<p>vitrac, “it takes one to know one”… aren’t we all just a tad “over-excited” at this point about this process? Better that we share with each other than our family (and our kid). Although I must admit that I saw the most excitement ever about a test score when I told DS what he got. Now the long wait for Monday…</p>
<p>My son took the June SAT on Sunday. When he went online to check his score, it wasn’t there and a message said to check back in a week to 10 days. It said that reasons could range from a testing irregularity to taking the test on a makeup date. My husband concluded that we shouldn’t worry, because Sunday testing might be considered a “makeup date” and that’s probably the issue. However, my daughter also did Sunday testing when she was a junior/senior, and her scores always came out on time. Anyone else test on Sunday who can set our minds at ease (or not)?</p>
<p>Linymom,
Congrats on test. Had a nice day in Newark…got a lot done. Banking, transcripts, computer purchase, merch. A good day. Tomorrow is orientation. D2 very excited…
Every time I am at udel, I like it even more</p>
<p>Congrats LINYMOM on the good score!</p>
<p>Summer is definitely here. It was INSANELY hot today. I’ve got a sick kid so we just hibernated inside and pushed the Gatorade.</p>
<p>Socaldad. So glad that your dd’s hard work has paid off in happiness for you both!</p>
<p>SoCal-What do you think of our east coast weather so far? Even Austin isn’t this bad!</p>
<p>Haha Vitrac. I can’t leave that alone. Truthfully I haven’t seen your weather reports but this time of year our daily highs are typically in the mid 90’s to low hundreds, so I’m not sure if you would agree that" Austin isn’t that bad." But I do remember when I lived in NY those temperatures seemed so much hotter than they do to me here. Probably because we had limited air conditioning. Is that still true?</p>
<p>Spectrum-Haha–I’m quite sure Austin is generally unbearable for us Yankees this time of year. But the Northeast was hit with an Austin-type heat wave this week that was especially torturous! New Yorkers–weigh in please! SoCal-how’s Delaware’s weather?</p>
<p>School’s out!!!</p>
<p>D1 and S firmly ensconced in summer internships. D2 closed out the year with all A’s and a B. Woot! I’m really proud of her, as she is, um, shall we say lazy? </p>
<p>Congrats to all who are done with SAT and SAT2’s. </p>
<p>Let’s all raise a glass to summer…</p>
<p>S graduated yesterday in the beautiful NJ sunshine. Temperature registerd at 102 degrees when we drove to school. It was brutally hot, but S and his posse were so thrilled that we barely noticed (just kidding!). A major milestone… One step closer to my empty nest!</p>
<p>^^Congrats to you & your S, mom2009!</p>
<p>Well, my “B” student finished soph year on a high note…straight B’s (and one A-)
Yay! Actually, really happy for him because his GPA percentage edged up each of the 4 quarters slightly. So there is light at the end of the tunnel! :)</p>
<p>He knows he has to do his very best for junior year, and since he is on a slight upward swing, hope to keep that momentum going.</p>
<p>RVM and others who self studied for the ACT: We are going to try the self study route and see what happens…what books or methods did you use and what did you think worked the best? Thanks-</p>
<p>Yes, C43: Let’s toast to summer! Yikes, we really need to come with some sort of parenting manuel…who knew it was so intense! :eek:</p>
<p>CCC: RVM recommended the ACT book that has a red cover so that’s the one DS used.</p>
<p>mom2009: Mazel Tov. Saw on the news that it was brutally hot in NJ yesterday and that there were a lot of people “down” at one HS graduation. Hope our graduates get their ceremony tonight; heavy storms are coming to break the heat, right at graduation time.</p>
<p>socaldad: Thinking of you in Newark today. I hope your DD is as excited as mine was to get her UD ID. What a great day.</p>
