<p>hey…don’t feel bad about choosing TJ. First, HB is impossible (almost) to get into if you don’t get in through the lottery in 6th grade. Second, you never know how she would have done in another environment–become seriously EMO, join a cult, etc. the fate of some HB kids–so why spend energy on second guessing? I am actually of two minds about smart kids…some really shine when they are with their peers–it brings out the competitive spirit and they just blossum. Other smart kids, seem to do better in a more mixed setting where their smarts turn into leadership opportunities and they are more motivated when helping/leading others with different abilities. My S is the first kind and my D is the second. I would like to have D not follow in brother’s footsteps in highly competitive IB program but take more of a mix of regular and AP/IB. The easier HS schedule may keep her out of the most competitive schools but I suspect she will be a straight A-leader kind of kid rather than a struggling-to-get-3.5 and feeling stupid kind of kid. Same goes for college…your D is clearly smart and works hard …in a college that has a range of kids in terms of interests/abilities and drive she can really see how gifted she is in her areas of interest and show it off. If she were to go to UVA or some such thing, she would run into a lot of her classmates, kids just like her classmates, etc. and not feel that she was in a really new environment and take some risks. I think she has some great choices that could be the perfect place for her precisely because they are not going to be dominated by the type-TJs but offer more variety. Congratulations!</p>
<p>bogibogi and bbd,
S2 did really well at balancing everything til the end of first semester senior year when all the IB internal assessments, EA, TOK paper, etc. hit. None of those counted on his report card and were in addition to the usual IB insanity. His grades came out fine, but he had migraines and a LOT of stress. It was not fun for any of us. He has learned to better manage his emotions, discovered just how important exercise is, and that teachers don’t bit, and learned to deal with stressors in a much bettter way. Has also learned the value of having a Plan B. Good that he learns this now when he still has local supports than when he’s off at college.</p>
<p>Finaeartsmajormom, yup. One of my kids desperately needed the depth of this kind of a program. The other wanted IB’s breadth, even though it meant there was no escaping from very high-level work in classes he was less strong in (and weakness is a relative term – we’re talking about high Bs). Hence the 3.5 UW-with-great test scores-and-feeling-stupid mindset.</p>
<p>Came home today to not one but two skinny envelopes, one from Brandeis and one from U. Rochester. Since our son had gotten an acceptance from Rochester last weekend, my first thought was “Ohmigod! They’re going to tell us they made a mistake!” But instead the envelope contained word of a $10K/yr. scholarship. 
</p>
<p>The one from Brandeis, though, was a bit more disappointing: he’s waitlisted. Brandeis was high on his list–not quite #1 but close. So he may want to stay on the list and see what happens.</p>
<p>It’s funny, I think of Rochester and Brandeis as two peas in a pod as far as selectivity goes, yet here one of them has decided our kid is a ‘growth stock’ they want to invest in and the other is lukewarm. It just goes to confirm that this not a straightforwardly quantitative process–either on the buyer’s end or the seller’s.</p>
<p>Nightchef, congratulations on the Rochester scholarship! And sorry to hear about the waitlist from Brandeis. I also think of Rochester and Brandeis as two of the closest peers when it comes to admissions. But you’re right - it’s a funny process, especially for kids whose profiles are not the most straightforward. Our son’s admission results two years ago were full of surprises, both negative and positive. Hopefully you’ll have plenty of good news before you’re finished. Hey, Rochester with a scholarship is pretty great news!</p>
<p>In the meantime - have you been in touch with the Brandeis Music Department at all? They listen to tapes and make recommendations to admissions for strong candidates, even those not planning to major in music. As long as your son decides to stay on the waitlist there (and he’s very involved in music, right?) you might want to follow up on this.</p>
<p>That’s a very good idea about being in touch with the music department, Skie. He had a nice long conversation with a music prof at the fall open house, so I think there’s a comfort zone there. I assume that continuing to show interest through those kinds of overtures could only help him.</p>
<p>And yes, Rochester with a scholarship is completely fabulous news. Our son liked Rochester, but I think the distance from Boston, if nothing else, made him feel a little less invested in the idea of going there than in some of the other places he applied to. However, if they turn out to be the ones who want him the most, they might find that the feeling is mutual. ;)</p>
