<p>Sorry, jackief. I can’t. D has AP tests on May 13th and 14th (English and World). She will hopefully be studying. Besides, Chicago is a HUGE reach for her. I’m not sure it is cost effective to go there unless she actually gets accepted (on the off chance).</p>
<p>QM, I understand, and I agree their timing is poor. If D had tests that soon after, I’m sure she would be hesitant also. She has Latin on the last Friday, and she should be set by then (and will probably study on the plane)</p>
<p>Good morning, all.</p>
<p>Just rescuing us from P. 2, but nothing to say this morning.</p>
<p>Happy Square Root Day Everyone.</p>
<p>Is anyone’s child taking the March SAT? My D is, But of course now that it’s less than two weeks before the test she remembered that she hasn’t cracked open a book since October.</p>
<p>Square root day?</p>
<p>My S is taking the March SAT. My H commented that the USC full scholarship applicants that he interviewed seemed to take the March Sat, with a follow up score increase with a May taking of the exam. Of course, this is a very non-random sampling of five very talented young men and women.</p>
<p>I was hoping D would take the SAT IIs in May. Oh well, I guess the last chance is next year’s October test.</p>
<p>No SAT at all for my D, of which she is extremely happy. She is focusing on the ACT. She also is not available for the March date, which was a factor in our decision with more retake dates available on our schedule for the ACT.</p>
<p>I can’t figure out square root day either. At first I thought the calendar had jumped and it was Pi day, but I have never heard of square root day.</p>
<p>I’ve noted on the MIT board that applicants are hoping admission announcements are sent on Pi day next month.</p>
<p>I think it’s kind of cute. However, perhaps for this and other reasons, my S has decided that overwhelming tech oriented schools will not be the right fit for him, even though he’s a math/science guy. This is okay, since he can always do the “total immersion” deal in grad school if he wants.</p>
<p>So, he wants a college in the “middle” as to academic focus. Translated, this means not a heavy tech focus but they’d best have a strong physics department or interdisciplinary opportunities. He prefers large/middle to small, urban to suburban, no rural. He said if he got admitted to both USC and Berkeley it would be a tough choice. I advised he save he angst on that one until next March, since that’s when he’d know if it was at issue.</p>
<p>So, the total and short list that is not well distributed among reach-safety-match includes Stanford, USC, Berkeley and UCLA.</p>
<p>We’ve got a lot of work to do in “taking the horse to water” in giving his meaningful college info to expand this list. The good news is that he seems to be focused on building the groundwork for a strong application in studying for his classes and the March SAT. </p>
<p>It isn’t without some pain. He had a major blow up last evening because we nixed the idea of watching two hours of TV, his defined stress release (we suggested he find the program on the Internet later; we have no TiVO) in lieu of spending the agreed upon time on his SAT prep and linear algebra. His anger about the seeming “lack of control” over his own schedule kind of sapped the energy of the real adults (parents) and we all slunk off to our separate rooms after dinner. However, the studying was done.</p>
<p>I wondered with my H later if he thought there was something else on S’s mind that he wasn’t revealing. Maybe things didn’t go well on the Monday AP Physics test? Is he tired of the fight to protect basic AP science classes (I am!)? Something else? Maybe I will softly broach the subject during the quiet time ride to school this morning. It wasn’t his first blow up but the volatility level was raised a notch.</p>
<p>Oh, that March test is coming on quickly! D is not taking it. She’s already taken it twice and has a very respectable score, and she is still debating whether to retake it in May - though she won’t be able to prep for it at all, given that it’s around the same time as the AP exams.</p>
<p>In my previous post, my first line was a mention that SAT IIs were not given in March, then I realized I misread QM’s post that her D is planning SAT IIs for May, not March. Now that I have realized that error, I am going to expand on my commentary, which of course deserves its own post.</p>
<p>The fact that there are only one set of dates to fit in SAT Is and IIs is another reason my D decided to skip the SAT. May date she is not able to do either for spring sports commitment, leaving June which she will take SAT IIs. Assume that date is not avail to your daughter QM. </p>
