<p>1or2Musicians - Here is the info: [New</a> Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award Scholarship | Academic Scholarship Office | University of Arkansas](<a href=“http://scholarships.uark.edu/nrta/index.php]New”>New Arkansan Non-Resident Tuition Award Scholarship | University of Arkansas) Looks like the scholarship is getting lower (like most scholarships!). I wonder what it will be for Fall 2014??</p>
<p>Arkansas is relatively cheap for out of state students even before the scholarship. Definitely worth keeping an eye on. My son seems to want to be a good day’s driving distance away from us. I guess he’s scared we will drop in. I’m not sure why–we barely even go into his room at home because the mess makes us crazy :)</p>
<p>Class of 2015, been there. Sorry to hear about your D.</p>
<p>sent from my smartphone with my fat fingers</p>
<p>We’re not looking at a single in state school, which I don’t think is uncommon on the east coast. According to my daughter, our state is boring. She wants to spread her wings and head elsewhere, but has really just liked the oos big schools. </p>
<p>My kids also get tired of looking at schools. And if they’re too resistant it makes looking a waste of time. We plan on seeing 4 over spring break - flying to one for an overnight, then a road trip to see the other 3. Then it’s two more to see - one when we pick up her brother from school and it’s nearby, the other we still have to figure out how to fit in. </p>
<p>I keep questioning the list. I know we researched and picked the particular schools to fit her, but I keep wondering if I’m missing something. If a school has the vibrant campus with tons of school spirit I worry about the size, getting classes, feeling lost, and the smaller ones who have that all kids live on campus vibe also seem to be lacking spirit and school activities.</p>
<p>We ended up with the snow day today. There’s not really much snow out there right now, but that’s beside the point I guess. They called it off last night about 7:30…</p>
<p>So, kiddo is sleeping in, then will alternate between house cleaning (older brother and friend come home Friday), SAT prep, and internet time. We’ll probably also watch a taped movie or show… It’s kind of a lazy day - aside from dusting and vacuuming plus going through junk mail.</p>
<p>akmom - I hope the virus is better! What horrible timing.</p>
<p>'15 - I hope things work out well for your D. Life definitely seldom works like the movies do. Being there for our kids on the mountaintops and in the depths is our greatest priority. Take care!</p>
<p>Classof2015, if you need to talk, feel free to PM me. I, too, have a second year college student who had some serious issues this year. And it sounds from what you posted that they may be very similar.</p>
<p>Classof2015, thanks for reminding us what is important. Hang in there!</p>
<p>eyemamom… I am totally with you. We leave next week for a college tour trip to OH. I just don’t have good feelings about it. 2 of the schools won’t even have kids on campus because it is their spring break. I think he will love Oberlin, and it is a junior visit day, but I am still worried it is going to be a wasted trip because he will discover that he wants a school in an urban setting. He is the one pushing the visits, so that’s good, but we will see. I hate that we live SO far away from all of the colleges he is interested in.</p>
<p>5boys if he figures out that he wants a school in an urban setting, that is not a wasted trip AT ALL – that is a huge and valuable piece of information for narrowing down his list!</p>
<p>Class – <em>hugs</em> to you and your '15er. Indeed the straight line path is far from the only one. Hope your D finds the path that is right for her!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the caring, hugs and support. It means a lot to me. And maybe it will be good for S’14 to see what it’s like to take some time off and regroup.</p>
<p>Class - sorry I missed the post initially. One thing we need to remember, life is not a race. It’s not getting over a finish line that is important, it’s the journey along the way.</p>
<p>I hope your other child is doing well and that you’re holding up. They’re fortunate to have you to be their safety net. Seems to me life rarely goes as planned.</p>
<p>Class - Thinking of you as I also have an '11.</p>
<p>Thanks for all concerns about DD. She slept thru the night last night and woke up feeling better. She’s actually hungry now so that’s a good sign. Just trying to get more fluids into her to get her back to normal. And very happy she’s able to start back on the antibiotics she missed yesterday. She’s ready to go back to school tomorrow - assuming we don’t have another snow day!</p>
<p>We’ve got some college tours planned for April vacation but will still have some to do in the summer. She seems to like every school she sees, from small LACs in small towns to large state U’s in the city. Except she’s not wild about our own state flagship! We’ll see. We’ve got to start somewhere. And hopefully she’ll do well enough on Saturday’s SATs to make some decisions.</p>
<p>No school today or tomorrow, as we have about a foot of snow in our area. Son’14 got up late, shoveled a couple of times so his dad did not have to do it all, watched some TV, played video games and did some SAT prep for Saturday’s exam. We should be able to get out tomorrow – need to run some errands. </p>
<p>Knew about the U. of Arkansas scholarships. Older son went to a football game there last fall. Lovely campus. Encouraged his brother to check the place out. Too bad we’re not in a neighboring state, so it’s probably not a possibility.</p>
<p>As for the wisdom teeth, we go through that this summer.</p>
<p>@TinnyT, No, unfortunately it’s not possible. I think due to the timing of the testing. I agree that it would be a good idea! (That’s probably why it won’t happen in Illinois)</p>
<p>momreads - you got our snow. We had a couple of inches in the morning, then rain. It’s all melted and the roads were clear rather early yesterday. It seemed strange to be home on a “snow day” with no real snow out there - quite the bummer actually since now we’ll have to go to school an additional day later in the month.</p>
<p>We took the day to do some housecleaning and S did some SAT Prep.</p>
<p>We have been quiet today! I received the following email from our counseling department today, and although there is nothing new in it for the savvy parents on CC it’s nevertheless reassuring to hear that most kids procrastinate and tune us out when we nag!</p>
<p>Hi Junior parents,</p>
