<p>Longhaul, a lower-tier private that gives good FA might be a safety for you. I also know about Texas schools. Ds applied to three of them. And we visited many of them.</p>
<p>I was at a NYE party when a friend said his senior dd had a merit off from a LAC known for good aid but that he was disappointed in the award. I remember feeling the same way when ds (HS class of '10) opened his from there. Sometimes it really takes some digging to figure it all out. This school did offer four free rides, but I was told that typically 150 kids compete for them, so those didnāt seem like good odds. Interestingly, my friend had a bad tour there as did we. Funny how you go into visits with such high hopes and apply even if it didnāt go well, and then get the aid offer and, well, that seals the deal. I guess theyāre making it easy to cross them off the list!</p>
<p>Ds2 goes back to school tomorrow as well as starts his sports season with a scrimmage against a tough suburban team. Heās super-excited though.</p>
<p>ETA: The search with this one will be quite different than the one with ds1. This kid knows, for the most part, what he wants to do so do we just look at rankings in his area of interest? With ds1, it was all about just finding a place we thought heād be happy. :)</p>
<p>Longhaul, I am scared to death about the financial end of things. I donāt think we will qualify for any financial aid at all. Pretty certain we wonāt, actually. I think we are going to be one of those families that falls between the cracks of having a good bit to put toward college (we are aiming for 100k for each kid) but that is nowhere near enough for a large number of colleges. With no financial aid and a child who is very smart and capable but probably not outstanding enough to really stand out for merit aid, I donāt even know where to begin.</p>
<p>Longhaul: donāt freak yet Depending on how well he tests (and based on your comment about his 7th grade test scores he probably tests really well) there are a number of schools that offer āguaranteedā scholarships based on test scores & gpa. Most are large state schools and in the South or Southwest, which might not sound ideal to you but they all usually have good honors programs. </p>
<p>We are in the same boat vandy. Love your state school! That is our plan, although we will not discourage the kids to apply to privates. They already know that we have limited funds and they will need to get aid of some form and work if they choose not to go to a state school. We do have 3 years of overlap between two of our three kids. We are hoping that we have to pay our EFC times 9 years rather than our EFC for 12 years of college. If we can get into schools that will have us pay EFC only and no loans on top, then we may be able to swing a more expensive school. Otherwise, we are looking at specialty schools within our state system. My kids are very smart, but not future nobel winners. They will also probably go on to get professional degrees or grad school. State school undergrad that leads to a high level grad program is what we are discussing too. I feel that we will be able to work it out. I think giving each kid 100K to 130K is alot of support. They have to make it work too. I am also debt shy. Iām hoping the kids get out of school with no debt, but at a max they could carry $20,000 for 4 years.</p>
<p>Rob - We definitely are open to south/south west schools. He tests well. GPA may be a concern. School is not his top priority, grades are fine but not all As. And Iām pushing Bama quite a bit in subtle ways - Santa bought Ts for my younger son :)</p>
<p>Casting a wide net is a great idea in theory, but my kid doesnāt like writing essays. I dread the thought that he wonāt give it full effort. At least he has time to mature and surprise me. He has always had great luck too. Things just happen for him. But, I am a worrier. I just donāt want him to focus solely on Colorado College (a perfect fit school for him in every way but financially) only to be hit with a cold dose of reality senior year and no options.</p>
<p>Vandy - I think we will fall right into that no financial aid too. </p>
<p>GeoGirl - I wish I had a state school to love. Pitt is the closest thing, but it carries a $25,000 price tag unless son gets good merit. </p>
<p>Extended family just doesnāt get my worries. Compared to my niece, they believe my kid will have his choice of schools. She has gotten some nice acceptances in hand. She is Pell eligible with a sister and step-sister in college. Makes for a much different search. </p>
<p>One step at a time - need to get through this month and to the end of semester.</p>
