Parents of the Class of 2019

[Eureka]

That is still blowing my mind!

I know, me too!

 

[Eureka]

We're home from 3 college visits for DS and dropping DD class of '17 off for sophomore year of college.

He wasn't wowed by UMaine but will likely apply as it's his only safety school on his list so far. He LOVED Clarkson University-a bit of a reach. He hated Syracuse-also a reach. He'll visit FL Tech & Embry Riddle in Sep. I had a few extra DVC points so they will stay at Vero Beach. I can't take the time off from work. I wish he would add more schools to his list. He & DD class of '21 start school on the 4th. College DD starts Monday.

I grew up eight miles away from UMaine Orono. I did not go there. IMO unless he is going to study something like forestry or some other “specialized bc it’s Maine” field, there is not much to really be psyched about from the UM system. Plus it’s dismal up there in the winter.

 

[tink1970]

Plus it’s dismal up there in the winter.

LOL, DD is looking at 3 in Mass (@lovesdumbo Clarkson U is one of the 3) and 1 in Montreal. I know she thinks she wants to leave Florida but not sure she understands the concept of winters longer than a week (we normally fly to cold, then come home).

Kids...

ETA: @soccerdad72 and @laughinplace199 , hope yesterday's test went well for your children.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I grew up eight miles away from UMaine Orono. I did not go there. IMO unless he is going to study something like forestry or some other “specialized bc it’s Maine” field, there is not much to really be psyched about from the UM system. Plus it’s dismal up there in the winter.

UMaine is his safety school both for academics and price. He wants aeronautical engineering but his math SAT isn't great. He would do mechanical engineering at umaine. He also doesn't want to go anywhere kids in his school are going to. He's an avid hiker so I think he'd do ok in orono. We are in MA but he'd qualify for Maine's in state tuition match. He'll probably apply to UMass Amherst but that's pretty competitive now.

LOL, DD is looking at 3 in Mass (@lovesdumbo Clarkson U is one of the 3) and 1 in Montreal. I know she thinks she wants to leave Florida but not sure she understands the concept of winters longer than a week (we normally fly to cold, then come home).

Kids...

ETA: @soccerdad72 and @laughinplace199 , hope yesterday's test went well for your children.

Clarkson is in Potsdam NY near the Canadian border. Perhaps you're thinking of Clark in MA? DS is also looking at FL Tech & Embry Riddle in FL.

I think I've convinced him to try SAT one more time in Oct. he was dead set against it after the scoring issues with the June test but I think he gets that if he could add 20 to 50 points to his math SAT it might make all the difference.

 

[tink1970]

Clarkson is in Potsdam NY near the Canadian border. Perhaps you're thinking of Clark in MA? D

Oh sorry, I was confused! I think everything is starting to run together since DD's list is still so long. That would be sort of interesting if my FL girl ended up in MA and your son ended up in FL. I've only heard good things about Embry Riddle.

 

[Eureka]

I saw on FB that the kids' schedules have been loaded to the online grade book so I looked. They don't start school until next week. DS has the wrong science in his so he emailed his counselor before I even realized there was an issue. She emailed back saying the course he was going to take conflicts with his biotech blocks and he can't take it and did he want to try AP Physics 2 (what they had him down for online)? Well no, he doesn't because he didn't do well in AP Physics 1 last year and that's why he was taking the other science, and they were told they could take it and half the biotech class signed up for it. He is 99% positive that the biotech blocks did not change, and looking at DS15's schedule (also biotech but different grade and different block), it appears that is true. So now he is in a back and forth with the counselor. He will not let me get involved which on the one hand is good practice for college. On the other hand, I said he needs to be firm and not agree to take another physics unless there is truly no other option. He absolutely needs another science this year and if the counselor is correct about the scheduling, it will be an issue for like 15 kids, not just him and they better fix it. I am glad it's happening now and not on the first day, but really??? Sigh.

Edited to add: Just talked to DS who is furious, thinks he's right and is going to make it work. I asked a friend who works at the school to look at the master schedule and she said there are two blocks for the supposedly conflicting class, so hopefully DS is right and will make it work. But I reminded him that he needs to cool off before talking to these teachers and also have a plan in case it *doesn't* work out, you know? That said, the counselor didn't offer him any advice in her email other than saying it won't work, so I said he needs to make her do her job and if he won't, then he needs to let me call her and make her do it. Don't get Mama Bear started!!

 

[bjscheel]

DD got a cold for her birthday yesterday and is spending the 3rd day of school home on the couch . I didn't end up having her apply to some colleges on Saturday but we did schedule a visit for next week. It's to the one that I like best (due to location, cost, and majors available) but she has previously been set against simply because it's closer and typical for a few kids from school to go there each year. No wow factor when you tell people you're going there, but usually you get a nod of approval or a "So-and-so loved it there" because it has a good reputation, so there's that...

