<p>PCP! Any word? Throw us a bone!</p>
<p>We landed ashore early afternoon yesterday!</p>
<p>After picking up S1 on Friday night, I asked if he has a decision, S1 said he is going with Caltech. “Great! Let’s click the accept button when we get home”, I said. “Well…I still need to think about it…just want to be careful what I commit to”, he mumbled. I didn’t expect this level of hesitation. He told me he really likes UChicago after the visit, and clicked well with the people and the Socratic way of teaching, but he still thinks Caltech is better for what he wants to pursue. I told him if he is not ready to commit then sleep on it for a night. No decision on Friday.</p>
<p>Saturday morning, I found S1 checking FB and, yes, COLLEGE CONFIDENTIAL, for advice and opinions. This was just cutting it too close for me. He told me half of his friends said Caltech and the other half, UChicago. Nobody suggested him to take UMass full-ride. I heard myself screaming inside, “So what is your decision?”</p>
<p>Just past noontime, I heard S1 declaring from the dining room, “Okay. I’m picking Caltech!” With that, he let go the other wonderful opportunities. Somehow I knew he would come to this conclusion ever since April 1st. Time to celebrate!</p>
<p>I’m so glad he didn’t pick UMass! Good for you for being so supportive, helping him think through his options and letting him pick what he felt was best for himself!</p>
<p>Congratulations on the end of a very exciting journey! I wish him all the best. He really worked hard to make this decision, and he did great.</p>
<p>It’s been wonderful having this forum/thread to turn to during the application process…my s is so much like many of seniors …and I guess we parents are very much alike as well,…just read pcp’s post…she was stressing as her s took up to the very last minute to make a decision…and I have been stressing as my s declared “this is the one” after being on the campus for less than an hour…btw he continued to stick w/that decision through an ED waitlist and up until mid April when he finally saw the “Welcome” notice posted… best of luck to all!</p>
<p>SDonCC & EmmyBet, thank you.</p>
<p>bigbluemom, congrats on your son’s decision. He will do just fine.</p>
<p>GKM, Im rooting for your son! Encourage him to study hard for the SAT if he wants to pursue his reaches. </p>
<p>5boys, the Mountain School is an excellent idea! It seems like just what many kids nowadays need learn to live and socialize without Internet and (for boys) video games!</p>
<p>I hates seeing this discussion slide so far down…so, I’m bumping it with a bit of discussion.</p>
<p>My S finished his last IB/AP test for Junior year today. Now, just finals, SATIIs in June, and waiting on grades/test results to come in before we can decide exactly which schools are safeties/matches/reaches for our college tour this summer.</p>
<p>D is taking the SAT for the second time in June. Hopefully she will start studying for it soon 
She did fairly well in March, but if she could get her score up about 50 points it will make a difference in any potential merit aid, especially since her grades went down this year! (due to a very demanding course schedule of honors and APs and huge EC commitments). GTK- I am expecting things to quiet down on this thread until the late summer/early fall when I am sure it will ramp up again with applications, visits, etc.</p>
<p>Hi people - I’ll join in. I’ve found it nice to have all of the various B+ threads active so we can talk about different things. </p>
<p>My D was very happy to be done with her APs (USH and Bio) and have a pretty quiet end of the year. She’s kept her grades up pretty well - I thank a math teacher who helped her finally to nail down some concepts and an English teacher she gets along with wonderfully. The two APs were a challenge, but in a good way; she balked at being pushed harder sometimes, but she learned how to dig inside herself and give some extra effort. </p>
<p>Moving away from an intense focus on music and being able to spend much more time on theater has also been wonderful for her. She has some really nice experiences lined up for this summer. Overall she’s doing really well. </p>
<p>As for college searching, we’re pretty much done - everything goes through a “theater filter.” She has about 6 auditioned schools now (2 that are very hard to get into, and others that are less so), 2 nice LACs that are matches, and 2 safeties. I fear she’ll do a 180 on the last 4, worry that she won’t “love” the state schools that so far she says she’d be fine going to. But my D1 balked at safeties, and actually planned a gap year rather than go to one (it never came up because she got in ED to her 1st choice). I don’t think D2 would go that far. But we need to look more closely at those schools and seal her happiness with them.</p>
<p>We all say “love thy safety,” and I read with great excitement about the kids who really do, even choose it over the “more highly ranked” schools they end up getting into after all. I’ll admit a fantasy that she would do that, but unfortunately what goes along with these safeties is the familiarity factor. I know she doesn’t want to be one of many kids from her HS going there, and honestly as a B+ student she’d be lumped with a bunch of B- and even C students that she has worked hard not to be identified with. </p>
