@Rue4 I’m sorry your daughter is so down. I have a D19 and a D21. They take turns being really sad. There is a lot to mourn and worry about. I’m not sure what I’ll do if they both go into the pit of despair at once. (We also have an S24, but he’s the happy-go-lucky type, thank goodness.)
Here are some things that have helped;
A pandemic puppy (we are fostering).
Studying outside on sunny days.
Socially distanced walks with friends. (They drive separately and walk on the beach 10 feet apart. Friends are very careful due to immune-compromised family members. D’s are very careful due to DH being a doc seeing Covid patients.)
Learning new skills (D19 learned to use a sewing machine, and D21 is cooking simple things that strike her fancy.)
Watching each other’s favorite TV shows together.
They asked me what I’d like for Mother’s Day, and I said:
@Rue4 – Just wanted to say I’m sorry your D is having a tough time but appreciate you sharing. You’re a good Mom and supporting her well! She’s lucky to have you.
Mental health is a real struggle for so many during this pandemic. We all have to be on watch for interventions and new approaches to help folks stay healthy.
@OriginalSmother funny, D found some You Tube videos that reinforce the gross dorms impression! Dorms are pretty important to her!
@burghdad funny, I was thinking after Villanova that we could forget about Norte Dame! She wants big football fun if possible, but I know someone who went to Norte Dame and knew D wouldn’t like those dorms either.
Finding a reach that fits seems to be the hardest thing to find. I know reaches aren’t required, but D wants one or two. I’m looking at a reach more on the basis of price than admittance (Syracuse!).
Maybe a little tough love from mom might help? Insist that she spend some time in the public areas of the house? Have her go on at least one walk a day, maybe a social distance walk with a friend or with you if your schedule can manage it? It sounds like she is an only child. That must be especially hard.
@Rue4 My D is similar- she goes to a public but we don’t live there (she’s allowed to attend because her dad teaches there). It’s always been a struggle socially - during this it’s worse bc she sees on social media kids breaking social distancing, or maintaining it but still being able to take walks etc. I’m working from home, and super buys, so I let her sleep in during the week and do her work later. I’ve started trying to take her for a drive a couple nights a week to get her out. We live near a river with walking paths so now that parks are open again we try to head down there too… We’re trying to hold out hope that life might become normal enough for summer beach trips with friends.
@Rue4 congratulations to your daughter on her award! But, I’m so sorry to hear about her depression. I think this isolation seems to be harder on girls than boys (from my very limited sample size). It’s good that her counselor is checking in with her. From past experience, nothing in life matters - especially these ridiculous APs - when one of one’s child is suffering. Maybe a zoom b-day party? (though my D has been saying zoom is making her more anxious). My answer is always getting them out for walks in the sun, though that doesn’t work when they won’t come…I really hope she’s feeling better soon.
Both kids have 4 APs, I’m slightly stressed re our spotty wi-fi, and both are concerned about the 5 min upload time. And D thinks tons of cheating will be going on, and this is not fair! To which S says, who cares?
We’re with those of you with no real lists. Ideas of schools they think they’d like to visit, yes. They’ll have to focus more on that after APs are done.
For those of you that have visited school campuses since everything shut down - do you think the visit was valuable even though there was no official tour?
@3kids2dogs since both schools we went to see were close, I think is was worth it. If either makes the final list, we would definitely need to go back. It was good to get a feel for size, location, etc. but definitely need to see it with the kids around.
For us, an official tour has been key. We’ve been to two campuses on days when they weren’t giving tours, and neither has made it onto D21’s list, which is too bad. We’ve gotten lucky with tour guides who really make the school come alive, and without that personal element, D21 just didn’t engage the same way.
But, a different opportunity to talk to students and professors might also work. I’ve seen that some school websites have “contact a student”, but I’m not sure if that’s just email, or if it might be FaceTime or something more personal. D21 said she might look into it when she’s done with AP’s.
Happy AP exam week number 1, everyone! May the odds be ever in your teen’s favor! May the internet force be strong and with you! May the grading scale be fair and may the colleges all accept scores of 3 and over! Hang in there, this crazy academic year is almost finished.
@NJWrestlingmom another thought might be BC. My D18 liked that one probably the best of ND, Nova and BC.
@Aguadecoco we are catholic as well but that didn’t matter to D18. D21 also really liked USD. Quite frankly what’s not to like. If/when we ever get to visit schools, going to take a look at Saint Louis University and Xavier. Two midsize Catholic schools that give decent merit money.
I’ve been thinking D would love BC (my niece did, but she’s a Catholic school kid). I think she would have next to 0 chance of getting in though, which might be good because I doubt we could pay for it! Is BC a meets full need school? I doubt we’d get in range, but I really don’t know - never had to fill out a CSS so I don’t know what to expect. I’m assuming the CSS comes up with a higher EFC than FAFSA?
BC does meet full need, of course like any school that’s based on their proprietary formula.
CSS usually does have a higher EFC than FAFSA. Please remember that FAFSA is just used to qualify for federal financial aid programs. Most FAFSA only schools do not meet full need, and many leave sizable gaps (tens of thousands of dollars). Run the net price calculators at all schools on your D’s list.
Here is BC’s NPC https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/bc. Note that NPCs may not be accurate if parents are divorced, own a business, or own real estate beyond a primary home.
So, breaking news in my neck of the woods: Texas Education Agency advising school districts to look into adopting a year round school calendar to combat Covid 19…Basically 6 weeks on/2 weeks off year round with a complete month off in June
(copied from a local facebook parent group I’m in)
“Heads up parents, the TEA is recommending districts redesign their calendars for the upcoming school year. We could we heading to year round school.
The option being pushed is the Year-Round System designation (TEC Sec. 25.084) where districts must operate during a portion of, at a minimum, 11 to 12 months (per SAAH).
School boards have to vote on this so if you want to provide input, please contact them via email”
@Momof3B One of our local districts is on this schedule already and they haven’t announced when they will open again for the next school yr. I am not sure how that schedule helps combat Covid, with students potentially leaving the area on vacation during the two week off periods?
If anything I am hearing of less breaks during the year and ending school earlier so there is less travel outside the community.
That’s what I’m wondering as well, I don’t see how this relates to combating Covid? I also don’t see how they could implement this for 2020-21 considering how in our district at lease the school calendars are set 1.5 years in advance. Plenty of my teacher friends are against this. I’m waiting to hear all sides and research some more before emailing our school board.
College Board already breaking up groups of kids who they are suspecting of getting ready to cheat on exams. If CB cannot figure that out, they are in trouble. A friend of mine at Claremont McKenna said they won’t take the scores from this year and kids can take placement tests when they get there to try to get the credit. I can’t find that policy written up yet but I’m betting other schools are also going to not allow credit for APs like science and math unless the student can prove on a placement test that they know the material.
Might be something to find out if AP credit is important and make sure kids are applying to schools that have agreed to take the credits for sure.
CMC also said they won’t take homebased online SAT/ACTs either, should things get to that point in the fall. Good for them.
I think some schools are going to wait to see the AP test scores and distribution before making final decisions. Although many of said they still intend on the same policies this year as in previous years. Confirmatory summer placement tests may have a bigger role this year!
