We keep trimming our list, then adding a couple more, but we have a solid 10 schools on the list that S26 will definitely apply to (they’re mostly in-state schools). Then my husband suggested, what about schools that have $0 application fees? So we ended up with 6 more 
(not 100% sure S26 is going to apply to all, though) and thankfully none of them have supplemental essays!
1 Like
So I am a HUGE, DIEHARD Steelers fan. Like to the point that I can’t watch games at home because I scare the dog with my…ahem…enthusiasm. D26 is deigning to visit Point Park because they have the program she wants, but it is not high on her list- MAINLY because of my passion for Pittsburgh as it embarrasses her. The good news for me is that we get to make a whole weekend out of it because she wants to visit WVU, which is very high on her list, and only an hour outside of the Burgh. (I tried to work a training camp visit in but no dice 
)
2 Likes
The counselor could make note in their letter perhaps? And also maybe your student could write a short explanation in the additional info section?
2 Likes
D26 goes to a charter school and every year since forever, we’ve had to fill out the same forms prior to the start of the new school year (normal stuff like emergency contacts, has your address changed, etc.). Well today, I did this for the VERY LAST TIME! 
My brain today is full of “Wait…WHAT?!” 
2 more weeks until senior year begins. Dang.
Here’s the College Essay Guy video I watched yesterday re: college interviews, in case it’s helpful to anybody. I passed the info along to D26 so she won’t be as nervous in her Tulsa interview at the end of the month.
3 Likes
You may want to roleplay with her as well.
1 Like
That’s a great idea!
YES. My older daughter started in kindergarten at our private school, and I have filled out the same forms every year since 2009. I, too, had a moment while doing it a couple weeks ago!
I remember feeling the same way when D26 left elementary school – I swear my girls wanted to ask the school to retire our carpool number, LOL. That number is stuck to our kitchen window. 
(Bonus cat pic)
7 Likes
We have the forms to fill out for our public school too. All the info then signing all the policies (internet use, bullying etc etc). Ours go live next week..
1 Like
Thankfully, our public schools switched to ParentVue/StudentVue 5 or so years ago where all the forms are now digital, and we just have to review it every year, make changes as necessary, and then submit. Prior to this, we had to fill out lengthy forms by hand AND in person at the school! It was always such a crazy crowded time.
On another note, we have just a month left of summer break! S26 had his senior pics Monday and we just got the proofs today! 
The first of many “lasts” will be upon us soon! I
2 Likes
Ours are digital but now I can’t remember if we just need to do updates or fill it all in! I’ll find out next week.
So yep things starting to count down. Forms next week, senior photo 1 Aug (range of dates we could choose), (mascot) day on 11 Aug (the day before school starts) where they’ll get their schedules (
it’s what C26 wants), senior BBQ & car painting that evening.
2 Likes
Since some of you brought up CollegeVine, S26 is telling me that on Naviance, the scattergrams are telling him that UVA is a match (it’s not, acceptance rate is 19%) based on accepted students’ (students accepted to UVA) GPA/SAT scores from his high school. S26’s stats on the graph is way above the dashed lines (the average GPA/SAT scores of accepted students from his high school). I know this is just one piece of the big puzzle - there’s still the transcript, essays, LORs - but how do we use this information? What about the SAT/GPA listed on the school’s CDS?
Do colleges look at a student’s stats in the context of their high school’s average stats to determine a student’s standing?
Yes, colleges try to evaluate students in the context of their high school.
Using Naviance data can be confusing. If your S has access to a college counselor at his high school, the counselor can often help to interpret this data, because they may have more inside information about students who were accepted to various colleges. (For example, some acceptances with lower stats may have been hooked students.)
Personally I’m really conservative about how I “chance” my kids, and I don’t split out colleges into a whole lot of likeliness buckets; the main thing for me is (1) get a couple of safety / very likely schools they love, (2) don’t put schools on the list that are unreachable financially, and/or such high unlikely reaches that it’s not worth the effort to apply.
3 Likes
Oooo, great idea to have S reach out to his high school counselor! Thanks! Do you use the school’s CDS to determine likelies, targets, and reach schools?
Anyone know when the new CDS go out for 2024-25? Or is that more school specific?
