Looking for help from those who have completed a UC app (or four or five…)
Son is working on the USC app and it asks for detailed information about each class and the grade earned in that class. I am guessing that the UC app may ask something similar? If so, is there a standard course name terminology the CA schools are used to viewing?
For example, our 9th grade honors Bio course is called BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study), but the full title will not fit in the space allowed. Will it suffice to write BSCS?
Our 9th grade honors English course is simply called Accelerated English. Is this all that they are looking for?
Probably not worth dwelling on, but I figured the CC hive would know!
@itsgettingreal17 I personally think your dd has won the award for the greatest perseverance. I am impressed that she has stuck it through so many schools. Usually schools and essays are dropping left and right at this point. All of my kids have hit a wall where they have said, I am done. Period. And nothing is going to induce me to apply to another school.
@collegecue We picked her up from the airport a few hours ago. She had an amazing time. Even after 24 solid hoursof airport waiting and travel time, she talked nonstop for a couple of hours.
@CT1417 D17 just finished the UCs and the USC apps.
I would list them with the most recognizable names you can (you can’t expect them to know acronyms without explanation). For example, for your BSCS honors Biological Sciences…, if you have the room, I would list it as:
BSCS - Honors Biology.
(Honors Biology is the most important thing you want to convey)
I would list English as Accelerated English (honors)
@CT1417 I’m sure @LoveTheBard who’s filled out both schools would probably know best. But the UC app and USC app aren’t at all related.
The UC App… the classes might need to be the exact wording on the transcript. As close as you can… don’t just fill out BSCS. I don’t think they will know what that is. I’m not sure how you fill it out from OOS. But since no transcript is sent until you are accepted, it needs to be as similar as possible. When they get the transcript it needs to be extremely obvious which class corresponds to what.
The UC app offer suggested classes, I might match those as close as possible and either choose those options. Or make a title similar to those. Look at this site https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist#/list/search/course?q=Biology&f= You might need to look through different schools classes, but it will give you an idea what the name of a Biology class would look like.
I’m back after several days. I skimmed some of the posts but there are too many to go though in detail. Congrats to all those who got acceptances and/or scholarships!
D2 is home from the hospital and recovering nicely. I think it’ll be a few more days before she can return to school, even part time, but we’re just so thankful that her surgery went smoothly and (contrary to the nightmare she had the evening before the procedure) it most definitely needed to be done!
The evening before surgery I got paranoid and asked her to check the UMD portal. At the end of October the LORs were listed as “submitted.” As of the 21st, they are still listed as “submitted” but not “received.” Totally strange and a little worrying! There’s nothing I can do to check on it until Monday, though.
Thanks @LoveTheBard & @curiositycat333. I will review to see if he used generic terms. He is not applying to the UCs but I just assumed this was a California thing since it is the first time he has encountered a request to list his 9th through 11th courses on the CA. Seems odd in addition to the transcript but I suppose it allows the school to quickly recalculate GPA the way they want it calculated. On second thought, am surprised more schools do not ask for info this way!
Yeah, good criuse. We were on rccl’s Oasis of the seas for the second time for thanksgiving break. It was less awesome this time because there were people constantly smoking on their balconies, which made it impossible for us to sit out on our balcony or have the door open, and that was a bummer.
Smoking isn’t allowed on balconies, but it’s really hard to catch them. Since a balcony room costs almost double what an interior room costs, next time we’ll do interior.
For the first time we didn’t book the next cruise while onboard because we just don’t know what life will be like next November at all. So many unknowns it’s just scary for us uber planners.
Snorkeling was amazing in cozumel, and we ate way too much. Girls both have head colds that they picked up onboard, and both are sound asleep as we battle the traffic back to Atlanta.
We’ll check tonight on what the status is for umd and neu. It felt good to set aside all talk of college for an entire week. I feel a bit like a horse picking up the traces again after a week in a very fun pasture.
MOD’s mention of UMD reminded me that UMD refunded the app fee. I had read somewhere (probably here) that they refund app fees for NMSFs but did not think it would happen that quickly. Trying to give them the benefit of the doubt in wondering if their email telling me that my monthly bill was available to view on line was triggered by the refund of the app fee!
