Thanks. I love W&M too. I wanted to go there myself and was accepted but the OOS cost didn’t work for my family. Now we’re in-state. How much of a reach it will be is going to depend on how junior year grades go. And her SAT math is a bit low so working on that. She goes to a very competitive northern VA HS so definitely keeping expectations in check. Glad she has safeties and matches she likes too!
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I don’t know if it will be in person or virtual this year but Cal Poly SLO’s EPIC has several week long camps that provide a good sampling of different types of engineering.
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I got off the waitlist 2 weeks before W&M started with stats that would be an instant denial today. It’s crazy how much things have changed. I know it’s a really hard admit from NOVA and harder for a girl. It’s great that she has matches and safeties she likes.
Matches and safeties the twins like are still a real issue.
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One of my twins is struggling in 2 of his classes. He is taking his first CC college course and finding adjusting to the pace, taking it on line at night virtually is more than he expected. He wouldn’t listen to the advice of his math teacher or Mom. On the bright side he is enjoying the class, learning a lot and I think he can pull a B out (we will wait and see). Also, class is Diff E so I don’t think a B will hurt him.
The other class is German 3 which he just hates. He/I think German 4 AP is necessary if he is going to apply to high reach schools. I don’t think he can deal with another year. We are hoping that school doesn’t offer German 4 next year, then he will have an excuse not to take it. How bad will it be for schools like Harvard and MIT if he doesn’ have 4 years of a language.
Also, I have been trying to get him to talk to a mental health professional but he is very, very opposed. If he is going to just shut down, I don’t see the point in forcing him. Issues are anxiety and I would like him to have help dealing with grief. Any ideas besides keeping a close eye on him.
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I did “force” a few sessions with a counselor for my s23 but he isnt engaging. He knows the option is there now and what it actually entails.
I let my son drop Spanish 3 so he will only have 2 years of foreign language. In my son’s case, admittedly his Spanish 2 teacher did not teach content well last year and my son felt very unprepared for Spanish 3. He wants to revisit learning a language in college. He isn’t going after high-reach schools anyways. My d25 I think I will let stop after her freshman year as they count 8th grade Spanish as well on her transcript (she’s currently in Spanish 3 as a freshman). I would love to push her to continue with Spanish but in the end, I will let it be her choice.
In your case, if he can take the class and do well, perhaps consider german 4. But if there is another high-ranking elective he has more interest in, could he take that instead and explain that on his applications?
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German 4 is AP in our school. Also, German 2 was 1 semester last year and virtual instead of a full year. The weakest department in our county is foreign language and things have only gotten worse with the pandemic (not that he could or should say that on his applications). He could handle the class if he put in a lot more effort or was willing to work with a tutor. He is so overloaded with difficult classes and EC this year that senior year should be a brake but that time should be spent on applications or better yet sleep and mental health.
German 4 alone will not make or break him in Harvard admissions.
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I don’t think MIT wants 4 years. I think 3 years is good for them at least that is what my dd had and she was accepted. Harvard did state they want 4 years so he will have to consider but like a pp said, that will not make or break.
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Harvard also wants European history.
He’s planning on AP European history senior year so maybe they balance out.
I remembered calling about this a while ago and the advisor said they are not hung up
About it. I think they just want to see that the student has 4 years of history.
That’s good to know. If a kid was taking four years of social studies, wouldn’t it likely include European History? Are there other social studies classes they would take instead?
I think this is school-dependent. Our D’s HS does not have AP Euro or any European history that is required, and the last two years has had Harvard admits who had 3.5 yrs of history/gov/religion which is the standard for the school. There are history electives so one can take 5 yrs of history/social studies, but it isn’t necessary to get in to top schools.
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Don’t get too hung up on what their suggested preparation is, as long as the overall course load is rigorous and balanced.
They also want biology, and they accepted me without it. Data point of one, but still.
