Parents of the High School Class of 2017/College 2021

[aprilgail]

So ... as I was typing my last post I got a panicked call from my DD. She was at the high school 17 minutes away (not her home HS, another one) to take the ACT again and she forgot her calculator. *sigh* I asked her if she had her calculator and watch while she was eating breakfast. It was 7:45 and they allowed kids to enter at 8:00. So, I grab the calculator, jump in the car and drive to the HS. I'll be there by 8:02. Except ... there is construction on the only road to the HS and I am delayed by 8 more minutes. I got the calculator to her in time but I hope this didn't throw her for a loop and she was able to settle down and do well on the test.

My daughter is taking that again today too- I was out last night so when I got in last night around 11 I asked her if she had admission ticket printed and she said "I have a bag packed, my calculator, admission ticket, school ID, 4 sharpened pencils and a drink and snack"--- okkkkkk guess she finally remembered to do things herself!

 

[laughinplace199]

So ... as I was typing my last post I got a panicked call from my DD. She was at the high school 17 minutes away (not her home HS, another one) to take the ACT again and she forgot her calculator. *sigh* I asked her if she had her calculator and watch while she was eating breakfast. It was 7:45 and they allowed kids to enter at 8:00. So, I grab the calculator, jump in the car and drive to the HS. I'll be there by 8:02. Except ... there is construction on the only road to the HS and I am delayed by 8 more minutes. I got the calculator to her in time but I hope this didn't throw her for a loop and she was able to settle down and do well on the test.

The same thing happened to my DD when she took the SAT's! I was still at the high school when she texted me that she forgot her calculator. There was no way I'd have time to drive home, get the calculator, and drive back. So I called DH and he got the calculator and drove to the school. DD said she got lucky that her proctor was really nice and let her go outside to meet DH to get the calculator and also let her charge it while they were doing the reading portion of the test.

I also worried that it would throw her off. Her scores ended up fine, but she didn't score too well on the essay part. That was not like her - she's normally a really strong writer. It may have been the calculator, or the fact that her prom was that night, or the fact that she had a big varsity crew race the next day - who knows. I hope your DD does well today!

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

My daughter is taking that again today too- I was out last night so when I got in last night around 11 I asked her if she had admission ticket printed and she said "I have a bag packed, my calculator, admission ticket, school ID, 4 sharpened pencils and a drink and snack"--- okkkkkk guess she finally remembered to do things herself!

That's the best part of having them growing up; they can do so much for themselves. Getting her license has made a huge difference with mine, I've noticed.

 

[wannabee]

So true. The same child I've had to drag out of bed for years is suddenly up on his own and driving himself to school. I'm amazed every morning.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My son took the ACT this morning
He came home and informed me they put his group in a room close to the football stadium.
JV had a game this morning and during most of the test they could hear the music , announcer and cheering during most of the test.

There were plenty of other rooms that coukd have been used

 

[Pea-n-Me]

After 1 week in school, DD wants to drop AP Calc AB and replace it with AP Stats. She already took a 1 semester dual enrollment stats class junior year. I don't know if I am happy about this change in her schedule. Part of me thinks she needs the AP Calc to be competitive for our higher ranked state universities. (UVA specifically - her reach school). On the other hand, she is planning on a BSN (nursing degree), and I have heard that Stats is a much more useful class for that degree. This whole thing is stressing me out...

I really wish I had a crystal ball right about now!

Another dropping in from the 2016 thread. I feel for all you guys! (I had twins to do this with, and I am still exhausted! But it was nice that they finally started this week, it felt like such a long time coming.)

Re: Stats. Yes, for Nursing, that's what she'll likely need - check the programs, like Robin did. I am a nurse, and my DD just started nursing school at my alma mater, where she always knew she wanted to go. Counselors had her taking PreCalc in HS, and I said no, she needed Stats. So they reluctantly let her take Stats instead. Well we get to the Open House for Nursing last year at her intended school, and they talk about how you need Stats. Literally half the students there shot their hands up freaking out that they were taking Pre Calc; didn't know they needed Stars. Nope, they said, you need Stats. I just gave DD one of these. (And she struggled with it in HS, but hopefully it will be a little easier in college since she's at least familiar with it and she did manage to pull a decent grade in the end.)

