<p>I agree with all who say you should see what you can do to improve on the tests (you still have time). But since you asked about SAT optional:</p>
<p>Check out Sarah Lawrence Univ, particularly if you’re interested in writing and the arts. They don’t require the SAT/ACT. Their application focuses on your writing, including asking you to submit a paper that you have turned in for a class. The campus is near NYC and I think they have a Manhattan site of some sort. Also, their curriculum is very creative, giving you a chance to do projects for courses, etc.</p>
<p>I"m sorry you were disappointed at your scores on the first try. Seems to me you have a couple of choices at this point:</p>
<p>(1) Do something to raise your test scores - several excellent suggestions have been made already. Dedicated effort, either on your own or as part of a prep course, can certainly raise those numbers.</p>
<p>(2) Try a different test. Some people find that the ACT yields better results. Others do not, so don’t pin all of your hopes on this. Since you’re planning to take it soon, make sure you read up on different strategies for the ACT - like the difference in filling in bubbles on the two tests.</p>
<p>(3) Research SAT optional schools. This may be the best option if you don’t find yourself motivated to do intensive test prep over a long period. For many people, the test score does not really correlate with their intelligence or potential for academic success. Some very fine colleges recognize this, and many of them offer alternate means for demonstrating competence, and for qualifying for merit aid. </p>
<p>Best of luck - don’t let this temporary roadblock become a huge obstacle.</p>
<p>WOW! Thanks everyone for the excellent feedback, I appreciate it. </p>
<p>I know why I have trouble with the math section. I have forgotten most of the geometry that I learned. I was in accelerated math freshman year, but dropped down to college prep math sophomore year. I basically retook the class! I really didn’t understand anything in math freshman year; I received a 72 both semesters. We went over mostly the same curriculum sophomore year, but I missed some key geometry lessons. I really don’t even know where to start for some geometry/trig questions. I have gotten A’s in regular math, but I always have trouble retaining some information. I usually finish the math sections on time, but I did guess randomly on some problems I shouldn’t have.</p>
<p>English has always been my favorite subject. I received a 94 last semester in Honors American Lit. I tend to have no problem reading novels at all, and I can be a fast reader depending on the book. However, I have trouble focusing throughout the test. I think this only happens during standardized tests because I never have this problem in school. I really have trouble understanding some of the novels and always over think questions. I do this in school too; I always second guess myself. When I was taking the SAT, I was also thinking about other things and my head wasn’t clear. The reading section is the only section I have trouble with finishing on time. I usually finish it, but I never have time to fully read the last long passage. On the last reading section, I did figure out a way which worked. I would read and answer questions at the same time instead of reading first and then answering questions. Some of the passages were very hard for me to understand.</p>
<p>I always think I do better on the writing than my actual score. I always think it is really easy, but I don’t know what I do wrong. I am probably making the same mistake over and over again. I thought I did better on the essay. I honestly didn’t stress over the SAT when I was taking it. I took it very care free which is unusual. I usually stress way too much or just about do the opposite. I was just not fully focused. I also tend to look at the clock every five minutes. I agree with calmom if it was in a different situation, I probably would have gotten some of the questions correct. I probably misinterprete many questions. </p>
<p>Finances will be a huge deal with my family. My father owns his own business and he struggles pay check to pay check. He made around 70k last year, but money comes erratically. His business is around two years old. I have two brothers and a sister. My brother is a senior and my other brother is in 8th grade. My older brother will probably be going to technical school for culinary arts. My sister just turned one, and my mother is now a stay at home mom. She was an elementary school teacher, so we also lost all our benefits. My mom will probably go back to work when she is 2 or so, but she is in no rush. Although, it would help our family tremendously she does not want my sister in daycare. We have no family in Georgia to look after her. Before the recession, my father made over 90k at his old firm plus my mothers teaching salary. He said he could afford 20k a year BACK THEN, but he probably can’t now. His business changes a lot over a year, so his salary can change drastically depending on if he has a good or bad year. I still need him to figure our EFC.</p>
<p>^Your brother is a senior and hasn’t filed FAFSA yet? Next year, when both of you file, your EFC will be lower…not quite half if you/your brother have income or savings, but the parent portion will be split between the two of you. It sounds like you need to focus on merit aid though, and probably instate schools where you can use the Hope scholarship…unless his AGI is substantially less than $70K, any federal aid will be in the form of loans.</p>
