Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[robinb]

Is anyone doing college tours this summer? I just booked a few for DS.

My DD literally has 14 days off between now (her first day after finals) and when HS girls swim season starts. She swims 8 times per week Mon-Sat with only Sundays off. She probably won't even get 5 of those days off because she's taking a lifeguarding class between the Wisconsin Swimming championship meet and the first day of HS practice. No college tours for us.

 

[mamacatnv]

DD has taken the PSAT twice, I think its good practice to be prepared for the style etc.
My oldest was a ACT ace but not nearly as good on the SAT - the Univ he went to was an either or type submission - he took both and submitted the best, for him it was his ACT score. We didn't do any prep classes. I may be in the minority but I think a kid needs to score somewhat "naturally" as it will help college and the expectations of the college be a better fit. I know kids whose parents pumped tons of money into SAT prep, their scores went up a bit but it didn't make them smarter or better equipped to handle college.

DD just wound up her year, she has great grades and with all the AP/IB weighting her GPA is just stupid high, at least to my 4.0 is perfect trained brain
Finally got her learners permit - ugh, the child cannot turn, she is giving me gray hair. I am reminded that she took 3 years of beginning, yes, beginning ballet. She might be smart but her hand/eye/foot coordination leaves a lot to be desired so we practice ...........and practice..........and practice

In the fall she officially starts the IB program and is very excited about it.

No college visits scheduled yet, nothing close by is on her radar
She is not sure where she wants to apply but is contemplating Univ of TX, Austin along with there are some east coast schools that have caught her eye. We keep trying to have a reality check regarding the price tag but she still really does not have any concept of what college costs and the ramifications of an expensive education which will be paid via aid or loans. She "hears" the discussion but doesn't necessarily "get it" we are working on it. She is currently exploring culinary school, she wants to bake. Couple of weeks ago she wanted to be a writer/editor and a few months ago it was a pediatric neurologist.
All over the map is a good description.

 

[AustinTink]

My DD literally has 14 days off between now (her first day after finals) and when HS girls swim season starts. She swims 8 times per week Mon-Sat with only Sundays off. She probably won't even get 5 of those days off because she's taking a lifeguarding class between the Wisconsin Swimming championship meet and the first day of HS practice. No college tours for us.

That's a serious schedule. I thought my kid had a few things on his plate this summer, but not nearly as busy.

 

[AustinTink]

DD has taken the PSAT twice, I think its good practice to be prepared for the style etc.
My oldest was a ACT ace but not nearly as good on the SAT - the Univ he went to was an either or type submission - he took both and submitted the best, for him it was his ACT score. We didn't do any prep classes. I may be in the minority but I think a kid needs to score somewhat "naturally" as it will help college and the expectations of the college be a better fit. I know kids whose parents pumped tons of money into SAT prep, their scores went up a bit but it didn't make them smarter or better equipped to handle college.

DD just wound up her year, she has great grades and with all the AP/IB weighting her GPA is just stupid high, at least to my 4.0 is perfect trained brain
Finally got her learners permit - ugh, the child cannot turn, she is giving me gray hair. I am reminded that she took 3 years of beginning, yes, beginning ballet. She might be smart but her hand/eye/foot coordination leaves a lot to be desired so we practice ...........and practice..........and practice

In the fall she officially starts the IB program and is very excited about it.

No college visits scheduled yet, nothing close by is on her radar
She is not sure where she wants to apply but is contemplating Univ of TX, Austin along with there are some east coast schools that have caught her eye. We keep trying to have a reality check regarding the price tag but she still really does not have any concept of what college costs and the ramifications of an expensive education which will be paid via aid or loans. She "hears" the discussion but doesn't necessarily "get it" we are working on it. She is currently exploring culinary school, she wants to bake. Couple of weeks ago she wanted to be a writer/editor and a few months ago it was a pediatric neurologist.
All over the map is a good description.

UT is not number one on my son's list, but he will apply there and I'm happy he is. It's a good school, in our backyard, and it would be nuts for him not to consider it. That said, he has his eyes trained on a couple of UC schools. So we will travel to California this summer to have a look.

