Living in America 2012--Because It Is No Longer 2011

[MmeBucket]

This is what happens when I start threads--they get stupid titles. Someone else needs to start the next one. Hopefully we can get this one filled by 2013.

Link to old thread for reference

Not much happening here. The kids have been off school for 25 days. I am soooo looking forward to them starting school tomorrow. Except it is my day to help, so instead of getting a break from my two, I'll have 22 of them to deal with.

Betty if they get to the end of lower 6th to be honest I'd think seriously about whether you could wait to follow him until after their A levels are done. Maybe you could do a 'staggered move' (Eg husband relocates for work in Aug next year, starts working while living in a flat, you and twins follow him after their exams are over in the following May/June) - I know a lot of expat families who've done similar. Another alternative is them going to boarding school for 6th form, not that I'd suggest that to be frank!

A levels and IBs aren't interchangeable, so if they're halfway through A levels they won't just be able to slot into IBs. Could you start them doing IBs now, where you live in the UK, if you think you will be somewhere they could complete them in California?

California (as a state) is pretty broke; it doesn't have a very good taxation system (weird property tax rules) and so it has a shoddy tax base, and that has affected funding for state schools and universities. I do know that its state universities (UCLA, UC SoCal etc) are laying off instructors left, right, and centre, but if your daughters are willing to trek further away from home around the Pacific Northwest (Great universities in Washington state, also you have Canada, there's Vancouver up the coast...) that's an option. It may be that if you stay in the UK so they can finish their A levels, they want to stay there to go to Uni as well... which could be easier for them, certainly it's an easier applications/funding system to navigate if you're a Brit.

SATs aren't hard, exactly, but they do require some things (maths, for example) which I gave up with relish after GCSEs and would have hated to be tested on again aged 18! They would also have to crash-course learn a lot of American history and possibly some aspects of some sciences which are covered differently in the GCSE syllabus. And, of course, there's a technique to taking multiple choice exams successfully which the UK school system does not prepare pupils for.

Sorry this sounds a bit DOOMy, it's by no means impossible to move someone for the last two years of high school, which roughly equate to sixth form (though it's uncommon). High school over here is 4 years, from year 10 onwards - so they would be walking into gangs of people who've already made their friendship groups. But that's the same all over the world, and frankly as exciting novelty Brits they'd probably have a great time! I hope some of it helps.

thanks wentshopping and blackcurrants, this all useful and helps me to try to balance things out. We are self-employed, so can move when we want to in theory but of course no help with costs etc. Definitely don't think DD2 will want to pick up the hated maths again once she has waved it bye bye at 16. She is a talented actress and wants to pursue this but I don't see this on many uni curriculae in the USA...
Thank you both.

The visa that the company will be applying for will be an 01 visa which with premium processing could be through in as little as 3/4 weeks. The company are pushng very hard (no formal job offer yet as another round of interviews to do but if job is offered (and accepted) then DH could be out there before Christmas

So the girls will be lucky to have completed even one term of their A Levels.

If they only had a few months left of their course then it would make sense to allow them to stay in the Uk and finish is but I couldn't bear to be parted from them for the best part of 18 months.

Its complicated by the fact that we also have two boys aged 11 and 13 and the sooner we get them settled into Middle School, the better.

DH is not currently willing to discuss changing the girls to an IB now although I have just checked the website of their college and they do offer it. My feeling is that we start it now or not at all.

I would hope that our move to the States would be a fairly long term one (at least to get all 4 through the education system to age 21) in which case the gorls would probably slot into the High School system and progress along with the rest of them. But of course the situation is out of our control and we are entirely dependent of the employers whims. My concern is that they may end up with no A Level and no HSD either!

What with this and having to get the house ready for a move that might not happen - my nerves are about to give up.

kweggie - take a look at Univ of Oklahoma (Could be Oklahoma State?) there's a musical theater course dd wants to do - with alumni on Broadway. Further from Tx there is New York University and definitely one of the unis in Boston has a strong fine arts programme.

