First, I always wondered why seniors were so stressed about the college admissions process, I figured it can't really be that difficult so take a test and write some essays. Well, I think I was wrong because college applications have pretty much occupied 80% of my daily thoughts since last February and probably will continue to do so until May 1st 2011.
What I would really appreciate though is if any of you possibly have last year's average SAT scores for South Walton High School. If you or your child took the SAT last spring or winter then the average score for his/her school should be on his/her online score report. I would really appreciate this as I am trying to incorporate it into one of my personal statements.
Also, has anyone received their AP scores in the mail yet, they were supposed to be mailed at the beginning of July but I have not received mine yet.
Good luck to anyone, or any parents with children in the Class of 2011. It will all soon be over and the hard work will pay off. And I hope that no matter where each of us ends up, we will all be happy where we are.
Replies
15Beach Fanatic
One tip for your essays is to be more careful in punctuation & homophone usage.
Such as "last year's average scores" instead of "years" and "their AP scores" instead of "there."
Effective use of their/there/they're, your/you're, and especially of then/than (which aren't truly homophones at all), has eroded rapidly in this country.
Such as "last year's average scores" instead of "years" and "their AP scores" instead of "there."
Effective use of their/there/they're, your/you're, and especially of then/than (which aren't truly homophones at all), has eroded rapidly in this country.
Edited
SoWal Insider
One tip for your essays is to be more careful in punctuation & homophone usage.
Such as "last year's average scores" instead of "years" and "their AP scores" instead of "there."
Effective use of their/there/they're, your/you're, and especially of then/than (which aren't truly homophones at all), has eroded rapidly in this country.
I was talking to my sister, a 3rd grade teacher in Georgia, and she told me that they don't even teach spelling anymore. How can you not teach spelling to 3rd graders?
Unbelievable how kids today place no importance on proper usage and spelling. I'm afraid no one in America will know that there was ever more than one way to spell
the word 2.
Beach Fanatic
I was talking to my sister, a 3rd grade teacher in Georgia, and she told me that they don't even teach spelling anymore. How can you not teach spelling to 3rd graders?
Unbelievable how kids today place no importance on proper usage and spelling. I'm afraid no one in America will know that there was ever more than one way to spell
the word 2.
Kids likely won't place importance on those things unless their parents & teachers do.
SoWal Expert
One tip for your essays is to be more careful in punctuation & homophone usage.
Such as "last year's average scores" instead of "years" and "their AP scores" instead of "there."
Effective use of their/there/they're, your/you're, and especially of then/than (which aren't truly homophones at all), has eroded rapidly in this country.
Those things are a HUGE red flag in admission essays. I suggest having an experienced English teacher help your child with their essays - even if they are a good writer who scores well on AP English. I got a 5 on the AP test and still had a teacher help me hone my admission essays.
Moderator
I still have a copy of a memo written by a Manager here who we all felt was "awarded" the job rather than got it on merit. Keeping in mind that it went to higher management, it had misuses like "higher date" rather than "hire date", "quiet" instead of "quite", the usual misuse of "there" instead of "their", and a "to" instead of a "too". The coup de gras, though, was when he said "it was a mute point" instead of "a moot point".
Suffice it to say, all of this came back to haunt him during all of our reductions. He now runs a Merry Maids franchise...
Suffice it to say, all of this came back to haunt him during all of our reductions. He now runs a Merry Maids franchise...
Beach FanaticAuthor
One tip for your essays is to be more careful in punctuation & homophone usage.
Such as "last year's average scores" instead of "years" and "their AP scores" instead of "there."
Effective use of their/there/they're, your/you're, and especially of then/than (which aren't truly homophones at all), has eroded rapidly in this country.
Thank you, I really appreciate your help.
Edited
Beach Lover
I was talking to my sister, a 3rd grade teacher in Georgia, and she told me that they don't even teach spelling anymore. How can you not teach spelling to 3rd graders?
