<p>Hi,
I need some advice in selecting HS for my kids in Chicago area. Is it really advisable to move in senior year? Son will be a senior in 2011-12 and daughter will be a freshman in HS.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.</p>
<p>Today is not a good day to ask.</p>
<p>Advisability depends on the needs of the family and the reason for the move as much as anything else. It is certainly possible to get into a selective college following a senior-year relocation.</p>
<p>My bad. relocation got confirmed just yesterday. Now we do nothing but glued on to weather channel!</p>
<p>Hanna, it is mainly our work that takes us there. We have been avoiding this for sometime. But now it now or never! So concerned and worried! University of Chicago is what my son has in his mind! Need help in choosing the HS that will his admission to UC!</p>
<p>DC4–</p>
<p>Given how complicated your situation is going to be? (ie do you have other kids or do you want to move close to work?) You should hire Hanna to help you. She is a professional ed con and can probably assist you in ways you aren’t going to be able to figure out on your own and time is short. That’s what I would do, peronsally, if I were looking for the best college outcome, in this situation.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Illinois has a number of highly sought-after high schools, mostly in the western and northern suburbs, but there are good schools in almost every area. The Chicago area is large and spread out, and traffic is a drag, even when it’s not snowing - where is your/your spouse’s workplace? Start with the local area and work your way outward. Home prices here often reflect the quality of the school district, but not always.</p>
<p>Have your son take the ACT this spring. It is a requirement for Illinois students, and, when you are scheduling classes, it will give the staff at his new school an idea of where he stands. He will need top scores and a strong GPA in difficult classes to enter the honors track at the top schools.</p>
<p>Here’s a quick reference that may help you get started.
[High</a> Schools located in Cook County, Illinois](<a href=“High Schools located in Cook County, IL”>High Schools located in Cook County, IL)</p>
<p>poetgrl: </p>
<p>Thanks for the tip: I like the idea! I have two kids only! The work is in Northbrook area! We are looking for homes in NB and Deerfield areas. I was browsing thro’ this article in Chicago Tribune. [Chicago</a> Tribune 2010 Illinois School Report Cards](<a href=“Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather, entertainment - Chicago Tribune”>http://schools.chicagotribune.com/) to help me.</p>
<p>@ midwesterner:</p>
<p>Thanks for the ACT suggestion. My son has been focusing only on SAT and SAT subject tests. I have given a thought about ACT. We will do some research. Thanks.</p>
<p>You’ve got nothing but good choices in those suburbs. Glenbrook North is considered somewhat stronger than Glenbrook South, but you may find South a better fit. Deerfield is a strong school, and home prices are not as high as Northbrook, but the taxes are a big bite.</p>
<p>@ midwesterner:
Are these schools go easy on accepting students in his senior year?
I have my daughter entering her freshman year. I need to find a school that will support my son his senior year and daughter her four years of HS. Deerfield looks good to us on Home pricing. We are looking for somewhere from 375 to 440k house!
How far is Genbrook North from Deerfield?</p>
<p>If you live in Deerfield, your only public option is Deeerfield HS. Glenbrook North covers most of Northbrook, none of Deerfield. Glenbrook South covers most of Glenview and bits of Northbrook. Could only find one map, but the northern boundaries of GBN’s district are the same as the town boundaries:
<a href=“http://www.glenbrook225.org/south/guidance/Documents/GBSmap.pdf[/url]”>http://www.glenbrook225.org/south/guidance/Documents/GBSmap.pdf</a>
Don’t get fixated on GBN as a high school. Both GBS and Deerfield are excellent schools. GBS has had a lot of recent renovations and is like a college campus. All three schools have college acceptance rates near 100%. Their resources are remarkable.</p>
<p>$375-440,000 is on the low side for Northbrook homes, but not out of reach. There are many more properties in Glenview in that range, and in Deerfield, as you’ve seen.</p>
<p>Yeah, all three of those are fine schools. They are mid size for the area, 1500-2000 kids as opposed to 4000 at places like stevenson and New trier. It’s never easy to move your senior year, but the schools won’t be a problem. (In this area, everyone goes to the publics, so… the privates, if you are catholic are Loyola, or Carmel. There is also Solomon Schecter if you are jewish. Small school, though. )</p>
<p>The one thing you should know is that the academics in this area are very competitive and there is no guarantee of being in the “top.” But, these schools do send kids to the ivies and elsewhere. Good luck to you. I’m glad you’re not trying to move in today.</p>
<p>Yes, I’d say be prepared to really compete.</p>
<p>Another perspective: the better the new high school, more top kids may be competing for an admit to top colleges. This is more than the numbers game- it has to do with which specific students get the most- and best- attention from GCs and teachers in their letters of recommendation. It will be critical that your son quickly bond with the GC and the teachers who will write those letters. It is also fine to get a great LoR from the AZ school, to supplement what he gets from the new place. It will also be important to try to immediately get involved in ECs, try for a good position in a club or activity- to specifically show as a great, flexible, adaptable kid, no delay in integrating.</p>
