Such busy times for these kids!
Hope your daughter does well on her finals and gets a job at a coffee shop.
D24 is doing the IB and has her extended essay due. She received an extension because the school had issues ordering the chemicals for her experiment. Unfortunately, today I received an email from her advisor stating that she has blown past the extension and absolutely must have a draft in for review by Monday. She is of course in the midst of finals and projects. I was promised this was done awhile ago. Trying very hard not to lose my temper, I sat her down tonight and explained how serious it was to complete the essay. I explained that all free time will be dedicated to it. “But, I’ll miss climbing club!” That led to a full meltdown. Sigh. I kept it together. At least I know now that time management is an issue. I have edited the portion of the essay that is complete. It is good. But it is only half done. Honestly, the teacher is being quite understanding about the whole thing. In my day…
been there many times myself! Hang in there.
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Substitute AP ES assignments and this is my D24 exactly. Multiple overdue assignments that need to be turned in. A test tomorrow. Also overheard her say ‘I had a test in ES today and I didn’t even know until I got to class’.
She has climbing club and missing it would involve a meltdown and be completely counter productive to the goal of getting the work done. Somehow they will all make it to the finish line… I think 
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Yep, hang in there. My son is working his tail off this week. AP exams and multiple assignments and big project he waited until the last minute to complete. Only positive to having broken collarbone is no soccer games or practices.
AP Music Theory exam tomorrow which we heard is a beast. Not really worried so much about the exam just do well in class.
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I feel ya. Just hang in there!
My S24 is in IB and his EE is due soon as well. (Well it was dued a week ago, but half of the kids haven’t been able to get it done so the deadline was extended)
He just started over again on it last night, so hopefully he will get it done before it is due… 
(I kept reminding him that in college you cannot get extension easily like in HS. 
)
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There are SO MANY TIMES over the past 3 school years that I have lost my mind at D24 and did the equivalent of yelling at her, “JUST DO IT!!! QUIT STALLING, QUIT WHINING AND JUST DO IT!”
This is why at our extended family graduation party for D24, I’m going to make a big pitcher of margaritas! 
I also get frustrated with my kids for procrastinating, but then I remember what I was like at that age. I was impossible 
. College lit a fire under me because I didn’t want to fail out and could no longer successfully wait until the last minute. But what really cured me of procrastination was having a job and being a mom. Get it done, or live in hell 
.
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Love the margarita idea!!
So true!!
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2 more tests finished today. D24 said that the AP French exam was easier than her Honors Physics final. And that the AP French exam was similar in difficulty to the APUSH exam. I thought that was interesting. She had about 10 min in between exams to scarf down some food. Was starving when I picked her up. One of the kids in her French class had to take an AP Physics exam right after! Yucko.
She got word from a grocery store that she applied to. They want to interview her so she sent them some possible dates and times for that.
One more final exam tomorrow! Fingers crossed.
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Junior prom tonight. I always have anxiety on prom night when these kids are out all night, making scary decisions, etc. S24 is attending the after party at his friend’s house and I told him my phone will be on all night and to not hesitate to call for any reason.
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D24 had her last final today…AP Music Theory. She said that all of her AP exams this year felt easier than last year’s did. On the way home today, she said, “Guess what? I don’t have to take an AP exam EVER AGAIN!” (seniors at her school take these ‘capstone’ classes, & they’re all done w/AP classes in 11th grade)
And then I thought…OMG…it’s started. 
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I wonder if anyone in this group is experiencing this. DS’s school is very tough when it comes to AP classes. If you don’t have A or A- grades in your current classes, you can’t take the AP your Sr year. My son has a mix of B, B+ and sometimes A- grades, but he usually comes out to a mid or high B+ (an 88). He asked for a waiver into APES - no dice. He also asked for a waiver into AP Human Geo but the answer so far is “no.”
He took AP Stats and AP Spanish Lang this year and he is confirmed to take AP Spanish Literature next year, plus Calculus, Advanced Photography, and an honors English/independent study course. Since he’s taken Bio/Chem/Physics, he will likely take Astronomy as his science next year.
He’s taking the whole thing well, but he’s worried about college apps. At his school, the max number AP courses anyone can take in a single year is 3. He’s obviously below that cap. How much does the absence of AP classes hurt him for colleges like GW and Syracuse?
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I don’t have any experience in the situation you describe, but it sounds VERY frustrating! Why would a school limit/prohibit access to AP classes? A B+ is a good grade!
At our school, the situation has been frustrating at times because of their AP grading policy, but we all knew what the policy was going into this, so I can’t blame anybody but myself. When you take an AP class, the AP exam IS the final exam. AND if you score a 1 or 2 on the AP exam, then it WILL bring your letter grade down in the course for the year by a whole letter (i.e., from B to C). BUT on the flip side, if you score a 3, 4, or 5, it will bring your letter grade UP by a whole letter for the year (i.e., from a C to a B, or a B to an A).
So it’s nerve-wracking. Therefore, we won’t know until we’re into the summer what D24’s final grades are for the school year. And it will have a direct effect on what her options are in terms of applying to college.
Maybe your HS includes info about the AP policy in the school profile that the counselor writes up? If he/she does, that will probably help.
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D24 has an interview on Monday at the grocery store she applied to! Friend of mine’s step-son worked there for 2 yr in HS and he loved it, said working there was great. It’s about 10 min from our house. D24 seems pretty motivated about this job.
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That is a horrible policy and so incredibly stressful! D24 has one AP teacher who barely taught them this year. The only way she would pass the AP would have been to have done a massive amount of self studying. The only way she managed to do okay in the class is because she relied on videos and worksheets the other teachers were providing to their classes. This was enough yo get by in the class but nowhere near enough to be prepped for AP exam. I am so sorry!
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This is a ridiculous policy. I can see not allowing a C student to take APs potentially but not a B student. I am sorry!
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I’m sorry people are having to deal with these crazy policies about AP. Feeling lucky my son’s school allows anyone to take AP classes and the test score does not affect their grade in the class. My son is happy the AP tests are over this year and 2 of his classes are over. This is one of the first weekends in a while where he doesn’t have to catch up on schoolwork. We are letting him chill and relax before the last stretch. Cannot believe junior year is almost over!
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I don’t know if anyone listens to the Mel Robbins podcast but on Monday she had a good one about her son’s college tours and how she learned to step back and let him trust his gut titled: “Stop Trying to “Trust Your Gut” Do this instead. Works Way Better!” I thought it was funny and relatable. My DH and I have tried to walk the fine line of being supportive but letting my son think about how he feels about the different schools we have toured. It can be a struggle for me to step back.
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