Can someone give me a breakdown for what I should be doing

[Ibbygirl]

for 9-12th math and science? What do I need to worry about for college?? My dd is going into 8th next year and I just want to make sure I have everything taken care for a smooth transition to 9th. Thank you to all who reply. :)

[MamaReese]

subbing because I have the same question.

[Ibbygirl]

subbing because I have the same question.

 

:) I'm glad I'm not the only one. :) Here's some popcorn :lurk5: while we wait for the replies. :) :tongue_smilie:

[Jane in NC]

High school goals should probably be aligned with college entrance requirements, then further adjusted to a student's specific strengths and interests.

 

Public universities in NC require applicants to have four credits in math. While Algebra I fulfills this requirement, students applying to competitive programs will usually have Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus and either Calculus or Statistics on their transcript, having taken Algebra I in 8th. The mathematically inclined might have more. If your student takes Algebra I in 9th, he would need to enroll subsequently in Geometry, Algebra II and one additional math course in order to fulfill the basic admission requirements of the UNC system.

 

The UNC system requires three science classes. This is where homeschoolers can be creative in my opinion. While your can go the traditional route (biology, chemistry, physics), there are other options to explore. My son did Conceptual Physics in 9th, AP Biology in 10th, General Chemistry I and Microbiology at the CC in 11th, General Chem II at the CC in 12. He has five science credits--all lab courses.

 

Some homeschoolers focus more on Natural History than Biology. Some study Marine Bio after basic bio. Geology and astronomy are popular options. You can really work with your students' interests here or your own considerations regarding labs.

 

Even if your child will not apply to public universities in your state, I would use their admission guidelines as minimal requirements. With the escalating cost of college, many of us look upon the public universities as our "ace in the hole". Note, however, that minimal requirements may not guarantee a slot for your student in a competitive program. You might also want to consider other colleges that could be a good fit for your student. Do they have minimal requirements?

 

Another consideration is dual enrollment at a CC or AP. Both options allow your student to accumulate college credits inexpensively, while giving colleges a method for evaluating your homeschooled child. While many parents feel comfortable teaching chemistry at home, I wanted my son to take this course at our CC where classes are small and labs terrific. This is something I knew that I could not replicate at home. But not everyone has access to a CC. I think that it is important to determine what will work for you and your student--not everyone's choices will be the same.

 

Good luck and welcome to the high school board. These are really great years.

 

Jane

[Julie in MO]

Hi,

My husband and I have been praying/researching/thinking about high school this year in preparation for our 8th grader who will begin high school soon. Our local high school promotes the Physics First program:

http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume6/issue7/features/pattanayak.html

Apologia, which is the curriculum we've used for years follows the traditional biology, chemistry, physics path. I'm drawn to that sequence just from the comfort of having successfully learned that way in my own education. I purchased the chemistry lectures from The Teaching Company to supplement Apologia's chemistry. I also bought Understanding the Human Body from TC to use with biology, although we're considering using a local university model private school for the biology coursework because we've heard such good things about the teacher. Jane in NC gave such good advice (thanks, Jane!) We must know our goals for science. My dd is not a math/science type at this point, so following a traditional approach feels fine - things may change in those four years, though. Best wishes to you on your journey!

Blessings,

Julie

[Julie in MO]

currently discussing this on the board:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166004

Blessings,

Julie

[creekland]

I'm speaking as a mom who has one student entering a moderate level Christian college next year with very good merit aid and a second student - currently a sophomore - who wants to go to a selective research college for biomedical or chemical research.

 

Their needs differ considerably.

 

The first thing you need to do is assess your goals for your student (preferably considering their talents and desires too!). Are they looking to head to a highly selective school - Ivy or comparable? One step less (still highly selective)? Standard state school? Christian school? Trade school? Job after high school? And, if college, which major?

 

IF they want highly selective, then they'll need to be super competitive. For my middle son - science major, this means high SAT/ACT scores, 2 - 7 AP courses (with scores of 4 or 5 on them) or in lieu of AP, SAT II scores that are high, cc lab science courses (or full description of labs if done elsewhere), and outside verification of ability academically. This can easily come from cc profs. Besides this, he needs a full complement of math courses including Calculus. They like it if Stats is in there too, but it's not as important. Then, in addition, they need to show nice extra curriculars - but that's a different topic.

