Thought this was a very interesting article, considering we have a Parents Forum here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/29/upshot/money-race-and-success-how-your-school-district-compares.html.
Any thoughts?
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Money, Race and Success: How Your School District Compares
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2016 Where did your 2100-2200 SAT child get in?
This discussion was created from comments split from: Where did your SAT 2100-2200 child get in?.
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Places to eat when visiting colleges.
Colby - Amici's cucina in downtown Waterville. Family, Italian, very very good. 5 stars. I want to go back.
Saint Michael's, UVM, Champlain - Pizza Verita in Burlington, another 5 stars. very nice, I wish I saw that you could sit at a bar and watch the kitchen before we sat, I would have sat there to watch them make the pizzas.
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To move or not to move - need advice
We are currently residing in SoCal. My D is a straight A freshman in HS. She is also an editor for her school magazine, member of the school robotics team participating in many contests as well as a chairperson in couple of other Honors Society clubs. She is interested in Engineering and has a demonstrated interest in Computer Science.
We are considering a voluntary move to Houston, based on some easing of travel for H, comparable employment opportunities and more affordable houses. However, a comparison of options for D’s higher education including good plans A and B is making the decision difficult.
While assessing well-recognized public Engineering School options in both states, Texas has UTA, TAMU and UTD while California has a long list starting with Cal. We are unlikely to qualify for need based financial aid and will not be able afford private universities like Rice or USC/CalTech.
While well recognized CSUs act as a good plan B in California after the UCs, I could not find any such option in or near Texas. Am I missing any options in Texas ? Also, D's established leadership roles may be lost if we move.
Considering all of the above, as well as any Texas options I may be missing, will it be wise to move to Houston?
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The Growing College-Degree Wealth Gap
"The nation’s colleges continue to graduate far fewer students who grew up in poor households. With the country’s economic potential possibly hanging in the balance, a new report urges the United States to dedicate more resources and know-how to closing the college-completion gap between wealthier students and those from low-income backgrounds." …
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/04/the-growing-wealth-gap-in-who-earns-college-degrees/479688/
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The SAT vs. Extracurriculars: Class Bias in College Admissions?
This is from a story, with link to a discussion in the progressive blog DailyKos: http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/4/23/1519330/-The-SAT-vs-Extracurriculars-Class-Bias-in-College-Admissions
Excerpt: "But I want people (mostly the well-off who call for the demise of the SAT) to consider this: Which is more resource-intense--academic excellence or extracurricular experience? Extracurriculars require social connections, disposable income, and the ability to travel. Academic success does require motivation and inspiration, which are hard to come by. Yet access to educational resources is much less dependent upon socioeconomic status (SES) than National Geographic student expeditions or trips to South Africa.
Stanford education professor Sean Reardon has noted in an opinion piece for The New York Times that academic gaps between the rich and poor have increased over the past 30 years in the U.S. But, he notes, “rich-poor gaps in student participation in sports, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and church attendance have grown sharply as well.” The rich are putting more effort than ever into enhancing their children’s success in school, and they’re not doing it solely by supporting their children’s academic development...."
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How do you handle the jealousy?
This has become my safe place for information and the deep, dark secrets/feelings I won't even share with my spouse about the college admissions process, lol.
I'm wondering how you guys handle information, test scores and other information from other parents. In our area, it all depends on the public high school you go to whether you will have an absolute grind in school or be free to pursue a million activities outside of school. The city school is quite good, and offers nearly every AP class (with the workload) while the surrounding schools don't. The experiences at the schools are completely different, both socially and academically. At the city school it is a rare honors/AP kid who can "do it all" and still find time to sleep. At the surrounding schools it is the exact opposite.
I know the colleges compare what you take to what you could have taken in terms of "rigor" and the like - and I think my child will stack up okay (not a genius, but a hard worker and a compassionate person that the world needs more of). But how do you handle jealousy when a bunch of parents get together and start talking? I know what my child is taking - no study halls and not even a lunch period - and it is nothing like what kids in the other schools are taking. That's why my child limits extracurriculars to a handful of long-term ones as opposed to every single club and sport. It's hard to hear about no homework at another high school when my kid is doing several hours a night while trying to have a life. And it will get worse as they start to take those standardized tests.
I know I should ignore it. I know that. But I am human. I guess I am looking for some "been there, done that" from other parents on how to carry on and process the information. It's a small, first-world problem, I know.