<p>vitrac: I’ve been to Houston in the summer a couple of times; the heat and humidity was just like it was here on LI yesterday; neither is ideal. Love my AC.</p>
<p>Ok Liny, you may have answered the question. If it felt in the NE like Houston it is worse up there than in Austin as Vitrac said. It isn’t so much the heat as the humidity. So sorry for you folks up there :). </p>
<p>Congratulations on the graduation Mom2009, whatever the temp.</p>
<p>CCC: RVM actually PM’d me way back in June of 08 about her practice approach so I am pasting it here. No doubt once she and her s got going she may have tweaked things a bit. But this is an initial draft of the RVM method. RVM, I hope this is okay with you but it doesn’t look like there is anything here that you would hesitate to share. It looked like a great plan then and still does now if you have a kid who has the time and the will to put in the effort and a parent who works well on this sort of thing with her/his kiddo. (This info came in separate messages so I’m pulling the highlights)</p>
<p>I’m just using the ACT practice book, the Real ACT is the name of it. My plan is to have him do an entire practice test including writing later this month. Then, after we score it, we will have an idea of where he needs the most work. We would then spend time going over the wrong answers for the practice test and then do a few sections in the weakest areas over the next 2 weeks - then do another full practice test. My plan is just 45 - 60 minutes a day 3-4 times a week - when he is just doing one section, plus maybe a full length test every 3rd week. We really have to play it by ear - a lot will depend on how well he does on the first practice test and the second one - if I am seeing predicted scores where I hope to or if I feel he needs more work. I want to try and keep it reasonable - not trying to be a test ogre. I agree that the writing section would be the hardest to score - keep in mind that on the ACT the essay has its own score and does not factor into the composite score. I think with the essay its just good to practice getting a prompt, taking a few minutes to plan an essay, and then to writing it and the more you do that, the more comfortable you are with the concept. …</p>
<p>…After my son does a section, I score it and go over it with him. Sometimes I will say, you picked A and that was incorrect - if it is not A what do you think it would be? to see if he can get the right answer on the 2nd try. Sometimes, particularly on the reading questions, the issue of the “best” answer comes up - and we have a discussion on why the answer he picked is not “wrong” per se, but it is not the “best” answer. There are little things like that and like the time mgmt that just take practice. Also - the easier questions are usually towards the beginning of the section and the harder ones to the end - so again time mgmt is crucial.</p>
<p>Runnersmom: Thanks for the reassurance about safety in Israel.</p>
<p>Socaldad: I hope you and your D had fun at orientation.</p>
<p>Mom2009: Congrats on your S’s graduation. You don’t sound too worried about the empty nest.</p>
<p>CCC: I’m glad to hear that your S2’s grades are on an upward trend. My D self studied for the ACT using the red REAL ACT prep book, and the Kaplan book. RVM’s plan sounds like a good one. It’s very important to do some timed practice tests to make sure that he can finish each section.</p>
<p>First of all, thanks for the wishes.<br>
Must say, that while the heatwave here is getting lots of news coverage, and the humidity is much more than I am used to…it was not as bad as Austin. Spectrum, you still win the prize.
We had a great two days. Accomplished so much. We took out my d2’s admission counsellor for dinner last night. We celebrated, thanked her for being an angel,vand had the best time. We are fortunate that such a great admission counsellor came into our life. We had a great time.
