OT: College admission criteria

[svelte]

[quote=scaredyclassic]Its not THAT bad.

But i was really counting on sdsu. My top choice.

30k cheaper, plus an hour away to visit.

Kid cares a bit less than me
.

But then again its not his 30k, and he isnt as excited about visits as i am.

Cal st san marcos i guess is my safety school[/quote]

I’m just a few miles from CSUSM, it’s a fine school. They are just standing up their school of engineering with the help of Viasat. I’m looking forward to it.

One of my kids went to school in northern Calif, probably partly because it was his father’s alma mater and partly to put distance in between him and his doting dad.

He now lives with wife and kid in SF and we just found out this week his wife is expecting twins. We’re all a little freaked out by that. But he’s planning on leaving SF now, and talking about possibly so cal or sacramento. he and his wife are making more $$ than they know what to do with, but they are feeling the strong urge to build a suburban nest, first time I’ve ever heard him talk like that!

back to school: it’s a lot more important that your kid attends a school he likes and has a good experience. That will motivate him/her to do well and, as long as they pick a good major and a decent school, it will all work out in the end. Been there, done that. A few times.

[Coronita]

[quote=ltsddd][quote=scaredyclassic]I dont think uci has a premed program.[/quote]

lol. May be the parents meant UCR. UCR has a cool premed program that, if a student qualified, would fast-track a student straight into its medical school[/quote]

I thought that was Davis and a 6 year program. maybe I forget. it’s been awhile

[Hobie]

[quote=svelte]back to school: it’s a lot more important that your kid attends a school he likes and has a good experience. That will motivate him/her to do well and, as long as they pick a good major and a decent school, it will all work out in the end. Been there, done that. A few times.[/quote]

Best summation of the whole college app worries! Ditto here too.

I will add: Let them be kids. No need to rush them into the real world. Each kid rises on their own internal time line.

[Coronita]

I really didn’t want my kid to go to Canyon Crest Academy. Nice school, nice stafd, nice counselor that we already talked to a few times. But I’ve heard it can be pretty intense. It’s a great school for kids that are already really focused on what they think they want to do, but my kid is still a kid so none of this is applicable.

There’s a computer science track that is almost 2 years of college CS. There’s an art track that is almost 2 years of a college art major. A normal high year’s worth of math is condensed into 1 semester, so by the end of sophomore year you could have taken Calc BC AP or Statistics AP. or finished with 3 years worth of language requirements in 1 1/2 year . that’s just nuts.

I really didn’t want my kid to do this. I was doing the opposite of a tiger parent and saying , how about taking less classes so you get more free time to do things outside of school. Id rather my kid take their time to enjoy life. Are you sure you want to go to a school that has a 5 x 5 semester schedule? Instead, how about going to Torrey Pines or Westview?…”no”…. How about going to LJ Country Day or Bishop School or The Cambridge School. “ewe, I would need to wear a uniform. no” . Why CCA and an unnecessary load of stress? “because all my friends are going”…

And the schedule my kid picked out? Already “doubling up” on everything , despite me strongly suggesting taking it easy.

1st semester: Math 1H,Biology
English 1H, Art 1 , French 1

2nd semester: Math 2H, Art 2
, French 2 ,PE (“because I have to”) ,World History 1

Jasus Christ, are you serious? Already questioning why out of all languages my kid would pick French. Picking Chinese it would be a walk in the park. Picking Spanish, it would actually be useful here in CA. But French? English, Chinese, French- totally weird combo. And why taking two years worth of math in 1 year?
“because all my friends are doing this too, some are starting with math 2H and 3H”

This is not going to be fun. I tried convincing taking an easier life approach. Take more electives, photography, digital arts, etc. Oh well. At least we’re just disagreeing on school choices , not drugs, alcohol, friends, relationships…yet….

[Hobie]

Another pet peeve of mine is there is no time for any family vacation. Teachers and coaches schedule practices, large projects during school holidays. Of course, not mandatory, but if don’t go you don’t play in next game or some other ding. Kids play along due to peer pressure. Welcome to high school.

[outtamojo]

Your child would hate the remedial high school atmosphere of junior college.

