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

[JeannieNM]

Good luck to everyone's seniors who are taking the ACT later this month. DD refuses to take it again. I wish she'd take it one more time, but she is happy with her score. It's good enough for a scholarship (hopefully), but not good enough to get into Yale, not that she was going to apply to Yale! But wow, the mail is pouring in from all of the Ivy schools. The one that came from Yale was a book! Did anyone else see it? That thing must have cost a fortune to mail out to so many seniors! I guess money is not an issue with the Ivies though!

DD's senior pics with the outside photographer have been taken and edited. They came out really nice. We ended up with over 100 different edited shots from 5 different locations. We only paid for the package with 3 locations, but one of the locations (on the bosque which is along the Rio Grande River) had too many bugs flying around after recent rains, so after just a few shots in that location, we left and went somewhere else. Also, DD forgot her letter jacket which she wanted a few shots with. The photographer said she'd meet us anywhere we wanted to get some shots of DD with and in her jacket. How nice was that? So she met us a few days later at DD's school and took some shots out in front of the school. The other locations were downtown, Old Town, and the botanical gardens.

We have yet to go to Prestige Portraits to pick out the 2 yearbook photos. The deadline is coming up, but things have been really busy. I told them on the phone that we weren't buying a package, but still wanted the free 8 wallet photos that they advertised. They said no problem. We just had to go in and pick them out.

My DD is also doing her shots downtown, old town, and the botanical gardens too! She did not want to do the Bosque because so many of her friends do, now that you mention the bugs, I am really glad we are not going there on Sunday. We are excited. They have the little head shot done at school with the school designated photographer, then each senior gets their own yearbook page and we provide the photos and the layout.

My son had never heard of it either. When he got an email from them, he thought is was some piddly school until he researched it and found out that their engineering programs are some of the best in the country and a large portion of their students were in the top 10% at their high schools.

My DH engineer said, it is one of the top engineering schools! I too had not heard of it until we started the college search. Of course I realize there are more schools I have not heard then I have heard of. We tend to know the schools in the geographic area we grew up in, now live in, and those with big name sports teams. I can't tell you how many times my DD has asked me, have I ever heard of such and such school? And I respond, they have a good basketball team or football team but I don't know anything else about it.

DD is back to debating about dance verses theatre for her app to LMU. The dance audition is live and a dvd and the theatre audition is just dvd. She wants to double major or major/minor in dance and theatre while also studying business.

 

[madge]

why, why, WHY do I read at College Confidential?! According to that site .... my son shouldn't even bother to apply anywhere.

we don't have weighted GPA. we have extremely limited AP class choice. and for goodness sake, he barely made it over a 30 on his ACT.

 

[elgerber]

why, why, WHY do I read at College Confidential?! According to that site .... my son shouldn't even bother to apply anywhere.

we don't have weighted GPA. we have extremely limited AP class choice. and for goodness sake, he barely made it over a 30 on his ACT.

Stay Away!! I have not read much over there, because virtually none of it is relevant for Minnesota, but I know the things I have read, make smart kids seem not good enough.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

What kind of questions do you ask when touring a college?

And what do you look for when touring a college?

My son set up a tour of a college this Saturday and asked me these questions. I have no idea what to tell him.

I'm also not a fan of this particular college as I know people who graduated from there and couldn't find jobs in their fields in addition to it being ridiculously expensive and we can't afford it.
It's the Art Institute of Atlanta. They have a video game programming section and I think that's what caught my sons eye.

I don't want to discourage my son as this is the first time he's taking initiative about choosing a college. But I don't want him going to this one. Sigh.......

 

[TLuvsD]

madge, keep in mind that your son's high school sends a school data sheet (different schools call them different things) that includes all that information--no weighted grades, limited AP options, etc. It's part of the counselor's information.

College Confidential can be supportive, if you find the right group, or highly stressful, depending. If it's stressful stay out of the discussion boards. There is a fairly decent college search function, it might give you a list of colleges to explore. And there is reasonable information about the Common App, Financial Aid (ie how to fill out forms). There is an excellent list of schools with guaranteed merit money...it can really help those with limited funds.

Congrats on your son's achievements, that's a great ACT score. It will all work out. I know, I've been there, done that (D is a happy college sophomore).

 

[TLuvsD]

GaSleepingBeautyFan, find some alternative schools with video game programming. Ask about the average student loans owed upon graduation, employment rate in their field of study, average salary, what companies recruit from the school.

College Confidential has a search engine, so does college prowler. You might want to check computer science as well, if they have a game design emphasis option.

