Parents of the HS Class of 2018 (Part 1)

<p>@glido mom, wow, 3rd one in HS! I am sure we (or just me) will learn a lot from your experience! I’m more excited than my DD, she told me last night she wish she can stay in teenagers forever…not too excited to grow up too fast and think about her college and career choices … but my 2020 DD2 cant wait to finish her college and start her own company, she is still 11! How different! </p>

<p>Hello Everyone! I just want to quickly introduce myself to you. I’ve read through this thread and can relate to so much. It just seems too soon to think of DD18 going to HS… much less to college! I have two kids, DS14 and DD18. DS is a deep thinking, observant introvert with a very sharp sense of humor. DD is a very light hearted, fun loving, extrovert who often doesn’t pay much attention to detail. It’s going to be SO different around here when DD starts HS in August and DS leaves for college in September! I’m really glad you’re here, looking forward to sharing this journey with you guys!</p>

<p>@jjkmom - we are also in California. We started looking out of state when we realized that 1) UC’s were going to be at the very edge or more likely beyond affordability for us and 2) many OOS schools will give significant merit aid for good stats & were going to come in much lower priced than the UCs and some even beat out the CSU’s for affordability.</p>

<p>D2014 still has to make her choice between a Philadelphia school (Temple) and Cal State Long Beach, so it remains to be seen how things will go. However, Temple is LESS expensive than the CSU, even factoring in airfare & summer storage of her stuff. Temple offered her full tuition, honors program & a $4000 stipend for each of 3 summers for enrichment or study abroad. </p>

<p>This is totally premature I know, but I think D2018 just might have what it takes to be NMF. For those kids, there is a world of merit offers out there. The most generous I’ve come across is the one at University of Central Florida - you can see all the goodies they offer to NMF’s if you go to their website. We have never been set on Ivy’s or equivalent for our kids - we figured that a kid can have a great experience anywhere if they take advantage of the opportunities there, so UCF’s ranking on USNWR doesn’t particularly bother me, especially since they have an honors college. Our kids seem to be OK with this also, because we’ve told them we will give them X amount of money each year for college & if their school costs less than that, they keep the leftover. D2014 will have a nice chunk leftover if she chooses Temple & D2018 would have a ridiculous amount of money in the bank if she were to get and take the UCF deal. </p>

<p>So this has worked out well for us so far. I do worry a quite a bit about D14 going far away & getting homesick. We’ll have to deal with that when/if it happens. I’ll keep you posted on the forum here with how it’s going!</p>

<p>Thank you @GertrudeMcFuzz mom, I only heard about OOS or some private schools are giving out good merit aids, but could never believe it will be less than UC or even CSU (Temple is a great school and cheaper than CSULB!)… we were on the same boat with you on college expenses, we want to take the opportunity for college experience and not end up with too much debts. But do you worry that your DD go out of state? And where to find generous and good colleges that can offer full ride as well as offer stipend?? Do you suggest us to read other threads that may talk about what kind status and qualifications can get full ride? Maybe that will motivate my DD, she doesn’t like to spend $$…
My DD '18 is good student but not super, we also don’t want to pressure her to Ivy but people around us are setting their goals high… although she sets her mind on UCLA for now, we were concerned about the competition and tuition (since everyone told me its very difficult to get any aide from both UC and CSU system for middle income family) …</p>

<p>@jjkmom - yes, there are many many good threads here that discuss the various merit awards at colleges. You have plenty of time to read & research. Keep in mind that things change each year, & offers available now might not be there in 4 years. New & better ones may be introduced as well. D2014’s Temple deal was offered for the first time to the HS class of 2013, so that one is still brand new.</p>

<p>Welcome @SunnySoCalMom‌ ! </p>

<p>@jjkmom - @GertrudeMcFuzz and I have two DD’s, and my answer to your out of state question is different for each. DD’14 is quite the introvert and homebody, and if she decides to take the big step of going to the east coast, I will worry somewhat about her being so far from home. BUT, she’ll be in a choir program, so she’ll have an instant family on campus that will help her integrate and find her place. DD’18 is totally different, a complete extrovert, who’s only weakness is too much leaping before looking. She is so much her own person - I can’t imagine life’s experiences slowing her down in any way, and she is a girl who <em>loves</em> to travel and see new things. So I have no fears at all about her being so far from home. Now, will they find love and lives out there and never return to CA? Who knows? California is pretty amazing. Twice I’ve moved across the country (college, grad school), and twice I’ve come back.</p>

<p>Gotta let 'em fly if you want to see how high they will soar. :)</p>

<p>I’m on board with the sentiments expressed by Titan… My two boys are each there own person (very different) and they’ve got to push their own boundaries to grow. We are from FL and S’13 wanted to be someplace where the leaves would change and where it might snow, So we encouraged him to apply to places where he could get those experiences and where he felt it would be a good “fit” for him. We would be very happy if he comes back to FL some day to live, but he’s got to make his own way and if he had stayed in FL for college I’m pretty sure he would have moved someplace else for grad school. We’ll just become frequent flyers.</p>