<p>I guess we can look for a safety that’s different. We’ll visit the 2 currently on her list (UMinn and UW-Milwaukee) and then talk about somewhere else. She took some good theater schools that were safeties off her list (Columbia Chicago and Hofstra) for the reasons I’m referring to, that people she knows are going there and she wants to break free. </p>
<p>We’re also going to get apps done IMMEDIATELY. The idea of an acceptance in hand in early fall is way too enticing.</p>
<p>Have a great summer, folks. We’ll keep it going!</p>
<p>Here’s another point, though: My D knows someone in the theater BA at Minn who is extremely happy. We’re familiar with the Twin Cities and know it’s a very wonderful urban area (this is important on her list). But as I said, she’d probably be one of a half dozen kids from her class going there. We can call it a safety at this point because her ACT is on the high end of the middle 50% and her grades are fine. </p>
<p>I saw on the theater thread that people highly recommend Indiana University for a BA. So I wondered if my D might find it at least “different” from the usual state schools kids here go to. I looked up its website just now and did some comparison shopping. First of all, the stats at IU are a notch lower than at UMinn, but that’s not a huge deal.</p>
<p>Second, while we are fortunate that finances aren’t a priority in our decision-making (we’re paying fully for a private U for D1 and would for this one if it’s her first choice acceptance), I think it would matter to her to hear that IU is well over 30K OOS, while Minn is 10K less OOS - and from WI we have reciprocity, which would mean at least a 20K difference per year, at least on paper. </p>
<p>So safetites aren’t all alike, and “publics” aren’t all alike - I mean, you can barely lump them together at all. I know this is kind of obvious, but it always hits me how you have to look at each and every school so individually. </p>
<p>Maybe I can get her to take a tour of Milwaukee pretty soon (actually we don’t tour any more, just look around and head right for the theater dept). I think we’ll go to Minn in the fall, over a long weekend break. I’d love for her to stay with this friend, who’ll be a senior and can really show her what the long-term theater BA experience will be like.</p>
<p>I know I’m intense about this, but I don’t feel like we’re on a break from it at all! A lot of that is because of worrying about auditions and all that, but I really don’t think there’s much time during senior year (having done it once already) to do anything but the last part of the application process.</p>
<p>My mother would laugh, though, because I didn’t even find the college I went to until after I’d had an ED deferral. I had to switch gears completely in December! But again, I wasn’t auditioning, too, and truthfully I wouldn’t wish my experience on anyone, especially for my parents, who had to put together a 1000 mi away college visit on short notice. At least that school had rolling admissions, so once I found it and applied, I was done.</p>
<p>Emmybet-wish things didn’t have to be puton hold here but D will be away from the day after her last exam until the third week in August as she has a job at a summer camp. I have told her that I expect her common app essay to be done. Will be doing long distant nagging 
when she gets back we are doing a road trip to look at some colleges the last week of August. I am hoping all her apps will be done by mid October. I can dream can’t I?? :)</p>
<p>holliesue: Mid-October is completely reasonable! My D worked at her summer camp in another state last summer (summer before senior year). When she got home, she had to do summer AP homework (for two classes), start on her tennis team and get going on college apps. In the middle of all this, she got really sick for about four days before school started. Not to mention the fact that she wanted to practice driving before school started so she could take her road test. It was a difficult time - from end of August through mid-October, but she did it all. College apps were in by mid-October and the following week she passed her road test. College acceptances started coming in December. For a procrastinator like D (that’s why she fit in this 3.3-3.6 thread!), it was all a challenge. But she is happy with the results she got.</p>
<p>Not to burst your bubble, but this summer is no easier! She will be away working at her summer camp (starts BEFORE prom and graduation, so a lot of back and forth), needs to take a trip to her college for orientation in the middle of the summer, and then has about four days between the end of camp and when she goes to college. I’m tired thinking about it all!</p>
<p>EmmyBet: I just want to point out that if your D knows about half dozen people from her class at a school as big as UMinn, she probably won’t see them very often! But completely understand her desire to look elsewhere.</p>
<p>Thank you, LINYMOM! Yes, it’s just the idea of not having the same old answer everyone always hears - if not a WI state school, then MN. </p>
<p>Are you from Long Island, as your name suggests? My D really loved Adelphi, when we visited their theater dept this March. We’re hoping it’s an audition school she can get into. Her regular stats seem on the high side for it, and she’ll apply right away, so she can get in and then schedule her audition. We don’t hear much about Adelphi on CC - do you have anything to say about it?</p>
