JennW in SoCal Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 (edited) My 16yo started taking community college courses last fall with the goal of transferring to a UC within a couple of years. It seemed like a great plan, but the California budget situation and dearth of open cc courses is a nightmare, to say the least. So we made a drastic course correction 2 months ago and now he is applying this fall to start as a freshman out of state. I've been in Guidance Counselor boot camp ever since, cramming my brain with as much financial aid, standardized testing and transcript information as I can find, and helping him start the hard core search for his list of potential schools. But we're ready, come August, for the Common App. Still have some schools to visit, though. And I've got my oldest moving back across country for school, so I'm busy with long distance apartment and car shopping, too. So who else is starting the application process? Jane in NC has already been reassuring me via PMs, but I figured it is time to take this discussion public. Public here, but not on College Confidential! That place freaks me out. Edited June 21, 2011 by JennW in SoCal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbiec Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 We are in the process of the same. Son will be a senior this year. I think we have a good handle on the application process. Three college visits coming in July. We have only visited one thus far (last fall). Our biggest issue is DS trying to figure out what direction of interest he wants to go for now because that may dictate where he attends. I feel like we are wildly choosing schools to send all his SAT/ACT tests to, since he is not sure. He is multi-talented, not motivated about any of the options, will likely qualify for merit scholarships, though we are uncertain he will be motivated enough to maintain them :glare:. BUT, we'll go through the process anyway and hope for some motivation to kick in soon. Thank goodness for common applcations since it reduces some of the paperwork! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'm gearing up go through this again next year. My youngest will be a senior--yikes I'm feeling old. :glare: She is much less certain of what she wants to do than her sister. She loves to write, draw and be outdoors; she's much less academic than her sister but just as smart. At the moment she'd considering technical theater but that doesn't do much for the outdoors part... Since she's likely to go to uni in Canada like her sister, she is totally disinterested in the US college catalogs that have piled up since she took the PSATs -- she calls them college stalkers. I agree about College Confidential -- scary! ~Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 We are. Ds17 went on 7 college visits last spring - initiated by me because I wanted him to see going away as a possibility. He has narrowed it down to 4 or 5 that he wants to apply to. He will be working on Andrew Pudewa's The Elegant Essay this summer as preparation for writing his application essays. He is applying to mostly small LACs so his essay will be important. What scares me the most is writing course descriptions. I have major writers' block. I think I need to plagiarize someone else's;). He will probably go on 4 overnight visits in the fall, if we can fit them all in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Middle son will be in the hunt. He officially starts next month (July) with an application at Pitt (free for those attending a special pre-med event). He probably won't apply to the others until Sept as we'll still be getting visits in in latter August. His list is a bit long yet. I'd like him to narrow it down a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I will cautiously raise my hand. My older two are academic types. But ds2 is a horse of a different color. This summer he is working full-time in the field he wants to go into, a trade that does not require a college degree. He has great test scores and enough AP/SAT2 tests to satisfy any college admissions person, but he wants to work and not do "useless stuff" in a classroom setting. He will be doing CC classes next year, though I would prefer AP classes. After graduation, he may be heading to college, he may just finish his Associate's, and he may work full-time. We'll see. Lots of intense discussions about the meaning and role of education are taking place at our house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mllehmann Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 My oldest ds will be a senior in the fall. He is starting to brainstorm and draft essays related to various topics often found on college applications. He is taking a very heavy load in the fall and needs to have his essays ready to go early on. We will be traveling to the east coast to visit 5 or 6 schools that are currently at the top of his list. I'm sure it will fly by quickly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I wish you all buckets and buckets of patience! I get a year off. Thank goodness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'm not even sure how many colleges we visited this past spring. And more to go in the fall. Dd wants a far out major that very few schools offer. Ds1 has 6 schools (so far) that he wants to apply to (fortunately what he wants to do is widely available) and Ds2 has a few tiny local schools and no real direction. Dd is worried no one will want her if she is only applying to 2 schools. And she has the highest grades/scores. Life is pretty scary around here. We will be spending the summer visiting the common app and writing essays. I want that all done before the fall. I quiz everyone I meet and have started a transcript collection. I think our transcripts are coming along okay. I wish the kids would just FINISH junior year already so that I can put them together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I wish you all buckets and buckets of patience! I get a year off. Thank goodness. That was me - last year. :tongue_smilie: Enjoy the sidelines! