Okay, start crossing your fingers and praying for us....app. for summer program sent

[Sharon in MD]

Please wish ds luck and say a prayer for his summer application. He really, really really wants to go to a summer mentorship program at Drexel this year. I know God has a plan for his summer, we just hope it is the same plan as ours:)

 

Okay, ds got the on-line app finished last night (4 essays) and we received the final letter of recommendation for the mail-in part today. Now we just have to go to the post office tomorrow and mail off the package (standard stuff, transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation.) Then we wait.....sigh. I'd better get used to it because next year will be the college applications.

 

I feel so relieved that it is finally put together. I also think we will be so busy with other things now that the time waiting to hear will probably go quickly.

[Michelle in MO]

:) I know how important summer plans can be! We're looking into a summer camp situation for our dd's. I'll pray that God's best works out---does that sound OK?

[Gwen in VA]

Congrats on finishing the application!

 

And may God make it abundantly clear where He wants your son to be!

[Jane in NC]

Sharon, I wish your son all of the best. My son has received (and accepted!) an offer of a teaching assistantship for this summer--something that he has been working toward for some time.

 

I can appreciate your relief in mailing the package and the anxiety of the wait. Please keep us posted.

 

Jane

[Sharon in MD]

I know that you know how it is....You plan and pray and think some more...trying to find the best fit and best opportunities for them to explore their particular gifts.

 

We know that God has a plan and His plans are always the best...we will wait and pray and trust and try not to be anxious.

 

We visited the school back in mid-Feb and we pretty much fell in love. It isn't our only choice for ds for college...but it is way up there. We are hoping he can go to the program so that he can really experience the campus and see if he thinks it is the place for him.

 

The program is really cool....it is a 3 wk mentorship in research with a professor. How awesome is that? We have no idea what our chances of getting in are, but what the hey?....you never know if you don't try.

 

Thanks for your prayers and your encouragement!

[Sharon in MD]

Thanks Michelle....I'll be praying for wisdom for y'all too.

[Sharon in MD]

Thanks Gwen!

[Hilary]

Sharon, when do you hear?

 

We are in a similar situation. My son, 17, is applying to the Governor's Scholars Program in Kentucky. His application had to be submitted in mid-January. I know exactly what you mean about that big sigh of relief when it finally goes in the mail :001_smile: His older sister didn't get in two years ago, and that was a big disappointment. He has higher test scores and better extracurriculars, so we are hopeful maybe he'll make it. He was fortunate enough to get into the Governor's School for the Arts last summer and it was the best experience in his life (he says), so he really, really wants this!

 

The mentorship experience sounds super, and if this is his first-choice college ... what a foot in the door!! Keep us posted!

[Sharon in MD]

Small world huh? They live in the city on South Ashfield, I think. It is in the part of town with the really big old Victorian houses, they bought one that had been gutted and worked for a couple of years to fix it up.....it is gorgeous now, but man, what job that was!

 

As for hearing from Drexel, we had to get the application in by this Friday and the supporting docs that you mail in have to be there by the 1st of April. Then they will call potential awardees in for an interview. Final decisions are supposed to be announced by 1 May.

 

The only down side to this is that there was another program at JHU we thought would make a nice back up, but it turned out that it was first come-first serve and if you got in you had to agree to pay upfront, with a limited refund if you canceled....so we decided we could not risk applying for both programs. Since the Drexel program is his first choice, we decided we would just have to take our chances and trust that God will do what is best for him.

