@yearstogo I am discovering similar with trying to find how/if credits count and in what way. aP credits seem a little more straight forward but still unclear and dual enrollment much more difficult. I’d like to compare a few schools to see if one will accept more of her credits or if similar.
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I am finding the waiting very extremely stressful. Even under the best of circumstances, its anxiety-provoking. Add a bunch of unknowns and, ugh …
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@rbc2018 Yes, this!
My daughter at UT came in with about 40 hours. Her program doesn’t let them graduate early, although they say maybe they are willing to allow one semester early, but that’s because it’s an honors program and they want them to stay with their same cohort for the honors classes. Although I find that so strange because she’s currently in an Honors class that was only open to 60 students (2 sections) but everyone in her program has to take it at some point so it’s first come first serve I guess and she got lucky she got it now since she’s interested in it as a double major. But as for her credits, she used them for gen ed requirements, some she couldn’t use at all because she had too many, and has to take a minimum of 12 hours/semester but takes more because she takes classes just for self interest and fun. I love that idea because this is the time to learn and take advantage. If she’s there for 4 years why not. She may do the iMPA program anyway, which means she starts grad classes in her 4th year so that is nice.
My other kid, many engineers take 4-5 classes, she has AP credit but they’re really restrictive on what they will take so can’t use as many as the other but has them banked in case she has to drop a class or wants to take a lighter load, but is able to get a minor because of it. Her only issue is that other than the minor (possibly 2) there is no real time for “fun” classes. Some engineers also take 21 hours or more which is obscene since every course in engineer school there has a discussion and lecture even ones that are 3 hours yet they meet for more than 3 hours/week so they are very time consuming. She had 6 courses last semester which I thought was dumb, but she felt like it, she did wind up dropping one and stayed in the other 5 which worked out, but I don’t advise it if you don’t have to. Too much of a time suck!
I just looked out of curiosity and evidently Bowdoin’s classes are all 4-credit classes (rather than the usual 3). That is unusual, but explains why some students might take only 3 classes and still be considered a full-time student.
We are 100% in this boat too. Did things backwards with lots of apps. I’m not making S dig into virtual stuff or school research right now.
Yeah, my S21 is doing engineering, and I’ve been looking at the degree plans. They are brutal! I wonder if he should plan to stay for summer school and work after his first-year just to lighten the load the future years. After that, I’m sure they want to do internships and such.
He’ll get plenty of liberal arts credits through AP it seems like, but he’d like to take some of those courses too, as you said for “fun” and to be well-rounded. But boy, there’s not a lot room for them, is there?
He’d like to study abroad and I know that’s really tough, but some schools do have abroad programs where you can continue to get the engineering credits you need.
My engineer took physics in summer school but only because a) she didn’t get in it last spring (all because she was ahead from her ap credit with chem) and b) because of covid nothing was going on anyway and we had the school refund room and board money so I agreed to let her take it. That was an ordeal as well because her school is very picky about where they can take it so she had to take it where it was really expensive. CCs don’t offer E&M anyway and if they did her school wouldn’t accept it. But other than that, she doesn’t need any summer school, and would like to do abroad next spring but I’m not too confident with covid that is likely plus I don’t really want to deal with subletting her apartment but we’ll see what happens.
As for internships, in her field this year of course, they’re mainly going to juniors because they were all cancelled last year, and it’s rare to get them as freshmen although she had one remote, so we’ll see what shakes out this summer or if she will have to just figure that out later and wing it. But definitely not a lot of room for much of anything or even for them to just sit back and be kids!
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S21 is getting so many emails from colleges saying that they have extended their application deadline and trying to get him to apply. What does that mean for the poor kids who got applications in on time and are anxiously waiting for decisions? Are these schools just trying to boost application numbers?
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I also thought this was interesting. You can look at enrollment by state for UNC. It’s obviously not admission, but you can sort of back into that roughly with yield (although my guess is in state and OOS yields are different).
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@AlmostThere2018 When I went to school, Chem Engr required an extra quarter’s worth of classes vs the normal engr majors. I had AP credits, which helped but I ended up taking a summer quarter (there was no way my head could deal with taking it at CC and then transferring to the University of WA). I’m really glad I did that. I also like to work first and the play later. It would never fly with S21 but for D24 and me, we like this approach. It allowed me to enjoy my senior year where I took the classes needed for graduation. Nothing more needed for GE and then the balance of the time, I applied and went on job interviews. That’s an equivalent of an entire class end of your junior year/senior year—job apps and in person interviews all over the US (when we could fly).
