|
Thanks for all your support guys. I actually deleted yesterdays my initial rambling because I personally believe that too much information is a disturber of harmony. I felt that people reading my journals would also get depressed because of me.
But as I am getting emails of support thinking it was something major, let me try and sum up yesterday WITHOUT depressing anyone too much.
1.My little bear (my 2.9 year old) went to the dentist and we found out the estimated cost of treatment is $3000 dollars but insurance will only cover a max of $1000 dollars. That means $2000 dollars out of pocket. I felt responsible for the situation ever getting this far. I have been lazy because of his constant resistance to tooth brushing. GOOD THING TO COME OUT OF THIS: I will resist his resistance to ensure this doesn't ever happen again! A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE!
2. My oldest, Son Broken leg, has to go to summer school. The conversion of his 9th grade credits from Pakistan to USA were dismal. They graded his GPA to be only 2.8!! Though he got 4.25 credits for 10th grade, he is still 0.75 credits behind. We calculated that even if he gets a perfect GPA for the next two years, he still will get a GPA of about 3.7, which is not enough for the best medical schools. Also had to pay 225 dollars for 0.5 credits. What a ripoff! GOOD THING TO COME OUT OF THIS: Son will have something productive to do during summer. I hate vacations because kids forget everything by the time they return to school.A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE and HASTE MAKES WASTE! (hasty decisions)
3. Hubby has had a pain in his leg for the past 6 weeks and now he thinks it might be something serious, like cancer. Hearing a doctor who always shrugs off our familys little ailments as nothing say that was very upsetting. GOOD THING TO COME OUT OF THIS: I felt closer to him and tried to be nicer. I know in my heart it is nothing more serious than a muscle pull. I told him that kids didnt remember money or shelter, they only remembered the family memories, so for the first time in a very very long time he sat down with the family instead of his usual lying in bed watching tv alone all evening long routine.A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED.
I did have some good points yesterday so let me roll them off to cheer you guys up.
1. I took little bear to McDonalds and just had a fruit salad which was sliced apples and grapes. Ate the four grapes and two apple slice and kept away from the yogurt and sugared walnut sides. I am 3lbs shy of getting to my mini goal of 140lbs so that is such an amazing motivator to keep me from eating crap.
2. I still dont have a Michigan drivers license. Long story. But I went and registered for some refresher classes for Friday and hopefully will be able to get my test out of the way within the next week or so.
3. Hubby went to a dealership a little while back and came back with a quote of $300 pm for a car. I went on the internet and shopped around..yesterday..got an offer for $267 pm. I really felt chuffed that I was able to save us money. And because of the offer being much lower than what hubby was willing to pay ($300), we might be able to upgrade the model in the same price!
So it wasnt a super bad day guys..but thanks for being there for me..I am so glad I have people like you around. I thought I had no friends in Michigan but I didnt realize that I would end up with friends everywhere else!!
OH ONE MORE THING! Apparently, asking for advice is my trademark, so why change? Can anyone advice me on if my son can get extra credits to help build up his GPA and how? I feel that he needs to get at least 5 more credits in the next two years.
|
 Comments
If he is a very smart kid, and he probably is, it would be better if he took the GED and then aced all his classes at a junior college, then transferred to a really good school for his Junior and Senior College years. I wish I had known that because by my junior and senior years I was so bored with school I didn't do as well. Transfer would be the way to go for him. Look into it.
25 Jun 08 by member: sararay
|
I was pre-med and to get into a good medical school you have to get the good grades in college, they don't care about high school as much. You also can't count on the high school transcripts counting for anything at this point anyway, so he should volunteer a lot (after his leg gets better) to get some good personal references. It isn't all about grades.
25 Jun 08 by member: sararay
|
Yes, I agree with Sararay that it isn't all about grades. Having sat in on countless admission committees at various universities where I've taught/worked, I've seen that time and again we've chosen the applicants on other things like GRE (or other entrance exam scores), and also, the type of personalities they convey through their personal essay, letters of reco, and the leadership roles & extra curricular experiences they've gained(e.g., through shadowing other professionals, volunteering, gaining some unique travel and learning experience, etc.)..I agree with the other advise from above.
25 Jun 08 by member: 08willbegreat
|
Just found out from the school district admin ofice that during conversion, they assumed that English Literature and English Language standards were half of American standards as it is a foreign language for Pakistanis and only gave half a credit for each subject! How bloody racist! I informed her that actually Pakistani students take actual British exam paper sent by Oxford and Cambridge University from England and as such, were a much higher standard than American English!
25 Jun 08 by member: caged liberty
|
Sara, dont high school grades affect a University's selection? We are hoping he gets into University of Michigan which I have heard has really tough admissions- wont they consider his high school grades? Can he get extra credit for things like driving or first aid classes (what about knowing how to play a guitar?) I know you can get life credits for degrees, I was wondering if they had anything like that for high school?
25 Jun 08 by member: caged liberty
|
sorry 08, I was typing my comments while you posted yours, so I missed it. Please please tell me what type of things/activities impress admission committees so I can get him started asap..or rather when I get my car and his leg is fixed!!
25 Jun 08 by member: caged liberty
|
I don't work in Admissions, but I am somewhat familiar with the process. A student's grades are only one of the factors that are taken into consideration, and it is my understanding that a college will mainly look at 11th and 12th grades GPAs. They will also weigh how challenging the material was for those two years (since junior and senior year students tend to have lighter schedules) and whether the student chose to take college courses or extra optional courses. If he can take courses over the summer or during the school year at a local college it would look impressive. Extracurriculars such as guitar and first aid are excellent examples of a well rounded student, and viewed in a positive light by admissions officers. Community volunteer work or the organization of a fund raiser is regarded highly as well (please feel free to contact me if you need ideas - I fund raise for a living and I'd be glad to help!). Any student government activity is great, even if it's volunteer work and not an elected position.
