This one is my third and last. I’m probably too laid back, but I’ve come to realize they will be fine.
My first one took an auto merit scholarship at a state flagship and was done in November. She also had a paid research gig lined up. So easy and low stress.
Second one had big dreams. She applied to a ton of schools, got rejected by some, got into a lot of them including some top ones, and then took a merit scholarship to a state flagship she was admitted to early on. We went through all of the stress for nothing.
Your D24 sounds a lot like mine that is so funny. Freshman year was excellent and ended academically, phenomenally. She is volunteering at a non-profit and became head admin off of her interview alone. She also plays on the NPL team for comp soccer and made varsity this year. She has a job this summer on youth policy legislation and is also in the Biomed program. Her pediatrician agreed just yesterday to allow her some job shadowing. The sole difference is she started a workshop for younger children. They are eerily similar. LOL
@Curiousncuriouser Jinx! I think she will be ok next year but it will be the first time that I think she will be challenged. Two AP classes and the AP Chem teacher is ok. Kinda meh. My son had her and got a B+ there so this will be a test to see how she would manage a challenge and learn coping mechanism for when you can’t be perfect. Girls tend to lose confidence in STEM at a certain age and I don’t want her to be a statistic. I’m worried the most about her despite having had straight A’s all her life. Her brother was not perfect and but he is very good at coping when something doesn’t go his way (seems like often!). That said, things he struggled with, she hasn’t, so that’s exciting.
NPL players are in a league of their own. My daughter isn’t at that level, for sure, but she’s a strong player and has gotten to play up over the years. I don’t believe she will be playing in college so I’m trying to learn from how S21 balanced comp swim with the activities he wanted to do and also maintain his grades.
@AlwaysMoving That’s great! I checked with S21’s engr academy and young women are still under-represented. In D24’s biomed academy, the numbers are healthy, so I hope things will progress for the better.
I’m a data vacuum, so I thought it would be helpful to post some basic places I like to get info.
I follow a number of admissions folks on social media and blogs…
I like Jeff Selingo for his years of knowledge, insider sources, and he is a good writer. His latest book is interesting too. BioTwitter There are a lot of others on twitter that I’ve discovered through him, but they’re kind of hit or miss.
GT and UGA admissions deans do a great job of talking about the process on social media and their blogs. They both come off sincere and understand how stressed the kids are. UGA BlogGT Blog
UVA’s admissions dean has a good blog, is active on twitter, and is a regular on the UVA sub forum here on CC. She is so on it! Very impressive. UVA BlogTwitter
I love College Scorecard for researching majors and income. The income data comes straight from the tax returns of former students who receive federal aid or loans. Still a bit limited because it doesn’t pull from all grads, but the solid data makes up for it.
Thanks for these. I love podcasts. I discovered Yale Inside Admissions and JustAdmit It! from the 2021 parents group. Any podcast folks here find helpful?
I like all of that plus I like the following podcasts: Your College Bound Kid, Inside College Admissions, Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, College Admissions with Mark and Anna.
Getting in I think is really great and they do topic segments (also on YouTube). It’s truly amazing how much quality information is available for free.
We’re happy for the end of freshman year. It went well overall. D24 did well in classes and really enjoyed math and English for one of the first times ever. She doesn’t have a lot planned this summer and is looking forward to her hobbies.
Hello Everyone… Joing this thread for my Daughter. Son graduated in 2015 from Cornell. Seems like lot changed since then regarding the admissions. Look forward to having interesting conversations for next three years.
Hi, just joined CC. DS24 is my first. I started researching to plan for the years to come. I hope there’s a class of 2024 3.0-3.4, but for now I will hop on with this group. Looking forward to this journey!
Hi all, joining on behalf of my DD24 who is interested in premed.
Do colleges consider AP scores if the applicant takes the exam on their own without taking the course in High school. My D’s school doesn’t allow more than 2 APs in 10th grade. We were wondering if she can self study for a couple of APs in her 10th grade and take the college boards next May.
Hi all! D24 had a successful freshman year, is working as a camp counselor with her sister (D20), and is eager to start visiting colleges! The benefits of being the younger sibling was getting to see her sister and friends go through the application process and hearing about their freshman year experiences. Not sure I’m ready to go through the process again just yet, but looking forward to learning from all of you as we navigate together.
My D24 went to D21’s small school graduation and after looking at the program noted that none were headed to Yale, Harvard, or Princeton. We had a little chat about how it’s not like TV and there are so many good colleges she’s never heard of. I didn’t want to be too discouraging but she does need a reality check.
They will consider them, but honestly they won’t carry a lot of weight. Schools are focused on the learning in class more than just passing a test. I hope that makes sense.
I would focus on the quality of the APs taken (Calc BC, Chem, Physics C) instead of the quantity and developing strong ECs. My D that just graduated was only allowed one AP in 10th and was admitted to a few top schools.
Can she? Yes. Will it make one iota of difference for her college applications? Absolutely not. Will it be detrimental if it impacts her ECs? Absolutely.
For admissions, it is far better to actually take the class. No college AO will issue demerits because a school limits the number of APs that can be taken.
There are certainly some nuances, which I can discuss for specific situations. And self studying might be advantageous from a credit perspective. But IME, users who ask about self studying often have the follow-up question “What are the easiest APs to self study?” You can be certain that each and every AO knows the easiest APs to self study and roll their eyes accordingly.
I think she will be ok next year but it will be the first time that I think she will be challenged. Two AP classes and the AP Chem teacher is ok. Kinda meh. My son had her and got a B+ there so this will be a test to see how she would manage a challenge and learn coping mechanism for when you can’t be perfect. Girls tend to lose confidence in STEM at a certain age and I don’t want her to be a statistic. I’m worried the most about her despite having had straight A’s all her life. Her brother was not perfect and but he is very good at coping when something doesn’t go his way (seems like often!). That said, things he struggled with, she hasn’t, so that’s exciting.