Similar thing going on here. D25 has said “I’m not good at math,” but also gets high A’s with minimal effort. AP Calc is looking like a B. Partly because it is harder, although also because she let herself get behind when she was having her other issues, and that class is a bear to get caught up in.
FWIW, D21 also struggled in AP Calc. Then got A’s pretty easily in 2 Calc classes at Amherst. So it doesn’t exactly translate to a permanent problem with higher math. She took Calc 2 because it seemed like an EASIER class than something with a lot of reading. This was the same kid that told me in HS that she didn’t understand calc, and her brain wasn’t wired for math at that level. Part may be the material, and the first time they are seeing it. Although instructor quality I’m sure also played a role.
yes. She had the same teacher for Algebra 2 and Pre-calc and has a new to her teacher now. He definitely has a very different teaching style. Luckily for her and me, my husband is a math guy (math major in college) and he can explain things to her.
We’re dealing with the workload/ADHD/anxiety struggles here, too. Much empathy for your daughter. Kiddo had a meltdown last night when he realized how far behind he was. The workload has ramped up so much, and his ADHD meds are seeming less effective. We increased the dose, and now his anxiety is out of control. He’s drowning in work and won’t ask for help, so I’m going to step in and help untangle some things. (Like pulling him out of SAT tutoring for a few weeks so he can catch up on work.) I’m trying to remind myself that his mental health is the most important thing. I hope your daughter will find some relief from the stress, as well.
My D25 asked to start the 504 process at school so she could potentially be able to ask for a paper ACT versus online. While we don’t care about standardized tests, she also knows this could potentially apply to other classes as well.
She did an online pre-ACT early September. They did a practice science portion today on paper. She scored 3 points higher. I really hope they approve this as it could really help. We are looking at maybe adding some MSEP schools and a few of interest have minimum ACT scores. Considering shes scored around 15 overall doing online tests, she needs all the help she can get!
When we requested 504 (actually have done it twice now), we had the medical professional attend. I don’t know how your school is but I got the sense that if our professional wasn’t there to advocate, we would not have gotten approved (both times) - or at-least it would have been much harder. Now that it’s in place, everyone is awesome to work with and very accommodating.
When we did the 504 process, we submitted letters from the medical team (cardiologist, pulmonologist and rheumatologist). We didn’t receive any pushback from the school or College Board with the accommodations requested.
Yesterday D25’s class was supposed to have a meeting about the PSAT. They ended up cancelling it due to technical difficulties. This does not bode well for next week’s test. EEK!
Our kids are supposed to bring their own device. They will bring it in ahead of time to download and install the necessary software to be sure it works.
Just finishing up a great fall break trip to Colorado. We did a visit to Colorado School of Mines in Golden and absolutely loved it. The campus is gorgeous at the foot of the mountains, and Golden is a charming town. We were impressed with how dedicated and driven the students appear, and the population is a great size for my son (about 5,500 undergrads). The downside is the price for out of state COA (about $65K) and the scholarships seems limited. I think S25 will still apply, but it would probably be a stretch for us. Still, it was a good chance to reinforce what he wants in a school–most likely smaller and STEM focused.
Sometimes those are the most helpful visits. The “a school like this but maybe not this specifically” is very helpful, or even more valuable (although frustrating at the time) is “NOT a school like this, cross them all off the list.” Working on #4 right now, I’ve had many of both kinds of visits over the years.
The 2 biggest knocks I hear about CSM is 1-gender imbalance. This is a plus or minus depending on the kid probably. Although a 17 year old boy thinking “less girls, awesome!” could ultimately become a 21 year old wishing there were more girls around. Probably more importantly 2-if you have a big change of heart about STEM, it may mean you have to transfer.
I think for a lot of kids those aren’t particularly important concerns. I’m just passing that along, because I’ve heard those concerns many times before in case you think they may apply. Probably the same concerns at many small or midsized STEM based schools. I just happen to be familiar with CSM.
STEM is still gender imbalanced, sadly. My husband and I got the same degree but at different schools. Many times I was the only female, or maybe one other, in an entire class. It was the same at his much larger school. He is on the advisory council for his alma mater now and he said it is still greatly imbalanced, all these years later. I thought we’d be further ahead by the time my kids went to school.
A friend of my son’s just started at CoM and she really loves it. Cannot deny it is gorgeous!
Has anyone done both PSAT and SAT official practice tests in the new digital format? How are they different? My understanding is that the format itself/length is now the same. Is the PSAT easier?
D25 is going to take a practice test this weekend to familiarize herself with the format. I am wondering if she should just go ahead with an SAT practice or if she should stick with the PSAT.
In the past (paper) I was of the opinion that one should prepare for the SAT and that would get you more than ready for the PSAT.
Thanks for the feedback. For a kid coming from an all boys Catholic school, I think any addition of women will be a step in the right direction! But in all seriousness, Mines has a better percentage of women (around 32%) than some of the other schools he’s seriously considering. (Missouri S&T is about 25% women.) I wish the percentage was higher, of course.