Do dual enrollment community college courses count towards UC GPA? And if they are, are they weighted? TIA
The twins and I toured Johns Hopkins 2 weeks ago, yesterday one of them got a blank journal with tiny quotes from people affiliated with Hopkins in the margins. I donāt think itās coinsidence that only the twin who let College Board share his SAT scores recieved anything.
Iām trying to find a way to sell the boys on College Park, I donāt think a tour will do it. Maybe Maryland Days will return next Spring.
1 Like
My S23 got his ACT score today from July. 33 composite! I am kinda in shock, quite a bit better than we expected. Although he was doing that well on practice sections, he had not sat for a full practice test so we werenāt sure if he would get tired or stressed and do a bit worse. Now, he is scheduled for the September test as well. Itās hard to say whether he should retake or not? Score could go down? He isnāt sure yet about what type of college he wants, but at least this score opens possibilities. We are touring St. Olaf and Carleton later this month and those will be his first tours, other than the ones he was dragged through with his brother.
10 Likes
Some schools are starting to Superscore ACT as well. If there is a specific section you think he can improve on
4 Likes
I would take a look at the colleges he is aiming for. That score is probably plenty good for everything outside the top 20 and Ivies. I have noticed that a 34 does seem to unlock scholarship money some places. If one of the scores was weak and a bit of studying could get it higher, it might be worth taking it one more time but thatās an awesome score!
2 Likes
Go up a few posts if you want to read about how another parent will think you are an awful parent if you let your kid with a 33 retake the test 
. Mine got a 34 and wants to retake it, I am fine with that. Hoping to improve, will be fine if it doesnāt. I say if the kiddo wants to retake it, why not? It could go up a point which, in some schools, could make a difference.
S23 and mom toured Temple this morning and came back impressed with the campus and especially the new Engineering and Science building and Library. Mom was last on campus in 1995 to take the TOEFL and a lot has changed with the surrounding neighborhood.
4 Likes
DD 23 just got her first (no prep) ACT and it was exactly the same as her Pre ACT. she will start 1-2 time a week private tutoring in September before she retakes. Much strong in english/history then math/science and wants to be a poli sci major. Starts cross country this month for her high school and fall ball with her soccer club on top of working part time. Schedule is busy this school year with no study hall and 2 AP classes and 2 honor classes (her school only offers 14 total) She is a soccer goal keeper hoping to play in college and has been hitting the college ID camps this summer once her season ended at the beginning of July. We are in Ohio so she has attended camps and visited the following
Ohio Wesleyan - no interest from DD, too close to home, lots of positive feedback from the coaching staff but head coach left week after camp
U of Buffalo - no interest from DD, didnāt like the feel, not a fit
Kenyon - #1 choice in ohio, loved the campus and facilities, great response from coaches and D feels she would be competitive for a starting spot, coaches want to keep in contact
Fordham - #1 choice overall at this point, loved the campus, D loved being in the Bronx, D loves the coaches and felt really solid at camp and with the feed back from the GK coach, only summer study abroad
St. Johnās - great feedback from coach, like location, need to do more research but may be on the list
Stony Brook - loves the location, likes the campus, good facilities, likes the coaches and players, good positive feedback from GK coach, worried about poli sci at a science/math/research school but she can do spring study abroad
Bryn Mawr - arenāt likely to recruit at GK in 2023 class, I love the campus, D loves the coach and the campus and academics.
Haverford - no established relationship with the coach/players, nice campus, solid academics
Swarthmore - likely removed from the list, lukewarm response from coaches
next up are DePaul, Loyola, University of Chicago (major academic reach), University of Illinois - Chicago and then fall stops to George Washington and American University.
Still talking with coaches from University of Seattle St Louis, Seattle University, Gonzaga, St. Bonaventure, Slippery Rock, and Seaton Hill.
I am exhausted and ready for a break - glad things slow down around here in a week or two
4 Likes
gkmom23 - i am physically tired out listening to your daughterās fall schedule! cross country can be grueling. If shes not done it before in addition to soccer, iāll suggest lots of chocolate milk, nutrition supplements and ready to go ingredients for smoothies. Good luck to her this fall!
2 Likes
Nice score, chardonMN kid!
1 Like
She did it last year too, loves the coach and the team spirit. About ten of her club soccer teammates also run cross country during fall ball and fall soccer is focused on individual development and her trainer works with her to stay healthy. Hoping to be top 8 on her team this year and I will be there with my cowbell and coffee at the finish lines
2 Likes
You know your kid best, and I also am the perfectionist type, but be aware there are some schools that require all test scores to be submitted. What if she has a bad day and scores lower? That test might count against her.
I might make sure none of the schools youāre serious about require this.
5 Likes
Yes, this exactly. I was going to make this point earlier, but didnāt because I didnāt want to get involved in the heated back in forth that was going on at the time. But itās an important consideration, and I also think that even getting the same or better score the second time around might be a red flag for some schools, as they might wonder about the priorities of a student who retook after a high first score. Before supporting a retake, I would seek the advice of an experienced college counselor (which I, admittedly, am not!).
2 Likes
Update on the summer - S23 is doing private online tutoring twice a week, once with a verbal tutor, once with a math tutor. Registered for Sept. 11 ACT. Heās gotten a perfect score on practice tests in the verbal section and that tutor thinks he walks on water. The math tutor thinks heās got some learning to do yet, understandable since heās not advanced in math ability and is only up to geom/alg 2 in courses completed.
