@homerdog Congrats to your son! I have no doubt he will end up at a great LAC.
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Deleted a few posts discussing āillegals.ā Letās keep this thread clean of ToS violations please.
@mamaedefamilia, thanks so much for clueing me in to the idea of ātwice exceptionalā kids! D21 tested into the gifted program in elementary/middle school, and scores very well on any verbal/reading assessment, so we fell into thinking that she had overcome her dyslexia. Even though learning to read and write was tremendously difficult, she was able to compensate really well . Reading about twice exceptional kids also led me to a description of stealth dyslexia, which sounded very familiar.
In any case, D21 does not want to pursue any kind of accommodations. Right now, she doesnāt even want to talk to the Latin teacher. She says she should have started studying earlier and studied harder. She does have a high school senior who tutors her occasionally, and sheād be willing to do that more often, so weāll start there.
Apparently, twice exceptional dyslexics do not read word-for-word. They do a lot of guessing in context and are actually skipping and substituting words frequently, but still can get the meaning. They do worse with comprehension of shorter passages (less context to figure things out) or when the material/vocabulary is unfamiliar. This might mean that she would fare better on either the ACT or SAT, not sure which.
@AndreaLynn, Iām sorry that your daughter was unable to get a 504, although it is terrific that she has such good grades despite a significant challenge.
D did great last semester -ended up wth all Aās, some that she had to work very hard for and some that were a little easier.
We have also started getting the college mail addressed to her instead of D19 which is kind of funny. She is not quite ready to think about it yet, she was overloaded with college talk because of her sister so I will let her have a little break before we start to talk too much.
Meanwhile I just found out my S23 got a C in a high school level class and I am so annoyed - he did fine on the tests just decided to skip a bunch of work or turn it in late. Iām trying to explain to him what a big deal tis is to start off your high school transcript wth a C but I donāt think itās sinking in yet. Looks like I might need a lot of encouragement once the Class of 2023 thread starts. :)) :((
@momtogkc , I have a D23 that blew off work in two middle school classes this past semester. Barely squeaked by with a B in both classes after spending the weeks before Christmas staying up until two am each night catching up and getting everything done (after I raised holy hell). She takes high school classes as a middle school kid, and she did fine with those, thank goodness. Sheās a smart kid that likes school but hates doing anything that smacks of busywork. I am going to have to stay on her over the next couple years until she matures enough to understand that sometimes you just have to deal with the busywork to get the good grade, so suck it up. You and I can commiserate when that class of 2023 starts. 
My oldest finally had her last midterm and got an A in the course. All her AP courses give final year grades instead of semester grades, and three of them are creeping down into A- range, so she is working hard to bring them back up.
Hi allā¦Joining in with my youngest DD. I also have a D-17 and D-19. Looking forward to getting my last through this process! We live in Texas and are playing the ranking game. D-21 has no intention of going in-state, so it is fun to sit back and watch her friends.
Bit of a stressful week here deciding on junior year classes. S21 is very math-focused and was considering taking on AP Calc BC next year so he could do higher level math + AP Stats in senior year. But then decided he also wants to do AP English and APUSH. Very surprising to me since heās never been fond of English but he stepped up to Honors English and has grown a lot in that so now he wants to keep it up. So, he agreed to stick with AP Calc AB in 11th and then do BC+Stats in 12th. Feeling good at that, should be a more balanced schedule and give him a slower and more solid base in calculus which is good since he wants to be a math or stats major. Ended up withā¦
AP English
AP USH
AP Calculus AB
Physics
French 5 (they donāt call this level AP but the 5 and AP (aka level 6) kids are in class together and heāll have the option to take the AP test if the teacher thinks heās ready for it and then theyāll change his transcript to note it as an AP class)
Computer Science 1
Graphic Design
And, for the first time ever he got all As on his 2nd quarter report card. Itās been amazing to see how his trajectory has changed since he was diagnosed with ADHD-combined last year and we got him on medication and started tutoring for executive function skills. Heās now dropped the tutor since he was doing so well after the 1st quarter. So nice to see him feeling confident and ambitious.
On the āsafetiesā topicā¦ we attended a program at William & Mary last weekend called āFocusing on the Futureā, about thinking about college selection, application, majors, etc. One thing they said that sounded like good advice is donāt refer to any college as a āsafetyā or any other term that might feel disparaging/dismissive. You want your kid to feel happy to go to any school they apply to and proud to tell others about it. Iāll definitely be keeping that in mind since I want S21 to be aiming at schools where heāll be well positioned for merit aid since we wonāt be getting need-based aid and heād like to go OOS although we do have really strong in-state options too.
@JESmom our S19 was just admitted to William and Mary (RD but received likely postcard) and we are thrilled. OOS. It was probably a match for him. Not a safety even though OOS acceptance is harder than in state. Our Naviance showed he was pretty safe and that ended up being correct.
We never used the words āsafety schoolā when looking for him. Nothing is a done deal until you have an offer. And using those words make a school seem less attractive. Just look for schools that are a likely admit but still have what your student wants in a college experience.