<p>I can go to any Georgia college for free with the Hope Scholarship. Honestly, I loathe Georgia though. I am from South Florida (lived there ten years) and my whole family is from New York. I really do not fit in here. My father is Jewish and my mother is Italian/Catholic. My grandfather was born in Sicily. I like the fact that Georgia has more racial diversity, but it is called the bible belt for a reason. I am Catholic but I am very liberal and I’m not religious at all. I live in the suburbs, so it’s not in the middle of no where. The only thing I like about Georgia is the change of season/most of the weather. Florida was too humid! I really don’t get along with a lot of people here though. Also, the state schools in Georgia are not that great. After UGA and Georgia Tech, they go WAY down hill. For example, you only need a 2.5 to get into Kennesaw State University and a 950 SAT. Well, my SAT is worse but my GPA is much higher. I know for a fact I would hate any college here, I have researched schools and I don’t like a single one. GCSU is okay, but it is in the middle of no where and way too conservative. Is debt worth happiness? I know I couldn’t get into UGA and you don’t even need honors classes for the other Georgia public schools. I really do not want to go to a huge college either. My school is all about football and I hate it. They will even cancel a theater production if we have a football game. I don’t want the school to be too small, but not too huge either. I want small classes with a lot of interaction with professors. I want to be able to meet new people each year and not know the whole town. The college needs to have a Walmart at least if not, it is too rural. </p>
<p>I have researched SAT Optional Schools, but money is a huge problem. I also love Clark University. The only con is that there is no journalism major. Vassar would probably be my ideal fit, but they would laugh at my application. I really do not want to transfer either. I want to go somewhere for four years and stick it out. I also like:</p>
<p>Chapman
Eckerd College
SUNY New Paltz
Emerson
American
U Redlands
Ohio Wesleyan
College of Wooster
Hiram College
Goucher
Beloit
Susquehanna </p>
<p>I also liked some Jesuits (Fairfield, Loyola Marymount, Fordham- LC), but I heard they don’t give great aid. I love Sarah Lawrence and the conference system, but it is way too much money. I think schools like Bard may be a little too liberal/hippy.</p>
<p>Edit- My brother hasn’t filed the FASFA because my parents probably do not know he has to since he is going to technical school. They won’t have a problem paying his bills. I also think he qualifies for the Hope Grant. My parents really do not know anything about this process. My mother went to community college first and then transfered to a university which had a good education program. My mother was very smart, but her parents didn’t have much money. My father went to three 4 year colleges, but never graduated. His father was a lawyer and had the money. My parents are fairly young. My mother is 40 and my father is 43. My parents did not save any money up for college, they never had the money. They worked very hard just to get us a nice house. We also do not have that much money in savings.</p>
<p>Sarah Lawrence does not guarantee aid to all comers, but they can be very generous with aid, especially to males. They don’t even want to see your test scores, and are a great place for theater-types as well as a wonderful environment for writers. Plus they would very much like an independently motivated person with a passion. So don’t discount them because of the money – its worth applying, especially when you consider that you won’t have to pay the extra fees to have test scores sent there. Just don’t get your heart set on it – but you may be very pleasantly surprised with the aid award.</p>
<p>You might steer them toward a site like finaid.org which explains the process thoroughly. Your brother will not be eligible for federal student loans, or probably any other aid, unless they file the FAFSA and there’s always the chance that your dad’s business will have a bad year or other expenses will come up. I don’t know what the Hope grant requires in terms of an application, but there must be something. Hopefully your brother is on aware of the application requirements for his school.</p>
<p>i would take the ACT and pay for the test to be returned to you several weeks later (you can do this when registering i think).i would pay the $18 to get the SAT test you just took back. after your ACT and SAT scores and test are in hand, i would then hire a private tutor (approximately $430 for 6 hours, 3 hours one day and 3 hours the next). take your latest ACT and SAT scores with you as well as the returned test. a good tutor will retest you and determine areas where you need to improve. you will narrow down the areas that need attention. a private tutor is by far the biggest bang for the buck (one on one). i would go to the tutor 2 or 3 weeks before your next test date. after taking the test again (ACT or SAT), i would repeat the steps above as many times as money and time allows. you will dramatically improve your scores if you do this 3 or 4 times. you will be astounded.