<p>At the same time, picking up on the “cost” theme, there are lots of good opportunities out there for kids with the right combination of experience, grades and test scores and certainly being NMF helps open some of those doors. I recall seeing that UCF offers a very generous package for NMF kids, but I think there where several other schools that offered great NMF deals, (University of Alabama, Arizona State, University of Southern California, University of Kentucky, to name a few) most also associated with enrollment in honors programs of some sort. You can find several threads on CC at <a href=“National Merit Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/&lt;/a&gt;. And as Gertrude… said in her post, there are plenty of non-NMF opportunities if you look around. Here in FL you can pre-pay tuition to state schools (room, board and fees as well, if you want), making it much cheaper. We pre-paid both of our boys when they were very young, so we knew that state schools would be affordable when the time came to make those decisions. Perhaps other states have the same type of program? Also, here in FL students can take advantage of Bright Futures scholarships (lottery money at work) if they stay in-state for college. It pays out at different levels (based on grades and test scores), but the top level currently covers most of tuition. Again, I think other states have programs like that, but maybe not California?</p>

<p>@Gertrude… good luck to your D’14 on making her final school choice. Those are very different schools to choose between. Good opportunities at both.</p>

<p>As for Ivy pressure, only you and your child can decide what’s right for you. And getting into top tier schools is so hard these days, it’s not a good idea to put all your eggs in that basket. Besides, kids can get a great education at lots of places so long as they take advantage of what is offered. Don’t get me wrong. The top tier schools have lots to offer, but they also have high stress and high expectations. Depending on the major (pre-med, for example), it may even be better to avoid the pressure cooker at those schools and get better grades and internship possibilities elsewhere (not to mention avoiding heavy debt for undergrad degrees with almost unavoidable debt for medical school). We’ll be having all of these conversations with S’18 as the time comes to think about college.</p>

<p>Any band parents out there? S’18 is a percussion kid and he is gearing up for drum line tryouts in about a month. Lots of drumming in our house these days. Turns out no freshman has made the drum line in 6 years (and much longer for snare drum), but he wants to give it a go anyway. I’m pretty proud that he’s trying hard even though he knows the odds are long on this one.</p>

<p>Good afternoon fellow '18 parents. I know many of your soon-to-be freshman have already registered for next year’s classes. My DD is getting ready to do so next week. She has to plan a 4-year academic schedule (that can change of course). Because of the required prerequisites at her school, she’ll have to essentially plan now for what APs she intends to take during high school. She knows she wants AP Calc BC, AP Physics (both) and AP Chemistry. She also likes the histories. English not so much.
We have prepared two alternative schedules, and are looking for some opinions/advice. Both will allow her to get all the APs she could possibly want (up to 12). If she decides as time goes on to not take AP level classes in a subject to lighten the load a bit, which would be best? History? I feel colleges want to see AP English, but maybe I’m overthinking? Her school requires 4 years of math, social studies, English, and 3 of science and foreign language.<br>
Below are her two potential grade 9 schedules. Does one seem better, or do either look ok?
Option 1.<br>
Honors Algebra II
Pre-AP English 9
French 1
French 2
AP Human Geography
Honors Biology I
Wellness I

  • An elective (maybe Project Lead the Way?)</p>

<p>Option 2 replaces AP Human Geography with Honors Chemistry I. This allows her to take AP Chemistry her sophomore year and prevents having to double up on science APs junior and/or senior year. </p>

<p>We’re aware that any number of APs above 8 or so has a diminishing return. She’s just concerned about not appearing to have the “most rigorous” schedule if she takes honors English or history vs. AP level. Any suggestions or comments?</p>

<p>@dadotwoboys, I’m also a band parent. My S’18 is preparing for drum line auditions later this spring. He’s excited about it; not sure what his chances are! He’s finding it a bit tricky to balance his current middle school activities (water polo & preparing for Science Olympiad state competition) with attending the HS drum line practices. Good luck to your son as he prepares!</p>

<p>Good luck to your son as well bookgeek. He sounds very busy. Is he already practicing with the HS drum line? I know S’18 would love that.</p>

<p>@jcc - I think colleges just want to see students challenge themselves with a rigorous schedule. I would suggest keeping the AP class to get used to taking AP classes. It also shows some diversity. But I’m not sure it makes much difference. How can she take French 1 and 2 and the same time? </p>

<p>@jcc - one thing to keep in mind with APs - your child will not really be able to use the college credit they get for classes in their major area of study. They’ll have to take all of those at the college introductory level. There is more value in the ones where your child can eliminate a GE while in college. For my D14 (music major),she will not have to take any math, English or government classes in college due to her APs. In hindsight, she’d have been better off taking AP Psych instead of Calculus as that would have taken care of the human behavior GE. Her schedule is jam-packed so it is a huge relief to have a few GEs taken care of. Of course, I know the Ivies like to see Calculus, AP Physics,etc. but if you’re not going that route, the wiggle room in your college schedule is priceless.</p>

