<p>We believe in the xiggi method for test prep. It has worked wonders for ShawSon and pretty well for ShawD. She did well enough in her first pass on the ACT that she didn’t want to take it again.</p>
<p>Reading the posts from you junior parents reminds me how far may daughter has come in the past year. Last spring she took the SAT, 2 ACTs and her driving test, and we visited several colleges. Your kids seem to have the right attitude about test prep. I think it’s best to give it a serious push, and then stop once they reach a good score. My daughter’s goal was to exceed the median score for her target schools. She reached that goal in June, and decided that she was done. It was very nice not having to worry about additional testing in the fall.</p>
<p>Good luck to those whose kids are taking the ACT on Saturday.</p>
<p>Well, ShawD only applied to two schools. She’d gotten into the first one in November. She learned today that she’d gotten into the second one. Life is good, though now she’ll have to choose. She got a $2000 merit scholarship, but since tuition, room, board and fees were $15K, I’m not so worried. The max merit scholarship was $12K per year, but I didn’t think she was likely to get that. Life is good.</p>
<p>She has to finish the scholarship application for the other one by the end of the month. A greater chance, though I think still small, to get a big merit scholarship. I’m not worried about finances as we’d fully saved for two kids at full ride in the US, but this will make paying for med school or other grad school a breeze (assuming, as I do, that she will attend some kind of grad school).</p>
<p>Shawbridge - Congratulations to your D. I am sure she will pick the best school for her.</p>
<p>momjr. - glad to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.</p>
<p>D did a practice science section tonight and it wasn’t as good as the reading section from yesterday. That’s because she had a bunch left to do and didn’t get any correct with random guessing. She said she wants to postpone taking this and really prepare for it. So we switched her date to April and she said she will practice between now and then. I still think that she can do really well on the ACT and now that she is committed to preparing for it, we both feel better. </p>
<p>I really want the testing done this spring, but if it drags into the fall, can you still take the October SAT’s even if you are applying ED somewhere? Or is that too late? Not sure about ED, but trying to figure all of this out.</p>
<p>mdmom - with the ACT - when you run out of time - don’t do random guessing - just fill in the first bubble for each one left undone. If you jump around - you might not get any right - but if you have 8 left and you color in the first choice for each one - you should get 2 right answers.</p>
<p>I think the October SAT might be ok for ED - as scores would be out at the end of October and most ED deadlines are 11/1. But you would want to check with the school to be sure. A lot of schools put that info on their website - what is the latest test date that would work.</p>
<p>Come on now, mhc, be nice please! I think that everyone should be especially nice to me today! 
Congratulations to shawbridge’s daughter!
Regarding the advice about whether or not to major in business - I really think that this needs to be tailored to the individual student’s and family’s needs. I absolutely understand those who believe in majoring in business (my son had a job in hand by November of his senior year, and all of his friends did too with this strategy), and I also understand those who advocate majoring in another field of study, and those who believe in minoring or taking a lot of courses in a practical area. Most people seem to advocate what they did! There are pros and cons to all approaches. I do think that a student with Asperger’s has special considerations, though, and I think that mdcissp’s position on this is absolutely understandable.
Good luck to all taking the ACT this weekend! When my kids took standardized tests, I bought them a special small gift ahead of time - kindergarten pencils! Those are the big, fat ones that are easier to hold. Staples sells a four pack along with a little pencil sharpener. I also included an art eraser that erases more cleanly. We packed a little kit the night before that contained the pencils, eraser, calculator, extra batteries for the calculator, ID, and snack - which had little pop-in-the-mouth things like M&M’s, tiny crackers and cubes of cheese, grapes, and water. My kids said that the fat pencils prevented writer’s cramp and filled in bubbles faster. The pre-packed kit made the morning a lot less stressful, too.
