<p>Another book for the OP: “A Hope in the Unseen”. I think the author’s name is Steinberg or something close to that. It’s about a young man from a very poor public school in DC with very low SATs who goes to Brown. He does have to struggle at first, but he eventually figures out the kind of learning process he didn’t get in HS, and now has several grad degrees from Ivies. It’s very honest and insightful.</p>
<p>Whoa ho, northstarmom. Yes, I know that the parents on this site are not usually the kind to spend 20,000 on a college councilor. Most of the parents, including you, are just parents with a deep interest in their kids’ education. However, there are still a lot of parents here who seem, in my opinion, to be trying to “crack” the SATs/ACTs/PSATs/GREs. Take the official PSAT thread. Many of the posters are simply kids wondering whether they made semifinalist status, which is absolutely fine, but some are parents who say things like “my kid has a score 10 below NMS semifinalist in his sophomore year. What methods should I use to improve his score by next year?” I know a lot of people find this statement understandable, but it just seems to me that some parents either 1. “play” the tests or 2. live vicariously through their children. Oh, and sorry, I really didn’t mean to be offensive.</p>
<p>And yes, I know that the SAT was designed so that the average score would be around 1000. That’s fine with me, but seriously, take a look at the test. An 8-year-old should be able to get a 1000 on the SAT. Really. I’m not joking.</p>
<p>Finally, about the standardized testing, I think that i previously retracted my earlier statement that you quoted. Read the boards.</p>
<p>Xuperdominican,
well, you were accepted at Yale and stirred up a bit of a hornet’s nest on your thread. Good job to both. The Bush-ette also graduated, so I am sure you will too. Your fellow students at Yale will, on average, start out with more educational - advantages, sophistication, whatever, than you. But if you take advantage of the writing center and so on, this gap will be closed within a year or so. Be of good faith. The coming year will be a grand adventure. Lewis and Clark were not the only ones to make epic voyages.</p>
<p>i think your arguments are becoming absurd - most 8 yr olds do not have the patience or knowledge to complete the SAT, and they don’t know how the test is structured. I doubt that I would have been able to sit through it when I was 8 and fully of hyper energy - remember, an 8 yr old is around 3rd grade age. You expect an 8 yr old to be able to score the average score received by high school juniors and seniors? the kid hasn’t had basic algebra yet.</p>
<p>Grrr. Yes, I know that an average AMERICAN 8-year-old couldn’t get a 1000. That’s my point. Obviously, if the average American 17-year-old would score a 1000, his younger counterpart would score much lower. However, I said that the third-grader SHOULD be able to score a 1000 on the SAT. This opens up an entirely new can of worms:</p>
<p>Take the average elementary/secondary school classroom. You wouldn’t expect to see 28 focused, intelligent individuals. You would expect an almost daycare-like setting - maybe a bit of trivial bit every day, but on the whole, not a whole lot of serious learning. I went through a gifted program, but even there, we learned very slowly. Though I know this is very reductionist, this poor system, which springs from the general lack of importance and funding bestowed by today’s society on education. This is why the average junior/senior scores a 1000 on the dumbed-down SAT of today.</p>
<p>If you say that this low standard of education isn’t possible, take a look at the more advanced education of, say, China. It isn’t quite at its highest potential, but it’s a lot better than the meager education options of America.</p>
<p>That is all.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, it’s improper for you to attribute my words concerning the mental freeze and panic some students experience to drbott - even if you didn’t intend to attribute it to drbott (you addressed the post to him), you didn’t mention that they were my words, and not his.</p>
<p>Second, with all due respect to your status as a former educator, your post that “Someone who freezes on tests will be in big trouble at colleges where final and midterm grades may account for 100% of a course grade” is typical of someone who misunderstands the particular difficulty some kids have on standardized tests. An important test in a class does not carry the same mystique that the SATs do. Take my situation as an example. Though I had difficulty with the SAT2s, tests in highschool give me no trouble. This wassn’t an issue of test difficulty - once I warmed up to the tests, I found them easier than most tests I took in classes. The difficulties that SOME “poor standardized test takers” have are induced by the testing situation and by lack of familiarity with the tests. I realize that the label “poor standardized test taker” cannot be used to excuse all testers in the bottom 90% of SAT scores, which would all be labelled “poor scores” by the top colleges. However, there are some kids who legitimately take standardized tests poorly. The reason my SAT2 scores improved was because I learned how to take the test properly.</p>
<p>You cannot attribute the “involved parent” situation to every kid who has high grades but low test scores. Sure, in some of those cases, their parents are doing much of the work for them and the kids are of average intelligence or below. However, some of the high grades/low scores kids are legitimately “poor standardized test takers”. In your post, you fail to recognize that SOME of the kids who have high grades and low scores are admitted by highly ranked colleges, possibly because these colleges recognize students who are “poor standardized test takers”.</p>
<p>Some personal examples, maybe not for you but for other readers in this thread:</p>
<p>David, a kid in my AP Calculus class, has one of the highest calculus grades among all of our teacher’s classes (about 60 kids total). He can always think a step ahead of what the teacher is saying, and I’ve seen him do his homework in class - he’s faster than me, and he’s accurate. I know his parents are not helping him through school, and I believe he’s intelligent. He has a high testing average in the calculus class, but he hasn’t been able to pull his SATs higher than the mid 1200s, after 3 or 4 tries. If anyone is wondering, he’s caucasian.</p>