We are doing and SAT prep course for him this summer. Our school also offers one as a fall course, but he preferred to do it on his own during the summer months.

 

[mamacatnv]

UT is not number one on my son's list, but he will apply there and I'm happy he is. It's a good school, in our backyard, and it would be nuts for him not to consider it. That said, he has his eyes trained on a couple of UC schools. So we will travel to California this summer to have a look.

We are doing and SAT prep course for him this summer. Our school also offers one as a fall course, but he preferred to do it on his own during the summer months.

DD says UT is her safety school LOL
She is heading to an Athletic Trainer camp at A&M this month and last summer went to a camp at Texas State. For some reason she has her sights set on McGill which is in Montreal, Canada.

DD's childhood BFF is heading to UC Long Beach the fall. We are from the west, several kids we know went to the UC schools. I hope he likes what he see's

 

[aprilgail]

Is anyone doing college tours this summer? I just booked a few for DS.

We did a bunch last summer-dartmouth, nyu and columbia. This summer we are going to do cal tech when we are on vacation. We are driving around the US for two months so we can book something when we get close to thst area.
In our school the kids have been taking the PSAT's every year since 8th grade so she has taken them three times already and they do it once more in the fall i believe.

 

[sksjasams]

Just wondering if anyone has bought any study guides for the ACT and SAT or even PSAT? I would love some recommendations.
Is anyone else worried about the timing of the "new versions" of these tests? I think our kids will be the group most affected. I've read both ACT and SAT are coming out with changes to the tests in 2016. How does that affect our kids? Say they start taking the tests this fall and they take it again in the spring it will be a diffrent style of test.
How do you even know what kind of study guides to get...ones for the current style tests, or the new style?
Ugh...I am letting my worries get a little out of hand today.

 

[aprilgail]

The SAT's concern me a bit because I am paying 100.00 an hour for a SAT tutor and if things get changed after she takes it the first time it may be money down the drain!

 

[IDoDis]

Just wondering if anyone has bought any study guides for the ACT and SAT or even PSAT? I would love some recommendations.
Is anyone else worried about the timing of the "new versions" of these tests? I think our kids will be the group most affected. I've read both ACT and SAT are coming out with changes to the tests in 2016. How does that affect our kids? Say they start taking the tests this fall and they take it again in the spring it will be a diffrent style of test.
How do you even know what kind of study guides to get...ones for the current style tests, or the new style?
Ugh...I am letting my worries get a little out of hand today.

The ACT questions and format are not changing. Only the way some of the scoring is done is changing or has already changed. I'm not sure about the SAT though. Most kids in my neck of the woods take the ACT. When DD took the test, I bought her The Real ACT Prep Guide which has full practice tests and explanations of the answers. I copied the bubble sheets, so DD didn't write in the book. I plan on having DS use the same book to study from.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Real-Edition-Prep-Guide/dp/0768934400

 

[bjscheel]

Bump for the beginning of a new year! We start tomorrow. Tonight we'll go to the school and get her schedule and locker assignment. I know she's taking 2 math classes this year, and she's going to try to get out of Creative Writing (which apparently is more reports than actual creative writing). I'm hoping she can get an art class in with the new teacher.

We didn't end up going to the college visit with my nephews. They didn't care for the campus. I'm guessing we will start with community college anyway. They do have graphic design courses at the local cc.

 

[Poohforyou]

My dd is scheduled to take the current SAT in October and November. She can't do December because of a conflict. If she needs a 3rd try she'll take it in January. She's been working with an SAT for a good part of the summer. Our district is recommending doing the current SAT or the ACT for juniors. There is still too much unknown about the new version. Plus I just don't see how she'd prep for it once classes get in full swing.

We did a few self guided tours this summer and plan to travel over presidents weekend and spring break. Dd is very interested in DC, Boston or NYC.

The thing that's really messed up is the PSAT will follow the new format. We aren't banking on a national merit scholarship though since NJ has one of the highest benchmarks. This year it was 224/240.

