Parents of the HS Class of 2017 - 3.0 to 3.4 GPA

@MSU88CHEng --congratulations on the MSU decision!!! =D>

Regarding AP exams, I should have stayed out of it. My S17 says he’s on the same program as Techson17. @techmom99 --“his AP classes are reviewing and doing HW and that he is doing it on his own and doesn’t need my help.” Alrighty then!

And . . . still no definitive decision in the Hanksterhouse. One week left!

Prom is in the books. Picked up S17’s graduation suit and graduation tickets. Got the email for S17 to register for alum events. It’s getting real!

@MSU88CHEng Congratulations on your son’s decision! <:-P I like the avatar!

We went to admitted students weekend and many of the kids I talked to admitted they had senioritis!

@Hankster1361 - Yes, last night he asked me to review with him for his final unit test. I assumed he knew the materials. Turned out he was just learning it. He had a good handle on it - civil rights and liberties, with a nice dollop of criminal procedure, which is something he is familiar with as we are addicted to Law and Order, but then he decided to yell at me. That was it, I tossed him out of my living room.

@MSU88CHEng - Congrats on your son’s choosing your alma mater. My H tried desperately but none of the kids was interested in his.

@MSU88CHEng congratulations on the decision (and whether your son likes it or not that story is very cute)!

@CoyoteMom and @Hankster1361 still undecided here too, our kids can bring up the rear together.

@klinska he seems to have them sorted into geographic areas instead of tiers. One of the issues here is that all things being equal he’d prefer to be relatively close to home, but he got into more interesting places farther away. That is making the choice harder. I hope once he makes it he can be happy and not look back.

We are on the last leg of our last college visit trip. He did an overnight at Kenyon (very quiet, first overnight where his host basically put on headphones and ignored him), revisited Denison, and is now at F&M. There is definitely a more East Coast preppy vibe here than at the other schools on his list. I’ll be curious to hear what he thinks when I pick him up in a few hours…I hope he can start sorting seriously once this last data point is in

YAY a party in Burlington with @klinska and @cameo43 . That would be so fun. The WPI visit sounds fabulous for your D @cameo43 and really reaffirmed the choice, that’s wonderful!

@CoyoteMom I have no doubt that you have given your S the tools to figure which one is the better fit for him. I truly don’t think he can go wrong with either choice and will be successful at either school. It is lovely when it does come down just to “fit” at a certain point I think.

@tacocat333 for the win again! I am screwed, I don’t drink soda. That explains it all, right?

@mdcmom I am so sorry to hear about your D. Grateful you went to check on her and are doing what is needed but sad to hear it impacts this current semester as well. I hope it can be done as easily as possible with minimal financial impact. HUGS And I hope you can sneak into the Bing session, that’s a bit frustrating to not be able to attend the session this close to the wire…

@morningside95 to do quotes it is [ quote ] whatever you want to quote and then [ /quote ] just remove the spaces inside the brackets.

@MSU88CHEng I’m scrolling and reading no decision (but the new avatar is screaming at me) and then right below that post, BAM! Love it, that is so wonderful and super cute (yes, yes it is) about the old t. My S19 is doing an online course right now through MSU which has made me think of you this past week.

@techmom99 ugh, I feel your pain (with the yelling and tossing out of the living room). I got that this morning. Last night we realized S had a scholarship app due today. So…scramble scramble scramble, he’s got everything (sort of, not really). He is NOT a morning person. At all. And he’s got to 1) turn this packet in today and 2) get a transcript mailed today that he did not have sent when he should have for a different one. So I am on him do he doesn’t forget the stuff (as he will ) and snarl snap growl.

I will not NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT miss this part of my mornings. I’m super annoyed with him about one piece of this app that he asked me to help with. He didn’t even bother to read it, just took as is. He wasn’t comfortable stating anything related to finances, which I get but seriously…read it and then put it in your own words. Super annoyed. It wasn’t the essay mind you (which I didn’t even read) but grrrrrrrr.

@Hankster1361 sending you virtual chocolate to get you through the week.

@93pilots I hope that these last visits have helped and given him some clarity, let the slashing begin!

@MSU88CHEng congrats on the decision. Must be extra sweet to have it be your alma mater.

@techmom99 I would have tossed him out, too!

@93pilots I feel for you! Lots of variable in play. Sounds like the Kenyon visit was a bit of a letdown. I wish I understood why students agree/volunteer to be hosts and then treat the prospie like that. Hopefully, the rest of the visit went well.

@tacocat333 – you made me snort!