[svelte]

[quote=Coronita]I really didn’t want my kid to go to Canyon Crest Academy.

This is not going to be fun. I tried convincing taking an easier life approach. Take more electives, photography, digital arts, etc. Oh well. At least we’re just disagreeing on school choices , not drugs, alcohol, friends, relationships…yet….[/quote]

Spot on. I do agree it is a fine school and if the son/daughter chooses to push themselves harder than you’d like, more power to them! I’m sure you do, but support their choices even if you disagree…they are doing what interests them and that almost always pays off in the end.

Unless what interests them is a history or liberal arts degree lol.

[svelte]

[quote=Hobie]
I will add: Let them be kids. No need to rush them into the real world. Each kid rises on their own internal time line.[/quote]

+1

My kids all didn’t do the HS straight to University path. They took some time off because they realized, correctly it turns out, that it was the only time in their life they would be unencumbered and truly free to go out and do anything their heart desired. It worried me as a parent but I couldn’t say anything because I had done the same thing. And for the most part I’m glad I did and glad they did.

There are moments where I wished I had been out of school earlier so my 401K would be bigger, etc, but those floating years allowed me to find myself and determine my true interests. And *that* has paid off handsomely.

Had I continued on with what I thought I wanted to be when I was 18, I’d have a lot less money now, virtually guaranteed.

[scaredyclassic]

Misc paid jobs, age 22 to 29. Im sure i had at least a dozen short ones more here and there.

Au pair
Methadone counselor
Sat teacher, princeton review
Question writer, stanley h kaplan
Lsat teacher
Substitute teacher
Telemarketing
Market research in vegas

Esl teacher.
Camp counselor
http://Www.Abraham.com employee [longest job held]
Trade school high pressure admissions-sales
Movie reviewer
Screenwriter
Paralegal
Legal secretary
Taxi driver

Im sad i was too lazy to do zero manual labor. Looking back im sure it wouldve help my mental health. All in all it is amazing things turned out ok for me.

Id be curious on others odd jobs

[svelte]

[quote=scaredyclassic]
Id be curious on others odd jobs[/quote]

newspaper delivery (actually made quite a bit o money)

Grocery bagger/stocker/checkout at large grocery store

Trench digger for landscaping company (had a great tan that summer!)

Mobile home dismantler

Lawn mowing business owner

Sign painter

Night shift operator at a cable TV HQ

Night clerk at a convenience store

Those are the jobs that helped convince me that being a manual laborer was not where I wanted to be.

[Coronita]

[quote=svelte][quote=Coronita]I really didn’t want my kid to go to Canyon Crest Academy.

This is not going to be fun. I tried convincing taking an easier life approach. Take more electives, photography, digital arts, etc. Oh well. At least we’re just disagreeing on school choices , not drugs, alcohol, friends, relationships…yet….[/quote]

Spot on. I do agree it is a fine school and if the son/daughter chooses to push themselves harder than you’d like, more power to them! I’m sure you do, but support their choices even if you disagree…they are doing what interests them and that almost always pays off in the end.

Unless what interests them is a history or liberal arts degree lol.[/quote]

As long as history and liberals arts degree isn’t the final act, I think it’s ok. Lots of history and liberals arts degree undergrads end up doing law, government, and management consulting. I remember companies like McKinsey, Bain, etc hiring a lot of well grounded liberal arts majors.

In America, a lot of it is how well you sell it. Technical know-how takes a back seat to almost all, except the very top 1%. Of course, there are also a lot of directionless liberal arts majors that end up as a starbucks barrista.

[Coronita]

[quote=scaredyclassic]Misc paid jobs, age 22 to 29. Im sure i had at least a dozen short ones more here and there.

Au pair
Methadone counselor
Sat teacher, princeton review
Question writer, stanley h kaplan
Lsat teacher
Substitute teacher
Telemarketing
Market research in vegas

Esl teacher.
Camp counselor
http://Www.Abraham.com employee [longest job held]
Trade school high pressure admissions-sales
Movie reviewer
Screenwriter
Paralegal
Legal secretary
Taxi driver

Im sad i was too lazy to do zero manual labor. Looking back im sure it wouldve help my mental health. All in all it is amazing things turned out ok for me.