 

[JeannieNM]

why, why, WHY do I read at College Confidential?! According to that site .... my son shouldn't even bother to apply anywhere.

we don't have weighted GPA. we have extremely limited AP class choice. and for goodness sake, he barely made it over a 30 on his ACT.

What your DS did not speak at the G20 conference or discover the cure for cancer at age 12?

All jokes aside I figure either CC only manages to attract the top 10% of the entire world's high school students or it attracts a lot of people that at best exaggerate or our right lie about their high school years. I do find the theater section helpful at times though, at least no one there is concerned about ACT or grades, just talent.

 

[JeannieNM]

What kind of questions do you ask when touring a college?

And what do you look for when touring a college?

My son set up a tour of a college this Saturday and asked me these questions. I have no idea what to tell him.

I'm also not a fan of this particular college as I know people who graduated from there and couldn't find jobs in their fields in addition to it being ridiculously expensive and we can't afford it.
It's the Art Institute of Atlanta. They have a video game programming section and I think that's what caught my sons eye.

I don't want to discourage my son as this is the first time he's taking initiative about choosing a college. But I don't want him going to this one. Sigh.......

I would start with the question: Is this a for profit University? If so I would run.
Another way of asking is what accreditation does the school have?

What general ed courses are required?

How do they handle AP or IB courses?

What is the average ACT score and GPA of students who have enrolled?

For profit schools work very differently then non-profit. They tend to be very expensive and there undergrad degree is not recognized by some schools if you apply to grad school, nor do employers give it the same weight as a degree from a traditional university or college

Video gaming is a very popular major now and many colleges offer it. Have him search for it as LuvsD suggested.

 

[SydSim]

What kind of questions do you ask when touring a college?

And what do you look for when touring a college?

My son set up a tour of a college this Saturday and asked me these questions. I have no idea what to tell him.

Of course different students will think that different things are important to them, especially depending on the major. Here are some common ones:

For parents:
Internship or research possibilities
Are any classes taught by TAs
Average graduation time for that specific major (websites tell you overall stats)
Average introductory course class size (500
students in Biology 101)
Can freshmen audition for shows (for
performance majors)
Career planning assistance upon graduation
Security, as in Blue Light system and dorm
accessibility

Some things students are interested in:
Can freshmen have their car on campus
Are there any requirements as to how long you
are required to live on campus
Are there intramural sports you can play


Some thing that students want to ask but won't because their parent is right there:

Alcohol on campus policies
Availability of birth control at health center
Overnight visitation rules
Smoking policy


Ask your tour guide personal questions like:

What other schools were you applying to and
why did you choose XYZ University
What things have you done here on Friday and
Saturday nights

Many other things can be answered from the website. Be a little familiar with the particular school before hitting the campus. Websites can give so much information if you dig around and not just look at the admissions page.

Good luck.

 

[elgerber]

What your DS did not speak at the G20 conference or discover the cure for cancer at age 12?

:

Of coures their DS didn't, because my DD did!!! that is what it feels like over there most on most of the items I have read.

 

[madge]

madge, keep in mind that your son's high school sends a school data sheet (different schools call them different things) that includes all that information--no weighted grades, limited AP options, etc. It's part of the counselor's information.

College Confidential can be supportive, if you find the right group, or highly stressful, depending. If it's stressful stay out of the discussion boards. There is a fairly decent college search function, it might give you a list of colleges to explore. And there is reasonable information about the Common App, Financial Aid (ie how to fill out forms). There is an excellent list of schools with guaranteed merit money...it can really help those with limited funds.

Congrats on your son's achievements, that's a great ACT score. It will all work out. I know, I've been there, done that (D is a happy college sophomore).

I appreciate the words of encouragement. I know it will work out. (this is my 2nd time at the rodeo, too ... LOL)

It's still hard to read over there.

 

[madge]

What your DS did not speak at the G20 conference or discover the cure for cancer at age 12?

 

[PrincessKsMom]

DD received a letter from the school she was admitted to inviting her to apply to the Honors Program and it also mentions possible Honors Housing. I'm sure every school is different, but does anyone have any experience with Honors Housing?

Her immediate reaction was "no way". But considering she's an only child who is used to quiet in the house, having a quiet space to study and going to bed reasonably early (11-11:30) every night and getting plenty of rest, I'm thinking maybe it's a better option than general housing.

Anyone have an opinion?

 

[madge]

DD received a letter from the school she was admitted to inviting her to apply to the Honors Program and it also mentions possible Honors Housing. I'm sure every school is different, but does anyone have any experience with Honors Housing?

Her immediate reaction was "no way". But considering she's an only child who is used to quiet in the house, having a quiet space to study and going to bed reasonably early (11-11:30) every night and getting plenty of rest, I'm thinking maybe it's a better option than general housing.

