Got D17 to set up her Common App account today, and she did a bunch of the easy parts already. Luckily her schools don’t have much in the way of supplemental essays…just some short answers, mostly of the “why do you want to go here” variety. But she is at square 1 with her main essay, unfortunately. They did one in English class last spring but hers was terrible and she needs to start over. I was hoping to have her work on it this summer but didn’t manage it [she’s not super motivated and hates to write], and now she’s off to her dad’s for 3 weeks and won’t be back until almost the start of school. She can work on it there of course but doubt she will. Oh well. If she gets a lot of the other stuff done that will be a start.
Whew, the posts come fast and furious while I’m gone! Spent a week in Vermont on vacation (great trip!) and visited UVM while there. I’ll eventually put a review on the main 2017 board in case anyone is interested. I’m catching up!
Pushing on essays
I was pushing, but probably not enough. D did finish her rough draft CA essay before vacation. It’s a great start. I’ve only read her creative writing recently (which I love) but wasn’t sure how she’d do in the “essay about yourself” format. She just needs to add in some more detail and put more of “herself” into it. Yep, sounds easy enough! It’s only 400 words now, but should be a good length by the final draft. She also started the CA yesterday and got through a bit of the drudgery. So I’m feeling good… BUT THEN D mentioned some “science homework” for the summer which I hadn’t heard word one of up til now. I looked at the school website and she has 10 worksheets to do for AP Physics before August 19! So, zero college stuff will be happening (on her end) until school starts. Sigh.
Goucher
I visited Goucher with older D (class of 2011) and thought I’d share what I can still remember since several of you are looking there. D was looking for a double major in biology and dance. Overall, we both had a very positive impression. I can’t stress how warm and welcoming the atmosphere was. The student center had a club fair going on and D talked to several students. They were all very friendly and helpful and seemed to love their school. After the official stuff, D and I walked around a bit. I think it was a Saturday, so fairly quiet. We were looking at some biology posters in the science building when a professor approached to ask if she could help us with anything. She was a bio prof and ended up inviting D into her office and they talked for about 15 minutes. D thought the prof was great. And I don’t think any of you are looking at dance, but D was so excited that this was one of the only two schools she looked at that had aerial dance (trapeze and other apparatus) which she loves. If your child loves to fly through the air, they should check it out. Another draw was West African dance which is really fun to watch. (The dance mom in me has to encourage everyone to try a dance class, especially if it can fulfill a gen ed req!) Goucher was one of the most generous schools with merit aid. It would have been doable with a pretty small loan. But on a second visit for a dance scholarship audition and getting a closer look at the department, she decided it was too ballet-based. I wish I could remember the amount of merit. I think it was $15,000. And for comparison, she had a 3.7 with zero rigor (no AP/honors, etc. offered at her HS) and was around their 75% for the SAT.
Well, that’s what I can pull from the mists of memory! I’m sure some things have changed, but I would recommend taking a look.
@mackatarinasmom, I think your D will have no worries regarding ECs. An international relations major who did a year abroad with little support at the start from local organizations. She came back and helped the new student. She’s done public speaking engagements to encourage others and share her experiences. Plus the other activities. I can’t imagine that won’t be seen as a strong part of her app.
I can’t help much either with her major (another STEM kid here), but one of my older D’s friends graduated from St. Olaf in International Relations and Russian (one may have been a minor, can’t remember). He had a great experience and is now at U of MN for grad school and I think his ultimate plan is to work at an NGO of some type.
@kt1969, your list has some overlap with both my older D (college senior) and D17. I visited Skidmore with D11 and found it very preppy and a bit stand-offish, but the campus was pretty and most of the buildings nice and modern. The whole area, including the school, is very horse-oriented. I think maybe there’s a famous racetrack nearby or something. Anyway, those are my vague memories and I wouldn’t stake anything on them!
