@RockyPA my D got 780/790 too. Missed one in each section. She said that darn Stats question got her.
@rockypa and @bingewatcher Congrats, those are terrific scores! I hope you can convince them NOT to take them again. Take them for ice cream instead! 
Thank you @mamaedefamilia D is officially done for sure. Ice cream sounds great. D is already sacked out for the night (she often falls asleep very early on Friday and sleeps all night) So Ice cream it is for tomorrow!
Congrats @RockyPA and @BingeWatcher to your kids on those awesome test scores! I know they worked hard for them
@BingeWatcher Yes my d missed one in each section too (one In math, one reading, one writing). Congrats to your d!
@mamaedefamilia my dd still thinks she wants to retakeâŠmaybe in December!
Thank you @Acersaccharum and Congrats to your D too @RockyPA
Bland. A few days ago, I posted that things were bland around here because S21 has his list squared away because he is exactly like S19.
And then, on the way to cross country practice at 6-freaking-30 this morning, he says âI want to run in college.â
This is after consistently saying âI donât want to run in college.â 
So, he is now officially different from his brother. And I have no idea where to even start if he wants to try running XC in college.
The current list includes schools that have running clubs as that had been important to him. But as far as competitive XC, we have some research to do.
Bland no more!
@InfiniteWaves S19 runs at Bowdoin. I think you guys are in PA? He also applied to Dickinson and could have run there. Would your S have any interest in Dickinson? PM me if you like about times and recruiting, etc. Itâs not really like other sports in that not many kids get recruited, usually just one or maybe two. And kids can walk on as long as their times arenât too too far off of the middle of the pack.
Thanks so much @homerdog! Iâll definitely take you up on the PM offer. Be on the lookout. 
@InfiniteWaves my nephew runs at Northeastern, so if thatâs of interest I can put you in touch. He LOVES it there.
Once again feeling so thankful for CC and the community here.
I did a bit of research today. Then, S21 and I had a good chat about it tonight at dinner. He has now decided that he is not interested in D-anything. LOL! What he would really like, if possible, is the opportunity to run on competitive club XC and/or track teams.
Fortunately, his top two favorite schools have competitive club XC and track teams. And we are now researching on the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association (NIRCA) website to see what other options there might be. The great thing that came out of this today is that we learned that the NIRCA is a thing and that we can use the participating school list as a planning tool!
So we are now semi-bland. His top schools are definitely still in the running (ha!). But we may adjust the list a bit. Much thanks to all who offered insight and help.
@AlmostThere2018 i donât think it is easier to get into Clemson being OOS. In fact the statistics suggest otherwise. For the 2018 the admisssion rate for in state was 53% out of state was 45% For enrolling freshman the average in state SAT score was 1292 while out of state was 1339. The average ACT in state was 28.7 and out of state was 30.3
@BingeWatcher and @rockypa Congratulations to your D on their outstanding scores.
Argh! For 3 years S21 has waffled. Engineering! Or not. Maybe law (but you still need to choose an undergrad degree.) Business! Or not.
As of the beginning of this school year, he was back on engineering. Had a list. We scheduled a few visits for the next few months. And nowâŠmaybe not.
S19 was âBusinessâ starting freshman year and stuck to it, which made the research and visits a bit more focused. I guess S21 is more typical, not really knowing what he wants, but he is a top-scoring kid, and it will make a difference whether he ultimately wants an engineering school or business school. The only thing he is clear on - not general Arts and Sciences. And for some of the schools he is considering, it is much easier to start in, say, the engineering school than to try to transfer in.
@sammoj Can you get him to sit in on some classes that freshman engineering or business majors take? Maybe that would help? Our S19 is interested in math and science but, when faced with the reality of what an engineering majorâs schedule looks like, he said no way. Usually thereâs very little room for anything but math and science and that was a big turn off. He wasnât ready to specialize like that. We know a lot of business majors and itâs the same thing. Their freshman classes are getting them ready to choose a focus inside the business school. They arenât reading literature or learning history or discussing climate change anymore - itâs all about different types of business. Maybe if your S21 was super clear on what classes heâd be taking, that would help him decide.
Thanks @burghdad,
@SammoJ I like the idea of sitting in classes, it can even be at your local school. That is what we did. D sat in on a circuits class and lab at our local State U. Also I printed out the flow chart and we looked up and read each class description. "
D is very uncrafty, (gets that from me), despite this, she spent countless hours making an âExploding Boxâ from scratch for her boyfriendâs birthday. She got pictures from his mom, his friends and had them write personal notes to him. He was moved to tears when he opened. She was really proud of herself for planning it all out and meticulously making it. The sweetness of young love or in their case, deep like.
