<p>One thing our online grading system allows is grade triggers; I have things set up so that if D’s average drops below a 90 in any given class it sends me an email. I can then check the grades online or have D do it. I’ve found that it’s a nice medium. I don’t have to hover over the grading, but I’m not surprised either. Maybe that’s a solution until your D gets back on track. </p>
<p>I don’t know how hard I’d come down after a first C. Is it a marking period C vs. a semester C? What’s her attitude about it? Is she thinking she’s overextended? My older D was just saying that contrary to popular belief that junior year is the hardest, she looks back and thinks that sophomore year was the hardest, primarily because it was the first year that a lot of kids were challenged both in terms of class content and time management.</p>
<p>I think Euro history in general is kicking butts at least at our school. My daughter’s school is notorious for giving so much homework during the week and weekends and over this Thanksgiving weekend, my daughter had to read and annotate 90 pages in euro, and write a position paper for Model UN on Globalization and International Trade and how the European financial system affected Rwanda (the country she is repping as part of the Economic council). She also had 4 wisdom teeth pulled the Tuesday before Thanksgiving - so it has not been a great weekend (hoping to at least squeeze in Harry Potter before Monday). Then they are off to Princeton for Model UN.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how the colleges get the names of the students? We are being inundated with colleges I never heard of and being invited to college admissions meetings, etc. outside of our school? I just don’t know if college board is giving out the names or not as our school isn’t. We have our own in-house meetings with colleges and financial aid speakers - Kalman Chany from Campus Consultants spoke last week.</p>
<p>Medavinci: I hear you about the AP Euro. D has to finish an Algebra II project today and tomorrow will be devoted to Euro. No mind that grandparents & big sis are in town for the holiday!</p>
<p>As for names being released, did your child take the PLAN or PSAT this year? If you don’t check the “no mail” box on those forms, the floodgates open for college mail. D assures me that she checked the boxes, but there are still a few schools that send her mail.</p>
<p>My daughter didn’t check no on her psat box. Do all colleges mail things out or just select ones, and do they contact you based on your scores? She took her psat’s in October, and they told us we’d get the scores in December.</p>
<p>However, she’s been contacted by a lot of schools before this, so perhaps college board gives out the names as well? She took the sat’s in 8th grade as part of John Hopkins CTY, and then took the SAT Bio subject test last year after freshman bio. She heard from CCM and Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, but I’m assuming it’s because she wants to study performing arts and journalism? Maybe it’s in the college board profile? The colleges we recently heard from I had no idea existed which is why I started to panic!</p>
<p>Well, if I understand things correctly, these mailing lists generated by testing (both for talent searches & “real” testing) are by both scores and interests. There’s an area where the student checks anticipated major or career field, so that can generate some specific mail. Schools are able to buy mailing lists based on what I’d call “bands of scores.” Student Search Services is the arm of ETS that does this. According to their website:</p>
<p>Student Search Service does not report your scores to colleges or scholarship services. (However, colleges and scholarship services may select students on the basis of a range of scores.) The following information about you is sent to colleges, universities, and scholarship programs:</p>
<pre><code>* Name
Address
Sex
Birth date
School
Grade level
Ethnic identification (if provided)
Intended college major (if provided)
</code></pre>
<p>Colleges, universities, and scholarship programs sponsored by governmental and nonprofit organizations that use Student Search Service receive your name and address if you have, for example, a specific grade average, score range, intended major, or if you live in a particular state or zip code.</p>
<p>I’m reading this thread because of my sophomore S, but I also have a senior D who is a National Merit Semifinalist. We weighed her mail in August; at that time, she had received 24 pounds of college mail. She still receives one or two pieces of mail a day from colleges. She also did well on the ACT (35), and some letters referenced that in the first sentence.</p>
<p>^^^Yup! My D’10 who is currently a college freshman was a NMSF (then NMS) and I didn’t know to tell her to check the “no mail” box before junior year. The first week or two were fun but then I started feeling bad for the mailman ;)</p>