Smith is D17’s #1 school, also a reach for her. We both loved it on our visit. Beautiful campus and buildings, great little college town, very open curriculum, super warm and welcoming, students live in houses rather than dorms. The only bad thing about the school is the NPC (even assuming admittance!) We just visited UVM (which I need to review on the main board!), but you probably know as much as me, having also visited.
I agree with @CA1543 to take a look at RIT. It’s D’s 2nd choice so far. Of course it is a tech school, but D and I really liked the vibe and it didn’t seem as “techy” as some of the other tech schools (I’m looking at you, RPI!) They seem to have a variety of interesting majors. We also liked the little we saw of Rochester.
@snoozn, what did your D think of UVM?
And also, what is the “main board”? Help a newbie out. 
@kt1969, yes I can see that you’d be confused! There’s a “main” (also huge) thread for all the class of 2017 parents at http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/class-20xx-community/1479899-parents-of-the-hs-class-of-2017.html
It’s a great place with people who are friendly, interesting, and helpful. But like most of CC, there are tons of very high achieving kids looking at top tier schools. I think a number of us have found this “off-shoot” a good place to remind ourselves that not every HS senior has taken 20 APs , won top awards and has perfect test scores. There’s no snooty “MY child will only attend an Ivy…” type stuff there, but it can feel intimidating.
Now that you’ve asked, I MUST get that UVM review done! 
I’ll link it here as well.
@curiositycat333 that’s funny about Pokemon. It is a good “bad” thing, I agree. I love seeing my kids out and walking so much!
Essay pushing
S was pushed for a first draft but nada since then. He knows he has to get it done before school starts. It needs work. 1st paragraph is great, middle needs a ton of work although the raw material is there, and the closing has huge potential but needs some serious syncing up. It’s disjointed at the moment.
He has NOT started an iota of summer homework. He does still have time but…ACT prep starts up next week and between that, his job, my nephew here for 3 weeks and the prayer of CA getting started I am trying SO hard to keep quiet. I need to get my arms around all of the supplements. But can’t unless I upgrade the essay organizer OR he sets up his stupid CA account. Plus there are new schools to discuss. UGH.
@snoozn thanks for the insight on Goucher! When I had first looked at Goucher it spat out 15K or that’s what my notes say but the current NPC doesn’t ask for stats, just income and spits out $19,750. Which still isn’t enough but it’s a lot closer.
I am very much looking forward to your UVM report! S decided at the CTCL event that he wasn’t interested in any LAC’s in Vermont, just UVM.
@oldbrookie, @kt1969, @MomStudent2017 that’s exactly it. Not confident in his ability or drive to ask for help in a larger setting, in a small he will and frankly any struggles will be more easily noticed by the teacher. He likes having an actual relationship with the teacher and at a huge state school especially early on, that will not happen on its own and even with some work, may not. He has said that the extra support and focus would be good for him, totally unsolicited. He also did NOT get the “blend into the crowd” gene. Lol!
@snoozn All of that sounds very family. I know D has a lot of hw for her AP US History and AP Literature class before school starts (which is in 2 weeks and we will be on vacation). She has to retake her ACT since she last took it in her sophomore year and she has to get her drivers’ license all within the next month or so. She fell behind on driving while she was away and because she is younger for her year. LOTS happening and I am trying not to push too much but wondering how it is all going to happen. Thank you for the words of encouragement!
I’m glad I’m not the only one whose kid has a million things still to do before the end of summer!
Here’s the gargantuan UVM review: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19858935/#Comment_19858935
He read one chapter of one book! So more than an iota. :))
Not by much though. He has mentioned more than once he needs to get cracking on everything this week.
So bummed, he’s supposed to have senior pictures today…it’s grey and ugly out and he’d planned them at the beach. Which I suppose could make them look very Seattle like and maybe suits the kid who doesn’t want sun for college but…mom’s bummed. It will be interesting to see if a reschedule is attempted, I am not sure if the rest of the week looks better or not.
@eandesmom Sun isn’t always the best for pictures. Can be create too much glare & shadows. Depends on what type of photo’s you are looking for. Although I should probably ask the photographers in my family first.
