Parents of the Class of 2019

[Eureka]

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.

DS has taken AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC and AP Physics 1 because of the accelerated math/science program he is in. He liked the Calcs but didn't do well on the AP tests (did well in the classes though) and Physics was really hard for him. He's taking AP Stats this year because he needs four years of math and that is literally all that is left for him. He took both algebras and geometry before he got to high school. And the latest now is that his counselor is saying things can't be moved around and he may need to take AP Physics 2 which would just be awful. DH is helping him email/call her today, I guess I need to wait and see what they get figured out. SO stressful!!

 

[laughinplace199]

Fingers crossed that he finds a solution that doesn't involve AP Physics 2. That would stink to be forced to take a class he doesn't want to take. My DS took AP Physics 1 last year. He said the class was ok and he got an A in the class, but did not do well on the AP test (I think he got a 2).

 

[Eureka]

Fingers crossed that he finds a solution that doesn't involve AP Physics 2. That would stink to be forced to take a class he doesn't want to take. My DS took AP Physics 1 last year. He said the class was ok and he got an A in the class, but did not do well on the AP test (I think he got a 2).

DS got a C all year in AP Physics 1 and did not take the test. He doesn't get Cs, this is the first one in high school ever. People who were getting As in the class were getting 2s. It does not look good right now. The three of us need to sit down tonight and I'll call tomorrow and get involved. Counselor sent his official schedule as of now and there really are conflicts for the organic chem but there are still a few possible class blocks that could be moved around so we are not sure why it won't work. He said he's not going to drop anything (when I asked if he would drop from AP lit to honors English if he had to, to be able to get AP Chem instead of physics)...but then I said he might end up with physics that way. He is stubborn but there may just not be a way out. Even though they should have thought of this before they set up the schedule to exclude a group of kids that they encouraged to take this class!

 

[mjkacmom]

All of the kids schedules work out. Dd is only taking 3 AP classes (plus 1 honors and 1 regular (holocaust), first non honors class), she’s bummed she’s not in the same AP stat class with dd15, she really wanted to take a HS class with her. Hard to believe this is her last HS schedule, it seems like she just got her first! She’s enjoying her last day down the shore with friends, but going to Cape Cod this weekend.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

DD has her schedule all set & outside of one AP class, it’s a relatively light load. She has an ACT prep class & they took a mock test of the English portion & it was 3 points higher than the first time on the actual ACT, so hopefully this will pay off. Still leaning hard toward starting off at JuCo and finishing up years 3 & 4 “somewhere”.

 

[laughinplace199]

DS got a C all year in AP Physics 1 and did not take the test. He doesn't get Cs, this is the first one in high school ever. People who were getting As in the class were getting 2s. It does not look good right now. The three of us need to sit down tonight and I'll call tomorrow and get involved. Counselor sent his official schedule as of now and there really are conflicts for the organic chem but there are still a few possible class blocks that could be moved around so we are not sure why it won't work. He said he's not going to drop anything (when I asked if he would drop from AP lit to honors English if he had to, to be able to get AP Chem instead of physics)...but then I said he might end up with physics that way. He is stubborn but there may just not be a way out. Even though they should have thought of this before they set up the schedule to exclude a group of kids that they encouraged to take this class!

I hope you're able to find a good solution. I feel bad for your DS and his classmates. That's a stressful way to begin senior year!

 

[soccerdad72]

I have to laugh - every day, another "personal invitation" comes from a school asking our son to apply. I didn't think a student needed permission to do that?

 

[Eureka]

Guys, it's all fixed! Talked to the counselor and he's in AP Chem instead of Physics. Had to change his AP Lit time slot and teacher but he is OK with that. AP Stats also had to move but he keeps the teacher he wanted. Basically I had to confirm that no, he won't consider dropping AP Government even though he told her that. He decided last year that a science career is not for him and wants to study politics, has been looking forward to this class for three years and I was blunt with her about that. So she worked it all out. I'm disappointed that we had to get involved because he had shown such initiative trying to work it out himself and I am really proud of him for that. Now he's got four AP classes instead of three (and we have a new policy that they need to register and pay for AP tests in November!!) and will have to talk to the teacher about this situation because he didn't do any of the summer work. But, no physics, so yay.