Thanks for being gentle. :-)
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Please Advise - Made an Error when Declining Offers from Colleges
Hi everyone. I am in need of some knowledge. I accepted my offer of admission at Yale today, and when I went to go decline my other offers, I couldn't find a place to decline the UC Berkeley offer. Stupid me thought that there would be a place to decline on the SIR form on CalCentral, but I accidently sent in a SIR. I did not pay the enrollment deposit, as I realized my mistake and I have no intentions of enrolling at UC Berkeley.
I have already contacted UC Berkeley via email and my regional admissions rep at Yale today explaining my mistake and making it clear that I do not intend to enroll at Berkeley. I plan on calling the admissions offices at both schools on Monday to let them know.
I am just very worried that this error will jeopardize my offer of admission at Yale. Once again, I had no intention of "double depositing"; was just an error made in ignorance. Can anyone weigh in on this? Would not paying the enrollment deposit at Berkeley by the deadline mean that I do not intend on enrolling? I'm just very worried and stressed out about this right now.
Thanks,
frenchtoastlover
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Pushing my son for elite school
Hello All,
I'm new to this site and I wanted some input from other parents or students. I've always wanted my son to attend Stanford. He is a smart and wonderful kid. I didn't talk about it too much I think because I know Stanford is the most selective college in the USA and the odds of getting in are slim. He talked more about getting into UC Berkeley or UCLA or USC but he knows Stanford is a great school. I got him to apply EA and told him he had nothing to lose. Well he got accepted and he was happy but I was estatic. Now it's almost March and he hasn't committed yet. I know he has until May 1st but he wants to hear from other schools as well. If he really wants to go somewhere else I will support his decision but I'm not shy about giving my opinion to him. Do you think I'm being over bearing about wanting him to attend Stanford? I think it would open up great opportunities for him? Can anyone relate or share something that may help? Sorry about the long intro.
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Moved: IMPORTANT (SORRY)... HB pencil = No. 2 pencil ?
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Here's Your Degree. Now Go Defeat Demagogues
It's commencement season, and Michael Bloomberg recently addressed the University of Michigan’s class of 2016.
The most useful knowledge that you leave here with today has nothing to do with your major. It’s about how to study, cooperate, listen carefully, think critically and resolve conflicts through reason. Those are the most important skills in the working world, and it’s why colleges have always exposed students to challenging and uncomfortable ideas.
The fact that some university boards and administrations now bow to pressure and shield students from these ideas through “safe spaces,” “code words” and “trigger warnings” is, in my view, a terrible mistake.
The whole purpose of college is to learn how to deal with difficult situations -- not run away from them. A microaggression is exactly that: micro. And one of the most dangerous places on a college campus is a safe space, because it creates the false impression that we can insulate ourselves from those who hold different views.
We can’t do this, and we shouldn’t try -- not in politics or in the workplace. In the global economy, and in a democratic society, an open mind is the most valuable asset you can possess.
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-04-30/here-s-your-degree-now-go-defeat-demagogues
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At Small Colleges, Harsh Lessons About Cash Flow
In the last few years, small liberal arts colleges struggling under financial siege have been forced to re-examine their missions and justify their existence.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/30/us/small-colleges-losing-market-share-struggle-to-keep-doors-open.html
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Howard University and the plight of the average college
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/is-this-howard-universitys-tipping-point/2016/04/27/ff418fe4-f694-11e5-9804-537defcc3cf6_story.html
The layers of problems — some self-inflicted with leadership issues and financial turmoil — have been laid bare for a while. A trustee’s urgent letter about Howard’s crisis was leaked three years ago. The hospital’s chronic losses contributed to consecutive drops in the school’s credit rating, the most recent in June. And this fall students took to Twitter with a grievance campaign.
[...]
It’s a troubling picture for a place that is a leading producer of African Americans who earn doctorates. Its business and law schools are highly regarded. The U.S. Department of Education just recognized it as one of 13 private universities that excel at graduating federal Pell Grant recipients in six years.
[...]
The school is taking steps to put starch in its financial picture and its bureaucracy, officials say. One was the purge of “unregistered occupants.” In a “Letter from the President,” Frederick said the university was owed $22 million in uncollected tuition as of last spring. The school has started requiring students to have a zero balance to register or to pay one-third of their balance and be enrolled in a payment plan.
Education has to be paid for, students know, but some say it can feel like priorities are shifting, with focus less on them and more on business. “I think it’s really sad to see people with lots of potential not being able to get the proper education because of money,” sophomore Cydney Anderson said in an interview for @focusonhu on Instagram.
