<p>Not sure if I’ve missed this, but does your school have another guidance counselor, and if so, do students ever switch? On a brighter note, my D sumbitted ACT’s in lieu of SAT I’s, but because of the ETS policy of revealing all scores, was stuck sumbitting her SAT I along with her SAT II’s to schools that required SAT II’s. Our guidance counselor told us that in this situation, we should just write in the ACT score and the SAT II scores on the application and not even mention the SAT I. She told us that at many admissions offices, there is a sheet for each student on which someone in the office (clerical, not admissions officer) fills in the scores and that the original score reports from ACT and ETS are not really used, although obviously, they are available if anyone wants to peruse them. Nevertheless, her take on it was that it was very likely that only the ACT and SAT II scores would be recorded on the form and therefore would be the only scores considered by admissions committees. Of course, at ACT only schools, D only mentioned her ACT’s, but I think that at one she also filled in her SAT II scores. She was never asked for the official ETS report and never sent it.</p>
<p>My husband had a nice chat with the GC. The GC seems to deal much better with men than with women. I wonder if that’s part of his being an old-time priest. My husband went in with her ACT scores and showed the GC who was pretty adamant that ACT scores are meaningless and hubby politely but firmly told him that this was no longer the case and that we should be working together to ensure that our daughter gets into the right college. After checking Ds PSAT scores and seeing the huge drop from PSAT to SAT, he decided that something really had been wrong and said that he would ensure that her SAT scores were recorded nowhere in her permanent record. He is still not happy about the ACT scores being used and we had to promise that she’d give the SAT another shot in October. She will, but he ain’t getting the scores. We tried to make an appointment with the principal to discuss the policy but, as usual, he’s not taking calls or appointments. We’ve been trying to see him for 3 1/2 weeks about the younger daughter, to no avail. He had been bragging that a kid was coming to his school after turning down some stellar alternatives, but after eliminating the program she had accepted, he’s going to be surprised to find her absent from his incoming class. The public school is excited to have her.</p>
<p>Zoosermom:</p>
<p>Yippee! You may wish to print out information from some top colleges regarding ACT vs. SAT scores. Some of that information may be found in the Q&A section.</p>
<p>It is astounding that the private school is doing so little to attract students; instead, it is positively discouraging them by its refusal to take calls and schedule meetings. Mind-boggling.</p>
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<p>Why should he care? Isn’t it up to the <em>college</em> to determine whether the ACT is a worthy entrance exam? If the college is willing to accept the ACT scores, his opinion of the test is irrelevant.</p>
<p>The other factor to consider is that many college applications require a student evaluation by the guidence counselor. Any attempts to midify the transcript should be done as tactfully as possible.</p>
<p>I would suggest that the school should do everything in its power to assist its students throughout the college admissions process. Certainly private schools are known to do this so it is reasonable for your own public school to do this for its students too.</p>
<p>I know our school system uses the cumulative scholarship dollars awarded to its graduates as a tangible way of publicising the quality education it offers its students. And they toot this horn loudly come the school board/budget elections.</p>
<p>Try the carrot before resorting to the stick.</p>
<p>I just cannot fathom this guy. My son’s GC is pretty much useless – I’m not sure she would even recognize him. But to be a GC and be so agressively obstructionist is ridiculous and borderline abusive.</p>
<p>Jlauer, the assumption is that private schools all have extremely diligent and competent GCs. The reality is that, just as it is for public schools, the GCs come in all kinds of flavors. From reports of friends, I can tell that some GC are truly amazing and have their pulse on the college admission process. Alas, a great number of smaller or less wealthy schools have GCs who may have been there for 20 or 30 years and have shown little willingness to adapt to the demands of 2006-7, and are simply viewing their job as the last step in their teaching career. The worst part is that those GC might have BEEN very successful in the past when BWRK dominated the debates, and when decisions were influenced by the good GC making the right PHONE call. Today’s market of online applications, emails, or electronic registrations throws them unhittable fastballs. Their reaction is to become hostile and resentful of any attempts to … show them the light. </p>
