High School Class of 2016/College Class 2020

[hereyago]

The job thing: dd wants to get one over the summer,so I have no problem with that. She pet sits for people as it is, not something she does every week,but knowing her she will want to work at a pet store. I think I might start playing "job interview" with her they are nerve wracking as it is without any practice. I took Child care for 2 years in high school and the 2nd year we had to get a part time job dealing with kids and we learned about resumes, interviews, etc.


She is in the Key Club this year and she really likes it and it has seemed to help her not be as quiet around people.

 

[hereyago]

Just started behind the wheel this week. It's really great since you can't see any of the pavement markings, the side roads and parking lots that you would ideally start on are slick as can be and you can hardly see around the huge mounds of snow piled every 20 feet or so. UGH! She had her first trip out with the teacher and another student. The other student was on her 3rd time out, and they were learning how to "skid and correct" DH and I haven't decided if we'll be adding a 3rd vehicle to the household or not. DH used to have a company work truck and we had our 2 personal vehicles. We got rid of 1 when the company stopped providing the work truck and we had to buy him his current gas guzzler which is now quite dirty and just....yuck. DD and I would never drive it. I really miss having a second family vehicle, we'll see. She won't have her license until at least September anyway..

I loved doing skid and correct The other car issue: I just have 1. I may with the help of exh get one for her.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Does anyone else have Naviance? Have you checked it out? Scary stuff. DD wants to visit some pretty high powered colleges. (But also really has no idea what she wants to study.) From checking our stats it looks like no kid has gone to a top 50 school w/a GPA of under 98. (DD's is about 95.) She studies like crazy.. even the SUNY schools your GPA needed to be about 92.
I'd like to go talk to the GC about options. Where does a really smart kid (probably wants to do a STEM career) go that doesn't have perfect grades?

So different than when we were looking..

We don't get access to Naviance until Junior year. Totally ticks me off. We are thinking about some college visits this summer and that information seems like it would be helpful.

So, it tells you where kids from your school get accepted? If so, then I now understand where all the (what I thought were) rumors come from. I've continually heard that the top 30% or so get into highly selective colleges. Though I don't know if it has more to do with SAT / ACT scores -- lots of near perfects (and handfuls of perfects) at our school. Does it give you those stats, too?

 

[zoemurr]

We don't get access to Naviance until Junior year. Totally ticks me off. We are thinking about some college visits this summer and that information seems like it would be helpful.

So, it tells you where kids from your school get accepted? If so, then I now understand where all the (what I thought were) rumors come from. I've continually heard that the top 30% or so get into highly selective colleges. Though I don't know if it has more to do with SAT / ACT scores -- lots of near perfects (and handfuls of perfects) at our school. Does it give you those stats, too?

We can click on "college info" or something like that. It shows a list of colleges. Then it shows how many kids each year applied, and how many were accepted. Then I can go farther, and see what the average GPA and SAT scores were for the kids that got in. For some schools there is a graph. It will plot DD in relation to everyone else that applied so that you can see her chances. Not a whole lot I can do yet since she doesn't have an official SAT but it's interesting and very scary. The average GPA for almost every school we looked at is 98.

It would be hard to figure out statistics I think. If it says that one kid got in to Harvard, Yale and Princeton then that is great, but you have no way of knowing if that is one that got into them all or three different kids. It also shows how many decided to attend each school.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

She has started getting LOTS of emails and letters from colleges all over the US. Is this common? I'm thinking it is because they took the PSAT and PLAN at school and the scores got reported. We think about college a lot already- which type of school she would like to attend, what she would like to study, and how in the world we are going to pay for it!

DD also took the regular SAT in December. She is hoping to get in to a residential math and science based high school here in NC. As part of the application process, sophomores have to take the SAT and report scores to the admissions dept. there.

Mine haven't gotten any yet, but we were away for their birthday in the fall and they missed those tests.

 

[Pembo]

I missed this thread too! I have a class of 2016 son! Today he is trying out for the TV class at our high school. It is highly competitive and he is excited. He finds out next week if he got in.

He also took the Plan and Psat and we get college mail almost daily. I asked my senior why he never got any and he told me he didn't put his address on the test. lol

 

[luvsJack]

So, all of your kids take the SAT?

