Barbara H
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Posts posted by Barbara H
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I wouldn't suggest it for any kid with test anxiety, but for most kids it might be fun. It is always good for homeschoolers to get experience testing in a school setting. I would emphasize to him that these are experimental questions so if they seem confusing or don't make sense he shouldn't worry about it.
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You really don't need to prepare beyond making sure she knows how to use a bubble sheet. Here are some sample questions if you want to get a feel for the test: http://www.act.org/explorestudent/tests/index.html
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Very good news!
And, also thank you - we peanut allergic kid here too and this thread was the reminder I needed to check the expiration date.
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So khakis and a t-shirt (the weather will be warm) would be ok? Most of my kid's t-shirts are from various camps and competitions, so they do have writing on them. Is that too casual? I could buy a few plain ones.
That's exactly what kids on tours at most campuses will be wearing. Jeans, khakis, tees, sweatshirts, etc. Camp shirts are totally fine. At some very conservative religious colleges or preppy Southern colleges you might see more polos, but really tshirts are fine.
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Keep in mind too that there are only 5 lines on the Common Application for awards. Personally I would focus on this only for kids, like your son, who sound like they are goal directed and really enjoy this process. For most teens activities are more meaningful and they typically carry more weight for admissions.
Many students also end up listing some kind of AP award. Of course if they take APs primarily in the senior year it won't help much. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/scholarawards.html
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3 ring binder in page protectors. Nice and big. Plenty sturdy. As an added bonus, you can wipe spatters right off. :D
That's my system too and it does work pretty well. At the time I set it up the books my then eight year old illustrated the cover page and dividing pages which always makes me happy to see those.
I confess that sometimes I do Google if there's a recipe that is know is online and I can't find it in the binders though.
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11 is tough.
Just to come at this from another perspective. What is happening when he's not on track? Is he off in his room? Is he getting up from the table? Is he getting distracted online?
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I agree it is really individual what works and if you step in too strongly it may just discourage him from sharing with you next time. I reassure him that lots of students have bumps in the road and he will get past this. I would gently encourage him to see him to talk to the professor of the class he's struggling with and to also see his academic adviser and ask about study skills help if he feels he needs it. There are resources out there to help him.
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What to wear? The most important thing is to choose something seasonally appropriate with comfortable walking shoes. I suggest students dress in a clean, but typical version of what typical students wear on the campus. There are some regional variations but at most schools for guys that's jeans or khakis, button downs, polos or tshirts. They really don't need to be super dressed up for a regular tour and going over the top like wearing a tie may be an advertisement that homeschoolers are different but not in a good way. Of course avoid overly tight, revealing, controversial slogans, ripped, etc.
Oh, and leave the sweatshirt for another college home too - you might be surprised how often students are sporting gear for another school!
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what's really weird to me and has nothing to do HLA question... Sewanee no longer requires ACT or SAT? interesting... They still accept them, but not required.
Sewanee is "test optional" but this policy does not extend to homeschoolers, transfers, or international student applicants. It is pretty common for test optional schools to exclude homeschoolers from these policies. http://homeschoolsuccess.com/test-optional-policies-may-exclude-homeschoolers/
I live in TN. I use HLA because it is a way to legally homeschool without reporting to the local public school. It's a state approved Cat IV "church related school". It means our applications at state colleges are seen as private school instead of "homeschool". and apparently in TN that makes a difference. ?I agree in some states it is easier to use a cover or umbrella school. It can make it easier to meet reporting requirements or to qualify for state scholarships. It is important to understand though that when it comes to state scholarships, the accreditation of the transcripting school may be a key consideration.
Bottom line - the vast majority of homeschoolers are applying successfully to college with parent issued transcripts. There are students every year who are successful being accepted even at the most highly selective schools in this country with parent issued transcripts. If it makes your life easier to work with a transcripting/cover/umbrella school they by all means go for it, but I would not advise people to do it because otherwise they are convinced colleges won't take their transcript seriously.
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I was interested to see if HLA is regionally accredited and they are not. Most homeschoolers do not need an accredited diploma, however, if you are looking for an accredited diploma regional accreditation is the standard to consider. Looking for this answer on the HLA website I was concerned to run across this passage.
"Colleges/and universities are more interested in ACT/SAT scores, plus the official transcript and portfolio, than the actual name on the diploma. If a student scores a 21 or higher on the ACT most colleges/universities are happy to accept because it raises the status of the college. They use ACT/SAT scores as the primary measuring stick for acceptance and for marketing. Accreditation is usually not a factor when ACT scores are this high. Click here for more on ACT/SAT."
Perhaps people read this differently but it seems like this could be really confusing to parents because it seems to suggest that an ACT score of 21 is high and colleges will be happy because this raises their status. An ACT score of 21 would in fact put a student in the bottom 10% of accepted students at University of Tennessee and probably the bottom 2 or 3% at Sewanee.
If you feel like they are providing you with good support it may be worth spending the money, but you should understand the transcript will not carry more weight coming from an unaccredited transcript service.
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Yes, I agree if he's really interested he should apply. For sure people should not write off schools based on minor difficulties with requirements. Often, as is the case here, the rules are written for more global concerns like a state scholarship and they may not apply. Also, many schools don't entirely understand the range of options with homeschoolers so they may write a policy that sounds strict but has some play once they see a student with a lot of different kind of outside documentation.
I would encourage him to ask by email now though. I suggest this for two reasons. 1. I think there is a very good chance they will say something reassuring which will lower his stress level about this. and 2. because it establishes a paper trail indicating that he was interested.
