D20 is quirky and it took 4 months for her therapist to decide whether Aspergers or ADHD was her primary “disorder.”
We prefer to just call her quirky.
@Waiting2exhale I agree, lots of fun. I especially liked:
In other words, gimme’ the code!
I would but then I’d have to delete you.
Be careful, or the collegeboard will come up with an official secret decoder ring to ship with each recommendation.
Love quirky kids here! It is definitely a complement in my book.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Exactly! You can only attend one!
Can we chat about college fairs? My D attended 2 this week and they put some schools on the radar that weren’t contenders before and took some off that were high on the list. My concern is that the ones that came off the list only came off because the admissions rep at the college fair honestly had no personality. They talked to hundreds of kids and were just done being perky by the time my kid got there. Not sure how I feel about it. The ones that she’s looking favorably at thanks to a perky and knowledgable admissions person are fine. They were on the list, she just wasn’t excited about them. We don’t have that big a list so knocking 3 off is a big deal. Has anyone else been through this? My older ones were engineering majors and the whole process was entirely different. I would love to hear what you think.
@MuggleMom: I would try not to let the (as you say) tired admissions rep at the college fair, and their seemingly lackluster presentation, sway your daughter’s interest in a school at all. You could be right about the reasons for the absence of any ra!ra!, or eye contact, or commensurate interest in your kid’s interest in the school.
If your daughter’s reason for having those schools on the list at first still make sense, try to visit, explore the social media pages, try to connect with a present student, or visit. Don’t let one point of contact have you lose a chance to see if any school could just light up all the points on your daughter’s radar.
Conversely, isn’t it great when you meet an admissions rep who seems to come alive about their program, about the ways your kids might thrive and grow across different areas of interest, and throws in a little bit of ‘this is what our students do on the lawn/the quad/the field,’ too?
I hear your sense of having had the tablecloth ripped off the table while you sat there prepared to have a meal, but don’t let that ‘stain,’ or tarnish, your idea of what may be possible to still love about the schools where the college fair rep was simply lacking when you met.
It is disheartening, and one wonders if it is a harbinger of things which might come were a student to matriculate at the school, but the one point of contact really isn’t enough.
Hope that helps.
At our college fair last year, DS was really impressed with two schools that were not on his radar (he didn’t even know their existence till then!), the AOs talked about their schools in a very meaningful and informative way, we then toured both schools, still loved one but dropped the other. Another school that was on our list then but the info we got from the AO killed our interests, so that school is no longer on the list.
Which means, we will definitely go to this year’s college fair.
@Waiting2exhale I agree completely but my kid is really a black or white personality. There is not inbetween and she’s been turned off. Its really far (planeride) to visit the 3, and I’m trying to talk her into a summer roadtrip. I struggling with finding her schools that are 1) affordable 2) that she’d get in and thrive at, 3) have both undergrad and grad of her current proposed major, and 4) that she’s willing to go to.
@MuggleMom regarding post 4907
I understand your 1), 2), and 4) above, but why 3)? Going to a college that has graduate program of your dd’s current intended major seems to me to be not necessary: 1) her intended major would likely change; and 2) most often, the requirements/needs for graduate school are very different from those of undergraduate education for most students.
@muggleMom I agree with the good points expressed by @Waiting2exhale. If your daughter if really has a “black or white personality” to the extent that a single data point (at a college fair no less) would turn her off from a school she was excited about prior to the encounter, then it might be time for a parent diatribe. This is a great teaching moment! There’s a lot of black and white in life (easy), but more often it’s just gray, and as maturing adult who will soon be off to see the world and have new adventures, gray is an important area to master. One can really hone critical thinking skills here, and it would be a missed opportunity to let it slip by.
re: college fairs. D will be attending one outside of our area. We found out that fewer school reps choose to come to our fair. In fact, many more schools will be in the bigger city so the 1 1/2 drive is worth it.
Celebrating here because DD20 increased her ACT score enough that it is very likely to be a confirming score for NMF! If that all comes together as Compass predicts, she is done with testing. I will check one more time that no school on her list requires subject tests and then let the admissions chips fall where they may.
Congratulations on your daughter’s great ACT score. @Cheeringsection what score do you think will be good enough for a confirming ACT score?
Compass is predicting a 31-32 but I like a bit of a cushion in most things in life and this is no different.
Congrats, @Cheeringsection! Good news, indeed!
Thanks to all!
Congrations @Cheeringsection It must be a relief!
Congratulations @Cheeringsection!
So glad the testing is all done for your DD!
DS has three IB exams and one AP exam coming up in a little over a month, then junior year will be over. It is his first time taking IB exam, they are multi-parts and often taken over two-three days!
D20 has the SAT next Tuesday at her HS. I’ve tried to coax her to brush up in a couple areas to no avail. She is convinced she can’t beat her previous score. Of the schools currently on the list, I don’t see that she can increase her merit chances much, if any, unless she really knocks it out of the park. She’s probably right on this one, so I wasn’t pushing. Thinking good, mental-healthy thoughts instead.
@makemehappy I thought they were only allowed to take 2 IB exams in junior year?