Parents of College Class of 2018 (A.K.A., "Is this the line to the poor house?")

We just got the letter, that my daughter was awarded an Honors Apprentice Scholarship! It's the highest scholarship one can get at her cheap state school, it replaces the automatic $2000 a year she had gotten. It's 20k over 4 years, if she keeps up her GPA. Not a full ride by any means, but tuition runs about $7k. so it sure helps. Now to wait for the results of the $2000 film studies talent scholarship.

Congratulations to your DD! :cool1: That's an extra 3K per year! That's a short trip to WDW! :thumbsup2

DD found out yesterday she is a valadectorian! She has had a great senior year, but is ready for it to be over!

Wow, that is fantastic! You must be very proud!!! Now she'll have to start working on her speech. Congrats to her!!!
 
lots of good news here! congratulations!

although, I think I may start a thread for parents of high school seniors who did well, but not well enough for any kind of major award. LOLOLOL :upsidedow
 
lots of good news here! congratulations!

although, I think I may start a thread for parents of high school seniors who did well, but not well enough for any kind of major award. LOLOLOL :upsidedow

You know what, I had one that had to go to summer school after graduation, one who did well enough, but nothing award worthy and the last one is the shiner! I kind of went from one end of the spectrum to the other. Sorry if I upset you in anyway.

I guess maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but I hate to say anything around her brothers and I don't want to brag to my friends, so I came to let my faceless friends on the internet in on my excitement. I'll be more thoughtful next time. Again, I am sorry.
 
lots of good news here! congratulations!

although, I think I may start a thread for parents of high school seniors who did well, but not well enough for any kind of major award. LOLOLOL :upsidedow

Sign me up. DD did well enough but by no means anywhere near Merit Scholarship material. Total superscore: 1800 (3 parts); total M&CR superscore 1180. And it was still enough to get her a scholarship to a state school. We learned to adjust our expectations before we applied to schools and only really looked at schools (1) that had her major-marine science/bio; (2) that would not be a stretch; and (3) that were within our budget. Before starting this process I had grand ideas of Ivy colleges (even though I couldn't afford them ;)). And she made it abundantly clear she had no desire to be, as she put it "the stupidest kid among the smartest kids". Too much pressure. She didn't want that kind of stressed out experience. So while I think she could have gotten into "better" schools, it wasn't worth it financially or emotionally, although I'll always wonder "what if".
 

lots of good news here! congratulations!

although, I think I may start a thread for parents of high school seniors who did well, but not well enough for any kind of major award. LOLOLOL :upsidedow

I had one of those too. Well, he got a 32 on his ACT but almost flunked AP Calc his senior year. He is genius smart, but has mild Aspergers other huge struggles with work, so his grades did not reflect his smarts in the last couple years of high school. It was so very stressful. He wouldn't have gotten a lot of merit aid had he gone somewhere besides the community college he went too.
 
You know what, I had one that had to go to summer school after graduation, one who did well enough, but nothing award worthy and the last one is the shiner! I kind of went from one end of the spectrum to the other. Sorry if I upset you in anyway.

I guess maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but I hate to say anything around her brothers and I don't want to brag to my friends, so I came to let my faceless friends on the internet in on my excitement. I'll be more thoughtful next time. Again, I am sorry.

I'm sure Madge did not want you to apologize! We're all happy for each and every child and every achievement! Sometimes just getting through graduation is a huge accomplishment, others it's huge merit awards. We are fortunate that our children are alive and healthy and that we have them in our lives. Never be sorry for sharing your child's accomplishments no matter what anyone else's are. We all have a reason to be proud.

And I'm super happy for this thread and this great group of people. I've learned so much through this process, the first of which is -- it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be. I'm a firm believer in it all working out the way it's meant to be. And hey, it could be worse -- we could be posting on College Confidential! Nothing like that site to make you feel unworthy. :lmao:
 
You know what, I had one that had to go to summer school after graduation, one who did well enough, but nothing award worthy and the last one is the shiner! I kind of went from one end of the spectrum to the other. Sorry if I upset you in anyway.