Congrats to your son! Thatās wonderful. Mine likely wonāt apply there as he thinks he wants more of the big state school experience. At this point I can most see him at VA Tech. But, Iād love for D23 to end up at W&M ā I think sheāll like a smaller school and her current goal is a PhD in something in the realm of ecology/environmental science. So, the focus on undergrad research and close faculty relationships would be ideal.
@JESmom, Funny W&M story. We took DD22 to see and as we walked off campus my wife and I were like can we sign up to go here. She was quite and we said what did you think. She says it was too oldā¦Of course they make a big deal about how it is the second oldest college in America. Then we walk across the street to colonial Williamsburg for lunch and then she complains how about how many old people are wandering around.
Crazy what 16 year old kids will think about.
@homerdog congrats to you son. Is he going to go there?
@burghdad Itās definitely a contender. He just got into Grinnell with a early RD decision last Friday and $22k in merit per year. Heās also waiting on 11 more decisions. We all loved W&M, though, and I think it gives him the LAC feel he wants with more school spirit. The types of students are a match for him too. He already has a tough decision between these two and itās going to be even nuttier after the rest of the decisions come through. I do not regret his long list though. Heās got the stats and ECs to put him in the pool for any school but, with acceptance rates so low, it made sense to throw his hat in a lot of baskets.
If anyone else is planning a long list of schools with lots of essays, I highly suggest getting essays done over the summer. He spent a ton of time on them. He only had three left to write once school started but, with his heavy schedule, it was very hard to find time in the fall.
@homerdog. 13 is a lot of applications especially at those top tier places like your son applied to that all require school specific essays.
My daughter only applied to 7 last year and was rejected at 4 and waitlisted at 1 despite top level scores and grades. When looking at the tippy top schools acceptance even with great stats is a total crap shoot.
Iām sure it a great relief to you and him that he already has two great options.
@burghdad Only one Ivy on the list and heās got reason to believe itās not a total crap shoot. One elite university that he should either be waitlisted or accepted according to our schoolās history. Then, the rest are LACs and, according to our Naviance, he should get into a few more of those. We didnāt just throw darts. Itās a very planned out list. The only true crap shoot is Amherst!
I will also add that anyone interested in LACs need to visit if possible. S19ās search was very time consuming. He will have his seventh (and last) alumni interview next week. We visited as many as we could and he took scrupulous notes while on the tours and attending classes. His Why X School essays were very detailed. He went to every meeting at his high school if an AO visited. He went to those meetings junior and senior year. A lot of his work was done early, One and done with the SAT in August of junior year, visits junior year and into the summer before senior year, almost all essays done before senior year. He was able to focus on his classes senior year. He has a lot of friends who were still taking standardized tests and writing essays this fall on top of honors and AP classes and ECs and they were miserable and Iām guessing their apps were not as strong. Itās no fun to use your summer writing essays but he is super glad he did it. The same plan will apply for D21.
@homerdog Congrats on the acceptances! Grinnell and W&M are both outstanding schools. I agree with you on the timing. My D21 had all of her apps in by Nov 1, with much of the work front loaded over the summer, and then had a few school-specific scholarship applications to write after that. It made for a much less hectic senior year. We plan to follow a similar schedule for our D21.
Well, the Scholastic Art Award ceremony was today, and I was happy to see my daughtersā photos hadnāt slid out of the not-that-secure matting and onto the floor.
We are now in the process of getting D21ās junior schedule organized. Sheāll take AP Calc BC and AP Physics 1, and six dual enrollment courses (three each semester - English, Spanish, and a science elective). Will also probably take another half credit of leftover requirements each semester.
I personally am already ready for the semester to be over. I am tired of driving everyone around to all their commitments. 
I am sitting outside one my my kidsā volunteer gigs right now very tired and falling asleep. Would like a few days at home with nothing to do but chill.
Congrats @homerdog on your sonās acceptance. I have no doubt her will land somewhere fabulous!
Iām a W&M alum as were my parents who retired to Williamsburg 16 years ago. It definitely is a hot spot for retirees (lots of old people!). D21 would be 4th generation to attend (My grandfather was a student for 2 years in the 1930ās before being called back to the family farm), but sheās not really interested- nor do I think itās the best match for her.
@rue4 care to elaborate? Just curious what sheās looking for that W&M canāt give her? Bigger campus? More rah rah? A certain program that she needs and they donāt have? Not urban enough?
D21 wants to be a Physical Therapist. We are looking at schools with a 3-3 direct entry to the Doctorate program, or if she goes the traditional undergrad route, she wants a school with more specific pre PT options ( like public health or exercise science, a teaching hospital associationā¦) Sheās not really interested in a general Biology undergrad degree. Plus we are looking for merit money, and thatās not happening at W&M. Right now Vanderbilt is at the top of her traditional undergrad school list. We also live a hour away and with grandparents there, Williamsburg has been her second home, sheād like a new area to call home for the next 4-6 years. Sheāll still apply though. Weāll see!