 

With all of that, he still only has a statistical 3 in 10 chance of getting into his current dream school (University of Rochester) and less of a chance getting into an Ivy (but those don't appeal to us). What I gave above was their stats for "admitted applicants tend to have..." under homeschooling + tweaked for a science major. He'll need to interview well (we're adding a public speaking course for that). If all goes well, he'll not only get admitted, but hopefully get nice merit aid, need based aid (our economy isn't good right now), and, if truly fortunate, a portable research grant that REALLY draws him to the school.

 

He's doing Pre-Calc in math now (as a sophomore) and we'll have to decide to do Calc or Stats next year - with the other his senior year. In science he's done Apologia's first level of Bio, is doing their first level of Chem, will do both of those at their second levels and take the corresponding AP tests next year +, if we can afford it, will take microbio at the local cc. His senior year will be microbio 2 and Physics (basic level for that I think). Senior year will be planned more specifically after talking with an admission counselor at schools he's interested in after we see how he does with his junior level endeavors.

 

For my older son, the one heading to a moderately high level Christian college (Covenant College) and in a Community Development/Business major (wanting to become a microfinance manager overseas), he mainly needed "basic" courses. He's done all math up to Calculus, but I'm not having him take the AP as I'd rather he redo Calc at college and have an easier first semester. He's done all basic sciences with Apologia (Bio, Marine Bio, Chem, Physics) but none at the 2nd level. He did have decently high SAT/ACT scores (top 3% nationally on all but writing). He's had really nice extra curriculars both relating to his major and separate from it. He only had one cc course - English Composition (college level) - for which he got an A. He didn't need any AP nor SAT II tests. He got in not only there, but also at 2 other upper level Christian schools, and all gave him very nice merit aid. He would not likely have been accepted where middle son wants to go, but then again, he's not likely to have been happy there either.

 

Determine the needs for your children based on what they want to do and where they are likely to want to go. It's always easier to start on a strong academic path (if your student is inclined toward it) and cut back if needed than to try to catch up.

 

Getting into "a" college is not difficult. Getting into "the" college can be moreso - pending what "the" is to an individual. Getting merit aid at "the" college can be more challenging (and some high level schools don't give any). But, it's all do-able. My middle son knows his statistical chances at his dream school and will locate backup options. In the end, we'll see what happens.

 

For what it's worth, we considered putting middle son back into ps with the idea that it might be easier to get into his dream school. That idea ended very quickly. Our ps simply doesn't have the level needed to get a student into anything remotely like that (no AP, fails state standards, etc). We're continuing with homeschooling and hoping the $$ show up somewhere (our economic situation) for needed cc classes.

[FaithManor]

Check first to find out what your state considers normal graduation requirements: How many credits, basic classes, etc. Then consider what career paths your child might persue: traditional college prep route, vocational directed (apprenticeships, work for credit, etc.), specialization within a college prep program, etc. We did not pursue dual enrollment because our local community colleges are pathetic. So bad that only one of the seven universities that dd applied to, would even accept their credits despite the "accreditation". All they would give was credit for electives, which meant, retaking College English, Literature, History, etc.

 

In Michigan, 20 credits is the standard for graduation. DD had 22 because we required high school Latin as well as foreign language and we allowed her to specialize in science since she was going into a medical field. This is what her transcript looked like:

 

Algebra 1

Algebra 2

Geometry

Trig-PreCalc

English Grammar and Composition 1

English Grammar and Composition 2

English Literature 1

English Literature 2

Biology

Chemistry

Advanced Chemistry

Physics

Astronomy

American History

World History

American Government & constitutional studies

Economics

Latin 1

Spanish 1

Spanish 2

Logic and Rhetoric

Art and Art History

 

Since we didn't have any way to show credit for music, we included with her transcript a list of her musical pursuits including church and community choirs she sang with, 12 years piano lessons, worship team participation, and community band. I also included copies of some of her lab sheets to prove she did lab based science and a reading list for the literature. We never had any college question her grades, her transcript, or ask about curriculum used. I think that homeschooling is common enough in Michigan that our institutions seem to appreciate homeschoolers and do not put us through too many hoops during the admissions process. Call several of your state's public and private colleges to find out what their admission's requirements are for homeschoolers before deciding on a path.

 

Though she had a regular exercise routine, we did not include P.E. either.

I did not give credit for Bible Studies as most public universities would not recognize it for high school credit.