Here its the ACT. DD will take it in April and depending on her score, she will take it a few more times until she graduates. Would love for her to have an ACT scholarship on top of any others but the main reason is that if she decides on one of our technical programs she will need the highest possible score because they are very competitive. And if she does decide on music education, which is where she is thinking now, hopefully she will have the scores she needs when she transfers.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

So, all of your kids take the SAT?

Here its the ACT. DD will take it in April and depending on her score, she will take it a few more times until she graduates. Would love for her to have an ACT scholarship on top of any others but the main reason is that if she decides on one of our technical programs she will need the highest possible score because they are very competitive. And if she does decide on music education, which is where she is thinking now, hopefully she will have the scores she needs when she transfers.

In our state, all Juniors are required to take the ACT. SAT is optional. I was surprised to find out that typically only about 10% - 20% take the SAT at our school.

Is your DD looking at any particular schools yet, luvsJack? My DD is considering Music Education, too. She's enrolled in AP Music Theory next year to help her decide between that and a few other possibilities. I hear it's tough. Despite taking private lessons in voice, piano and guitar, DD has always been a "by ear" kind of player / learner, so I think she's going to be challenged.

 

[luvsJack]

In our state, all Juniors are required to take the ACT. SAT is optional. I was surprised to find out that typically only about 10% - 20% take the SAT at our school.

Is your DD looking at any particular schools yet, luvsJack? My DD is considering Music Education, too. She's enrolled in AP Music Theory next year to help her decide between that and a few other possibilities. I hear it's tough. Despite taking private lessons in voice, piano and guitar, DD has always been a "by ear" kind of player / learner, so I think she's going to be challenged.

She will do her first two years at community college (where I work and she will have free tuition). She will mostly likely get her bachelor's and master's at U of Southern Miss. Its local and has a great department. Her director went there and has nothing but wonderful things to say about it.

She is thinking high school or community college choir director and show choir director so really needs at least a masters.

 

[Aristocath]

I guess I haven't been very active on the DIS until I started planning our upcoming trip. I totally missed this thread! My oldest son is class of 2016. Not a day goes by that he doesn't get mail from some college or university. He's taken the SAT, the PSAT (doesn't count yet obviously) and this month the entire sophomore class is taking the ACT Plan.

Next month is the big birthday so he plans on taking the driving test. I'm somewhere between terrified and relieved. It's hard getting three boys where they need to be so I'll enjoy him driving himself. He's getting my husband's car but we need to get my husband a new car first. It will probably be the summer before we do that.

How fun to read about the different experiences of all these kids!

 

[4luv2cdisney]

For those of you with kids that took the PLAN test, did they say it was difficult to finish on time?

DD normally does very well on standardized tests, but she was not able to finish any of the sections on the PLAN except math (she is only in Geometry this year and took this test early in the school year, so she should have had a difficult time on that section but didn't ). In looking at her answer sheet, it looks like she got 2/3 - 3/4 of the way through each section with (in most cases) no wrong answers and then for the next few questions she got them wrong (rushing), and then either didn't answer the rest or filled in all "b" or something. So, the material didn't seem to be very challenging, but the time was the factor. Wondering if she needs to take a prep class before the ACT or if maybe she was just having a bad morning or panicked I know she used to have trouble passing timed tests (elementary school), but has since been finishing her tests / finals in classes fine and has not had any trouble on ISATs, CoGats, etc....

 

[cabanafrau]

For those of you with kids that took the PLAN test, did they say it was difficult to finish on time?

DD normally does very well on standardized tests, but she was not able to finish any of the sections on the PLAN except math (she is only in Geometry this year and took this test early in the school year, so she should have had a difficult time on that section but didn't ). In looking at her answer sheet, it looks like she got 2/3 - 3/4 of the way through each section with (in most cases) no wrong answers and then for the next few questions she got them wrong (rushing), and then either didn't answer the rest or filled in all "b" or something. So, the material didn't seem to be very challenging, but the time was the factor. Wondering if she needs to take a prep class before the ACT or if maybe she was just having a bad morning or panicked I know she used to have trouble passing timed tests (elementary school), but has since been finishing her tests / finals in classes fine and has not had any trouble on ISATs, CoGats, etc....

