<p>Son is working his way thru some first drafts. </p>
<p>Wondered--in his 'provide additional material' sections (of common app & others) he put in some stuff (to explain bad soph grades which pulled down otherwise good gpa) about having 'lost focus' and 'being depressed.' Then he explained a turn around (found academic interest). I'm not trying to micromanage (well, actually, I think I am!) but wondered if this sounded too depressing and made him seem unstable? He's actually a very optimistic, even-tempered and sunny person, generally (even during time when he said he was 'depressed'--actually think he just didn't feel like working & had some 'chill' friends...).</p>
<p>Thanks for any thoughts. I need to 'chill' on the essay pressure, I think, but we just got back from a long vacay and would like to see some productivity!!</p>
<p>Jolynne: "Wondered--in his 'provide additional material' sections (of common app & others) he put in some stuff (to explain bad soph grades which pulled down otherwise good gpa) about having 'lost focus' and 'being depressed.' Then he explained a turn around (found academic interest). I'm not trying to micromanage (well, actually, I think I am!) but wondered if this sounded too depressing and made him seem unstable? He's actually a very optimistic, even-tempered and sunny person, generally (even during time when he said he was 'depressed'--actually think he just didn't feel like working & had some 'chill' friends...)."</p>
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<p>IMO: S should explain the turn-around in a way that doesn't mention bad soph grades instead focusing on that "found academic interest." The admission counselors can read between the lines, but your son's app. focus should be on the positive. S should talk to his gc about the low sophomore grades/junior year turn-around and let her address the issue on her rec. In that way, gc reaffirms the positive - and know how to word the negative in a non-damaging way. At least this is the advice I'd give my d.</p>
<p>Thanks, ignatius! Son wrote that yesterday and said he'd be open to discussing it today. My intuitive response was similar to yours---that it was too much of a focus on the negative. However, on the other side, his grades during that year were really bad (Cs, a D, some Bs--all honors/AP classes though). So the thought was to address it in the non-central part of the app (not main essay--just 'include additional info here' part). The thing--I'm not sure whether "I had no focus or goal" is really any sort of justification for not working/getting decent grades---even if it is a set-up for "I found a goal and got great grades" (although it's true..). Hopefully he can write it in a way that slants to the positive...</p>
<p>CC is bugging me saying I should post something. So I'll just write an update on DS and our college journey. He finished his FT summer job mid-August and we've been on vacation since then. We've been able to visit two more schools and will be visiting two more during this week. Since he's "on vacation", he is willing to talk about college only in terms of feelings and impressions, but no hard work right now. I can appreciate that and have agreed to it since I'm on vacation too. It lowers the stress all around not having to think about essays, etc. But that day is coming like a storm on the horizon.</p>
<p>The college visits are doing what I'd hoped. They are providing a backdrop of reality for the whole process. I think until we actually visited the schools, the whole question of college was theoretical to him.</p>
<p>School starts a week from tomorrow. It's going to be a fast bumpy ride for a while. I'm going to just try taking it one day at a time and hope I don't start dreaming about the process again.</p>
<p>I don't mean to be such a lurker here, but it's easier to read than post, especially when I don't have much to offer at the moment.</p>
<p>Except, I do have a question ... when do schools update their stats on collegeboard for the incoming class, class of 2012? TIA.</p>
<p>Hi SueD - welcome back :) Where have you and your S visited?</p>
<p>I'm envious that you are still on vacation - my D went back to school last week so she is already very busy with homework and ECs. No time to write essays or even finish reading the Harry Bauld book :(</p>
<p>But all is not lost - she enthusiastically submitted an online application (no essay required) to her safety - large state U in a neighboring state - and has turned in the paperwork to her GC to get her transcript and recommendations sent. </p>
<p>And she was really excited about the process of applying, which is a welcome change!</p>
<p>"how many to go?" -- well, I can't answer that until she spends some serious time narrowing down her list!</p>
<p>I will confess to making a pretty spreadsheet while she was gone this summer with all the schools she has considered, complete with admission stats and my assessment of safety/match/reach. The list is separated into the schools she was very interested in at the beginning of the summer (about 10) and a bunch of "maybes" - another 8 or so. Right now, I'd say the goal is to get it down to a total of 8...</p>
<p>Hey we are in the same boat! sans the spreadsheet. Instead the schools, all 15 or so of them, are saved on collegeboard's list. 8 is a much nicer number.</p>
<p>So far we're just letting Naviance keep track of the list.</p>
<p>S1 has a private meeting with his GC this Friday. I wish I could be there, or at least be a fly on the wall, but honestly, I know this way is better. (And if I keep telling myself that, out loud, I'll probably believe it by Friday. :D)</p>
<p>We made a spreadsheet too (actually, son suggested it, I made it, w/a simple table on Word). I'm grateful to a few CC parents who shared their's w/me (I couldn't do that level of Excel excellence, though!). It basically has the school & columns to check off for whether ACT scores sent, essay done, online app finished, deadlines for scholarship apps, transcript sent, etc. We've made a separate table (w/the same schools) w/info & impressions from visits. </p>