@eandesmom I’m having the same experience with scholarship apps–last minute (and probably half-@ssed) When exactly are we supposed to start letting them face the consequences of their actions (inactions)?? I’m feeling like right now might be a good time.

Congratulations @MSU88! It took a lot of patience, on your part, to let you S come around to the decision on his own, but he clearly wanted make the decision extra fun for you, by wearing the shirt!

We hope the decision making process pans out relatively smoothly for your students, @klinska, @93pilots and @CoyoteMom! They have some great choices and should feel good about being accepted so many places. It’s the culmination of 4 years of (mostly) hard work and dedication to the ECs they cared about. My S is always annoyed by kids who are obviously doing an EC because it will look good on their application, not because they actually really like what they are doing. We come from a pretty privileged community and for some of families, its about resume-building.

Agreed @eandesmom, @Hankster1361, @techmom99 (and probably all of us) Senioritis and the stress of all the other events and planning needed, even if your D or S has made their college decision, makes a lot of us, parents and kids, short-tempered. And the one thing I will NOT miss about my kid is having to drag an 17 yr old out of bed every morning. S16 got up on his own, all of Sr year, but S17 sleeps thru his alarm all the time. I could never trust that he’d get up and out on his own. I am happy to soon say “Goodbye!” to stressful mornings!

Other than the the mornings issue, and a little harping on S about keeping up his grades and getting a job again, the stress at our house has been manageable. He is our only kid at home right now, and S16 is doing well at college (alos needs a summer job, tho!). But now we have a new issue to deal with. After DS’s serious car accident, last summer, he could not drive for about 5 months, while his surgically repaired right foot was still healing, and then we tacked on a few more months of not driving, because the accident was his fault, and there had to be consequences.

Thankfully he did not argue with our decision, but we had talked about letting him drive again (and putting him back on our car in$urance) after spring break, which ended April 2nd. We started with having him drive with us, just to get back into practice, and have been letting him use the car for a few short trips around town. The whole accident thing was really hard to comprehend at first, because S was a very good driver. The DMV driving test giver even walked into the waiting area, to personally tell me what a great job and great kid he is. (S is very good with parents/adults.) He was singing along to Hamilton or something, with his fellow thespian gal pal, and got distracted in what they were doing and lost control. Also, he was driving my husband’s car, which more powerful than the beater Toyota Camry the boys shared, and he was going too fast. Thankfully no other vehicles involved, and the pretty serious injuries sustained will mostly heal, with time. The fact that his friend was hurt has been the worst part of the situation, and the reason why, I think, S has been accepting of restrictions we put on him this year. DS will carry a scar on his forehead for the rest of his life, as a reminder of this actions, although, in true DS style, he is disappointed that the scar is healing so well, that it is not nearly so obvious anymore; because he thought it made his hairless-chinned face look a little more “bad-ass!” Anyway, long story short, we are dealing with the driving and curfew issues again, and we know he’ll be pushing the limits as we get into summer. We’ve straight up told him we’ll take away the keys again, if he doesn’t agree to our requirements about where he drives and when he comes home. Neither son will take the car to college, and they will have to share again, this summer. Thankfully we have bikes and a bike-friendly city, as an option to get around town, now that its spring.

Keep the good ones coming, @tacocat333! We continue to need some =)) theses days!

Take care all! And keep sharing.

My son isn’t studying outside of class. Our H.S. the AP teachers really prepare the kids for the test. And my son ‘tests’ well. AP CS should be a slam dunk for him. And the AP Physics classes he is studying hard for but we aren’t using any outside materials.

@Brunoandbeansmom I am right there with you. High performing school. Not quite top grades. A bit frustrating that way.

My son has decided on UCSC. I think it’s the great choice & my son’s highest rated school. The only thing not on my son’s list was marching band. Sorry I didn’t post earlier but I’ve had a busy weekend.

I suggested UPS but he didn’t even apply. (He didn’t apply to any small LAC’s) If your son doesn’t go the CC route (more about that late) he really needs to decide if he wants the small liberal arts route vs. large state school. These two schools are very different. I have a good friends who’s D goes to UPS and loves it. Tough choice…

The things I don’t like about UCSC are that it’s mostly likely DS will end up in a triple room. And that like any UC, class sizes even in upper division courses are getting larger and larger. I personally went to UCSC and I do think it’s a very good school. Honestly ALL the UC’s are very highly rater public schools.

As for the CC route. I’ve know quite a number of students who do that and it can really work for you. If what is wants is to get into Berkley, UCLA or San Diego then he should defiantly go that route. But for Economics I’m really not sure that’s necessary. And I agree you get a lot out of moving away. My son wants to get out of the house and wouldn’t even consider that route, nor did I think it’s good for him for the reasons you state.

