Parents of HS class of 2020

[Mika02]

And justlikethat---summer is nearly over and we have SENIORS!! Not ready for this. Although as my oldest reminds me-she is a senior too-just 4 years ahead! For some reason having a college grad is less shocking to me than my middle baby graduating from HS LOL

I was in tears yesterday I got all these notifications that the Common App opened up. Also my daughter completely her summer internship and made this amazing presentation and the managers of the internship just kept praising me about her. Can't believe she will be off to college soon so bittersweet.

 

[Southernmiss]

Made 4 college visits this summer with our senior. Our baby out of 4!

Took senior portraits last week.

Had all 4 wisdom teeth out Monday

She's completed her common app.

Will take the SAT one more time for potential National Merit, but has a fantastic score on her ACT. So that's done.

School starts Thursday

Lots done, lots yet to do.

We got a new twist this spring as she was diagnosed with a chronic lifelong autoimmune disease that has reared its ugly head.

So managing that now and in college has me nervous. But it doesn't bother her (mostly) and she just wants to live her life to the full. We are now learning to be upfront about telling schools and preparing for accommodations, should they be needed. Meeting regarding this with school officials on Wednesday.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

All this Senior stuff is a little overwhelming - and it's our second go-around. DS is working on applications. Let the fun begin!

 

[Vicki926]

Ugh, my son tore his ACL during football camp on June 27th. Had surgery July 29th. So no college visits, nothing, all summer. Most importantly to him, he’s out his senior year of football. It’s really devastating for him and I’m so sad for him. So sad. At least it’s not his head(bad concussion), or life changing, etc. but still. Sucks.

We’ve been so busy with ACL stuff..dr visits, prehabbing at PT prior to surgery and now PT 3 days a week, and I have to drive him everywhere since it’s his right leg.
He missed his senior pictures, bc he was scheduled for the day after surgery(rescheduled for end of September)..he was asked to be in the picture they take of a handful of seniors that they hang in the front entrance to the school, and couldn’t bc they took that 2 days after surgery..it’s been a fun summer.

All that said, football camp starts Monday-he’s still on the team, and is still going to everything-I’m hoping it makes it better, but am a little worried it will be worse bc he’ll be watching all his friends and be unable to play..but we’ll see. His Coach has been great and is asking that Matt come to every practice. Which he planned on anyway. So praying he’s happy.

We go on vacation in a couple of weeks, hes staying home for camp. His choice. Our first family vacation where he’s not coming. I hate it! My brother and sister in law will be around to take him to PT and stuff, so I’m not worried about that, but I’ll miss his grumpy self. Lol. We have my daughter, her boyfriend, and her college roommate coming. So still kids around, at least.

Still hasn’t decided where he’s applying to, is busy doing all his summer work for his AP classes, and generally driving me crazy about not being able to work out or drive.
School doesn’t start until 9/5 here..which happens to be his 18th birthday, and I am NOT ready for it at all.

 

[WorldWacky]

