I think for C26, we have already seen a great maturing in just the last 6 months, and there has definitely been a further shift after the college visit which has made it more real /tangible as to what they are working for. So while CC isn’t off the table, I think given that they now know what the alternative is, it would be a disappointment.
In other news, we just got word that they have been accepted to volunteer as an assistant for kids’ summer art camps (at the same studio they take lessons), so that offsets the sting of not being accepted as an intern at the camp they had originally wanted.
Agree, though for C26 specifically this is unlikely to be the case for a lot of their freshman experience (it might be for the calculus and physics requirements, but the studios will dominate and they are small.)
The CC to UC option is very popular in CA of course, for a number of reasons.
I could force him to do it—but I agree that it may well go badly. He had agreed to it after seeing and loving Boston University (I told him that BU wants to see 4 years of all academic subjects, including language, which it clearly states in their CDS report). But that idea has fallen away now that some time has passed. He seems to view it as “me making him” rather than “I see the value of doing this because I want to put my best foot forward for a school I’m excited about.” To me this is both burnout and also some lack of maturity. But doing poorly is also not an option. He’s had the same teacher for 3 years — I wonder if he needs someone different to reinvigorate his interest.
Since you still have a little bit of time for him to make a decision about it, maybe give him a few days and leave it on the back burner before bringing it up again. How to approach it sometimes with a teenager is tricky, as we learned last year with D24. Sometimes they don’t realize that a particular decision now has downstream consequences.
Your son’s situation kind of makes me think of the phrase “is the juice worth the squeeze?”
One thing that got my attention at the parent orientation during move-in weekend at D24’s college was a presentation that the VP of Student Affairs did to all of the parents. He said that what’s a lot different now compared to several years ago in college admissions is that with today’s college students, they enter college already burned out because of the intensity to be everything and do everything in high school.
My 11th grader has already said she’s burned out. So that’s why I haven’t pushed a lot for her to do more extracurriculars, do test prep during the school year for SAT/ACT, stuff like that. Because of all that, there are many schools that are out of the running. But we’re ok with that now.
If your son wants badly enough to go to Boston University, then maybe he can find some extra motivation to do Japanese again next school year. However, if he chooses not to, then BU would probably be out of the running. BUT maybe there’s other colleges that have some things similar to the things he loved about BU…and maybe those other colleges might be considered a “target” school and maybe they don’t require 4 yr of foreign language for getting admitted.
D26 is struggling with this as well, not with a foreign language, but with a 4th year of social studies/history. She still hasn’t made up her mind, still wavering, I think she’s going to wait to see what her academic pre-reads look like and see if they want any changes to her senior schedule and she’ll adjust accordingly.
So…for example, what was it about Boston University that he really liked? Being in or near a big city? The GE curriculum? The types of classes for the major(s) he’s interested in? The vibe on campus? Access to specific types of study abroad programs? Etc., etc.
OMG, this resonates so much right now with junior year burnout. We know that test prep was what she back burnered, but she had no more bandwidth. She’s absolutely done testing, will have to proceed with whatever she gets.
I think these kids have been burning the candle at both ends for so long that they may have lost sight of themselves and their WHY. Hoping that summer break will bring some clarity, and if he does decide to pursue a 4th year of Japanese, I’m sure his school counselor will help get him in the class. From what I’ve seen, they do bend over backwards to help the kids put their best foot forward.
So true… we have absolutely been on the hunt for less selective/rejective schools with similar characteristics (an urban setting, but still with a campusy feeling, ease of double majoring in art + another discipline), a “dense” campus, and a huge variety of classes). So far, University of Washington knocked it out of the park and it’s an easier but not easy admit OOS. We are also looking at Pitt and DePaul (which I hear from Ally86 has little to no whiff of religion, another requirement). I think other schools such as Wisconsin-Madison, Vermont, and Boulder could be ok too as they are bigger, high energy places with bigger college towns around them. I really like Boulder’s program for undecided majors. Fordham, maybe (it has required religion courses and a large core).
That said, he will have to reconcile his desire to be competitive and gain admission to selective schools with his desire to stop doing the things like more ECs and 4 years of language So far that too is a tricky conversation (he competes with his sister, and he wants to get into a school he feels will be looked at positively by peers). I want him to go to school somewhere he feels good showing up and being himself and getting to take a variety of classes that HE wants to take, not the stuff he’s been require to take so far.
