It certainly would have been easier for us to go with the "bells and whistles" search. Eldest dd needed a certain intellectual vibe and a "coolness factor" along with a nurturing atmosphere and dance. Youngest dd would gladly live in a tent for 4 years as long as she gets her science and good friends to do it with and can live/work near the ocean. It may be all about "keeping it real", looking behind the bells and whistles to see what there is content-wise. I have been known to respond negatively to too much campus maintenance!!!

I am hoping that dd attends college and never gets sick!!!???!!! We are touring soon so, I'll be sure to ask questions about this at each school.

A lovely minor in classics or english literature or world history might be helpful, especially if majoring in science/math. I think it would really help to see the big picture that a hs parent is trying to educate towards.

My dd's interest in zoology is marine science. She applied to schools with strong programs in that subject. We noticed that in looking at schools, checking course catalogs for courses in "animals" seemed to be helpful. U of Oregon and also W. Washington U had some interesting possibilities.

Creekland - I loved Wash U. They did not have what either of my 2 dds needed but, the whole place just rang with enthusiasm and a really good intellectual vibe. Lots of kids from our city go there and have all done very well. St. Louis struck me as a cool city as well. Ahhhhh....college is wasted on the young.....if I'd only known about WU when I was young.... We are off touring soon but, $$ will probably be the deal maker/breaker for us as well. So fingers crossed all round????

Lisa - We wait, now for the financial news from the schools dd has gotten into. The ones with the best chance of her being able to go (need blind admissions) send their letters out in April.... So we just keep filling out all the forms and keep an eye on that darn mailbox at the end of the driveway!!!

Soooo proud of him. I'm sure there are more to come, but fingers still crossed anyways.:)

More money could come in the form of a campus job as well. If she is a music person she could offer lessons and tutoring to supplement income while she's at school. She could join a rock band and play gigs like I did for a year....fun, free pizza and beer, and some spending money. Most schools offer really good tuition payment plans that are handy when being a little short of ready cash.

I want to launch my dd out into the world and show her how wonderful it is and I want the world to know how wonderful she is. That is why she can go wherever she ultimately chooses to go. If it is 5 or 5000 miles away, it does not matter. What matters is that she is happy and enthusiastic about getting the education she wants. I loved high school and college. I could have gone close to my home but, my wanderlust kicked in and I went 5 hrs. away. I lived for 3 years in the dorms, I liked the safety and warmth and the ready-cooked food downstairs in the cafeteria. I was an RA as a sr. My eldest dd goes to school far away and loves her school and even the travel it takes to get there. She has had good and bad semesters but, has learned to adjust and take care of herself. I probably miss her more than she misses me!

A tailored "work" dress and cardigan or jacket with black tights looks nice. Make sure she wears comfy shoes that she can walk and stand in for long periods of time.

We used American Government, Continuity and Change along with the AP gov't NROC site. We did it for a semester. There was a book of readings that went along with the textbook that was really good.

You could look on the NROC web-site at their APWorld History course and use that and the textbook(s) that they suggest. Then get the Norton Anthology of World Lit. and look around here for what world classics you should read. You could connect them up to the time period/culture that you are studying in history. We did this sort of thing for Am Lit/History. Also look at course/curricula on the AP websites. As for essays, etc. There are loads of study guides and questions for whatever lit. works you are studying on the web. I've found the "college" ones to be the best. You can triage from them and set up a study guide of your own. NROC has some multiple choice tests and essay assignments in their AP courses. We've used them as a good diagnostic tool. Also, there are old AP tests posted on line. You can pick and choose essay topics from them as well. Buy one of the AP world hist. study guides and take pieces of the AP sample tests from there.

Colleen et al; In the quintessence of frugality I made 3 dresses and a skirt out of a set of my dd's old drapes!!!! Think Scarlet O'Hara and Fraulein Maria!!! Actually the fabric was a v. pretty damask that did not go with their room any more. It was like playing "project runway" for a good 2 months. We got many complements on them (though we never wore them at the same time). I've got some old living room drapes (when we bought the house 15yrs. ago, there were drapes everywhere) and I'm thinking of making some pants similar to what they are showing in Vogue. Hope Tim Gunn can stop by to guide me!