also, if there is one particular area, math for instance, that is really giving you trouble, hire a local high school teacher or local college teacher in the area that is giving you trouble to tutor you there as well. if you do all these things, you will drastically improve your scores.</p>
<p>earlycollege, I can understand you are disappointed in your scores but don’t be so quick to give up. While SAT optional schools are always an option, there could be lots of ways to bring up your SAT scores.</p>
<p>I doubt that an expensive SAT prep class would help you much and you would probably benefit from some sessions with a private SAT tutor.An SAT tutor can help you with strategies for those long reading comprehension sections. One trick is NOT to read the whole section first but to start by reading the questions, and then referring back to the passage, because the questions go in order of the passage). Also, the SAT tutor can advise you about “guessing” strategies (when should you guess, when should you skip- as there is a penalty for wrong answers). With the math questions, the SAT tutor can also give you strategies and help make sure that you are getting all the easy questions and most of the medium questions, and learn to skip the hard questions since math is not your strong point. Working with a private tutor also provides structure as they will assign you work in between sessions and this forces you to practice.</p>
<p>If your parents are able to pay $20,000 per year to send you to a good college maybe they they would consider an investment in private tutoring potentially worthwhile. If not, the suggestions above for self-study are all good ones.</p>
<p>If Vassar is ideal, you might look at Bard. It’s just a little further north and it’s a little easier to get into. Attracts a similar artsy/hipster crowd by reputation, but didn’t seem nearly as out there when we visited. </p>
<p>I concur with others about trying the ACT. Among other things their essays questions are much more straightforward.</p>
<p>I’m a little concerned that you’ve already decided you ‘hate’ Georgia. If you can go to a decent school there at a reasonable price for your family, then take the opportunity. It’s only 4 yrs…I know that sounds like a lot but let’s say you live to be a hundred. That’s not a very big percentage of your overall life expectancy, is it? You’ll have a degree, you’ll get a good career going, and those 4 yrs in retrospect will seem like a wise decision…esp. if neither you nor your family have to go into debt for it. </p>
<p>“I have stress anxiety and I am a terrible test taker.”</p>
<p>"I have trouble focusing throughout the test. I think this only happens during standardized tests because I never have this problem in school. I really have trouble understanding some of the novels and always over think questions. I do this in school too; I always second guess myself. When I was taking the SAT, I was also thinking about other things and my head wasn’t clear. "</p>
<p>Tomorrow, get your self down to your guidance office and ask your counselor to set up an appointment for you with the school psychologist. Your testing issues are real. Your anxiety issues are real. You may also have an identifiable learning disability. You need to find out NOW how your brain operates so that you can take best advantage of the things that are easy for you, and so that you can develop appropriate strategies for dealing with the things that are hard for you. Just being in college will not suddenly make you a “better test taker”. In fact, the stress of college may make everything even worse.</p>
<p>The time to start learning how to deal with this is now.</p>
<p>sk8rmom- The tuition for the local techinical school is very cheap. The hope grant pays tutiton for any Georgia high school graduate who is going to technical school.He will probably be living at home since there are no dorms. </p>
<p>I heard Sarah Lawrence was terrible at giving aid. Thanks for letting me know! I also thought Bard was a little too “out there” for my taste, Sarah Lawrence may be too. My plan is to take the ACT tomorrow and then see how I do. I am expecting I will do better and then I will study very hard using the Offical ACT Prep Book and take it again in June. I really cannot see my parents spending all that money for a SAT tutor. My parents really want me to stay instate for finanical reasons. </p>
<p>I have almost lived in Georgia seven years. I lived in Florida ten years. I have gotten use to the atmosphere here, but I still don’t like it. I really want to be able to fit in at college. Also, the public colleges in Georgia aren’t that great. I wouldn’t be getting a great education. UGA and Georgia Tech are the only good state schools. GCSU is also good, but may be too rural. I have talked to recent graduates, and I was told there is nothing to do in Millidgeville. I could go to Valdosta State for two years and then transfer to UGA, but I know I wouldn’t enjoy my college experience. The 4 year graduation rates are also very low among Georgia colleges. </p>
