[Can we talk supplements and menopausal symptoms?]

I had to increase exercise. I lift weights and do HIIT (high intensity interval training) 3x a week, do a bootcamp-style class once a week, and walk for an hour twice a week.

 

I also make time for myself outside of my exercise time.

[School profile, homeschool description, etc. help!]

I mentioned materials used (textbooks, book titles, lecture series) and any outside providers (online, universitites) in my course descriptions. Outside providers are noted on the transcript with superscript numerals next to the course title; the numeral legend is in one of the boxes to the side of the transcript.

 

I wrote a separate school profile, 2 pages long with sections entitled Community Information, Educational Philosophy, Curriculum and Grading, Grading Scale, Graduation Requirements (mine, nothing to do with the state btw), Explanation of Credits and Transcript, amd Educational Partners.

 

I wrote a lot from scratch in one box and c&p info from the school profile plus expanded a bit for another box.

 

For the box about outside classes, I included the course title (bolded) with university number (if applicable), in-person or online, length (semester, full-year, four week intensive session, how many hours per week the class met if live, how much interaction if asynchronous. I think that's it. I did not copy and paste from course descriptions nor did I write "see course descriptions" because I wanted to emphasize dd's unusual language study with a clear listing.

[What are you getting your teens/older children for Christmas?]

D17 wants the Lego holiday train set (we get her a set every year) and the Throne of Glass coloring book (just ordered today). I'm not sure if she prefers colored pencils or fine markets. Her iPod went belly up this summer after she was caught in a rain storm, so we'll probably get her a new one. Not sure what else--definitely a gift card or two for Panera etc.

 

Dd21 (college senior)--we might get her a used car. It's going to be her graduation present but she could really use it sooner because of her work hours. She loves and needs more kitcheny stuff, so perhaps an immersion blender or bullet-type blender for smoothies.

 

Ds23 is tricky. Perhaps some backpacking or biking gear.

[How many propositions are on your ballot?]

0

 

:D

[What do you put in Common App additional Info section?]

Dd didn't put anything in that section. All of her information fit in the regular sections (activities, honors, etc) She used the essays to talk about the things that are most important to her.

 

She (and I) worked very hard to craft a narrative about herself so that she could be identified as the girl who studies X and Y, participates in A and B that are related to X and Y, wants to continue with X and Y in college, is interested in pursuing C and D that are related to X/Y/A/B in college, and intends to follow a career path E that is related to everything else.

 

This is not an artificial narrative. This is who dd is, just emphasized. (She has an inteview situation this coming week and will use the same points. As she is nervous about speaking with strangers and is also too modest, remembering the points will help her focus.)

[Our 4H rocket team is in. Huntsville or bust!]

:party:

[Encourage, Encourage, Encourage - Keep Plugging at those Applications]

"Submit" is such a beautiful word.

 

:D

 

:party:

[Encourage, Encourage, Encourage - Keep Plugging at those Applications]

I am the queen of overthinking :rolleyes:

 

I finally uploaded the transcript, course descriptions, and the school profile this afternoon. The counselor recommendation is done; I'm just not ready.

 

Tomorrow one of dd's scholarship applications must be submitted. We're waiting on a recommendation. Still.

[Computer Science and AI Safety - Good Merit Aid Schools]

What kind of scholarships? Or rather, how low do you need the bottom-line COA to be?

 

$20K off a $65K total is a lot different than $20K off a $40K total!

[Is there an AP course we can start now? AP Comp Sci? Anything?]

Do you need an actual class? Would he be ok with something you assemble? What are his interests?

[What Goes In A Course Description]

Mine contain the title, credit (1.0 or 0.5), outside provider name and course title + number as needed, a brief description (a sentence or two for all but the unusual homegrown courses), a brief listing of materials (author only except for texts from AoPS and lecture series), and the instructor/prof name for outsourced courses. I state that lab experiments are an essential part of the science courses but I don't get specific about labs except for astronomy (I want to show that her astronomy is way beyond what a high schooler would typically study.).

 

Each is a paragraph in length. The title, credit value, and outside provider name (if applicable) serve as a header for each.

 

I think the whole shebang is four pages in length, 11 pt font.

[Encourage, Encourage, Encourage - Keep Plugging at those Applications]

Go quark! :party:

[Encourage, Encourage, Encourage - Keep Plugging at those Applications]

I'm fiddling with everything too. Sigh. I rearranged the entire transcript! What the heck?! Today I'm going over the school profile One Last Time (honest). Tomorrow I'll look at the counselor rec mess. It doesn't help that I'm writing a second rec letter for a very very selective scholarship for a school that could be a great fit for dd.