<p>Longhaul - I think it really depends on what your DS is interested in studying in regards to Penn State. Penn State is a huge campus, and their stat numbers look low because of all the majors and kids in the school. However, their science, engineering and computer majors are very well regarded, even for āsmartā kids. So, I think you have to look at majors, not just the school as a whole. Also, if your son tests well and makes NM status, he will have merit money options. My kids are not NMS kind of kids. We have smart, driven, but just under truely ābrilliantā kids. We also make too much money to have a low EFC, but not enough to be able to pay 50K a year for 12 years! Good luck finding a great match for your son. Iām sure in the end he will be very happy wherever he goes!</p>
<p>It isnāt Penn State stat numbers that are low, it is our ātrueā state schools, Mansfield, East Stroudsburg, etc. </p>
<p>Penn State isnāt even a consideration for us because of 1. cost too high and 2. too big for my kid to navigate. Iāve heard housing horror stories. Since my kid is a bit air headed, having to choose and deposit for a place to live 10 months in advance doesnāt cut it for him. It is a bargain school for those who can navigate the size and afford the price tag without borrowing. I just donāt think we can swing it financially.</p>
<p>I will proably calm down a bit about all this as the holidays have wrapped up. Those well meaning relatives who think I am limiting my kids potential will meld back into the wood work for a few months. I have to keep reminding myself the general populace doesnāt understand college and costs these days. Heck, the moving target EFC is still difficult for me to grasp. </p>
<p>Glad we are all here to help each other find realistic matches. It keeps me grounded. Hoping it will keep my kid from expecting the stars for free.</p>
<p>Hi. Looking for some input before I meet with S and guidance counselor on Friday morning. He will be picking classes this month, based on recs from his teachers. He is doing very well this year and will likely be recommended for four AP classes plus college level language. Individually, he can handle them all, but pile on 4 APs and itās another story. Plus, throw in that each has a lot of summer work (they blame it on the schools starting late in NY- after Labor Day) and he will be away for most of the summer (and will not be able to do it during that time - thatās not even possible). </p>
<p>Since his interest is in math/science, I definitely want him to do AP in those (AP Physics and AP Calc), plus AP Lang. Was thinking that honors level US history will suffice. Heāll do the college language (comes so easy for him). Heās involved in other activities (sports, science, religion, band) and I want him to have time to sleep also.</p>
<p>Wondering what some thoughts are about this course level. I know parents here are always willing to give their opinion.</p>
<p>Also - what are some questions I should ask the GC on Friday.</p>
<p>I want him to be challenged, but I donāt want him to take the āmost challenging courseloadā just because. My perspective is that itās not all about the college application. Will a 95-100 in an honors level history course make a difference? (I can ask the GC that.)</p>
<p>Well, weāll be having a similar issue later this month too; ours is complicated by the āwill she or wonāt sheā of IB.</p>
<p>Part of the issue for my kids is that the other students in the highest level classes are the most motivated and they like that. Even with honors level classes (if itās a 2nd tier) there are kids in there who are āannoyingā i.e. goof around, talk back to the teacher, say silly things during Socratic seminars. Makes my kids crazy.</p>
<p>And the summer work: piled on here too and we start in August ;)</p>
<p>I donāt think having an honors level class when he could have taken an AP will hurt him when heās taking 3 APs and a college class. But is the work really that much easier in the honors class? Iād say ask your son what he thinks and also ask fellow parents what their take on it was (or kids who have already taken the class.)</p>
<p>FWIW, in our district honors classes require a project for the honors portfolio at the end of every marking period. Sometimes that is worse than the ongoing AP work.</p>
<p>RobD: Thanks. We already decided on AP rather than IB based on several factors. Glad that decision is made. Good idea re: talking to older students and other parents whoāve been through it. I think the APUSH has a ton of work, considerably more than the Honors and since itās not his area of interestā¦S would agree with you that there are still kids in honors who are goof-offs and he has no patience for them.</p>
<p>Anyone else going through this? What do you think?</p>