 

If he doesn't get in, we told him he could take a CC class during the summer and rack up 3 or 4 credits. Since he is going to take two CC classes next year that will give him 12 going into where ever he winds up going. So, we've told him he really can't loose in that sense....either one would be great...but you know where our hopes are....Drexel all the way. And we are of course hoping it would be a foot in the door. The thing we aren't sure about is that since the program is open to Jrs and Srs. we are wondering how many already accepted Srs. might be applying......my guess is that they would get preferential selection. We also have no idea how many applicants there will be.... Ds has excellent academics and has taken distance ed classes from the JHU Center for Talented Youth. His PSAT scores in math and writing were in the 90's percentile wise, but his critical reading was only average. So, we shall see. He hates the critical reading stuff....he is too literal.:001_unsure:

 

I hope and pray that your ds will get to go to the Governor's Scholars program in KY, that sounds really neat. What area of the arts was he involved in last year? What do they do in the Scholar's program? Is your DD in college now?

 

 

It is good to be on the waiting side now rather than on the nag the kid to get it done side....

 

Best wishes!

[Hilary]

Small world huh? They live in the city on South Ashfield, I think. It is in the part of town with the really big old Victorian houses, they bought one that had been gutted and worked for a couple of years to fix it up.....it is gorgeous now, but man, what job that was!

 

I hope and pray that your ds will get to go to the Governor's Scholars program in KY, that sounds really neat. What area of the arts was he involved in last year? What do they do in the Scholar's program? Is your DD in college now?

 

South Ashland, I bet. That's literally three blocks away from us! You're right ... the houses are absolutely gorgeous! My DH's BF lives in one, and it is huge! Let me know if you are coming to visit ... we can get together at the Starbucks that's at the end of the street!

 

My DS was in piano. The program had 226 kids with over 1,300 applicants, so he was thrilled when he got in! They spent three weeks on the campus of Transylvania U. here in Lexington, but we weren't allowed to see him until the final performance day! The Governor's Scholars Program is five weeks at three different campuses (Bellarmine, Centre, and Morehead State) and is academic. He gave them three interest areas, and they determine which area he'd do and at which campus. The wonderful thing about GSA and GSP is that they're FREE (!!!) and all graduates get a free-ride four-year scholarship to any Kentucky public university. Unfortunately, DS has absolutely NO interest in any Kentucky public university.

 

When DD didn't get in GSP, she choose the Wash U (St. Louis) Summer Scholars Program instead. This was also a five-week academic program which was a great experience for her. She loved Wash U, but ended up being wait-listed there, and since Transylvania was offering a nice scholarship, she decided to attend there instead, and so far, she's very happy with her decision (getting to the end of her freshman year now).

 

So, in our experience, things all seem to work out for the best. If DS doesn't get in GSP, at least he had a good experience at GSA. We're not offering Wash U as an alternative for him because we're already spending so much money on him for other classes and lessons. If he doesn't get in, he'll hopefully get a job instead :001_smile:

 

We should hear in mid-April .... it's a long time to wait since January!

[Anne/Ankara]

Good luck, Sharon! Can I ask, is the Drexel program the Engineering mentorship one for high school students? It sounds very good! And, tell us about the Johns Hopkins one-- I see they have summer research experience programs, but it looks like they are for undergrads... is there a high school one there, too? Thanks!

[schmittgirlz]

Good luck!

 

Clare

[Sharon in MD]

But, shouldn't you all be looking at Carnegie Mellon? I would have thought they'd be the go to place for your part of the world!

 

The drexel program is on their website, but a little hard to find. Here's a link that will get you started. http://www.drexel.edu/coe/special/summer/mentor/

 

Also, just poke around on the http://www.drexel.edu/coe pages for loads of interesting stuff.

 

The program at JHU is likewise not easy to find on their sight....actually I think JHU's website is one of the worst college websites I've tried to navigate on yet.

 

The program is called Engineering Innovation http://engineering-innovation.jhu.edu/

 

For us, we would be able to do one of their commuter camps. The residential camp is rather pricey. Well, I think the whole thing is awfully expensive. It's 1800 for the camp and another 1900 for room and board for the residential program. But they are offering college credit if you get an A or B in the program.

 

Hope this helps.

[Sharon in MD]

Hey, thanks Clare! How's the Foerster's going at your house? You guys are doing precalc too aren't you?

