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alanarch
Member
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Posted: Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 06:36 pm |
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| My major suggestion that I have said a few times before is to get as many of the college visits done during Junior year as possible. You might have to wait until the Spring before getting them interested but at that point you are going to have to push. We thought Junior year would be a very hectic year academically which turned out not to be true. What we were not prepared for was/is how difficult senior year has become from almost day one. The amazing thing is though the work load is the most intense of his life, developmentally he is much better able to handle it than he would have been in his Junior year. He works crazy hours but it is in his control and he is producing good work. We have managed a few college visits, mostly second looks, but if we were just starting the visiting process this Fall, I doubt we would be talking to each other at this point.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 06:40 pm |
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Alan,
You point out a something very important and true -- people assume junior year is busy but, when you get down to it, junior year is a cake walk compared to everything going on in senior year!
Carolyn
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 07:03 pm |
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Rhonda,
Since you asked about what was up, here's where we are right now. I'm anxiously waiting to see how my son did on the PSATs, but his school doesn't hand back test scores until the day before Christmas break. If it turns out that his sophomore scores weren't a fluke, then the next big milestone will be his first semester grades. With football out of the mix, he keeps saying that his grades are going to be super-stellar, but I've heard that song before, so I'm operating on the assumption that his GPA won't change much this year over the past two years. If that holds true, we'll look at more matchy schools in the spring with a few reaches thrown into the mix. If his test scores and grades do match his predictions, we'll hit more reach schools.
Right now, he has a handful of schools in mind but we haven't done a single visit (unless you count visiting his sister at Beloit). Like his sister, he seems determined to bolt from any college that even vaguely resembles his catholic high school, so the only thing I know for sure at this point is that Notre Dame will NOT be on the list.
He also seems to be leaning towards liberal arts schools, like his sister, although I'm trying to get him to keep an open mind and at least visit a few smaller universities. He also seems determined to get out of California, although, again like his sister, my husband and I will insist on at least one instate application, so we'll probably visit at least some of the UC's.
Our first college visit will probably be in January to Oregon. He's done a lot of research on Reed, and likes what he sees. I have some concerns about (1) whether it's a realistic admissions option for him and (2) whether an already intense kid should go to such an intense school, but that's where we'll probably start. His reaction to Reed will probably set the agenda for the other schools we visit in the spring and summer.
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westkymom
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Posted: Thu Nov 2nd, 2006 08:46 pm |
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Well, I'm relieved to see that we're not as far behind as I was afraid we might be. My son completely missed signing up for the PSAT. He was unhappy with his first ACT test score, now he's avoiding thinking about the standardized tests. I think we'll be able to get him signed up for the December ACT though. I hope he does reasonably well so he'll loose the psychological baggage associated with these tests.
Carolyn, I think you can definitely count visiting Beloit. You have to be there to realize the uniqueness of the school, and at least it gives your son another campus to compare to. Btw, when we were visiting Beloit, we met another "prospie," a veterinarian-to-be from Portland OR. They told me some very interesting things about Portland. It had the first Green Building (where grass is grown on top of the building), and now there are more. They have limits on how tall the buildings are in the city; they don't build skyscrapers. Apparently, the building codes are such that they have created a really beautiful city. They had good things to say about Reed College too. In fact, the dad said he'd love for his son to go to Reed, but his ex-wife (dad's) lives in Portland.
I have to chime in with HiMom, our junior year is busy. I guess the admissions front is kind of quiet, but my son is doing more homework than he's ever done in his life. I'm glad to see the effort. He's also just gotten his first job (part time).
We're trying to live up to Alanarch's advice about finishing our tours in the junior year, but I'm afraid we won't be able to work in Harvey Mudd College in Claremont CA until Fall Senior year. Son isn't looking at any other school west of the Mississippi.
Thanks everyone for posting. I'm glad we don't have to go through this process alone.
--Rhonda
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skibum
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Posted: Tue Dec 12th, 2006 04:17 am |
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Carolyn-
Also anxiously awaiting those PSAT's. Not sure what to expect, but I am crossing my fingers. Should be hearing at the end of the week or perhaps Saturday....
I have relatives who live practically across the street from Reed. Let me know when you are heading there!