<p>DS1, now a college freshman, took six APs his junior year. And one of the non-AP classes was differential equations :rolleyes: . In some respects, itās the way the school is set up, where APs are the only options for non-core classes. Sometimes, it had to do with his interest. And lots of it is thatās just what the smart kids at his school do. Ds survived just fine (though I was sure BC Cal was going to kill one of us, or just cause me to kill him), but we wonāt be doing this with ds2, who simply doesnāt have his brotherās work ethic.</p>
<p>I would make sure your ds does the AP level in his area of interest and aptitude, and you could pass on the other ones. Iād ask the GC what the normal courseload is for juniors ā is four a crazy idea or the norm? Iād want to know what earns a kid āmost rigorous courseloadā designation.</p>
<p>We donāt have summer work associated with our APs. Kind of wish we did to lighten the load during the year. Junior year, ds1 also was a varsity athlete AND finishing his Eagle. Good times. Not. :D</p>
<p>DS2(HSā10) did 4 APās and a language his junior year, plus 2 varsity sports (basketball and tennis). It was absolutely exhausting, but he pulled it off. We didnāt know it then, but it made a big difference when it came to designating the ātop 4%ā for the UC schools, who was designated valedictorian and who was nominated for scholarships. He was also a math/science guy, but passed the AP US exam without a lot of effort. We start in September and it was A LOT of summer work.</p>
<p>Youdonātsay: Good questions for the GC. I have an older D (college freshman) but she was a different kind of student. 2 APs junior year and 2 senior year. Itās so different this time around.</p>
<p>tx5athome: My S is a varsity tennis player too and plays 4-5x a week the rest of the year. Still, itās not going to be his ticket to college. Heās going to have to take drivers ed in the fall, too (just adding to the craziness). Iām hoping the GC will really tell me about the work load.</p>
<p>Why canāt the AP exams be based on the amount of work that can be done during the school year?</p>
<p>Linymom both basketball and tennis were very time-consuming for my son, and although he doesnāt play a sport in college, I think the fact that he was able to juggle a time-consuming extracurricular (plus having a leadership role), with a heavy academic load was helpful for his admission to college. And I agree, I HATE summer work.</p>
<p>My D will be scheduling junior year courses in the next few weeks as well. Six of her seven projected courses which include three APās follow the natural progression of her current course load. The seventh course is open to an elective since this year she will finish her fifth and final year of foreign language. She is currently considering taking another science in addition to honors physics. AP choices most likely will be biology and chemistry and forensic chemistry is likely an honors option. If she chooses an AP elective, I have the same concerns as you, Linymom. She plays two sports and is heavily involved in music. I am concerned about what might be too much. She has never really bit off more than she could chew, but swallowing has been difficult sometimes! Her school does not allow students to drop classes once they have begun unless something dire is happening so swicthing classes if it is too much is not an option. She agrees with others that the AP classes are more satisfying not only because of the challenge they provide, but because the other students are as motivated as her. I too would like to know what constitutes most rigorous course load at my Dās school. I think she must be taking it, though. I look at her and get tired.:)</p>
<p>I am glad this came up. I posted a long while back and have a Dā13. She has decided to forgo APUSH and do regular US History. She will be doing honors trig/pre-calc and honors physics, foreign language, PE, AP Lang and an elective, which is why I am posting. She is selecting classes for Jr. year.</p>
<p>I guessed you folks might be able to offer assistance. She is very good in Math and Science, and she doesnāt enjoy writing, but her Journalism teacher wants her to take another Journalism course ALL junior year (in addition to AP Lang), which might lead to a leadership position on school newspaper. However, she would rather take Intro to Music Theory and AP Music Theory, which will not lead to a leadership position senior year. </p>
<p>She is very organized and has demonstrated good project management skills to this Journalism teacher. Other than a potential leadership position in her sport senior year, this school newspaper thing might the only thing that shows leadership. I donāt want her to think I want her to do one thing or another. Any thoughts on an EC like school newspaper for a math/science kid? While it is still early days, she is shooting for a top university, but non-Ivy.</p>
