Thanks @CT1417 - appreciate that info. UMD is pretty “out there” isn’t it? And for a school with highly rated comp sci & engineering - seems weird their admissions and related tech doesn’t work well.
@CA1543, seems our high school’s policy is to send them, regardless of whether they are asked for or not, to all EA/ED schools.
@klinska – do they upload it on CA as an optional report or send it directly to the common app schools? thanks!
Our HS also sends them automatically to all CA schools that kids have already applied to, and I presume they will send them to wherever they apply going forward. Plus an updated one after the first semester. I do think it is an optional report on CA, @CA1543
All of my D’s schools are CA schools–optional reports were uploaded there (today, as a matter of fact!).
@CA1543 – Agree! Makes me wonder about their CS. Of course, I am not all that keen on Michigan’s portal either…layers until you finally reach the page that confirms receipt of submitted materials. These annoying portals are the reason I have not bothered to have him forward his 1st Q grades, but perhaps he should. Of course, UMD might then mark his app as incomplete so best to avoid them.
I think schools should use a different system for applicants vs. enrolled students.
I stand corrected–not only have first quarter grades been submitted to ED/EA schools, but to all schools, regardless of whether or not the application has been submitted yet!
@klinska Are these just schools your D has on her CA list, or has she requested transcripts but just not actually applied yet? Seems crazy they would send them to schools you haven’t applied to if you haven’t requested transcripts. Doesn’t work that way at our HS, anyway.
@ca1543 Send 1st quarter grades: I would recommend sending them, especially if they are good. I recently read a blog where it was stated that one of DS’s colleges doesn’t “require” 1st quarter grades but they “expect” them (it was offered that it states it on the website, buried somewhere). When GC was contacted to send the report, the response was for him to send the report himself. This isn’t the “official” way most colleges I’m familiar with would like to receive them. So I’m not feeling great about this. And now I am wishing the other EA colleges would receive the update as well. I will nudge DS.
@fishinglines29- Email Communication: For “official” communications, DS is much more comfortable sending off an email than picking up the phone. I think he likes it because it is a time saver to send something off at his convenience and he can think about replies before responding back.
DS has had great responses to most of his thank you emails. His very first in-person interview, that happened to be the most “formal”, seemed to have gone just so-so. In his follow up thank you he had included the highlights from his visit around the university, and even included a photo of himself exploring an area of interest, and the response this time from the interviewer was enthusiastic. A thank you note is another great opportunity to make a lasting impression.
@kt1969, we submitted transcript requests for all schools on D’s list, but not all apps have been submitted yet. I’m surprised that they submitted optional reports for all schools, especially since they made D resubmit the transcript requests when she changed some schools from RD to EA (after the initial materials had been submitted)–not sure why they made her do that if they were going to submit the optional reports to all schools anyway. Whatever. They recalculate GPA after first quarter grades, too–wish I knew what that was. The new online grade system hasn’t enabled that feature yet. Sigh.
@klinska Okay, that sort of makes sense. Except for resubmitting requests that they had already sent. That’s actually cool that they recalc the GPA…wish ours did. We use Powerschool and with final 1st quarter grades her GPA is the same. Expected that since they only seem to do it at the end of the school year. But D’s grades 1st quarter are actually good so it’s kind of a bummer. 
Congratulations on WWU acceptances @eandesmom @mamaedefamilia @mtrosemom !
<:-P <:-P <:-P
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :x
Congratulations to all with the USCar and WWU acceptances.
@CT1417 UMD - =)) That is a whole new level of crazy coming from a school. The only way a parent wants to receive an email about billing statements being available at this stage is if there is a credit on it for a nice scholarship.
@CA1543 D’s ED school requested 1st Q grades, so she requested that her GC send those (thankfully, they were pretty good! ) but it hadn’t occurred to send to anyplace else. I guess I figured if her ED school turns her down, she’d wind up having to send mid-term report to all the RD schools anyway (she’s only actually hit submit on the RD apps that had no application fee, the rest await the “12/15 verdict of delight or doom”.)
First decision!! S admitted to Purdue College of Engineering. :-bd
He doesn’t know yet, I “just happened” to check the portal. Happy to begin this adventure on a good note.
Congratulations to the many folks who have been posting news of acceptances and progress towards submitting apps. S still has four more to submit, and they are all his top choices so he is putting a lot of thought into the supplements.
GC sent his quarterly grades to all of his schools automatically.
Tried to send thank you emails to everyone he met from various schools. I know he missed a few along the way, but he definitely thanked everyone he interviewed with and everyone who clearly went out of their way to be helpful.
Awesome news @jmek15 – great program at Purdue. Hope S is very excited to get the good news.
We are slackers on sending thank yous to those met we on college tours, visits etc. oops!!
@klinska — interesting about GPA recalculation. Our school awards quarter grades, but they are only placeholder for the semester grade. Semester grade = 40% 1st Q + 40% 2nd Q + 20% midterm or final exam. The quarter grades and the midterm/final exam grades do not appear on the transcripts even though they appear in the online grade reporting system.
Can’t you just manually recalculate her GPA? I did for my son, even though it doesn’t mean anything!
I kind of wish that our HS just automatically sent out 1st Q grades, but instead they tell students that reporting the grades themselves provides a great opportunity for them to be in contact with the regional AO. Not so much with state schools. Am also now wondering about the Dec 1st scholarship application RD schools. I think I will suggest to son that he mails off his 1st Q grades after submitting his applications.
@paveyourpath – I agree that it is very funny, but then I started wondering if perhaps it meant that MD had finished reviewing his app and he had been admitted already, until I recalled that MD doesn’t notify until sometime next year. (Son is out for the evening so cannot ask him the notification dates, and I don’t have them written down anywhere.)
@happygolucky – our school’s standard position is for the student to submit own 1st Q grade report, but GC will submit if requested. Older son’s ED school needed grade report submitted by HS and this son’s SCEA school requested same.
@mamaedefamilia @mtrosemom @eandesmom congrats to WWU
@jmek15 congrats on the first of hopefully many more <:-P
Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope you all take break from CC, celebrate all acceptances and spend quality time with family and friends. Don’t forget to appreciate ur kiddos for their hard work and dedication!!!
Congrats @jmek15 !
When did you submit his application?
DD submitted her Purdue app on 10/27, but portal still doesn’t show a decision.