[Sharon in MD]

My brother and sister in law live two houses down from the intersection where there is a pizzaria and an incredible bakery, Magee's I think.....OMG just count the pounds coming your way.

 

How long has your ds been playing piano? Mine has been seriously studying for about 6 years, so he is a bit behind the power curve here in terms of the really good students. However, he manages to hold his own and just won an HM at a competition among 10-12th graders. He's definitely behind those top kids, but he has caught up quite a bit.

 

Your scholars program sounds really nice. Even if he doesn't plan to go to a public KY school, I'd think that having participated, should he get in, will open scholarship doors in other schools. What area is he wanting to study? and where? Does he hope to continue in the arts as well?

 

Our ds is looking relatively close to home for his college choices. He has decided he'd like to be close enough to pop home for a weekend if he wanted to, with out driving for 8 hours! So his top picks now are Drexel, Lafayette, UMBC (REALLY CLOSE) and Messiah. My two favs are Drexel and Lafayette, which are of course the most expensive too. UMBC would be relatively cheap, in the collegiate scheme of things. We shall see what shakes loose from the money tree when the time comes.

 

My dh went to UK so he wishes it were closer so ds could go there. The way they offer alums in state tuition is inviting, but I think that if you are going to go to UK, you might as well go to UMD....same thing, big state school....huge classes, not personalized at all. Why do it 10 hours from home?

 

By the way, not that it matters, but I went to UNC....so basketball around here is intense....

 

Hey, be sure you post when you find out what ds gets!

[Anne/Ankara]

Thanks, Sharon, for the detailed links and information. Yes, Carnegie Mellon also has some neat high school summer programs, which I'm sure we will check out in a year or two-- but they seem like more ordinary fare of just a college course or two, given over the summer to high school students, who can either commute or live on campus.

 

The mentorship programs you describe at Drexel and JHU sound a bit more interesting!

 

This summer my ds (age 14) may do a Regenerative Medicine camp here at Univ. Pitt biotechnology Center (middle school, 5 day commuter camp), then a Engineering CAD/CAM camp at Robert Morris University (if he gets accepted, high school residential 5 day camp), then a Fast-Paced Biology camp (three week residential CTY camp at Johns Hopkins). That's a lot of science camp! But he loves that sort of thing, that's why I'm checking out future possibilities for upcoming years.

 

Thanks for the links!

[Sharon in MD]

This summer my ds (age 14) may do a Regenerative Medicine camp here at Univ. Pitt biotechnology Center (middle school, 5 day commuter camp), then a Engineering CAD/CAM camp at Robert Morris University (if he gets accepted, high school residential 5 day camp), then a Fast-Paced Biology camp (three week residential CTY camp at Johns Hopkins). That's a lot of science camp!

 

Seems to me you'll be keeping the roads hot!:auto: We've mostly done a few camps in the area in the past. Usually one engineering type of thing and then a dance camp. Last summer ds did an on campus experience at UMD at College Park. It is still local, but he stayed in the dorm for a week. It was one of the schools we were thinking about for him. But, I have to admit, it was not one of my favorites. Thankfully, living on campus for a week was enough to convince ds that it wasn't one of his favs either.

 

Would your son want to go to 5 weeks of camps? Ours would not. We even shied away from the CTY camps, but really mostly because of the expense. I've heard good things about them, but we just didn't feel like we could afford that much for a summer experience. That is also the thing that put us off from Carnegie Mellon as well. We had been thinking about going there for a visit as a possible college for ds, but again it just seemed to be at the top of the price pile. They do have a nice summer program for rising seniors, but I think it was somewhere near 7000 to attend.....way to much for my purse. And it was an awfully long commitment...it would eat almost the whole summer. Our ds wants to have some time that is not programmed. He loves to model and work on his computer some and if I overschedule him he kind of gets crabby, ya know.

 

I hope you'll be able to find the perfect blend for your ds as well. We are crossing our fingers for you here.