<p>I think you have your answer right here. In our HS, there is little opportunity for elective classes if you are in AP classes. I wouldnāt force my S to take a class he doesnāt want, even for a potential leadership position in the future (since itās not in a prime area of interest). Since your D can take AP Music Theory, thatās a plus.</p>
<p>My D wanted to continue with art going into junior year. She had already completed commercial art and another art class. Itās not like she was putting together a portfolio or anything. So, together with the director of guidance and other influential adults (English professor aunt, etc.), we convinced her to take AP Art History. She loved it and it was an AP class (which was good because she only took two junior year). The only other AP she took that year was AP Lang.</p>
<p>I want to guide my S so he can have choices among the top colleges (not HYP although he might apply to one just to give it a shot). But I also want him to enjoy what heās taking - itās not all about the college app IMOl</p>
<p>Perhaps your D can find leadership opportunities outside of school - at church/temple, in a community service project, etc. Create her own community service, enlist her friends and raise money for a charity or clean a park. That counts. There are ways outside of school.</p>
<p>Longhaul- I understand your concerns about Penn State. We lived in PA for many years and thought our kids would have PA state school choices. I did not like how BIG Penn State was and, like you, was not impressed by the other state school options. Weāve now become NY residents and the state school system offers many more options for residents. If your EFC is low and your son tests high, he should have many options at small private schools. I know you mentioned that he has a few Bās. I know on CC that is almost unheard of :), but in reality, he should be fine. I think it really is going to be about his test scores. What is he interested in? </p>
<p>We are begining the course selection process too. I think DD will opt out of APUSH and just take US history (no honors options here, just regents, yuck). However, she will take AP Lang, AP Chem, Honors Physics, Honors Pre-calc, and Drawing or Portfolio Prep. I think she is opting out of Spanish 4. The question is whether she should take Java. Computer science in our school is very weak. They offer AP CS and it is JAVA based. We are trying to find out whether this is worth while or not as her computer classes to date have really been glorified study halls (10 minutes of work followed by 30 minutes of playing computer games).</p>
<p>I am more confused now! Iām doing my āresearchā as you all suggested before my meeting with the GC tomorrow.</p>
<p>While at the nail salon last night, I met a college senior who had graduated from my Sā HS - also a math/science kid. She got into great colleges and is getting ready for grad school now. She was of the mind that many of you are: take the APs in areas of interest; honors UShistory is fine. Her mom was nodding the whole time. Then carpooled last night with a boy who is #1 in junior class at the HS and will no doubt be val next year. Heās in IB but I asked him about friends in APUSH. He said nearly all the top kids (17 out of top 20 he estimated) take it and they all take all the APs available. Not sure this kind of research is helping me. The HS really pushes the AP classes - so they are biased. (I will be out of town next week and will miss the AP meeting for parents)</p>
<p>I think the questions I have to focus on with the GC are:</p>
<p>Will it look like S is not taking āmost rigorousā course load if heās taking: AP Physics (double period course), AP Calc, AP Lang, College Spanish and Honors USH? Only elective he will have room for then is band.</p>
<p>Are honors and AP US history offered the same period, so perhaps he can try AP and then easily switch if it puts him over the top?</p>
<p>Heās doing so well in honors global (90ās) ā will the APUSH be easy to transition to? (junior friend last night said that APUSH is so much easier than AP World)</p>
<p>Whatās the summer workload for each of these AP classes? (S will be out of the country for 5 weeks and involved with his sport the rest of the summer)</p>
<p>I think Iām going to email the current math and history teachers todayā¦get some input about current status and what they think for next yearā¦</p>
<p>FYI - I mentioned this to DH last night, but he was never pushed in school and is doing well in life despite the lack of direction from his parents and his education (one year in cc). He said to give S a break and just do the honor USH. On the other hand, heās getting all 90ās this year and is hardly working at home so he has no problem fitting in his ECs. I am so tornā¦</p>
<p>Any final thoughts before my meeting tomorrow?</p>
And we visited many of them.</p>