<p>Since son is applying to 22 schools (yikes) some kind of organization is essential. I read on a website that students should make file folders for each school--we did that, but having it all on a 2 page document is much easier, as the paper-chase begins. Some schools (such as Purdue, UC schools) don't even want transcripts until you are accepted. </p>
<p>PRJ, that's great your daughter is excited about applying! Son felt that way about at least one school so far--the only prob--it's 3k miles away and a financial/admission reach. The excitement is still good to see!</p>
<p>Harriet--good luck w/your son's GC meeting! SueD glad you could relax on vacay--my hub wants me to do that, but I'm knee-deep in spreadsheets & labels. historymom-15 is not too bad a number, I think!</p>
<p>My D wanted something she could handle, so we have file folders for each school. In the front of each folder is a Word document with applcation deadlines, user names and passwords, application fees and materials required to be sent, with places to check them off as they are sent. BUT I also have all the deadlines set up in my Outlook calendar with reminders, so there's redundancy in our system. I wanted triple redundancy but H and D made too much fun of me. :(</p>
<p>Ha, jaf. I've gotten so many good ideas from CC and it heartens me to see those who have a similar outlook. This morning husband said I was, "obsessed." Ouch. As evidence to the contrary I pointed out that many other parents on CC have done similar things. It's just that no one we know in our area seems to plan on doing things early. I really don't see too much harm in being an admin assistant/research supporter on son's college search (I hope it won't be detrimental).</p>
<p>H was talking to a friend yesterday who complained that his wife was completely obsessed with their son's college search. H said he was glad I wasn't similarly crazed, but what he doesn't know is that I am just as bad, if not WORSE! I've done the Excel spreadsheet and am starting to set up my file folders--jaf, I like your idea of the Word doc--but I keep most of it to myself, sharing w/ D in small, manageable increments. Then I commune with my fellow CC'ers, where I fall completely within the normal range!</p>
<p>Several school will waive the application fee -- all for various reasons.
Some do it if you will apply online. In the past, York College in PA has done that. Some do it because of test scores. My son just one from Drexel. The school also has a 250-word essay. Some are doing it as a reward for outstanding AP scores. My son got that one, too, and he is thinking of applying. It's a Common App school so he does not need to write lots of additional essays. So keep checking the e-mail.</p>
<p>To my fellow "obsessed" parents: My H, too, has reached his limit on college discussions, not with DD of course, but with me. I think the word he used was stronger than "obsessed" but I have conveniently forgotten it ;)</p>
<p>And my younger D, in perhaps a slip of the tongue, referred to CC as "College Confessional" the other day! Little does she know....LOL</p>
<p>Seriously though, I like a lot of your organization ideas. We are still in the midst of trying to narrow down the list, so we are gathering mostly comparative data at this point. I think I will switch to Naviance or College Board when we get to the nitty gritty application/paper tracking stage.</p>
<p>PRJ: So far, we've visited BU, NU, UMass Amherst and Union. We're going to UVM tomorrow. We have four more visits scheduled through Sep, then we're done (I hope ... a couple more schools are still up in the air).</p>
<p>School starts on Tuesday and I expect the same thing to happen to DS that happened to your DD; swamped but already in touch with his GC (fingers crossed on that one).</p>
<p>I've had an Excel spreadsheet going for a while now. It's nice to know I'm not the only "obsessed" one ;)</p>
<p>Jolynne: With something as important as where some $250,000 is going to be spent, I would feel personally negligent if I left this whole process up to my 17 y.o. who still has to be reminded that a cupcake is not lunch. It's all well and good for the colleges to say the kid should be leading the charge, but totally impractical, at least where my DS is concerned. I have no problem doing the administrative work. I take my lead from him in terms of what school "feels right" and what he wants to major in. I'm good at organizing anyway, so I see this whole thing as a team effort with all of us having the goal of getting him into a school that's the best fit for him.</p>
<p>If anyone would like to share their basic excel worksheet or word spreadsheet it would be much appreciated. I've been just listing everything in a notebook, but I suppose putting on the computer would be much easier.</p>
<p>:) :) :) :D you ladies and your DH's comments made me LOL. Mine has reminded me that "I" am not the one attending so I should stop falling in love with campuses. He has also accused me of trying to ship our DDs off to such far off points as Texas, Colorado and horrors...Montana!! When I mentioned a school in Indiana he thought I had completely slipped a cog. We are in CA and Oregon and CA are the only states in which he privately approves of his daughters attending college. Publicly he encourages them to apply wherever but I know his heart wants them close.</p>
<p>I do believe that we moms are often more willing to let our chicks fully fledge. The daddy role is to protect and defend and that is just harder to do when they don't live in our homes with us. Biologically I believe they are hard wired to fulfill that place so in many ways they have a harder time. Plus they just have harder time expressing all of the conflicted feelings that we can. Can I just say I am so glad to have the mommy role?</p>
<p>To all you daddies out there on this thread, Way to go! Give your kids wings! We know it is a challenge for you in a different way than it is for us. Take heart!</p>
<p>The other thing that's nice about the file folders, which I forgot to mention, is that it makes a handy place to store any mail you receive from the "chosen few" as well as anything printed from their websites, such as past years' essay questions, sample essays, scholarship criteria, etc. I can customize the Word doc I use on the cover to fit the school. It's working out well.</p>
<p>I think I mentioned before, D <em>actually thanked me</em> for acting as her admin.</p>