S17 told me he found out the AP Physics homework don’t take a lot of time. But he hasn’t started it. And Online Health isn’t as far along as he promised. I’m not surprised. He doesn’t HAVE to finish the Online health before school starts, but we are trying to not add it to his already crazy busy fall schedule.
At least Band Camp turns out to be not a huge commitment this week. It’s complicated, and he is a bit bummed because turns out he could have missed this week and done another session of camp. It’s because the assistant who helps out in the part he’s involved in, isn’t available most of the week.
@curiositycat333 since I’m not allowed to go watch, who knows what kind of photos I am looking for. It’s not about me lol. Agreed on glare but I am worried about contrast. I’ll trust that they will figure it out, it may mean a location change but who knows.
I don’t recall AP physics as being bad last year at all.
@eandesmom Well S17’s class in AP Physics I & AP Physics II in one year. It’s not supposed to be taught that way, but our school refused to change and is basically still teaching the old AP Physics without Calculus. So it’s a face paced class. The homework looks like a lot but I think it may just be a lot of the paperwork, and those first few boring homework assignments on how to take measurements, do basic math, etc.
Our district refuses to teach AP Physics C, which it crazy IMO since most of the kids in this class will have finished Calculus already & they could easily support at least one Physics C class. Plus it would be a good way for those kids to keep up their Calculus skills.
@curiositycat333 if it makes you feel better, no physics C here either. We also have to take a AB for one full year before you are allowed to take BC for calculus.
Meltdown mode at my house.
On the positive side S started his APES homework.
On the negative side (depending on your point of view) I have decided to let S be done with the ACT. His scores are average at best but the reality is if he is convinced he cannot do any better, he won’t. It is not worth the stress, the arguing, the money and schedule logistics to deal with tutoring sessions and practice tests. He is feeling so pressured and stressed that it was breaking my heart. I have canceled and rescheduled so much already I can’t keep it straight! I told him that at this point I’d rather he put 110% into his essay and apps and get them in early and he is on board. Many of his schools superscore and are more holistic anyway so the essay matters quite a lot. Or at least I hope so. And if it doesn’t, well it’s not the right school.
We will submit what we have and if he does decide to test again we will submit updated scores.
@eandesmom … so sorry to hear about the meltdown! My S17 is in a similar situation. His GPA falls into this range because the lack of effort he puts into school. The same goes with preparing for the ACT & SAT exams. Fortunately for him, the scores on each place him within the 50% range for the majority of colleges we were looking at prior to receiving the scores. With a little more effort I believe he could raise these scores to place him above the range, but he doesn’t want to test again. I’m with you … we’re not looking at top colleges, so if they don’t accept him, well then I guess its not the right fit … and their loss
On a positive note … S17 received 2 application fee waivers. One was from the C/A because supposedly there was a glitch in the system for one of his U’s (which we didn’t know about). A U on our list left a phone message offering a fee waiver for visiting. We had already visited (not sure why they didn’t know this) so S17 e-mailed asking if we could still receive the fee waiver & the answer was yes!
Maybe I need to vent here more often. We had a breakthrough tonight!
- I printed out my timeline to paper and we talked about due dates and the college lists.
- She told me she does have the CA essay typed, but not done, but that I could read it and give her some input.
- she decided on who she would ask for LOR this week at school.
- she narrowed down the list!
Reaches: Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Boston College (all pretty dependent on raising ACT in sept)
Matches: Rhodes College, UofRichmond, Wake Forest, Lafayette College
Safeties: Truman State, MissouriS&T, Pittsburg State, Drury University (we still need to visit these and narrow down to 2)
She agreed she was going to focus on learning to drive and Studying for the ACT until the Sept 10th test. And maybe a little bit of work on CA essay and Activities Resume (neither of us have any idea what this is) if I don’t nag
Then come Sept 10th after the ACT she will focus on the rest of the application stuff.
