<p>VanillaSky10,</p>
<p>I would take the SAT (or ACT) as soon as possible. You possess all the skills you need to do well on the exams and the advanced math you are taking in CEGEP will not be of any help on the tests. In fact, I recommend students take it at the end of Sec 5, then again in the beginning of first year CEGEP (assuming they are applying out of first year CEGEP). Your timeline is a year later, so you could afford to wait until the spring, take the SAT/ACT then, then then again in the fall if you think you can improve your score (or if you want to take a shot at both tests). As for the subject tests, I usually recommend they be squeezed in between the two sittings of the SAT/ACT, thus late spring or september. The general wisdom is that you should take a subject test as soon as you have “maxed out” a subject (i.e. taken the highest level class in that subject you plan on taking before college). So, for example, if you are finishing your physics this year, take physics now while it is still fresh in your mind. As for French, I know some colleges or counselors find that it is taking the easy way out to write a subject test in one’s native tongue (or, if you are an anglo in Quebec, our “official language”), but the truth is that you have an acquired skill and it is not because you live in a French-speaking province that it is any less commendable that you possess a mastery of the language. Schools will, however, expect you to get a near perfect score, so don’t take the French test unless you are confident that you can do that (shouldn’t be a problem, just make sure that you don’t take the test for granted).</p>
<p>As for applying out of second year CEGEP, I think we have the advantage here of applying two and even three times (by applying in Sec 5, first- and then second year CEGEP), so if you do get waitlisted or rejected, you can always wait a year and reapply to a school or ajust your list of schools (by aiming just a little lower). I know students who have gone to US colleges right out of secondary 5 (including one who went to Yale), some who go out of first year CEGEP and others after finishing CEGEP. Each strategy has its own advantages or drawbacks. </p>
<p>If out of sec 5, you will be younger, perhaps less mature, than other students, you will also not be NCAA eligible and your academic preparation may not be adequate. That being said, it is the fastest way to a US college education. Also, you have to get all your preparation done in secondary 4, when you may not be ready to make big decisions such as choosing a school/major. One advantage is that you don’t have to worry about the high school/CEGEP bridge (i.e. running back from your CEGEP to your hs to get recommendations, transcripts, etc). Also, if things don’t work out, you still have two more years to apply or reapply. I do not recommend this route simply because I think that kids are too young at 17 to adjust to the whole college lifestyle.</p>
<p>If out of first year CEGEP you are the same age as your future classmates, you will be on the same testing schedule as them and you will have the advantage of taking a first shot this year and then waiting till next year to try again. Usually, I suggest a short list of schools (which can be lengthened next year) without any safety schools (i.e. go with the “better than McGill” rule). Disadavantage is that you will be adjusting to a new school and within weeks appying to college while just coming out of orientation week, getting to know new teachers (will have to go back to hs for recommendations) and a gc who has no clue who you are (or discouraging you from applying to US schools).</p>
<p>If out of second year CEGEP, you will have the advantage of having an extra year of preparation, but no room for second chances, so your schools list should be quite elaborate (i.e. reaches, probables and safety). You have the option of comparing offers from US and Quebec schools (i.e. medicine at McGill or Harvard undergraduate). If you are an athlete, you will still have four years of eligibility, but may have filled out more (“held back for football”) and had the advantage of another year of training and competition. Also, your CEGEP level classes will allow you to get advanced placement (though not necessarily credit, particularly at an Ivy), so you may avoid some distribution requirements. This is what makes the Yale rep’s statement surprising to me. They recognize that you are basically doing classes that are on par with what they are offering, so why tell you to wait (unless it was a suggestion made to allow you to strengthen your application and give you the most chance of getting in)? You quote the rep as saying “CEGEP experience”, which refers to colleges wanting a student to follow the most rigorous university preparatory curriculum as possible, but the truth is that CEGEP courses are roughly equivalent to US college level classes, so you Quebecers are ready out of sec 5. I had two semesters of calculus from Br</p>