Parents of the HS Class of 2013

Parents Forum Class of 20xx Community
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<p>This summer D2 will be attending a 2 week summer program at Vanderbilt called “Literature and Cognitive Theory.” My older D attended 2 summer sessions at VSA over the years and enjoyed them. While the content was nice, challenging, and something they wouldn’t get in their regular schools, I liked that they had to a) deal with a roommate b) were away from home for an extended period c) had to eat dorm food d) had to do their own laundry, etc. Also spending time with other kids who have the same quirky interests as you is a novelty :)</p>

<p>D2 will end up attending some type of writing program one summer; I’d also like her to apply to one of the Governor’s Schools. </p>

<p>She also does a one week trip with our youth group every summer. They hesitate to call it a mission trip since they partner with the people and organizations in the Cumberland Plateau, but the kids do a full time work week of either working in the summer day care in the area or doing jobs around the area (i.e. building handicapped ramps, etc.)</p>

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<p>RobD, I have a freshman daughter taking honors biology and we are also trying to decide whether she should attempt the SAT II. I have read several opposing opinions on the matter and am not really sure. If I knew that she would take AP biology in her junior year, I think I would definitely advise her to take it then. But I don’t know what she will choose to do or even if the AP class will still be available by then because of budget cuts. If colleges request SAT II’s at all, all but a few only require two. Next year she will be taking trig and AP World so she could also take the math 2 and world history SAT II’s then. What do you think?</p>

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<p>No experience with SAT IIs here----the '11 boy will be taking his first (and possibly only) two this year.</p>

<p>LuckyGirl, the '13er, won’t be doing any academic summer programs this summer as we already pay private school tuition for both highschoolers. She’ll have a regular kid summer of annoying her siblings, babysitting occasionally, writing in her journal about how annoying her siblings are, doing her summer reading assignments (English and AP USH) etc. We kind of lost last summer because my mom was terminally ill, so it will be nice for her to have a low-key summer.</p>

<p>Especially since her brother will be deep into finalizing his college list and (hopefully) starting his applications!</p>

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<p>I have experience with Sat IIs with D’10 but for her our timing was off because she is taking AP Chem and AP Physics as a senior so she took the SAT II for physics last year after honors physics but it didnt cover a lot of what was on the exam - she certainly didn’t do badly but she didn’t score as high as she would have liked. Physics though is likely a tougher one. She also isn’t a strong test taker. She also took and did very well on the Math II one after BC Calc junior year. </p>

<p>With D’13, she’ll be a more art/humanties focus so I may just have her take a math one after pre-calc next year and then have her take lit and likely the AP Art one too depending. I doubt though she’ll apply to many (if any) schools that require SAT IIs but she is a good test taker so it will be worth just seeing how she does.</p>

<p>She’s been adamant that she wants to go away to college and leave our state (VA) but after all the financial aid worries with my oldest (that we have something affordable since Profile schools are out due to an uncooperative NCP) and since most schools so far seem to leave us with a gap and our EFC is a stretch, I started talking up VCU’s Art school since it is #2 for public art schools in the country. I figure if I gently ease it into the next 2 years we may just have a safety and truly viable option for her that will also meet her desired major (photography). I know things can and may change but never too early to love thy safety :)</p>

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<p>Mom of, thanks for your insight. I was wandering if Ds honors biology would adequately cover the material on the SATII. Your Ds experience is helpful as we are also Virginians.</p>

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<p>Oh another question Mom of. Is there calculus on the Math 2 SAT? My D will be taking AB Calc when she is a junior but it was my understanding she should take the Math 2 after trig which for her is sophomore year. Thanks.</p>

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<p>Re: SAT IIs. Still don’t know about Biology & I’m not stressing…I’ve gotta get my oldest through graduation first :slight_smile: If D2 stays in IB (which she says she is) she’ll end up taking either Chem or Biology AP junior year, so she’d be better off taking the SAT II then. She’s taking AP US History junior year for sure, so she’ll take that SAT II, and probably one of the Math SAT IIs. We’ll know by the end of sophomore year if she’s taking one of the AP sciences or not, so worst case scenario she could take the SAT II for Chemistry at the end of next year. </p>

<p>Older D ended up taking zero SAT IIs and ended up having plenty of choices so I’m of the mindset that it’s good to know about things ahead of time so you don’t have to scramble, but that there’s still PLENTY of time :)</p>

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<p>blueshoe - I just asked D’10 if there was calculus on the Math II Sat II and she, in the midst of her multivariable calc homework), said “I don’t know what is or isn’t calculus anymore” :slight_smile: LOL!</p>

<p>I had also heard you should take it after trig/pre-calc and not so much after the calculus courses and I was worried D’10 actually knew too much math when she took it (and overthought some of it) so I would definitely have her take it after trig and get a baseline. You don’t have to send it but they do also take into account what classes you’ve had when you took it.</p>

