If you had it to do all over again....

Parents Forum
1

<p>…you’ve been through it! My kid is just starting down the path.</p>

<p>And here’s what may be his path:</p>

<p>[ul]
[<em>] freshman spring, take the SAT II in Biology (he’s in honors Bio) and AP Psych test (he took Cog Psych last summer at CTY)
He’s in honors bio now, and will self-study for the test with a prep book. For AP Psych, he’s already read one textbook, and will self-study with that and a couple of prep books. By “self-study,” I mean he’ll read some of the material in one or more book…
[li] freshman summer, casually visit a college or two[/li][</em>] sophomore fall, take the PSAT again
He took it this fall and fell in NMSF range (!!!), but of course, it doesn’t count yet.
[<em>] sophomore spring, take Math2 SAT II, AP CompSci and AP US Gov tests
He’ll be in pre-calc next year, and will also be taking the AP courses for the tests above.
[li] sophomore summer, casually visit a college or two[/li][</em>] junior fall, take the PSAT for real
[<em>] junior spring, take AP Calc and Physics SAT II tests
He’ll be taking AP Calc and some flavor of physics. If he takes AP Physics, he’ll also have to take the AP Physics test, as the school requires AP students to take the exam
[li] junior summer, visit a college or eighteen, possibly casually, perhaps frantically; also, put together portfolio (required by his school, this a notebook of things helpful for college admission stuff – report cards, test scores, EC info, etc.)[/li][</em>] senior fall, take the SAT, write college essays, complain about his mother hounding him about college applications (repeat as necessary), send off applications, applying to at least one EA safety school
[li] senior spring, take an SAT II test in English something[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>That would give him four SAT IIs (bio, math, physics, English) and four or five AP tests (psych, govt, comp sci, calc, and possibly physics). Language will be at least three years of Latin; he may switch to Russian after Latin III.</p>

<p>Is this a reasonable college-bound path? Does the timing seem okay? I don’t want him to hit senior year and be loaded with standardized tests; I figure his schoolwork (senior research project) and college stuff will be enough stress!</p>

<p>He’s already taken the SAT; I had the CB leave his scores from 8th grade on his transcript because they were pretty good (2180). His grades are probably not going to be stellar – he may manage a solid B average. He’s not much of a worker bee in school. (He will sit in the bathroom reading a Hungarian language textbook for 40 minutes at a time because he wants to program his TI-89 to conjugate Hungarian verbs, but devote attention like that to actual schoolwork? HA!!)</p>

<p>I’m trying to wrap my head around it all; after reading, reading, reading here for days/nights/weekends, I need to pull things together into something I can handle!</p>

<p>(Soooo much great info here; I’m grateful to all!)</p>

2

<p>Tell him to have a little fun as well. It is not just about tests and grades, even the “top” schools absolutely take into account well-rounded students who are involved and passionate about their ECs. How about sports, clubs, groups, church, etc.</p>

3

<p>While feeding the mind, don’t forget to take care of the heart. You might suggest team sports and activities that will give your son the opportunity to be part of a group working towards a common goal. </p>

<p>Also, disappointment and falling short of a goal in a team setting, and in the right circumstances, can sometimes instruct as much as success; particularly when there’s an opportunity to triumph after coming-up short.</p>

4

<p>My daughter was finished with all of her SATs junior year. She took 2 SAT II sophmore year, SAT I March and June. More SAT II and APs Junior year. We visited all colleges by end of Junior year. The fall of senior year, it was all about applications.</p>

5

<p>“senior fall, take the SAT,
senior spring, take an SAT II test in English something”
I would advise he take both the SAT and an English Lang subject his Jr year. The Fall semester of his Sr year is a bad time to try to fit in the SAT, and the Spring of his Sr years is too late to take any subject tests. Colleges want to see those scores when they are evaluating applications. He will have opportunities to take SAT tests in Jan, March, May and June of his Jr year.</p>

6

<p>Don’t get too invested in this “plan”. A lot can happen. Trust me on that one. Just be prepared to change directions and be flexible.</p>

7

<p>He might want to hold off till JR year for the Math2 II if he is not taking AP Calc until Jr year. You r on board with taking the PSAT the Jr year when it counts, but you might want to have him take the SATs in the spring of his Jr year, too…my 2 cents</p>

8

<p>Here’s my opinion on this plan:</p>

<p>Unless he’s a very strong biology student, I wouldnt recommend taking the biology SATII freshman year. Alot of students do this in my school, and a large majority do terribly. This isn’t because of a weak science dept. If he can’t “devote attention to actual schoolwork” I’m not sure how we’ll he’ll do on the AP Psych exam either, unless he already has a strong grasp of the material. Personally, I just wouldnt worry about standardized testing freshman year.</p>

<p>Taking MathII after precalc is good. MathII does not cover Calculus, so students usually do worse if they wait because they forget the material.</p>

<p>Take the SAT and SATII’s junior year. Don’t leave any testing for the fall of senior year; he might need that time for retakes. I was very very happy in october when I didn’t have SAT’s to worry about and all my friends felt like their entire lives were riding on this one last opportunity. I’m not sure his 8th grade SAT’s even count towards college admissions, but don’t quote me on that.</p>

<p>Spring of senior year: enjoy</p>

<p>Honestly, I would just stop trying to plan everything out so neatly. Decide what tests to take based on experiences in class. Who knows what will happen over the next three years… I don’t suggest having expectations. The most important thing is his GPA and class rank, so concentrate on that for the first two years and worry about college after that. For now, just tell your son to do the best he can.</p>