Betty - if they can do GCSEs, they'll get a HSD :)

University in California is getting more and more difficult due to increased costs, less professors and more students. A degree that used to take 4 years to complete is now taking much much longer, 5 and 6 years is not unusual due to the students being unable to get the classes needed to graduate. Our oldest Ds graduated Uni here in CA in 2010 even then a 4 year BA degree took 5 years. He went to a private Uni with a good rep that guaranteed getting out in 4 years so long as the grades were kept up. So in 4 years he was done at the cost of $39,000 a year plus books and food, he was lucky to have grants and scholarships that covered a lot of the cost. He wasn't an international or out of state student either.
My friends daughter one year younger should have graduated in 2011 and has no end in sight for her degree at a Cal state University.
I wouldn't even entertain bringing kids who are getting ready to go off to Uni if you got here and a year later they want to go to UK uni you will be stuck paying international fees and they won;t have completed their A levels.
They (and you) will not be allowed to work as dependents of an O1 visa holder, so they couldn't even work on campus to help with pizza money.
Theres a lot of information and experience over on the US section of www.britishexpats.com

Sorry to add to the doom, but if you are on visas then you would have to pay out of state fees for university, which could be double the amount that in state students pay.

I have no idea what to suggest but it is a difficult time to move them. I din't know if they could get into college just based on the first year of A levels, but it is possible. I had all my UK qualifications adapted for over here and my A levels counted towards degree status. Lots of areas have community colleges which are cheaper and many students live at home, so it wouldn't be much different from 6th form. They often have more arty courses than private big colleges.

thanks wentshopping
DD wants to do film and tv and only so that makes it even trickier! UK seems more geared up to this , which is strange when you consider Hollywood(da da da da da, HOLLYWOOD!! )

If you are still in the UK and get to London then I would recommend attending College Day, if you can't get to London then at least look at the Fulbright pages, from that link. Whilst designed for students going from the UK to study in the US it can give you a lot of information aimed at a British audience.

kweggie - dd1 is doing film production at High School just now. (Save the jazz hands for dd2!) Her teacher has promised them a list of top 10 film schools - often a part of the faculty of a larger university. DD is interested in New York University, or anything in Chicago or Denver. I know of someone who went to Atlanta - not sure which college though and did an internship at CNN while studying. University of Texas has a film school as this is where dd's teacher went. I would check out the media studies section of any big institution for more ideas.

thanks-you're a star!

kweggie if she's interested in 'proper' training, people over here really seem to respect the UK's adherence to theatre and live performance in their 'drama school' stuff. Mind you, it seems quite a few universities offer a 'theater arts' degree - I'm currently working at a relatively small college in New Jersey and they offer one - so do look around.

I think the out-of-state/international tuition is where you're really going to be hit hard, I'm afraid. I'd think hard about doing uni in England, if you possibly can.

yes i think you may well be right...

Sorry to change the subject, but I just discovered a new TV channel - in DC it's called WETA UK, although I think the WETA thing might be local. It's a PBS channel with old British stuff on. Last night was a feast of Black Books, Coupling and Outnumbered. We won't mention Monarch of the Glen which seems to be on a loop.

My kids already watch WETA kids (no ads), but this was a revelation. And yes, I'm aware how sad I sound.

ooh this is not sad, whims but very valuable information! I am going to seek it out! If I could find a way to get peppa pig without having to hook youtube up to the tv monitor I'd be a happy lady! :)

Not sad at all, I haven't seen that here, I'll do a channel search and see what I can find. I have sadly each weekend been watching Doc Martin, they have started it from the beginning and I must admit I'm enjoying it. It's followed by Spooks, but they have gone back to more old ones. Sunday is Inspector Lewis and Monday is the second series of Downton Abbey. Between those and Coronation street online I'm a happy camper for now

Does anyone else absolutely love September? It's one of my very favourite times of year in New Jersey. The heat of the day is about 24-26, so like a lovely summer's day back home, and you get crisp mornings and cool nights so no need to run the air conditioner - it's just so lovely!

