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Post by shawbridge on Mar 9, 2009 0:50:05 GMT -5
I didn't know we'd receive anything until the end of March, but he received his acceptance to our flagship state university. Because he did so well on the MCAS (state standardized test) as a junior, he would get full tuition scholarship (though I hear fees dwarf tuition so it is less of a big deal than it sounds). The letter said he was admitted to the honors college (which I think is pretty good) and was given a Dean's Scholarhip as well (small money but I assume an honor).
At one level, none of this is surprising. Of the 461 kids who applied to this school from his HS over the last 5 years, only two had both higher grades and board SATs and almost all of the 100+ people who were admitted had lesser scores and grades than he did.
At another level, he did terribly on standardized tests in middle, so his strong performance on the MCAS and SATs reflected tremendous improvement in reading comprehension and, for the SATs, in writing as well as having appropriate accommodations.
It is not his first choice, but it would certainly work if he doesn't get in elsewhere. I think he'll get in elsewhere, but it is a nice vote of confidence.
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Post by michellea on Mar 9, 2009 7:42:27 GMT -5
Congratulations! It's great to get one under your belt, and it is most likely a sign of things to come!!!
I had to laugh when I read: <<though I hear fees dwarf tuition so it is less of a big deal than it sounds>> And - the fees are sure to increase!
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Post by sisdparent on Mar 9, 2009 10:22:02 GMT -5
Yeah!!!
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Post by momfromma on Mar 9, 2009 11:37:28 GMT -5
Congratulations!
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 9, 2009 12:05:30 GMT -5
Congrats. Always good to have one acceptance under the belt.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 10, 2009 7:59:04 GMT -5
I have no doubts that your son will receive many more acceptance letters before a final decision has to be reached, but the first is still a reason to celebrate! All the best!
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Post by mmm on Mar 14, 2009 19:53:37 GMT -5
Happy day! It is nice to be invited, isn't it? Whether he chooses this college or not, that first letter of acceptance is such a relief. Congrats.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 16, 2009 16:51:23 GMT -5
We now have two more acceptances, Brandeis and University of Rochester, and have thirteen more schools to hear from.
What a weird world. It is a bizarre world in which we live, but we figured that because he had a weirdo record -- super high grades and SATs but no foreign language, some remedial writing courses balanced by a Harvard writing course plus partial home-schooling -- it would be hard to tell which schools would love him and which would just put him on the reject pile because he was dyslexic (which he described in one of his supplementary essays). So, 16 applications. We'll see.
He decided that we should have a betting pool, for which I've put in my predictions.
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Post by michellea on Mar 16, 2009 17:10:48 GMT -5
More great news!! Glad to hear it.
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Post by jisp on Mar 16, 2009 21:09:38 GMT -5
BRANDEIS SCHMANDEIS. Sorry I am one angry local art lover. It was suggested that we consider Brandeis for our son. The suggestion resulted in my making a face and then a joke about how it is not "too Jewish". Some of us Jews find Hebrew school enough of a challenge socially. At which point I said that my pained face had nothing to do with being Jewish but more to do with the fact that they are going to break up one of the most amazing collections of 20th century art. Save the Rose. And visit it before it closes in April!!!!
I suspect your son will do fine. The high grades and SAT scores are enough to keep him in the general pool and be looked at more closely. We are going to run into problems in that we don't have either of those things and yet we have a kid who others will testify is not at all well represented by these measurement tools.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 17, 2009 6:43:39 GMT -5
jisp, we (artist wife and I) agree that the original proposal for the Rose was both wrong and stupidly handled. I spoke with a senior guy at Brandeis at a dinner party recently. He told me he had no idea what was actually happening and is pretty close to the administration. One hypothesis, probably not correct, was that this was a way to justify publicly selling a few paintings ("OK, we won't sell the collection, just a few paintings."). However, they do face a more serious budget squeeze than many schools. They are trying to be a smallish research university rather than a liberal arts school. This costs a lot more. And they are a young institution, which means they are still developing their donors. They don't have a huge endowment and rely on their donors for part of the operating budget. In this economy, a lot of donations have gone away. So, they will have a big hole in their budget in 2 or 3 years. For that reason, selling a few paintings here and there would help. Or, they've got to make serious cuts in something else, or both. Most of their research peers have bigger endowments, more established donor bases, etc..