@BingeWatcher What a lovely and creative gift from your D!! And @homerdog, thatâs a good idea, but not sure it will help S21. He has a good idea of the classes for both, and even what engineering involves, because my husband and I are both engineers and big brother is currently a finance major and talks about it endlessly. S21 is excellent at math and science and proficient (but not excited by) lit and history. If he never again took the latter he wouldnât be disappointed.
Full disclosure - what S21 really wants to do, and has wanted for several years, is to be a late night comedian a la Seth Meyers or maybe John Oliver. Not interested in the âhost a celebrityâ element of those shows, but likes the political commentary couched in comedy as developed by the writers for those shows. S21 is very knowledgeable about current events, quick witted, and clever with words. He has been in drama for several years and shines at improv, often pulling in allusions to current events on the spot. Not particularly interested in traditional drama, although good at it.
The career opportunities in late night comedy are limited, although I could actually see him doing political commentary. But he isnât at all interested in something like PoliSci when he reads course descriptions. Sigh.
The next Hasan Minhaj, who both D and Love! @SammoJ
Hi, all! I wanted to check back in with a trip report for our PA college visits. We saw Franklin & Marshall and Bryn Mawr. D21 preferred many aspects of Bryn Mawr, but our tour guide was not the best match. It was a shame because when I took D19 to Bryn Mawr we had a very engaging tour guide who talked about all the traditions that make Bryn Mawr special, and told lots of stories of her relationships with professors, her ECâs and the bonding things she did with friends. The group was small so we were able to have conversations with her which gave us a real sense of the vibe of the community.
This time around, an AO read our names to divide people between two tour guide. Our group had 14 people and the other group had 7. This could be because people in our group did not register everyone they were bringing along, but I donât know why the AO didnât switch people when she saw this. Also, D21 is a great kid, but she isnât well rounded. She shines in humanities and struggles in math and math-heavy sciences. Although she marked all humanities interests when she signed up for the tour, our tour guide was pre-med (the other tour guide was psychology). Our tour was lacking in spark, anecdotes, or any insight into the wealth of tradition and sisterhood at a womenâs college. When asked what she does for fun, outside of school, the guide told us about her research internship in industry. When I explained that I meant something non-academic, she told us that she started a club which visits seniors with mental disabilities, and actually said that itâs âlots of funâ. I would say itâs admirable, but fun? She did say she âtriesâ to spend time with her friends, and that once they baked a cake when it was someoneâs birthday. D21 is very close to her friends and could come up with more ways they interact in one week than tour guide could for 3 years.
After the tour, we went and had lunch in the main dining hall, and that was terrific. Food was healthy and delicious. Plus, we got to observe the students interacting, and they seemed friendly and diverse. Campus is classicâlovely. D21 was a bit daunted by the lack of mention of any of her interests on the tour (drama, dance, creative writing, history, literature) although she understands that all those things are present and the school stays on her list.
Our Franklin & Marshall visit was almost completely the opposite. It was a fall visit day, so tons of families were touring, but they had an army of tour guides. Our tour had two prospective students, and the guide tailored the tour to their interests. She was enthusiastic, involved in multiple activities on campus, and clearly enjoying her job. However, D21 is not the most flexible eater and the food was maybe a step down from typical cafeteria. D21 did like the campus energy, but was unsure about the frat houses, and wasnât thrilled with Lancaster.
The information sessions at both schools were similar in that the AOâs were not very good public speakers. We just wanted to hear more from the students! The student at Bryn Mawr was a theater kid and so comfortable, funny and interesting. She made her student-professor relationships and study abroad experience come alive for us. Wish the whole session had been her. Franklin & Marshall had a panel of students (thumbs up) and a professor who was excellent.
D21 had started this journey thinking she wanted small liberal arts, but is now saying sheâd like to look at mid-sized also. One of the best things about the trip was that she could really focus on what itâs going to be like to go to college and what factors are important to her. Another good thing was that it motivated her to get started studying for ACT/SAT. Itâs hard to think about the future in her regular life because sheâs so busy and already studying so much for her classes!
@3SailAway Sounds like a great trip. When they like small schools, it is soooo important to visit as each has its own personality. Too bad about the tour guide. We had a bummer of a guide at one school that I really want my D to like. But for a communications major, she wouldnât engage in conversation. It kind of soured the experience and now I feel like Iâm fighting an uphill battle to keep it on the list!