Also maybe URochester or Rochester Institute of Technology. We have never been to Rochester or Pittsburgh—so gotta go check it out!
I’m such a huge fan of Boulder after our visit, but I would not describe it as “urban”. If that’s what he wants I’m not sure it would fit the bill. They do have the free buses to Denver, but thats not right on the college doorstep. (And the urban feel in Denver is very different to Boston.)
Yeah, but at the same time, he’s going to need to expand the definition of urban to make a full list… a lot of urban schools in big/major US cities seem to be either highly competitive or Jesuit or too small. Oh, I should have mentioned University of Denver too. It’s not as big a school so who knows if it would be a top contender but there are reasons to look at it.
Same.. Mid June is last day then the following 2 weeks are finals.
This week is a return visit to one of her top 3 except it’s a 6 hour event being held for high school juniors only. In two more weeks is a return visit to another. That could possibly be the last visit we do. August comes application time.
Do we have the same kid? D26 is having second thoughts about continuing her sport in college because everything is so overwhelming at the moment, but having a supported roster spot can help with admissions at some of these highly rejective schools. I have to constantly remind her that she won’t have to make a firm decision until the fall, and she’s just exploring all her options.
I feel like Marquette might fit some of the criteria you’re looking for – check it out.
RIT is high on my D26’s list, but it’s not urban – it’s kind of an isolated campus in an office-park type suburb. U of Rochester is more urban, and I’ve heard both great things about the school and also worrisome things about the location. (We did not tour or even drive past it – just RIT.)
We’ve researched RIT a lot, so if you pursue it and want to chat further, let me know!
Oh my gosh, I feel all of you about the burnout. This time of junior year is just so brutal. My kid is concurrently reading Tale of Two Cities and Brave New World (the class got behind on curriculum) and crying inside just a bit, LOL.
She’s also auditioning for drum major tomorrow. You know, before she has to go to her art class and sketch naked people.
I have to make light, because she’s so bogged down and I feel her stress. Her AP Physics grade is one point lower than she wants it to be, and I think there’s only one more test, and she is just like THERE IS NOTHING MORE I CAN DO. It’s so defeating.
(My S25’s last day of school ever is May 9, and he graduates on May 15. There are SO many things these next few weeks that I haven’t processed the fact that he’s graduating. From high school. This kid who we weren’t sure would ever graduate, or drive, or go on a trip, or do anything independently – and he’s doing all those things plus starting college in the fall. Egad.)
@Wjs1107 – wait, I forgot Marquette was Jesuit. The one kid we know who goes there is not at all religious, though, so I don’t know if that is a major factor at the school.
C26 has rehearsal or actual musical every night this week, and being stagecraft they have to stay after to help tidy up. So that’s 5-9.30ish pm every night. Planning on waking up early every day to get homework done. Oh, and there’s a physics field trip on Wednesday so they’ll have class work to catch up on too. Eesh
Same for my S25 – it’s show week, so home 9 or 9:30 after rehearsal every night through Thursday, and then shows Fri and Sat night.
I am planning the cast party Saturday night, so just placed order for food today. Thankfully S25 has a miniscule walk-on part (he worked mostly as an assistant to the director with blocking, etc), so it’s not terribly strenuous. Just long days.
I don’t want to wish away the time, but I’ll be glad when this one is behind us!
Not performing arts, but D26 is coaching a middle school club sport, so she’s out the door at 5:15am for her morning practice and I don’t see her again until 8:30pm. I hate this time of year. I miss my kid.
Out the door at 5:15. Oh my word. My kids would die.
My D26 wakes up 7, out by 7:30 (and on Wednesdays, she gets to sleep in half an hour because the teachers have a morning meeting) – and my S25 has “senior reduction” which means he doesn’t have a first period because he’s mostly done with credits (he’s not headed to a selective school), so he casually wakes up at 8:20 and leaves at 8:50 or so.
There is the occasional before-school meeting or office hours or something, but still. 5:15!
Sometimes they don’t realize that a particular decision now has downstream consequences.
Oh my word. My kids would die.