My teenager’s school is during an excellent job keeping parents in the loop during this Covid 19 crisis. I am please by the feedback my teens are giving me . Hope all of you are doing well. All uppers have college on their mind at this point. We are fortunate to have employment. I know many people that have been informed that they will be receiving pink slips . The mood has been somber these pass months. Our children must pick majors that has a much needed job demand and also gives them satisfaction…
Glad to hear school is going well!
Things are looking up at kiddo’s school, too. They are starting in person, outdoor classes this week. ??
The juniors are going to have to start the search for colleges very soon, and getting geared up for that. Super stressful times, for sure.
Glad to hear your kiddo is back on campus @CateCAParent ! We’re also gearing up for the college search - exciting and stressful all rolled into one!
Uggh…kiddo called to say it’s almost time to sign up for the AP tests! The applications & $$ are due Nov 1st…tests in May. WTHay?
Question: For some reason her school did not have 10th grader take AP Lang or AP Lit test. Now, this year, the Juniors are taking both AP Lang and AP Lit. Along with APUSH & APScience-of-your-choice. What is the deal?
@Golfgr8 Last year some of the APs were online. I wonder if that’s their plan for this year.
I also wonder how many kids will choose the AP tests. If it’s given on the same day as the SAT, I doubt many. We’re waiting til the Spring for the SAT as it was too up in the air to get done this Fall. Our kids take the AP in the same year they take the class. Even if they are Freshmen.
I feel like I am going to be paying for many tests not taken. While some will be cancelled some won’t. It’s impossible to gauge if cases will be high, if tests will be given and if refunds will be processed. Just trying to make the best guesses possible.
We’ve been bumped from many a SAT II date. Kiddo has one scheduled in the beginning of Nov. Haven’t done any APs yet, but am thinking that onslaught is going to start in the spring.
We have had to sign up for an SAT class that starts in Nov, and I think they take the SAT in January? They are just starting college counseling this week, but really it gets going at the beginning of the next trimester.
I feel like we are just getting on the on-ramp. The freeway right there. Yikes!
It is not. At least, not as of now.
SAT is on Saturday. APs are during the week
AP exam fees are refundable this year.
Many kids upset this week - school has decided to use Freshman grades to calculate overall GPA and not counting last year’s grades because only 2 terms got in…the GPA’s are messed up at DA.
^ wow. That’s a big deal. I bet people are upset. Did they do a review to see how many students are negatively impacted by that choice?
There is no perfect way to handle the grades situation, but it wouldn’t cross my mind to go back to freshman grades. What about students who transferred in 10th grade?
@skieurope Thanks. Super helpful. That was so much easier than waiting and checking the CB site.
@Golfgr8 Do they normally use 9th grade to calculate the GPA? If not, that is an odd choice. Some kids may have used 9th grade to adapt to their BS. Plus, I would guess that most kids have lower 9th grade GPAs than in later years. I feel fortunate that our BS didn’t go to P/F last Spring. I was hoping they wouldn’t but they did have pressure from various parents/students.
Hopefully, DA will also send the transcript so colleges can actually see the 10th grade work that was done.
Here’s hoping that new cases won’t shut down any semesters this year for any of our kids.
Thanks @Happytimes2001 - Not to my knowledge. It’s very confusing and the current Seniors are very concerned!
@Golfgr8 Big virtual hug. As though kids today need more uncertainty. Those poor '21’s. Hopefully it all works out.
Choate usually uses only 11th grade in the GPA that it provides colleges regarding the individual and the entire class. The rationale is that students are entering the school in both 9th and 10th grades, and encountering substantial life adjustments in those years. 11th is generally an even playing field.
Given that kids at BS get very personalized letters from their CC, I feel like any system that arbitrarily excludes or weights a year (or years) is unfair. They don’t rank, and that takes care of kids entering at different years and finding the right level of challenge. Kids have all kinds of reasons why they may have had an off year, and it is not always the first. A concussion, social struggles, an overly ambitious schedule, family issues, illness…
It’s particularly unfair to change the rules midway through. How frustrating for these kids!
Hellooooooooo out there! Just checking ti see who is out there and how long it takes someone to find this thread.
Oh, and to see if anyone wants to talk about the college process. The school is just starting up with the juniors. Figured it was a good time to start the chat.
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Hi @Golfgr8! Just saw this and wanted to weigh in. Our DD’22 has been meeting with her CC regularly. She has a potential list going and is actually doing a good amount of research on her own (far more than her brother '18 ever did!) . She and I were able to actually tour some schools in person in August but none are currently open for tours over her upcoming spring break. I am hoping we can do it in June before her summer job starts. The ED/EA results from the Mercersburg class of '21 have actually been pretty good so far; but on the flip side, so many of our local friends have seen their very qualified kids deferred or rejected at UVA this year, due to the historically large number of applications they received in this TO year. It will be really interesting to see how this all shakes out this spring, and to try and translate what it will mean for our kiddos.
Meant to add, too, that while the school cancelled the SAT and ACT for the winter, they will be offering it on campus in April, so we were able to just move her tet date with the ACT people (after a couple hours on hold). It actually works out well, because Mercersburg has instituted a block system, and she’s taking her calc and english classes this term, so it will all be fresher for her in April than if she’d done the test before this term. The school builds test prep into the school day and that’s ongoing via skype now as well.
Hello Junior parents! How is it that our kiddos will be rising Seniors in just a few short months?! Weren’t we just messaging each other about BS acceptances?!
How is everyone doing? Are your kids back on campus? Virtual? Taken SAT/ACTs yet?
Deerfield scheduled the AP tests for the morning after and the next day after the end of school. 
Hmmmm…what about the rest of the student body that doesn’t live within a few hours drive? Looks like we will be in the hotel bar if you want to join us!
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