Just thought I’d bump this up a bit. I can’t believe time is flying by so quickly. We’ve visited a bunch of schools for dd (our oldest) and we’re heading to another this week. She plays lacrosse and we’ve been looking at schools that have her major and where she can play. As coaches contact her, it gets more and more overwhelming. She likes everything! It’ll come down to what she might be offered as far as scholarships. These schools are so crazy expensive! It’s nuts! Location hasn’t been an asset or deterrent. We’ve got one on the list that’s an hour away and another that’s 9 1/2hrs away. So who knows. It’s all too much for me. I’m anxious to get the list whittled down and for her to start focusing on essays and applications. I made the mistake of reading through the 2019 parents’ thread.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Hi everyone, It's been a while since I've posted in here. It's really interesting reading how things work in the US. We are in Australia so it's a totally different process. We are not in our last year yet with dd17. She will start her final year of high school in February and finish in November 2020. She is doing what we call VCE which gives them an ATAR score. They apply for Universities part way through the year and then places are offered once ATAR's come out. VCE subjects are made up of 4 units over two years although only Units 3 and 4 contribute towards the ATAR's. They generally do 5-6 subjects. DD will have 7 subjects as she completed one in Year 10 and will complete another this year, but the 7th subject will not be counted. This will be the lowest scoring one that is left out altogether. Some subjects are scaled up and some down. For example, if she gets a 40 for chemistry, that will be scaled up to a 42-43. Whereas last year she got a 32 for Dance but it was scaled down to 29. It all depends on what everyone else in the state gets. They are basically competing against everyone else in the state for their score. She has joined the High Achievers Club at school. This is for anyone that is interested that is following a University pathway. They have been visiting Uni open days together. To be honest though, I'm not really sure what path she will take. She is working towards getting the best score she can get. She will apply to several Universities. She is considering Biomedicine, Biochemistry or Bachelor of Science. She really wants Melbourne or Monash University which require exceptionally high ATAR's which may possibly be out of reach. But what she really want's to do is dance. Two careers nothing like each other. Maybe if she gets into one of the science courses, she can defer for a year and give dance a go.

 

[Minnie824]

Checking in with everyone now that the school year has started. We've been working with DD a few hours per week on the Common app and Coalition. All is done and ready except the essay which she needs to get moving on. I feel like we're behind still even though it is only Sept. The hard part is finding the time with all of her AP classes this year. We did get one easy application in over the weekend though.

Senior photos we had taken in Disney this summer at Epcot. They turned out amazing!

How is everyone else doing?

 

[Donaldswife]

Jumping in, my daughter is a senior this year. They started school back on July 31 so we are already a month in. She retook the SAT hoping to raise her score from last Spring and will start completing applications after she gets her score back this week. Senior pics were done back before school started, need to order cap and gown this month....it's going by so fast!!!

 

[Mika02]

My daughter is working on summer assignments for her AP classes. She didn’t have time with her internship and college visits this summer. School starts in 2 days so she finishing up. She already had an activity today as a Student Ambassador. She applied for a job so she needs to finalize that. So we haven’t really been working on college stuff. Plus I was in the hospital for 3week and just got home Friday.

She’s thinking of dropping one of her non AP course to free up her time because she’s met all her requirements for school except her math, science, English (all AP) and physical education. Just trying to go with her flow. Need to meet with her counselor to make sure she’s writing her recommendation. And my daughter has to decide if she’s going to retake the SAT and start on her Essays.

Still don’t have her class rank so that’s annoying as well smh.

 

[Monykalyn]

Yeah busy start to year. My senior wants to wait until leaves turn to do pictures. Cap and gown ordering next month. Going for HHN at Universal in 2 weeks and doing a campus tour at UCF as well. One of her advance writing classes has them doing their college essays. She sin marching band and multiple clubs and volunteer plus tutoring. I basically see her for a few minutes put to an hour each day since school has started. This year is going to fly by. Now just hoping that her older sisters graduation from college (in town 3 hours away) isn’t the same day...

 

[WorldWacky]

I’m currently sitting in a parking lot waiting to pick DD up from an SAT prep class for the Oct SATs. She wants to bump her score up a bit more. She’s been to several schools to visit with the lacrosse coaches and for overnights. I think Ohio Wesleyan is the biggest contender though right now. It’s 10 hours from home, but only 3 1/2 from my parents, so THAT’S good. Her next visit is to Allegheny College in PA and Marietta in OH. Clearly she doesn’t mind leaving us.
The first day of school was today and she asked her teachers for recommendations. We haven’t filled out any applications yet. I’m not ready for this!

 

[Mika02]

So DD dropped one of her non electives has a study hall period after lunch. She plans to use to work on college stuff and study for her final SATs. Started her commom app earlier this week as well so slowly moving.