 

I suggest that you have your 8th grader begin taking the A.C.T. Students can take it as many times as they wish and only report their best scores. Its very good practice. DD took it for the first time just after her 13th birthday. I was glad we chose to do this. She was very, very nervous about standardized testing and still gets riled up about high stakes tests. If she hadn't had all those practices, I don't think she would have scored the 30 that she did.

 

As for the S.A.T., those scores will all be reported. That's not so bad if the student shows increasingly better scores as he/she progresses from grade to grade. However, one bad showing (ask me how I know because I was HORRIBLY SICK the day I had to take it my senior year and my score was much lower than the previous year) can cost you scholarships. So if your student needs to take the S.A.T., do the online practice tests and buy the practice books but don't keep taking it over and over. It would probably be safe to take it as a freshman and then again as a senior because unless, like me, there are extenuating circumstances, the student is likely to show significant improvement. In my case, when I scored a well more than respectable score as a high school sophomore, I should have just stopped. That senior year sickness thing cost me a lot of money at one school. Thankfully, the school I ended up attending was A.C.T. oriented and so the S.A.T. falling score was a non-issue there.

 

We did not do the A.C.T. with writing. Every college DD applied to said rubric-timed essay writing was not a real measure of the student's actual writing capability, they all required an admission's essay according to their own requirements and standards. DD wrote enough essays to make her hate them forever. One college required six essays with the application! So, before you pay the extra money and jump that hoop, find out if your child will be applying to a colege that requires the writing portion of the exam.

 

Hope this helps,

Faith

[creekland]

I suggest that you have your 8th grader begin taking the A.C.T. Students can take it as many times as they wish and only report their best scores. Its very good practice.

 

Minor adjustment needed here. The ACT web site says that a student can take the ACT a max of 12 times (though that is a huge number, it's still a limit).

 

Also, some schools (a few, but nonetheless some) require all tests to be reported as with the SAT.

 

Another option for practice is the PSAT taken in 9th or 10th grade. It only costs $15. It's only offered once per year in Oct. In 11th grade the PSAT counts toward National Merit Scholarships if you think your student can be top of the top.

 

For the SAT/ACT, my oldest only took them once (both with writing since we perferred to opt on the safe side) and scored well with both. One school specifically asked how many times the tests had been taken (in an interview) and were impressed that he had only taken them once. He did practice with Prep books though.

[Lori D.]

Jane, Faith, and Creekland:

THANK YOU for such specific, detailed, helpful responses! May I have permission to reprint your posts as part of a packet of info I'm pulling together for members of our big homeschool group with 8th graders as the "big picture" on putting together a high school plan, transcripts, recordkeeping, etc?

 

Warmest regards, Lori D.

[FaithManor]

Sure, feel free to print mine. Glad to be of assistance.

 

Faith

[creekland]

No problem on my end either. I gleaned info from others with prior experience and am more than happy to share what I've learned too.

[Jane in NC]

Jane, Faith, and Creekland:

THANK YOU for such specific, detailed, helpful responses! May I have permission to reprint your posts as part of a packet of info I'm pulling together for members of our big homeschool group with 8th graders as the "big picture" on putting together a high school plan, transcripts, recordkeeping, etc?

 

Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

How kind of you, Lori. Permission granted!

 

Jane

[Lori D.]

Thank you so much, ladies! You are all so kind. :)

[creekland]

If it helps, here's two lists from our family. The first is my oldest son (Christian college - Community Development/Business major). The second is what we've done and/or planned (so far) for my middle son (Very selective science research hopeful).

 

Oldest son took:

 

Alg 1 & Alg 2 in 7th/8th grades

Geometry

Consumer Math/SAT Prep

Pre-Calc

Calc, but not with AP in mind

 

Biology

Marine Biology

Chemistry

Physics

(all basic courses from Apologia)

 

20th Century American History

World History (Notgrass)

American History (Notgrass)

Economics/Government (Teaching Company and Notgrass)

 

English 9 (Public school text + Wordly Wise)

English component of Notgrass + Wordly Wise

ditto

CC English Composition + Wordly Wise

Lightning Lit World Literature (both courses focusing on Africa/Asia/South America, etc, not European) [all of these 3 senior year]

 

Health (Abeka for one year, Nutrition Action magazine other years)

Art History (Story of Art)