<p>When we went to visit Tufts I took along a friend of D’s who was saying her plan was to take SAT Is and SAT IIs both in June until I told her she could not. She asked me several times if I was sure, it seems she had this plan all along and her parents said nothing to her. I felt pretty bad for her, she didn’t do that well on Jr year PSAT, worse than Soph, and her parents and her SAT tutor are all telling her she “won’t get into any good schools.” I mentioned that she might wish to consider test optional schools, but she didn’t think much of them! Her brother is a Senior so maybe the family is focusing on him for a while. But I hope she has her meeting soon with the college counselor and gets some help with her self confidence…</p>
<p>June is still up in the air. It is really close to finals. October still gives D a summer of prep.</p>
<p>About not being able to get into good schools, D is sure she won’t get in anywhere and anywhere is defined as the tippy top of schools. She did take the SATs once already, and while her scores were below her practices due to test anxiety and were clearly not up to CC standards, they are respectable enough for some very good schools.</p>
<p>I don’t know how to counsel her. She is very despondent.</p>
<p>jackief - is there anyway that your D’s friend can fit in the May SAT? And has she tried the ACT yet? My D still isn’t sure whether she’ll be retaking the SAT, but she plans to retake the ACT in June. She’ll also be taking the SAT IIs in June, probably US History and Math II.</p>
<p>Oh, and I never heard of square root day either.</p>
<p>My kid is taking SAT in March, I didn’t think to nag him that the snow day might be a good day for some concentrated SAT practice. A couple of weeks ago he said, “Can’t I just take it the first time cold?” :rolleyes: I said at the very least he should practice writing those essays. He’s done two so far. The second was better than the first, but still not as good as he’s capable of, I hope.</p>
<p>I’ve heard of pi day, but not square root day. Square root of what? ah, answer: <a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_root_day[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_root_day</a></p>
<p>The friend is taking the SAT in March. I know nothing about the tutor except what the tutor tells her above. I don’t remember if this friend is taking the ACT in April, D and several of her friends are taking SAT in March and ACT in April. That seems to be the recommended starting point at this school, only a very small handful have taken one or the other already. Some of them are doing some prep, but some of them have not…</p>
<p>mathmom- I had hoped we could wonder together about square root day for a page or two here 
but know I guess I’ll have to go read the link…</p>
<p>… a few minutes later …</p>
<p>now I know why we didn’t know about square root day, they are rare! I had heard of all the others on the wikipedia page, geek that I am…</p>
<p>Is anyone “celebrating” square root day in school? I know that math classes have done Pi day previously, and I think there might be something about mole class in chem class, but since I hadn’t heard of square root day I don’t know if anything is planned at our school…</p>
<p>S is taking the SAT in March and the ACT in April. Whichever one he does better on, he’ll retake in June. He’s been doing a lot of practicing for the former, not so much for the latter.</p>
<p>Haven’t heard anything about square root day - will have to ask the kids when they get home. I know they have a contest at the middle school to see who can memorize Pi to the most decimal places. S will probably not even attempt it.</p>
<p>Jackief - is your D taking the SAT in March after all? </p>
<p>Queen’s Mom - our last posts must have cross-posted - I’m sorry your D is feeling so low. That’s what I hate about these tests! They’re just one small part of the person, but so much weight is given to their importance. Hugs to you and to your D.</p>
<p>LIMOM, no March SAT for D. No SATs at all, she says as she jumps for joy…</p>
<p>I agree it is tough to see kids like QM’s D and D’s friend get all despondent about these tests. Our school does a good job in trying to put it all in perspective, which is why I hope friend gets the college process going soon with some 1-1 meetings or meetings with her parents. Don’t know if friend can take the May SAT date, I did suggest that to her but I don’t remember her reply.</p>