The test has not yet been administered here, which is another reason why I'm curious you say you're looking at her answer sheet. I've never seen the actual answer sheet from either DD's or her older sister's standardized testing.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

The test has not been administered here, which is another reason why I'm curious you say you're looking at her answer sheet. I've never seen the actual answer sheet from either DD's or her older sister's standardized testing.

We were given:

The actual test booklet complete with her handwritten calculations, etc.
A booklet titled "Using your ACT PLAN results"
A printout with the following info:
Scores and standings compared to the rest of the school, state and U.S.
College readiness info
Estimated ACT score
Career possibilities
and on the back "Your Skills" which lists both the correct answers and her answers and suggestions on what specifically she may need more work on

So, the printout with her answers listed is what I meant by her answer sheet. We didn't get the actual scantron back.

 

[luvmyfam444]

I'm in denial. Not sure I want to join this thread quite yet.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My two took the PLAN a few weeks ago but they haven't heard anything about results yet. I just asked DS and he said he and DD finished, but some of their friends didn't. Not sure how to interpret that because some of the ones who didn't finish are pretty strong students. We'll have to see.

 

[cabanafrau]

We were given:

The actual test booklet complete with her handwritten calculations, etc.
A booklet titled "Using your ACT PLAN results"
A printout with the following info:
Scores and standings compared to the rest of the school, state and U.S.
College readiness info
Estimated ACT score
Career possibilities
and on the back "Your Skills" which lists both the correct answers and her answers and suggestions on what specifically she may need more work on

So, the printout with her answers listed is what I meant by her answer sheet. We didn't get the actual scantron back.

Ah, makes more sense now. It's been four years, so I can't be positive, but I don't remember the your skills section w/ recommendations when my older DD took the test. Younger DD sits for this next month here & I'm curious to see what her scores generate. When her sister took the test it was like the whistle blew and colleges started w/ the mail and the phone calls. We weren't expecting it because we honestly were unfamiliar w/ what the test was, just knew it was among the battery of tests she was sitting for sophomore year.

 

[luvmyfam444]

my dd did not finish the plan test. She pretty much bombed that test. She had not had math in a year (we are on the block system here) & even then she is just in Algebra 1....so she was gonna bomb it anyway.

 

[cabanafrau]

my dd did not finish the plan test. She pretty much bombed that test. She had not had math in a year (we are on the block system here) & even then she is just in Algebra 1....so she was gonna bomb it anyway.

That's a shame, so hard on their confidence going forward. We do the block scheduling here as well, but luckily math is the one class every student must have every trimester. I'm not delighted science and language arts aren't mandated across as well, but I keep fighting for them to change that.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Ah, makes more sense now. It's been four years, so I can't be positive, but I don't remember the your skills section w/ recommendations when my older DD took the test. Younger DD sits for this next month here & I'm curious to see what her scores generate. When her sister took the test it was like the whistle blew and colleges started w/ the mail and the phone calls. We weren't expecting it because we honestly were unfamiliar w/ what the test was, just knew it was among the battery of tests she was sitting for sophomore year.

I was wondering about that, because I'd noticed everyone mentioning all the mail they were getting from colleges, and DD has gotten none. She just told me that there is a box you can check on the test stating whether or not you want to share your info with colleges. She chose not to. Her scores were above average, but just not as high as she usually gets. I was a little worried at first. She just told me that she went in very nonchalant and unconcerned because she usually has no issues and the questions were very easy. Then, the teacher said "five minutes" and she was not even half way through! So, she did the worst on that section and said she feels like she panicked the rest of the way through. So, live and learn I guess!

 

[cabanafrau]

I was wondering about that, because I'd noticed everyone mentioning all the mail they were getting from colleges, and DD has gotten none. She just told me that there is a box you can check on the test stating whether or not you want to share your info with colleges. She chose not to. Her scores were above average, but just not as high as she usually gets. I was a little worried at first. She just told me that she went in very nonchalant and unconcerned because she usually has no issues and the questions were very easy. Then, the teacher said "five minutes" and she was not even half way through! So, she did the worst on that section and said she feels like she panicked the rest of the way through. So, live and learn I guess!

Yeah, seemed like especially after the PLAN it was like they announced "we have a new runner on the course" and the mail and phone calls started in earnest. Initially she started a bundle, then developed a filing system, then finally came to grips she had to start weeding things out. You'll be shocked at what pours in.