 

[mjkacmom]

I have to laugh - every day, another "personal invitation" comes from a school asking our son to apply. I didn't think a student needed permission to do that?

Yes, it’s like “call for a free brochure “ - like anyone would pay for one.

 

[bigbabyblues]

De-lurking to ask if anyone else's senior just doesn't know what they want to do yet? DS has visited 2 schools, applied to one and isn't sure about the other one, but he doesn't know if he really wants to go to school #1 either. He doesn't want to talk about it or think about it (it seems) right now, and I'm not sure what to do. Unless he completely loses his mind, he will be the valedictorian for his class. He works hard, he just doesn't want to deal with college stuff.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

We had our next meeting with the college consultants, and actually added a school to the list, so DD is now at 12. We're hoping that visiting a few will narrow down the listing. She's got a trip scheduled the middle of next month to go to Atlanta to see Emory and Clemson (they're not too far apart). We also have a trip to LOTO (Hi Gumbo!) the weekend before for fun and we're meeting up with my niece who is a great photographer to take her senior pictures.

Her schedule isn't too bad, she has 2 open periods but she and her team from Biotech last year are continuing their research project for this year during one of those timelines. It's easier though because they don't have to do the presentations, they're just able to do the research.

 

[PollyannaMom]

De-lurking to ask if anyone else's senior just doesn't know what they want to do yet? DS has visited 2 schools, applied to one and isn't sure about the other one, but he doesn't know if he really wants to go to school #1 either. He doesn't want to talk about it or think about it (it seems) right now, and I'm not sure what to do. Unless he completely loses his mind, he will be the valedictorian for his class. He works hard, he just doesn't want to deal with college stuff.

My DS is still changing his mind frequently - History, Business, Education, Zoology... We recently visited a couple of the schools he signed up to see back when he was leaning one way, but by the time the visits rolled around, he was favoring a completely different major that neither of them has! (We went anyway, and he actually liked both of them.)

I'm trusting that it will just click when it clicks.

Is there any chance your DS wants to take a gap year and is afraid to tell you?

 

[Colleen27]

I have to laugh - every day, another "personal invitation" comes from a school asking our son to apply. I didn't think a student needed permission to do that?

On the bright side, a lot of them seem to come with application fee waivers!

We're scheduled for a local info session for one of the schools DD is sort-of considering but that we haven't been able to travel to visit yet (Tulane in NOLA). Has anyone attended an "on the road" info session before? I'm kind of skeptical, to be honest... it seems like without being on campus we aren't going to learn a whole lot that we don't already know from researching online, and the fact that it is held in a hotel ballroom puts me in mind of timeshare and real estate investment scam sales pitches even though I know it is an official event, but since I'm trying to get DD to expand her list of schools a bit, I'm not going to discourage her interest in going.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I'm trusting that it will just click when it clicks.

Is there any chance your DS wants to take a gap year and is afraid to tell you?

I hadn't thought about that, but it is possible. It really seems as if he just doesn't know what he wants to do. We have been open talking about all of this, and I don't think he would be afraid to tell us, but I might just ask him. Part of me is afraid to push him too hard and have him just shut down. We live in a poor, rural area; a lot of people don't go to college and don't see the point of it. Only one girl in his class (small school, class of 10) wants to go away to school; the rest will go to the local community college or the school that is a little bigger that is 45 minutes away, but they will live at home, or they won't go to school at all. We want him to go away from the immediate area (even 2 hours away is fine) and see that there is life outside of here. He does say that he wants to leave the area, he always has. There is no opportunity here anymore for people. DH & I both went to the local college, and it was a good school then, but their programs have really gone downhill and it isn't going to be a choice for him if we are paying (he has never mentioned any interest in that school anyway).

 

[PollyannaMom]

On the bright side, a lot of them seem to come with application fee waivers!