<p>Congrats to your D - where is she going? I’m stunned that she has to be at camp before graduation … wild!</p>
<p>LINYMOM-D has already decided not to work at the camp the summer after graduation. Doesn’t want to miss all the grad parties and wants to be able to take a nice “family” vacation before heading off to school. It will be the first time in 10 years she won’t be at her “home away from home”!</p>
<p>Emmybet: Yes I am on Long Island. I know of Adelphi but don’t really know much about it. My D didn’t want to go to school in NY State, let alone stay on Long Island! My sister is a prof at a local community college. I will ask her about it when I see her this week. </p>
<p>My D is going to University of Delaware. She is beyond thrilled. It seems like a perfect fit for her (and we visited a LOT of schools!). So she will be a Blue Hen!!! She has to be at camp two weeks before regular campers because she is not only an in-bunk counselor, but also tennis specialist. P.S. The camp is in the Berkshires (Massachusetts) - so I will be putting a lot of miles on my car!</p>
<p>holliesue: Then you will have a more relaxing summer with your D than I will! Some of it would be easier with her here, but she is much happier being at camp. She has had it with all the HS drama and is definitely ready for her summer friends. Then ready for the next challenge: college!</p>
<p>LINYMOM: Thank you! I’d love to hear what you find out. I’m concerned we’ll have a choice next year where she could get into Adelphi’s wonderful theater program but be weighing whether the academics are a good fit for her (although she was flattered when they told her she’d practically be guaranteed some great merit money, especially if she applies early, and could qualify for the honors program). </p>
<p>I hear a lot about UD; I hope it’s all your D wants it to be.</p>
<p>holliesue: Sounds like your D is being observant and thoughtful about what she wants. That bodes well for college decisions!</p>
<p>Best wishes to everyone on a great end to the year.</p>
<p>I have a friend whose daughter went to U of Indiana who was a theater kid in high school. She actually got into Tisch, but turned it down because she decided she wanted a campus and a real college experience. She ended up majoring in dance and French. She had summer stock jobs every summer, but not that she’s graduated isn’t having as much luck with auditioning in NYC. She really liked Indiana however. (She was an excellent student BTW.)</p>
<p>Yes, people really like IU in (apparently) any performing arts major. And how the career works out is always a mystery. Many BA students find it works out fine for them, or they end up with MFAs, which in our case would be fine with her, and with us. As you say, even if someone is lucky enough to get into a BFA sometimes it doesn’t feel right at the time. I can’t even begin to guess what the end of our story will be next year!</p>
<p>I was just surprised that IU was going to cost us at least as much as many private schools. I guess that’s what happens often with OOS. Theirs is just particularly high, I think.</p>
<p>After losing a really long post last week on lessons learned, I’ve recreated as much as I can remember from the original. I agree with much of what mathmom said.</p>
<p>1) Make each app count. S had twelve schools on his list and ultimately applied to eight. He did not have energy to apply to more. On the hand, he was happier with his results than folks we know (with better grades and/or scores) who applied to 20+ schools, or who applied to one safety and a number of lottery ticket schools. </p>
<p>Corollary: Make sure you apply to enough schools that you have a choice among financially viable candidates. Kids in the 3.3-3.6 range are not going to get significant merit from their reach schools. If merit $$ is important, look for schools where your student is a VERY strong applicant. I helped another student this year (a stellar candidate who did very well in admissions), but only three of the FA offers were do-able. Merit plus FA didn’t stack to enough money. </p>
<p>2) The GPA, even though it’s from a very tough program, was a dealbreaker at some places, though full IB plus 11 APs demonstrated he’s nobody’s slacker. He had no Cs and his GPA was fairly consistent throughout HS.</p>
<p>3) Essays, essays, essays. S threw his heart and soul into his Chicago and Tufts essays, and it showed. Probably showed so much that other schools looked at him and knew he was a better fit elsewhere! S was funny, cynical, philosophical, political and analytical, and tied his various experiences into a set of vignettes that showed who he is. These were his two favorites all along, and he made them the focus of his efforts.</p>
<p>The hardest part of essays for both my kids was the introspection and the process of revealing oneself on paper. This needs to happen over the summer when the weight of classes and homework are not overwhelming. It happened while sitting under a tree and when walking on a beach (for S1) and through arguing political philosophy on FB with friends and while cooking over a campfire (in S2’s case). It’s not just about fodder for essays, it’s about reflection on one’s personal growth and goals.</p>
