High School class of 2011

[smartkim]

I don't know if the GPA's are weighted or unweighted or even what that means. I have a copy of his last transcript, I'll just have to look when I get home and see if it tells.

 

[missypie]

Weighted means that an honors or AP or pre-AP class is worth more points than a regular class. The guidance counselor could tell you very quickly if your school weighs GPAs.

 

[geffric]

When your child takes the ACT, did you submit the tests scores to any colleges or did you wait to see what the score actually was?

He received a 31, but wants to take it again. No colleges were sent the score.

Also, I have heard that 30 is the cutoff for any scholarship money? True?

This is all so overwhelming. I recently had to fill out Fasfa, not for him yet, and I didn't think it was too bad. We qualified for no pell grants, etc. I'm waiting to hear back from the school on the loan we are eligible for. The school said everyone qualifies for loans to pay back, it's just the interest rate that is the factor from your fasfa app. True?

be careful on the interest rates of loans.. DS#1 got some loans which we did not do as the interest rate was 11%... i could get a better rate than that anywhere..

DS#2 HAS A 31 and an unweighted 3.95... but has yet to get any money... am I doing something wrong??

 

[johnsontrio]

be careful on the interest rates of loans.. DS#1 got some loans which we did not do as the interest rate was 11%... i could get a better rate than that anywhere..

DS#2 HAS A 31 and an unweighted 3.95... but has yet to get any money... am I doing something wrong??

There are tons of schools that give money for scores and GPAs in that range. Have you looked at scholarship information for schools in other parts of the country. Some of the schools that we have found with excellent merit money include:

University of Alabama
University of South Carolina
Montana State
Georgia Southern
Bowling Green State University
Utah State
Louisiana State
University of Oklahoma

and many, many private schools give enough money to make them cheaper than our in-state flagships You do know we have two?

There are plenty of places for our kids who have performed reasonably well in high school to get a good undergraduate education. They just have to be willing to go to some of those schools. We plan on laying out the offers and explaining what having that money for graduate school or later in life will mean to DD. Hope we can get somewhere. If not, we will be shelling out 23K a year for MSU and she isn't even excited bout going there.

 

[johnsontrio]

Does your school weight GPAs? Because if they do, be sure to ask the school if they award aid based on weighted or unweighted GPAs.

In my son's college search, here was the answer for three very similar schools:

A. Based admission on weighted GPA; scholarships on unweighted GPA

B. Looks at unweighted GPA only, for all purposes

C. Looks at weighted GPA only, for all purposes

None of this info was on their website. I had to ask.

You also have to be careful which schools recalculate the GPA. Here in Michigan, the better schools take out everything except the 5 core subjects, english, math, foreign language, social studies and science, and recalculate. Our school also uses minuses and plusses and those get recalculated to a 3.0 or 4.0.

Some of the private colleges will also allow super-scoring of the ACT and SAT to achieve the highest score possible for admission and scholarship purposes. Private and public schools will give retakes in their admissions office for you to get your scores up. Those retakes can only be used at that school.

 

[georgina]

University of Pittsburgh gives merit aid - my DD was offered full tuition with a 33 ACT and 4.0 UW, with lots of honors and AP classes. I don't know if it depends on whether you are a PA resident or not though.

 

[armomof3lvsdisney]

9 weeks tests this week. We are 1/4 of a way threw DS's Sr. year. It's going way to fast.

 

[geffric]

. We are 1/4 of a way threw DS's Sr. year.

 

[minkydog]

Well, ya'll cross your fingers. DD17 is now halfway through the first semester of her senior year and is failing Algebra 2 for the FOURTH time. If she can't pull herself out of the hopper she will NOT graduate next May. Or at least, she won't graduate with a College Prep diploma and therefore will not be able to get into any university in GA. She will be eligible for a 2yr college and that may be where she ends up. Unfortunately, she doesn't like any of the community colleges we have visited--they're all in the middle of nowhere and don't have the programs she wants(dance and *good* fine arts.) Oh, well. That may be just what she needs. She will be extremely upset if she can't graduate with her class.

 

[agnes!]

Well, ya'll cross your fingers. DD17 is now halfway through the first semester of her senior year and is failing Algebra 2 for the FOURTH time. If she can't pull herself out of the hopper she will NOT graduate next May. Or at least, she won't graduate with a College Prep diploma and therefore will not be able to get into any university in GA. She will be eligible for a 2yr college and that may be where she ends up. Unfortunately, she doesn't like any of the community colleges we have visited--they're all in the middle of nowhere and don't have the programs she wants(dance and *good* fine arts.) Oh, well. That may be just what she needs. She will be extremely upset if she can't graduate with her class.

I'm so sorry minky...is it too late to hire a tutor?

agnes!

 

[minkydog]

I'm so sorry minky...is it too late to hire a tutor?

agnes!

Well, She is meeting with the teacher in the mornings. We are requiring her to meet with her EVERY morning at this point, in hopes that she can bring up this grade. We met with her guidance counselor about 6 eks ago to discuss Special Services. They've been doing RTI since then, but I haven't heard anything yet.l i8 think they require 12wks of observation. I need to contact the GC to find out where they are with this.

