If I recall, ZeeMee is typically used for art portfolios. It’s been around for some years now. I hadn’t heard of it being used in admissions more generally.
I think ZeeMee is on the DU application? S24 did an in-person visit, and at the information meeting we both got the impression that ZeeMee was truly optional.
S24 has decided he doesn’t need it and doesn’t want to waste his very limited time on it.
I think if a kid is on the cusp with GPA, or if DU feels like a reach and is a top choice, then maybe it might be worth doing.
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It was University of Denver. I am going to consider that to be completely optional. I can see how it would be of use in Fine Arts, but I don’t think I need to submit clips of my kid’s high school musical production of Les Mis.
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Just adding this info for anyone else who wants to self report scores to ASU:
Your son just may have missed the self-reporting section, because step 1 on their admissions page says you can self report:
https://admission.asu.edu/apply/first-year/admission#:~:text=ACT%20or%20SAT%20scores%20are,ASU%20in%20our%20FAQ%20section.
It specifically states:
To expedite the admission decision, self-report your high school grades in the application.
Choose to not self-report → quicker application process, but takes a little longer for an admission decision.
Choose to self-report → application takes longer to complete, but the admission decision comes much faster.
We are in state for ASU, my D24 applied July 1, self reported, and got her acceptance back within 5 weeks . To note, we used the ASU application; our (AZ) high school counselors say that this is better/ you get a quicker result (not exactly sure why or I would elaborate). But the link seems pretty clear.
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Sorry replied to wrong poster. Can’t figure out how to change that!
Ah ok. No wonder S24 said he did not see a place to enter. We did send the score via college board.
The admission process is the easiest. He submitted the application on Monday night and by last night he was admitted. S24 was joking that he should say we are done with college app since since he got admitted 
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S24 also took the self report option for the grades. He just said there was no place to add the test scores.
School started this week for D24 and they had a presentation regarding all things college application. It seems to have lit a fire under her, because she requested recommendations from teachers, wrote a common app essay (then decided it was bad and has another idea she needs to now get on paper), trimmed down her colleges to what may be the final list, and made forward progress on some other related tasks.
She went all out recruiting for her club at the club fair (drew them in with candy, and then gave 'em the spiel) and interest seemed high, so I am happy for her. Can’t wait to see what they do this year!
@RadM D24 had ASU on her list until very recently (would have been really nice to have a rolling admission acceptance!!) She told me that everything in Arizona is melting and it would be way too hot for her, and off it went. 
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Very true. One of the concerns is the hot weather here. But its relatively close to CA and also he should get enough merit to make it equivalent to instate fee so S24 agreed to apply.
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Hmm I wonder if the self report of SAT is only on the ASU app - maybe that is why our counselors recommend using it?
Entering the scores wouldn’t help, they aren’t required for admission but have to be sent to be considered for merit aid:
- ASU merit scholarships are awarded based on a combination of your high school GPA in core competencies, the number of those competencies you have completed or have in progress, and the degree program, residency and campus that you’re admitted to. Your ACT or SAT scores are not required for award eligibility. Changes in degree program, residency or campus may result in a scholarship adjustment.
- You can submit test scores for consideration, and in some cases they can lead to scholarship upgrades. ASU must receive your test scores by May 1 in order to consider them.
I don’t know if this has been discussed, or if people are even willing to ponder these thoughts,
but just pause for a minute to help your child decide if they truly want a very challenging college.
DS2022 is very blessed to be attending MIT.
We are beyond thrilled that he was accepted to his #1 college (and MIT offers good financial aid), and he has access to amazing opportunities, etc.
BUT there are moments when I think that a less challenging college may be not that bad, so he doesn’t have to work so hard in college.
While he’s not killing himself studying (classes/exams come easy to him), there’s a lot of pressure to be a superstar, even in a pond of already amazing superstars.
When I hear him speak to other high school friends who are not at known challenging colleges, those kids seem to have more fun, incorporate time for more activities/down time.
Maybe it’s my kid. Maybe he’d be the same studious kid at say our state college and not doing fun stuff, but I worry about the pressure.
There were a few posts on MIT Facebook with a few kids sharing their mental struggles, a few kids leaving 2nd semester/taking a break, etc, so it makes me nervous about how my son is managing.
For DD2024, who is not an academic rockstar, we are truly hunting for a balanced college, so that she can have both the academics and the social fun side, because college is not just about getting a degree. It’s about growing and finding who you are, while experiencing all sorts of adventures and meeting people from all over the world.
Good luck.
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I’m with you 100% on this. D21 is a rising junior at Stanford. While she has finally found a good balance of academic work and social life, it has been very intense and that intensity made her freshman year challenging regarding her mental health (and she already struggled with depression and anxiety before she went to college). D24, while a bright, curious kid and very good student but also not academic rockstar, knows she doesn’t want to “grind” in the same way her sister does. She’s looking at colleges with a balance of tight-knit community, good academics, outdoor club opportunities, good quality of life and kind student body. Her top choice school has a 50% acceptance rate.
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I really want S24 to prioritize balance in college. I feel that he got trapped in the rat race in his high school chasing “rigor” and perfect grades. I see the toll it has taken on his mental health. This is not what life is about and I want him to refocus on really exploring activities and classes that make him happy in college.
Some kids thrive in environments that push them and challenge them constantly. There are definitely kids who are great at juggling a lot on their plate while not getting overwhelmed. But I think my kid will do better in a more relaxed environment where he can slow down a little. I am relieved that he is starting to realize this about himself too.
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Our family is also looking for colleges with a more balanced approach or vibe. My kid would not do well at a college where there is a lot of intensity.
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My daughter had actually hesitated to the last moment before enrolling at an Ivy League university, because she precisely was worried about the very brutal HS rat-race continuing on, and there not being a healthy balance of challenging academics vs. time to wind down and having fun.
Fast forward: Like your son, she continued to be the same studious kid, and had no trouble with papers, exams, etc., while all-along she was able to take time off with her college friends, go to concerts, etc. Of course, her being her, she did keep an eye on time management, making sure it didn’t interfere with due dates for papers, assignments, labs, etc.
But during senior year, she admitted to me some day, chuckling, how “old” she felt because now she had turned into precisely that kind of student, she had worried that everyone else might be when she had been hesitating to enroll. Now she was the one valuing to be in bed by midnight on a Friday night, when her friends wanted to drag her out to a concern that (gasp) wouldn’t even start until 11 PM, and (gasp) in a different borough. 
So - if your son is like my daughter, being a good student at a challenging college, and working hard for that, doesn’t necessarily mean that he feels himself being under an unhealthy amount pressure. My daughter always looked back at High School, saying how she has no idea how she survived that, compared to the manageable class load and scheduling at college.
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I think it depends much more on the kid. Both my twins found their college work quite easy (one graduated with a 4.0, the other 3.95), without much difference in difficulty between their respective colleges (one T20 and one T100).
But one challenged themself to do other things (get elected to local council, apply for famous grad scholarships, work for a DC think tank part time during term time, run various on-campus clubs) and the other was quite happy to go skiing and climbing with friends at the weekend, rather than find additional challenging things to keep busy.
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I was so interested that people were talking about fee wavers that I looked more carefully at the emails S24 had gotten from schools and he has gotten some, but they are very hidden deep in the body of the emails! Have to do lots of close reading of these emails!
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Totally agreed!
For those that don’t mention wavers at all, S24 had to contact the admission office of a few schools on how to get one.
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