One of the most frustrating aspects of this whole college thing, was just that everyone's experiences are different, and there are few hard and fast rules. It's easy to get worked up on some of these college threads hearing what everyone else is doing. I say just worry about your own kid's path. It may be different than other kids', and that's ok. Last year DD's English teacher told us at Open House that our HS liked to brag about how many kids went off to four year schools, but she added that what they don't show us is how many are still there two years later. Those statistics are much different. Finding the right fit is important. The other thing, and this apparently hasn't changed since I went to college in the 80s, is that the misinformation and miscommunication you can get is astounding! So trust what you're told, but verify! Every school, and even people within the same school, may see things a little differently.

Good luck to all of you.

 

[already]

I've been absent for most of the summer, made a major job change, looks like everyone is gearing up for an exciting year!
So many big decision on everyone's plates - so exciting! Congrats to all of you with whatever your kids opt to do, its exciting to see them begin to explore their "adult" options.

DD had to retake the SAT in July as her test center lost ALL the score sheets from the day she took the new format in May.
She did well although she plans to take again in October.
She spent the summer as a cook at the local Girl Scout camp, she loved it! Then she was off to N. California where she toured several schools including Univ. San Francisco, Mills, Berkley, Stanford, San Jose State, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and I can't remember what else. She was gone 15 days. Loved Berkley and Univ. San Francisco. Berkley would be a stretch.....a big stretch but USF she would probably secure with no problem however, its stupid expensive and has major housing issues once past freshman year, has a low retention rate etc.

Then we did some more digging and currently, the Univ of Minnesota, Twin-Cities is on her radar. Good physics program, reasonable out of state tuition, big city and its cold. All items on her wish list.
The Univ. of Texas Austin is still an option - she is actually there right now, spending the weekend in one of the dorms with a friend, getting a students eye view.
Sr. year is in full swing, back to the crazy schedule of an athletic trainer, looking for a part time job and still contemplating whether or not she wants to drive.

The current list of schools:
Amherst (no idea why she is still stuck on this one)
Univ TX - Austin
Texas State - Safety school
Univ. San Francisco
Univ. Minnesota Twin-Cities

Has your daughter looked into the University of Colorado in Boulder? It is cold, very outdoor sports oriented, and has a fabulous physics department with a couple of Nobel prizes in Physics. Our friend's daughter is in the Women in Physics program there and we have been so impressed with the education she is getting. We visited her when we were out there skiing a couple of times and our children loved it so much that it is now their #1 choice. Bad thing is their out of state tuition is pretty high.

 

[robinb]

My son took the ACT this morning
He came home and informed me they put his group in a room close to the football stadium.
JV had a game this morning and during most of the test they could hear the music , announcer and cheering during most of the test.

There were plenty of other rooms that coukd have been used

That stinks! I hope he was able to concentrate enough.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

My son took the ACT this morning
He came home and informed me they put his group in a room close to the football stadium.
JV had a game this morning and during most of the test they could hear the music , announcer and cheering during most of the test.

There were plenty of other rooms that coukd have been used

Man...I really feel for your son. Something similar happened to me the first time I took the SAT many years ago. I was in a classroom above the bus port. During the test a kid with a boom box started playing loud music in the bus port, which echoed all over the school. It took a while for someone make him leave. It killed my concentration. I hope your son was able to power through.

 

[already]

Yes. This was back in sophomore year. At the first semester parent/teacher conference the teacher made a comment to me that my DD had her cell phone out a lot. I talked to my DD about it and told her to keep her cell phone in her bag or I would take it away from her. I emailed the teacher and told *her* that I would take the phone away if she had it out and to please contact me if there was a problem.

I never heard a peep out of the teacher but apparently at the start of the 3rd quarter the teacher told the students there would be a grading consequence if they had their cell phones out. She never said she would drop them a full grade.