I just go by the CDS, or any other info I might have (for example the UCs have lots of info), and I split them out roughly according to the College Kickstart matrix in this post above: Parents of the HS Class of 2026 - #3319 by tamagotchi
I might adjust a little for competitiveness of the major they’re applying for, but really, it’s not a big deal to me to split hairs on whether a school is a target or reach! The main thing is to make sure the list contains the very important “likely” schools, and on the other hand, to recognize that some schools are “unlikely.”
3 Likes
I love all the senior traditions – and I’m kind of lalalalala that this is my last kid to go through. My girls’ school has SO many different things throughout the year, but coming up soon:
– Car window painting, plus the requisite photo of senior sitting on top of car
– First day of school, girls wear tiaras and boas (usually pink) – welcome to the South, lol
– All seniors carry a little-kid backpack all year. I looked so hard for a Little Einsteins or Backyardigans one for D22, which were her favorite shows. Alas, it’s hard to find something like this that also holds all the stuff you need to carry as a senior, lol. We ended up getting one with an embroidered mermaid for her. D26 picked one from Pottery Barn Kids that has glow-in-the-dark dinosaurs on it, lol.
– One of my favorite traditions happens at the first all-school assembly. The evergreen seniors (the ones who started at this school in kindergarten) get to walk in holding the hand of a new kindergartener. They do a whole lap and wave to everyone, and the senior parents are over here in the corner trying to keep it together. It’s really sweet, a full-circle moment.
The most fun senior traditions are near the last week of school – but I’ll share more about those then!
What senior things do your schools do?
8 Likes
Aw, that’s so sweet!
In our town, near the end of the year the seniors who were local as kids go back to their elementary schools for a walk of honor (4 elementary schools that all feed into one middle & one high school). D19 missed this as she went to elementary school overseas, but I think it’s going to be fun for C26, especially as a couple of their good friends went to the same one.
There’s a senior sunrise near the end of the school year. Unofficially there’s senior ditch day, where I think a bunch of them go to Baker Beach (the one with a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge). I’ll need to look up the other things…
4 Likes
We do that here, too, and I love that one as well. Sadly S25 missed out on that because he was in special ed kindergarten at a school that doesn’t feed into our middle and high school, and then he went to private school before going back to public for 10th. It’s a really fun tradition, though!
2 Likes
Oops, senior sunrise is mid August not end of school year! It’s senior sunset that’s near the end.
- Senior BBQ & Car Decorating, August 11, 2025
- First day of Senior Year: August 12, 2025
- Senior Sunrise: August 15, 2025
Senior Ball: March 21, 2026
Spring Senior Week: May 17-22, 2026
- Time of Reflection: May 17, 2026
- Senior Day & Senior Awards: May 19, 2026
- Senior Brunch & walking yearbook: May 20, 2026
- Senior Sunset: May 21, 2026
- Goodbye Rally & Senior Lunch: May 22, 2026
Cap & Gown Parades at elementary schools: May 26, 2026
Graduation: May 29, 2026
Grad Night: May 29, 2026
Our school does:
- senior sunrise on 1st day of school. D26 has declared that “it’s stupid” and she is “NOT getting up at 5:00 in the morning for THAT!”
- senior sunset about a week before graduation in the spring. D26 has also decided that she is “NOT doing THAT! Forget it!”
- “senior walk” - this is on the last day of in-person classes at the end of trimester 2 in early February. Everybody (grades 4-11) lines the hallways and cheers for the seniors walking through in their caps & gowns. Kids in grades 4 often will make these adorable congratulatory signs.
- there’s usually a senior prank done the last week or 2 prior to the end of trimester 2. They have to run it by the principal first to get approval. D24’s class filled one entire hallway with red Solo cups and in all the other hallways, the moved every classroom’s chairs into the hall.
- On (or near) Halloween, the school has a Halloween dress-up day and the seniors park their cars in the drop-off/pick-up line + decorate the trunks of their cars and they hand out candy to the younger grades while they do trunk-or-treat at school.
2 Likes
I’m not sure C26 will make the senior sunrise, but if their friends are doing it they’ll probably go. I think they need to be at school at 6am for that. They’ll definitely do all the others.
They will get 2-3 awards at senior awards night which will be especially nice after their rocky start to high school - they hand out the national merit certificates/letters then and C26 will be NM commended, the arts distinction award (that’s in the bag), and hopefully (will depend on 1st semester grades) CSF life member award.
2 Likes