<p>Most of the HS Students on CC don’t fall into this category, but a few of you might. Your parents may be pushing you to work harder on the SAT prep, to try to squeeze out a few more points. (Maybe the points are the difference between a $1,500 scholarship and a $2,000 scholarship.) Your scores were good enough to get into the school that you wanted, and you’re annoyed that your parents are still pushing you.</p>
<p>I was one of those parents who talked till I was blue in the face to try to get one of my kids to study harder for the SATs. I got shut down. This kid’s scores were just ok. Although they were well below the scores that were suggested by grades, IQ and other standardized testing, they were ok for State U where this kid wanted to go anyway. The SAT books gathered dust.</p>
<p>Here we are three years later, and this kid has changed, matured, and now has completely different goals at 21 than at 18. This kid is now going to be applying for law school, including applying for opportunities at law schools this summer. THEY"VE ASKED FOR SAT SCORES and HS ECs and grades, not just college grades and ECs. Rejections are arriving. </p>
<p>Everything you do counts in ways that you may not see now. Even if you don’t think you need to do your best to reach today’s goals, you may look back and have regrets. If you do your best, you won’t have these regrets.</p>
They’re not going to accept or reject him based on high school test scores. If anything, I would imagine they want to build some sort of picture of the student as a whole. For example, if his high school performance was better or worse than his college performance, it might be an indicator of how he’ll do in law school. </p>
<p>Or it could be that these summer programs are most frequented by aspiring high school kids. If he did extremely well in college and had good test scores required for law school (what is it, the GRE?), SATs and high school shouldn’t be a deciding factor in admission.</p>
<p>That’s EXACTLY what my kid thought …that the high school record wouldn’t mean anything compared to the college record, and that grad school decisions would be based on college work not on high school work. The fact that the applications even asked for that high school record was a surprise. These are programs for graduating college students. I obviously don’t know whether every post-grad program is going to ask for high school records, but I can tell you that my kid is finding out the hard way that some do. He wishes he had known this a few years ago.</p>
<p>You might not get accepted or rejected solely on high school test scores, but when you’re competing for a spot against more than 100 other good applicants (as my kid is doing), my kid was shocked to find out that having mediocre SAT scores in high school actually is considered. High school and SAT scores should not be a deciding factor, I agree. But they can be, if all else is equal between 20 of the 100 kids applying for the same program. Who wants to risk it, if you know that your record could have been stronger with work?</p>
Er, well. I’m still at that young and stupid stage so I’m still brimming with this bizarre sense of optimism, but if your son is a great candidate, they wouldn’t have to resort to SAT scores but it’s nice to know they’re there. I thought they would be more useful tipping factors in candidates who weren’t as strong as the rest, but who knows.</p>
<p>Either way, I think we’d all appreciate knowing where he ended up. And judging by the kids on this forum, we don’t need to be told twice. </p>
<p>I understand completely…frankly I was surprised that his high school mediocrity was coming back to haunt him. I don’t want to say “I told you so” when his hopes are being crushed, so I came on CC to say it to other HS students instead…LOL. If there’s anyone else who is now blowing off SAT prep, I thought this might be useful info. </p>
<p>(I’m sorta used to being ignored, since I have 2 in college and 1 still in high school. The fact I went to law school, am brilliant and actually do have All The Answers is viewed by my kids as being totally irrelevant.)</p>
<p>I’m a fifty four year old surfer, and am looking forward to my thirty eigth straight summer in the waves I love. If I have any regrets, they are about all of the time and energy I lost worrying about unimportant stuff, and the bad attitudes that I developed as a result. Here’s some advice for you HS surfers (and I know there are plenty of you out there): surround yourselves with the best people you know, do your best in work and play, keep a positive attitude and don’t look back. There’s always another wave on the horizon coming just for you!</p>
<p>Humble, that’s me all right! Due to my humility, I can’t begin to tell you how God-like I truly am. snicker.</p>
<p>Yeah, I did provide transcripts from HS and College for the school that I attended…although back in the dark ages, admissions weren’t as competitive as they are now. I even had to get a HS transcript two of my bar admissions. </p>
<p>I guess I sound too much like a parent…but I thought telling my kid’s experience might save someone else the same problem later. For most kids who do a 2 or 4-year program, this may not even be relevant.</p>
And judging by the kids on this forum, we don’t need to be told twice. </p>
Mine are champions in this department too.</p>