 

Btw I have weighted and unweighted grades listed on the transcript with a short blurb stating that AP/DE/honors receive +1.0. I go into greater detail in the school profile, but I wanted it listed there for someone scanning quickly.

 

I have found myself awake at 2am questioning all the choices we have made since beginning homeschooling in fifth grade.

[Transcripts w test scores]

I ended up putting both ACTs in reverse chronological order on the transcript in the "test scores" box. All the APs follow after a double space. I put the APs in order by subjects-that-matter-and-then-don't-matter according to dd ;)

[Paging Dr. Hive... (posting this from the children's hospital)]

Can you ask her primary dr to have his office make the appointment for you. Generally that gets you in a lot faster than if you make the appointment yourself.

Insist on this. When dd was so sick 2 years ago with similar symptoms, she lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks (weighed under 100 lb to start). Our dr office convinced the ped GI group at the children's hospital to fit her in within days.

 

(Dd is intolerant to all forms of dairy, not just lactose intolerant. Once she was off dairy, she returned to a healthy weight, was pain and nausea free, and acted like a new person.)

[A little whine about transcripts]

Oh no! That is so annoying. I need dd to log into her uni accounts so we can order the transcripts to be sent--thanks for the reminder ;)

[Transcripts w test scores]

It depended on what the school required. We had one or two who specifically required all scores.

 

For the rest, for middle dd, she improved her score by well over a hundred points overall. We just sent her second score, even though she lost ten points from her superscore in one subscore, because we felt it was worth it to not show the lower score. Ideally, I always think one score is the equivalent of "I woke up like this" :lol: so unless the superscore is much better, it doesn't seem worth it to show re-takes. Older dd had a decently higher superscore (she has pretty severe test anxiety, so her scores are all over the place) so we sent both.

 

OTOH, we weren't depending on any scholarships that had score cut-offs. It is potentially better to get the highest superscore possible if it means you will make a scholarship cut by one point.

Right, we're sending test scores as requested (all or best). (And she only took the ACT because of the SAT changes.)

 

My question had to do with the transcript. Did you list test scores on the transcript? If so, all or just the best/better?

[Transcripts w test scores]

I cannot leave well-enough alone :rolleyes:

 

For those of you who put test scores on the transcripts, have you listed all scores for ACT/SAT or just the best single-sitting?

 

Half of dd's schools superscore the ACT. She has 2 sittings with different composites. The superscore composite is one higher than the better composite.

 

I have already sent the scores to schools.

 

I need to stop overthinking things and finish that blasted counselor recommendation letter!

[Encourage, Encourage, Encourage - Keep Plugging at those Applications]

Dd's first deadline is Oct 14 (for a scholarship) which we have adjusted to Oct 7. That application includes 6 essays which vary in length from 200 to 800 words. Two are perfect, two need one more read-through, and two are still rough.

 

Her other self-imposed deadlines are Oct 21 (9 essays; some already written can be reworked) and Nov 11 (for the regular decision schools; 8-9 essays but most are really short, 100-200 words).

 

I have to finish the counselor letter and edit the school profile. Again.

[UPDATE (POST 1).......OMG! Please Tell Me This Is Typical And It Gets Better]

We do a lot of the first type of block scheduling. It helps dd manage her workload with the languages, keeps her engaged (she likes to drive deeply into subjects of interest), and creates fewer transitions during the day.

 

This year we're studying macroecon and us govt in the fall and microecon and astronomy in the spring (the first 3 are AP classes).

[UPDATE (POST 1).......OMG! Please Tell Me This Is Typical And It Gets Better]

There are different types of block scheduling:

 

• do one subject in full fall semester; switch to another subject spring semester

• split subjects into 'A' and 'B' days which alternate through the whole year

• select one subject to concentrate on while simultaneously working on the subjects that must be done every day (depends on student but I think of math and foreign language as daily)

• do subject X solely until all that coursework is covered and switch to subject Y, etc

[Help! PAH AP Geography class]

We did AP Human Geography on our own with an approved syllabus (mine lol). I briefly considered the PAHS course but decided I could do a better job for so much less. I used a textbook, a bazillion articles, and video clips to inform our discussions.

[UPDATE (POST 1).......OMG! Please Tell Me This Is Typical And It Gets Better]

High school just takes longer. All the reading, discussing, researching, writing, answering problems at higher levels adds up.

 

You all get used to it.

 

Sometimes dd chooses to work late in the evenings. Sometimes she chooses to work weekend afternoons. Sometimes she has to do both.

[My closet friend's mom just died]

Wait until her family leaves and then give her a restaurant gift card or something similar.

 

Please don't send a plant. My fil thought I needed a plant after my father died (my mother predeceased him). It's perfectly lovely but it reminds me constantly of my losses, and not in a good way.

[What do you do when you are worried?]

I weed.