I guess maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but I hate to say anything around her brothers and I don't want to brag to my friends, so I came to let my faceless friends on the internet in on my excitement. I'll be more thoughtful next time. Again, I am sorry.

no! no! no! this is all me.

ultimately, it's all my son. Had he not gotten a B in geometry and pre-Cal, or written a stronger scholarship essay ... then we would likely be having a very different experience. and even then, maybe not. our school does not focus on the PSAT/SAT for National Merit (there's no money in that for the school. welcome to Kentucky. ;) ) I didn't realize that was the HUGE deal in the process that it is because it's not stressed at all. at the end of the day, it's his grades, his work, and his scores. He's worked hard & believed he had a shot because he met the criteria to apply ... in the end, it would be better if a school would say not to bother to apply if you don't have a 4.0 and not a NMSF. Don't tell kids they'll accept applications from students with a 3.5, or even a 3.8 because they simply don't have a chance.

I need to push past the rejections and focus on what's good in our situation. And I need to not dull other's sparkle. That's not fair to anyone else.
 
/
no! no! no! this is all me.

ultimately, it's all my son. Had he not gotten a B in geometry and pre-Cal, or written a stronger scholarship essay ... then we would likely be having a very different experience. and even then, maybe not. our school does not focus on the PSAT/SAT for National Merit (there's no money in that for the school. welcome to Kentucky. ;) ) I didn't realize that was the HUGE deal in the process that it is because it's not stressed at all. at the end of the day, it's his grades, his work, and his scores. He's worked hard & believed he had a shot because he met the criteria to apply ... in the end, it would be better if a school would say not to bother to apply if you don't have a 4.0 and not a NMSF. Don't tell kids they'll accept applications from students with a 3.5, or even a 3.8 because they simply don't have a chance.

I need to push past the rejections and focus on what's good in our situation. And I need to not dull other's sparkle. That's not fair to anyone else.

Isn't it sad when our kids are made to feel badly for B's?? (and I am very guilty of that with my kids, bad mom) And NMSF are so rare. My daughter was only commended, not even semifinal, finals are incredibly hard to make. Sounds like he has done a great job, and this school is missing out on a great kid with a great work ethic!
 
Isn't it sad when our kids are made to feel badly for B's?? (and I am very guilty of that with my kids, bad mom) And NMSF are so rare. My daughter was only commended, not even semifinal, finals are incredibly hard to make. Sounds like he has done a great job, and this school is missing out on a great kid with a great work ethic!

they're so rare and yet, the University of Kentucky makes sure we know they have 100 National Merit finalists in the current freshman class. also big here, Governor's Scholars Program. DS did not make the cut from his school ... mainly because he has a brag sheet that's a mile long, but does not include one sport. That's VERY important at our school. :confused:

one of the B's was frustrating because it was a 94. the other (pre-Cal), we were over the moon thrilled to get because that class nearly killed DS. he worked himself silly last year for that B. which, BTW, was an 88. one point lower would've been a C.

our major disappointment has been with the school where DS attended a summer program last year. it was for students who are targeted for honors program, best & brightest, blah blah blah ... he went for a group interview 2 weeks ago and will not be considered for the top scholarship. it is our understanding that none of the kids who chose to attend from the summer program are being considered. they were passed over in favor of NMF and Governor's Scholars students.

the majority of the scholarship offers come out March 1. hopefully we'll get some encouragement then.
 
they're so rare and yet, the University of Kentucky makes sure we know they have 100 National Merit finalists in the current freshman class. also big here, Governor's Scholars Program. DS did not make the cut from his school ... mainly because he has a brag sheet that's a mile long, but does not include one sport. That's VERY important at our school. :confused:

one of the B's was frustrating because it was a 94. the other (pre-Cal), we were over the moon thrilled to get because that class nearly killed DS. he worked himself silly last year for that B. which, BTW, was an 88. one point lower would've been a C.

our major disappointment has been with the school where DS attended a summer program last year. it was for students who are targeted for honors program, best & brightest, blah blah blah ... he went for a group interview 2 weeks ago and will not be considered for the top scholarship. it is our understanding that none of the kids who chose to attend from the summer program are being considered. they were passed over in favor of NMF and Governor's Scholars students.

the majority of the scholarship offers come out March 1. hopefully we'll get some encouragement then.

Geez, do they have every Merit finalist there is??? We don't have any other type of scholar program around here at all. My dd's brag sheet only has arts stuff on it, so I know how that goes! Not even community service stuff, so I knew a lot of schools would have been out for her too.
You guys have a tough grading system if a 94 is a B. No way here that would be a B, might even be an A, not even A-.
Seems like they may be missing out on some great kids, only taking scholars like that. There is much more to a kid than that.