Music (a "meet 40 famous composers throughout history basic text)

PE

Wood Shop (a decent book found on Amazon)

 

Spanish with Rosetta Stone (4 years)

French with a tutor (1 year)

 

Middle son:

 

Algebra 1 and Geometry in 7th/8th grades

Algebra 2

Pre-Calc

Statistics (likely - possibly AP)

Calculus (probably AP)

 

Biology

Chemistry (both Apologia)

Bio 2/Chem 2 (both AP) and Microbio 1 at CC

Microbio 2 at CC and Physics (basic)

 

World History in 8th grade

American History (Notgrass)

World Geography (BJU)

not sure for 11th - might skip due to 3 tough science classes

Government/Economics

 

English component of Notgrass + Wordly Wise

Lightning Lit World Literature (both courses focusing on Africa/Asia/South America, etc, not European) + Wordly Wise

Probably a Shakespeare Course from Lightning Lit + ?

not sure what else - possibly an AP of some sort - will see what colleges want to see

 

Health (Abeka for one year, Nutrition Action magazine other years)

Art History (Story of Art)

Music (a "meet 40 famous composers throughout history basic text)

PE

Wood Shop (a decent book found on Amazon)

 

Spanish with Rosetta Stone (4 years)

[Ibbygirl]

You ladies are AWESOME!!! Thank you so much for all of the wonderful info. I was thinking about doing the dual enrollment at the local CC for 11th and 12th as a way of killing two birds with one stone. Is there any reason that I shouldn't go that route?? Any pitfalls/dangers I may not be aware of?? Just a bit more info on my dd, we're almost 100% certain that she will be a writer. It seems to be her natural "bent" and she's always writing books, short stories, blogs etc in her free time. She is a good writer and has already written 2 books and is working on a 3rd and 4th simultaneously. I will be adding more work this upcoming year on creative writing and sentence structure things like that.

 

Would a standard college be her best route to develop her as a writer?? Does she even need to go to college?? I didn't finish college. I had to work full-time (50-60 hrs. per week) to pay for my college so I only went part-time before marriage, life happened. I only have my A.A. degree (which took me 4 years to get) so I'm not experienced with a typical 4 year university. I want her to go to college personally because I think that it is important, but I really want whatever she does to have the focus of developing her as a writer. Hope that makes sense.

 

Also, how do you do/get the transcripts?? Do you write them yourselves?? Thank you so much ladies for posting your transcript information. That really helps me think and plan for the future. Right now I'm planning to start my dd on Algebra I for 8th and Geometry for 9th. We're doing Earth Science and Astronomy for 8th and Biology for 9th, but that's as far as I got so far. hehe Thanks for all of your help. I really want my dd to be prepared for whatever may lie ahead. :)

[creekland]

For a future writer I'd mainly focus on basic math and science (at the high school level, of course) and continue to investigate if college should be in her future. I'm biased toward answering that with a "yes" and look toward a good Liberal Arts college (LAC) that produces good writers if you can find one she likes in your price range (perhaps getting decent merit aid along the way if her scores are high enough). One can never get enough education IMO, but I'm well aware that one can be a successful writer without college.

 

The "pitfalls" with the cc route depends on which college(s) she might like. Not all give college credit - especially for courses within ones chosen major. Some also require you be a transfer student with X number of credits (meaning one isn't eligible for freshmen scholarships). Pending your state, it can also be more expensive. We have to pay full price for cc courses. My oldest got such a good aid package from his 4 year school that the 4 year is much cheaper than more CC classes would have been. Some states give reduced (or no) tuition. Those would be great, but I'm not ready to move. Not all cc's are alike. Some have much better education than others. (This is why some higher level colleges don't accept cc credits within a major - some not at all.)

 

I'm definitely NOT dissing the cc route. My middle son will probably have more cc classes due to what he needs to get to where he wants to go. I'm only sharing info of potential pitfalls in case they apply (if not to you, perhaps to others).

[Lori D.]

nt

[newbie]

DD started focusing on creative writing major the last two years. She applied at all womens coll. w/creative writing majors.

 

Her top school was Mills and she was accepted. Now if she would have gotten a lil bit higher than 25 ACT it might have broadened horizons. But, her grades stayed at 4.0 and she met Ca grad reqs.

 

Many of the schools asked for graded Eng papers w/in last two years. So hold onto those.