And, my daughter applied ED and she took the October SAT her senior year - she had already taken it in December of 11th grade but just wanted to see if she could get the writing score up a bit - and it was considered for the ED application.</p>
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<p>Rockvillemom - Thanks for that tip, I’ll pass it along to D. I think it’s best that we rescheduled the test date. D gets upset if she doesn’t do well and she just did not prepare for this at all. I think she sees how doable the ACT test is and she seems motivated to work to take this in April.</p>
<p>mdmomfromli, I think it’s great you rescheduled. Your daughter will undoubtedly feel better going in fully prepared.</p>
<p>Mdmom: I think that it was a good idea to reschedule. The ACT requires less strategy than the SAT, but practice really helps with pacing. I think that most schools will accept the October SAT for ED. I have observed that most kids have a harder time focusing on test prep in the fall of senior year. I’ve seen some kids improve their scores in the fall, but a lot of kids I know didn’t.</p>
<p>rockvillemom:</p>
<p>I know you probably covered this somewhere in the last 375 or so pages…but since I am looking at some similar schools I’m interested why these schools made your “cut” what are the pros and cons of each?</p>
<p>Also did you consider Goucher?</p>
<p>pamom - our list of criteria is as follows:</p>
<p>school where a B+ student has a good chance of acceptance and success - no reaches</p>
<p>driving distance from our home in Maryland</p>
<p>heading south preferable - PA ok</p>
<p>majors/minors - business, sports mgmt, psychology</p>
<p>some level of Jewish life - Hillel</p>
<p>looking for a casual atmosphere - fun to attend sporting events - good school spirit</p>
<p>no smaller than 2400 or so (size of present hs) no larger than 17,000 or so</p>
<p>So - the 5 that are left are the only ones that reasonably fit this list. We felt that schools like UMDCP, Virginia Tech and Penn State were too big, Indiana too far and too big, Tulane and Univ. of Miami too far and a little reachy, Goucher was too small and not sports-oriented. Muhlenberg too artsy. Miami of Ohio too far and too cold. (I feel a bit like Goldilocks).</p>
<p>We have visited all schools except CofC - that will be an April visit.</p>
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<p>RVM: Such great research. You really have a great handle on things and that will certainly make senior year easier. I am planning a couple of easy driving trips with my DS this spring (2 schools each time) and I am getting such insane looks from people who think I am starting too early. One dad at the tennis club this weekend who has a HS junior really thinks I’m nuts. They are starting to look this spring. That’s just not my style, but I would never say anything. Why do people feel that they have to tell me what they think about the way I am handling things?</p>
<p>rockvillemom, I just got off the phone with someone who is just beginning to look (currently a sophomore in hs) and has the SAME requirements. How do these schools fit, as they were mentioned: Davidson, Wake Forest, and C of C (which you mentioned)? Student is a B+ student, and cost is not a factor and they will not apply for financial aid.</p>
<p>Because the fact that you are doing things that they are not makes them nervous that they are doing something wrong. I have a cousin with a junior daughter - very strong student and incredible pianist. I was shocked to speak with her recently and learn that they have done…nothing. She feels it should be her D’s job to research schools, plan visits, sign up for testing, etc. When I tried to gently suggest that she needs to educate herself on the process and become more involved - she became very defensive - so I dropped it - told her to call me if and when she wanted any help. This girl’s father is a very busy executive who does not live with them full-time - as he recently accepted a very high paying job in another state. The mother is very busy with volunteer work and her music. This girl would be a candidate at top tier schools - I just hope they are not making a huge mistake in the way they are handling things.</p>
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<p>Linymom: Don’t worry about what other people think. If your son is interested and ready, go ahead and start early. I think that sometime first kids are scared to start the process, but second kids are excited about it. I noticed that some of my daughter’s friends’ parents really disengaged from the process, and I think that their children suffered because of it.</p>
<p>northeastmom - Davidson and Wake Forest would be reaches for a B+ student. So - they fit the criteria in most ways - except for admissions. My older son is a sophomore at Wake Forest. He was a very high stat student in hs - and he finds the workload very demanding. I really think Wake and Davidson are for “A” students who respond well to academic challenges and are willing to work very hard. I would be concerned for a B+ student that even if they were accepted - they might be in over their head. But that would depend, of course, on the student.</p>
<p>RVM, thank you for your response. I just sent a PM to you because of certain private special circumstances.</p>
<p>rockvillemom: thanks much!!</p>
<p>Am currently planning college tour from Philly to JMU this spring and would love to hear any feedback from your visit. What things stood out to you? Any tips on things to see/do on campus or in the area or places to stay? The location seems a bit isolated.</p>
<p>Am also trying to decide on other schools to visit along the way. Is there some reason you ruled out U Del? On paper it seems very similar to JMU, but with more OOS students. Was it too close to home?</p>
<p>I’m also looking at Loyola Md, American U, and U Mary Washington for some schools on a smaller scale that are less isolated geographically. Any feedback on these schools from you or anyone else appreciated!!</p>
<p>I also feel like I started the process early. The end of sophomore year D and I started putting a list together based on her criteria. We have fine tuned it. I thought we started testing early. She took the SAT in October, some tutoring for her weak section, took the SAT again in January. Will study now for the ACT in April. And I realize we are running out of time for the standardized testing. Hopefully the Jan. SAT will be it and/or the April ACT. Luckily for her intended major she doesn’t need subject tests for any of the schools she is considering. </p>
<p>As much as I feel like I began this early with D1, I will start certain things earlier with D2. I think we will get a handle on which test to pursue earlier, instead of trying to figure it out now. I will figure that out the end of sophomore year with her and then do the testing during Jr. year. She will probably have to take subject tests, so I won’t have as much wiggle room during Jr. year if we want to get all of the testing out of the way then.</p>
<p>I also know people with Juniors who have done absolutely nothing. I think by starting early we give our kids more choices because we have explored all options.</p>
<p>pamom59 - D and I took a tour of U of D this fall. We both really liked the campus. Everyone I know who went to Delaware was happy there. It is on D’s list. The only drawback is the crazy long winter break. Other than that, seems like a great fit all around. </p>
<p>I am sure that LINYMOM will chime in since her D is currently at Delaware and loving it!</p>