<p>did u see my note about kitty bringing baby snakes in the house!!! She is obsesseed with twistie ties and considers a snake to be a live wiggly twistie tie!! Hoping she does not find a posionous snake one day 
We too have plenty of snakes around but hey, they keep the rats away so we’ll take them. Usually the black snakes that times 3 talked about but who knows. They are pretty easy road kill so I seem what’s left of them a lot too. and they are not all black either.</p>
<p>Before this thread took a very strange turn to animals it was BA or BFA so I just wanted to throw in a little info my D got from a very talented friend. This girl is really good and has worked professionally in NY and elsewhere. Turns out she was waitlisted at U of Mich (a good one) and accepted at another BFA program I don’t remember but she picked a BA because she was unsure about being with the same small group of 20 kids for 4 years and loved writing and wanted to explore that as well. She will work. So, please don’t think BFA’s are the only or even the best path to a successful career.</p>
<p>thanks flossy, yes, the op discussed why her son is going the BA route and we were on track for awhile but now, it’s gotten crazy 
We’re also blowing off steam to keep what I think are mostly moms sane while kids complete apps, prepare auditions. etc. at least 2 of us have kids going the BA route next year</p>
<p>Okay, so back to snakes and bears. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks Flossy!! I think that there are many paths to a career as an actor, so everyone has to pick what works best for them. For some kids, they want to live and breath theater 24/7 every day of the year, and I think those type of kids can’t imagine NOT doing a BFA. There are others who may love acting and theater, but can’t quite imagine doing only that for 4 years. I think the inflexibility scared my S off, and he did a very intensive summer program( Cherubs), and decided he wanted to explore more academic and artistic opportunities. I actually don’t think he will end up as an actor, I think more of a writer, director or teacher. He does love acting though, and I am sure he will pursue it in some capacity while in college. He is producing and directing( as well as acting) in a production this year as a Senior independent project, and is LOVING all of it!! Unfortunately his grades…might need a little more attention this Q…</p>
<p>I’d like to return to Flossy’s comment about size since anything that diverts my attention from my mental image of mommabear48’s kitten, which would be sent to the animal shelter the first time it brought a moving twisty tie into my house, followed by my house being put up for sale, is a welcome diversion. (I really am phobic about moving twisty ties I’m ashamed to admit but it is true. Hats off to you to rolling with it but YIKES!!!) Serenity now…</p>
<p>Size matters. Forgive the connotation that that brings up but it is true. Intimate programs are so wonderful for many legitimate reasons: personal attention, virtually guaranteed casting, etc. Big programs are also wonderful for legitimate reasons: personal attention still intact (usually classes are broken up to small groups no larger than you would find in a small program); bigger pool of peers to find “your people” in, casting not guaranteed which is more reflective of the real world challenges that await post graduation. Etc. Etc. Etc. Many more ways to describe small programs vs. large and everything in between. </p>
<p>Anyway, at the end of the day, size is something worth taking a close look at when thinking about fit. As the acceptances roll in for your students, don’t ignore that factor. My theatre kid wanted bigger. She knew that about herself and now into the second year of it, I’m sure she was right - for her. But I have friends that I met here on CC whose crazy talented kids went with much smaller programs and that was the right choice for them and they are thriving.</p>
<p>as kid’s first quarter ends, hoping the GPA comes out nice and the class rank stays intact for merit aid. And haflo, no I’m not going totally neurotic on u again Well… maybe not. But with an itsy bisty school, even a slight class rank change is the difference between top five, top ten, and top 25 percent. looking good so far… anyone have any thoughts on how a B- in Honors Chem is going to look. Weighted, it’s an A and colleges can figure that out from transcript even though the B- will be glaring in their face. And I;m hoping they will go, hmm, honors chem and calculus for a kid who wants to major in theatre, rather than What, a B-… Throw that scholarship app out. For the record, Calc grade is great… any thoughts???</p>
<p>My D has a B- in AP English. GREASE and It’s a Wonderful Life rehearsals are taking its toll on her. She’s feeling a bit overwhelmed. Lowest grade she has ever had all 4 years. Hopefully one class, one quarter, one grade won’t hurt them.</p>
<p>that’s my hope too Thanks. mine is not as busy as yours yet but his teachers are making him more accountable this year which I think is a good thing. and the classwork, although not as brutal as last year, is more demanding than middle school or early high school.</p>
<p>Try to relax, if you can. I may be naive, but I find it hard to believe that one quarter grade in one subject (especially one not vital to the preferred college major) is going to be a dealbreaker for your child.</p>
