Just checked it out. Seems really helpful. Loved the blogs on brag sheets and letters of recommendation. Thanks for the suggestion.
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It has been a while since Iâve been on here. I do comment on posts in my DSâs college parentsâ page in FB somewhat regularly. There hasnât been anything to really talk about with DD lately. Sheâs not doing the SATs, sheâs not applying anywhere right now⊠so not a lot of action there.
We did have one major change for next year though. Sheâs feeling overwhelmed in her IB HL 1 Spanish class this year and she asked me if she could drop HL2 for next year. She asked if she could take Spanish at our local community college. I thought that was a pretty great idea. I looked up what credit AP Spanish Language would grant (the CC doesnât list what credit it grants IB, but itâs often the same as AP) and discovered it only grants credit for the equivalent of college Spanish 3. So if I sign her up for Spanish 2 in the fall and Spanish 3 in the Spring, sheâll probably come out with the same credit sheâd get from passing the IB test. And starting in Spanish 2 will come with some review, so thatâs good too. Spanish 2 says you can take it after 2 years of HS Spanish, and sheâs had 4. So I think this is a really good move for her. Iâm even going to take the class with her if I can.
Also on the ânewâ front, Iâve actually identified a new school for her to apply to that has rapidly moved up to the top two of her list. Her top choice was SDSU and her second was Cal Poly Pomona. Weâve now added CSU Northridge to her list. It wasnât even really on our radar as a school she should apply to. She wants to be an English Major and also get a single subject teaching credential to teach middle school or high school English. In CA the way that works is you can either take the CSET which has you take 4 subject tests to prove subject mastery, or you can take a subject prep program along with your major for your bachelors (basically, they tell you which âelectivesâ to take in your major to satisfy the state requirements. Then you apply to credential programs and you can complete that in one year of full-time study. So it takes at least 5 years to get your teaching credential in your subject.
CSU Northridge has a concurrent Bachelors/SS credential program that allows you to graduate in 4 years with both the degree and the credential with out having the do the extra year. I went back to all the schools I had on our radar to see if any of them offered a similar program. Only SDSU had one, but it was only for the high-demand programs of math, chem, or special ed. All other credentials have to do the extra year program after graduating. So suddenly, CSUN has moved up next to SDSU in her priority list. SDSU is still up there because SDSU is seriously cool and she really likes it. But sheâs now looking forward to touring CSUN.
I took her on a college visit to CSU Fullerton yesterday. She was actually really excited about that too. Sheâs discovering that there are lots of places she could go and be happy. Thatâs a great thing to discover. Thatâs certainly more than my son discovered before actually going off to college.
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Thatâs great! A good friend of mine went to CSU Northridge.
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I love Your College Bound Kid!
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Its great she has such clear vision on what she wants to study and what she wants to do after graduation.
s24 still is not sure. Every time we discuss he changes a bit.
S24 is trudging along halfway through the 3rd quarter. He took the SAT yesterday but does not think he will get a great score. Hopes are pinned on Aug now.
3rd quarter has been brutal! I wonder if this is just at his HS or everywhere? They are half way though the quarter and he has mostly Bâs in almost all core courses for this quarter. It is surprising but he is hoping to pull the grades up since he has several weeks left.
Itâs been a long slog in our household for sure. D24 is burned out on testing. And AP testing season hasnât even started!
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My wife falls asleep every time she listens to Sara Harberson. She needs caffeine before listening if she really wants to focus on the content.
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Yes it has been hard for sure. I have heard couple of other colleagues who have kids in other school in same grade say that their kids are also having a tough time this sem. I think many 11th graders take AP courses here and may be this the way for teachers to make sure they will prepare more for the tests.
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Junior year has been a long haul here too. D24 took on an extra heavy course load and keeps adding to her extracurricular responsibilities. I just hope she can keep it all going until summer. She took the SAT test yesterday and thought the English portion was especially difficult. I was so hoping she could be done but I have the feeling she will want to test in June.
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So debating what to do about college tours for April break. S24 has decided that he will ED to either Vanderbilt or Williams and I am not sure what gain there is to go look at more highly selective schools. Is there a reason to look at schools that are even more competitive? If he doesnt get into one of his ED choices he can apply broadly and then we can look after. I am thinking time is better spent visiting schools that require EA applications and are less selective. (UVM) and ones that are in the 20-30% acceptance range that would be matches rather than reaches. S21 had no opportunity for visiting so I am a little lost on the strategy.
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Is anyoneâs child looking to go to college abroad? Not just a semester or year abroad, but the whole time? My S24 would love to study in the UK or Ireland. Heâs looking at a bunch of programs.
The disappointing thing weâve learned is that the top schools in particular place a lot of emphasis on SAT/ACT scores and AP scores. My sonâs school got rid of APs a few years ago, and so my son is self-studying for 5 AP exams this year.
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We are also debating this in our house. We are visiting one in-state safety and one possible ED reach school out of state during spring break. Not sure if we are adding any more, waiting until summer or even Fall to do more visits.
My daughter is interested in Hartpury University in Gloucester, GB for their equestrian programs. Sheâs also looking into University of Edinburghâs vet med programâitâs a 5 yr program and it starts right out of high school. That one is an extreme long shot. They want to see AP Chem, bio, and physics if possible! Our high school only does IB science so 1)itâs hard to get more than one science class, and 2) you wonât have any test scores when you apply. But since this wasnât even on my kidâs radar, sheâll be in her first year of IB bio and chem senior year which makes her chances even slimmer. I just started looking into the application process more seriously. I think they rely on teacher references for the AP classes to give an indication of expected grade. But I donât recall seeing anything specifically addressing the issue of your high school not offering it.
Iâd be interested to hear specific advice you get! We plan to visit Hartpury in May so I hope to learn more about the process!
We looked closely at Edinburgh Vet. I encouraged my son to speak with admissions more but he did not. I think APs are the gold standard and in the absence of AP classes, whatever IB science you have would have to be accompanied by self study AP. Youâll also need a high SAT score and lots of hours working with animals.
Then there is also the issue of âpredictivesâ from from your school, which details what grades are likely to be achieved in each class senior year.
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I think visiting some more likely schools is a good way to go. It is pretty easy to find ultra selective schools our students will like, but it isnât as easy to get them enthused about schools where admission is less of a long shot. This is the current struggle in our house - by the end of the year we will have visited 8 schools and most of them are reaches (with two low reach/high match).
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burnout happening here, too. SAT was Saturday and now D24 has some sort of standardized testing all week (not even sure what the latest iteration of it is, but it is the required state graduation proficiency testing).
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The âYour College Bound Kidâ had a 3 part interview series a couple of months ago that talked about applying to schools in the UK. Maybe check that out? I donât remember which specific episodes though.
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We are having a really hard time identifying targets and safeties. SCOIR shows schools that seem to be matches that here on CC are categorized as reaches. When I suggested a school like UVM to my sonâs counselor she said they should pay him to go there, OMG! We are in New Jersey and Rutgers is not a good fit for him as are the more urban state schools, I am not excited about paying full price for private schools that are not as good a fit, not sure what the next step is.
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Because of test optional, thereâs a donut hole for high achieving kids.
Kids who are fully qualified to go to a T20 school are basically in a game of musical chairs so finding a âmatchâ school is difficult. Weâve come to the conclusion that there are no match schools for our D so sheâs applying to 8-10 reach schools and 2 safeties.
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