Which is nice

 

[Colleen27]

I hadn't thought about that, but it is possible. It really seems as if he just doesn't know what he wants to do. We have been open talking about all of this, and I don't think he would be afraid to tell us, but I might just ask him. Part of me is afraid to push him too hard and have him just shut down. We live in a poor, rural area; a lot of people don't go to college and don't see the point of it. Only one girl in his class (small school, class of 10) wants to go away to school; the rest will go to the local community college or the school that is a little bigger that is 45 minutes away, but they will live at home, or they won't go to school at all. We want him to go away from the immediate area (even 2 hours away is fine) and see that there is life outside of here. He does say that he wants to leave the area, he always has. There is no opportunity here anymore for people. DH & I both went to the local college, and it was a good school then, but their programs have really gone downhill and it isn't going to be a choice for him if we are paying (he has never mentioned any interest in that school anyway).

Maybe he's just overwhelmed by it all, since what he's wanting to/expected to do is so far outside the norm among his peer group? At that age it can be really hard to envision a life that is nothing like anything you've ever experienced/seen first-hand. We're in a rural area, larger than yours and close enough to Detroit that most kids have at least some level of suburban frame of reference, and a lot of kids who have lived here their whole lives struggle with post-high school plans. There's definitely a certain bias toward the local community college and 2+2 transfer plans as a sort of "default" because so many aren't quite ready to leave the area right after high school.

 

[bjscheel]

DD got a letter from AMDA yesterday (acting school in NYC and LA) inviting her to apply for free. She wanted to, just to say she did, but I looked into it and she wouldn't be accepted until she had an audition and a letter of recommendation. We're not going to that trouble just to say she was accepted. At one time DD would have wanted to go there. A girl from our school does go there, and DD sees her Snapchat stories in NYC and the parties and thankfully realizes that is not her scene. DD does like to act but not to the extent that she will be pounding the pavement in the big cities trying to get her big break. She has decided community theater will be sufficient.

Debating on whether to have her apply to some schools for free just because, even if they are ones she will probably not go to.

I think I am getting my hopes up that next week's visit (to my top choice) will go well and we can just be done. I do see that on the day we visit they are having a Study Abroad Fair so I will definitely try to get her to that. The one thing that perked her up about this school was that maybe she'd be able to afford Study Abroad.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Maybe he's just overwhelmed by it all, since what he's wanting to/expected to do is so far outside the norm among his peer group? At that age it can be really hard to envision a life that is nothing like anything you've ever experienced/seen first-hand. We're in a rural area, larger than yours and close enough to Detroit that most kids have at least some level of suburban frame of reference, and a lot of kids who have lived here their whole lives struggle with post-high school plans. There's definitely a certain bias toward the local community college and 2+2 transfer plans as a sort of "default" because so many aren't quite ready to leave the area right after high school.

I still haven't taken time to talk to him about it, I don't want him to feel like this is all we ever talk about, but he may be overwhelmed. Heck, I am overwhelmed by it!

 

[Colleen27]

Well, DD has found another way to cross perfectly viable colleges off of her already too-short list... She wants to minor in Japanese. I kind of saw this coming when she came home from Japan talking about how soon she could get back and the possibility of moving there for grad school, but come on! She's got three schools she really likes and three more that she was considering but hadn't yet visited. Two of those three are now gone for lack of a Japanese language and culture program.

But on the bright side, we have a Homecoming dress already. She stumbled onto it at a local resale shop when we were getting new dress pants for school, and fell in love. The best part is that the trend of $20 dresses continues... At this rate, all of her dresses for four years of school, 10 formals all together, will add up to less than my mom spent on my senior prom dress. Homecoming is really early this year, Sept. 30, so it is kind of nice having the dress settled even before it really hit my to-do list.

 

[bjscheel]

Good job on bargain shopping! We are ready for Homecoming too. We got a short dress at Dillards for $60 but it is simple so it will be usable for concerts and church too. And if she gets on Homecoming Court and needs a long dress, we have one we picked up two years ago on clearance for $13 and haven't used for anything yet. I'm going to assume she has some shoes that will work for each of these. Voting for Court is next Tuesday and the dance is the 29th.

Her musical audition is Friday. She was working on the song tonight and some actions to go with it. She has one week to get rid of the remnants of her head cold!