No, not for me...been there, done that. The +1's son wants to go to UVA. He's very, very smart, but these days, not only do grades have to be stellar (his could be better if he applied himself a bit more), the kids have to have been involved in all kinds of community activities, saving the world, etc. He's more the nerdy type. The competition is fierce to get into UVA, even for in-state students. Many students who used to apply to private schools are choosing the good state schools instead because of the cost. He's starting his junior year of HS. Any of you have recent experience with college applications, interviews, etc?

 

The question is, is he 'into the process' yet or kind of hanging on the sidelines?

my #2 son sort of woke up in the second half of his junior year.
my favorite quotation was " why didn't anybody tell me this stuff sooner?"
wanted to kill him, you would have thought we left him on the side of the road unattended for the previous 15 years.

but back to topic.
a friend from MIT said, it's not necessarily a well rounded student but a passionate one. Be good at something and show how you were capable of focus as opposed to wandering through life.

 

Well, he is passionate about sports. Not necessarily playing, although the school wants him to play football (defense) since he's a big guy. He can quote sports trivia from the beginning of time. It's amazing, really. That's why he wants UVA - it has a great combination of academics and sports.

 

Hi Deb,

Some idesas.

Drama - Crew (gets to build things)
School paper
Working in the school offices (ie. Guidance)
Sports statistician

Good Luck

 

Thanks...I'm hoping he'll get involved in something like the school paper. It's been suggested, but not sure he will do it. The idea of being a sportswriter in some form would be great for him, since he writes well, too. He is interested in getting his own car.

 

Deb, my son, Kyle, was in a similar boat. He had all A's (except for a B in Biology) in High School, but was more into playing online, World of Warcraft, (Full on addiction!) than doing the extra curricular things other kids did to get their first choice of Universities. His first choice was University of California at San Diego but they didn't want him. He was accepted at UC Santa Barbara and then, was invited to be a part of the College of Creative Studies there. Didn't have any idea what that even was. Ends up they saw his "5" on the AP Calculus exam, and wanted a math major in the special college there. He didn't get his first choice but he's probably happier now, than if he had. He's changed his major from math to computer science, or may go for a double.

I don't imagine that answers your question, though. I know he had to write stuff for his applications and he had two teachers at his (private) high school who reviewed them for him, and made sure they were good. I think I read it and it talked about real life. He mentioned my mom dying unexpectedly and my dad having Alzheimer's and how that affected him. I think that might have helped getting him in.

 

Well, it helps. Thanks. I'm not particularly optimistic about his chances for UVA - it is so, so difficult to get in there. A Mid-A member just posted some good info on my thread over there, so I'm going to pass that along. See if it lights a fire under his you-know-what!

 

Deb, if UVA wants him badly enough, he'll get in no matter what else. Football recruits, scholarship or not, have their own admissions standards.

So if he has a stellar season this (his junior) year and again next, he'll have no worries. HPH

 

^ Interesting idea. He said no last year, because he wanted to play offense (wide receiver, of course). We'll see what happens.

 

I'm with DrC, but taking some SAT prep classes before taking the SATs wouldn't hurt either.