<p>Nightchef, does your high school publish rank? If so, that’s probably what did him in at Brandeis, not the GPA per se. My S got in with a lowish GPA (at least by CC standards), but at our school it still puts him in a decent rank – not top ten percent, though – but our high school doesn’t publish rank. You can just tell top 10% from looking at the profile. </p>
<p>I think a below 3.7 GPA is more important for college admissions when equates to a low rank, particularly at high schools that rank students, because the colleges report this data. </p>
<p>btw, a great description of the “growth stock.” That’s exactly how I’m thinking (hoping) schools will be looking at my S. </p>
<p>I looked at your visit report for Bard, and wanted to let you know that we had a weird first visit, too. However, my S went a second time for the Immediate Decision Plan, and walked out of the class with a huge grin on his face saying “that was amazing!” I was careful to look around at the student body that day (our second visit) and found that the kids looked normal. </p>
<p>My S is not a musician (although he loves listening to music), but our kids sound pretty similar. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>SDonCC–no, our high school doesn’t publish rank, although it’s pretty easy to get a rough idea based on the profile they publish. Our son’s GPA would put him somewhere in the 35-40% range, I think. However, at an exam school like his, that 35% is arguably equivalent to being in the top 10% at a comprehensive suburban high school (i.e., in terms of where he stands in the whole city’s student body), and I think some colleges do see it that way, based on the Naviance graphs.</p>
<p>We were always prepared for anything when it comes to the results from his reach schools, really, because of his weird GPA/SAT combination. His scores are high enough to get him into any of them, but his grades are low enough to keep him out of any of them. It was always going to boil down to whether the adcoms bothered to read between the lines (trend, recs, essays, ECs etc.), and what they saw there.</p>
<p>Oh, and about Bard–I’ve definitely felt some “non-buyer’s remorse” since posting that visit report. When you’re in the middle of a really bad visit, it’s easy to feel sure that this college couldn’t possibly be where your kid belongs. Then in retrospect you realize what a small piece of the puzzle a couple of hours on campus really represents, and what a tiny fraction of the people that make up the college community you had contact with on that day.</p>
<p>However, because our son is a city kid who doesn’t even have his license yet and really doesn’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, Bard was probably a bad choice for him anyway, as were Bennington, Hamilton, and some other similarly situated schools. In the end I think he chose his schools to apply to very well.</p>
<p>I was wondering, do B students get into colleges like UGA and UNC Chapel Hill?</p>
<p>Not a parent but a senior trying to give some parents some hope. 3.25 UW and a 3.4 W. I have gotten into Davidson, got a UVA likely letter (OOS legacy there) and also got into Purdue Engineering. Shows that being holistic helps.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son, Nightchef, and Rochester is fantastic for musicians who are non-music majors! They can audition to take lessons at Eastman, they can audition for groups, they can attend faculty and student concerts all the time (and they are great), they can give a senior recital on the U of R campus, they can take classes at Eastman, and this is all in addition to their regular academic curriculum. Good luck with his choices and I hope that he considers all of this as part of the package.</p>
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<p>I can answer this…son with 3.3 UWA/3.8WA - straight A’s with 5 APs Senior Year, NSMF and a 31 ACT.</p>
<p>Deferred EA at UGA (OOS) - but will probably get in - of course, it’s never a sure thing until the acceptance is is hand but we had a dozen students apply to UGA EA and UGA went right down the line by GPA with acceptances and deferrals. At our school, with son’s stats, most get in during RD if not EA.</p>
<p>Rejected at UNC-CH yesterday (again, OOS). I looked at the UNC-CH forum yesterday and those who got in were definitely high A students for the most part - especially OOS.</p>
<p>My daughter is considering Rochester. She’s at the higher end for this thread so she was a good candidate anyway, but it seems they really did read her stuff about battling learning disability. We’ll be visiting in April. 92 inches of snow a year. She’s 63 inches tall. </p>
<p>We are also in Boston. I’m sitting on the deck typing on this lovely Saturday. With an unfortunate soundtrack of Latino roofers yelling to each other on the next street.</p>
<p>Well, Lergnom, I hope that they are playing some good salsa music! I would recommend N’Klabe.