Unbelievable how kids today place no importance on proper usage and spelling. I'm afraid no one in America will know that there was ever more than one way to spell
the word 2.
They are 3rd graders how do they know what is important. They only know what the teachers are presenting to them. I think we should definetly be questioing why 3rd graders are not taught spelling. Thankfully the loocal shool here still has spelling.
margarita brocolia
Those things are a HUGE red flag in admission essays. I suggest having an experienced English teacher help your child with their essays - even if they are a good writer who scores well on AP English. I got a 5 on the AP test and still had a teacher help me hone my admission essays..
good advice - make no assumptions that all is correct on your essays. Our daughter also is excellent in English but got great feedback from selectively chosen proof readers. They suggested better ways to phrase things to read more clearly and also provided fresh eyes to catch mistakes because she had been writing and rewriting and tiring of the process. Make your essays interesting so they'll be more memorable.
Good luck.
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Beach FanaticAuthor
A message to all parents of students: Make sure the teacher who writes your child's letter of recommendation actually likes him/her.
I know this sounds obvious enough, but I met with a admissions rep from the University of Texas this morning and she said they regularly get recommendations that "aren't so recommending." My letters have already been written so there is nothing I can do about this now, but I would really make sure the teacher actually likes your child.
I thought it was funny to hear that because I always assumed every teacher wrote good rec's no matter what and that is why colleges don't really care about them very much.
I know this sounds obvious enough, but I met with a admissions rep from the University of Texas this morning and she said they regularly get recommendations that "aren't so recommending." My letters have already been written so there is nothing I can do about this now, but I would really make sure the teacher actually likes your child.
I thought it was funny to hear that because I always assumed every teacher wrote good rec's no matter what and that is why colleges don't really care about them very much.
margarita brocolia
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In regard to the recommendation letter - make a few notes of things important to you to give to the person writing the recommendation to help jog their memory. I have heard teachers say that for certain students it is so easy to write a recommendation and they don't even know where to stop and others, it's hard to get started. The latter recommendations are not likely to stand out.
.
In regard to the recommendation letter - make a few notes of things important to you to give to the person writing the recommendation to help jog their memory. I have heard teachers say that for certain students it is so easy to write a recommendation and they don't even know where to stop and others, it's hard to get started. The latter recommendations are not likely to stand out.
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Beach FanaticAuthor
Well what a lot of college admissions people have been saying is that a large majority of rec's don't say anything not already on the application. That is why many schools are making rec's optional, like Texas. The lady from Texas though said she has read explicitly BAD letters of recommendation where the teacher had strong feelings the child should not be going to school there.
So, I guess the lesson is, if the rec is optional make sure it is darn good and not about things already on the App.
So, I guess the lesson is, if the rec is optional make sure it is darn good and not about things already on the App.
Edited
SoWal Expert
Yes, choose your teacher recommendations carefully - make sure it is someone who knows the student, likes the student, and who knows how to write what schools want to hear. Older teachers who have taught your kid for a minimum of a year or for multiple subjects/ECs are best.
And give the teachers several months to complete the letters.
While you think your kid is special and gifted, so do the parents of all the kids they are competing against, so every little bit can give you an edge.
And give the teachers several months to complete the letters.
While you think your kid is special and gifted, so do the parents of all the kids they are competing against, so every little bit can give you an edge.
SoWal Insider
They are 3rd graders how do they know what is important. They only know what the teachers are presenting to them. I think we should definetly be questioing why 3rd graders are not taught spelling. Thankfully the loocal shool here still has spelling.
I guess that did sound funny. By kids, i was leaning toward the tnagrs that txt and shrtn evry wrd, not the 3rd graders who aren't being taught the difference. By the way, that little red line that appears under your typed words means you've misspelled. 
SWGB
whatev u do righting it in text is killa bad
Beach Comber
The internet killed our language. Where once the Bard wove words of silk, I'm now lucky to see a period.
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