts you in Spanish 2. If I understand correctly 2 years junior high is equal to one year of high school.

1677

Spring breaks are starting to happen. Does anyone have a recent college visit to talk about? I do!

We saw UBC-Vancouver. Gorgeous campus, good chance S would be admitted, and it would be very inexpensive for us with Sā€™s Canadian citizenship. Like, half the price of our state flagship. Itā€™s on the list!

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@ShrimpBurrito Next week for spring break we going to Seattle and Vancouver. Will be touring University of Washinton while in Seattle but probably not UBC-Vancouver as we live in the US and tuition is very high (unless they give good merit?). From the website the school does look amazing. You now have me a little intriquedā€¦would love to hear moreā€¦

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@socaldad2002
Our family has actually visited UBC Vancouver several times, as it was my D18ā€™s favorite for a long time. In fact, I planned this family trip to Vancouver many months ago so that Dā€™s brothers (she has four) could all see where she would be going to college. Oops. :smiley: Sheā€™s going to McGill in Montreal instead.

International tuition is steep, but if youā€™re full pay, itā€™s cheaper than many American options. I know they have some merit awards for international students, but I donā€™t know how difficult they are to get.

Campus is pretty isolated, on a peninsula, rimmed by a woodsy provincial park. Busses run continuously from campus to the rest of the city; you can get downtown in about 20-30 minutes. Kitslano, the neighborhood closest to campus, is lovely (I mean LOVELY) and very safe. There is a nice hotel on campus, perfect for visiting families. Campus is huge and stunningly beautiful at every turn, with lots of water features and gardens (rose garden, Japanese garden, botanical garden with a canopy walk) and beach access at multiple places, including the freshman dorms. Water and mountain views all over campus. Facilities are fantastic, and professors seem very accessible despite the large classes.

UBC markets well and their tour guides are well trained. We have always felt very comfortable on campus.

UBC does NOT offer your typical American university experience. Since housing is limited on campus, and it is fairly cut off from the city, there is a large commuter element. Iā€™ve spent a few evenings walking around campus and itā€™s DEAD. Not a lot of rah-rah. The culture lends more to participation in outdoor activities: skiing, hiking, kayaking, etc. Lots of Olympic athletes study at UBC. Statistically it is the most international university in North America (I saw that in UBC marketing materialā€“canā€™t remember the details).

My D oh-so-loved all of the above. She opted for McGill because UBCā€™s degree requirements for her chosen major, Cognitive Science (called Cognitive Systems at UBC) did not offer enough flexibility. It would have been difficult for her to study abroad or take on a minor or dabble in foreign languages, which is paramount for her.

Edit: I should also add that according to at least one publication, UBC is ranked globally in the top 40. As with all of the top Canadian universities, UBC has a reputation for rigorous classes and no grade inflation. I spoke with an advisor there who said American students often underestimate how hard UBC is and donā€™t fare well.

1680

Our h.s. spring break is next week.

D20 is going to fly LAX-LHR-EDI, get on a shuttle to St. Andrews and spend 5 nights in D17ā€™s dorm room, then one night at an Air B and B in EDI with said sister, then reverse route fly home.

Iā€™m a teeny bit anxious about this.