<p>Sadly enough, my direct experience has been with ineffective GCs at smaller catholic schools, were the priest or former priest can be a major roadblock. However, I do not believe you should fear retaliations in the form of negative assessments. The reality is that GC who do not use much of a computer and seem overly negative probably do not DO much, except stuffing a transcript in an envelope. I have seen more than one LOR containing the laconic: “see transcript and profile attached” IMHO, the ones who do not much at all to help a student won’t do anything to hurt them neither. I see them more as ineffective and bored in what has become a dead end job, or a job for … young people. </p>
<p>As far as relations, it is obvious that it is much better to attempt solving issues in an amicable way. However, if the issue is important for the student AND it may have a negative impact -such as in Zooser’s case- it is worth standing your grounds, even it if ruffles a few feathers. </p>
<p>PS Congrats on having Zooserdad negotiate a happy truce without slamming the GC on the mat! :)</p>
<p>Thanks Xiggi! We couldn’t have done it without you.</p>
<p>The GC has been doing this for 47 years. He is a wonderful priest, he really is, but he spent most of his career at an elite, all boys school and his heart isn’t in this co-ed school with a range of intellectual abilities. He also is behind the times on certain things, the ACT only being one of them. He is adamant that there is no reason for kids in New York State to apply to private schools because of the SUNYs and CUNYs. But he doesn’t take into account the facts that (a) those aren’t the right schools for everyone, (b) the average or below average kids are not a shoe-in at SUNYs anymore, and (c) the above average kids can get money in private schools that make them more affordable that public schools. </p>
<p>The plan for us next year is to file the apps online and provide GC with a resume and the required GC forms, while doing the teacher recs separately. The saving grace here is that he hasn’t connected my daughter with her parents yet because, although he has had her in his class for two years, he doesn’t know the kids’ names. I’m hoping when he realizes who she is that he will do the right thing on the recs because he really does like her personally.</p>
<p>“…as usual, he’s not taking calls or appointments. We’ve been trying to see him for 3 1/2 weeks …”</p>
<p>I would be so furious I would just barge into his office, appointment or not. So why are you giving this school your money…?</p>
<p>“I would be so furious I would just barge into his office, appointment or not. So why are you giving this school your money…?”</p>
<p>We’re giving the school the money because we don’t want to move D1 after junior year. Even though D2 has a full scholarship, I can’t imagine sending her there. Unless he has some sort of epiphany and starts communicating effectively.</p>
<p>" After checking Ds PSAT scores and seeing the huge drop from PSAT to SAT, he decided that something really had been wrong and said that he would ensure that her SAT scores were recorded nowhere in her permanent record."</p>
<p>I hope that that he remembers what he said about this.</p>
<p>zoosermom~</p>
<p>We had this situation come up with our son also. Basically, his SAT score was excellent, but his ACT score was phenomenal, and we preferred to have that one sent. The school informed us that since he had had the score sent to the school, it had now become part of his “permanent file” and would be sent with the transcript.</p>
<p>We met with the principal, and I explained to him that since a CHOICE was offered by Collegeboard as to whether scores would be reported and a CHOICE was offered by the university as well (they took either the SAT <em>OR</em> the ACT), it was simply not the school’s right to remove that choice from my child. We got nowhere, of course, as it was “building policy.”</p>
<p>So, I went straight to the superintendent…he fully backed the principal and “district policy”…that is, until I sent him a link from the college that explicitly stated that it would take EITHER one score OR the other----oh, and threatened to get an attorney ;). He said he would take the situation under consideration. One hour later, he called me to tell me that they would send only the score my son wanted sent.</p>
<p>Voila!</p>
<p>For us, the mere threat of consulting an attorney worked. Getting one might be even more effective.</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Your gc is definately behind the times. My daughter goes to a school less than desirable neighborhood with an ib program and there are a lot of kids who take both the act and the sat and are accepted into many different types of colleges (Stanford, Yale, Harvard, BYU, Berkeley, and many small private colleges…) Even in a public high school you will have problems like this, the difference will be that there will be a few more gc to choose from and at least one cc. The ib program in our school is small, about 135 enter as freshman each year and if this is not your school you must stay full ib to be in the program. I would definitely think about this for your younger daughter, the education is a fantastic one. Unfortunately friends of ours learned that they could not use “money” as a reason for the private school to do what they thought was fair, at least 20 students who questioned a problem that came up and started asking were their money was being spent to hopefully bring around a change were asked to leave! Some of these students had been at this school for 6 years.</p>