Tell her to focus on getting better. She may have to get back into things gradually. I got sick in college one semester and everyone was very understanding about giving me a lot of extra time to get caught up and finish my work. It was slow but sure, I got done without getting an "incomplete" which would also have been a viable option. We are thinking of her here and sending healthy thoughts her way.

Joan - When my dd's eczema was acting up badly especially in the middle of the winter, I started using the "clear and free" laundry detergents and washing in cold water and sometimes running the clothes through a 2nd rinse. I hung them in the sun if possible. It helped but, not as much as a chlorinated swimming pool on a sunny day slathered with coppertone baby sunblock!!! or some time at the beach also with the sunblock. BTW - just shocked a guy at Sears by insisting that we only need an 18.2 - sized fridge. It really is enough for us.

Doing laundry became a "science" in our house for a while, given my dd's eczema. I wash only one day a week (it is a chore I despise) and have learned to sort things efficiently and wash and dry according to their fabric content. Most girl's clothes these days really have to be washed fairly gently and hung up to dry as they tend to have some stretch fibers in them. I hang most of their clothes as a result. About the only things I put in the dryer are dh's work clothes (they come out looking better) and sox, undies, linens, sheets and towels. So, I end up with about 3 or 4 dryer loads for the week. Washing the dds' clothes has necessitated gentle cycles and cold water which save lots of energy. Given that I do wash only once a week, our loads are all "full" which saves time, energy and money. No-one else does any laundry during the week, they are expected to plan their outfits accordingly and plan ahead if they need something "freshened" up. We have had this routine for a v. long time so, it is just that, a routine.

Sunshine, fresh air, good food, exercise, hugs, and student-directed learning? Help him re-locate his passions. It may be hard but, be supportive and enthusiastic. Best best best of luck to you both.

The shorter version of the Norton's Anthology of World Lit. in one volume was v. reasonably priced and we've been really happy with it so far. We haven't had to supplement it much. We bought it used on Amazon in June.

My genes may likewise be unexpressed, both dds were born in FL and grew up in TN. If it gets "down" to 25 degrees, they do not function. Eldest dd says she can tolerate southern NY temps with an enormous quantity of woolen sweaters and the warmest down coat I've ever seen. She is a ballerina, so she just dances in the hot studio all day when it is too cold. Youngest dd did not apply to any colleges that were any farther north than we are now. She is more outdoorsy and says the lack of sun in the north would make her ill!!! Her college wardrobe will likely consist of little sundresses and an occasional sweater. My wish for them both is to have children who "need" to ski all winter and do not function well if the temps. get over 60!!!!

It sounds like a very exciting place to be. I went to school in upstate NY. We did a lot of cross country skiing and skating. If you buy really warm jackets and sno-pak boots and long johns, winter is not so bad. But, I was an outdoor girl anyways so, staying inside was never an option. When the weather was very bad, the gym had lots going on and there was a pool to take classes and swim laps in. One year - we had 12 inches of snow on May 20th.....so winters can be long.

I wanna be Steve Jobs when I grow up:lol:

Florida State? I went there for grad. school. We used to listen to jazz and rock/folk groups practice at lunch on the music school patio. UGA?- The birth place of all things rock for a while, just not in the actual college institution. Wesleyan in CT - seems to be a huge magnet for creative types of all sorts these days.

Fingers crossed that no-one will want to go to WP and decide to go elsewhere. But, the ROTC route would allow her more scope in her college experience? So big hopes here for that to work out as need be.

Being a homeschooler, you could justify a non-AP class as high level with a complete course description. You could generate an interesting project/writing- generating science course and skip the AP-test-mill altogether. APs make it easier for the admissions people to evaluate the students. A well-written transcript and essays on the application take a long time to get through but, may ultimately be better in revealing your student as a thoughtful and creative person (especially in the sciences).

I would add - Art History and some sort of Environmental Science.