As I was watching the grades roll in on the 3rd quarter, things were really looking great. She had an "A" and I was happy. Then teacher added an "assignment" called "Cell Phone Use" to the calculations at the last minute (literally after the quarter ended and right before the end of the grading window) worth 100 points. So, the possible score for "summative score" went from about 550 to 650. Most of the students were given a bonus of 100 points while my DD received a 0. that came out to 15% of her total grade for the 3rd quarter. My DD's grade dropped a FULL GRADE from an "A" to a low "B" (almost a "C") for the quarter and even though she received an "A" her 4th quarter and stayed off her phone, her 3rd quarter was too low to bring her up to an "A" for the semester.

I know of one other child who was given 50 points instead of 100 but the teacher contacted her mother part way through the quarter and she straightened up and flew right and only lost half of the bonus. So, different kids doing the same thing were handled differently. I was never contacted by the teacher and given the same chance to correct my DD's behaviour.

FWIW, I did sympathize with the teacher ... cell phone use can be annoying and she did warn the kids. However, as a parent of a sophomore, I expected to be contacted if my DD had a behavioral problem. My DD was not off the hook for her part in all this. I did take her phone away from her, as promised, for an entire month.

I was peeved at my DD for using her phone in class when she knew she shouldn't have. I was peeved at the teacher for penalizing an otherwise good student so punitively (and yes, drop her GPA). I took it up to the head of the department but got nowhere. The exact same head of the department I contacted about the AP exam and got nowhere.

The "A" that was penalized down to a "B" is still biting my DD in the butt. She is ranked in the top 79th percent in her class, just 2 spots away from being in the top 20%. With that "A" on her GPA she would have been ranked higher in the top 20% which is a magic number for colleges.

The teacher did inform you. She told you that your daughter had a real problem with her phone by having it out a lot. How many times has it been necessary for the teachers to tell your daughter to put her phone away. When a teacher says "a lot" that usually means a major problem.
The teacher also warned the students that their grade would be affected if they had their phones out.

You daughter made a choice and kept her phone out. Both she and you were warned. Parents of sophomores shouldn't need to be contacted over every little behavior issue like a phone in class. Your daughter was old enough to make a choice, she knew the consequences pf her choice and she earned the consequences of that choice.

I don't see the problem, especially with the teacher.

 

[aprilgail]

My son took the ACT this morning
He came home and informed me they put his group in a room close to the football stadium.
JV had a game this morning and during most of the test they could hear the music , announcer and cheering during most of the test.

There were plenty of other rooms that coukd have been used

Our school rents out their performing arts center on the weekends for things like dance competitions and my daughter always complains that during the SAT's they can hear the girls running in the hallways and yelling and the music playing for the dance numbers.

 

[IDoDis]

Seniors ordered their caps and gowns last week. DS was working so much this summer that we haven't done his senior pictures yet. Gotta get on that, but now the yearbook senior photo price with the photographer is higher. The price started out cheap in June, went up a little in July and August and now a bigger jump in September. Also, the photographer who did DD's photo shoot (not the same as the yearbook photos) is in graduate school now and not doing photo shoots this year, so I need to find someone else. i feel so behind compared to when DD was a senior.

 

[robinb]

Seniors ordered their caps and gowns last week. DS was working so much this summer that we haven't done his senior pictures yet. Gotta get on that, but now the yearbook senior photo price with the photographer is higher. The price started out cheap in June, went up a little in July and August and now a bigger jump in September. Also, the photographer who did DD's photo shoot (not the same as the yearbook photos) is in graduate school now and not doing photo shoots this year, so I need to find someone else. i feel so behind compared to when DD was a senior.

My DD hasn't had her senior photos taken either. I have an email out to a photographer but I have not heard back. I have a friend who is a photographer who will do it for about the same price but my DD likes the work of the first one better. If I don't hear back from the first one soon we'll go with my friend.

 

[aprilgail]

My DD hasn't had her senior photos taken either. I have an email out to a photographer but I have not heard back. I have a friend who is a photographer who will do it for about the same price but my DD likes the work of the first one better. If I don't hear back from the first one soon we'll go with my friend.

Do they get their pic in the yearbook if you use your own photographer? With our schools the only pics that can go in the yearbook are if you have them done through the company the school uses for senior pics!

 

[robinb]

Do they get their pic in the yearbook if you use your own photographer? With our schools the only pics that can go in the yearbook are if you have them done through the company the school uses for senior pics!