My dd is taking the Honors Apprentice scholarship, but is going to pass on the Honors program. The scholarship requires 5 hours a week of apprenticeship and some kind of project, so she thinks that doing honors classes on top of a possible double major and that would be too much. I tend to agree. I would think the Honors Apprenticeship will also look good on a job app?
 
You guys have a tough grading system if a 94 is a B. No way here that would be a B, might even be an A, not even A-.
Seems like they may be missing out on some great kids, only taking scholars like that. There is much more to a kid than that.

our grading scale is:
95-100 (A)
88-94 (B)
77-87 (C)
70-76 (D)
0-69 (F)

there are 4 or 5 students with 4.0 in DS class, all honors students .. while it's a hard grading scale, a 4.0 is not unreachable.

different schools across the state use different criteria for their Governor's Scholars Program students. it's a super competitive & popular program. they can only send 5 or 6 students. our school always looks to send student athletes. always. but, most top kids play something. mine does not, but likely has more actual service work than most kids in his class. he's not out curing cancer or anything like that .. but he does enjoy service work. :)
 
What is everyone doing for the grad ? Party , gift, or trip? We have large family trip planned to Wdw with whole family and DD BFF . Friends of ours are doing the same for their dd; just wondering what everyone has planned! Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards
 
What is everyone doing for the grad ? Party , gift, trip? We have large family trip planned to Wdw with whole family and DD BFF . Friends of ours are doing the same for their dd; just wondering what everyone has planned! Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Grad Party- Just a brunch or lunch for family and then she will go to Project Graduation that night with friends.

Gift- I think that we have settled on silver tag Tiffany earrings and a t-shirt quilt. Her grandparents are getting her a bike to take to college,

Trip- We are heading to WDW and Universal in August with her, my two nephews, and niece who are also graduating- 10 in all. We will meet up there for a week of fun before they all head off to college. They are close cousins and DD is very excited to celebrate with them.
 
What is everyone doing for the grad ? Party , gift, trip? We have large family trip planned to Wdw with whole family and DD BFF . Friends of ours are doing the same for their dd; just wondering what everyone has planned! Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Party - None. We will just take him out to lunch or dinner. He will go to the school's Project Graduation that night.

Gift - A watch

Trip - A cruise to the bahamas.
 
I love coming here to read all of the good news!

DS is having SUCH a crappy senior year it's just not even fun anymore. I'm surprised he's even still trying honestly. First his car accident last year, then he got expelled over something amazing stupid and small for first semester (thanks to a new principal trying to make her mark). As if that wasn't all enough, we get him back in school last month and he's doing great, on target for academic honors, and then on his MRI check they found a growth on his pituitary (common after head injuries apparently) and now we are looking at surgery in March which will take him out of school again for 3-6 weeks)

Thankfully he has the most amazing guidance counselor. This poor man has worked his tail off to make sure DS will graduate on time. We're going to have to buy HIM a graduation present :rotfl: He's been in contact with the college and school of business where DS has direct admit. We were afraid he'd lose the direct admit since he will no longer qualify for an academic honors diploma, but we were told that wasn't the case as long as his grades stay up. It's taken such a load off of poor DS as he's no longer trying to take 5 AP classes and deal with all the health issues.

So now, we're just looking for the good stuff. He's going to Florida over spring break with his best friend's family and some of their other friends will be in the same area so they can hang out. They are starting to make plans for prom.

Graduation party we will probably just do an open house type thing. Graduation is Friday night but we only get a few tickets, so we may just do something on Saturday after.

We went on a family cruise for our first DS's graduation but with the medical bills piling up I doubt we will be able to swing it for this one. We'd like to do something, so maybe just a condo on the beach somewhere this summer.

We didn't go a gift for our oldest DS since we did the trip and then paid for his books and dorm supplies, so we'll do the same for the rest of the kids.
 
As if that wasn't all enough, we get him back in school last month and he's doing great, on target for academic honors, and then on his MRI check they found a growth on his pituitary (common after head injuries apparently) and now we are looking at surgery in March which will take him out of school again for 3-6 weeks)

wow! thinking good thoughts for a quick and easy recovery!
 
I love coming here to read all of the good news!