[CO MOM]

Our dd is also more writing/English/creatively oriented than math or science, so she only did 3 years of science, but 4 of math which was very challenging. She did have double English credits for 10th-12th grades, doing one writing course and one lit course each year. It is important that they do quite a bit of academic essay-type/research writing as well as creative.

 

We also tried to have at least one outside class in each major subject area, to lend outside credibility to the rest of her grades. We did this through on-line and AP classes, but it could also be done with cc or co-op classes. Her writing classes have all been outsourced because it is her strength, and I didn't feel capable of teaching her.

 

I don't know the answer about the best route to be a professional writer - I think college would always be helpful because it may open doors to different opportunities in many different areas. Our dd is also interested in film and photography, so will probably double major in media arts and English. Your dd is still quite young, so you never know what particular area she may get interested in as she gets older.

 

We did our own transcripts. There are many samples available on the internet, plus there are ladies on this board that have shared samples as well. HTH!

[FaithManor]

We had two main issues with dual enrollment in our area. The first was that our local community colleges did not have good reputations. The one that was very good was just too far away for her to reasonably commute to and on the edge of a rather bad neighborhood. If you want to do dual enrollment, you really need to check out the school's reputation and make sure that the colleges your child would like to attend will not only accept those credits, but accept them at face value - i.e College English is actually College English and not "well, we don't think that community college is rigorous enough so we'll give credit for an English elective but your student will have to take the class all over again here."

 

The second issue was that she would have been a "transfer" student. This is huge in terms of scholarships...as in....incoming freshman get the merit based scholarships, the transfer students (unless in a competitive major and the department is realy "wooing" the applicants) get the leftovers if there are any. In the end, she would have lost more than she gained by having credits to transfer. You need to check the rules of your first choice college. Some may allow up to three - three credit classes to be transferred and still be an incoming freshman, some will allow none, and some will allow up to 15 as long as none are in the major.

 

The best option was Clep testing for English, Math, and American History. Students can set those tests after enrollment in college and if they score at least the minimum, they receive college credit without affecting their freshman scholarship status or grades. I did this in college and clepped an entire semester of school. It didn't hurt my education one bit and saved me from paying for 4 gen-ed classes. DD can not clep anything because she is in the medical field and the few gen-ed classes she will have are specifically designed for the nurses and pre-med students - they aren't quite the same as for the other majors. Her college writing class is actually a 100% focus on research and technical writing and none of the med students can get into it unless they scored big on their college admission's essays. Otherwise there is a pre-requisite English class that can not be clepped.

 

Again, all of this is just so dependent on the institution, the major, and the end goal.

 

Faith

[Ibbygirl]

For a future writer I'd mainly focus on basic math and science (at the high school level, of course) and continue to investigate if college should be in her future. I'm biased toward answering that with a "yes" and look toward a good Liberal Arts college (LAC) that produces good writers if you can find one she likes in your price range (perhaps getting decent merit aid along the way if her scores are high enough). One can never get enough education IMO, but I'm well aware that one can be a successful writer without college.

 

The "pitfalls" with the cc route depends on which college(s) she might like. Not all give college credit - especially for courses within ones chosen major. Some also require you be a transfer student with X number of credits (meaning one isn't eligible for freshmen scholarships). Pending your state, it can also be more expensive. We have to pay full price for cc courses. My oldest got such a good aid package from his 4 year school that the 4 year is much cheaper than more CC classes would have been. Some states give reduced (or no) tuition. Those would be great, but I'm not ready to move. Not all cc's are alike. Some have much better education than others. (This is why some higher level colleges don't accept cc credits within a major - some not at all.)

 

I'm definitely NOT dissing the cc route. My middle son will probably have more cc classes due to what he needs to get to where he wants to go. I'm only sharing info of potential pitfalls in case they apply (if not to you, perhaps to others).

 

Thank you so much. :)

 

If you, or anyone else, would like the 6-page "packet" with info and web sites on transcripts and record-keeping that I just pulled together for our local homeschool group, please email me and I'll send it to you as an email attachment. :)

 

Warmest regards, Lori D. email = neferlla AT hotmail DOT com

Thank you Lori. I will take you up on that. :)

 

DD started focusing on creative writing major the last two years. She applied at all womens coll. w/creative writing majors.