<p>Corollary: S1’s program had the kids write resumes junior year as part of the process for finding research internships. This resume proved VERY useful because: a) it was easier to gather this info early/verify dates, etc. and have it ready for college apps; b) S1 had time to play around with the format, phrasing, etc. so it would be an effective communications tool for him (he elaborated on ECs here instead of on apps); and c) most importantly, it was REALLY valuable as a way to connect the dots between what appeared to be unrelated interests. When S had it all on paper, he was able to see how there were certain threads linking all of these different activities, and it helped him to weave his essays into a larger tapestry. While S2 did not apply for internships, we had him do a resume before ever starting on the essays because it was so darned useful for S1. It helped get him into the reflective mindset. He also saw how his childhood interests developed as he grew older, and included some of those thoughts in his essays.</p>
<p>4) S2 did not pay much attention to rankings. He did focus on schools that do an excellent job in the areas he wants to study, but also sat in on classes, talked to profs, IR majors, college reps, etc. in gathering info. Teachers and students that your kids meet through science fair/band/debate/drama/yearbook/math camps can be valuable resources in assessing fit at particular schools.</p>
<p>5) EA and rolling decision schools are your friends. 3.3-3.6 kids who are reaching have a long wait until April 1st. Getting some early results can help students decide if they want to throw another high reach out there, take some schools off the list, or if one needs to recalibrate to some more realistic choices. S2 dropped four schools and added a mega reach after getting into UChicago, which was his #2. In retrospect, he could have dropped two more. </p>
<p>Caveat: if FA/merit is a deal-maker or -breaker, I wouldn’t drop schools from the list.</p>
<p>6) We did the CC/College Karma StatsEval. It costs $150 and is a good reality check for kids in this range to make sure that you have a good spread. They were pretty much right on the mark; out of twelve schools, S had three likelies, one big reach where CC recommended EDI if he really wanted to attend, and what CC considered eight low reaches. (S2 recently reminded me of one school which he dropped in December and I had forgotten about it.) Combined with Naviance data from our school, we knew one of those low reaches was in fact a big reach (Georgetown SFS for kids in the DC area), that Swat wanted mega grades no matter what, Chicago embraces tough schedules and an excellent SAT scores over GPA, W&M loves his school, American and URoch accepted 80%+, and he was absolutely in the hunt at CMC, Carleton, Bowdoin and Macalester. </p>
<p>7) If you have a student in IB, please, please, please make sure they get through the essays or the EE before the beginning of senior year. Between football, college apps, Extended Essay, TOK paper, Internal Assessments, final exams, etc. we had a fried kid with stress migraines by the end of first semester. This is a kid who handles pressure well, takes care of himself, gets 7-8 hours of sleep at night, exercises, etc. Scary stuff. I am convinced it affected how he looked at his final college decisions.</p>
<p>Stats/results (posted previously, but for the rising senior parents who are new to this thread): 3.49 UW (3.56 9th-12th), 4.24 W. SAT 2290 (740 CR, 760 M, 790/12 W), SAT-IIs: 770 Math Level II, 770 USH, 730 Eng Lit, 11 APs, full IB diploma, selective admit public program, school doesn’t rank, 15-20% of IB program to T-20 schools.</p>
<p>Attending: Tufts
Accepted: Tufts RD, UChicago EA, UMD-CP Priority Decision w/College Scholars and partial merit, URochester w/partial merit
Waitlisted: Carleton, Bowdoin
Rejected: Georgetown (deferred EA, rejected RD), Swarthmore
Did not complete apps after Chicago EA acceptance: W&M, CMU, Macalester, Claremont McKenna
Also seriously considered: Haverford, Dartmouth, Brown, American, St. Mary’s/MD, Grinnell</p>
<p>CountingDown, thanks VERY much, that’s very helpful, especially as a number of the schools you mention are on D1’s current list. Your items 1 and 3 in particular have her name written all over. She’s been saying that she wants to really concentrate on her essays to just a few schools, which is in line with her experience with applying to summer programs. She put her heart and soul into the essay for one program she dearly wanted, and put significantly less into another program that she would have enjoyed. Lucky for her, she got program #1, while classmates with significantly better academic records who applied to handfuls of programs did not do as well. </p>
<p>One thing I notice for students in this range is that Chicago is the poster child for applying EA and getting a read on how the student stacks up. Does anyone have other suggestions for the kid who isn’t interested in U of C? D1 will probably apply to at least one rolling school as a safety (U Oregon, which is a guaranteed admit based on GPA; I am also pushing for Pitt), and UMCP (more a match). She truly does love her safety(ies), so perhaps she should just consider any rolling admits as security blankets instead of thermometers.</p>
<p>Does the CC/College Karma StatsEval look just at the student’s academic record, or do they also look at the high school profile or website?</p>