I've been emailing with a professor in the Recreation & Parks Management major about her availability to meet that day. She has one class after the tour and she invited DD to attend. But she said they would be critiquing resumes. Since it's not exactly related to the major I didn't know if I should encourage DD to go to it or if she would just think it was boring and representative of the school/major as a whole. Like I mentioned above she's going to be a hard sell on this school, so I want her to get the best impression possible. I will ask DD but does anyone who's kids have sat in on classes at visits have an opinion?

 

[bjscheel]

Oh and I was informed that due to the advanced music theory section she chose (because of her preference in teachers) she has to be at school at 7:45 every other day. She didn't know that when she chose it. I normally have her there by 8 but I feel like the extra 15 minutes is going to be a struggle for both of us

 

[Eureka]

Oh and I was informed that due to the advanced music theory section she chose (because of her preference in teachers) she has to be at school at 7:45 every other day. She didn't know that when she chose it. I normally have her there by 8 but I feel like the extra 15 minutes is going to be a struggle for both of us

Ugh, always something. Can we all just get through the year with minimal turmoil/drama/roadblocks is what I would like!!

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd is currently moaning at the dining room table about AP Humanities and the dozens of hours she has spent on reading books, plays, and writing several papers. Apparently this class is crazy with work. I do t know why she took this class, I know they’re not supposed to slack senior year, but I think this is going to do her in.

 

[tink1970]

Ugh, always something. Can we all just get through the year with minimal turmoil/drama/roadblocks is what I would like!!

We've already had drama...the day school started the final everything (about 5 elements) of DD's Extended Essay (a 4,000 word research paper) was due. DD thought she had done it (genuinely). Last Friday (so after 2 full weeks of school) I receive an ugly phone call followed by email by the EE coordinator (a teacher DD has had for 2 years who does not like her...after her grandmother died this spring and her grades plummeted, he threatened to kick her out of the program although he's not in charge of the program and her weighted GPA is a 4.6 and unweighted is 3.6 and the gpa for probation is 2.75) threatening to kick her out of the program if everything wasn't done by midnight Monday (tonight). Since she had done her paper, she was able to meet with her advisor and get all but 1 thing uploaded (tell me why do they need to upload on 2 different programs?). She just met with him but I haven't heard from either DD or Evil Teacher to hear whether she is off ET's poop list. The worst part of all of this (other than she thought she had done what was required) is that most IB programs don't require the EE to be completed until the senior year...so she was late for this program's arbitrary due date but not for IB as a whole. Makes me so angry.

Thank you fellow parents for letting me vent!

Oh and I was informed that due to the advanced music theory section she chose (because of her preference in teachers) she has to be at school at 7:45 every other day. She didn't know that when she chose it. I normally have her there by 8 but I feel like the extra 15 minutes is going to be a struggle for both of us

Fifteen minutes is a LONG time in the morning! Sorry to hear she's not feeling well, either

But I reminded him that he needs to cool off before talking to these teachers and also have a plan in case it *doesn't* work out, you know? That said, the counselor didn't offer him any advice in her email other than saying it won't work, so I said he needs to make her do her job and if he won't, then he needs to let me call her and make her do it. Don't get Mama Bear started!!

Good advice and good luck with the schedule change

 

[Eureka]

Good advice and good luck with the schedule change

Thanks. He's already thinking things through and asked me if I'd ask my friend if AP Gov has more than one section in case he needs to move things around. It's Organic Chem that he needs/wants, OR another AP science, but he's taken most of them already. He could take AP Chem but (and same with AP Physics 2) he hasn't done any summer work for it so if he (and others in biotech) need to switch things around that could be a big issue.

 

[tink1970]

Thanks. He's already thinking things through and asked me if I'd ask my friend if AP Gov has more than one section in case he needs to move things around. It's Organic Chem that he needs/wants, OR another AP science, but he's taken most of them already. He could take AP Chem but (and same with AP Physics 2) he hasn't done any summer work for it so if he (and others in biotech) need to switch things around that could be a big issue.

He's thinking so that's good. I swear the farther they progress the more rigid the schedules get. There were 3 students whose schedules absolutely wouldn't work before school started, I haven't heard the outcome yet of how it was resolved. It's frustrating all way around.

 

[mjkacmom]

Sorry about the scheduling issues, I think ours come out tomorrow. Luckily, the principal is one of DH’s oldest and closest friends, so we usually get things straightened out pretty easily if one of the kids can’t get it resolved on their own with the guidance counselor.