Anyone have an opinion?

the Honors housing at the University of Kentucky has tempurpedic mattresses. made in Kentucky, of course.

 

[TLuvsD]

I would look into the Honors program. They vary a lot by school, but some of the programs have amazing opportunities.

As for housing, our only child was in a suite last year. It mostly worked, but she went to the library a lot to study, and even came home during quiet week (week between end of classes and finals).

 

[madge]

since we're transitioning the conversation to honors colleges ...

DS has the stats to apply for honors colleges at all the state schools in Kentucky. Is there an advantage to that over attending a smaller, liberal arts college?

on paper, financially it makes sense. but that's all I know.

 

[Southernmiss]

DD received a letter from the school she was admitted to inviting her to apply to the Honors Program and it also mentions possible Honors Housing. I'm sure every school is different, but does anyone have any experience with Honors Housing?

Her immediate reaction was "no way". But considering she's an only child who is used to quiet in the house, having a quiet space to study and going to bed reasonably early (11-11:30) every night and getting plenty of rest, I'm thinking maybe it's a better option than general housing.

Anyone have an opinion?

Ds is a sophomore in his college's honors college. He has a full scholarship through the honor's college. Last year he was in the newest, nicest dorms on campus with a roommate, but preferred to study in the library. He must keep up a high gpa and take at least one honors class a semester. The classes are limited to about 15 students per class time.

Last year, he had two trips paid for through his honor's classes. One was to New York City and the other to Atlanta. His girlfriend had a trip to Disney through her class. All travel and lodging were covered. He paid for food and personal expenses.

This year he is living in the fraternity house. It was like going from the Taj Mahal to a major dive, but he's happy and has reclaimed his study spot in the library.
If your student is qualified, I would strongly suggest giving honor's college consideration.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

GaSleepingBeautyFan, find some alternative schools with video game programming. Ask about the average student loans owed upon graduation, employment rate in their field of study, average salary, what companies recruit from the school.

College Confidential has a search engine, so does college prowler. You might want to check computer science as well, if they have a game design emphasis option.

I would start with the question: Is this a for profit University? If so I would run.
Another way of asking is what accreditation does the school have?

What general ed courses are required?

How do they handle AP or IB courses?

What is the average ACT score and GPA of students who have enrolled?

For profit schools work very differently then non-profit. They tend to be very expensive and there undergrad degree is not recognized by some schools if you apply to grad school, nor do employers give it the same weight as a degree from a traditional university or college

Video gaming is a very popular major now and many colleges offer it. Have him search for it as LuvsD suggested.

Of course different students will think that different things are important to them, especially depending on the major. Here are some common ones:

For parents:
Internship or research possibilities
Are any classes taught by TAs
Average graduation time for that specific major (websites tell you overall stats)
Average introductory course class size (500
students in Biology 101)
Can freshmen audition for shows (for
performance majors)
Career planning assistance upon graduation
Security, as in Blue Light system and dorm
accessibility

Some things students are interested in:
Can freshmen have their car on campus
Are there any requirements as to how long you
are required to live on campus
Are there intramural sports you can play


Some thing that students want to ask but won't because their parent is right there:

Alcohol on campus policies
Availability of birth control at health center
Overnight visitation rules
Smoking policy


Ask your tour guide personal questions like:

What other schools were you applying to and
why did you choose XYZ University
What things have you done here on Friday and
Saturday nights

Many other things can be answered from the website. Be a little familiar with the particular school before hitting the campus. Websites can give so much information if you dig around and not just look at the admissions page.

Good luck.

These are some great questions. Thank you all very much!

On another note, today another college was doing a presentation in school and it was one my son had shown some interest in.
When he got home today, I asked him how it went and he said he didn't go.

Yesterday he needed to stop by the counseling office to get a pass for it and didn't do that so he couldn't attend the presentation.

I just want to smack him upside the head sometimes. Grrrrrr.

I just found out that there are a bunch of colleges going to the High School one evening at the end of the month and I'll be taking him there for sure even if it means my DD13 will miss a Karate class.

 

[TLuvsD]

Take your DD13 to the college night as well. Good to start thinking ahead!

 

[mommykds]

My DD is procrastinating about her essays & it's driving me crazy. I am trying to remain calm but the deadline for the early action for her top school is October 15th. She did her brag sheet & requested transcripts but not the essays. I am going to pull my hair out...She is calm as a cucumber & keeps saying she has too much to do with her regular classwork & that she will do it on the weekend but the weekends are coming & going...ugh.

Ok vent over.

By the way, I had to take my 2 younger kids (12 & 14) with us on 2 college visits & they actually got a lot out of it. It got them thinking early.