 

[aprilgail]

I just signed my daughter up for an SAT prep class at her school, 225.00- then signed her up for the Nov SAT's 68.00, then signed her up for the Dec Sat'2 subject tests, 62.00. Bought her a calculator she now needs, 125.00 and they get their class rings delivered Sept 18th so have to pay the balance due on that. I hate when school starts!!!! At least I get like a 4 month break before they take their senior class pictures and I have to pay that! the school pays for the psat's, they have some grant for my daughters graduating class that they have been taking them every year since 8th grade.

 

[Xcited4Disney]

What SAT prep books would you recommend? A coworker gave me a Barron's book that she mistakenly bought but I want to know if there is a better one out there.

 

[mamacatnv]

We started back this week although DD has been at school several days a week for football practice. She is an Athletic Trainer and they have a presence at all practices and games.

This is DD's first year of IB, she was pre-IB for her first two high school years. Her schedule includes (IB) Pre-Calc, English, Chemistry, Physics, History, Art, French and Sports Medicine. We attended a college fair a few weeks ago that was a consortium of small (very small) liberal art colleges from throughout the country. I'm on the fence with the concept of a college that is smaller than her high school. She has bounced all over the map regarding career paths, currently she is back to neurology. We shall see where this goes.

This summer we explored Texas A&M, College Station. DD liked the campus but the student body is considered to be very conservative and somewhat religious. DD leans toward liberal and non-religious, I do not know if it would be a good fit for her. If she chooses to stay in sports medicine, A&M would be a good choice academic wise but Texas State, San Marcos also has a good sports medicine program and a more diverse student body.
She has no concept of the cost to attend college and we are working on trying to get her to see the reality of higher education. Texas has a lot to offer, she doesn't need to haul across the country but right now, she is not "hearing" us.

I have no idea what the SAT/ACT schedule is, her high school has about a 90% college attendance rate, they have all the schedules and suggestions worked out. Right now, the focus is on the IB schedules with the testing schedules, sorting out the SL vs HL (standard vs Higher level) classes as well as fulfilling the various service requirements.

Currently, we are working with a chapter of Guide Dogs for the Blind out of San Rafael, CA. We have become approved puppy sitters and if we feel we can handle the commitment of raising our own puppy, we will get one towards the end of this year. The time commitment is about 15 months for the puppy which works out well timing wise BUT like I said, huge time commitment for the entire family. Puppy sitting will keep us plenty busy for the time being.

Still working on driving skills, still not really showing any interest so Mom and Dad continue to be the main source of transportation. Another year of sports med/athletic training with the sporting events and late nights - ugh

Oh Yeah, another school year

 

[Briarmom]

We moved at the beginning of last year which really threw us for a loop. At his old HS, DS got notices about PSAT/SAT stuff throughout the year. At this one I haven't heard a word about it, and honestly, I forgot. (It's been a terrible move and a bad year for the kids and I.)

This is our second week of jr year.
I'm already exhausted.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Yesterday was the 1st day of school and DS had 4 of his 8 classes (block scheduling.) He only has his classes every other day with the exception of Calculus AB/BC which is every day. Last night he came home and worked on Calc homework (that was due today!) for 4 hours. I am worried about how much commitment this one class is going to take once the homework for the other classes kicks in!

Football is in full swing- I don't think he will be able to take the SAT before December. We are also trying to squeeze in driver's ed right after football ends. It's required in Maryland, so while it's not free, there is a local drivers ed school that will pick up the kids at the high school. They have instruction from 3-6, and then you just pick them up there. It's a 2 week class. With DD away at school, we are down a driver, so I'm picking up the 3 boys in 3 different places after work. I cannot wait until he can drive! Maryland doesn't let you get your license until you have had your permit 9 months, which you can't get until you are 15 and 9 months, making the earliest you can get your license at 16.5. So he can't even take the test until the end of January.

