Barbara H
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Posts posted by Barbara H
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ZbOPnL7_M
A lot of this should be covered before students are in college.
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Two things that you might want to look at:
1. What is the graduation rate at each school and what is the typical time it takes to graduate - the majority of students at a lot of schools do not finish college in four years. So, that's extra cost to consider.
2. Encourage your student to look at the total amount of loans and what the monthly payment will be like. Here's a calculator http://www.finaid.org/calculators/loanpayments.phtml
Good luck - these are hard decisions!
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That certainly can work, but just as another perspective to I often find student often prefer to have two really different APs. It brings more variety to their school day and allows them to switch over from one thing they are sick of to something else. Greater variety is also of more value for admissions purposes because it provides n objective measure of student acheivement in a variety of subjects. If the college credit for APs it may be more likely to result in credit that will meet requirements if there is diversity in the courses taken. Just to give an example, AP world and AP US will often meet the same kind of intro history sort of requirement. It may be a duplication of effort to do both. If the same student took AP world and AP bio they may knock of two different sets of requirements. Of course credits are not a concern to all students and not every college offers these credits, but if credit is part of the reason for taking APs looking at diversity in the subjects covered may be of benefit.
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This is an excellent question and in a lot of ways it is more complex than it appears. Unless you have fully funded, full pay college for all of your kids (and that's a teeny tiny minority of people), it is likely there will be factors that will not be fully equal no matter how hard you try to make them equal. Just to give one example from my family growing up.The parental plan was to give each child the exact same amount of money for each year. With three kids spaced as they were the middle kid always had a sibling in college which meant he always had a better financial aid package. The oldest and youngest kids each had two years where they were the only one in college. The youngest kid (that's me!) was also in a time of rising costs and a bad economy but I benefited from the wisdom of scholarships and financial aid process that had been gained through the experiences of the first two kids. Did it end up all being exactly equal? Nope, but given the resources available it was probably pretty much fair and I think that's all you can really hope for. If you want to keep it to the same figure remember you don't control the outside circumstances of the economy, cuts in financial aid, etc.
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This was a fascinating article, and the list includes all of the schools we had to complete the CSS for. I believe that Princeton was not on the list only because it has entirely outsourced its need based aid to Questbridge. Once Princeton has picked their Questbridge kids, they are done with picking out students eligible for need based aid. My son was "only" a Questbridge finalist.
Congrats to your son on being a Questbridge finalist. That's great.
Princeton is need blind and has better financial aid than most schools. 64% of students get financial aid and their packages are based on grants and work study rather than loans. Much detail here. https://www.princeton.edu/admission/financialaid/how_it_works/who_qualifies/
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When I read any article on budgeting or diet I always wish I had a huge Starbucks habit. If I was only spending $10 a day and consuming 1,000 calories on frappuccinos think how easy it would be to make that one little change and see big results.
Nice for the folks with the rich uncle. Glad he's generous and spending his money on something important.
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I'm of the mindset that it doesn't hurt to investigate it further. What's the worst thing that happens if you ask if there are other scholarships or the possibility of more financial aid? Worst thing - they can say no. What's the worst thing that can happen if you don't ask? You'll never know if they might have had other options.
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Just like they put age ranges on games. Maybe he'd like to check out of some of his games and see the age levels. I'd tell him those are just suggestions to help people with shopping, they aren't a rule for everyone to follow. Most homeschoolers do stuff for lots of different grades.
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Some things to consider:
1. What will "finishing" consist of - what will be the highest level course in math and in science? If the highest level is BC Calc that's much more understandable than if it is algebra 2.
2. What level schools is the student applying to? It is increasingly the expectation that even non STEM students have some calculus for highly selective schools.
3. What does your state law require - my state requires math in every year of high school no matter the student's level or how may courses they've completed.
4. While a transcript organized by subject draw a bit less attention the lack of math and science, the student will need to list their senior year schedule/ courses in progress.
I hope that helps!
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Julia Child's eggplant pizza recipe is a huge hit at our house. http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2012/08/recipe-for-julia-childs-eggplant-pizzas.html
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What I did with a younger student was stand just inside the lobby door while he waited in line and got checked in at the registration table. Once he was through we exchanged a little wave and I was out. FWIW, I have seen parents here waiting in line with students just to make sure they got checked in. Just like the airport, you are not allowed "past this point" but that very first bit is okay if your son wants you there.
For your son with Asperger's I'd encourage him to know that if he needs anything he he can ask the proctor because that's what they are there for. Go through the basic schedule so he knows what to expect and where you meet you.
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It can be hit or miss whether or not colleges keep track of scores and don't lose them, particularly for a student who hasn't applied yet. While I don't see any big dangers from submitting scores more than once, I will note that our state university sticks any scores they receive on the transcript permanently.
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There has been massive grade inflation in a lot of high schools. The reported GPA is often a weighted GPA. With a weighted GPA it might be that the stronger students have GPAs of 4.5 or more. Did the college list what percent of students were in the top 10%, top 25%, or top 50% of their high school class? That can be a more meaningful statistic.
Because many schools view homeschool GPAs as not particularly meaningful, it is very common for admissions to put more weight on test scores for homeschoolers.
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I am sorry Katie. I admire your courage in sharing. These is such an important issue and I agree it is something every one of us needs to talk to our kids about. It is an excellent point that rape drugs can be slipped into a soda just like they can an alcoholic drink.
