<p>Wanted to give this thread a bump - it’s falling rapidly!</p>
<p>Called our “priority app” school Friday; it did turn out the e-mail address hadn’t been corrected, so I’m glad I checked in. Found out it’s not as “rolling” as I’d hoped. She applied instantly, but they won’t start sending replies until November, and only promise to inform by “Jan or Feb.” Darn. </p>
<p>We have our visit set up, though, and she’s excited. And she’s talking about other safeties. Not much talk from her lately about the higher-stakes schools. Not sure if it’s a lack of confidence; yesterday she mentioned hoping she “at least gets in somewhere.” I know that’s a real fear. And her list isn’t even reachy! Maybe she just means the auditioned programs, but she has to know that more than half of her schools are extremely safe bets … yet even as I write that I know that you’re not in until you’re in. And she’s enough of a pessimist that I guess she’ll only believe it when she sees it.</p>
<p>So, sigh, I guess we’ll wait a few more weeks for this supposedly “quick and easy” acceptance. I do know that getting a “yes” from them will motivate her hugely to get the other apps done.</p>
<p>She’s doing well with classes, continuing her upward trend. But I recrunched the numbers - unless she gets a bunch of Cs this semester, her GPA is what it is, can’t go up or down more than .05. That takes pressure off of grades, anyway, but I know she’s still working as hard as she can. The big question is ACT next week, but again it’s not going to change her list, and only mildly affect her chances at the schools she’s looking at.</p>
<p>I guess it’s nice that we’re not teetering on any precipices, and the stress level is pretty liveable. Emotionally she’s basically a happy senior (it helps to have a really sweet new BF), but underneath of course she still is very worried about how it all will turn out.</p>
<p>I’ll keep my fingers crossed for an early Nov notification for your daughter. It was U Minn correct? I would think that even if her gpa doesn’t move a lot that an upward trend in grades has to be a good thing for schools to see.</p>
<p>Even though my son is only a junior the stress level in our house skyrocketed this past week. We are still waiting on tests but it appears he has one of two chronic illnesses, neither of which can be really cured though they can be managed with medication. He has missed a week of school already. Our school is blessed with great guidance counselors and teachers and I know they will all go out of their way to help him get back on track at school but he is still worried about how he is ever going to get everything caught up. I have reassured him that none of the schools he wants to attend are that selective and all admit based on gpa / act score so he should be OK.</p>
<p>Thank you! I’m thinking about calling Minn again the day before we go up there (the 27th) and see if there’s any chance they have an answer for her. Of course I don’t want to be there knowing she didn’t get in - and we have plans with friends and recreation, so we won’t cancel the trip - so ignorance will be bliss in some ways. Yet if she’s in, that’s such a great way to look at a school. We’ll just see … her GC says he’ll be completely shocked if she isn’t accepted, but we can’t assume.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry to hear about the illness - we’ve had some of that, and it’s very difficult. I am glad you have support from school; that makes all the difference in the world. Good for you being the mom who says all will be OK.</p>
<p>Here’s a cyber-wave to you - my D was in your area this weekend visiting a friend!</p>
<p>Emmy, it sounds like your daughter is managing her own expectations 'down" and that is a lot better than the alternative. You have done a great job of keeping her calm and she is clearly in the top 1% of CC seniors in having a happy senior year.</p>
<p>Moving to the other side of Wisconsin (or is it a lot closer than that?), hang in there Proud and best of luck with the meds. I am sure you know neither to expect instant miracles nor to be silent if questions arise. Doctors, like the rest of the professions, sometimes need to take a second look at something, tweak or change meds, etc.</p>
<p>I know you are much wiser about your son than any of us, but a counterinutitive approach to his fear of not cathcing up on his schoolwork might be to give a new videogame to play during his recuperation as a sign thaat you know he can catch up. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Yabe, you are right that my D is fine with the “middle” set of options (I won’t say any of her plans are “low,” and I know you didn’t mean that). She has a whole bouquet of kind of scary “high” options, all involving auditions. I guess the good news where this thread is concerned is that we can’t obsess about any of that - can’t worry about stats, or resumes, or experience, or even talent. That will just be what it’ll be. </p>