DS is having SUCH a crappy senior year it's just not even fun anymore. I'm surprised he's even still trying honestly. First his car accident last year, then he got expelled over something amazing stupid and small for first semester (thanks to a new principal trying to make her mark). As if that wasn't all enough, we get him back in school last month and he's doing great, on target for academic honors, and then on his MRI check they found a growth on his pituitary (common after head injuries apparently) and now we are looking at surgery in March which will take him out of school again for 3-6 weeks)

Thankfully he has the most amazing guidance counselor. This poor man has worked his tail off to make sure DS will graduate on time. We're going to have to buy HIM a graduation present :rotfl: He's been in contact with the college and school of business where DS has direct admit. We were afraid he'd lose the direct admit since he will no longer qualify for an academic honors diploma, but we were told that wasn't the case as long as his grades stay up. It's taken such a load off of poor DS as he's no longer trying to take 5 AP classes and deal with all the health issues.

So now, we're just looking for the good stuff. He's going to Florida over spring break with his best friend's family and some of their other friends will be in the same area so they can hang out. They are starting to make plans for prom.

Wow, your family has had quite a stressful year. It is very nice of the guidance counselor to work with your son. I'll bet he is looking forward to the trip to Florida. I hope the rest of the year gets better and better for him.
 
I don't post often..... but love to read how everyone's children are doing with their crazy senior years/acceptance letters/scholarship offers...

DS17 is so ready to be out of HS.. He is currently taking his W131 at the local community college because of an error by the guidance counselor (this is in addition to his HS courses)... So, he has realized how much work a college class will take...but so far he has an A in the course!

Unfortunately our school had to move graduation back a week due to the weather.... :( He really doesn't care for a party so we will discuss this weekend what he wants to do....

He turns 18 the last week of school (should have been the day before graduation)...

As for a gift: I'm completing his scrapbooks --- life, school and sports.... I had his t-shirt quilt made (It's hidden in my room)... Then we are headed for WDW the day after graduation!!

Got FAFSA submitted on 1/1.... then I was able to do the IRS retrieval tool on Thursday and resubmitted that... (for both of my college kids)... so now to just wait and see if we get chosen for verification by the University like we did with DD her freshman year.

I've also started buying dorm needs too... so by the time graduation rolls around he should be done and ready to go! :)


DS bought his laptop today so he could get used to it and learn windows 8 before heading off to college.. plus his desktop is overdue to be retired...

I hope everyone continues to have a good year with their Seniors.. it sure does go by quickly...
 
Got FAFSA submitted on 1/1.... then I was able to do the IRS retrieval tool on Thursday and resubmitted that... (for both of my college kids)... so now to just wait and see if we get chosen for verification by the University like we did with DD her freshman year.

was the verification a big deal? in Kentucky, you have to file early because state grant money runs out early ... so, I filed based on last year's return, which increases your chance of being chosen for verification. out of 5 schools, we were chosen at 2 of them. waiting for the IRS to activate the data retrieval tool on our return so I can get everything in order.

PS. regarding my comment earlier? while I celebrate with everyone in this thread, it's been a disappointing time for DS. 2 rejections from 2 schools AND a no news is bad news response from a 3rd ... all within a week. well, it sucks. and it's hard. and when you read post after post of good news, it makes the bad news harder. does that make the good news any less good? of course not. but as the parent of the one getting turned down ... it makes me want to stomp my feet, whine, and for a brief second, create a thread for the rejected parents like me. :upsidedow
 
was the verification a big deal? in Kentucky, you have to file early because state grant money runs out early ... so, I filed based on last year's return, which increases your chance of being chosen for verification. out of 5 schools, we were chosen at 2 of them. waiting for the IRS to activate the data retrieval tool on our return so I can get everything in order.

PS. regarding my comment earlier? while I celebrate with everyone in this thread, it's been a disappointing time for DS. 2 rejections from 2 schools AND a no news is bad news response from a 3rd ... all within a week. well, it sucks. and it's hard. and when you read post after post of good news, it makes the bad news harder. does that make the good news any less good? of course not. but as the parent of the one getting turned down ... it makes me want to stomp my feet, whine, and for a brief second, create a thread for the rejected parents like me. :upsidedow

We also file as early as possible because we had heard that the earlier the better... besides I don't like to be last minute on anything... it drives my family crazy...

The verification process was pretty easy for us. We did not know about the retrieval tool 2 years ago.. so we filled it out based off our previous tax year's return and then just need to utilize the IRS tool on FAFSA to import the current tax year's info since they no longer take hard copies of your tax documents (or at least our school did not).. Then we need to fill out a few papers to explain a couple of differences.. It was easy to do and when we had questions we just called the financial aid office at the school and they were a great help.

I hope that helps...
 

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