<p>The work load in a top hs in an educationally competitive area can be culture shock- in 11th, I moved from a great hs, where I was excelling, to one of the top 2 in the nation (at the time) in a major metro area. The level of work I had done in honors classes at the former school was the expected level for non-native speakers/first gen at the latter! Depending on his strengths, you may need to supplement with study guides, a bit of tutoring (or self-tutoring online, etc.)</p>
<p>You want the new hs to have great things to say about your son- that he came in new, jumped right in, made friends, took on ECs and responsibilities and did well in coursework. From my own experience, I can tell you that such a move is awesome and worth the effort. It will provide lifelong skills and a host of great memories. Good luck.</p>
<p>ps. I don’t know if this will be relevant- or possible- in your case. But, my GC at the new school was a dud. My mom was able to get me switched to the “mover and shaker” GC, which made all the difference. She was able to point to the fact that I had begun developing a relationship with the 2nd (I met him while he counseled a friend.) Nowadays, this may not be possible- but don’t be afraid to try, if it will make a diff.</p>
<p>^ What do I know, but I would imagine your son would be able to get great letters of rec from his prior GCs or teachers as well as info on his rank for the prior 3 years. I imagine they would put more weight on those who have known your son for 3 years rather than those that just met him. And far more weight on what he did in the prior 3 years than what he accomplished in just a few months in a new school in his senior year. I just think it’s insane to have to worry about becoming ‘all-that’ in a few months, at the exact same time one is adapting to the move and new coursework and while doing college apps.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It’s not easy, but it is survivable.</p></li>
<li><p>Some people leave a 12th grader behind with friends to finish up the last year. It really depends on the student, the family, and whether there is another family willing to have him. I don’t think this is necessary, but it IS an option</p></li>
<li><p>Definitely try to get letters of recommendation from teachers and a counselor at the current school this spring (or now), when they aren’t busy. You can submit the teacher recommendations to colleges, and the counselor rec can help the new counselor (who will probably just attach it to his rec).</p></li>
<li><p>Talk about the issues with people at the new school this spring, as soon as you have decided where to live (and thus which school he will be attending). At any of the schools mentioned, they will have seen this problem before, and have an idea how to handle it. They may not be as sympathetic as you would like to every concern you have, but they are likely to understand them and be willing to help somewhat. But, really, don’t wait to make contact. At some schools, AP and other high-value classes are filled up in March for the next year, and trying to shoehorn an extra kid in after that may cause problems you don’t want to have.</p></li>
<li><p>I am not always a fan of the idea of hiring private counselors, but in a situation like this, having an advisor who knows the local schools and their quirks as well as the colleges could be very helpful. Again – do it now, not next fall.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>starbright, this is my experience with applications to a highly competitive university. You’re right, but his app will be noted with the current school name. In an area like Chicago, if it’s a rigorous hs, adcoms will want to see his AZ assets carried forth to his new school. Since college involves a move, new contacts, higher level classes, this high school adaptation can be “revealing,” maybe a tipping point. It is a worthy challenge. I agree not to obsess, though.</p>
<p>Most midwestern kids take the ACT. Many take both the ACT and SAT, but if they take take only one, it’s usually the ACT.</p>
<p>Just to complicate things: Under No Child Left Behind, every state has to administer standardized testing. If you live in Illinois, you take the ACT (and the Prarie State) AT SCHOOL during April of junior year, which is very handy, in addition to being free. Some kids choose to take them again, during a regular ACT national test date (e.g. a Saturday morning). </p>
<p>So, it’s not required that your son have an ACT score to enroll. However, your younger child will be required to take the ACT as a junior.</p>
<p>btw: As long as you say you’re trying not to obsess: any of the schools discussed above will be fine. Really.</p>
<p>Also, learn our quaint term for the Chicago area: “Chicagoland.” For some reson, it’s morphed into the redundant phrase “the Chicagoland area” of late.</p>
<p>there is absolutely no way on this planet that somebody new will come into the academic environment in the area OP mentioned and arrive as a “mover and a shaker.” There is no way to make that kind of thing happen there. The kids that are in that environment are all really competitive and the leaders have been working to become leaders since they were in 7th grade. Really. It’s like that.</p>
<p>But, there is no reason at all that a kid couldn’t come in and participate and have an enjoyable, participatory experience. This is not an area with a vacuum of talent waiting to be “filled.” </p>
<p>Think North Virginia Area for a comp.</p>
<p>OTOH, if you have a good kid? Fun? Open? They’ll do well. They just aren’t going to be the “star.” Very few are, actually, in that area. FWIW</p>