Smart but unmotivated HS junior

itllallworkout
Wed, 14 Jun 2023 20:57:05 +0000

OP here with an update on S24. We took some advice and went on a couple of tours over spring break. We combined Furman and Clemson on a quick 2 day trip, to check out a small private college and a large public university. We parents liked Furman with the professors know your name kind of environment, for the same reason our kid did not. We felt like we could drop him off and he would be taken care of. Campus was safe and pleasant, everyone was nice, he wouldn’t be invisible and forgotten.

As far as Clemson, he didn’t say anything specifically positive but he had a strong preference for it over Furman. To be fair, the Clemson guide was great - very enthusiastic, funny, and relatable. He emphasized the sense of belonging and how it carries beyond the school itself. We heard his story of how he had chosen a different school until the very last few hours before the deadline and switched because he really felt Clemson was the place for him. So our son has since been noticing Clemson yard flags, shirts, etc. where ever we go.

Additionally, we signed him up for a couple of exploratory type camps this summer. One was a Boy Scout STEM camp at GA Tech, where the whole point was to expose them to STEM careers. He saw some very cool things at Choate (construction), TKE (elevator), Microsoft, behind the scenes at Mercedes Benz Stadium, and many more. Their schedule was crammed every day with at least 3 on-site visits, hands on activities (bridge building contest, for example), or presentations back at campus. It opened his eyes and he enjoyed being at GA Tech. Interestingly, it’s sinking in that he’s not likely to get in as he’s realizing he wants to get in, but it’s a win in that he’s connecting things and we saw a little competitiveness/fire in him.

He’s also doing Summer Seminar at USNA. We’re waiting for more feedback but so far he’s not loving it but he’s being exposed to people who are serious and striving for something. His normal peer group is smart slackers who try hard to look like they’re not trying. He liked the sea trials - they raced and they got dirty. How about that? We’re happy for him to get outside his bubble.

We’ll get him to look for a summer job once he’s back and to keep it up once school starts. I agree that there’s a lot of value in having a job. We’ll visit Auburn and U of Alabama in the fall. So far the plan is he’ll apply to UA early so he has that in his pocket. He should get big merit there - Presidential Elite if he keeps his GPA above 4.0 and assuming they’re looking at weighted. Then EA to Tech, UGA, and whatever else he wants. It possible he’ll form an opinion in the next 6 months, right? I know he wants something to brag about but he just wants to be recognized for his brilliance instead of realizing people value work. With no input from him, we feel like these are good options.