It seems ambitious to me, but she does have 10 days off school for Fall break in Oct…so if she procrastinates she will just have to spend her break working on college apps.
I’m just relieved that she has a plan!
@MomStudent2017 poor S is just a miserable test taker and though meds have helped him a ton, he has that self image. He actually works quite hard in school and the GPA has come up quite a bit. With luck he may move out of this GPA range by the end of first semester and barring anything disastrous likely be end of senior year. I am hoping the improved junior year GPA is noticed.
I do think he’s capable of a better score but he doesn’t believe in himself enough to think that and as a result won’t put in the work for that, but is more likely to on the essay, summer homework and senior year.
Same boat, 50th percentile in most cases and honestly I think he’s fine for admission at most, the only real reason to retest is to chase merit. It really does come down to money and I want him to have options but it is what it is.
I have to admit…I feel less stressed after throwing in the towel
@eandesmom My D12 was a really bad test taker as well. I’ve been through that before. We only had her take the ACT twice, I think her top score was a 20. She went to college. I figured there was no reason to push her to take huge amounts of ACT when it wasn’t going to make much of a difference. And while S17 might be able to take the SAT’s and do even better, it isn’t going to matter with his GPA and his time & effort needs to be made in getting good grades & writing those essays.
Good Luck. The mental health of our teens is very important.
And despite having a kid who’s has test score that will help enormously. I honestly think there is way to much emphasis on SAT & ACT tests. Many smaller schools & even the larger ones know that. Many people making huge amounts of $$ on test prep academy’s. Students spending their summers trying to gain 100 more points on the SAT, rather than something fun or different.
Is he a good writer? For D12 we looked at a few test optional schools. But they usually require a writing portfolio instead. Writing portfolio can often be samples of class essays and such.
Honestly I am feeling ok about the list as it stands. He plans to do a second draft of his essay this week, refine the list next and meet with the counselor on editing the 2nd draft and start the common app either next week or the week after. The current list has 13 and will get cut down but 7 of the 13 do superscore. He’s at a 25 with the superscore and a 24 without. My biggest concern for the non superscore schools is his science score as it’s weaker in the test we will send and the writing is a bit lower. But, if he isn’t going for engineering the weak science may not matter as much (22 versus 24) Although based on some of the writing scores out there, at least his is consistent with his composite which is better than most it seems.
So they aren’t great, that’s for sure but in looking at his list he’s in the middle 50th percentile for all on test scores, a higher score may have combated the GPA but it may not have. It really is more about potential merit than admissions with what he has and what his list is. The reality is we haven’t really found a true reach that we can afford and as such there aren’t any on the list. Currently he is at 3 safeties and 10 matches but we will cut the list down overall next week. I just hope they look at the relatively strong junior year (3.67 UW) versus the 3.45 UW overall. I do wish I knew if the counselor was going to check “most rigorous” or not as that may carry as much merit weight at the kind of schools on his list as the raw test scores since about half of them are test optional. And if not, oh well. I don’t think test optional will help him at all as the grades aren’t strong enough to outweigh it and you are correct it would be extra writing on top of essays and supplements and I don’t think he’d want that.
But, I think $150 or so for essay help versus maybe twice that for test prep is a better use of funds right now.
I truly don’t recall but am pretty sure S11’s ACT was in that 20-21 range and the gpa was at best a 3.1 and he went to college too (and graduated). A nice local LAC. It will all be fine.
@eandesmom … “IT WILL ALL BE FINE” … that’s what my husband keeps telling me. Sure, all 3 of us want S’17 to get accepted into his 1st choice – affordable instate $, good geographical location, with smaller class/UG size. But, IF he only gets accepted into his in-state safety (which isn’t even 3rd on the list), it won’t be the end of the world. His half-sister ('07) started there, made Dean’s list freshman year, then transferred to/graduated from a U she would never have dreamed of being accepted into & is doing extremely well in her career. The college admission process is just SO frustrating! Sometimes I wish it was more data driven – you MUST have these stats OR don’t apply – so less stressful