<p>D’13 is in algebra II/trig this year and will be in pre-calc next year so I’ll have her do it then as well. She is so not as passionate about math so I need her to do it while it’s still in her head :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I did find we need the SAT IIs more for some of the engineering schools that D’10 applied to, and I’ve heard for some other majors they come into play but they aren’t a requirement and also for many schools that accept ACT and SAT they want either the SAT and SAT IIs or just the ACT.</p>

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<p>Thank you RobD. I have a S that graduated 09 and there were so many things we didn’t know and a lot of scrambling going on. We would just like to avoid that second time around.</p>

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<p>Thanks to Mom of…and her D!</p>

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<p>Blueshoe - no calc on Math Sat II. This exam is trig heavy and that is why it is advised to take it after one completes trig/pre-calc course.</p>

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<p>I too have a D in class of 2013 and am still getting adjusted to a S who was in class of 2009 and now a freshman in college. I am very blessed that BOTH do very well academically: both 4.0 GPA. </p>

<p>S is a mechanical engineering major wanted to be since 7th grade and his college search was very easy : two major state schools in LA. Initially he wanted to go to LSU, but ended up at UL-Lafayette after realizing classes were smaller, he’d get more hands on time, and they offered better merit scholarships. We visited LSU in his sophomore year and was all LSU until Nov. of his senior year when he visited ULL. </p>

<p>Of course my D is completely different…while she excels in math she LOVES theatre and has been in local community productions since 10. She dances, acts, and sings. Her dream is to work at Disney World. She wants to major in theatre, possibly musical theatre. Only one state school in LA has musical theatre. Her dream school is UCF in Orlando…but the OOS tuition is crazy when in LA we have TOPS which basically covers tuition. So she knows the only way she can get there is by getting a full ride scholarship which we believe is in her reach. Her first try as freshman on two tests with no prep: ACT = 26 and PSAT=192 (CR=59, Math=68, Writing=65). In LA NM Selection Index over last 3 years is 207-209. </p>

<p>On one hand I am sorry that I didn’t know more to help my son prepare and possibly get more scholarships. However, he is perfectly happy at UL and federal loans make up the difference. He’ll graduate with a small amount of debt. He didn’t want to go out of state.</p>

<p>On the other hand, my D doesn’t necessarily want to stay in state…she doesn’t want LSU. She wants to go to college in Orlando and make connections…So I will be able to apply what I’ve learned thru my son’s college entry experience to her and help make her dreams come true…</p>

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<p>Welcome, mom2them :)</p>

<p>On another thread you indicated that your daughter will be writing SAT this May. May I ask why? You are aware that the score will stay on her record?</p>

<p>DS’s Honors Physics class has started official after school prep for AP test. They will meet once a week for an hour or so to work strictly on AP questions from old tests. BC teacher is planning to do this in class shortly, they are currently working on series so are pretty much done with curriculum.
March is overflowing with math and violin competitions here… I already feel tired ;)</p>

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<p>Welcome Mom2them!</p>

<p>While both my Ds took the ACT & SAT in middle school as part of a talent search, I might be leary of them taking them as freshman due to what Kelowna said. Your D might be better off doing practice tests instead just to see where her weak areas are; don’t forget that the math section goes through Algebra II so she won’t have been exposed to that yet, and reading comprehension goes up the more they read. </p>

<p>On the SATII front, I think I’ve decided not to push any for this year. D will probably end up taking either AP Chem or Bio as a junior and she’ll deal with the science one then. I’m thinking there’s not going to be a lot of academic questions to answer in the next few months for her. </p>

<p>Softball practice started this week, so she is very happy.</p>

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<p>Hi mom2them! It seems we both have a couple of freshmen. My D, who is more academically oriented to math and science, also loves the arts. She is in a music magnet program and plays the violin there as well as with the youth orchestra program in our local symphony. Although I think she will play and enjoy music throughout her life, her career goals are strongly in the math and science fields. She is well rounded and also likes to play sports. Right now, we are juggling high school tennis and youth orchestra with spring field hockey about ready to begin. It is nice to hear about others from different parts of the country. Thanks!</p>

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<p>Blueshoe and Mom2them, i also have a pair of freshmen, high school and college. And what I learned the first time through was that I was ill-prepared and did a lot of last minute scrambling to figure it out with D1. Luckily she is very happy where she landed…even if it is the more expensive OOS option than we would have preferred. I feel much calmer the second time around! And when my current HS freshmen is a college freshmen, her sister will be a high school freshmen…they just keep on coming!</p>

<p>You all seem to know what your HS '13 kids strengths are already? Mine is a good student but shows no preference yet for a direction, math, english, science, anything?</p>

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<p>Hi all! I think at every phase from babies to college applicants, I’ve learned on my S and applied that knowledge to my D! Luckily, he doesn’t seem to be “worse for the wear”. Of course, as a mom I feel guilty that I didn’t know more… but oh well!</p>

