A miracle happened in this household last night! S’16 requested the file of old ACT tests and took it to his room… Don’t know if they will be used but their is hope 
I think he realizes that his time for procrastinating is growing shorter. D’15 has decided on her school and if wants to follow he will need above a 29 for OOS merit money! Maybe, just maybe the fire has been lite?
He may finally understand the whole package thing. He continues to meet with his College counselor and he if follows the course he is on he should end with A’s in 5 courses for the year and a B to B- in Spanish. He just does not like languages and he WILL NOT take another year in his senior year of school
that is wonderful news @Hoosier96 ! for my S…his GPA is going down…despite it seeming like he is more focussed and interested…i’m not sure why…but, I know he will do fine, he will get to go to College…and…perhaps if he suffers some disappointments…and he learns that it may be due to his own “doing”…he will perform better in college…?? anyway, he’s actually okay…
D16 has had to revise her plans based on some poor choices-- not anything dire, just a huge lack of motivation. She’s actually seeming more interested now that some of the expectations are gone. I think she felt a need to keep up with her ridiculously ambitious sibling, and then felt like she couldn’t. Now that we’ve gone a different track, she’s pretty happy. Her grades are still…meh…but she’s happy.
So I got inspired to take another look at UC Santa Cruz. Was worried that my son’s GPA was too low to even be considered, especially as we are out of state. But the way they calculate it I think he’s likely to clear that hurdle. He isn’t going to have as many A’s as he’d hoped as his final grades this year, but he shouldn’t have any C’s and that’s a big improvement.
Like @drmom123 and @petrichor11 my S is getting really engaged in his future career options but boy, is he sick of school with another six weeks to go!
We have three. D’s grades actually look okay at the moment, especially considering at the beginning of the quarter she had an F and a D in two of her classes. As and Bs now. I’m not sure what happened, but I’ll take it.
my S is looking okay, mostly B’s at this time…I’ll take it too…but, I really wish he would be willing to ask for help, and have someone look over his essays before handing in final drafts! And…those “rubrics” the teachers hand out…how hard is it to really just put stuff in the essay or project that goes to answering the little requirements in the highest point box!!! #-o
SAT scores are in, and apparently we’re looking at the right schools.
I honestly think that’s the biggest part of the battle (well, aside from finances, but that’s a topic for a different thread.) We’ve found schools where he can be happy, but that he also stands a decent chance of getting into. So any improvement in SAT scores will be icing on the cake.
One of the Juniors in my homeroom was pretty upset with her SAT scores. I gave her a list of schools to look at over the weekend, and you would have thought I had given her gold.
Okay it is time to dive in again…S’17 has finally asked to go on a college visit…and we readily agreed, afraid this was our only chance with this kiddo so off to Hillsdale we will go. His short list, contains Knox; Hillsdale; American can you guess what this one is interested in ;). He also is interested in Antioche because of political economics major. His grades at this point before finals are all A’s but you know how that goes…hopefully he will study for finals.
S16’s college search is so much less exciting than D13. S knows exactly what he wants to major in, and which school he wants to attend. I’m not worried about admission (this year has pushed him above the 3.3 of this group, although he was a steadyB/ B+ student as a Freshman and Sophomore). He signed up for the summer overnight visit for rising Seniors. Just the June SAT to get through - and I will breathe easier once the money is ironed out! After dealing with a lot of my angst on the 2013 3.0-3.3 board, I’ll still be following y’all this year!
S’17 grade wise has never been in this range always higher but he will never hunt with the big guns…just not his or our family style. My '15 journey lead me to this forum and I will say it was a blessing. you will not see me on '16 forum to much just not my cup of tea. I liked the '15 group because of the various group of parents and students. just a comfort zone for me.
My son got his SAT =1970. CR + M is 1360. This might help balance out his GPA. His first choice is still Va Tech, but they are so selective. He retakes the ACT in June. He took it in Feb without a graphing calculator and got a 28, so maybe he’ll do a bit better.
I feel for these kids. So much pressure. I really don’t remember this type of pressure when I was a junior and thinking about college. Maybe I was just oblivious.
I’m sure he will be glad when summer gets here!
Ugh! My ds did a complete crash and burn this last marking period. We had been monitoring his grades closely, but in typical fashion, he checked out the last two weeks and his grades plummeted. It is his worst marking period ever. I guess it is back to the drawing board for college options. 
These things happen, @BlueHen89. At this point I am trying to let natural consequences happen. Just reread a message from a college professor friend of mind. She reassured me that she has seen real examples of unfocused, unmotivated kids who blossomed as undergrads when they finally found something they wanted to work hard for.
I haven’t read this book yet (not out until tomorrow) but it is already showing up in my Facebook stream. It looks worth reading, if not a little too late for me :-p
http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Adult-Overparenting-Prepare/dp/1627791779#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_1433802713637
Having limited options now might mean it will be easier to make a cheaper choice. Then, should that sudden burst of responsibility and work ethic happen we could support a transfer.
Thank you for your kind words, crowlady. I am disappointed because I know he can do better. However, ultimately, he has to make that commitment. Our plan right now is to explore our state directional schools and, as you said, he can transfer later, if he works hard.
Heh, @bluehen we live in a state that is too small to have directionals! Our safety is the campus down the road where my college professor friend works (and many friends, actually). It is a perfectly respectable place, even if it has “county” in the name (it is UMBC if anybody is interested). The only drawback is how close it is for someone who would prefer to be on the west coast! I would recommend it to anybody on these boards, especially for computer science.
@crowlady, I wouldn’t be surprised to see our son apply to UMBC as a safety, especially if he doesn’t like what he sees at Ole Miss. I don’t know that they give merit aid to high test score/lower GPA students. It’s funny that the only school in Maryland that gives automatic aid to NMSF is right down the street from us. It’s a strict religious college, though, and very far from being a fit.
@mstomper My S14 got good merit from UMBC. His GPA wasn’t super high (3.5 uw) but S14 will be lower and I won’t expect as much.
crowlady…We have a friend whose daughter goes to UMBC and is really loving the school! We have considered Towson for our son, but the OOS tuition is pretty hefty.
@BlueHen89 It is so difficult to stand by and watch our kids not take things as seriously as we know they should. You have the right attitude. I didn’t do this with my first child, but I am with my 17 year old son. It isn’t easy, is it?
@mstomper I tried to find specific info on merit scholarships on the UMBC website, but they don’t break it down. It sure would be helpful for interested students.