When the college application asks the question, "Will you be applying for financial aid?" and the students answers, "No, I will not be applying for financial aid," that gives the college a very good idea of the parents' financial situation. ;)

The application also requires the student to list the occupation of his parents and his home address. It is not too difficult to discern the socioeconomic status of a family when those pieces of information are also included in the application. A simple google search will provide credible evidence that answering "no" does give students an advantage in admissions to selective schools. "The article in the GW Hatchet read like a scene ripped from a high-school-senior’s nightmares. “The University admitted publicly for the first time Friday that it puts hundreds of undergraduate applicants on its waitlist each year because they cannot pay GW’s tuition,†the independent student newspaper of The George Washington University reported last week. The story went on to say that despite statements to the contrary for many years, GW’s admissions policies have always factored in an applicant’s need for financial aid when deciding whether or not to admit that applicant. GW now says that it is need-blind in the first read of an application, but ultimately is better-classified as having “need-aware†policies as a whole." http://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2013/10/29/does-applying-for-financial-aid-hurt-your-college-admissions-chances/ This is just one example of a school that claimed to be need-blind, when the reality was a different story. I would be willing to bet a large sum of money that other "need-blind" schools operate in the same manner, but it is difficult to know what goes on behind closed doors in an admissions office. If a family's financial situation truly didn't factor into admissions decisions why are the admissions offices asking the student to provide his parents' occupations and whether or not he will be applying for financial aid?

The college application asks whether the student will be applying for Financial Aid. If ability to pay was not a factor, the colleges would not ask for this information.

My daughter just received an email from the library (the head librarian proctored the exam) with a link to her AMC 8 score results. She made the Honor Roll! :party:

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

I combined all of the course descriptions into one document. I used Microsoft Word and then saved the document as a pdf. I uploaded the pdf transcript as one document and the combined course descriptions as a second pdf document within the Common Application website. Good luck with preparing your documents. ETA: Also, make sure that the browser you are using is compatible with the Common Application. I would have saved myself a ton of time and aggravation if I would have read the fine print that detailed which browsers (and which versions of compatible browsers) were recommended.

If you list PE on the transcript (I didn't with my oldest and won't with my younger two either), you could keep track of hours needed for 1 credit. Once the hours are accumulated, all the other time devoted to that activity could be counted as an extracurricular. I am doing something similar with one of my kids. He spends a lot of time programming. This activity is going to be counted as both a formal credit and an extracurricular because he is putting in enough time to be counted both places.

We went to Swept Away in Jamaica and had an awesome time. However, like unsinkable, my experience is rather dated - we went almost 20 years ago.

Fwiw, my local high school only offers the AP Physics I class, but they also require that students have a year of high school level physics before they are able to take the AP Physics I class. This approach seems to be common with other schools in my neck of the woods. These students will all have 2 credits of physics on their transcripts.

Yeah.

You didn't read my last sentence in the snippet you quoted. ;) The state tests have absolutely no impact on college admissions since those tests are strictly used at the state level, not for college admissions. However, when the gatekeepers to the standardized testing required for college admission jump into the curriculum business, this is a huge conflict of interest and a major problem. In the last sentence of my response that you quoted from, I said: "Extending this conflict of interest to the next level does have the potential to impact my kids since they are required to take the SAT." My 10th grader will have his testing done before the new versions are released. However, my 8th grader won't be so lucky, and I expect that we will need to devote time to teaching to this new test, unfortunately.

This has been happening in my area as well. I have also heard that this year's flu shot is not effective against the strains this year.

I would not be worried at this point at all. Fwiw, my son was on the same meds for a week before he was able to go down to the over the counter meds. My son didn't get any school done at all that first week, and it took him a few weeks to ramp up to his normal level after that. (Plus he wasn't permitted to write or use the keyboard for a few weeks...luckily his PA Homeschool AP Lang. teacher was extremely understanding.) Just make sure your son continues to take the anit-nausea meds. I made the mistake of forgetting to give one of those when I should have and my son was miserable and I felt horrible. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

My son has only applied to three schools. He was deferred by his top choice on Saturday. Thankfully, he was accepted to his other two schools. He is still holding out a slim hope for the deferral school, but he knows he will be very happy at the school he will more than likely end up attending next fall. I am just ecstatic that the college application season is over for us. :party:

My son was just accepted to Case with a $30K per year academic scholarship. He will hear from his other EA school today at 3:16.

Well, my son finds out from his top choice school at 12/13/14 @15:16 this afternoon.

CVS sells a product called "peas" that are reusable and work great. Sorry to read that there are so many WTMers dealing with surgery. My oldest had Tommy John surgery this past spring after wasting four months trying rehab based on an inconclusive MRI. Turns out the partial tear indicated by the MRI was actually a complete tear. After over a year, he is finally back to 100% and just got the "all clear" from his surgeon last week to resume his prior intensity. Best wishes to everyone who is dealing with an injury now. It is tough when our kids can't do an activity that they love. :grouphug:

:grouphug: Good luck to your son, too.

:grouphug: It is tough having an injured athlete. Make sure your son is given anti-nausea medication if he is given heavy-duty pain killers. He may also be more comfortable sleeping in a recliner the first few weeks. Good luck.

If anyone is considering signing up for the second-semester, I highly recommend the Rhetoric I class with Thomas Hummel. My son says it is the best class he has ever taken. Susan, will Thomas Hummel be teaching your Rhetoric II class next year?

Scores came in the mail in Ohio today. The hack was reliable as the scores were consistent.

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

I don't think this is a matter of there being a slow slide towards people thinking these conflicts of interest are acceptable. Rather, I think that the vast majority of parents are not even aware of these conflicts of interest to begin with, and those that have figured it out are having a difficult time being heard. It is hard to fight those with deep pockets. While some parents in my neck of the woods know that the SAT is changing, very few realize that the new president of the CB was one of the key players in the development of CC, and even fewer parents know that the CB is now selling its own curriculum. I agree 110% with the bolded. I have no idea how to fix it.

I agree with what you are saying, but...from a purely selfish standpoint, what happens at the state level has absolutely no impact on my kids since they don't participate in the state tests. "Teaching to the Test", along with the horrid math program, is the reason I pulled my kids out of public school to begin with. Public education is a huge cash cow for many corporations, and I don't see the situation changing anytime soon. Extending this conflict of interest to the next level does have the potential to impact my kids since they are required to take the SAT.

While Pearson's is a private company, the College Board, at least theoretically, is a non-profit. It is a huge conflict of interest when this gate-keeper to college admissions also enters the curriculum industry.