@NerdMom88 So happy to hear all went well and we wish her a speedy recovery!
@MotherOfDragons Glad you had a good trip - that would drive me NUTS about the smoking, especially when you paid extra for a balcony!!
Apps this weekend: Yes, since D was sick last weekend, she was unsure if she would apply to UC but she decided to go ahead and work on the 4 essays this weekend - I think she has two done and two to go. I haven’t seen them yet @-)
This December 1st deadline for merit/scholarships is stressing me out - I think we only have one that has this deadline (BU) but I guess I better double check the remaining RD schools on her list!
I thought we would get through all the apps without the need to use Slideroom. Well, I wasn’t aware that one of D’s schools accepted Arts Supplements, so now she needs to create a Slideroom account and fill the app out. Does anyone have any suggestions between directly uploaded 4-5 music videos vs. providing a YouTube link as described in the directions in Slideroom? I would think the mp4 quality would be better, but I have no idea what Slideroom does to the video after it’s uploaded.
Any other tips or experiences would be appreciated. Happy Sunday.
@CT1417 yes USC was the only CA school I can recall that required my D to list all those courses out - she was NOT happy about it as it took a bunch of time and, like you, she thought why, they are just going to see my transcript anyway!
**QOTD:/b ): What are your plans for credit cards / debit cards for your kids now / in college?
When I went to college, my parents co-signed on a CC for me. So I used that, and started building up my credit. IIRC, I would charge things like flights home, and then they would give me a check.
Do kids even need credit cards? Or can they get by on debit cards? Like for their whole life? DD doesn’t like the idea that you spend on a CC - but you won’t necessarily know how much you spent until you get the bill at the end of the month (unless you’ve kept careful track). With the debit card, you can check your balance at any time. (And I would certainly teach her to never keep a balance on a CC, which I’m sure she wouldn’t want to do anyway. Obviously with a debit card you don’t even have to worry about that.)
QOTD: @thshadow Based on the info posted when this was first discussed, I added D to one of my credit cards. She has a student Chase account so has a debit card for that. When she turns 18, I’ll have her apply for a Discover card on her own.
FYI, I tired to add her to the loan on the new car I just bought her, but they said she needed to be 18.
QOTD: I added D to my amex credit card also - they needed her SS# and had to approve her before issuing it so I’m hoping it’s helping to establish some credit. I give her some leeway to use it for food/doctor visits, etc. but she knows to ask before she uses it for anything else (clothing, etc.) I think when she goes off to college I will determine a set spending limit each month so she learns to budget. Also, amex is great because it’s not a typical cc, you have to pay it off end of each month and is safer than having a debit card which links directly to your checking.
Went to see a show with D, instead of shopping on Black Friday. We had fun!!
We gave D a CC before her 4 weeks summer camp. She spent less than $25 for that duration. This is a kid who never spends all the money you give her and always bring gifts for the rest of family. Very considerate and thoughtful, not into instant gratification… Even the other day, she brought 3/4 of bagel for her brother DS20 from swimming practice because she knows he loves that kind of bagel. For the holiday, we gave her an amount for gifts and she used her CC for online shopping — she only used 60% of the amount. She told me that she will not need new cloth for college now!! Let’s see how that goes!!
I really think the answer depends on the kid. My DS20, we probably will not give him a CC until he is 21!!
QOTD:. Both D15 and S17 have one of our credit cards in their name. In fact I just got a text from D that said she owes us $70 because she went to Walmart and forgot her card! D got her own student credit card before she left for college and she is on the loan for her car. S will get his own student credit card also when he goes to college. In this world, I think it is good for them to start establishing credit. I also feel more comfortable knowing that they have the funds to, say, buy a ticket home if they have to. D is very responsible and we have had no issues with her having our card. She doesn’t abuse the privilege.
D17 got a debit card and CC when she got a job at 16. She knows the rules with the CC. We pay for it but only for things we approve. If she uses it for herself, we just transfer money from her account. I am more comfortable with her using a CC than her debit card.