<p>RobD: I felt bad for the rainforest!! The mailings these kids receive is mind-boggling. And besides the many mailers (some over and over), we got emails, personalized letters from alumni, and even phone calls from alumni and grad students! Wish I’d have know about that box to check! I work in guidance now; I will alert our internal media!</p>
<p>The favorite mailing was a “magic 8 ball” type plastic ball from University of Kentucky. When you turned it over, the “fortune” inside said different Kentucky type things and played a Kentucky song. About half the senior class got it on the same day.</p>
<p>My favorite mailing was the paper doll book from Ole Miss complete with student holding the Students for McCain sign No matching Obama supporting doll. Put that one right in my Ole Miss alumni neighbor’s box.</p>
<p>One of the search criteria must be religious preference, as well. S has already started receiving material from all the colleges affiliated with our denomination.</p>
<p>Rob D- thanks for the input. Unfortunately our online system is not that sophisticated. We have had a long talk with D. She was not putting in the work and although she feels it was not the EC’s there is no doubt that the EC’s made her tired and more likely to blow off the extra work. She dropped the swim team yesterday but is picking up the school musical. But at least she will not be juggling both. Swim has been a big source of stress for her. She doesn’t click with the coach and team. Team made up of many students that drink together on weekends. Coach is very cliquey with them. </p>
<p>I agree about Sophmore year. Training wheels are off.</p>
<p>My D told me they filled out a form in guidance about potential major, school size preference, grades, psat scores etc. last month. Of course she has no idea what it was, but she has seen an uptake in the mail- East Coast LAC’s.</p>
<p>Ds2 is keeping me awake nights. Borderline failing one class while making 100s and a 98 in several others. <em>sigh</em> And soccer tryouts are this week so it’ll get even crazier around here.</p>
<p>I understand your predicament. I really want my kid to explore ECs. I think some ECs are as important as the academics in developing skills and interests that help cement career. Other ECs are just mandatory for a healthy lifestyle for exercise and mental health. </p>
<p>I have usually let son go his own way. We are both strong willed and attack things from different points of view which = lots of unecessary arguing.</p>
<p>After meeting with all his teachers last week, I realized how much more difficult his academic courses are compared to my high school years. He is taking 6 academic classes and then has 1 elective period to meet grad requirements in Arts. Back in my day we had PE and study halls scattered throughout the week. I had a shorter school day. My teachers expected most of us worked. We had manageable homework.</p>
<p>One thing I will put my foot down on next year is limiting his core academic classes to 5. </p>
<p>All his teachers say homework should be half hour/night on average. That is 3 hours min/night plus ECs (1.5-4 hours depending on weekday) plus 7 hour school day plus some family chore time would be helpful to me plus commute = too little sleep. 5 core academics in the all important junior year may not be ideal from an admission stand point, but I can’t see another way. Something has to give. </p>
<p>How do these kids do it all without burning out?</p>
<p>YDS: ugh. Sorry about the sleepless nights. At least it’s not across the board; can you figure out the issue? is it the subject, study habits, teacher? </p>
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<p>Longhaul: I don’t know. I struggle with this. I thought it was silly when kids were scheduled solid back in in elementary school; I’m a big fan of having down time to recharge & be creative. D’13 is my writer & I don’t see her having much time to kick around ideas. She’s not complaining, but I don’t think it’s particularly healthy or necessary. She’s having trouble falling asleep and just started back on the melatonin.Her pendulum has swung back to saying yes to the full IB program; she just told me this morning that she wants to start practicing driving seriously over christmas break since she can’t afford to take the bus home next year if she does IB; she’ll get home 45 minutes earlier if she drives & she’ll need the time. Geez, it makes me crazy that my 15 year old is already plotting her time out like that for next year.</p>
<p>Longhaul…I agree about limiting academic classes. My D’s schedule doesn’t even include a lunch. She was supossed to drop chorus and pick up Music Theory. Instead she snuck in both. It is always a battle with her since she wants to do everything. Next year I have told her she must have lunch. </p>
