| Sure you should take the SAT II tests while the information is still fresh in your mind, but you would probably only be prepared to take Math I, which is a waste of time if you're going to continue studying math and later take Math IIc, and biology or chemistry, which you may or may not be prepared for. If you have taken these courses, then you should buy a practice book and get ready to test in October. Like I said earlier, you should start looking into what colleges to which you might apply and even visit those close enough to you, but remember you will change your mind.
As far as College Confidential, I warn you to take everything said here with a grain of salt. Sometimes if you're not a kid with the 2400 on the SAT, 36 on the ACT, president of every club imaginable, 4.00 GPA UW, valedictorian, and more volunteer hours than Mother Teresa, some people on these boards will try to tell you you're not good enough. CCers don't make up the entire application pool. Everyone doesn't dream of attending the Ivy League (and since you're posting on the Rice board, I'll assume that you don't have that desire). Beware of "chance" threads because no one really knows whether you'll get in or not. I'll also warn you to take your "slacker" friends' advice with a grain of salt as well. I have friends I had to remind to register for the SAT (but college isn't for everyone so keep that in mind) and friends who still have no idea where they want to go. If your friends start avoiding you, it's usually a sign that they don't want to talk about college; after all, you're their friend not their guidance counselor.
As a rising HS senior who started preparing for college before my freshman year, I can tell you that the stress isn't worth it. Colleges I was sure I wanted to attend 3 years ago (with the exception of Rice) I wouldn't even consider now; heck, colleges I wanted to attend last week aren't even options now. I made great scores on my SAT and subject tests, all of which I took towards the end of my junior year with only a little prep work (not months of slaving over an SAT prep book or sitting in an SAT prep class), my GPA is great despite all the weekends I spent stressing over colleges rather than putting that extra effort into homework or projects. It wasn't until this year that I spent more time finding out who I am and what I really like to do that I could truly make decisions about the colleges that have the right "fit" and possible careers (still working on this but I have plenty of time to figure it out). Sorry this post is so long, and you probably stopped reading after the first paragraph. However, I would hate for your awareness to become an obsession.
Last edited by raynebow757 : 07-05-2008 at 08:58 AM.
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