<p>As far as my D taking the SAT May 1st… I’m having her do it for a few reasons which I covered briefly in another thread but will explain further here: She was invited to take ACT/SAT in 7th grade thru Duke TIP. I didn’t have her do it b/c it was while my S was a junior. D is a great test taker; S is not! I didn’t want my D to upstage my S while it really counted for him. He ultimately got a 31 on the ACT, but he initially got a 27 as a soph, then 28 and finally 31 at the end of junior year. </p>

<p>As I said my D’s PSAT score was quite high as a freshman (in comparison, my son got a 187 as a junior!). So I realized how close she is to LA’s NM cut off and did a little research on SAT. She is already two years ahead in math and is currently taking Algebra II (My S was only one year ahead in math…). So because of all that I thought now is a good time for her to take SAT. (She is on HS dance team and is exhausted after Friday football games, so that’s why she did ACT in Dec.) And with this May 1st test, she gets the test booklet and answers to learn what she missed. That will help her for the Oct PSAT as a junior and let us know what to work on…</p>

<p>It’s funny: math is one of her strengths but she HATES it and would never want a job in a math-related field. Her reading score on both ACT and PSAT were the weakest, but she LOVES to read! So we already know she’ll have to work on that and I’ll have her do a few practice SAT tests (and probably more reading ones) before May 1st. </p>

<p>And I know it’s on her college record, but as I said, she is naturally a great test taker. With my S I probably wouldn’t have done so.</p>

<p>Isn’t it amazing how two kids from the same parents can be so different???</p>

<p>As far as knowing their strengths and/or “passions” so early on… In LA, students are required to complete a Five-Year Plan in 8th grade where they develop their course plan for all four-years of high school. And they have to basically declare a major (officially called an area of interest). Students and parents must sign it every year as changes are made. What is developed in 8th grade isn’t binding, it can change annually.</p>

<p>This is part of a multi-year plan put in place several years ago to raise the bar for education in LA. Some parents don’t like it because they say how can an 8th grader know what they want to do in life. I agree to a certain extent, but if we don’t get them thinking in 8th grade about what is required to take certain courses, pre-requisites, etc. than they may never focus. </p>

<p>Anyway, because of that my kids have sort of known what they wanted to do at a fairly early age… now that’s not to say that they won’t change majors once in college…</p>

<p>Anyway, good to meet you guys. sorry for the long post!</p>

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<p>Wow, so happy I found this thread. I have a S(2011) and a D(2013). I’m sure I’ll be settling in and making this a happy home for myself for the next 3.5 years</p>

<p>My D has been talking about being a Veterinarian since she could say the word, and it seems like it fits her quite nicely. Animals just love her and some how know that she is “safe”. Uncanny, really. We have been researching Vet schools for quite sometime now and she is decided on UC Davis for Pre-Vet and Vet programs, now to get her there…(and you thought med school was hard)</p>

<p>So for particulars…
Homeschooled until this year (brother also HS until 9th grade)</p>

<p>Her class load 1st semester:
Honors English
Honors MUN (Model United Nations) Geography
Accelerated Geometry (no Honors available, this is considered it, but not weighted)
Biology (no honors available, AP is only allowed after this class)
Instrumental 1 (required for band)
Marching Band
Spanish I</p>

<p>This semester she dropped band since it would have required her to take a separate PE class giving her 8 classes total, which we considered too much for her. She dropped band and went back to Ballet, since she had to drop that to play in Band. Since neither one will be the deciding factor for college, we weren’t concerned. She continues playing flute for church. About as motivated a student as is possible. She hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped. She started giving me a hard time for not teaching her Geometry last year at home so she could have started in Alg2/Trig. But math was never her strongest suit and she wasn’t motivated to excel in it, even though she always did well in it. (She never believed me when I told her she was good at math, always thinking it was more hope on my part than truth (both her parents have engineering degrees).) Now she’s bored with how slow her math class is going and wishes we had done more…</p>

<p>Thanks to all of you parents that have gone on before, I’ll see some of you in the 2011 thread…I wish I had started earlier…</p>

<p>That was a lot longer than I thought it would be…sorry.</p>

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<p>FWIW, I think it’s pretty common that at the end of the first time through, we parents look back and say “I wish I’d known earlier!” But if you look at surveys of first borns, they seem to do alright for themselves, even after having to deal with incompetent first time parents ;)</p>

<p>Welcome to the thread! My freshman student stress this week (which I thankfully have very little of) is that I realized this morning that she is eligible to get her drivers permit on Saturday. Um, I don’t think so…</p>

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<p>AtomicGirl, I also have an S in 2011 and D in 2013. </p>

<p>Regarding learning from the first child, I have a college sophomore, but they are all very different, so a lot of what we learned with her doesn’t apply to S.</p>

<p>RobD, here in PA they can’t get a permit until they turn 16, so we have over a year to go with D. S is 17 and doesn’t care about driving, so no permit for him either!</p>