25 Jun 08 by member: IThinkICan
|
I agree that volunteering is good, and will count. Especially, if he is planning to go to med school, try to get him to take on health-care related work. Also, as I said, shadowing is a good idea. That is, find a medical professional (perhaps, a colleague of your husband, maybe?), and if your son can observe him at work, and help him out in a short-term project of some kind, that would look impressive. Also, technical skills are desirable: e.g., computer programming, graphics, or some new current technology, even if it is not directly used in his field. Guitar and first aid is good as a background, but not too impressive at a university level. We take those things as a given, I suppose. All of these are things he can try if he can. But another thing to keep in mind is the personal essay---explain your background, and what got "lost in translation" during the conversion of GPA's; show them how he actually did well in Pakistan, and how high those standards are; mention these things briefly, but also emphasize the new things he's mastering, and how his recent skills are more reflective of his potential.
25 Jun 08 by member: 08willbegreat
|
As far as getting into the University of Michigan, I don't know for sure, but as a Freshman he probably needs at least a 3.5 GPA AND lots of other extracurricular activities. Non-academic classes are not weighed as heavily. If someone gets straight As in art, P.E., shop and drama but gets Cs in math and english they aren't going to care what his GPA is. They look at academics separately from fluff courses. He should take those extra classes if he is interested in them. Community work would probably be a more constructive thing for him to get into rather than something he is not interested in. 08's suggestion to volunteer in a healthcare-related field is a good one. I volunteered at the red cross (I was the youngest volunteer) helped me get into a medical billing office and so on. It is more important he makes good connections with people who can give him a good recommendation than doing a lot of different things. I had a good friend in high school who's family is from Pakistan. She is now a Pediatrician in NYC. She graduated second in the entire graduating class and didn't get to go to even her 3rd choice school for her bachelors. It's not all about the grades. She wasn't allowed to do any extracurricular activities because her parents focused on grades so much and I really think that hurt her when it came to admission applications. She didn't end up going to the most well-known medical school either, but she is doing what she loves to do. In the big scheme of things, he just has to do his best. :)
25 Jun 08 by member: sararay
|
Well, as I know very little of the American GPA system, etc., I have nothing to add to the wonderful advice above. Sorry to hear about little bear's dental dilemmas. I am sure your dental office would let you set up a payment plan to help ease the sting of the bill a bit. I doubt hubby's leg pain is anything as serious as cancer, too. You are right to suspect a pulled muscles or something more benign. No use in working it up into a big worryfest until he gets some tests done to confirm or deny his suspicions. Good job sleuthing out the cheaper car price. It doesn't seem like a whole lot of difference per month but when you add it up over the year it will be quite significant (might buy a tank or two of gas if the prices keep climbing!). Only 8 more lbs to your goal! You're doing great :)
25 Jun 08 by member: evelyn64
|
You got some good ideas above concerning the college entrance system. Kudos to you for the good choices you made at MacDonalds! You'll be at your mini goal in no time! Go get 'em girl!!
25 Jun 08 by member: mbhpro
|
Since you asked, here as a little primer on the American educational system. In high school we all take a bunch of classes, some of which are required, and some of which are not. In the realm of not required there are 3 types of classes, general electives, honors and APs. General electives are regular classes that students can choose to take and students must take some of these to meet their credit requirement. Honors classes are more advanced classes and as such come with a GPA boost. The top score for an honors class is a 5.0 rather than a 4.0. Taking several honors classes and doing well will certainly help in the GPA department, although it is far less important than you seem to believe, but more on that later. The AP courses are advanced courses like the honors course and they are also on a 5.0 scale. Once a student completes an AP course they can take an exam in that subject and, if they do well enough, they can receive college credit. How well they have to do on the exam for credit is up to the individual college or University. So if you want to increase his GPA, honors and AP classes are the way to go. Taking summer school classes to increase the total number of credits received can also lessen the impact of a few lower grades early on and provide additional learning opportunities. Now on to why anyone cares. The Truth is GPA isn't the end all be all and I certainly wouldn't worry about his freshman grades. Colleges consider GPA but they also look at what courses a student takes. A lower GPA in harder courses is better than a higher GPA in remedial courses. Make sure he is taking the harder courses and learning material that matters. Also, later years, when the material more closely resembles college level content, are more heavily considered. Doing well as a junior and senior is more important than doing well as a freshman or sophomore. Finally colleges put a great deal of emphasis on other factors like essays, extra curricular activities, SATs and the like. They want students that bring something to the college so they are looking for much more than a GPA. Does he play sports, volunteer, have a job, have leadership positions in the school or more general community? As for medical school, they will never even see your son's high school transcripts because they don't care what he did in high school. They are interested in college GPA and MCAT scores. Here is where the GPA really counts so it is too early to panic, that can wait another 4 years. Once he is in college he will have to take a litany of science courses and do well in them and them perform well on the MCAT. Medical schools consider two GPAs, one science and one non science. They are both important but the science GPA is clearly more important. A GPA above 3.6 and 10's on the MCAT are solid but more is always better. Medical schools will also consider extra curricular activities but the numbers will really matter at that point. So there you have it. Don't fret, a bad freshman yearr will not have a major impact of your son's life chances. Just help him select the more advanced classes in the future and do all you can to help him do well in them. Hope that helps.
26 Jun 08 by member: run4fun
|
| |
|
|
| |
Submit a Comment
You must sign in to submit a comment
|
|
|
Other Related Links
Members
|
caged liberty's weight history
|