<p>Historymom, one of the things I learned in my email exchanges is that most students in engineering take a general engineering course in the fall of their freshman year to help them decide on a specific engineering discipline. However, students who already know they want Biometric Systems engineering need to skip that course and take a biology course instead. This is a prerequisite for other courses and only offered in the fall. Little things like that can derail the 4-year graduation rate unless the student is proactive. The good news is that, if you know what you are doing and are careful, it is possible to graduate in four years. I am confident that the quality of instruction is high and the professors really want to see their students succeed.</p>
<p>way to be proactive the analyst! Please pardon my ignorance, but what exactly does a biometric engineer do? meter=measure & bio=life soooo...I am befuddled :)</p>
<p>Biometric systems engineering is a relatively new field that sprang up out of the need for more biology based security measures, beyond an eyeball scan or fingerprint. From what I have gathered, biometric systems engineers might do stuff like try to create an artificial intelligence program to recognize faces, even if aged or disguised. That could help with airport and border security systems. They might develop voice recognition systems or identify someone by their gait (way of walking), and so on.</p>
<p>The course work at WVU is a combination of systems engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and biology. It is a cross departmental effort at WVU, created to specifically meet the needs of the FBI, I think, although the field has broad applicability for many firm's security needs. </p>
<p>I figure he is bound to learn something useful. The courses sound like a lot of work to me for our bright but not so hard working second child. However, he tells me this is exactly what he wants to do, he is ready to step it up (and he is making all A's this year), he knows how much work it is and he can do it (S1 is a systems engineering major so he should know), yada yada yada. We get in-state tuition for this program, so it is actually less expensive than any of our in-state options; WVU in-state is less than VA in-state. Since he wants to go to this school so badly, I think he will in fact step it up to meet the challenge. Of course, that remains to be seen. I may be back next year with freshman disaster stories.</p>
<p>Congrats on the early acceptances!!!!</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone, we should be hearing soon from the early acceptances that said within 2 weeks!</p>
<p>I cannot even express how happy I am. S2 finished his common app and supplement for his ED school, his arts supplement and CD and just needs to have his GC sign his ED form. The deadline is Nov. 1, but he needed to beat the deadline to get an audition scheduled. I can't even tell you how happy/relieved I am. He has two more Dec. 1 deadlines, (not common app--completely different applications, argh!) but at least there's a little breathing room. Oh, so happy!!! Might not even NEED wine tonight, though that won't necessarily preclude me....Thank you for letting me tap dance here!</p>
<p>Congrats! :)</p>
<p>(sent to you with a shameful amount of envy)</p>
<p>Congrats to all of you with acceptances and submissions! We're not there yet, but the common app is pretty much done and the first draft of an essay that shows son's voice is there. He'll get the GC and teacher recs in the next week or so, with the goal to hit send on all his apps by the end of the month.</p>
<p>Small victories - I almost screamed with joy when he emailed me the draft of his essay!</p>
<p>Three cheers for small victories and ED, EA and Rolling apps that are DONE!</p>
<p>Also a resounding shout out to all those parents out there whose kids seem to be dragging their feet. We know who we are ;). Here is today's reminder intended to keep the green eyed monster at bay: </p>
<p>One of my friends has a D at Harvard. Her brilliant, talented, multifaceted and beautiful D was no where near ready to hit "send" by this time during her application season and in fact came pretty darn close to midnight on the due date for some of her apps so fear not. Wonderful things will happen for all of our kids.</p>
<p>And finally to ignatius and bballfraser an herbal tea toast to the hope that our offspring will one day have the chance to sit in a class, dorm lounge, dining hall and/or stadium together.</p>
<p>Son submitted #3 this morning and is currently (I hope) working on #4. Should get that one and #5 (final one) submitted this afternoon. As it turns out, the only application that had a fee is the one for his sure thing college. He is way ahead of what his sister did (submitted most the week between Christmas and New Years).</p>
<p>Priority application to Tulane submitted along with getting GC to do their part so we're waiting on response. Common application finished and two supplements finished with a third on final revision. One last college visit this Wednesday (our school does testing that day and doesn't want Seniors around so they tell them to schedule college visits) with two days off after that so hopefully D will be done with her applications by the end of the week. (4 or 5 to go if D likes the Wed college visit). Then D has to start on the scholarship applications. </p>
<p>And since I can't get enough of this essay reading DH and I are reading med school application essays for DS as well.</p>
<p>4 down, 1 to go! There may be some celebrating going on here tonight!</p>
<p>But to be honest, I really think he's doing them because it's either college applications or reading Jane Eyre.</p>
<p>Ha! Thanks for the very welcome laugh, fireflyscout.</p>
<p>And cheers for all the other good news being posted here. </p>
<p>Historymom, your story was a nice reminder too. But I can't IMAGINE whom you might be talking about, with foot-dragging children?!</p>
<p>fireflyscout I chuckled too.</p>
<p>:) HarrietMWelsh I am certainly not referring to the child of the "typical" CC poster who squeezed 18 apps w/ supplements in last week during the bus rides between the lab where they work perfecting prosthetic pinky fingers and the fundraising gala they put on for the Save the Earthworms Foundation. But I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a silent majority on the 09 thread that may have a great kid whose essay is still in the pre-planning stage...I dunno something just tells me ;)</p>
<p>Thanks for the perspective! I've been on my S nonstop, and thanks to this board, realize it WILL get done, albeit not on MY schedule. He has a draft of his essay, so he's probably better off than most. We all need to remember our kids will be gone at this time next year, and we'll have long forgotten these battles and be missing all that's good about them.</p>
<p>While the sophomores & juniors at S's school take the PSAT on Wednesday, all seniors work on college applications and/or scholarship applications. For S this means (FINALLY) writing his common app essay. Footdragging? Him? He's honed it to a fine art (can he list this as an EC?)</p>
<p>I spent the day calling D from my office to make sure she was out of bed and working on apps; came home and proofread everything and found she'd filled the wrong forms out in two cases and had to redo them, then hovered while she typed...We..I mean SHE!! have five sent. I think the essays could have been better but these were state school rolling apps and I think there are extra points for getting it in early.</p>
<p>Historymom, you mean that someone stole my DS's prosthetic pinkie idea before he could get it patented (the better to text you with, my dear)??? Darn it, there goes his hook.</p>
<p>D (We) sent out 9 applications, DONE! My problem now is having the GC send a letter to EACH of the 9 colleges explaining WHY a course is missing from her transcript.</p>
<p>TOS He has a hook??? Then he needs more than a prosthetic pinky...he needs a whole hand!</p>
<p>vballmom if his footdragging is performing a useful service like say carving out the baselines in the empty lot the neighborhood kids use for baseball than it is not only an EC, it is a CS. A twofer....you must be so proud</p>
<p>cpeltz: well said and you are welcome. </p>
<p>Hey it's after 5:00 on the contiguous west coast cocktails and herb teas for everyone even our resident far north westerner. I declare it a "no college talk night."</p>