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grace is Sufficient Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 This is my second year in a row, but also my last year... I'm still trying to figure out all the ins and outs of making sure everything works out for my oldest starting at the Univ. this fall. At the same time, I'm starting the whole process over again with my daughter. I'm also shaking my head in amazement that this is the final year of homeschooling after 13 years of it consuming, and at times almost defining me. Ladies... start your engines (sputter, cough, choke...) :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonor Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 My firstborn ds17 will be a senior this fall. We just finished the NCFCA National Speech and Debate Tournament where he placed 4th in LD Debate and 4th in LD Speaks. We are doing a few days of sightseeing and then going home to Florida. He has a busy summer until the end of July-- Boys State and Mock Trial Camp. I can't believe I'm here ---at this point in our journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 *wavering hand goes up* I think I still have PTSD from the first round 4 years ago. I so don't wanna do this again. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 I'm here. I'll be applying to the local CC. I'm not sure if I'll be attending a 9-month certificate program or 22-month degree program. I still have some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Both LeTourneau and Baylor both stressed to apply during the summer between the junior and senior year. They said the acceptance rates are much better for those than for those that apply in the fall or later. I'm not sure how true it is for other schools, but you might want to apply early. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Thank God not me. I still have a few more years before I have to do that again! It was like another PT job for me! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 So who else is starting the application process? :seeya:We are too. But I'm in denial right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Both LeTourneau and Baylor both stressed to apply during the summer between the junior and senior year. They said the acceptance rates are much better for those than for those that apply in the fall or later. I'm not sure how true it is for other schools, but you might want to apply early. Christine It depends on whether the school has rolling admissions or not. Apparently, those two do. So does Pitt though Pitt claims to not send out acceptances until October at the earliest. Even so, they are having kids apply in the summer if they choose and offering free applications if the student applies while there for a special day. If they bring their ACT/SAT scores (official copy), students don't even have to have them sent. That's a nice little cost bonus. Then there are the other schools... I guess I ought to check to see if others on our list are rolling or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 22, 2011 Share Posted June 22, 2011 What scares me the most is writing course descriptions. I have major writers' block. I think I need to plagiarize someone else's;). If you'd like to see the course descriptions that we submitted as part of our daughter's college application process, I'd be happy to send them your way (for you to massage ... doesn't that sound better than plagiarize?). Simply send me a personal message with your email address. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 22, 2011 Author Share Posted June 22, 2011 I haven't even taken a stab at course descriptions yet! I keep thinking I'm free and clear from that task since the bulk of my ds's high school courses are either through the community college or a charter school And yet the charter school courses were homeschool courses I created, and there are also other "pure" homeschool courses, so I thought a comprehensive reading list of both literature and textbooks would be useful. I do have, however, rough drafts for the homeschool supplement and the counselor's letter. And a decent looking comprehensive transcript that summarizes everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belinda Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 My 16 yo has also been doing cc for hs, and I graduated him early this month so he is not restricted to the unit limit for hs students. He is pre-engineering we were planning on junior transfer after finishing all math/science for a Cal poly junior engineering transfer, but will be missing Calc III, diff equa. and lin alg if we apply this year. I'm thinking to just apply and see what happens. The budget situation here can only get worse, and I'm thinking to try and get him through before they close admission to CA students entirely! Just kidding, but things are bad here and it is so annoying that CA residents are now at a disadvantage compared with full tuition out-of-state applicants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Dd is. It isn't stressing me out though. She isn't applying to highly competitive colleges. My oldest was accepted w/o much turmoil, so I am assuming the same this yr. When 15 yos is a rising sr......that is when I am going to be stressing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.