One great suggestion I've read is to talk to kids, both sons and daughters, about what they can do as a friend. What should they keep an eye out for as a bystander and what will they do in a situation where they see something they think might be problematic. Approaching it as helping a friend can also help open up a conversation without making it seem like parents are judging or not trusting of their kids. Here's a recent New York Times article about the bystander approach. (Warning: the article contains specific references to assault.) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/education/edlife/stepping-up-to-stop-sexual-assault.html?_r=0
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Yes, I have many students use a sophomore score if it is very high. The one little qualification I will give to that though...it depends a lot on the student's goals. Percentiles can vary from one test date to another but generally 32+ is a 99thtile score. But that doesn't mean that anything 99%tile and above will necessarily be the same for scholarships and admissions. More points can matter even at that very high level.
The student should also be sure to take the PSAT fall of junior year so they are eligible to compete for National Merit.
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I'm sorry he's going through that. It is good you are listening and connecting him with resources that can help. While life does change a bit in high school, it is important to keep that vision you had for your homeschool in mind and be an advocate for him having the chance to be challenged but in a healthy way.
Often teens get caught in extreme thinking about college that is not reality based or accurate. When they get their information from peers in a very competitive school it can start to sound like this... "It is Harvard or community college." "I'm perfect or I'm a total failure." "I got a B and I'm sunk." It is helpful when we can encourage them to see the bigger picture and when we make them aware of more accurate information about college admissions and college choices.
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You are correct. There is not a live component.
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I really don't know that being able to drive improves a student's safety on most campuses. Parking lots and parking structures are among the least safe places. It is more important that students have good rules and plans in place for themselves. As mentioned that includes safety in numbers. Also students really need to be using campus escorts at night. http://www.utdallas.edu/enroll/visit/safety.php?nocookies=false I would expect if students are going off campus to community events, particularly a night, that they are traveling in groups.
Parents may also be interested to know that colleges are required to public their crime logs and crime statistics. If you do decide to look at the crime statistics http://www.utdallas.edu/police/publicinfo.html try not to get freaked out by the sheer volume. It is mostly minor theft, DUI, and substance possession. Assault is much more likely to happen in the wee hours of the morning at parties.
Also, no matter where your child goes to school it is absolutely vital to talk about the importance of always going to social events with a friend they can count on and never, never leaving drinks uncovered or unsupervised. Even if you don't think your child is going to drink - this still applies. Parents often tend to think of risks on campus as being more risks from the city or outside... but statistically the far bigger risk is from the inside.
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If they are using it over the long term it can be helpful to get a book. This the one we have and I got a "thank you Mom" the other day for how often it has come in handy! http://www.amazon.com/dp/0387322892/?tag=stackoverfl08-20
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My caution is do not rely on general lists of what colleges require SAT subject tests. The minimum requirements are often different from what students who get admitted will actually have. Also, many colleges have specific SAT subject test requirements for homeschoolers and these are not reflected on the general lists. While there a handful of schools who want more three is for many selective schools a pretty safe bet including one of them math, which should be math 2 if your student does anything remotely STEM oriented. Here's some additional information about SAT subject tests for homeschoolers.
And, yes, it is all way too much testing, but depending on your student's goals it can be necessary. Just for whatever reason DO NOT add up how much money total you give to the ACT and College board including sending scores. For students applying to selective schools it is can be really scary. For some it pays off big time, but it is frustrating when it feels like a lot of the testing is unnecessary.
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Those who have been made to suffer by the CSS may appreciate this: http://chronicle.com/article/111-Colleges-May-Be-Violating/144395/
"More than 100 colleges may be violating a federal law that bars institutions from requiring applicants for federal student aid to submit forms other than the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to an investigation by Congressional Democrats.
In a letter sent to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Monday, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, identifies 111 institutions that "appear to be establishing additional requirements for students to complete costly additional forms," including the College Board's CSIC/Financial Aid Profile.
In the letter, Mr. Cummings requests a meeting with Mr. Duncan to discuss how to ensure colleges are "not creating improper and unnecessary barriers to federal financial assistance."
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Ouch - that white would be so stressful to live with! It might be worth some Googling and reading reviews. There are companies that specialize in knock off covers for Pottery Barn, IKEA, etc. and they sell for much less that the regular slipcover replacement price.
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Whether or not your student hopes to get a letter of recommendation out of the experience is one factor that might be worth considering. Letters from an instructor or professor who has seen her in the classroom and had a chance to talk to her face to face will carry more weight.
Online courses can be really frustrating for some students so it can be tricky as a first college experience. I would only consider an online college course if she'd been successful with online high school courses in the past.
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One thing that worked for us in this phase was the Teaching Company's Joy of Science. http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/Courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1100
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I agree 100%.
I have read Developing Mathematical Talent and I just didn't find a lot that made sense in the context of our homeschool.
One thing to keep in mind is that highly gifted students are highly asynchronous. It is NORMAL for any student to be studying the same subject on many different levels at the same time, but this tends to be even more pronounced in asynchronous learners. So, it may well be the case that your six year old - likes Sesame Street songs about numbers, understands basic algebra but hasn't learned their multiplication tables, is able to understand most of what they see in a physics video for college students and can think of brilliant questions on very deep and abstract topics, can enjoy a high school level logic textbook, gets too tired out to do a grade level worksheet for more than 10 minutes and can spend hours making incredible fractals using software..... That can all be happening at the same point in development when you homeschool because homeschooling can support that kind of very asynchronous development and learning.
It may not be comfortable to parents because we like to be on top of things and plan and we don't want to feel like our kids will have gaps. But, the reality is that math isn't just a straight linear progression through mastering a checklist of skills. Boiling math down into a lot of tests and monitoring of progress is an easy way to kill the joy and to make asynchronous development problematic in a way that it doesn't need to be when you are homeschooling.