 

Her top school was Mills and she was accepted. Now if she would have gotten a lil bit higher than 25 ACT it might have broadened horizons. But, her grades stayed at 4.0 and she met Ca grad reqs.

 

Many of the schools asked for graded Eng papers w/in last two years. So hold onto those.

 

Thank you. I'll hold onto the papers.:)

 

Our dd is also more writing/English/creatively oriented than math or science, so she only did 3 years of science, but 4 of math which was very challenging. She did have double English credits for 10th-12th grades, doing one writing course and one lit course each year. It is important that they do quite a bit of academic essay-type/research writing as well as creative.

 

We also tried to have at least one outside class in each major subject area, to lend outside credibility to the rest of her grades. We did this through on-line and AP classes, but it could also be done with cc or co-op classes. Her writing classes have all been outsourced because it is her strength, and I didn't feel capable of teaching her.

 

I don't know the answer about the best route to be a professional writer - I think college would always be helpful because it may open doors to different opportunities in many different areas. Our dd is also interested in film and photography, so will probably double major in media arts and English. Your dd is still quite young, so you never know what particular area she may get interested in as she gets older.

 

We did our own transcripts. There are many samples available on the internet, plus there are ladies on this board that have shared samples as well. HTH!

Yes, her interests very well may still change. Thank you for pointing that out. It's good to keep in mind. I'll look for sample transcripts. :)

 

We had two main issues with dual enrollment in our area. The first was that our local community colleges did not have good reputations. The one that was very good was just too far away for her to reasonably commute to and on the edge of a rather bad neighborhood. If you want to do dual enrollment, you really need to check out the school's reputation and make sure that the colleges your child would like to attend will not only accept those credits, but accept them at face value - i.e College English is actually College English and not "well, we don't think that community college is rigorous enough so we'll give credit for an English elective but your student will have to take the class all over again here."

 

The second issue was that she would have been a "transfer" student. This is huge in terms of scholarships...as in....incoming freshman get the merit based scholarships, the transfer students (unless in a competitive major and the department is realy "wooing" the applicants) get the leftovers if there are any. In the end, she would have lost more than she gained by having credits to transfer. You need to check the rules of your first choice college. Some may allow up to three - three credit classes to be transferred and still be an incoming freshman, some will allow none, and some will allow up to 15 as long as none are in the major.

 

The best option was Clep testing for English, Math, and American History. Students can set those tests after enrollment in college and if they score at least the minimum, they receive college credit without affecting their freshman scholarship status or grades. I did this in college and clepped an entire semester of school. It didn't hurt my education one bit and saved me from paying for 4 gen-ed classes. DD can not clep anything because she is in the medical field and the few gen-ed classes she will have are specifically designed for the nurses and pre-med students - they aren't quite the same as for the other majors. Her college writing class is actually a 100% focus on research and technical writing and none of the med students can get into it unless they scored big on their college admission's essays. Otherwise there is a pre-requisite English class that can not be clepped.

 

Again, all of this is just so dependent on the institution, the major, and the end goal.

 

Faith

 

Thank you so much. I know that scholarships will definitely be needed in our case so I really have to investigate further. This is a horrible question because it is so subjective, but how do you decide what school is "good"?? I mean obviously the Ivy Leagues, but other than those how do you know how they rank and what their strong programs are?? Is there some kind of list or breakdown of the universities and what their strong suits are??

 

Thank you all so much for helping me and being so gracious with all of my questions. My highschool did not equip me for college and my experiences when I got there really impacted the whole rest of my life so I want to make sure that I get this one right for my dd's sake. I want to have all my ducks in a row for highschool so that she can glide into college as best as possible.

 

 

Thank you again ladies for your help and wisdom. :)

[newbie]

princetonreview.com

[Ibbygirl]

princetonreview.com

 

Awesome! Thank you so much. :)

[creekland]

 

Thank you so much. I know that scholarships will definitely be needed in our case so I really have to investigate further. This is a horrible question because it is so subjective, but how do you decide what school is "good"?? I mean obviously the Ivy Leagues, but other than those how do you know how they rank and what their strong programs are?? Is there some kind of list or breakdown of the universities and what their strong suits are??

