@Darcy123 Would you mind sharing your D20’s stats? My S21 has his eyes on Duke but hates the idea of the SAT/ACT essays. When we were up there last year for an event, the admissions person suggested that “optional” was only optional in unusual cases, but we’d love to hear otherwise!
@mamaedefamilia @inthegarden “pwn” (pone) is a typo of “own” which AFAIK originated in video game chat windows. It basically means to beat decisively.
Not to be confused with “All your base are belong to us”
LOL! Somebody set us up the bomb. I haven’t heard that in 30 years.
Ugh…well, as I guessed - no replacement physics teacher has been found. So D21’s teacher hands out a worksheet with an answer key, then a sub comes in and the teacher leaves to go teach the AP physics class!! D is lost, there’s a test on Monday and I’m beyond annoyed!!!
My heart breaks for the physics teacher who is on leave, but it’s not fair to leave these kids to fend for themselves in physics!!! And junior year to boot!! D21 doesn’t want me emailing the department head, but I don’t think it’s fair to these kids whose grades are going to be compared to kids who had actual teachers!!
@sammoj My daughter has a 35 ACT (35 E, 34M, 36 R, 36 S) 3.95 uw / 4.6 weighted and full IB diploma with HLs in English, Math and Bio, and SLs in Economics, French and Chemistry. Additional APs: Calc BC (4), Stats (5), AP Comp Sci A, AP Art History and taking AP Physics and AP Comps Sci Principles senior year. She’s 2/350 in her class and her main extra curriculars are ballet (very high level and included art supplement and took class at Duke on a visit) and FIRST robotics - very good team and leadership role. I’d guess the IB diploma probably helps with the lack of essay - it’s much, much more writing intensive and she’s received all As and A+s in her English classes. Her essays were quite good too (at least to my very biased eyes).
To be honest, I’m not sure she ever read beyond the standardized test page on their webpage where it said optional to the additional info where it said optional but recommended. She took the ACT once fall of junior year and had zero interest in retaking with essay and ruled out any of the UCs to avoid retesting.
I am so sorry for you! My daughter’s Calc BC teacher started the year on maternity leave and while the sub was a very nice man, he was NOT good at teaching the class. She noticed a huge difference in her understanding once the regular teacher came back (before she was just memorizing formulas and hoping for the best, now she actually understands the math, if that makes sense). I completely understand how frustrating it is, because you can’t get those three months back.
@mm5678. If your child is thinking of subject tests, I do not recommend the June testing date because for some reason the scores come back much later. Normally turn around is about 2-3 weeks but my kids both took subject tests in two different years in June and both waited around 6 weeks. May might be a good alternative testing date. If your child is going to take SAT subject tests that relate to AP coursework for this year, some prep will happen automatically. I will add that based on our experience, the AP curriculum and the SAT II subject test standards overlap but are not identical. I would have your kid take a practice test or two to see which ones will require the least effort. CB has a big blue book with a sample test for every subject so you can try them out beforehand. You can also do sample questions on Khan Academy.
I am happy to report that my kid is done with testing! I also regret that I had her take the SAT with essay because it probably was unnecessary. Between when I researched colleges and when she took the test, a lot had changed and I hadn’t kept up. It’s unlikely she’ll need it for any school of interest. Bad on me. 
@NJWrestlingmom It might be worth having a conversation with the school administration about the physics class. I remember a situation with my older child who had a new teacher who was terrible. Many parents complained. Mid-year, the teacher was replaced with a better instructor. With a core class like a lab science, I think it’s important to have a well-qualified teacher.
^June scores are always 6 weeks.
In planning our spring break college visit road trip I was looking for large universities in Ohio. Our son still likes the idea of a larger school and really likes Miami but I’m not sure merit would be enough to make it affordable of us, we’re OOS, from PA. Kent St and Ohio also may not offer enough merit to bring the cost down enough. But it looks like Bowling Green has a nice physics department and with merit could come in $5000/year cheaper than PA state schools, and is larger than all (West Chester is close). Plus D1 sports and he likes the idea of a nicely attended football games, etc. I know that the MAC is far from Big10 quality and crowd size 
.