<p>I really don’t think I have a learning disorder. My stress level was a lot higher last semester. I use to stress over EVERY quiz and test. This semester, I have gotten much more lazy. My grades show that (mostly physics/APUSH). When I take tests now, I don’t stress out as much. I have been very carefree and I took the SAT that way. I feel like I do better under stressful conditions, it just makes me very ill before hand. When I give up studying for a test, I know I will fail. I study hours and still fail tests/quizzes (so it is frustrating), but I really just need to study a little each day. I just do not have the time. </p>
<p>The college search is really bugging me, and it stresses me out more than actual school work. I feel like I should have a concrete list by now and I do not. I really have wasted a lot of time researching, so I will be upset if I stay instate. Is there any other college suggestions? :)</p>
<p>“I really have wasted a lot of time researching…”</p>
<p>^Finally, you’ve realized what many posters over the year have been telling you.</p>
<p>You need to focus on what you need to do now. Focus on your academics, complete assignments before they’re due rather than wait for the day before, study and review a little bit each day, stop obsessing over NYU and NYS, and stop wasting valuable time on CC when you should be using the time wisely to study for classes and prepping/practicing exercises and sample questions in the SAT and ACT prep books.</p>
<p>Also, course registartion starts next week. I was going to take dual enrollment, but I don’t qualify now and the credits probably won’t transfer if I go to a liberal arts college. </p>
<p>What do you think about this scedule? </p>
<p>AP Language or AP Literature
AP Microeconomics/AP Government (semester classes)
AP Environmental Science
Honors French III
Integrated Trig
Advanced Production (drama)</p>
<p>I really do not know if three AP classes will be too much. I have taken one AP class every year. I was in AP Physics B the first week of school, but didn’t understand a thing. I also stress a lot with my schedule right now, and I am only in one AP. I could take Astronomy, Oceanography, Anatomy, etc instead of AP Environmental Science. We need four years of science to graduate. I also really want to take AP Pyschology, but I have no room in my schedule. Should I take a third year of French (which I hate) or take a subject I’m interested in? I’m not interested in Ivy’s, so will it matter? </p>
<p>I could take honors political systems/economics and take AP Environ/AP Lang or I could just take AP Lang and AP Micro/Govern. Or I could also just take one AP and the rest honors. I really do not know and I need to make a decision ASAP. I know that the AP Environmental Science teacher is terrible, and its her first time teaching the course. The AP Lang teacher is also hard and the AP Govern teacher is one of the hardest teachers at our school. I am also not a science person, but the class somewhat interests me.</p>
<p>NYSmile- I always complete assignments on time. I never turn in work late. I just have to work on my study habits. The guidance counselor is stressing that juniors start looking at colleges, so that is in the back of my mind. I also enjoy looking at different schools. I am also going to focus on the ACT once I get my scores back. Is it a bad idea to take them in June or should I wait until August?</p>
<p>If there is that big a discrepancy between your in school achievement and your standardized test performance, you should consider testing. A mild learning glitch can impair achievement more than you think. If the state provides testing, then I cannot see the downside.</p>
<p>Take the SAT and the ACT in June. If I remember from when my kids took their tests, the SAT was the first weekend in June and the ACT was the second weekend. That way, any math and reading review you do for the SAT could do double duty for the ACT. Save the senior fall for the retest of whichever one you thought you did better on.</p>
<p>One thing that I always did before a standardized test–I buzzed through an English grammar book really quickly. Sometimes you forget little things like “affect” vs. “effect,” etc.</p>
<p>Don’t be so quick to give up on improving your SAT. First of all, if you did not learn the math or need to review geometry, you must do both of these things. You should do all the tests in the 10 test blue book, which incidentally, should take about 40 hours if you do it under time conditions. That is not really so much time. One per week for 10 wks? Also, I think the ACT includes trigonometry, and if you have not studied that, you may need to study what is on the test. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>BTW, there is Georgia State in Atlanta. I am not currently familiar with the programs there because I have not spent time in Atlanta in a long time, but isn’t it worth checking out?</p>
<p>raiderade- I have always scored “average” on standarized tests. In elementary school, I always got B’s/C’s. It was not until middle school when I started to get all A’s and B’s. I probably started to care in middle school though. Also, what would be the point to study for both tests in June? Shouldn’t I study for the test I do better on and then take it a third time if needed in August?</p>
<p>Georgia State is a tier 2 university, and in my school the less stellar academic kids go there. I also have never been fond of the city of Atlanta even though I perfer urban areas. </p>