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D will take her credit and run. AoPS has given her strong foundation in calculus.
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Our AP’s are paid by the district. They are required to be taken if you take the class.
UNC detail is interesting. 82% in-state, 12% OOS and 6% international.
|Held position as president of class or club|51%|
|Participated in religious or faith-based communities|49%|
|Participated in academic competitions|47%|
|Conducted research outside the classroom|36%|
|Captained a varsity sport|34%|
|Participated in student government|33%|
|Participated in academic or professional internship|30%|
|Participated in a nonviolent march or demonstration|30%|
|Earned all-conference or higher recognition as an athlete|23%|
|Contributed to school publication|21%|
|Achieved fluency in nonnative language|21%|
|Participated in orchestra or band|20%|
|Participated in school or community-based theater|17%|
|Founded an organization|17%|
|Earned first-chair in orchestra or band|10%|
|Started a business or nonprofit|8%|
|Worked on a local, state or national political campaign|8%|
|Studied abroad during high school|7%| – not just a mission trip
|Named National Achievement Scholar|6%|
|Served as student body president|6%|
|Earned National Merit Semifinalist recognition|6%|
|Served as editor-in-chief of publication|5%|
|Participated in Girls’ or Boys’ State|5%|
|Earned National Merit Finalist recognition|4%|
|Earned Eagle Scout or Gold Award|4%|
These attributes are also informative. Is the applicant willing to take a stand? Lead, form a group, participate in civics? Do they stretch themselves either athletically or artistically in addition to academically? Do they excel in their sport or artistic pursuit…not just a member?
Only 49% claim to participate in faith based communities which is much lower than the general population.
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D is planning to major in Electrical Engineering. If I am understanding correctly, starting in 2021, she would be required to take 15 cr/semester to keep her scholarship. Should she be concerned about this requirement? Currently she is taking dual enrollment classes at UMN and did okay with 16 cr last semester ( which included 2000 level Physics and Multivariable Calc classes). Any opinions on the stress involved for a student to take 15 cr/semester in engineering?
My D will also be majoring in electrical engineering and required 15 hours to keep her scholarship. I can’t tell you about how stressful it will be but will tell you how it is once the fall semester gets in full swing. Wishing your daughter all the best.
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I suggest looking up the four-year plan for her degree. I’ve been looking and most semesters they suggest between 15 and 18 credit hours to stay on track to graduation. If you have some AP credit you can maybe keep it closer to 15 credit hours each semester. While technically (by def. of
federal financial aid) 12 hours is full time, most degrees , even outside of engineering require 15 credit hours a semester.
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Middlebury’s AP policies appear to be similar to Bowdoin’s. AP credits can not be used to fulfill distribution requirements, and may be used for placement purposes. It would be ideal to have extra room in her schedule to pick up a minor or even a second major, if it wasn’t too overwhelming. D will have completed 7 APs by the end of the year, but she was more focused on taking a rigorous course load than getting credit. Hopefully she will place out of a couple of first-year classes.
We also pay the AP fee directly to the school and students are required to take them if they want the GPA bump.
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@MommaLue – Yes, I work in higher ed policy and the whole “5th year senior” for engineering has been a historic problem. For years, lots of engineering programs had extra requirements that made it very hard to graduate on time.
Most universities have cut back the required hours and/or put out their degree plans to show how students can and should be able to graduate in 4 years. Often, they did this under pressure by university or state leaders who got tired of complaints by students and parents about the extra cost and time to get an engineering degree!
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D21 and I seem to be fighting a lot over nothing lately, I think due to the stress of waiting. What I find helps (for both anxiety and the fighting) is me going to another room and planning what I’m going to do after both my girls leave the nest. I have big plans that don’t cost much, and I love looking at all the possible ways to carry out those plans. It’s a reminder that this too shall pass and before you know it, we’ll all be in a different mindset. Two months from now the anxiety should be over, and this time will seem like a fast blip.
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I think that is common. I felt like S18 and I were in a constant battle at the end of his senior year. DH jokingly says it is part of the evolutionary process. By the time they are ready to fly the nest, we are so sick of them that we willingly let them go. 
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