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My kids’ school district required 4 credits of social studies, broken down as follows:
- 1 credit world history (which is not European—it’s prehistory to the era of colonial expansion)
- 1 credit US history
- ½ credit US government
- ½ credit state history and cultures
- ½ credit economics
- ½ credit social studies elective (which can be satisfied by level III of a world language)
So even aside from trying to the difficulty of fitting in European history, the course isn’t even regularly offered at the high schools here. The most widely taken social studies elective here is ancient civilizations, since that’s what’s usually paired as the semester opposite the required state history and cultures course.
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Thanks for sharing. That’s interesting - especially that they give LOTE 3 social studies credit.
Our school requires world history, USH and gov/econ. Euro is offered but not required.
Next year we should have 2 data points thanks to twins. Both will have rigorous course loads, but one will have 5 years of language and math up to Calc C and the other will have 3 years of language and DIff E, Linear Algebra and one more course beyond Calc C.
NY State requires 4 units of social studies - 2 years of global history & geography, 1 year of US, 1/2 government, 1/2 economics. When D17 was in HS she had the option to take AP Euro instead of AP World for 10th grade, but I get the sense that in the last few years there has been a general move away from emphasizing European history in favor of more depth on other regions. D23 had AP World last year and APUSH this year - if she wants to take AP Euro it would have to be an elective/additional unit alongside gov/Econ next year.
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D23 update - still trying to earn a spot on a college soccer roster as a recruited GK
a few schools on her list of over 60 have told her either she is no longer in consideration for a spot or that they will not be looking to add a 2023 GK so that has helped a bit and we are grateful for the honesty. However, other then those few discussions the list has seemed to grow bigger, especially since the NCAA soccer season is winding down and coaches have returned to the recruiting trail. She is really struggling with keeping up with emails and spends about 2 hours a week on emails, phone calls, creating high light film, and other recruiting tasks.
Academically DD is doing well, taking AP US History, Physics, Adv Pre Calc, Honors English (no AP offered until senior year), Latin 3, and Religion. Prepping for her first SAT in December. Looking to be a poli sci major with an international focus or pre law
Finished up cross country with her second varsity letter (while playing u19 fall ball with her club team - went 4-1-1 with only 4 goals allowed against other league teams and some D2/D3/NAIA schools) and now is moving into league season with soccer. She trains 4-5x a week, plays 1-2 games per weekend and works 8-10 hours a week at Starbucks. Luckily games are local for the most part through the end of December, then we travel to FL in Jan, VA in March, and TN, PA, IN, and IL in the spring. Attending an ID camp at George Washington at the end of the month.
I think if any of her D1 options offered her she would commit, waiting on the D2 and D3s a bit and won’t take those until Spring/Summer. D1s she is talking to include - High Point, Loyola Chicago, Loyola Marymount, Seton Hall, Gonzaga, American, Dartmouth, DePaul, Drexel, Duquesne, George Washington, Loyola Maryland, U of Richmond, Seattle U, Siena, Temple, UNC Charlotte, William and Mary, Hofstra, Northeastern, Northwestern, Rice, St Johns NY, Wagner, Binghamton, Coastal Carolina, Colgate, College of Charleston, Davidson, Iona, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St Bonaventure, St Francis PA, St Joseph, Troy.
D2s and D3s - Williams, Tufts, Stonehill, Maryville, Le Moyne, Grinnell, Colby, Amherst, Assumption, Bentley, Brandeis, Haverford, Mansfield, University of Colorado Springs, Wingate, Kenyon, Pace, Emory, Seattle Pacific, U of Chicago, Wash U
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Wow! Big sport recruiting is such a different beast. Soooo many options, but also so much competition for slots. How do you stand out? My D17 was a recruited fencer, but there’s only about 45 NCAA fencing programs total across all three divisions! Her list was about 6 schools. Coincidentally she ended up at Temple, so there’s one school in your list I can answer questions about being a student athlete if you’re interested. Good luck!
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