D21 is showing the first signs of depression with COVID-19. She had two huge ceremonies cancelled - one of which was a massive big deal and celebrated four years of very hard work. There was a virtual ceremony…but still.
Her younger sister and I are going to dress up tonight and take her, a cake, balloons, and food to a beautiful scenic look-out for sunset. We plan to blast music and party in headlamps as the sun goes down. D21 needs some special recognition. She busted her ass for years.
I believe @purplemama was responding to your question about the TAMU application and resume upload section.
We still rank too. It comes out in July based on grades through junior year. Then it is adjusted again in September for anyone who took summer school. The last adjustment is made right before graduation after final senior grades have been finalized for the Valedictorian and Salutatorian honors. Top 10 are recognized leading in the senior class at graduation and get front row seats. My D had the choice of a full credit or half credit for her required internship class. She already put in all the hours required for the full credit, but this summer her class of '20 friend who was salutatorian told her to only submit for the half credit because it isn’t weighted and she can get a little gpa boost that way. She’s hoping by playing that game she can move up a spot.
My D’s rank stayed the same from July to September, but her class size dropped from 334 to 325. County-wide, a lot of kids chose to take their final grad requirement classes on line over the summer and graduate early or complete HS at the community college. A few parents pulled kids due to Covid in favor or private schools who are meeting in person.
Feels like one small hurdle was completed tonight. Seniors at D’s school have to request a senior interview with the GC and, to do so, attach a long completed questionnaire about personal qualities, achievements, awards, ECs, the project or challenge they feel most proud of, future trade school/college goals, and the prioritized list of schools with deadlines. D had it mostly completed a while ago but I nudged her a bit tonight, as I’m getting nervous about the looming ED date just over a month away, an incomplete CA and two more possible SATs in the next weeks. Also, schoolwork is piling up…D says she has never been assigned so much and is often working at her desk all day and night to the point that I can barely coax her out for a walk. But voila! she has completed/edited, and sent the GC questionaire and I feel more relief than I would have imagined that this little step is done. It feels like application season has officially begun ?
Our class rank updates and is released after each 9 week grading period. Since most in our area stay in state and apply to UT & TAMU early (July/August/Sept), whatever your class rank is at the end of Junior year is what you go buy and will be on the transcript sent. My son really got screwed this Spring as he had 2 Dual Credit classes he was taking…since they were college classes the grade is only released at the end of the course in May, and our district had gone to Pass/Fail and frozen class rank calculations at the end of the 9 week grading period in March due to quarantine so the 2 A’s he got weren’t calculated in his GPA/Class rank. Colleges will see he got A’s when he sends the community college transcript, but he really could have used that bump in his class rank.
Class rank is capped/stopped in March of Senior year…so basically whatever they do the last 9 weeks of senior matter doesn’t really matter grade wise in the grand scheme of things.
Here’s some of the testing numbers we’ve been wondering about – at least for the SAT.
Bottom line: about HALF the students trying to take the SAT in Sept and Oct have been or will be unable to do so. That’s a lot!!
What we really need to know though is how many, or what proportion of students have been unable to take any test at all.
Last week in Illinois was the first week that some HSs offered the state mandated SAT (graduation requirement) during the school day…and this will continue into mid-October. So, over the next 6 weeks or so, a substantial proportion of Illinois seniors are going to get at least one test.
I don’t know if my kids’ school is an anomaly, but it sounds like a larger number than usual are applying ED, and to schools they likely couldn’t have gotten into if tests were required (some are applying TO). Many more EDs to Duke and Northwestern in particular, but lots of EA, REAs, and EDs to top schools. So, now I’m feeling more pressure that S needs to ED.
H took S to look at Northwestern. Flew in Sat, back Sun. S had never seen Evanston/Chicago. All the buildings were locked, but he felt it was helpful to see kids there and where he’d be. Next up will be a Duke/Penn trip. Maybe Rice.
We’re hoping this will help him to see where he’d feel most comfortable. He’s done all the tours/sessions and research. We’ve been stuck at the fact that he loves Duke for the 4 yr residential campus, sports, and just about everything except there’s no applied math major (which he’s thinking of majoring in, if mechanical engineering isn’t a fit.) If Duke had Northwestern’s engineering school, with applied math in it, he’d have his #1 choice even without visiting. This is hard.
@Mwfan1921 – While I’m curious about the number of students w/ no score, I don’t think that is a ‘magic bullet’ piece of data.
All the AOs I’ve heard talk in webinars about TO have mentioned that it’s not just about kids with no scores. They mention and recognize that many kids have a score but because of limited test access they couldn’t try to improve it.
All those kids in IL who take the test this month may still not want to submit their score – one and done for a high stakes test at the end of the testing window for admissions is not a recipe for success for many kids! By the same token, all those kids with early test scores in late 2019 or very early 2020 who took it as a baseline but haven’t been able to test since, may not want to submit that score either.
So to me, it’s the overall lack of access to testing for pretty much all kids that has made testing such a nightmare for this year’s class.
Prep, cancel, stress – rinse and repeat.
Half of SAT kids getting turned away this fall after ZERO tests from mid Mar to end of Aug? Ugh.
@AlmostThere2018 Definitely agree with the undue stress on these kids in testing, and the obvious issues both testing companies are having.