There is very little on CC about Bowling Green. With his stats I think he’d be a candidate for the honors college. It sounds like the merit awards are automatic Is higher merit offered for honors than what is published in the scholarship calculator? https://www.bgsu.edu/admissions/scholarships-and-financial-aid/university-freshman-academic-scholarship-calculator.html. Combine the lower cost with AP credit to cut out a semester or 2 and it could be a nice option. Avg student stats are Bowling Green are lower than Miami by a pretty big clip, but in a smaller department like physics plus possible honors I’m hoping he’d be able to find his people.
Still casting a wide net and plan on visiting a mix of small and large schools.
@sccaflagger74 My nephew is a freshman at Bowling Green. He is in the business school. He is very happy there. He was given merit money such that it was a cheaper option that PA state schools. Originally he really wanted UK but he did not get the merit money there that he needed to make it affordable for him. He did look at Kent State but liked BG better.
I don’t think football are really “nicely attended” as the team stinks but they do have a very good basketball team and a nice new arena that gets filled up.
Hey every one, It is me, The West Texas mom of D .
I had to start a new account. My old “Binge Watcher” account was linked to my old job’s email. And I can’t figure out how to download a pic of a TV on my new Chrome book. Hope to add the pic later.
@TVBingeWatcher2 hm you may end up having an issue as they don’t let people have two accounts.
Glad you made it back, @TVBingeWatcher2 . Hopefully the mods will excuse you and delete your other account…doesn’t sound like you could stick around with the work email situation as it was…
Hopefully they will delete the old account if they need to. I can’t get into the old account anymore. Should I let the mods know?
On another note, D finally got her (history) essay test result back today after being on pins and needles. As predicted, she didn’t do well…one of her lowest grades ever in history, but it wasn’t quite as dire as she feared…averaging that score with another new graded assignment she will keep her “A” average in that class (though a low A now) and has another interesting small project due next week to get it up a little more. Still nervous about AP Physics and AP Lang (many submitted-but-not-yet-graded assignments in those classes) but at least she will have the possibility of only two “not-A” grades rather than three! It will bruise her ego, to be sure, but only final-yearly grades will be on the transcript.
@TVBingeWatcher2, I love that TV! hope you can upload it again!
I’ve tried several times to upload a photo of my own and have never been able to size it right. My photo always gets rejected. Maybe I’ll have to find a stock photo? I’m really bad with technology… but terribly bored with this generic circle pattern.
Thanks @inthegarden , I too am terrible with technology. But glad to hear your D can keep her A in the history class . And D’s two lowest semester grades are AP Lang and AP physics 1.
Anyone else’s kid sign up for the Feb ACT?
In December D decided not to try the ACT at all. She did well enough on the SAT for her targets that all that is needed is a boost in math. I was all for it.
Then yesterday she had a mini-panic. “BUT IT’S THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER!!!” I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, as she’s already prepping hard for the March SAT and there would be plenty of time for the ACT later, should she have the stamina to try it for curiosity’s sake. But, no, the boyfriend is taking it, and “I may never know how, I’d do! What if I would have made a 34 on the first try!” (unlikely, lol, but I guess within the realm of possibility.)
I tried to talk her down but in the end let her sign up as long as she owns this. I advised her to keep on course with SAT study, and not water it down by getting diverted to the ACT. Maybe spend a little time practicing the ACT science section. I figure, if she doesn’t do well on the ACT, that will be that (maybe the money will be well-enough spent practicing general speed an accuracy) and it will satisfy her curiosity. She promised not to go into it in a state of anxiety, with a fairly decent SAT under her belt. Kids!
D is taking the Feb ACT. she wanted to try it. We shall see how it goes. She’s done no prep aside from that she took the exam years ago as part of a middle school talent search. Score should be higher than that one! Lol.
Our D is also taking the February ACT. She has taken the SAT (I prepped) and did fairly well but will need a boost to be at the top of the range for her targets. She figured she should try the ACT and see which is better for her. She just started doing some ACT prep and will focus on SAT prep after that.