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Post by socalgal on Mar 17, 2009 17:42:33 GMT -5
Outstanding news! And I must admit that I'm no fan of Rochester -- I took a group of students there to a conference several years ago and maybe it was the fact that our return trip included being on a commuter plane that needed de-icing 3 times (in April) before taking off for JFK (this with several students who had never flown before...), I don't have the fondest memories of this campus visit. And then maybe it's because all I can think about when I hear news about Rochester, NY, is that is mighty darn close to Buffalo, NY -- where they regularly have 10+ feet of snow. Course, I'm a California girl & I like the sunny weather.  |
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 17, 2009 19:45:41 GMT -5
Hey! Socal watch it. Both dihicks and I are in the Buffalo Rochester area. LOL! There's snow in MA too.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 17, 2009 19:50:19 GMT -5
socalgal, I'm a Massachusetts guy and I prefer sunny warm weather. My sister went to Rochester and my recollection is that she called home a lot during her freshman year and it was snowing on pretty much every call. But, they have good faculty, so it would certainly be above the line for my son.
Given the health problems he was having, we restricted his applications to schools in the Northeast. The general idea was that if he was feeling exhausted, I could leave work sometime in the afternoon, scoop him up, and get back by midnight. The only two schools not meeting that criterion, I think, are Princeton (my alma mater) and Rochester (my sister's). Almost all of the rest are within 3 hours drive.
The other good news is that he had very extensive surgery in mid-January and after a tough one month recover, there is reason to hope that a lot of the health problems will be gone or substantially reduced.
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Post by healthy11 on Mar 18, 2009 13:33:23 GMT -5
Shawbridge, I was just thinking about you after listening to a wonderful webinar that featured Atty. Matthew Cohen talking about the ADAA which took effect 1/1/09.....He described how getting accommodations for SAT/ACT testing and in college should become much easier, based on changes in the laws....Of course, the best news of all would be if your son's surgery has corrected many of his difficulties! (I'm afraid there isn't any surgery known to help ADHD/dyslexia like my son has, but we take it one day at a time....)
Do keep us posted on your son!
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Post by socalgal on Mar 18, 2009 16:28:22 GMT -5
I merely point out that snow is fun -- for a week or so.... Then no matter how you look at it, it's just plain drudgery. I will admit Rochester has an outstanding faculty (and I enjoyed my trip to Niagra falls).
All of that said, come and visit me on my campus -- especially in December (when the roses are in bloom). It's mighty nice to sit out in front of Doheny Library, sip a latte, enjoy good friends, and sunny skies. Come out for a visit and you'll see what I mean.
Now to be serious. Shawbridge, because of DD's health concerns -- we've got the same sort of list -- only with schools on the West Coast -- except for a couple where we have very close friends who can "scoop" her up as needed. It totally makes sense.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 18, 2009 16:58:52 GMT -5
socal, I do feel a need for some warmth and sunshine just about now.
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Post by jisp on Mar 18, 2009 17:16:41 GMT -5
socalgal,
You obviously are not a skier. I do get tired of the snow but that only makes spring time even more enjoyable. For one thing I love XCountry skiing with my dog in the woods and that makes every snowy day in winter a cause for celebration. I love to downhill ski as well, but it is expensive and one has to drive somewhere to do it, where with XCountry I can just put my skis on and go. I love being warm and toasty after exerting myself while the air is crisp and cool. I love stepping on ice and watching it crack under my boots. I used to love to skate outdoors but don't do that much anymore. I personally will take a 28 degree snowy winter day easily over a 47 degree rainy december day. As for sun, I like it but I like variety and I find it annoying when every day is snowy. Plus I like humidity.
So my advice to anyone heading to Rochester is to try some outdoor winter sports like XCountry Skiing. You might find yourself longing for snow after all. And when I am tired of the cold or wishing for some spring I remind myself that I missed snow horribly the 8 years we lived in the pacific northwest.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 18, 2009 20:56:38 GMT -5
healthy, was that webinar a live thing? If not, is there something else I can read, so that I am prepared for college and can get my son prepared (Moot Court is probably good preparation for advocacy about accommodations). Next month, we'll be visiting heads of disabilities services at the schools to which he has been admitted.
You are right, surgery will not do anything for my son's dyslexia, but it does seem to be doing a lot for the sleep apnea, which exacerbated everything. He was so tired and for a long time, we thought the tiredness was was solely caused by doing all of the reading and writing. My wife (and, I think, jisp) thought that he was depressed, which I didn't think was the case. But, it was hard to tell what caused what.
Now, I think we have some evidence. While reading and writing still tire him, he has a lot more energy than he did. Staying up is not a struggle. And, although he had good reasons to be depressed, I don't think he could have sustained the level of effort and performance that he did under such difficult circumstances if he were.
jisp, my Canadian wife also goes cross-country skiing a lot and loves cold weather. The Canadian national anthem apparently includes the line, "There is no such thing as cold weather, just inadequate clothes." I like it best at 70 to 80 degrees.