9

<p>GPA is very important. If he needs tutoring to get the grades up, do it.</p>

<p>SAT I and any possible SAT IIs and AP tests, and ACT test should be completed during junior year.</p>

<p>Agree with the advice to include the pursuit of whatever makes him truly happy: bug collecting, making hats out of gum wrappers, harmonica playing, translating Hungarian, etc, and enable him carry this interest as far as he possibly can. His essays will be much easier to write if he likes the subject.</p>

10

<p>Self studying for the psych AP as a freshman doesn’t strike me as worthwhile, but it won’t hurt him. I agree with others - don’t take the bio. It makes more sense to take an SAT subject test in science whatever AP science (if any) he takes junior year. Math II he should take the spring of the year he takes calculus. I think one should consider taking SAT1 January of junior year so that you have time for two retakes with studying if necessary. If his PSAT scores were in NMF range though that probably won’t be an issue. If he takes AP US history he should seriously consider taking the SAT subject test - probably easier than doing English which makes no sense to take late senior year. The only SAT test one might consider taking spring senior year is a language test IF and only if the college will give credit/placement for a good score.</p>

<p>Spring break junior year is not a bad time for a few college visits, though my son wasn’t really ready to get serious about college.</p>

<p>I agree with others no need to plan so thoroughly. Things change.</p>

11

<p>It’s great that you’re planning ahead, but just be sure the kid actually has a life during HS too. You don’t want him to just burn out before he even gets to college. By all means work hard and plan ahead but just remember that there’s more to life and a successful future than just SAT and AP scores…</p>

12

<p>Thanks, all! I know the roadmap above is likely to change, lots; I want to make sure there aren’t last-minute scrambles that could have been easily avoided. (I know there will be last-minute scrambles; I’d just like to minimize the number of them!)</p>

<p>I’d love for my son to have fun in high school! He’s not a social kid, so I was thrilled that he got involved in two school clubs this year (Robotics, which takes an insane amount of time, and Latin Honor Society). He’s not at all athletic and is definitely not interested in team sports (or any sports, for that matter). His dad, stepdad and I have all suggested that he get involved in drama; we all think it’d be a good fit for him, and I think he’d have a blast doing it. He’s not interested so far, darn it!</p>

<p>His all-consuming passion is playing on the computer.</p>

<p>I had been under the impression – apparently mistaken? – that he had to take the SAT as a senior for NM. If he can take it as a junior and have it count for that, then junior year would be better. Thanks! And moving the English something SAT II to junior year is a good idea.</p>

<p>I’ve emailed his Bio teacher to see what she thinks of his taking the SAT II this spring. His form to take the AP Psych test is already in, so he’s committed to that now. I think he’ll like taking the psych test, if only because it gets him out of class!!</p>

13

<p>He can take the SAT within a year after OR BEFORE the PSAT in his junior year to have a shot at qualifying for National Merit scholarships. Full details on timing can be dug up on the National Merit website.</p>

14

<p>I would definately take the sat in the spring of junior year as well. Theres always the chance you could mess up that fall sat ur senior year…</p>

15

<p>Oooo, tokenadult, thanks! I did look at the NM site but couldn’t find the timing thing when I looked. Will look again.</p>

16

<p>Oh my, when I read it, I thought it was a joke. I fail to see where sports and play and fun and living are part of this kid’s life. It seems to me this kid has a schedule for everything. We are creating a crazy world where kids no longer play and fun is not included in our vocabulary. Please let this kid be a kid and experience kid things before it is too late. This is coming from an educator who sees kids becoming depressed because thier parents have everything planned out for them and they never can do kid things. Have a plan, but let the kid go play in the mud and play kick the can after dark. Let them go shoot hoops or go fishing. There is a nice balance to be had, make sure that balance is being met.</p>

17

<p>My son got his team and leadership experience through drama and an academic quiz team, both things he loved. Let your son follow his interests and he’s likeliest to do well.</p>

<p>If you can, visit some colleges when they are in session, so he can get a sense of the students and attend some classes.</p>

18

<p>Some people swear that taking the SAT II in freshman year is a good idea, others suggest it can be a big mistake. There’s no absolute rule here – if your kid is a great test taker and the freshman class teaches the SAT II material it’s OK. I know for my daughter it would have been a big mistake to take the SAT after freshman year bio. Know your kid.</p>

<p>The first taking of the SAT should be junior year, but plan for a possible retake in October of senior year. Many kids (my daughter included) did much much better after another 6 months of learning and maturing.</p>

<p>If you casually visit colleges in the summer of freshman year, make sure it’s very casual. Like, you’re driving somewhere and pass by a college and decide you want to stretch your legs. </p>

<p>I just worry that if your kid sees how you’re planning his entire HS career with college in mind he will be burned out by junior year. I think it’s OK to have some of these guideposts in your head, but be very open to the fact that all of this is subject to change. My husband and I had a “plan” in our heads like this for our daughter, and I’d say half of it never happened.</p>

19

<p>Yeah, I let my son do his own planning in hs, but I did read several books on admissions so I could make a polite suggestion if I thought he was missing something. I think he did a better job of picking what courses and tests to take and when to take them than I could have done. I don’t recall thinking about it much until junior year and he probably didn’t either.</p>

20

<p>This sounds cliche and I am sure you are just trying to be prepared, but be real careful about not confusing your goals with those of your son. If you and your son identify the basic application deadlines together (SAT/ACT, SAT II), he will be fine. Enjoy him while he is still in your home.</p>