Two notes. DD may head back to ps; we are taking it year by year. One thing we are doing is taking advantage of what the school does NOT offer in ninth grade, such as AP Human Geo (they don't offer this in any grade) or Latin or Bio. Of course she wants to do these things, but... Another note: DS17 started off taking a lot of APs in 8th and 9th and then decided he didn't want to play that game. Interestingly enough, after not getting into his dream school, he wished he had! I'll ask him again after freshman year!

Quark, You. Are. Wonderful. It has been our honor. :grouphug: :grouphug:

First time I stepped foot on any campus was the day I moved in. And it was the ONLY time any of my parents stepped foot on that campus. But...it was a different time. I would love for you to add the question of age or date. I entered college in 1986. On the other hand, my father visited campuses with my brothers. One is three years younger and the other is six years younger. They were recruited athletes and went to private schools out of state.

I love your story. Thank goodness for second chances. Glad she is taking advantage of it.

RootAnn, yes! She has watched most of John McWhorter's Great Courses, Anne Curzan's Great Courses and did McHenry's Excavating English. She knew she wanted to get more technical with linguistics and so I figured I would do a textbook (boring, I know). She was doing Spanish and Latin at the beginning of the year, but it proved a bit too much. She will be doing Lukeion's Latin in the fall. Any advice?

And I'm not sure if it's been said in this thread, but taking the test is not required if the student doesn't seem ready. By the same token, one doesn't need to take an official class to take the test. Another cool thing about homeschooling - they have more time to self-study. DS took 6 AP exams but only took one official class.

DD is taking Human Geography next year as a ninth grader. DS took Physics B in 8th and Human Geo in 9th. He also took AP Calc and both Physics Cs in 9th, but that is not normal. Physics B is no longer offered. Agree with Luckymama...make sure it is something in which the student is very interested.

We may have a winner!!! Thank you!! I just need to check about grades. I didn't think they gave them. That is a big motivator for this dd.

I'll add what we know so far... Math: DO Geometry (starting in summer) and DO Algebra 2 Science: WTMA Biology English: Blue Tent English (not feeling positive about it, though) Latin: Lukeion History: AP Human Geography (hopefully approved by CB) Linguistics (Not sure what I'll pull together; she has done almost all of Great Courses) Coding maybe? DD wanted mainly outsourced classes. In addition to horse shows, she will ride and work at the barn for 10-15 hours a week.

Does he spend time comparing himself? Or is he okay with who and where he is? One thing I wanted to note earlier. He is still a sophomore. You and he may see huge growth in different areas. DSD and I went on a college road trip to see schools that were not top tier. Every tour, every experience was confirmation (to her) that she is average, if not stupid, compared to her two brothers. It was extremely exhausting to build her up for six straight days. I was extremely worried about her well-being. A few weeks later, we stayed up until 12:30, chatting. She had so many insights as to who she was, because of that trip. She told me that every single day now, she surprises herself with how much she has grown - in just that day. The stories she tells herself now are positive ones. I just cried. Her journey has begun and she will be just fine. If your son's self-image doesn't depend on his stats or the name of his college, how lucky you both are! Wait and see where is in the winter. You may be surprised.

I want to add to this thread, but I am not quite sure what to say. My second son - dyslexic - had a couple of honors classes; he attended ps. I made him take AP Lang in his senior year, but didn't require him to take the test. He wanted to go to college and he wasn't anywhere near college level writing. The class was a success - I think he got a B- or C. His SATs were average. Not this forum's average. But when you google average SAT score - that was him. He wanted small and liberal arts. He also wanted a business program. He loved Susquehanna all three times he walked on campus. He got in with lots of merit (as he did from all of the other schools he applied to; he got 0 rejections). We pay less than our state flagship because of that merit. If you choose to look at private schools, look at those in the midwest. Look at those that want your kid because he is from a certain state. Look at schools that are ten-fifteen thousand dollars less a year than the more expensive private schools. It is not always possible to find a private school that is below the cost of a state school. But casting a wide net can help. Also - using the word "average" bugs me. Kids who take honors classes and get As aren't average. Kids who get above average scores on the SAT or ACT aren't average. Maybe in comparison to others it seems that way. I get it entirely. I've got the high-achieving, passionate kids, too. My dsd is always comparing herself to ds and calls herself average. The word really bugs me. We have had hours and hours of conversations and tears because of her self-labeling. I don't know. I have very different kids. I don't think any of them are average. Now - I agree that if the OPs son wants a four year college and a specific kind of environment, he should start packaging himself in certain ways - maybe doing more with the IT stuff. If he doesn't care about starting at the community college or commuting to the local state school, then that's a great way to go, too.