I think so since the pictures are all so different.

 

[laughinplace199]

We had our family meeting with DD's college Counselor on Friday and it went really well. DD's original list had 15 schools on it and after the meeting she was able to take a few off her list. She has plans to take a couple more off after she tours one more school, which should bring her list down to 9. He also helped DD with thinking through applying early decision to her favorite school.

I will be happy when everything is done and submitted!

 

[aprilgail]

is anyone applying to colleges through Questbridge? So many things to get done and fill out for it! Its an awesome deal if they get picked through questbridge though so worth a shot!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Does her high school have a college counselor that she can talk to about which class would be a better choice?

I would also have her talk to her counselor, but I would think that it would be better for her to go with AP Stats. I just peeked at the UVA BSN coursework and she will use Stats so much more in her college career over Calculus.

Nope. Every kid is different. My DD is taking 3 AP classes and I personally wish she had taken fewer since our HS doesn't weight Honors/AP classes.

That's great! I don't think my DD's English department works on common app essays. I just looked at the course offerings and they have a class called "Pre-College Composition". I wonder if that would be better for her than "English 4".

{{hugs}}

Another dropping in from the 2016 thread. I feel for all you guys! (I had twins to do this with, and I am still exhausted! But it was nice that they finally started this week, it felt like such a long time coming.)

Re: Stats. Yes, for Nursing, that's what she'll likely need - check the programs, like Robin did. I am a nurse, and my DD just started nursing school at my alma mater, where she always knew she wanted to go. Counselors had her taking PreCalc in HS, and I said no, she needed Stats. So they reluctantly let her take Stats instead. Well we get to the Open House for Nursing last year at her intended school, and they talk about how you need Stats. Literally half the students there shot their hands up freaking out that they were taking Pre Calc; didn't know they needed Stars. Nope, they said, you need Stats. I just gave DD one of these. (And she struggled with it in HS, but hopefully it will be a little easier in college since she's at least familiar with it and she did manage to pull a decent grade in the end.)

One of the most frustrating aspects of this whole college thing, was just that everyone's experiences are different, and there are few hard and fast rules. It's easy to get worked up on some of these college threads hearing what everyone else is doing. I say just worry about your own kid's path. It may be different than other kids', and that's ok. Last year DD's English teacher told us at Open House that our HS liked to brag about how many kids went off to four year schools, but she added that what they don't show us is how many are still there two years later. Those statistics are much different. Finding the right fit is important. The other thing, and this apparently hasn't changed since I went to college in the 80s, is that the misinformation and miscommunication you can get is astounding! So trust what you're told, but verify! Every school, and even people within the same school, may see things a little differently.

Good luck to all of you.

Well I wanted her to talk to her counselor...that was the plan anyway. But she went ahead and switched out of AP Calc into AP Stats without meeting with her. Sometimes she really knows what she wants, does the research to back it up and then pulls the trigger.

Other times, she totally drops the ball. Yesterday I paid the $28 late fee because she realized she hadn't yet registered for the Oct 1 SAT. I have been on her about registering since the beginning of August. She actually started an SAT prep class on Aug 28th to prepare for the Oct 1 test, and has been taking practice tests on her own religiously, but she forgot to register???!!! Thank goodness I checked!

 

[AustinTink]

My DD hasn't had her senior photos taken either. I have an email out to a photographer but I have not heard back. I have a friend who is a photographer who will do it for about the same price but my DD likes the work of the first one better. If I don't hear back from the first one soon we'll go with my friend.

One more thing to add to the list. Glad I came to this thread today, or it wouldn't be on my radar.

 

[robinb]

Other times, she totally drops the ball. Yesterday I paid the $28 late fee because she realized she hadn't yet registered for the Oct 1 SAT. I have been on her about registering since the beginning of August. She actually started an SAT prep class on Aug 28th to prepare for the Oct 1 test, and has been taking practice tests on her own religiously, but she forgot to register???!!! Thank goodness I checked!

Crap. My DD just said she wanted to take the October SAT and now I have to pay a late fee ... sheesh. I'll see when the next one is and maybe she can do that one instead.