<p>That’s good advice from Gertrude, but I think it really depends on the college and the major. For example, my S’13 took many AP tests during HS, but the school he chose to attend only gives credit for 2 APs - that’s it no matter how many AP tests the student took or what major the student will be pursuing. And those 2 credits (each class is worth a credit at his college) don’t fulfill any particular requirement other than meeting the overall credits to graduate. AP tests do count for placement purposes, So, for example, a 5 on the Calc BC test puts the student straight into multi, regardless of major (though that may not be true for the engineers - I’m not sure).</p>

<p>If he had attended UF or FSU he would have started as a second semester sophomore with many of his pre-reqs and gen eds out of the way, but it would have depended on the major.</p>

<p>All that said, there is no way to know now what college they will be attending in 2018, So it’s a good idea to take the classes that they want to take, will enjoy, will learn something new in and maybe even do well in.</p>

<p>Another thought about the AP classes. Some kids just like them because they like the other kids in the class - most are serious about getting their work done and they contribute tot he discussions. Even the colleges that do not allow the use of AP credits toward a major - do appreciate the strength of schedule aspect of APs. I wouldn’t max out on APs just for the sake of maxing out, however. Also, one should consider some balance - some APs are intense, others - not so much. At the end of four years, a fist full of APs can provide a good bit of flexibility with college scheduling re meeting requirements.</p>

<p>@dadotwoboys, yes, my son is practicing with the HS drum line. The upperclassmen teach the incoming freshmen the drum line music and help them prepare for auditions. It’s a nice leadership opportunity for the older students to run the practices, and my son already feels comfortable with the percussion section.</p>

<p>Middle School track season is over. DD’18 ready to start prep for H.S. XC. It’ll be on us in 5 weeks.</p>

<p>@TitanAPBioTchr mom, my DD18 and DD20 is like your DD14 and DD18. So interesting. My DD18 wont consider any out of state because she wants to be clloser to home, but my DD20 will be graduating from elementary school already asked me which school is best and also planning to study abroad & travel the world.
Our HS has very strong MUN program that I know my DD18 wont like the debate or public speaking but my DD20 will enjoy very much, however, couple experienced teachers and parents shared with me that I should put my DD18 into MUN which will benefit her greatly in the future. Since we already submitted the course registration card, I’m debating whether I should put her into World History MUN honor course instead of the easy 9th grade Future&Health course… such hard decision since there are only 6 periods and we really want her to have strong curriculum plus Athletic (golf team for PE) and foreign language … She will have some tough courses Algebra 2/Trig honor, Biology honor, English9 honor and I’m concerning her adjustment in the new environment …</p>

<p>@jcc and @ dadotwoboys, dont you think AP class for 9th grade is too early? I heard those are college level courses and might be overwhelming to students. In our HS, I don’t think 9th grade can take any AP courses since everyone has prerequisites… I also know some parents suggested not to just fill schedule with too many APs since its much harder to receive good grades and may not even be able to transfer to college.</p>

<p>Not all AP classes are created equal and I think AP Human Geo is on the easier side (of course, this may depend on the teacher). Also, I think it’s one of the APs where kids tend to do well in the class and on the AP test. Algebra 2 honors, bio honors and plenty of other course will likely be harder. Our local HS allows freshmen to take AP Human Geo (only 1 AP allowed in 9th grade - used to be 2) and S’18 will be taking it.</p>

<p>As for filling the schedule with APs, it will totally depend on the student. It is true that the APs will probably be harder than the honors classes and that some will not count for college credit (it will depend on the college and the AP test grade), so it could lower the GPA some. But for some students the honors courses could be just not challenging enough (maybe boring). That said, I think most schools would prefer to see students challenge themselves and a few Bs in some of the harder APs won’t ruin there chances at most schools. If you are shooting for the tippy-top schools, taking honors classes and getting As won’t help much anyway if AP classes are available. The colleges will know that the student didn’t bother taking the most rigorous classes and will not be very impressed. Truth be told, taking all APs and getting all As only puts a student at the same level as most of the other applicants. It takes more than that to get into those schools. If the goal is all other schools, then APs will open the door to honors colleges and a variety of other opportunities including skipping some of those big intro classes and the ability to finish early or pursue a double major more easily. </p>

<p>If you remain worried about AP classes, you should ask a guidance counselor at your HS what they think. They’ll know the teachers and will know which ones are the hard ones. But taking some hard classes might be good for your student and help get them ready for college. </p>

<p>Thanks @dadtotwoboys, in our HS we cant even take any AP course in 9th grade. But I am thinking she can take AP Biology in 10th grade together with English 10, Precalculus, Chemistry, Chinese and PE (golf), maybe she really should take zero period.</p>