<p>She dropped the swim team and says she feels relieved. She still has newspaper, student council, and the school musical starts in two weeks. </p>
<p>They are young that is how they do it. Personally I remember getting into mischief with all the downtime I had in High School. :)</p>
<p>I am hoping that some of you more experienced parents can give me some insight. My DD is a very smart girl. She is mostly a math and science girl, but she is taking honors English and AP World. Last quarter she got straight A’s with low A’s in English and AP World. Good. She is not a great writer. Last year, however, she wrote a very good paper for her honors history class. I read it, and with a sigh of relief, said it was great. It was simple, but well thought out and organized. This year, her Honors English teacher assigns one major paper per quarter (maybe). Last quarter she got a 76 on her paper. She thought she didn’t understand the assignment. Ok. With all the other quizzes and short writing assignments, she managed a 90 for the quarter. Good. </p>
<p>Last night I read her paper that is due today. It’s not good. It’s really not good. She is wobbly on theme support and her sentences are too complicated so that they make no sense. I helped her edit the essay a bit, so it is ok. Obviously, she needs help to better develop her writing. My DH and I can help her, but somehow, I just don’t see this as a positive thing with all the work she has already. She’s in 10th grade and looking at some nice colleges for science or engineering. Next year is AP Lang or regular 11th grade english, no honors offered. I’d hate for her to drop down to “reg” English, as I don’t really think that will help her develop her writing to standards. I think she’ll just be sitting in an easy class. Any suggestions? Writing camp?</p>
<p>I don’t know if I’d go the writer’s camp route as those are usually designed for kids who enjoy writing, to help them develop their technique & style. I think I’d reach out to her current English teacher and ask if she knew someone local who could tutor your D in writing. Since she has papers due on a regular basis, if you found someone who could work with her on a weekly or biweekly basis then they could help her with the papers as they develop.</p>
<p>I think the idea of a writing tutor is good. Does she enjoy reading? Will she enjoy the higher level reading in the advanced English? If so, and the problem is the writing, the tutor is an excellent idea. Going to a lower level English that will have little interesting or challenging reading is probably a mistake.</p>
<p>I was a math girl who didn’t think she needed good writing skills…luckily I had a father who is an internationally renowned scientist who emphasized that good writing is essential for success in EVERY profession. He was quite happy that I ended up as a social science major before pursuing a PhD in mathematical econ. My strong writing skills (and computer programming skills) are the two most valuable assets. Programming is just another language to communicate to the computer. </p>
<p>Being able to articulate complex ideas in writing means that you can also communicate well using slides or in conversation with non scientists etc. If you want grant money, want a good job, want to widen your influence you must be able to communicate effectively in writing. My brother, severely dyslexic, was encouraged to major in English before pursuing his engineering degree and now is a very well regarded engineer managing a large team, has patents, etc and presents his innovative designs in papers in journals, and professional meetings. His writing is so clear that even I, non engineer, understand the theme and conclusions and implications of his particular new design. Good writing is a struggle for some but is worth the investment. (Please don’t use my CC posts as examples…lol). Please encourage your child to see writing as an important skill for a mathematician, scientist or engineer. Make her read her essays out loud or have you read them to her so she can understand that good writing generally leads to a good/pleasant reading and does not have to have big words, have a sophisticated structure, or be very “wordy”. When was the last time she read her work out loud before submitting it? Does her teacher ask for rough drafts first? At our schools teachers in sophomore English usually ask for rough drafts and several drafts as a teaching mechanism to prepare for the AP english classes that follow. If the current English or Soc studies teachers don’t do this as a requirement, ask if they will allow your D to do this for the next quarter so she can get more feedback while in the process of writing a paper.</p>
No matching Obama supporting doll. Put that one right in my Ole Miss alumni neighbor’s box.</p>