Any parents of seniors want to commiserate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another band parent here. No, you don’t just miss a performance or competition.

But you plan for it. DS has essay drafts done over the summer, polished them in English class and has all applications done and submitted. Took some pushing to make him work on them this summer, but he’s so happy to be done and focused on school and band and enjoying senior year.

Do the schools release the application essay questions in the summer? I thought that was a fall thing.

[Anonymous]

DS is taking FIVE AP classes and has zero time for us. He got his application essays done this past summer and already decided on his three choices so that’s out of the way but he is truly slammed every night and it won’t get better until AP exams.

It was 100% his decision but I feel bad for him. His girlfriend is auditioning for music schools so she is equally stressed.

My senior year was so easy and so much fun. I was out of school every day by 1 PM and just hung out at the beach with friends.

[Anonymous]

So funny there are all these band parents posting and OP is not a band parent. Haha.

My DD finished all of her applications over the summer. Although she was working with a consultant we hired. Best 5K I ever spent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another band parent here. No, you don’t just miss a performance or competition.

But you plan for it. DS has essay drafts done over the summer, polished them in English class and has all applications done and submitted. Took some pushing to make him work on them this summer, but he’s so happy to be done and focused on school and band and enjoying senior year.

Do the schools release the application essay questions in the summer? I thought that was a fall thing.

Common App had them out well before summer. And another school that had a supplement did as well. Perhaps some schools wait, but we didn’t run across any.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Congrats to all whose kids are done. I can't even imagine that one person whose kid already submitted all their apps! To the PP who had a consultant. We didn't even consider it because of the money, she's never needed any academic support before and I don't think it's fair. But if it could have spared us the current situation maybe I should've been more open-minded!

Sounds like my kid is one of the few who is in bad shape. It's a shame because she is a great student but I think her procrastination will lead to much less strong applications than she should have. So much for my attempts at commiseration. I feel even worse now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen my DD so stressed out and unhappy. I thought junior year was supposed to be the hardest but she never seemed like this last year. The stress of college apps on top of an unbelievable amount of homework in her senior year classes is too much. Can’t they take it a bit easier on them first quarter? It’s hard for me to watch.

First quarter is really bad for my DD -- in addition to class there are the marching band practices (10 hours per week) plus most Saturdays being taken up by Marching competitions. And this year, it is looking like the marching season will extend a few weeks (the band is really god and may add a national competition). She has not had time to complete her college essays. Most of the schools she is applying to are limited in the requirements, but she is not applying to her first choice ED because she does not have the time to get the second essay done before Nov 1. She is a good student -- 4.2 + GPA with 1400+ SAT's, taking 5 APs. But she can not manufacture time. Between now and thanksgiving, she most Sundays (two are allocated) to get caught up on work, and 1 Saturday, and three days off from school (where there may or may not be band practice).

She is happy for the band's success this year, and thinks this is a once in a lifetime experience where everything comes together with band -- literally the first VA band to win a BOA regional in more than 40 years). But, it is hard work. #proudfather.

Hi Madison! You’ll had an amazing show! And I agree you commit to band, you let 100 plus kids down. There’s a hole on the field, and it’s not like you can send in the second string.

We’re also stress the CA essay here. Everything else is done. But yikes! Fortunately our seniors get a huge break this time of year. But still. My kid has put a lot of effort in, but it’s just not that great. IDK. But the CA Essay sucks. #stressedmom

— love the BOA 4th place finishers (9our highest top)

TJ?

(only other FCPS/ APS finalists. “Our Friend the Atom” :mrgreen

[Anonymous]

OMG, can the band parent stuff please move to another thread. I find the band parents hard to deal with/obsessed in real life and their overtaking my thread is too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another band parent here. No, you don’t just miss a performance or competition.

But you plan for it. DS has essay drafts done over the summer, polished them in English class and has all applications done and submitted. Took some pushing to make him work on them this summer, but he’s so happy to be done and focused on school and band and enjoying senior year.

Band parent here and we did this. And is has been doable. CA done, all the requests and paperwork done. Supplemental apps done for EA (no ED). Except the flipping common app easy. It’s going back and forth to the English teacher and it’s just not right or frankly very good. And my kid is insisting they can make it work. They can’t and they need to scrap it. They have a draft of another option that the English teacher loves and that will be fine with some cleanup based on her edits. But they don’t want to use it because they are sure they can make their first choice work. They can’t. And eventually they’ll give up and use the other one. Fortunately, one EA school is a safety. And one is the 8th choice out of 10 schools. It doesn’t need to be brilliant. It needs to be solid. Then we have until until January 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Congrats to all whose kids are done. I can't even imagine that one person whose kid already submitted all their apps! To the PP who had a consultant. We didn't even consider it because of the money, she's never needed any academic support before and I don't think it's fair. But if it could have spared us the current situation maybe I should've been more open-minded!

Sounds like my kid is one of the few who is in bad shape. It's a shame because she is a great student but I think her procrastination will lead to much less strong applications than she should have. So much for my attempts at commiseration. I feel even worse now!

She definitely isn’t. Lots of panic on the ground at our school. Chin up.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, 18:54.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kids didn't work on their essays and apps during summer? Who waits until September Senior year?

My kid!!!

Yeah, I wish he had started all that over the summer. I really really do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Congrats to all whose kids are done. I can't even imagine that one person whose kid already submitted all their apps! To the PP who had a consultant. We didn't even consider it because of the money, she's never needed any academic support before and I don't think it's fair. But if it could have spared us the current situation maybe I should've been more open-minded!

Sounds like my kid is one of the few who is in bad shape. It's a shame because she is a great student but I think her procrastination will lead to much less strong applications than she should have. So much for my attempts at commiseration. I feel even worse now!

She definitely isn’t. Lots of panic on the ground at our school. Chin up.

OP, NONE of my kids' friends have even started their applications yet -- they are writing essays in English class now. Very few are aiming for early decision.

Many kids are ahead of the game but plenty more are just aiming for regular decision.

I think senior year, first quarter is VERY hard for these kids. No wonder they go nuts the other direction in the spring.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing. I was really starting to feel alone!

[Anonymous]

This is punishment for taking too many AP classes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG, can the band parent stuff please move to another thread. I find the band parents hard to deal with/obsessed in real life and their overtaking my thread is too much.

Just wait til the Band Camp thread.