Good Luck…

@morningside95 Sorry to hear about son’s accident but happy he’s ok and back out driving again. That’s scary!

@MSU88CHEng I love your story of how S told you his choice by pointing to his worn MSU shirt! Congratulations!

@curiositycat333 Congrats on the UCSC decision!

@morningside95

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Thanks, everyone–I posted here and to a Facebook group last night because I had to share S decision with SOMEONE! And yes, it was especially sweet because it’s my alma mater (but I did make sure that S didn’t make his choice just because it was “my” school…).

And of course, because he has to be him, S wore a UAlbany t-shirt to school today… No, it’s not cold feet or anything–just messing with his friends. 8-|

@curiositycat333 Congrats on UCSC! I hope the housing works out ok for him and that the class size issue isn’t a huge thing. At MSU, S will have 2 classes in his residential college each semester of freshman year that will be under 35 students. I’m guessing 1st semester that he’ll have a huge Economics class and maybe a history class of unknown size, and math (unless he pulls out a good AP Calc score). So it should be a good mix of college classes…

@morningside95 I hear you about setting limits this spring and summer. S15 hasn’t had a car on his campus yet because of speeding tickets and some laziness that led to mediocre grades. If things are better thisoon semester, he will get a car on campus next year, but S17 can’t have one at MSU as a freshman.

@mdcmom S17 Wouldn’t qualify for the NYS excelsior, either because his scholarships would cover tuition, but not room & board… And he did get all the scholarships he needed to make MSU affordable (enough…) anyway. Good luck with D14–tough situation, but you have a handle on it.

@eandesmom Yeah, mornings… S will get up, but I have a scheduled text I send to him on school days to make sure he’s out the door oneighbor time–then he’s STILL late occasionally, but blames it on picking up a friend… I think it will be good when he’s on his own–he’s motivated enough, but I think he uses me as a crutch.

@eandesmom and @Klinsmann S has a scholarship app due this week, too. I’m so done with them, but should probably see where he’s at on it. He needs to be independent, but an extra $500-1000 would be really nice at this point.

Good luck & clarity to all still waiting on decisions. I know it’s a huge relief to me knowing that S is moving forward!

And about IB and AP exams–S isn’t doing much of anything outside of the practice work assigned in classes. But our school has always been good about prepping for AP’s. S has only taken 1 IB exam (and S15 didn’t take IB), so I don’t have as much experience with that, but S17 is doing the practice IB work that’s been assigned.

@Brunoandbeansmom, I ran off before I could reply to your concerns, but I would also say that you should trust your first instinct - that the whole going away to a 4-year college is what encourages the actual personal growth and independence we want for our kids.

       If it were me, I would *not* reconsider the cc option - he *is* already owning the decision by seriously considering both UCSC and UPS - and he will likely be happy with whichever he chooses.  Sometimes (ignore the eyeroll from my kid) 8-| , we parents really do know what will be good for our kids - I would trust your own instincts here!

@cameo43 - yay for sharing your D’s wonderful accepted students visit to WPI. My son really enjoyed our visit and also felt at home there - he just doesn’t want to be an engineer.

Also - I’d love to join you and @Klinska and @eandesmom in Burlington - I don’t think my grand college visit tour will ever feel complete if I don’t make it to UVM - and it really would be fUn to meet you all in person!

@rienrah - thanks for good wishes - yes - very odd little tidbit that Beloit’s Prez is from Carleton - he gave a very charasmatic and inspiring welcome speech with 2 Star Wars references, which is definitely a plus here in CoyoteDen.

Thanks also for good wishes from @rosered55 - good to know that you were satisfied that your D had a great education at Carleton.

@tacocat333 - ha ha on equating merit money to those before and after diet pics that make you think the whole thing is just a photo-shopped mirage. I am hoping that some AP review is happening in class, cause there’s no evidence of it going on at home! But I would advise CoyoteSon to take Calc again in college no matter what he gets on the exam, though it would be nice if he did well enough in government to get the college credit.

@mdcmom - ha ha - thanks for sharing the “oragami frog” instructions from Carleton - very clever! I am so sorry for your older D’S struggles, though it sounds like you are doing everything right to prioritize her health first. I do hope you can sneak in a visit to Bing.