<p>She is very comfortably at or above the 50%ile for accepted students for every school she’s applying to, so that is a relief. And only half of the schools have auditions … and half of them aren’t SO competitive … I guess we are lucky the way her tastes have run. And I am grateful to have a happy senior, you are right. Not meaning to be fatalistic, but I am ready for that to go at any time, though.</p>
<p>I second the “little treat” system for dealing with crappy stuff. Keep things in perspective. We’ll all be thinking of you, pwmom.</p>
<p>I am trying to keep an optimistic view of everything though when I can’t I go someplace by myself to really vent. I know it could be much much worse and that this is something he will be able to live with. But from his perspective life isn’t very good right now. He had surgeries for a problem unrelated to this new issue both Freshman and Sophomore year and knows what it will take to catch up. </p>
<p>Yabe, I am on the other side of the state from Emmybet. We do have some great doctors who are all working in conjunction with each other to find the best solution. We do have relatives with similar problems so I do know what to expect. My son would love a new video game so I will keep that suggestion in mind.</p>
<p>EB, I bope your daughter had a great time on her visit. The fall colors are nice right now and the weather has been close to perfect. I love fall!</p>
<p>EB, you are tight–I meant that she is not openly pinning her hopes on a reach, which a lot of kdis and parents do with dire consequences. And she is enjoying being a senior, rather than treating it as 1 long waiting for the envelope process.</p>
<p>PWm, I have gone through a siomilar issue and know how horribly frustrating it is. Depending onhis game system, Halo Reach, Madden 2011 and Assassins Creed 2 are likely to be good suprise gifts.</p>
<p>I’ve found a good way to know where your kid is at with their dreams and hopes is to listen to how they answer the “what are you thinking about doing next year?” questions from other people.</p>
<p>We decided to find an east-coast safety when I realized she always said, “I want to go east to school.” </p>
<p>It was yesterday that I realized she has significant fear of failure when she told the lady at a store we were at “I just hope I get in somewhere” (not just being modest).</p>
<p>We’ll see if after she gets into this safety (please!!!) and visits and likes it, she starts saying, “I might go to Minnesota.” Then I’ll know she really is happy with the idea.</p>
<p>Her answers to my questions are nowhere near as transparent. They’re positive … but opaque.</p>
<p>I too like to listen to what my kids tell other people about their future. It’s sort of like carpool days when the kids would sit in the backseat and somehow talk as freely as if there was no Mom in the front seat. </p>
<p>I’m a little worried because all of son’s reaches had to go in first so he will most likely get rejections before he gets good news. I’m also a little frustrated at getting e-mails from colleges that he’s applied to inviting him to visit and apply!</p>
<p>What’s up parents? I’d hate for this thread to fall into page 5 or 6. Anyone else in this boat - son has done several applications now but the SAT’s need to be sent from College board from the Oct. 9th sitting and transcripts may or may not have been sent out along with the LOR’s and GC rec. I’m hoping that the SAT’s will somehow speed their way out faster then what they say and the school stuff has been sent, but they just neglected to give son a receipt.</p>
<p>Meanwhile classes are moving along a little faster and son’s been burning the candle at both ends trying to get everything done. He’s a slow reader so the AP classes (English and Government) which require lot’s of reading take mucho time. Thank goodness for deciding on a study hall first semester!</p>
<p>Hi kathie - best wishes for your son. Congrats on all the work well done! </p>
<p>I think the study hall sounds great. My D is doing a TA job this semester for her choir teacher. Sometimes she does work for him (arranging music, cleaning up his files, computer work, helping students) but other days he lets her do her homework. I think it’s been a lifesaver, honestly.</p>
<p>Even though grades this semester can’t statistically change her GPA more than .05, she’s working really hard. She’s had an upward trend and wants to keep it. No academic reach schools, but a couple of high matches … but I think this is mostly for pride and for herself. </p>
<p>We have a 2.5 day break next week and I’m taking the girls (including Japanese exchange student) on a visit to the school D applied to first thing this year. I think seeing a college campus, meeting people, seeing a play in the theatre dept, will all remind her of why she’s doing all of this. Plus we get to go to Mall of America!!</p>