While this was NOT great fun for me :lol:, I am filled with pride for all of you and your children. The sense of community here is powerful and always leaves me in awe. So - congrats to all of those remarkable kids and parents of ours. And a HUGE thank you to all of those who have guided me and loved me during the last 8 years. Only three more kids to go!

Congrats! My son had a wonderful experience there. Such a special place. In fact, ds is working there now and has been asked to stay on for a year. Not sure what he will do...

Oldest: Physics major Second: Finance major Third: Math and Computer Science major

A decision has finally been made! It has been a very stressful week here. DS will be headed to Columbia. He plans to double major in Math and Computer Science and will be a Kluge Scholar. Why? We feel much more confident in the financial aid at Columbia, compared with Carnegie Mellon. They reassured me - in writing and several times over the phone - that they do not include stepparent's income (I am getting married in June) when calculating f/a. They give no loans and meet 100% of need. He was torn between the two schools and the financial part sealed the deal for him. He said that he prefers a lot of little things at Columbia, but in the end he wasn't over the moon about either.

So happy for all of you and your fabulous kids!!!

I already suggested DO, but would you consider the summer course by WTMA - Counting and Probability, which is based on AoPS?

Yikes. Not good. Thanks for letting me know!

Never heard of Sweetbriar. I'll have to check it out. Visited Earlham last week, but didn't go to stables. We were ready to head home, after 9 schools, 8 states in 6 days!

My 14 year old looks at the MHC equestrian program "brochure" every night. She would also LOVE to go a women's college - with stables. She has informed me that she must go to a school that has horses.

Agreed.

Thank you both! His gut has been CMU. And just a little bit ago, he said that he is leaning that way. I told him to do what I always do - live with the decision for a few days. Then, his 13 year old sister wrote on his white board - "Congrats! CMU!!" After which she told him he should go to "the ivy league school." When he asked why, she said, "Because ivies have the better reputation." He just smiled.

Are you kidding? That would be awesome! Thank you, thank you!

Love thy safety! Close friend's dd applied to UCLA and UC Berkeley as an out of stater. A barrage of emails from her yesterday, shocked that she received NO f/a. But, but, but, I said...the UCs are notorious for not giving f/a to out of staters! Reminds me of when (for her older dd) Haverford sent her f/a package that said she could afford more than double what fafsa told her - even after I warned her. Her entire extended family has chipped in for that education. I wish I could be a neon sign for parents to inform them to do their homework. Now friend's daughter has state schools from which to choose. Mom is more horrified than daughter that she will get an underwhelming education. Sigh. That's an entirely different thread.

Thank you, Kareni - Mt Holyoke has an even higher acceptance rate and more merit opportunity. Still a shot in the dark, but DD has been inspired to work, work, work to get into that school. And you know what Mt. Holyoke has that the others don't? AMAZING dance studios. I vacillate between telling her that she can't do it (of course I don't) and telling her that she should try. She has found a purpose in the last week - something she has needed since she stopped dancing full time. I think that she has a chance of getting in if scores improve. She is an amazing writer; her essay will be awesome. They may find her dance story a good fit. But, will the money be there? Likely not. I also think she would do much better on the ACT, but I am not sure if that thinking holds true with the new SAT.