 

 

 

Ask around and keep your eyes open. If your daughter continues to want to be a writer, where did writers she admires go to college themselves? Otherwise, my boys have found good colleges for them by asking people already in the field what their impressions were (people working in a field often can tell the skills of their peers and/or know about good programs). Then, start visiting colleges. See if her preferences are for large, medium or small, urban, suburban, or rural, secular or Christian. Kids get quite a feel for what they like by visits. It doesn't even have to be a college she is specifically considering to start getting a feel. We went to a couple that just happen to be close to us or that we were going near on a trip.

 

Hubby and I both went to a large, very well respected state U (out of state for both of us) and loved it. We fully expected each of our boys to follow in our footsteps. But when we visited, my oldest rejected it and discovered he wanted small and Christian (his major also almost requires it since he wants to do it with a Christian bent, but it was still his "fit"). We have given up our view for his life and let him replace it with his.

 

My middle son would also love small and Christian, but his major and his love lends itself better to a larger research U, but not likely our Alma mater. We'll be visiting several this upcoming year to see if he finds a fit. Even his "dream school" right now is only there due to what he's heard from people in the field and what he's found online. Once we visit, the preferences for his college #1 might change.

 

Then, one recommendation I always make is to consider your youngster's SAT/ACT scores when they have them. Every college has their freshmen average listed on collegeboard.com (mid 50% with 25% higher and 25% lower). Look for a college where your daughter fits in well (centering more on Reading/Writing if she remains more interested in that field). To get good merit aid you want to be in the top 25% of students at a school, but not so over the top that the education isn't as good. I work in a public school. Teachers can do far more with those with academic talent in their subject than they can with those that struggle to understand it. Those that have talent get incredibly bored waiting for those struggling to catch up - or those struggling get left behind if the majority of the class gets it easily.

 

Find schools she likes (or even types of schools) then compare those by SAT/ACT similarity. Apply to at least 3 or 4 (some do more). Then compare financial offerings. In the end, pick what she thinks is the best spot for her considering your financial limitations.

 

Read the college board on TWTM. There are several good threads on there where many of us share our thoughts and experiences.

 

Edited to add that we also really like Princeton Review. When my middle son gets new college info in the mail (daily due to his PSAT score) or hears about one through other sources he always goes there to get a feel for the school and see whether it stays on his list or drops off. Click on "more" under Campus Life to get more than a statistical feel (I'm pretty sure that's where it is - or something like that). They do all colleges that we've ever considered - from small Christian Covenant College to medium research U of Rochester and more.

Edited April 2, 2010 by creekland

[FaithManor]

In many cases, "Good" has a lot to do with the major or program the student wants to purse.

 

The IVY leagues don't have a corner on the market for education either. They have their many drawbacks. So don't be afraid to explore other public and private universities.

 

U.S.News and World Report does an annual college review. I also believe that Consumer's Report does a college review as well. Each has a rating system for everything from financial aid to student/professor ratio. One of the biggest indicators of the best fit for your child will be to narrow it to maybe ten colleges and then visit them all. Make sure that your student has a chance to talk with upper-classmen in his intended program, professors in both the gen-ed and major, eat a meal or two, maybe spend a night in the dorms, and wander around the campus. Get an idea for how well funded the major is.

 

We were so nervous about this whole process with dd and honestly, I thought....."Oh, my word, I have to do this three more times over and possibly again with a niece!" But, now that we've been through it once, we've discovered that its not nearly as bad as we thought it would be. We survived, she's thriving.

 

You'll do Great! Don't worry too much, though I know that's hard to do.

 

Faith

[Ibbygirl]

Ask around and keep your eyes open. If your daughter continues to want to be a writer, where did writers she admires go to college themselves? Otherwise, my boys have found good colleges for them by asking people already in the field what their impressions were (people working in a field often can tell the skills of their peers and/or know about good programs). Then, start visiting colleges. See if her preferences are for large, medium or small, urban, suburban, or rural, secular or Christian. Kids get quite a feel for what they like by visits. It doesn't even have to be a college she is specifically considering to start getting a feel. We went to a couple that just happen to be close to us or that we were going near on a trip.

 

Hubby and I both went to a large, very well respected state U (out of state for both of us) and loved it. We fully expected each of our boys to follow in our footsteps. But when we visited, my oldest rejected it and discovered he wanted small and Christian (his major also almost requires it since he wants to do it with a Christian bent, but it was still his "fit"). We have given up our view for his life and let him replace it with his.

