<p>For vet school, the other important factor is having worked with a vet. In at Ohio State, for example, a certain number of hours are required - not sure if a distinction is made between volunteer/paid.</p>
<p>If she is truly interested in being a vet, she might start exploring possibilities with some local practices this summer. I think that being able to chat with someone that has been through all this would be reassuring and helpful.</p>
<p>Just a word on ‘stats’. They are important; however, they are just one factor in an application. Your DD will have to do her best, and live thru the wretched SAT’s. But - she also needs to be herself and find herself. And, with a ‘caring profession’ such as veterinary medicine, maybe even help the world to be a better place along the road. If this all holds true, then three years plus a month or two from now - and she has thoughtfully selected schools and completed applications - you should have some lovely thick envelopes arriving.</p>
<p>Ahhh there’s the difference…I used drugs for both childbirth and college applications! Just kidding…epidural for the childbirth but did the college application process twice drug free. Someone should invent an application epidural! : )</p>
<p>Well, as long as we all agree Merlot is a drug, I used drugs for the application process:). and I concur. An application epidural would sell like the proverbial hotcakes…</p>
<p>Hoyamom - why didn’t I think of that?! First child-no drugs, wised up with the second one (a little back labor will do that for ya), but forgot about asking for my college application epidural!</p>
<p>I’ll gently disagree a tiny bit with most of you. Unfortunately, here in Texas, we do have to be conscious of the end game even with our 9th graders. Take it from the mom of a NMF who is also a National Hispanic Scholar, who took every AP available, scored 1500 range on M+V, and has national level awards, is a standout personality-wise…but who is just barely in that top 10% range. What did she do wrong? Well, she had a tough freshman year, but really redeemed herself in her sophomore and junior years (only 2 Bs). It will affect where she goes to college. It is just a very sad phenomenon peculiar to Texas.</p>
<p>Mizzou - there is a way to keep on top of things without stressing the kids out. Make sure your daughter takes the right courses…without even thinking about the SAT, she’ll be preparing for it. The sophomore sitting for the PSAT is a good idea, if you treat it as ‘out of level’ testing without any scoring expectations, kinda like the Duke TIP. Tell your daughter to do her best, don’t worry about preparation and use the results to identify her weaknesses. Praise her strengths loudly and quietly arrange for her to take whatever classes at school that will remedy the weaknesses. Our school offers a National Scholars program, which is basically PSAT/SAT prep for juniors…it is lowkey, an hour a day before school, kids actually enjoy it like they would a club activity. Our school has quadrupled their SF and Commended numbers over 3 years through this program. You can find out if your district offers a similar program.</p>
<p>Until Texans ‘storm the Bastille’ on education issues, this is just what we have to deal with. It is sad and wrong. Don’t ever let it happen in your state.</p>
<p>MizzouGrad89: I think you are worried prematurely. Based on a study done few years ago more than 80% students who were not top 10% got in at either UT or A&M. I know several students who were not top 10%, but had STAT scores and strong ECs and are at the two flagship schools. Granted, with 10% rule, it is automatic. However, the top 10% rule will be changed by the time your child graduates.</p>
<p>My DD entered high school thinking she’d never get good grades or finish high in her class. As a late reader, she had always been frustrated in elementary and middle school. But something changed as she bore down her Freshman Year and worked hard. She got all A’s and jumped ahead into more honors courses. Now she is finishing up her Junior year with a uwGPA of 3.9+ and a high enough weighted GPA to fall easily within the top 10%. She still doesn’t consider herself a “smart” kid, but her confidence and academic maturity are very strong. So my advice is to relax and support your daughter in her journey. Let her know you expect only that she work hard and do her best, whatever it may be. You never know, she just might surprise you with more than you expect.</p>
<p>I don’t think the 10% rule is going to go away in the next 4 years. There are too many legislators from districts that don’t want to put any money into education who are behind it so that their (predominantly white) local kids can go to UT in spite of being less prepared than the kids from strong high schools. I think what is more likely to happen is that the state flagships will be allowed to put a cap on the percentage of each class they admit under the 10% rule, leaving more slots for them to select kids they actually want who may be outside the top 10% but from much better schools.</p>
<p>Freshman year is still early! Class ranking is not posted until the end of Freshman year. You may be surprised to find she’s not as far down as you think. My D’s school is much like yours-very competitive. My D is going into Biomedical Science (Pre-Vet) next year at A & M. She did take all advanced classes, but if your D gets high A’s in her on-level classes, and takes two advanced classes each year afterwards, it’s possible she could make it into the top 10%. At least she will be close enough to make it with good SAT scores. Don’t give up.</p>
<p>Relax. Your daughter DOES NOT need to be in the top 10% or perfect test scores to get into MOST of the colleges and universities in the U.S. She will have plenty of options, and much can change over the next four years. So, give her (and yourself) a break, and I promise you it will all work out.</p>
<p>Wow!
Thanks for all your support.
She will be considering all options, in-state and out-of-state.</p>
<p>She is not pulling an A in Algebra 1 and this is basic Algebra. Right now she has a C. She has alot of “make-up” from public school in Missouri.