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I would not see "out of state" as a strike against him. Right now about a third of Georgia Tech's students come from out of state. As is the case at many public institutions these candidates are considered attractive because they pay twice as much tuition.
Georgia publics in general are complicated for homeschoolers probably in large measure due to the HOPE scholarship. Often when states adopt these scholarships the expectations for documentation or accreditation goes up. Their homeschool form http://www.admission.gatech.edu/apply/freshman-application/home-school basically reads like a way to document that unaccredited students have what they need for HOPE - which is of course not a concern for your student.
The experiences I've had with students bringing questions to Georgia Tech admissions have been positive. My suggestion would be to have your student contact admissions express strong interest in Georgia Tech, their legacy status, identify as from a state where homeschoolers typically aren't accredited. Give the highlights of the stats SAT, list SAT IIs and community college courses and grades but express that they do not see a way they can get test documentation in foreign language is it still worth applying.
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Yes, that all sounds familiar. That was a tough age here. It isn't a perfect solution, but I'd suggest hitting a balance between gently suggesting more practical versions (like the puppet show) and drawing your boundaries about what is reasonable for you to do. Just by way of encouragement - here this was really a developmental thing. In time there was more realism, but fortunately the spirit and drive continued which are great.
Fortunately we were able to put together a widely mixed age homeschool theater co-op. Any chance something like that might be a possibility in your area? It didn't take very much to put together.
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Can you imagine being the person who is the voice behind Rachel ???? I can't imagine the hatred that is spewed at her if she dares speak a coffee order at Starbucks. She has called my house so often that I think I could hear her in a crowded Walmart on Black Friday!
And, what about when Rachel picks up the phone and it is Rachel. Does she swear at herself?
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Great question:
1. Realize I was beautiful. I'm sure many of us have looked at pictures of our 16 year old selves and wondered how we possibly could have thought we were unattractive.
2. Actually try at math instead of just deciding I was no good at it.
3. Put some effort into applying for college instead of basically choosing at random.
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You... You... You mean she's not a real person who genuinely cares about me and my financial situation? I am devastated.
LOL! She had so much concern for so many of us.
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This is also a good reminder that it is important to talk to teens. Make sure they've got their privacy settings set high. In a recent study of college admissions officers over a third said they'd discovered information through social media that negatively influenced their opinion of applicants. While most admissions officers don't regularly look at applicant's social media it does happen. Also, the world really is small place when it comes to networking (recommendations, internships, scholarships). Kids may not think about how far reaching what they post can be.
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Once you get past the most selective schools, the vast majority of state universities and private schools do not expect that much. For most kids the bigger reason to care about documentation is just to make sure they are really meeting high school requirements, to keep their options for more selective schools open and to better position for merit scholarships.
Is your daughter a junior? If so, you may want to go ahead now and look at the Common Application and the homeschool supplement. https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms /2013/2013HomeSchool_download.pdf It'll give you an idea what is expected. Not every school takes the Common Application but this gives you a pretty good ballpark idea. The main things your daughter is likely to need are: ACT or SAT scores, recommendations from people who are not a family members, a list of her activities, an essay, and a transcript. The transcript can be a parent issued single page transcript that lists courses and grades.
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This is a common problem. I've worked on this with several students and I suggest treating it as a game. Print up a whole bunch of prompts and cut them up into slips of paper. Pick a prompt at random, set a timer for five minutes and practice picking a position and coming up with three supporting points. You can do the first practices together aloud and then practice each writing out your own list on paper. Some humor is good. This will give her a lot of practice without having to write a lot of essays. Another strategy we found helpful was to use a coin flip - heads take the pro or yes position, tails the con or no position. This can help free up some serious or perfectionist kids to get over taking this too seriously.
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My suggestion is similar to Kathy's. Martin Gardner books were huge hits here and we actually got a complete CD-ROM collection of his Scientific American columns at one point. There are many inexpensive Dover editions of Martin Gardner puzzle books.
Also check out Ian Stewart books:
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Thanks for posting this resource. I will be sharing it!
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Just for anyone else considering it... The American school college-prep track is pretty light. It is below the minimum graduation standards for public school in many states. If a student is not planning on college or is thinking exclusively of community college, it is going to be a better fit. If you want to keep options open for any kind of selective four year school or scholarship possibilities it may not be your best option.
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http://www.collegeparents.org/members/resources/articles/why-your-college-student-might-not-ask-help
This is a good article (apologies, I may have already posted this recently).
For dual enrollment students I suggest that before the class you make it an expectation or requirement that your student go in and introduce themselves to their professors.
The other thing many students don't understand is that office hours aren't just for struggling students. Students who know their professors are the ones who get offered the good opportunities - for research projects, internships, meeting guest speakers, scholarships, etc.
Anyone have success with curbing/controlling all-or-nothing thinking?
in The Learning Challenges Board
Posted
I might be able to come up with better ideas with a specific situation in mind.
Some strategies that might work for some situations:
Break it down into smaller pieces. They might need to be really small pieces at first. Encourage him to identify small goals and to notice when he's succeeded.
Praise effort rather than praising the right answer. Notice when he's working on something without complaining or getting upset.
Talk about best, worst and most likely outcomes. Encourage him to make predictions about what will happen. Over time he'll likely notice that rarely does the worst thing happen.
Try to model being flexible and accepting of yourself when you make a mistake.