 

[PollyannaMom]

DD got a cold for her birthday yesterday and is spending the 3rd day of school home on the couch .

Sorry about the cold. DS doesn't start until next week, but has been battling an ear infection all weekend, so nothing for college or summer homework got done here either.

Oh and I was informed that due to the advanced music theory section she chose (because of her preference in teachers) she has to be at school at 7:45 every other day. She didn't know that when she chose it. I normally have her there by 8 but I feel like the extra 15 minutes is going to be a struggle for both of us

I sympathize! We start at 7:26, and it absolutely goes against science.


DS got all the classes he asked for, but he chose three of them based on teachers he loved...and got other teachers for two of them. Apparently so many kids had the same idea that they added another section.

 

[design_mom]

Sorry for the kids who are having scheduling issues. And I feel for you on the early morning schedules. We start at 7:20am, and sometimes my senior has cross country practice BEFORE school at 6:00am. (I think my senior is used to the early schedule, but my freshman is struggling. Of course, she struggled to get out the door in middle school too, and that was an hour later.)

My senior is my oldest, and I don't even really know anybody who has an older student/recent grad that I can ask (all of his friends are oldest or only children, too.) The school just sent out order forms for the Senior Salute. It said "you can Google 'Senior Salute examples' to get ideas". I googled because I had no idea what it was. It appears to be ads -- "best wishes for a bright future from mom and dad" kind of stuff -- and most of the examples seemed to use professional senior portraits. We won't be able to use those because the deadline for submission is in mid-September, and his senior portraits are scheduled for October.

My questions are:
1) Is this "a thing." I know if I ask my son if he wants one, he's going to say "no. That's dumb." but I would hate for him to be the only one without. (He's never wanted a yearbook either, and is still saying he doesn't want one for senior year. either... but I might buy one anyway.)
2) What do they do with the Senior Salute? The flyer said they'll be distributed in October. I know the yearbook doesn't come out till the beginning of the NEXT school year. When I was in high school, you had everybody sign your yearbook (but that doesn't seem to be what they do at his school). Do people sign the Salute?

The flyer definitely made it sound like we should all already know what the Senior Salute was and should have been planning for it.

 

[laughinplace199]

I hope everyone gets their schedules figured out with good results. This happened to DS a few weeks ago. AP Spanish and AP Calc AB conflicted, so they put him in Psychology instead of Spanish. In order to take AP Spanish, he had to switch to AP Calc BC. Math isn't his strongest subject, so I'm a little worried about that, so we'll see what happens. Classes don't start until next week, but he's at school today and tomorrow to help with a Freshmen overnight event.

 

[mjkacmom]

I hope everyone gets their schedules figured out with good results. This happened to DS a few weeks ago. AP Spanish and AP Calc AB conflicted, so they put him in Psychology instead of Spanish. In order to take AP Spanish, he had to switch to AP Calc BC. Math isn't his strongest subject, so I'm a little worried about that, so we'll see what happens. Classes don't start until next week, but he's at school today and tomorrow to help with a Freshmen overnight event.

Hmm, dd had AP Spanish and AP ab calc last year, couldn’t take bc this year because of a choir conflict, I’ll ask her about taking bc without ab. She is a math person (unlike her mom).

 

[Eureka]

@laughinplace199, A lot of AP Calc BC is AB review. There is a subsection on the AP test that is all AB work. DS took both, so I can't be positive, but he probably would have done OK taking BC without AB because of the AB component. I hope you all followed that! Lol.

As for our schedule conflict, DS said many of his friends in biotech have organic chem on their schedule for a block that doesn't conflict so he is going to email his counselor today and say he wants to take it then. Hopefully it won't be a problem, but DH is working at home today in case he needs to run up there and sign off on anything. We both did remind him that he may need to have a plan B just in case. He had cooled down a little by this point after seeing that it *should* work out, so he listened. I hope it does work out.

 

[soccerdad72]

BC Calc is just a more accelerated Calc class - it's considered about a full year's worth of college-level calc, versus about a semester's worth in Calc AB.

Our son took Calc AB last year (scored a 3 on the exam) and ended up taking Calc BC this year because he had to take a fourth year of math, so his choices were either that or AP Stats. His advisor told him since he's going into engineering, he'd be better off taking Calc BC because Stats isn't a course he'll need in college (unlike if he was going into business or another major like that).

So far, it seems as if AP Physics is the one course that's going to be tough on him right away - he came home the first day of school last week with like 2 hours of homework already in that class. But I think he's still going to like the class (he took Honors Physics last year), it's just not going to be easy.