Right now I am trying really hard to let her handle her Guidance counselor and not go to the director of guidance. She keeps blowing off my daughter and rushing her out of her office when DD needs something. She has been doing this to all the kids from freshman to junior year but I thought maybe seniors would take priority. I'm still home recovering so it's difficult to get stuff done as well. Just praying things go as planned with the items that the Guidance counselor is supposed to handle.

 

[Donaldswife]

Found out last week my daughter was able to raise her SAT by 50 points, so she is happy! Also, last year she took AP Lang and decided this year she didn't want to take AP Lit, so was put into a regular grade 12 language class to fulfill her grad requirements. It was an online class in a lab and she would have been done in a month with it. She talked her Guidance Counselor and Principal into just letting her take the final and using that for her semester grade. The English teacher who my daughter had last year recommended against it, said that DD wouldn't be able to pass, let alone get an A or B which she had to get in order to skip the class. That English teacher is eating her words today. DD took the final and the teacher graded it. My daughter earned 100% on that final! Now she gets to skip going to that class and spend the free period doing extra work for the school TV program she is active in. She wants to study communications and film at either UT Austin or Loyola Chicago, so that will help her prepare more than sitting in Grade 12 lab doing an online course everyday of things she already knows. I could not be more proud of her initiative right now!!!

 

[Monykalyn]

ANd the college fees have started-$400 bill for her 2 dual credit classes this semester. We have the UCF tour scheduled for next Wednesday. And my older dd at Uof Ark texted and said the school is adding bunch of scholarships for freshmen next year in effort to increase recruitment. I'd love for my middle kid to go there as well as it is not too far away, but she'd get her own unique experience at an excellent school-and if more money is offered...
Still only seeing the HS senior a few minutes each day as she stays busy. And she is trying to help a transgender friend, who may end up living with us at some point (family is NOT accepting of this person at all, and if 1/2 of what DD says is accurate the family is emotionally abusive as well). This fall is shaping up to be a very interesting one for sure!

 

[Monykalyn]

Annnndddd just this minute found my older kiddo in college found her graduation date and time: May 8th at 3 pm,
HS senior graduation May 8th 530 pm-2.5 hours from the college her sister is at

 

[Mika02]

My daughter finally got her guidance counselor. She now has her rank I'm pretty proud of where she's landed. So much still to do but she's with her dad this week. Counselor said she will be meeting with them individually soon for recommendations. She running for a leadership position in one of her clubs and a Liaison to Board of education.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Even though thread is old, still worthy. Doing nothing. Sorry nothing exciting here.

 

[yeahdisney]

FAFSA is October 1 filing. You do it even if you know you’re not going to get money, for your student to be considered for any scholarships .

 

[JimMIA]

Just a quick update.

DD is now in her Senior year with all the stress that entails.

We are looking for a really good ACT prep suggestion if anyone has one. We had a horrible experience with Kaplan Prep last year and lost $700, so please don't suggest them. We're hoping to get her scores up enough to qualify for Florida Bright Futures. Even though we have the money set aside for her educations, Bright Futures would be a great help.

DD has great grades and had an 8-week, 200 hour (volunteer hours) biomedical research internship at Florida International University. She was doing actual, hands-on, DNA research under the mentorship of a PhD in the biochemistry department. Amazing program; hopefully it will help with her admissions! That internship meant the end of her competitive figure skating, but she did get certified as a coach and has done some coaching this summer, which she absolutely loved.

Like everyone else, we are in the throes of the Common App, essays, etc. And testing, of course. She got mediocre scores on the SAT, so we're hoping the ACT is more to her liking. Her AP Lit instructor gave them an assignment to write their essays and they tore them apart, so I think that will be very helpful. Our school has the world's best college counselor, and she leaves absolutely nothing out or unexplained. That's been hugely helpful.

Senior pictures done. Yearbook purchase done. Common app almost done. Essays and letters of recommendation pending.

 

[Pembo]

Joining in....my youngest is in the class of 2020 (my oldest is a grad school class of 2020). We did senior pics on our beach vacation, she applied to her college of choice this past weekend after taking the SAT again. We just need to plan her grad trip to WDW.