<p>We hope this email finds you well. Even the most engaged 11th grader can seem like a procrastinator to motivated parents. As parents, know that the college search will not likely happen as fast as you want it to, but rest assured, it will happen! Here are a few tips (with a little help from Fiske) that can help you survive the college search process:</p>
<p> Learn when to push and when to pull back: I imagine its one of the hardest things about parenting: when to give an extra push, and when to understand that a teenager needs to do it under his/her own power. The right answer can change from day to day and week to week. When possible, try and find a balance. </p>
<p> Adjust to todays admissions climate: Twenty-five years ago, Yale accepted 20% of their applicant pool and everyone thought it was tough to get admitted. Today, Yale accepts roughly 8% from a better applicant pool. The same increase in selectivity is being played out all over the country. Be open to schools youve never heard of that might be right for your son/daughter. The flip-side of rising selectivity is that there are now more colleges where your child would be happy to get a first-class education. </p>
<p> Set financial parameters: My mom has shared that it was once bad form to tell your child that they could not go to a particular college because of cost; it was bad form for some families to share this kind of financial information with their kids. For better or worse, the world is different today, and parents should not be shy about setting limits on the amount that can/will be spent. In other words, have the actual conversation Well do what we can to support you if you get into ____ college. OR Were not paying for a private school that costs more that what wed pay if you went in-state. Certainly dont eliminate particular colleges until after the aid offer comes in, but if there is really no way youre able to support them financially, its best to lay it out up front. FYI - several sites allow parents to anonymously enter financial information and get an estimate of their ability to qualify for need-based aid. Try visiting the <a href=“https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college[/url]”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college</a> website. This estimate should be used as a ballpark figure and doesnt mean that youll actually get aid (just that youll need it.) </p>
<p> Help research colleges: If you learned generalities about the admissions process in previous years, get into specifics now. Try searching on parallel lines as your child. Know the basics of what theyre interested in and look for yourself. Suggestion: try not to speak too often unless you are spoken to. </p>
<p> Set up a filing system: To kids raised in a digital age, paper files are an alien concept. (Scary, huh??) Help your kids keep/record things like paper copies of test scores, report cards, service hours and activities, and later, aid awards. Theyll likely need this information later on. </p>
<p> Keep an eye on test registration: This should be your son/daughters responsibility, but you might help here. The test registration deadline most frequently missed is in the spring of 11th grade. Since youre likely the one who pays the late fees, dont be shy about giving an extra nudge! Visit <a href=“http://www.collegeboard.org%5B/url%5D”>www.collegeboard.org</a> or <a href=“http://www.act.org%5B/url%5D”>www.act.org</a> for SAT, SAT Subject test and ACT info. </p>
<p> Help arrange college visits: Most of the planning for college visits can be done now on colleges website, making it more likely that your son/daughter will take the initiative. Encourage him/her (as we in Student Services have) to go beyond the standard tour/info session and inquire about the possibility of sitting in on classes, talking with professors, and staying over in the dorms. (Note: NOT every school will allow students to participate in such activities.) There is more information on college visits in the Flipbook your child will receive in the coming months. </p>
<p> Be a sounding board: As some of you have already surmised, if you nag too much, your teen will stop confiding in/listening you. Have patience and hell/shell eventually talk to you, and maybe just maybe actually ask your opinion! Our role as counselors is to help them find their own answers.</p>
<p>I hope this information helps! Please contact your childs counselor if you have any additional questions. </p>
<p>Sent from my SCH-I510 using CC</p>
<p>Thanks novamom! That is excellent advice (but soooooo hard to follow!).</p>
<p>2014novaMom - thanks for sharing! </p>
<p>We’re going in the morning to visit his GC. This will be our first meeting and I instigated it. We’ve not received any information from the school regarding college search - unlike the helpful e-mail novamom received. I have a list of questions I’ll go over with DS tonight. Hopefully DS will do some of the talking so I won’t seem too much like a helicopter mom!</p>
<p>Great advice from your child’s school, Novamom. Sounds as if they’ve done this before:)</p>
<p>AK – Glad to hear your daughter is on the mend. Hopefully she’ll be back to normal before Saturday’s test.</p>
<p>Class – Hugs to you, this can’t have been easy for her. Glad your daughter has the support she needs.</p>
<p>Eyemamom – Please let us know what state you live in so we’ll be sure not to send our kids to any boring colleges near you, lol! You gotta love these kids. </p>
<p>Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with spring sports? Spygirl’s sport is taking up so much of her time that she seems even more stressed about keeping up her grades and prepping for the SAT/ACT/AP line up. Practices are always in the evening. Tonight’s ends at 9 p.m. at a field miles from school and an hour from home. There are no excused absences. If a player misses practice for any reason they have to do exhausting conditioning and are not allowed to start the next game. </p>
<p>I get that schools want their teams to be competitive, but there is limited field space and I’m sorry, but practice shouldn’t start 12 hours before the next school day begins.
Our policy is that our kids finish what they start, but we told her she can quit if she wants. At some point, school needs to take precedence over the EC’s.</p>
<p>S’14 has been thinking a lot about the kind of school he wants to attend. He thinks he would like a state flagship, although not necessary OUR state flagship. I told him about 'Bama’s great scholarship deals, but I have a hard time seeing him at a southern school.</p>