I have contacted a tutor, she has been getting help from the teacher, but she keeps blowing the test. The teacher keeps telling me how hard she is working so I know she is really trying.</p>
<p>She has gotten 1 B in PreAp Biology last semester. This semester she is struggling to get a B in Algebra. Right now she is sitting with a C. </p>
<p>It is good to her that not just people in the top 10% can get in to A&M.
I do appreciate all advice. Sorry if I don’t understand all of it quite yet…
I am a newbie to this. I will get smarter…:)</p>
<p>MizzouGrad,
No need for apologies. I felt the same way when my daughter started high school. Reading the message boards here, I felt even greater panic. I was convinced that my daughter wouldn’t get into ANY college or be relegated to some horrible junior college. </p>
<p>Then, I started doing my homework and realized, heck, there are literally THOUSANDS of pretty darn good colleges in the U.S. And, miracle of miracles, she could actually get into literally MOST of those pretty darn good colleges without perfect grades, top test scores, or being in the top 10% of her class. And, that’s exactly how it’s all worked out. </p>
<p>Trust me on this: it will all work out ok for your daughter as well. Now, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t support her, be her advocate at school so she can get into the best classes possible, or get her some extra help if she needs it, but try really hard not to worry too much just yet, and avoid comparing her too much to others. Your daughter, like mine, sounds like a great kid, and, like mine, she will probably have plenty of great colleges to choose from when the time comes. </p>
<p>Here’s a homework assignment for YOU. Go to your local bookstore or Amazon and buy a copy of the Fiske Guide to Colleges as well as a book called Colleges That Change Lives. Start reading. And, visit here often, ask a lot of questions, and, most importantly do not focus in on any ONE school just yet. The colleges, careers, and majors I thought my daughter would end up with when she was a freshman in high school had absolutely NO similarities with the ones she is interested in now as a senior. And, I never — in a MILLION years — would have been able to predict the college she’ll be attending next year. That’s just part of the fun of being a parent. Enjoy the surprise!</p>
<p>Don’t sweat the top 10% rule. Your kid makes it or she doesn’t. Just keep her happy and progressing academically. To get into vet school you need very good grades in COLLEGE. She can easily get into many colleges that are good enough to get her into vet school, EVEN IF SHE IS NOT IN THE TOP 10% in high school.</p>
<p>So the grades that count for vet school are those 5 years from now.</p>
<p>BTW, the rule at A & M undergrad is I believe top 50% and above 1300 old SAT. </p>
<p>I believe 75% have below 1300 SAT, and probably only half of those are top 10%.</p>
<p>Mizzougrad, allow me to join the group of parents who suggested to relax. The 10% rule is what it is and you should not worry about it nor about its changes. FWIW, I do not believe it will disappear entirely but will be changed to arrive a 50-50 mix of automatic admits and non-top 10%. If you read the thread posted by LDmom, you’ll see that there are many opinions on the subject. However, while there may be cases of students blocked from attending one of the “good” colleges in Texas, rest assured that the overwhelming majority makes it at their … first choice. Remember that not everyone WANTS to study in Austin or College Station. </p>
<p>As far as the top 10%, you are indeed at a disadvantage because of your late transfer. There is so much publicity about the 10% rule that well-meaning parents have transformed a bit of knowledge about weighted programs into a bona fide science. And, alas, the schools have responded by fueling the frenzy with the addition of what you called a bonanza of honors programs or the adoption of highly questionable grading system that favors watered down honors and AP classes, or the King of the Hill, the baddest of the baddest … the infamous IB program that is so popular in many mediocre high schools in Texas. The quality of those programs do not matter; what is at stake is the GPA and ranking boosts! </p>
<p>However, since you are a disadvantage, do not make the error of obsessing about the ranking and its impact on admission. Focus on developing the curriculum that best fit your daughter aspirations and let the gamers worry about 1/10 of a percent for the next three years. That is what many private schools in Texas do as they typically have abandoned or never had any ranking. </p>
<p>Trust me in that it almost always works out for the best.</p>
<p>Texdad, the rules have been changed for admissions starting in 2006. Residents and non-residents have to meet the top 25% requirements and a slight addendum to the 1300 SAT rules (no ultra-lopsided scores allowed)</p>
<p>Thanks, Xiggi, it is not surprising. A friend’s kid got into A & M from about a 55% class ranking and a 1320, two years ago. Nothing to special in ec’s. He was on the waiting list, so I think it shows what was roughly the lowest acceptable at that time.</p>
<p>Hi, can your daughter take AP classes starting next year? Those classes are usually weighted more heavily than or equally to honors classes. </p>
<p>A mom at my son’s private school complained to me today that her daughter won’t grad top 10% because her class only has 40 students. I don’t think colleges should have such a “hard and fast” rule. (I wonder what that school does (Thomas Jefferson High School, I think) that had over 175 NMF in one year???) After all, if you go to a private school or a strong academic public then the top 20% could be higher than the top 5% of another. I wonder, in cases such as these, if the guidance counselors can include an explanation in the transcripts.</p>