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dufay
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Posted: Tue Dec 12th, 2006 10:45 am |
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My D cyberschools thru Indiana U HS- I called last week, and the advisor emailed the scores to me and my D received her personalized "statement" today. As expected- the math held her up from being a SF. A little higher and... At least it gives a game plan. She lives away from home for ballet, but has realized that it will not happen for her, so this will be her last year. I thought about bringing her home midyear (it would save some $, as well as make test prep easier), but she has more friends thru ballet and I told her to dance for her own enjoyment. I scheduled a few private math sessions while she's home for break, and will set up online tutoring. I sure hope she has to take the SATs just once. It is a test of endurance more than anything.
She is an east coast city gir (no suburbs)l, so our college search will be limited. She is not even interested in BU or NE (Harvard is rather off the radar), so it's DC, NY, Phlly (Penn legacy and faculty)- MTL and Toronto.
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leftcoast
Member
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Posted: Tue Dec 12th, 2006 11:36 pm |
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Just thought I'd mention -- I think that my daughter's extensive ballet training & dance background was a definite tip factor for Barnard. FWIW, my daughter's sophomore PSAT scores were not even ballpark for commended (she didn't even bother taking the test junior year), and her math scores were 580/590 on the SAT, 23 on the ACT. D. also had no high school math beyond algebra II, due to her foreign exchange and subsequent scheduling issues. Barnard was very forgiving about the math - (as were Chicago and Berkeley, surprisingly enough)
Barnard also turns out to be a good option for a non-dance major who wants to keep a toehold in dance (pun intentional), but is perfectly happy with taking class only once or twice a week. No limits on enrollment in any of the 6 levels of ballet or modern, other than rough approximation of ability, and dance technique courses can be used to fulfill PE requirements. Level 5 ballet has significant challenge to keep my d. happy, and she says there is a big jump in ability to level 6, where apparently all the amazing dancers congregate.
However, if your daughter still wants to focus on dance and would like to go for a BFA, the Barnard dance department may not really be enough for her; my d's friends at SUNY Purchase are definitely getting a much stronger level of dance training. My d. just is ready to focus on stretching her brain instead of her leg muscles.
Last edited on Wed Dec 13th, 2006 05:40 am by leftcoast
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Astrid (Moominmama)
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Posted: Tue Dec 12th, 2006 11:50 pm |
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Thanks for the reminder about the PSAT scores! I stopped by the counseling office today, and they have them, but we won't get them until January.  The counselors meet with the kids in small groups to go over the results, which, though aggravating to wait longer, is a nice touch.
I'm going to go ahead and schedule SAT and ACT for my daughter for Jan. and Feb. She's left the pre-calc class ("I hate math! I can be done with math and do better in AP history because I'll have more time to put into it."), so her math skills are not going to get better with time. May as well test it before it all falls out of her brain and into a puddle on the floor.
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dufay
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Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 12:19 am |
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leftcoast-
Yes, Barnard figures high on (my) list. My D is not interested in pursuing dance- so she says- after this year. I think she will miss it. Her attitude is based upon being at a pre-pro school where it's all or nothing. There are darn few jobs out there even for those who have it all.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 12:29 am |
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Dufay and Astrid, you're lucky. At the high school where I work, the PSAT scores have not even arrived yet, let alone been distributed.
I have absolutely no idea how my son did. He did well *last* year, but his study method for *this* year left something to be desired. As he explained to me the morning of the test, he viewed the PSAT as a mainly a test of intelligence and problem-solving. Therefore, his "preparation" involved emailing and IMing everyone he knew from CTY ("the smartest people I know Mom") and asking them to give him mind-twisters and tough questions to answer. I'm sure he had a grand ole' time, but I don't think the actual practice book was even cracked. 
Last edited on Wed Dec 13th, 2006 12:31 am by CarolynLawrence
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scoop
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Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 10:57 am |
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| We got my daughters PSAT (sophmore) results in the mail yesterday. CrReading 65, Math 56, Writing 58) She had not studied other than reading over the test directions and used it just as a baseline practice. Do PSAT results generally go up when you take them as a junior? Just how predictive are they? I think she is the type of kids who will do better on an ACT. She was surprised that the writing section was so difficult as she actually loves grammar.
