<p>cherryhillmomto2- There actually is a video game major…I think it is called Digital Design. More of this type of computer programming concentration are arising so, never so never! </p>
<p>BTW- my sister and her family live in Cherry Hill! Her oldest is starting middle school so she has not hit the frenzy yet.</p>
<p>For those who have been thru the college application process - any early on tips? how do you organize and keep relevant info? other web resources?</p>
<p>Parent of '10 student here … early on tips for the college admissions process? Five words: Stay Ahead of the Herd. This is especially true for EA/SCEA/ED applicants.</p>
<p>There are any number of ways you can do this.</p>
<p>1) Make sure you know how test dates (SAT/SAT II, ACT, AP etc.) fit into the life of your S and D so you can make it as easy on them as possible. One goal to strive for is to have all that testing (except for APs taken the senior year) done by the end of junior year. This will allow time to focus on all the details of the college apps.</p>
<p>2) By the spring of junior year, have you S/D approach the teachers they hope to use for LORs (letters of recommendation.) Typically, they should choose one in the math/science area and the other in the English/social sciences/foreign language area. Also, if the same teacher has written a LOR for a summer program, they are that much again of the game.</p>
<p>3) Work on those college essays (at least the drafts) the summer between junior and senior year. Many of them will be available by early July.</p>
<p>4) March/April of the junior year: Get a copy of the HS transcript and go over it with a fine toothed comb. The GC will usually have a gap in their work schedule since the seniors now have their acceptetance letters (note: they can still be working with WL students) and (at least in CA) state standardized tests/AP exams haven’t started.</p>
<p>I am a parent of 2011 and 2012 hs grads. Things are very difficult for us, since my husband is in the automobile industry here in Detroit and lost his job and now makes 45% less at his new job. He got out of automotive altogether and had to take a major step back. So we can’t save for college or retirement. Not only that, we’ve had to tap into our kids college funds to pay our mortage - oh, our house lost $150,000 in value over the last three years and we are now upside down on our mortgage. I really can’t see us affording (or qualifying) to take on any additional debt for the kids schooling, so they will have to make do with what is in the mutual funds, 529 and what I can give them. </p>
<p>I’ve recently gone back to school myself so that I can basically work and pay for the kids’ college education directly out of my future salary. There is a good chance my kids will have to go to the local university which is near our house or start at community college. I’m hoping that at least one of them could get some scholarship money - but they are not 4.0 students.</p>
<p>Hello to all.</p>
<p>I have a daughter who is in the high school graduating class of 2012. She is a straight A student and is starting dual enrollment next week in a community college calculus class for the summer. Both my kids somehow acquired great genetic material for math. Not from me or their mom. </p>
<p>Seiclan, hello again! My son went to UF the same year as your daughter and we exchanged a few notes then. My son is a University of Florida junior with a 4.0 average so far, knock on wood, in Civil Engineering. We are more focused on his next step right now as he is planning to get a masters in structural engineering. </p>
<p>For those parents who are sweating it out over how their class of 2012 high schoolers are going to get prepared for college and how they will do, don’t worry. They are all going to find their own way, there may be a bump or two along the road, but its all part of the experience. I was so worried about my son going away to college and after the first week, found out it was nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to compare notes and exchange information as we move toward graduation 2012.</p>
<p>Welcome to all who have joined our group. Nice to hear from you again Gnu!</p>
<p>I have a daughter graduating in 12’. I have been lurking this forum for a year now. I’ve learned a lot already. My D has absolutely no desire to go to any schools in state, so it takes my anxiety level up a notch. :)</p>
<p>MemphisGuy,
I have one of those readers, too! Luckily, she volunteers at the library twice a month!</p>
<p>My D’s schedule for next year:</p>
<p>Honors Lang and Comp
AP US History
Algebra 2
Spanish 2
PE (1 semester)
Chemistry
Newspaper
Broadcast Journalism (1 semester)</p>
<p>She goes to a public school, and this year was not challenging whatsoever. Hopefully next year will be better.</p>
<p>My daughter’s had no desire to go to instate schools while they were in high school. Both daughter’s changed their minds and I now have two girls at different but instate schools. My son, a 15 yr. old hs class of '12er now says there is no way he is staying instate. I have learned to smile and tell him you may go wherever you can get yourself into BUT you must apply to at least two instate schools (UF and a safety). Kids change their minds and they shouldn’t close any doors!</p>
<p>Seiclan, I totally agree! Against her wishes, we are going to have her apply to one of our state schools. For what she wants to pursue, broadcast journalism/overseas correspondence, it is in her best interest to go elsewhere.</p>
<p>My DD announced this year that she only wants to go to college here in SoCal. Luckily there are many good schools to choose from here. Her interest is jounalism and would like to do something that includes fashion and travel.</p>
<p>Here schedule for the fall is:
Honors English
AP European History
Advanced Algebra 2
Chemistry
Journalism (school paper)
PE</p>
<p>She is going to do an internship this summer with a friend of ours that is the editor for an online magazine. DD also is a competitve horseback rider and will be showing her new horse in hunter/jumpers a lot this summer.</p>
<p>Are any of your class of 12’ kids John’s Hopkins CTYers? If so, have they taken any courses? My D is, has yet to take any of the courses, but might this next year.</p>
<p>My daughter has taken the distance ed writing courses – level 1, 3, 4, 5a, and 5b. 
Obviously, we really liked them.</p>
<p>She also took Honors Chem via distance ed from them and didn’t like it very much.</p>
<p>What kind of course is your daughter looking for? Or are you talking about CTY camp?</p>
<p>I think she will probably take an online writing course. They just don’t offer much in the way of language arts at her school.</p>
<p>You really get out of the writing courses what you put in. </p>
<p>If you do it during the normal school year, then you have an assignment due approximately every 2 weeks (during the summer, I think an assignment is due twice a week). Each assignment is returned approximately 2 weeks later with detailed comments. </p>
<p>The assignment itself doesn’t take the full two weeks, but there are often smaller assignments (not turned in) that lead to the big assignment; that two weeks also gives you time to put the writing aside and then return to it to edit.</p>
<p>The tutor will call before the session starts and your student will have their e-mail address and other contact info. This is a big plus for me as I think the problem with lots of online courses is that there is no direct contact with the instructor.</p>
<p>Except for the Poetry class, my daughter always did the e-mail based classes. The Poetry was only offered in the web format.</p>
<p>There are no grades. At the end of the session you get a page long description commenting on your child’s progress in the course.</p>
<p>You don’t have to do talent search through CTY to do their distance ed. If you have SAT scores that meet their criteria, then you can just e-mail them a scanned copy of the score report.</p>
<p>Aashad, my '12 daughter goes to CTY summer sessions. Loves it.</p>
<p>My d did CTY summer program last 2 years in a roll, love it</p>
<p>Anyone of your lovely kid plan to take AP Bio and Chemestry at the same time next year? Is it a good idea?</p>
<p>Mine’s doing AP Bio & AP Physics C (Mech & E&M). Her AP Chem teacher (dept chair) says it’ll be a lot of work, but doable.</p>
<p>She just took bio this year. usually will be chem next year then ap chem or ap bio (junior).</p>
<p>I heard is difficult take ap bio without any chem knowledge, just wondering any kids done it before.</p>