Sometimes Rochester gets MORE than 92 inches of snow. But they plow very efficiently, so don’t worry, she won’t be buried in it. If you can afford it, I would recommend that you buy her cross country skis, poles and boots for graduation and she will have a whole new take on winter in Rochester (Yay! Snow!)</p>
<p>S1 will know his college options in nine more days. It’s been a grueling march since August, and we learned a lot. I’d like to share a couple thoughts.</p>
<p>To parents of seniors:</p>
<p>The process is now complete as far as what we or our children can do. Our children on April 1st will be the same lovely children we see today. Whatever happened that had an impact on their apps happened already. If we had something to say, we should have said it already. If we didn’t say it then, we’d better not start now or later, at least not on April 1st. If the news is not what they have been hoping for, their disappointment will be more than enough for them to deal with. We need to be there for them. Our children are going to college. Go celebrate!</p>
<p>To parents of juniors:</p>
<p>The most important lesson I learned is that you should start your apps early. Give yourself plenty of time for the essays. Even if you plan for this, you are still likely to find yourself wishing you had more time when you click that submit button. This is especially important if your child is applying to highly selective schools. These schools want applicants to put in a lot of thought in their apps. This means not only good and thoughtful essays, but also responses that reflect good understanding of what these schools offer and how the applicants see themselves fitting in. Believe me, this takes time, a lot of time.</p>
<p>After two absolutely stellar terms, our son brought home a third-term report card that is a decidedly mixed bag. On the plus side there are three A’s of various kinds, plus a B+ in AP music theory (though he really shouldn’t do worse than an A in that class with his ear and background). But then there are the B-minus in AP calculus and worse, the C-minus in AP Euro history–a subject in which he is theoretically quite interested. I asked him how he got a C-minus in that, and he did not respond well to the question…sigh.</p>
<p>The good news is that he built up such a strong foundation in the first half of the year that he would have to really melt down in the last term to wind up with a final grade worse than a B in anything, so I will assume that his acceptances are not in jeopardy. But I don’t like what I’m seeing.</p>
<p>PCP-as the mom of a junior D, I appreciate your advice. I am hoping she will at least get a start on her essay this summer!</p>
<p>I second Holliesue - thanks, PCP. I can’t agree more that we need to love these kids, and remember that they could do way worse. I’ll always remember a quote from Jacques Cousteau that among life on earth, human beings are the foam at the top of the glass of beer: even the lowest is still pretty high up. These kids ARE going to college, and good colleges. Lots of other things could be happening.</p>
<p>As a parent who’s gone through it once, and will again (both D’s are Jrs), I’ll agree that staying ahead of the game is the only real strategy we can depend on. Getting caught without time, or without options, is very scary. But on the other hand, these are kids, and sometimes they just have to go through what they have to go through. </p>
<p>Dropping them off in the fall isn’t the end of everything, either. On another thread we’ve been talking about kids who find out during freshman year that they’re not where they need to be … I’m not trying to scare anybody, but the truth is that life is going to go on, and lots of things will happen. We can just hope our kids will learn to be resourceful and creative and have faith in themselves. And no one can give us the exact formula to achieve that - how much to help, how much to leave alone. </p>
<p>Congratulations to all of these kids who have done so well this year, and who are going on to a wonderful next step! Those of us with next year’s seniors will be in your shoes in 12 months, and hopefully we will have been as much help to the following families as you are to us.</p>
<p>nightchief, your son’s acceptances are not in jeopardy, unless your son finishes his senior year with multiple C’s and D’s. He’ll be fine.</p>
<p>holliesue, having your D start her essays in the summer is a great idea! Try to incentivize her.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, yes, college is just the beginning of the rest of their lives! They are still in their formative years. Even as “legal adults”, they still can use good parental guidance.</p>
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And as we know from our own experience, the older they get, the more they’ll appreciate it…or at least, the better they’ll get at pretending to.</p>