<p>Are other parents out there experiencing a high level of stress on the part of their overachiever kids in this last quarter of the school year? My son was up (again) nearly all night finishing up a project; he's not a procrastinator but is just overwhelmed with work. Two AP tests loom later this week and two SAT subject tests in June. Plus he is hearing all the gloom and doom about admissions this year from his senior friends and recently declared to me, "I won't get in to any college!" This despite a 2180 on the SAT, which he does not regard as "high enough," and no intention to go Ivy League - though he will apply to some programs/colleges that are fairly selective. I am trying my best to keep him calm, and telling him we will strategize to have him apply to reach, match and "safety" (are they still?) schools but he and his '09 friends are just in a real state right now. May can't get past soon enough.</p>
<p>AP season is hard on these kids. I think that by friday you will find that he is feeling a little more hopeful about his prospects. The collegeboard website offers the "how do I stack up" feature and it's a great way to get a feel of a student's viability as an applicant. </p>
<p>AFTER this week is over maybe he could look at it and see where his stats fall then maybe start to feel assured that his dire predictions aren't accurate. If he hasn't found a safety yet this summer will be a great time to locate one or more that he can feel confident and happy about.</p>
<p>Weekend before this past one:
2 Jazz Choir shows
SAT II US History exam
Eagle Scout project</p>
<p>Last Week:
AP Comp Sci
APUSH</p>
<p>today, tomorrow and Wed:
AP Bio
after school today:
musical brush up rehearsal
followed by mandatory AP Psych review
followed by mandatory choir practice
AP Psych
AP English</p>
<p>Thursday: I predict vegetation, interspersed with bouts of Guitar Hero</p>
<p>Friday: Prom</p>
<p>Who wouldn't be stressed??????????????</p>
<p>missypie is your kid an actor or a techie? One of mine does spotlight but both dabbled as chorus members in our production of "High School Musical" last year.</p>
<p>We have an actual drive-in movie theatre here and the plan for friday is to go catch the double feature and veg with their friends. yesterday...when they should have been studying for AP bio the unmistakable sound of DDR came from upstairs.</p>
<p>Atlantic, yes they are.</p>
<p>I do not remember spring of DSs junior year fondly, from mid Feb on.</p>
<p>He's a choir kid who sings in the chorus of the musicals. There is a local program that gives awards for high school musicals in our county. This year's production was nominated for 9 awards, including Best Musical. The 5 Best Musical nominees get to perform a number from the show at the awards ceremony-they always choose a Big Production Number, so the whole cast can participate. (There are couple of actors who weren't in this partuclar scene-I'm sure that they'll be worked into the choreography for the awards ceremony.) They get out of school all day to rehearse at the awards site, then do the awards show that night.</p>
<p>They're having a few brush up rehearsals since they performed the show in early Feb.</p>
<p>Last night my son watched Forrest Gump instead of last minute cramming for AP Bio. Oh, well...</p>
<p>DDR is actually a pretty good idea for stress relief....they haven't gotten that out for a while.</p>
<p>Oh, yeah, prom! I haven't even been able to drag him out yet to get measured for the tux.</p>
<p>We're fortunate. Every male choir member is issued a tux and shirt for the year. We've ordered a tie and vest in the color of the date's dress. (My daughter and I actually did this without him, knowing he'll put on whatever we come up with!) I did make him come with me to order the corsage. After the experience, he said, "I just want to curl up in a little ball."</p>
<p>And that was without going to prom or being in a play.</p>
<p>Last Thursday was the band concert at school where the band director does a long schpiel about every senior (much deserved), while all the overstressed juniors were squirming in their seats needing to get home and rest (or study some more) for the AP USH the next day. Academic awards are tonight - another long night, right before AP Chem tomorrow. And finally, an away track meet at the school farthest away distance wise in the league (more than an hour trip just to get there) right before AP English. Wonder why they couldn't wait until after AP's to have these things? No wonder the kids are stressed!</p>
<p>Add ultimate frisbee to Guitar hero and DDR for stress relief!</p>