<p>I know we all want everything to work out for our kids - and we just need to trust that it will. So much of this process is NOT able to be controlled - so try to “let go” if you can. Just keep repeating the mantra: “It will all work out wonderfully.” I believe it will - for all our kids!</p>
<p>Yes, this not in control business is driving me nuts. I am the type from a school or work standpoint who likes things to be perfectly prepared, done in advance, with pretty wrapping paper and a bow. and uh,.life is not that way, and neither is the young one. I will work on ur mantra And I’m not a control freak. I just want to know the impact of things. Such as a college going a B-, no big deal, or see you later up front than a hmmmm answer and u don’t know for months how it will go. Good thing he is not going for a BFA. He could handle the auditions but mom might develop a Valium addiction during the process I will be glad when Dec 16th gets here as Dec 15th is his last required app date.</p>
<p>Only an admissions rep could really answer how they’d size up that B- in Honors Chem. My guess is there is no way they will look at your kid’s first quarter grades nearly as closely as you are. </p>
<p>All schools are different. My son’s school doesn’t weight grades nor do class rank. There are also no AP classes but there are honors classes in English and History only. They also are not on a quarter system so when the EA colleges that he has applied to are processing his application, they aren’t going to have first quarter grades to factor into the decision.</p>
<p>I would assume then that in order to make sense of a particular student’s performance when considering applicants from all over the world, admissions must have to look at a student’s grades within the context of the school itself which also means examining the types of courses that your student is taking. Solid performance in a rigorous load like your kid is showing has to be a good thing. If a B- is the equivalent of A work in regular chemistry (and wow… does weighting really work like that?), then similarly successful students at your kid’s school will have grades that reflect similar performance. So it’s not like your kid’s B- will stand out as something that’s off from the rest of the pack. I’d not sweat it. In fact as long as your kid doesn’t suddenly implode, don’t you think their academic print is already all over their transcript? </p>
<p>I’ve told my son to finish strong. I know he gets it and is working hard. Whatever grades come from that are what they are and I’m not sweating it at all. He did just get his mid-trimester grades and a quick glance seemed to indicate they were same letter family that I’ve become accustomed to with no alien invasion to set off an alarm in his head nor mine. The die is cast.</p>
<p>thanks. Deep breaths and long walk are in order.</p>
<p>and to all, funny note on my kid. the classic saying of the early bird gets the worm. His approach to that, well good for the bird but not so great for the worm. Had the worm procrastinated in getting out and about, that would have been better for the worm!!!</p>
<p>At least for us, quarter grades don’t show up anywhere but for us. Semester grades are what is reported on the transcript, and what affect the GPA. I always felt like the Q grades were more like a progress report once I figured that out! (Doesn’t mean my D didn’t panic over her AP Lit grade and rewrite an essay to boost it!)</p>
<p>Same here kate… Q grades are just progress reports for only us to see… only the semester grades show up and are computed into GPA. HIs first Q grades were a little off kilter, a C+ in AP Physics, but he had a rough start and is adjusting now. His first Q grades have always been the worst. He is one that picks up steam. I think a kid applying as a theater major will get brownie points for taking AP Physics and Calc anyway. Our HS only computes academic classes and 10-12 grades into GPA. So my S only has the last 2 years grades with no acting, singing, etc grades in there. It is a good way to stay in reality. I’m sure admissions will see he is an A-/ B+ student, and had challenged himself, maybe not as much as the top kids at his school, but enough to show he can handle college work, as well has time sucking theater stuff.</p>
<p>True. Theatre is totally EC at our school so no grade but it is clear he has done that for years both at and outside school. That’s my hope on taking the harder classes for my kid too. He is taking them cause he wants to and he likes the teachers. He would like the colleges to see he is taking them but that was only a secondary issue in his mind.</p>
<p>Emerson asks for first marking period grades. My D’s school is the same and the quarter grades are only progress reports. So would first marking report be the Semester grades?
If so, that would be great.</p>
<p>Yes… bisouu… if the first Q are only progress reports, I am pretty sure that first marking would be Semester grades… but you can always double check with the HS GC. </p>
<p>CTL… my S takes an actual class in theater and choir, which is audition only to get in. It’s the top kids in performing arts. This is on top of year long production commitments. I looked at our HS profile and it does note that the performing arts audition classes have extraordinary out of class commitment.</p>
<p>That should def help 5 boys. i will have to look at our high school profile. for us, I’m pretty sure 1Q grades will be sent out based on my memory of GC contacts and we are on a quarterly grading system. However, cum GPA for the quarter still looks good and the chem 2 grade is decent. better than his mama could have done</p>