 

My middle son would also love small and Christian, but his major and his love lends itself better to a larger research U, but not likely our Alma mater. We'll be visiting several this upcoming year to see if he finds a fit. Even his "dream school" right now is only there due to what he's heard from people in the field and what he's found online. Once we visit, the preferences for his college #1 might change.

 

Then, one recommendation I always make is to consider your youngster's SAT/ACT scores when they have them. Every college has their freshmen average listed on collegeboard.com (mid 50% with 25% higher and 25% lower). Look for a college where your daughter fits in well (centering more on Reading/Writing if she remains more interested in that field). To get good merit aid you want to be in the top 25% of students at a school, but not so over the top that the education isn't as good. I work in a public school. Teachers can do far more with those with academic talent in their subject than they can with those that struggle to understand it. Those that have talent get incredibly bored waiting for those struggling to catch up - or those struggling get left behind if the majority of the class gets it easily.

 

Find schools she likes (or even types of schools) then compare those by SAT/ACT similarity. Apply to at least 3 or 4 (some do more). Then compare financial offerings. In the end, pick what she thinks is the best spot for her considering your financial limitations.

 

Read the college board on TWTM. There are several good threads on there where many of us share our thoughts and experiences.

 

Edited to add that we also really like Princeton Review. When my middle son gets new college info in the mail (daily due to his PSAT score) or hears about one through other sources he always goes there to get a feel for the school and see whether it stays on his list or drops off. Click on "more" under Campus Life to get more than a statistical feel (I'm pretty sure that's where it is - or something like that). They do all colleges that we've ever considered - from small Christian Covenant College to medium research U of Rochester and more.

 

In many cases, "Good" has a lot to do with the major or program the student wants to purse.

 

The IVY leagues don't have a corner on the market for education either. They have their many drawbacks. So don't be afraid to explore other public and private universities.

 

U.S.News and World Report does an annual college review. I also believe that Consumer's Report does a college review as well. Each has a rating system for everything from financial aid to student/professor ratio. One of the biggest indicators of the best fit for your child will be to narrow it to maybe ten colleges and then visit them all. Make sure that your student has a chance to talk with upper-classmen in his intended program, professors in both the gen-ed and major, eat a meal or two, maybe spend a night in the dorms, and wander around the campus. Get an idea for how well funded the major is.

 

We were so nervous about this whole process with dd and honestly, I thought....."Oh, my word, I have to do this three more times over and possibly again with a niece!" But, now that we've been through it once, we've discovered that its not nearly as bad as we thought it would be. We survived, she's thriving.

 

You'll do Great! Don't worry too much, though I know that's hard to do.

 

Faith

 

Thank you ladies so much for your wonderful pearls of wisdom. :) :grouphug:

[Kareni]

Can someone give me a breakdown ...

 

 

Your title made me chuckle. No, you'll have to get your own breakdown, just like the rest of us!

 

You've received wonderful advice already. I'd add the recommendation that you read the threads you find when you do a tag search on the terms

 

high school chat

high school planning

high school science

 

There are also tags for

 

high school biology

high school chemistry

high school physics

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ibbygirl]

Your title made me chuckle. No, you'll have to get your own breakdown, just like the rest of us!

 

You've received wonderful advice already. I'd add the recommendation that you read the threads you find when you do a tag search on the terms

 

high school chat

high school planning

high school science

 

There are also tags for

 

high school biology

high school chemistry

high school physics

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

ROFL :lol::lol::lol: I swear Kareni, I must be exceptionally thick because I read and re-read and stared at your first sentence for at least 3 minutes trying to figure out what you meant. It just now dawned on me! hehehehe Does that mean I'm well on my way to said breakdown?? :D hehe Thanks so much for the tags. Have a blessed weekend. :)

 

Jennifer

[Kareni]

Your title made me chuckle. No, you'll have to get your own breakdown, just like the rest of us!

 

...I read and re-read and stared at your first sentence for at least 3 minutes trying to figure out what you meant. It just now dawned on me! hehehehe Does that mean I'm well on my way to said breakdown??

 

It does, so welcome to the club. It's the Well Trained (Losing Your) Mind Guidance Counselor Association as first mentioned in this thread.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Ibbygirl]

It does, so welcome to the club. It's the Well Trained (Losing Your) Mind Guidance Counselor Association as first mentioned in this thread.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: I'm glad to know that I'm in such excellent company! :grouphug: :)