<p>I somehow doubt that preparing for the prom or brushing up the musical will contribute to higher AP exam scores...just talked to him. He's barely passed AP Bio all year...it's certainly A Course He Should Not Have Taken. He said he left 18 blank on the AP exam. On this one, I think we'll celebrate if it's a 2 instead of a 1. </p>
<p>I keep telling him to treat each AP exam separately. Bio and Comp Sci wil be pathetic, but he has a chance of good scores on APUSH, Psych and English.</p>
<p>Junior year is widely accepted (at least around here) as the most stressful and difficult. It will get better. :)</p>
<p>Junior year was not fun; I set many goals (hourly, daily, weekly, and yearly...the latter relating to my GPA/class rank.)</p>
<p>Pretty much the only way to face things was to think:
a) will this help me achieve my goals
b) will I die from this</p>
<p>If a) is a yes and (b) is a no, it was generally safe to proceed.</p>
<p>Needless to say, I survived.</p>
<p>There isn't anything one can do to make it better...</p>
<p>I remember this time last year when my son had 6 AP exams and one of his teachers assigned a project due right in the middle of the exam period, another gave a major test - as if these kids didn't have enough to worry about. He took 3 SATIIs on the weekend in the middle of AP testing, since he wasn't actually going to "study" differently for the SATIIs and he felt the material would be fresh in his mind from the AP review he did in those classes. These poor kids have so much stress. I guess it prepares them for finals in college but it's hard to watch as a parent. In our house, it was the opposite from many of our friends. My husband and I were always telling our kids to ease up, take less APs, etc but we encouraged them to have minds of their own (creating this mess) so we had to just step back and be ready to soothe them. Your child will feel a big sense of relief soon - once the APs are out of the way. Senior fall is intense, though and the kids kept saying "I thought senior year is supposed to be fun." Kind of sad how things have changed from my day. I don't even remember taking SATs nor writing college essays.</p>
<p>Jerzgrlmom, I didn't take the SAT, took the ACT once with no prep, applied to one the state school that had my major (without visiting) and was admitted, no essay required. If you count the time I spend paging through college handbooks, I probably spent 8 hours max on the college search and application process. (it may have been more like 6 hours-I don't remember how long the application was.) Now THAT is the formula for a stress free senior year! (If one wanted to return to 1975.)</p>
<p>missypie, I have one more kid to go. I only hope she adopts your approach. I still think if my son had gotten accepted (instead of deferred) last fall, he would have been done.</p>
<p>Well, my approach worked in 1975...can't guaranty that it would work today!</p>
<p>With that said, even though we are in one of those "highly competitive" suburban school districts, there are lots of kids who don't put a lot of time into the process. They take the SAT once, and go to the local community college, or the local commuter college or the other state univ. that is 45 minutes away. I think they have perfectly good lives and futures. All depends on what you're looking for.</p>
<p>missypie, same situation here. Many kids go to our community college or one of two local state colleges (think they have one day instant decision days). I wouldn't mind if my last stays locally, especially if she plays a sport. But my other two refused to stay in NJ. Wanted to try a new area, be exposed to new people, new experiences. That approach is ok, too. I have learned it doesn't matter what I think they should do. They have opinions of their own.</p>
<p>I was going to post something similar to this. S2 has an extremely super-achiever class of really terrific kids, but only 55 in the class (small public school). Many oldest children, i.e. first college journey. The kids are stressed, the parents are stressed, and college is the constant topic of conversation. You can REALLY get caught up in it, so I'm trying my level best to not begin THE conversation every time I'm wit this group--either parents or kids. These kids will ALL be great, happily settled and successful, but I wish we could tone down the intensity for the summer. I'll be changing the subject a LOT!</p>
<p>Very much agreed about toning down the conversation, though in our case it's a huge public high school. You still see the same group of parents and kids and hear the same conversations over and over. And yes, it's the oldest for us as well and so, as usual, the guinea pig!</p>