I just was wondering what proportion of seniors don’t have any test at all…the reality is there are still schools that aren’t test optional. I have less concern re: students who do have a test and haven’t been able to retake and retake.
@Mwfan1921 – I won’t hold my breath for the testing companies to share that data with the general public, but I bet colleges will make them share it confidentially.
I can’t imagine any college that sees these latest SAT numbers and will still require a test score. Huge equity issues here, as I’m sure it’s low SES and BIPOC students who are least likely to have a score.
These SAT numbers floor me. I thought most tests would happen this fall – silly me.
So far the U Florida system still requires a test score…although pressure is ramping up on them to go TO. Time will tell.
FairTest says 2/3 of 4 years colleges/unis are TO or test blind… 1/3 still requiring a test seems high (not that I don’t believe FairTest).
@havenoidea If your son has not done so already, he might want to reach out to the Math department at Duke to ask about what possibilities for applied math might be available for undergraduates. They offer applied math at the graduate level, so obviously they have the faculty depth to support it. It may be that he could plan a course of study that will meet his needs. Duke also has done a really good job with COVID so far if that’s important to your family’s planning.
I know that historically both Duke and Northwestern provide a meaningful bump for ED. Do I remember correctly that he’s legacy at one or the other?
Personally, I am upset about the greater emphasis on ED this year. I understand why colleges are doing it. But the class of 2021 has enough stress as it is without having to make a choice about college in November instead of May. It’s a lot of added pressure for a 17-18 year old.
I listened to a webinar last week, and the question was asked if schools would lean more into ED. Not that I expect them to be entirely forthcoming, but the Pitzer rep said they were expecting lower than usual ED numbers. He also seemed very genuine when he said they didn’t want students to rush into an ED decision when there are so many challenges – not visiting in person, trouble getting letters in on time because teachers are so busy, testing stress/availability, needing fall grades to bolster transcripts, etc.
I can’t help but agree that ED will give a bigger boost than ever, but I am hopeful that these and other factors will help balance the ED rush. Also I wonder if the ED mania is going to be more of a factor at the tippy top schools, especially for students who wouldn’t have applied without TO. Then again, that could be wishful thinking. 
Oct 1 is on the horizon…you know what that means…FAFSA!! Oh joy!!!
I just had the convo with my husband…this is the one thing that is 100% his responsibility lol. Let’s see how rich the government thinks we are
I have mixed feelings about ED in general, but since my D had such a strong favorable reaction to the school she wants to ED to and it’s within a half day’s drive, we’re going for it (as long as she gets her essays in shape in time). Everything we read and hear about the school makes me feel as if it would be a good fit as well as the feeling we got on campus. We will be full-pay anywhere (not because of income but from investments we inherited from deceased parents) and D is only likely to get significant merit aid from one or two schools not high on her list. Also, I think she may have a harder time than some comparable students at her ED school as an ORM (at some of the less-diverse LACS on her list she might be a URM) so I feel it’s fair to give her a bump to neutralize the ORM status. I haven’t heard anything negative so far about the school’s handling of Covid-19 (there are a few students on campus now) and I think, at worst case scenario, she would only have to do one semester online before we get a handle on the pandemic. That’s a chance I’m willing to take.
If she gets herself organized, she will have two EA schools (one a reach and one that is probably her safest safety) and probably an ED2 school that she toured in person before the pandemic.
My D is someone who likes what she likes and generally doesn’t second-guess things too much after making a decision. She also likes the security of having things nailed down and finds too many options a source of anxiety, so if she gets into her ED school I think she will enjoy the next months at home so much more. There may be other schools that she would Iike as much, but I doubt there’s another school she could definitely say she likes more.
Good luck to everyone trying to decide how to proceed!
Next scheduled Board of Governors Meeting in FL is scheduled in November. Doesn’t look like they will back down on requiring SAT/ACT scores.
I occasionally go into the CB site to see of there are any available test centers that are closer than the one I reserved for the November SAT test. March-October were canceled.
Usually, there’s absolutely nothing available anywhere. This morning there were several nearby with available seats. I wonder if families around here are just “calling it quits” and going without a test score now.
Okay, I had tucked my ED anxiety away for the last couple weeks, and all this talk is going to make it resurface again, lol!
Someone please remind me of all the reasons NOT to ED this year.
(Note: S will SCEA to a tippy top school, but b/c it’s still such a lottery pick that I sometimes feel like he should ED to a lower school on his list that he likes a lot, but yes, he would always wonder about the tippy top b/c of the “chance” of getting into it.)
So that is why he is not ED’ing…but reading these posts makes me pause again!!! Maybe I should skip over these ED posts.
He is FINE with doing SCEA. He says he wants to see if he’d get in. He is totally fine going to our state flagship but he wants to “see” about the tippy top.
Several of D21 friends are applying ED, and all have visited the schools before covid. For most of these kids these are the schools they like early on, which I guess makes since, if they have not visited many others. It will be interesting to see what the ED numbers end up.
D21 is still working on supplement essays, two done and many more to go, I am sure this will be going on for the next two months. It may end up a few schools fall off the list at the end. I guess that would be fine if she gets back positive news from her EA schools. The EA schools send out notices at the end of November and beginning of December. In an ideal word she should have all of her apps done before December, if she gets good news she can choose which ones to send. If this is going to happen she will need to pick up the pace. I can’t imagine working on apps and studying for finals.