 

[agnes!]

We hired a tutor for my DD last year and it was some of the best money I have ever spent. This one teacher was grossly incompetent but almost ready to retire, so there was nothing to be done about his teaching...luckily DD was brave enough to ask for help before it got too late in the year. We figured if DD had gotten her tutor about two or three weeks later...that subject would have been a true disaster. This year, DD is taking an AP class in the same subject and pulling an A...mostly because that tutor (God BLESS her!) was able to actually teach the subject DD was supposed to be getting in school.

If it's important enough to your daughter and money is tight (as it always is these days) I would tell her this tutoring is an early graduation/Christmas/birthday present, getting a tutor so she can graduate with her classmates.

I hope it all works out for her and she gets to go to the school of her dreams.
agnes!

 

[cruisnfamily]

Many of DD's friends are getting acceptances in the mail already! DD only applied to 1 school and she hasn't heard yet.

Other than that, this school year seems like any other. Her grades are better than usual, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they stay that way!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

I handed in my ed application today

 

[agnes!]

I *wish* DD's apps were in but the way her HS does it is SO frustrating.

Before the transcripts even go *out*, the kids have to
1)get a teacher recommendation and then
2)so the counselor can write-up their particular "Counselor's Recommendation" the kids have to get 3 *more* (and different) teacher-*references* AND
3) (also for the counselor's recommendation) the parents have to fill out forms about their kid's accomplishments
4)have to provide 2 stamps for each and every requested-transcript that is part of the college app/high-school transcript
5)after the first three they charge $5 per

Could we please just send in the transcript already?!? aaaaaaaaaauuuuuuugh.....

agnes!

 

[geffric]

WOW that seems strange.. some schools dont require teacher recommendations.. sorry you are going thru this..

well DS got invited to join the honors college at Indiana..so I guess that is his top choice now.. has let Texas and NCarolina go and hasnt even applied.. guess he figures that they wont give him enough money..

 

[geffric]

sorry Minky that you are going thru this.., i agree with agnes and get a tutor..

 

[zurgswife]

I've got a senior this year. He's applied to 3 out of his 4 schools on the list. He's strictly applying to state schools. SATs were good enough that he keeps getting calls to consider the Honors programs.

Unfortunately he has some learning disabilities which require accomodations, so I'm putting the cabash on Honors program. I say be flattered but realize that it will be a big change getting used to how a college deals with modifications.

I'm happy he's going though.

 

[louey]

Have you looked into some of the private colleges? I know people here are shocked to find out how much money some of the schools will give you for a 28-32 on the ACT and a good GPA. At some, the final cost is much less than the State schools around here. I know students that have gone to a small Jesuit University and been guaranteed a Master's in Architecture, an MBA and the third is accepted into the Dental school. All are paying between 5-10K per year, the remainder is paid in merit money and scholarships.[/QUOTE

Definately follow this advice, my daughter will be graduating from a college this year that has a price tag of $50,000. But due to a good GPA and high scores on ACT/SAT she got alot of financial assistance. She only applied to 5 colleges and got into 3, 12th grade is stressful time. Enjoy it goes fast as does college!!! My youngest graduates high school 2012 so I get to do it all over again

 

[ctinct]

Anyone else's kid having second thoughts on where they are applying to? She is still happy with all her choices, but we keep getting mounds of mail, and there have been more than a few with free applications. Some of them are "no way" right off the bat, but some are causing her to think "why not?"

Her guidance counselor is no help. DD dropped off a recommendation form a few weeks ago, and when she went to pick it up, the counselor told her she did not know if she could complete it. DDs counselor for the first three years of hs retired, so she has a brand new counselor. I understand that the counselor doesn't know dd all that well, but this particular application REQUIRED a school counselor's input (and it was pretty much a check-off form with rank, types off classes, etc.).

So, to get to know dd, the counselor decided to chat about dd's college choices. First, she told her she was applying to too many schools. Six, and we have visited all except one. The reason for six is we need to get the best financial aid pkg. possible-dd would be happy at any of these schools. Then she asked dd what her top choice is. When dd answered, counselor responded with "Do you know how far away that is ?" Umm, yes---again, we visited. It's about 6 hours by car. Then, about one of her choices, the counselor actually said, " Oh. You might want to rethink that one." Actually, it's a pretty common reaction up here in the NE---Yankee snobbery I guess. The school is Alabama, and we have researched it. It could be cheaper than our state school because dd qualifies for free tuition. The honors program seems to be great. This is the one school we haven't visited, but we will if it becomes necessary. Oh, and the last bubble- headed thing the counselor did was try to tell dd most schools use SAT score for scholarships, and she would be making a mistake if she listed her ACT scores on her transcript. (DDs school automatically lists SAT scores on the official transcript. Her ACT scores were better than her SATS, so dd requested they remove her SAT and list her ACT. Most schools require they be sent officially through the testing service anyhow, but unless the school requires the SAT score also, dd would rather they not see it. It's not a bad score; just that her ACT is so much better.)

So, I wonder if we will send the counselor over the edge if dd decides to apply to a couple more schools?