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dufay
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Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 12:53 pm |
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| I don't know if they go up- my D missed taking them as a soph. She did no prep at all for the PSATs. The book I bought her looks pristinely untouched!
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Bridie
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Posted: Wed Dec 13th, 2006 01:42 pm |
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| my D's scores went up about 10 pts in each category, from soph to jr year with a little prep before the jr. year psat. I recall that my sons scores also rose alot, and then rose a lot again from the psat to the sat. hope thats the case for my D!
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mathmom
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Posted: Thu Dec 14th, 2006 01:17 am |
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My son's went up a bit, but not a huge amount. That's fairly typical though when the scores are already pretty high. He did better on different sections each time which was a bit weird. He also got an 800 on PSAT writing once, while it's been his lowest score on the SAT by a lot. (That pesky essay!) However he didn't study at all either time. I would imagine if you studied it would help.
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CarolynLawrence
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Posted: Thu Dec 14th, 2006 02:34 am |
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Scoop,
My daughter's scores went up considerably between her sophomore PSAT and junior PSAT. A lot of the gain was in math - she'd only been just starting geometry in October of her sophomore year. However, her reading and writing scores also went up too. Like Bridie's daughter, they rose again quite a bit between the junior PSAT and the first time she took the SAT in March of junior year. (I attribute that to five more months of Algebra II).
Your daughter's scores are very good for a sophomore. In fact, I believe her reading score would qualify her for several of the summer programs at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. So, don't be too concerned -- she is likely to do very well on the SATs with another year under her belt.
Carolyn
Last edited on Thu Dec 14th, 2006 02:43 am by CarolynLawrence
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scoop
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Posted: Thu Dec 14th, 2006 09:58 am |
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Carolyn,
Thanks for the info, I wasn't too worried given that she hasn't studied for them yet. Hoping that she finds the time to study probably will worry me later For weeks now, I have been puzzling over what CTY meant. I meant to ask but am glad you spelled it out for me.
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skibum
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Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 01:16 am |
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We are doing the happy dance in our house!! S. did very well on his PSATS, with a score (222) that puts him well into the range for NMSF in our state (a comfortable few points above last yrs cutoff)!! Whew!! With this in hand, it brings a shif tot hte college search. Now he will relook at the schools on his list, as some of the top schools on his list don't offer NM scholarship $. Does anyone hve a current list of which schools offer NM scholarships, and which ones offer virtual free rides? The list I have for the latter is old. I know UF cut back its $$ for NM scholarships ,but they still offer $. Uof Arizona nad ASU also have virtual free rides, but may be too big. Any other schools that offer generous NM money??
Unfortunately the company my h works for doesnt sponser NM, and the national scholarship they offer we cant apply for because we are employees. Kinda backward, but that's the way it is. Sigh...
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Descartes
Super Moderator
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Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 03:40 am |
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I have done a little research on this topic - perhaps we can get a cooperative list going?
Public LAC U of MN-Morris has some "automatic" scholarships tied to NMS standing. This is a small, moderately selective school with an excellent reputation.
http://www.morris.umn.edu/financialaid/merit1.html
Something bigger with a better football team? The U of Oklahoma is well-known for its NMS programs:
http://go2.ou.edu/national_scholars/nonresident.htm
Warmer climate? New College of Florida has some potential opportunities:
http://www.ncf.edu/financialaid/scholarshipftic2.html
Since you mentioned them, I'm adding U of AZ:
http://www.honors.arizona.edu/NationalScholars/details.htm
and ASU
http://www.asu.edu/fa/scholarships/freshmen.html#merit-finalist
Last edited on Fri Dec 15th, 2006 04:11 am by Descartes
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westkymom
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Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 10:46 am |
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Skibum,
Congratulations on the terrific results! Don't you just love it when our kids come through with flying colors.
--Rhonda (Doing the happy dance with you)
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skibum
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Posted: Fri Dec 15th, 2006 11:51 am |
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Thanks, Descartes and westkymom!
Yes, I agree, a separate thread for lists of schools with NM money would be a great idea. carolyn?? Your thoughts??
Shame that UF has cut back on what they offer, but they do still offer $. Something is better than nothing, for sure. I'd really like to know which schools offer ANY NM money. Keep the list coming!!
Thanks
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