Id be curious on others odd jobs[/quote]

In high school, I took a SAT class. Two months later I was teaching the math portion because none of the teachers could teach me more. I ended up making the cost of my SAT class back plus some more. I really didn’t like it. patience isnt my virtual. and there were times I wanted shoot the kid

In college I didn’t work. I went to the computer lab and bought and sold Netscape stock and Sun Microsystems. I was lazy.

In the summer, I interned at Motorola. And quickly despised unions because I couldn’t move my workstation down two cubicles because that was the mover’s job that ended up taking 2 weeks out of my 11 weeks of internship.

After graduating, just worked. I never worked at as a food place or restaurant. maybe I should have .. I probably would have learned to be more patient. If I were to do a job like this now, I’d probably end up picking up the food and throwing it at a customer if they complained about it.

I did manual jobs for fun in high school … washed cars, painted houses, fixed cars.

[scaredyclassic]

I had a “job” for a day or so that is kinda funny and couldnt really exist Nowadays.

We would just walk into nyc office buildings and chat up secretaries and sell them rings from a little ring display.

It became immediately unclear why we needed the employer, when we could just get our own rings, except for moral support provided in trespasding in workplaces.

I remember the training, was cool…just walk right in like you belong.

And the pitch, a lie about it being company sponsored discount jewelry.

Jeez i was lost. 1985?

I recall being escorted out once.

[CA renter]

[quote=svelte][quote=scaredyclassic]Its not THAT bad.

But i was really counting on sdsu. My top choice.

30k cheaper, plus an hour away to visit.

Kid cares a bit less than me
.

But then again its not his 30k, and he isnt as excited about visits as i am.

Cal st san marcos i guess is my safety school[/quote]

I’m just a few miles from CSUSM, it’s a fine school. They are just standing up their school of engineering with the help of Viasat. I’m looking forward to it.

One of my kids went to school in northern Calif, probably partly because it was his father’s alma mater and partly to put distance in between him and his doting dad.

He now lives with wife and kid in SF and we just found out this week his wife is expecting twins. We’re all a little freaked out by that. But he’s planning on leaving SF now, and talking about possibly so cal or sacramento. he and his wife are making more $$ than they know what to do with, but they are feeling the strong urge to build a suburban nest, first time I’ve ever heard him talk like that!

back to school: it’s a lot more important that your kid attends a school he likes and has a good experience. That will motivate him/her to do well and, as long as they pick a good major and a decent school, it will all work out in the end. Been there, done that. A few times.[/quote]

Congratulations on the grandkids, Svelte! It sounds like you and your wife have done very well in life — professinoally and with your family.

[CA renter]

[quote=ltsddd][quote=Coronita]Now if a kid is directionless after a 4 year college, he/she probably wasted the equivalent of a starter home. So if there is any shred of doubt, maybe the JC route for some kids is a better option until they get their act together.
[/quote]

I think every parent should give JC a hard look. Go to JC for 2 years then transfer, unless that freshman-year college experience is that important for the kid. Otherwise, don’t see why parents want to pay $30K/year just to take general ed at a UC school for the first 2 years.[/quote]

Agree 100%. I know a number of kids who are doing this (mostly homeschoolers), and they are saving thousands upon thousands of dollars in addition to having an easier time getting into the 4-year college of their choice. Nearly all of them have a 4.0 GPA with a couple who have a 3.8+ GPA. Not sure how their choice of majors is affecting the acceptance rates, but they aren’t having any problems getting into CSU schools at all. One, a math major, was accepted into every UC he applied to except UC Berkeley where he was waitlisted.

Many community colleges are offering free tuition through the Promise Program or Promise Grant. Even if one’s kid doesn’t qualify for free tuition, it’s still a heck of a lot cheaper than shipping them off to a 4-year university where they have to pay for room and board in addition to the tuition and fees for the first two years.

https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Chancellors-Office/Divisions/Educational-Services-and-Support/Student-Service/What-we-do/California-Promise

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