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Post by Mayleng on Mar 18, 2009 21:20:38 GMT -5
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Post by jisp on Mar 18, 2009 21:36:20 GMT -5
Shawbridge,
In science times or maybe it was science news or New Scientists (aah the problem with having access to too many publications) there was an article about how sleep and mental health are linked. And in many cases they are now discovering that sleep problems actually trigger mental health issues. So yes your son might of been depressed and he might of been suffering from a sleep problem. Fixing the sleep problem probably addressed the depression. It makes sense poor sleep can result in a decline of many cognitive functions.
I honestly think that we underestimate the relationship between the body and the mind. And although some minds do just work differently and that is a good thing, there are those who suffer from learning disabilities whose root cause lies in some other part of the body that is not the mind. I am a big believer in the whole brain-gut connection, but I also know that viruses and the immune system can impact the nervous system as well.
BTW, you son didn't have nose surgery by any chance? I am in the process of scheduling surgery to fix my deviated septum, something I am reluctant to do but feel I should do as breathing is a good thing and something I would like to be able to do.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 18, 2009 22:37:49 GMT -5
Surgical procedures: septoplasty (for deviated septum), tonsillectomy, UPPP (or Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty) to trim all or part of the uvula (the soft flap of tissue that hangs down at the back of the mouth) and parts of the soft palate and the throat tissue behind it, hyoid advancement that pulls forward a bone near the Adam's Apple that is tied to the muscles at the back of the tongue and thus pulls the tongue forward, genioglossus advancement (rotates a bone in the chin that is tied to all of the muscles at the back of the tongue, pulling the tongue forward), turbinectomy (to open up sinuses) and removal of 4 wisdom teeth. He is so much more energetic and happier and he is breathing so well.
One resident said his surgery was like a having a six month tour of duty in Iraq in terms of stress level to the body.
jisp, I agree that the sleep problem could have contributed to depression and perhaps should have caused depression. Further, I agree that the mind and body are linked more than our current medical model admits. In his case, he didn't seem depressed to me and I think that if he were, he wouldn't have been able to summon repeatedly the energy to do what he did (probably 3rd in his class of 300 at a very competitive high school, studying effectively for SATs and ACTs and getting great scores). I think he could have summoned the energy once but not as often as was required. One can of course argue the counterfactual (Think of how much better he would have performed had he not been depressed) and there is no way to prove the he would not have done better, but it does not seem consistent with what I observed.
Before the sleep apnea diagnosis, my wife thought my son was depressed. But, many times, years earlier, she would diagnose things as depression for him because he didn't have any energy, and then it would turn out that he had severe sinus infections etc. Each time, her diagnosis was superseded by a clear physical cause. So, although my wife is very good at many things, I don't give great weight to her diagnosis of depression in my son's case.
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Post by shawbridge on Mar 19, 2009 18:57:56 GMT -5
Shawbridge, I was just thinking about you after listening to a wonderful webinar that featured Atty. Matthew Cohen talking about the ADAA which took effect 1/1/09.....He described how getting accommodations for SAT/ACT testing and in college should become much easier, based on changes in the laws.... healthy and mayleng, thanks for this reference. The changes are fabulously helpful. The Supremes narrowed the scope of Sec. 504 and the ADA rather narrowly. This broadening is fantastic. It doesn't mean institutions will easily comply and get it, but when they figure it out, life will be easier. |
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Post by jisp on Mar 19, 2009 20:43:36 GMT -5
Shawbridge depression is never really 100% straight forward. Sometimes it results in somebody hyper-focusing on something like academics as that helps distract from the pain and discomfort. For example my SIL is chronically depressed and managed to get perfect LSAT scores. Had she not been depressed her scores would probably still have been good, but a bit more normal-good, if that makes sense.
One thing to consider is that your son's performance in college might not be as outstanding or stellar as he becomes less depressed and more normal due to better sleep. That is OK and is probably a sign that he is healthier and doing better. He might even manage to get a C or a B-, which is OK and something you should cheer about when it happens. My son's doctor has helped us see that the very high scores our son was getting on his chemistry tests were wonderful given all the academic challenges he has had over the years, but our son's intensity around studying was not so good. Over the course of this year I have seen our son increasingly become more balanced in his approach to his work. More and more these days he is able to have fun and study without stress or guilt. When he studies these days he seems to be enjoying himself more as well.
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