<p>And the 4-hour drives might be a good time to chip away at essays …</p>
<p>Hey everyone - so the 3.3-3.6 thread got revived, which is great. The more discussions, the better, in my opinion. What they seem to be focused on is more of the “3.X and reaching” kind of situations. That’s great, too. It makes me realize, though, that this is an important place for the 3.Xs to talk about the regular ole schools we’re looking at. Because my D has no actual reaches and only a couple of high matches I’m realizing that we’re just not thinking about the same things as those folks right now. </p>
<p>I hope everyone is doing OK. I know this is a painful time with apps and choices. Already I’m pretty sure one EA is out of the question - the essay is going to take more time than she now has to get it done properly. And some RDs have to be done quickly because of the theater element (auditions can’t be scheduled until app is complete). So she’s under the gun, but after ACT tomorrow that is her priority.</p>
<p>She’s also one with a new BF … I keep hoping she’ll write happier, more confident essays because of it, since she feels pretty special right now (most of the time). </p>
<p>You know, I’m not 100% sure how she feels about it, but I truly think the auditions for her will be the fun part. She loves auditioning for plays, whether she gets a part or not - she subscribes to the adage “I love to perform + auditioning is performing = I love to audition.” Prepping is extra work; she has to learn 3-5 monologues and practice them, but that’s who she is - a practicing musician, and a memorizer and performer of any movie, book, TV show, or politician she’s ever seen. So thank you for your sympathy! Also the auditions aren’t for several months, so we have lots of breathing room.</p>
<p>The ACT … anyone else out there doing it tomorrow? This was D’s idea, and she’s put a bunch of elbow grease into prep this time. Hopefully it’ll pay off. She has a good score, but the second time she dropped a point on her composite and just didn’t want to go out with a whimper. Probability says she’ll go up a bit, because of the prep (as one friend said, Don’t just go for another roll of the dice). But we’ll see. Mostly it’ll just be exciting to be DONE.</p>
<p>She’s a kid who as I said can’t change her GPA much now, probably won’t change her ACT much, and really none of her schools will care, particularly. She’s going mostly for solid B-B+ type schools and already has an ACT to match. Many good theater programs are in schools with fairly easy academic admits, and she has one little hook of being from a podunk WI town no one’s heard of (I know some people worry about that being a bad thing, but I think colleges love to have a new geographical point on their map).</p>
<p>AND she’s still mostly being a nice happy senior around the house. I am SO grateful for that. If it means she’s a little too focused on her social life for my taste and a little slow in the application grind, I can live with it. Aside from the apps, I’d say she’s doing a pretty good impression of a pre-college-freshman. It gives me a lot of confidence about next year.</p>
<p>And as many people on this thread know, this is immensely gratifying after a few pretty worrisome early years in HS.</p>
<p>^^definitely a twin separated at birth…we are remarkably calm around here too; social life is good…all is well with the world; I’ll report back in December when the decisions start rolling in though…hopefully, it will be calm…</p>
<p>and, yes, not only gratifying, but, in a way, given the grief we endured early on,… a reward for us…and she has even been loving and affectionate as of late…I’m thinking that will change (again) so savoring it while it’s here…</p>
<p>rodney, I think there’s a mirror in my house and yours that is magic where the girls secretly pass from one life to the other. You have a BF in the picture, too, right? </p>
<p>But has yours written her essays? If so, can I have her?</p>
<p>Best of luck with the writing and the auditioning (perhaps harder on you moms than the kids)–and may the BF’s not interfere with the selection process</p>
<p>Just to keep it going, but from the west coast; several “priority” and Cal state apps are in. Yeah! For “no essay” apps. </p>
<p>Son is taking his first two AP’s and it’s not going well, so I am relieved he is making progress with a top choice EA app, that won’t require fall grades if he get’s in EA. </p>
<p>I am also hoping his struggles with AP classes ( A’s in his regular classes) will be eased when his fall sport is done. The good news is, so far his varsity team is undefeated. The bad news is, it’s not looking hopeful for playing varsity in college.</p>
I’m also a little frustrated at getting e-mails from colleges that he’s applied to inviting him to visit and apply!</p>