It's sad too - DH gets to work 'part time' in the summer so he and DS are around a lot more, and life is calmer in many ways, so there's that 'back to school' vibe which is a bit of a pain - but aaah, the weather is so wonderful!

We usually have our first snow by mid-November, so I already relish the Sept-Oct cool-but-not-miserably-cold time of year. DS spends hours and hours outside getting grubby and it's neither dangerously hot nor bitingly cold. Bliss!
I hope everyone else is having a lovely weekend! :)

Our cool down hasn't come yet, still in the mid 90's once we cool off and I can switch off the A/C I'm a happy camper. Maybe next week for us.

We actually had a really mild winter last year, with only one big pre-xmas snowfall, which was on Halloween. Very destructive, as most trees still had their leaves and loads of branches snapped under the snow and brought down powerlines! That reminds me, I must see if DS still fits into his snowsuit while there's an outerwear sale on at Hanna Anderson. Justabout the only clothes I spend good money on are snowgear, as DS has to be outside for hours every day or he's unbearable! :)

Snowgear :)
We're at the start of the cool down, but we always remember that sometimes the kids are too hot in their costumes when out trick or treating. One year dd1 went home to change as she was too hot. Soon we start to see the whole neighbourhood out on their bikes as its finally cool enough to be outside, and the mosquitos die down.

We did the winter clothes parade here the other day, in the heat with the a/c churning she still fits in all last years Hanna andersson leggings, and I got a bunch of sweatshirt dresses and tunic tops from www.naartjie.com online in the winter clearance last Spring. I think we are set, her coats are good and today I found a lovely columbia fleece jacket in Marshalls on clearance too. I'm having great clothes luck!
I also notice Costco has all the hanna leggings in again this year, two paick for $14.99

OOh that is pretty great! I found the winters here quite frighteningly cold when I first arrived (the winds whip up manhattan at -8 for months on end!) but now I look forward to the snow. It's all about being adequately dressed, really. DS2 is due Christmasweek, so I'll be keeping him in the sling under my coat for a few months, I think! :)

No we do not enjoy the weather this time of year. It is the hottest month usually here. We hit a record breaking 109 on Friday and we have no air con because it is so mild for most of the year. Humidity was horribly high too.

gosh that sounds miserable, Hop - are you in the southwest? No AC with that kind of temperature - I don't know how you're all sleeping! You poor things.

I find humidity very hard to manage, it makes ME very hard to manage (very grumpy!)

No we are in mild and usually balmy San Diego. It is cooler today it is meant to be 85 with lower humidity, much more civilised.

Evening ladies

So next Sat I'll be joining you officially as we jet off to the States! The last couple of months have been crazy busy (family over for the Olympics, weddings in Cyprus & Colorado, a week back to Ireland, saying goodbye to London, selling car, sorting out what we're taking and what we're giving away etc).

Today is actually my birthday (35 - where are the years going?!?!) and has mostly been spent sorting stuff for the move our of our flat on Wed morning (we have movers coming to pack and move but want to leave things clean and organised for them). Glamorous - not! We'll spend our last few days in London in a self-catering flat not too far from where we live so that we can oversee the move and handover to the landlord. Then it's Manhattan for a month while we sort out where we're moving to in NJ! Am feeling happy and excited but also sad and nervous - I have such amazing friends in London, how will I find similar connections. The usual stuff for a move like this I'm sure...

Anyway, just want to say THANK YOU to CaliforniaLeaving for the Hanna Andersson & Naartjie tip - I am a massive fan of Polarn o Pyret/unisex scandi clothes so these look right up my street.

Blackcurrants congrats on DS no 2! Sounds like you'll have a busy Christmas!

Hope everyone else is well. Today I washed the pumpkin suit DS had for his first Halloween, all ready for DD to have it for her first one. I'm looking forward to being in a country that celebrates Halloween in style - it's huge in Ireland and we always dressed up, carved turnips and played Halloween games (and trick or treated). Roll on late October!