@MSU88CHEng - wohoo - Congrats on having your son choose MSU, and let you know by “showing, not telling” with the old T-shirt. Congrats! =D>

@morningside95 - glad you enjoyed the Star Wars video. I also enjoyed the “St. Olaf’S marching choir” video, with the “fight” song completed by the waving of foam/plastic swords. Hilarious and in tune. Northfield is such a cute town to have the big parade each year for the Jesse James Days (to celebrate how the town of Northfield prevented the robbing of their bank)

From @eandesmom:

I think this level of frustration is so typical – do you think it’s hard wired into teenagers so that we will kick them out of the nest?

And I think I’ve finally caught up. No decision yet, but we do have more swag news: an envelope came today from Beloit with one blue sock adorned with yellow turtles (unofficial mascot, due to having a turtle-shaped Native American mound on the campus grounds).

With a letter from the Beloit Prez (the guy who came recently from Carleton) giving creative suggestions about what to do with one sock (puppet, duster, drink cozy!) - but noting that one might find the sock’s missing mate if CoyoteSon decides to deposit and attend Beloit!

@klinska sigh. I go so back and forth on this. My H thinks it’s ridiculous I check on them in the morning to make sure they are up and out the door. It’s literally the one “mom” thing I do. They feed themselves breakfast, make their lunch (or forget, their problem if they do), do their own laundry etc. Many times it’s a nice morning ritual but others…ugh! S19 can miss school today, unexcused, for all I care. Seriously kid, you have two alarms, use them both or gee…change apps if one is being unreliable!

On the scholarship stuff it’s frustrating. He wants to do them, wants to earn them, but really has zero self discipline on his own to get them done. And pushes everything till the 11th hour. Which is true of anything in his life so at least he’s consistent. But…with the ADHD I do know it is a challenge and he does juggle a lot. Too much, much of the time and it bites him. It is frustrating though as the little ones would help. Every little bit does. At this point though “I” am done. There may be more out there he should try for but really, “I” am done!

@morningside95 S17 has never been a morning person, (though neither am I lol) so college should be interesting. S19 has always been easy but has had “alarm” issues quite a bit lately. He set it, it didn’t go off! As he shows me the phone in the distance to support his claim. Sigh.

@CoyoteMom I love the one sock marketing ploy! Socks are great swag.

@MSU88CHEng laughing at the Albany shirt to school after deciding. The day S and I were to meet to discuss pro/con he had on both his WWU socks and his WWU hat. I wondered if it was a sign. Nope, he just really likes the hat and socks (and the school). He plans to wear them in Vermont, he doesn’t think anyone cares. Guess that means my vintage UW sweatshirt is off to college as well. LOL!

@curiositycat333 Congratulations on UCSC!

Re AP exams - D17 decided not to take them this year because at her LAC they would only count as electives. I agreed that she should focus on her EMT certification and not add to her stress by taking the AP exams. However, if she were going to a college where they would fulfill a requirement, I would have pushed for her to take them. As far as studying for AP exams, last year, she had the full APES course fall semester at her semester school, then took the AP exam in the spring at her HS where APES is not even offered, so there were no faculty members who could help her prep. She bought the Barron’s book and the flashcards and self-studied and she got a 4. She chose not to take any other AP exams last year, because since she was at the semester school in the fall, she only took the second half of the other AP courses in the spring when she returned to her HS, and after discussing it with her AP teachers, they felt it would be too difficult for her to learn what she had missed during the first half in the fall.

Re waking up on time - okay, I’ll admit it, I was one of those freshmen whose mom called just about every day to see if I was up on time! Unfortunately, D17 seems to take after me. Last week D17 had an academic awards assembly at 9:10 a.m. I heard her alarm go off and thought I heard her moving around. I then went downstairs to work on our desktop computer. Shortly before 9, I went up to check on her and she had fallen back to sleep! Grrr! (I would have checked earlier, but I mistakenly thought the assembly was at 9:20.) So she threw on some clothes, brushed her teeth and hair, and I drove her so that she wouldn’t have to park, which would have eaten up more time. We pulled up in front of the school at 9:11. But then I had to go back and pick her and DS22 up from school at the end of the day, since D17’s car was at home. Honestly, my concern about getting her to this assembly wasn’t for her - I just feel, as I shared with her on the way there, that when someone is presenting you with an award, it’s disrespectful not to show up to accept it.

@NolaCAR it’s probably good that S17 will be on a 3 hour time difference. I am not getting up at 4am to make sure the kid is up. LOL!

That seems a very good reason to drive her, I’d have done the same thing. The falling back asleep makes me crazy although I am just as bad on my own!

Falling back to sleep…S17 does it ALL THE TIME! I-)