DS played travel baseball this year that lasted all the way until the beginning of August, and then we took a week vacation when we took DD18 to college. So, he didn't visit a single college, but we'll have to make it a priority to fit it in this year. He's pretty set on wanting to go to University of Maryland, but I want him to visit a few and see what it is that he really wants. However, on a good day, UMD is only 30 minutes from our house, so I do think it's a great first choice.

I hope everyone has a great start to their Junior year!

 

[aprilgail]

Yesterday was the 1st day of school and DS had 4 of his 8 classes (block scheduling.) He only has his classes every other day with the exception of Calculus AB/BC which is every day. Last night he came home and worked on Calc homework (that was due today!) for 4 hours. I am worried about how much commitment this one class is going to take once the homework for the other classes kicks in!

Football is in full swing- I don't think he will be able to take the SAT before December. We are also trying to squeeze in driver's ed right after football ends. It's required in Maryland, so while it's not free, there is a local drivers ed school that will pick up the kids at the high school. They have instruction from 3-6, and then you just pick them up there. It's a 2 week class. With DD away at school, we are down a driver, so I'm picking up the 3 boys in 3 different places after work. I cannot wait until he can drive! Maryland doesn't let you get your license until you have had your permit 9 months, which you can't get until you are 15 and 9 months, making the earliest you can get your license at 16.5. So he can't even take the test until the end of January.

!

I am not looking forward to the upcoming 8 hour homework nights beginning again. Since we got back from our road trip my daughter hasn't done anything but sit in her room working on her summer homework. She is about done with Social Studies, she did math but still has English to go- She has 6 days to get it done now, I am having doubts that she will make it this year before the first day of school!!

 

[robinb]

School doesn't start her until after Labor Day. My DD started HS swim team practice a couple weeks ago and she has a new coach who has them working hard. I'm back to waking up at 5:30 *yawn*. Her first meet is tomorrow. She also joined the group of kids who are essentially upperclassmen ambassadors for the school They will welcome the freshmen into the school for their first day (one day before the rest of the school) and later in the year they will show 8th graders and their parents around the school. She's looking forward to being Big Woman on Campus, LOL.

She took an online driver's ed class over the summer. It was horrible. Her "teacher" went on vacation for the entire month of August so she would log in a grade once per week. She would grade a homework, my DD would correct it and then we would have to wait a whole week for it to be regraded. I finally told my DD to make double-dog sure that she answers things correctly the FIRST TIME. What a PITB that the teacher took her vacay on one of the busiest months of the year for driver's ed. We had been hoping that she could do the driving part this summer but we had to wait for nearly a month for her to finish the last couple of chapters and by the time she finally passed the online class there were no driving instructors available now and there were none who could work with her school and swim schedule. Then, it took the teacher ANOTHER week to enter her into the DMV system so she could take her permit test. We had to change organizations for the behind the wheel to one that had availability. She got her permit yesterday and I took her out in the local empty parking lot and then on some quiet side streets. I think I have some new gray hairs!

We received her "Aspire" test grades in the mail this week. The Aspire test is a pre-test for the ACT and her predicted ACT score is pretty ugly. She'll need to bring it up a minimum of 4 points. The kid is taking AP English but scored very poorly on the reading section. I don't get it (and obviously, neither does she). I didn't get her into a test prep this summer because of swimming but she will have to make time. I talked to some friends and they had their child take the ACT without prep and then enrolled them in test prep and took it again for an improvement. *sigh*

 

[lucky978]

Joining the "club" here have twin girls that are graduating in 2017. They've only take the PSAT once (last year). Neither of the "test" very well - wondering if we should look into SAT prep course or something to help them out. Both want to go to nursing school.

 

[Poohforyou]

Joining the "club" here have twin girls that are graduating in 2017. They've only take the PSAT once (last year). Neither of the "test" very well - wondering if we should look into SAT prep course or something to help them out. Both want to go to nursing school.

I would definitely recommend an SAT tutor or prep class. The SAT is what colleges use to make their 1st cut. Scoring well will give you daughters more options. I personally like the tutor route since it can be tailored to individual needs.