Today, was a good day. My d loved the day, enjoyed her group and the kids she met, and enjoyed the reaction she got as a california kid. Her advising and course selection was a little rocky. But after a second session(with a push from dad) she got the classes she needed. The parent part of the program was tedious. Lots of sessions with really stupid questions. But, it was a success. My d was excited to walk the campus as a new student. It was great to see. She felt really comfortable, and left with excitement and optimism. A great few days.<br>
I hope all the others here have equally positive orientations. </p>
<p>Have a nice weekend, and for those in these parts, stay cool…</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice Linymom, Spectrum(and RVM) and momjr! :)</p>
<p>ACT is a whole new experience for me as older S did SAT and SAT prep class. The prep class was worth it for him. </p>
<p>Gc believes S2 is slightly stronger in the pre-ACT, so we’ll pursue that avenue. I’m not going to go crazy, though, since a few schools we’re looking at are Tech schools and don’t require either test. </p>
<p>Let’s see how motivated he’ll be on his own with the red book/REAL ACT prep book. Thank you, Spectrum, for such a detailed message…it’ll help as I go into uncharted territories this coming Fall! :)</p>
<p>Hope everyone’s kids have safe Birthright experiences this summer. S1 is still trying to decide when to go…he’ll figure it out sooner or later! We actually have two cousins that went AFTER college and they loved the idea of going with young single professionals! Sounds like whenever he goes, it’ll be just fine…an awesome trip at any time!</p>
<p>One more question about ACT: This is how un-knowledgeable I am: How many sections to the ACT test are there? How long do they have to complete a section? How long for the writing and how is that graded? ACT seems to be more “straight forward” than the SAT? Not as tricky to answer the questions?? Thanks guys! :)</p>
<p>I am so excited for everyone that is launching; it all is just going so smoothly. My dd leaves for a high school music trip to Europe on Monday, and I just realized that when she gets back in 3 weeks, we will have less than 4 weeks until she goes into the dorms! Took my breath away for a second! Of course, a mom’s work is never done… Tuesday, playing soccer in our yard, she hurt her foot. So we have been to the doctor and had xrays; thankfully, she did not break anything, but she goes off to Europe in a boot. Oy.</p>
<p>Socaldad: Prize, really :), I’m glad to hear that you’ve had a good trip. We also registered for classes and did orientation this week and while visiting the college was fun and exciting the experience of registration at a large school is a bit dizzying. But as with your daughter the schedule worked out, (more or less. There is a learning curve to all of this and S who is feeling great these days forgot how difficult making it to class at 8:00 had been when not feeling great. I’m hoping that he won’t be reminded because I couldn’t talk him out of it.)</p>
<p>PhillyArtmom: I hope your daughter has a wonderful trip boot and all.</p>
<p>Choc: From the ACT site:</p>
<p>Description of the ACT</p>
<p>The ACT (No Writing) consists of four multiple-choice tests: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. The ACT Plus Writing includes the four multiple-choice tests and a Writing Test.</p>
<p>Test Content:</p>
<p>English - 75 questions - 45 minutes - Measures standard written English and rhetorical skills.</p>
<p>Mathematics - 60 questions -60 minutes - Measures mathematical skills students have typically acquired in courses taken up to the beginning of grade 12.</p>
<p>Reading -40 questions -35 minutes -Measures reading comprehension.</p>
<p>Science -40 questions -35 minutes -Measures the interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required in the natural sciences.</p>
<p>Optional Writing Test -1 prompt -30 minutes -Measures writing skills emphasized in high school English classes and in entry-level college composition courses.</p>
<p>My D2 preferred the ACT to the SAT and had better scores on the ACT. The SAT is a reasoning test, so it is somewhat trickier. Students who are strong readers and quick to complete tasks tend to score better on the ACT. Make sure your S takes the writing test. Most schools require the ACT with Writing to replace the SAT.</p>
<p>Phillyartmom: I hope your D has a great trip despite the boot.</p>
<p>CCC -</p>
<p>My S took the ACT, too. Got a 26 in 10th grade, a 30 October jr yr and a 32 (with a 35 in Math) in April. The absolute best approach we found was the Advantage Point Boost Your Score ACT computer software - look on Amazon. It’s pretty cheap and contains 5, I think, real ACT tests like the Red Book, which you can print off. But you input your answers and it gives you a VERY detailed analysis of each subsection and the subsections of those (like each individual section of math and English (not combined like the ACT score breakdowns) and Reading). It also has prep pamphlets for each sub-sub-sub section, links for tutorials calculator programming, etc. This saved us an amazing amount of time by not having to prep so much for sections S was doing okay on. For math we also went to Khan Academy.com for their extremely helpful video explanations.</p>
<p>Good luck!!!</p>
<p>And congrats to all the graduates!</p>