Toured Pitt last weekend. On the trip out, we did a drive-by of Juniata and stopped in to the admissions office to get a packet. Itās a lovely little campus, probs too small and remote for my kid, but yāall in the rural LAC world might want to give it a look. It has some hefty scholarships, a Program of Emphasis instead of declaring a major (so lots of individual study programs cobbled together), a fairly rare Peace and Conflict Studies major, and a heavy study-abroad emphasis. Itās about an hour outside Pittsburgh. The woman who designed the Vietnam Vet memorial in DC designed the Peace Chapel there.
I liked the Pitt campus but I did not like all the hills in Pittsburgh. It reminded me a lot of WVU in Morgantown, where my D19 goes, and the icy winters are notorious in both. Iām glad itās not me considering going there!
The tour itself was not great, the guide was pretty bland, did not use a mic for some reason and so it was hard to hear her. Lots of people at the info session - 150 or more, then we split into groups of about 15. There was no inside tour, other than a lightning-quick walkthrough of the signature Cathedral of Knowledge building, which is this misplaced 42-floor Gothic skyscraper that you can see from miles away. It looked gorgeous and the kids do take classes in it, so thatās good; itās not just a showpiece. The campus is lovely but also not self-contained - itās got through streets and random businesses/hotels scattered about, so itās hard to get a sense of where it begins and ends.
The info session was interesting in that test-optional is apparently a real thing at Pitt. They said merit scholarships - even the big ones -are awarded without considering test scores, even if you submit them. This confuses me no end. Kind of makes them sound like theyāre test-blind. But if thatās the case, why not say so?
3 Likes
Is it just me, or are there others here who came of age in the 80s who, every time they look at that building, can only think something along the lines of āThere is no Dana, only Zuul!ā
4 Likes
I am not sure why the same score would be a red flag, as it would show consistency. I would think a huge discrepancy would be a red flag. Most of the schools we have looked at superscore the tests. She will be assigned a college advisor this fall by her school and I will leave the decision up to both of them on whether to retake a 34 ACT, as I donāt claim to know what colleges prefer. Her SAT score can definitely be improved on.
My D17 took the 3 part SAT twice back in the day including the last date it was given. She had something like a 2260 with a 800 V and 740 M. I told her she didnāt need to take any more testing and since the SAT changed she couldnāt really take it. So she said she wanted to take the ACT so I told her that it would be basically useless unless she got a 36 and that if she wanted to try it was up to her but she needed to put in the effort to make it worthwhile. So she signed up for the Sept of Senior year test and did a 5 week home study ābootcampā plan that was given to her by some local testing agency. She studied got her 36 and it probably helped with merit opportunities at WashU, Rice and UChicago. Rice was the only school out of 15 she applied that required all testing be sent otherwise she only sent the ACT 36 to schools.
2 Likes
My D17 spent 3 of her 4 years at Hamilton in those ādark sideā dorms- she loved them from the inside with the huge windows. 
Meanwhile D23 has started and loves her new job at the library. Theyāre already entrusting her with editing video presentations and troubleshooting computer issues and she says the time flies by. Hopefully sheāll be able to make her schedule work to keep on with it once school resumes in September.
Sheās also started a prep schedule on Kahn Academy. Still havenāt actually signed her up for a test date yet. Iām trying to steer carefully to see how much she wants to do on her own. Given her mental health struggles last year and how well sheās doing now Iām trying to observe and guide but let her decide where to put her efforts.
Only 1 of D23s AP scores are in - she got a 5 in CSP. Still awaiting World and Seminar results in August. The CS one was what she cared the most about. Sheās taking CSA this year.
I canāt believe weāre in the last week of July!! Where has this summer gone?? 
2 Likes
I have a question regarding research. I contacted a professor at Stanford and he said he can help me write a research paper or review paper on a topic of my choice related to anesthetics/neurological drugs. What kind of paper would be best to try to get a publication (like a review paper, meta-analysis, or research)? Also, I am currently a junior, would it be possible to publish the paper (assuming that some journal does accept it 
) by the time I apply to colleges if I start working on it at the beginning of September? TIA!
Working on the visit list for S23! He has a different personality than big sisters (D17, just graduated EE from Temple, D20, CS @ Temple), but similar interests: STEM, possibly CS or some Engineering flavor TBD. Iād guess perhaps Civil, but heās my harder to peg kid.
He said āI want to go to school somewhere near water.ā Not that heās particularly into water sports or anything, just that he likes the ambiance. But as a theme for an initial tour list, Iāll go with it to narrow things down
Generally I prefer steering towards larger publics with strong honors programs and good merit possibilities, but thereās some flexibility)
Here are a few likely visits. Any other suggestions are appreciated! Generally looking Ohio and east, DC and north.
- SUNY Stony Brook - Weāre in state, but Iāve never been. Weāll definitely visit. Heās been on campus at SUNY Buffalo, how does Stony Brook compare?
- University of Rhode Island - Not talked about a lot here on CC, but the campus looks very nice in pictures ā anybody with any personal experience?
- Dalhousie (Halifax NS) - When the border is fully open both ways, weāll visit. Weāve been in Halifax before, and he specifically asked about colleges there
- Stevens - D17 loved it, it was her top choice for a while before ending up at Temple, but D20 didnāt like it much at all. Obviously not a big public though, and merit is sketchy there.
2 Likes