<p>Melissa, another kid in my AP Calc class, was recently accepted at Stanford. She wasn’t recruited for anything, she wasn’t a legacy, her family hadn’t donated a building, and she was caucasian. She has a strong GPA, and her teachers consider her to be very bright, but through her junior and senior year (until last month) had a maximum SAT of 1330. Her parents are divorced, and as far as I know, her home life is hectic. She finally pulled her SAT up dramatically to 1430 in November. A 1430 is nothing special at Stanford, but with her GPA and teacher recs and ECs, Stanford apparently considered her intelligent enough to accept her.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to be combative. Some innocent questions: </p>
<p>At what grade/age have chinese kids learned the equivalent of algebra 1, algebra 2, and geometry? </p>
<p>At what grade/age have chinese kids read enough good literature and learned enough of the language that they can perform decently on the Reading Comprehension and Analogies sections?</p>
<p>If the answer to both questions is “3rd grade”, then I would agree with you. However, I doubt that “3rd grade” is the answer to either, especially to the literature/language question.</p>
<p>Again, you are misinterpreting my messages. I noted that even the Chinese system isn’t up to its full potential, even though its one of the best in the world.</p>
<p>Again, I question the patience and focus of any 8 yr old.</p>
<p>Btw, I’m sorry Northstarmom was that mean to you.</p>
<p>Yes, you’re probably right about the patience/focus of the average eight-year-old. That just opens up a discussion about the streamlining of the SAT.</p>
<p>I disapprove of lengthening the test so that it takes over 3.5 hrs.</p>
<p>I’ll get back to the original question. By all means, run, do not walk, to Yale. They do not accept people who will not make it there. I went to Harvard from a high school I can only describe as inner city and lacking in every way. 60% of my freshman class did not graduate and those who did mostly did not attend any college. Yet with hard work and lots of support, I graduated with honors and went on to be a top student at a top law school. You’ll be fine and it will change your life. My prayers are with you!</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I hate to do this, but…
it should be “overwhelmed with fear” not “overwhelmed in fear”</p>
<p>WRONG PREPOSITION!</p>
<p>you’ll do fine. There is no such thing as not being able to handle the workload at a university. Its not unmanageable, its just a matter of getting used to it. You’ll be fine. Plenty of people would love to be in the position you’re in.</p>
<p>Xuperdominican, Congratulations!!! What a thrill. My dd has a rigourous prep school training, but we are still worried about academics at UChicago, where she is likely going (accepted EA). All kids will worry and be a bit intimated by a top school. Yes there will be some super brains, but you don’t have to be, most aren’t. She is a go-for-it gal though! (PS also applying to Yale). Just think, you will be in the midst of a vibrant student body of all types.</p>
<p>I’m with the crowd who says go for it! But only you know yourself and how hard you want to work. If you are happy working fairly hard, no problem. OTOH, you could still go to a <em>very</em> nice school that’s a little more relaxed and intimate where you might have closer mentors. Just concentrate on a good fit for you.</p>
<p>Now can the OT posters shut it?</p>
<p>First to the OT posters-take it someplace else. I find your conversation boring.</p>
<p>Now, back to the OP. Stop over-thinking the situation. You applied. You applied early.They accepted you based on the data provided. Assuming the data provided was YOUR data, trust the system and yourself. Now is not the time to be overly cautious. Start with this simple idea- I’m already behind. Make friends immediately with the modalities in place for struggling students. Time the walk to the writing center. Have the math tutor on the speed dial. Pick out the good spots to sit while you’re waiting for each prof’s “conference” time. Read ahead when possible. Stay current even when it seems impossible. Don’t over-commit to non-academic “time-eaters”.</p>
<p>Use your remaining high school time to upgrade your reading speed, refine your note taking, and by all means drive your mentor(s) crazy with questions on study habits,test taking strategies,time management tricks, college writing skills-you get the picture. Make yourself a pest. They will love it. Their faith in you will be reinforced.</p>
<p>Find opportunities to give speeches to youth groups. Invest yourself in dragging the the next "you " through the keyhole. Become who you already are to Yale. You’ll be fine. They know it. It’s time for you to know it ,too.</p>
<p>I attended an Ivy, and, though I came from a more typical suburban background, I was also terrified at first-- I could get an A in my small pond but what about the big sea of college? </p>
<p>Turns out, those adcoms do know what they are doing. You will be fine. Go for it!!</p>
<p>And for you Babybird,just in case you’re keeping score, it’s a . not a , after “sorry”. (Don’t flame me. I’m just having fun. I’ve just noticed I am now o-fficially a “member”. “I am somebody.” WooHoo!)</p>
<p>PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE for YOUR OWN SAKE: DONT GIVE INTO FEAR!!! It’s just cold feet buddy…you may have been told by others/society that you may not be able to handle it, but you can!!! Otherwise, you wouldnt have gotten in.</p>
<p>Xuperdominican, go for it. If you got in EA, then you definitely belong there. It will be a change for you, and there might be an adjustment period, but I believe that you will fit in, and love being around more people like yourself</p>
<p>drbott, I suggest you read the other thread that discusses the merits of education in other countries compared with that of the US. I believe your views of society as a whole show that not everything is based around SATs.</p>