It's sad to see the current state of Howard. It's not a local directional, but Howard (#135 in USNWR's ranking of national universities) seems to fall somewhere between directionals and the top 20 schools that cause so much sturm und drang. The university is dealing with a lot of issues common to higher education institutions across the country. I thought this was an interesting look at those problems - it was certainly eye-opening for me.
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Father wants to go to Medical School
Hello,
My parents and I were talking and my father says he wants to go to Medical School. My father was born in the Dominican Republic and got his degree as a Computer Science major at a private school in the Dominican Republic in 1991. Computer Science has revolutionized so much since then and since his job, unrelated to his major, took up so much of his time he no longer remembers anything. He makes about 16k a year for working 65 or so hours a week and he is now living with us. He is now 49 years old. We have managed everything and made financial plans (cutting down on needless expenses, renting rooms etc.) for my mother to take care of the bills. He speaks english fluently without an accent, his reading comprehension is better than mine, and he has the best work ethic I've ever seen.
I have two questions. Do you guys agree with our (& his, might I add) decision or is it too risky/late? He's always wanted to be a physician and he is not one to ever retire either. His job is pure torture with the hours and conditions although he doesn't mind working there until he's 65 either, I feel really bad for him, I'll do anything to help him out. Will he need to get an undergraduate degree again? That education was 25 years ago and since then he's been working retail for 22 years. How will he get into medical school with no prior educational experience since then? He's a US Citizen, and father of two who will be enrolled in college this fall (Full Ride).
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Holistic admission for Trump
I just learned that Donald Trump had graduated from Wharton, U-Penn. ("Trump graduated from Wharton in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics." - wiki). All three of his children are U-Penn graduates. (Two other children are still too young for college).
By comparison, U-Penn had not admitted a single student for the last year from our STEM magnet school. Students with perfect ACT/GPA/EC etc. Really bright students. Not a single one was admitted.
From U-Penn web site:
"We look for students who aspire to develop and refine their talents and abilities within Penn’s liberal arts-based, practical, and interdisciplinary learning environment. Our ideal candidates are inspired to emulate our founder Benjamin Franklin by applying their knowledge in “service to society” to our community, the city of Philadelphia, and the wider world. To best understand prospective students’ paths through Penn, we approach applications holistically and with great care."
What a power of holistic approach! What a great example for future generations!
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Moved: Dad Jokes...
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When It Comes to College Costs, Middle-Class Kids Are not making it
https://www.yahoo.com/news/comes-college-costs-middle-class-kids-still-screwed-232900216.html
http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/irhe/sites/gse.upenn.edu.irhe/files/Natl_Affordability2016.pdf
The study by researchers at Vanderbilt University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Institute for Research in Higher Education found that since 2008, overall college affordability has fallen 45 states, owing in part to slashed state spending on higher education in the years during and since the Great Recession.
As a result, low- and middle-income earners in certain states now must spend as much as 76 percent of their annual income to pay a student’s tuition and expenses at a four-year public school, according to the study, The 2016 College Affordability Diagnosis. Things aren’t any better at the community college level, where some households with income of $30,000 or less are likely to pay as much as 61 percent of their earnings for costs at a two-year public school.
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Am I making a mistake by turning down MIT for UCSD Comuter Science and engineering for 160k?
If my parents pay for MIT they will not have funds for my graduate school.
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Moved: At what age do you stop sending nieces and nephews birthday money.
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Rowan select or PG year
I have posted on Rowan forum to find out more about Rowan select and have not gotten an answer, will be contacting Rowan soon... Here is the link for Rowan select https://www.rowan.edu/home/undergraduate-admissions/applications/alternative-paths-admission/rowan-select/rowan-select-faqs
My question is whether I should send my kid to Rowan select or send her for another year of high school....
Kid is classified, has an IEP, has 117 IQ...but difficulty in reading critically,i.e. she can summarize, but has difficulty in understanding the underlying message, writing is not good...her GPA is around 3.1 unweighted and with 20 ACT...( I think the problem was not because she can't learn, but that wasn't taught appropriately)
She was accepted to Rowan select, the program seems to be helpful.(we are in-state)..but my concern is her to drop out, hence I am thinking to send her for a PG year and focus on reading and writing. (Assuming financial is not the issue between the two options)...I am wondering whether I am doing it right by keeping her for another year and when most of her friends are in college (she is open to either options).... Any suggestions or other options? Does anyone know more about the Rowan Select program? what is the success rate?
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