Parents of the HS class of 2010 - Original

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
1601

<p>pugmadkate–don’t worry about the requirements for NMSF. At the appropriate time (next Sept. I think) they (your HS) will announce the semifinalists based on the cutoff for your state and then your student will get a packet explaining what they have to do next. There’s the app which includes an essay about yourself, a couple of reccomendations, if I recall correctly, and they also tell you you need a supporting SAT score. </p>

<p>90% of semis go on to be finalist, so unless you don’t turn in the app, or don’t have the GPA to match your PSAT goodness, no worries.</p>

<p>This is my 4th go-round on the PSAT/NMSQT thing. :)</p>

1602

<p>mommusic, Hearty congratulations to your S! Awesome score!</p>

1603

<p>mommusic, Fourth time? Wow. I’m impressed. Thank you for the info. I feel a lot better knowing a packet is coming rather than counting on my memory.</p>

1604

<p>congrats on the score mommusic! and all questions welcome pugmadkate, as youdon’tsay said, we are nipping at the heels of '09! :)</p>

1605

<p>Finally got my son’s scores today for ACT - 33 composite.</p>

<p>35 Eng
36 Math
33 Science
but BOO 26 Reading! He knew he blew that part!!</p>

<p>8 on the essay, so 31 combined Eng/writing</p>

<p>Don’t know if he’ll retake. He may want to just because of the low reading score. I am thrilled and won’t push for a retake.</p>

<p>He is signed up for the Jan SAT. I’m glad that with the 33 the pressures off.</p>

1606

<p>Momusic:</p>

<p>Happy dance indeed! How playing a little Kool and the Gang “Celebrate!” A 35 certainly provides an excellent path to follow.</p>

1607

<p>Great score, ag54. My S did well, too, and will also be taking the January SAT.<br>
I’m surprised how many people already have writing scores, since it can take 2 weeks or so after the multiple choice scores are posted. We haven’t seen S’s yet, but aren’t worried about it since his composite was good.<br>
Nice to have a major one out of the way! :)</p>

1608

<p>AG54: Great score there too, and even better to have some of the pressure lessened. I’ll be happy when we reach that point but SAT taking is in March so we have awhile yet.</p>

<p>I’m in from pruning plants, thinking better to have to do this year round than having dormant plants due to winter snow/ice. I spent two winters in upstate NY (Albany) and that was enough for me.</p>

1609

<p>AG54 - congrats on your son’s ACT score - same composite as my D’s, only slightly different breakdown -but reading was her worst section as well. She also says she wants to retake, but that probably won’t happen until June. She’ll also be retaking the SAT this month, so I’m crossing my fingers that her new SAT score might cancel out her desire to retake the ACT.</p>

<p>FindAPlace - I have to agree with you there - I’d definitely rather be pruning plants now than dealing with snow and ice. Just hoping we don’t have too much of the white stuff this winter.</p>

1610

<p>mommusic,
Isn’t this the S who just nailed the PSAT (or SAT), too? Congrats to him! Nice to have THAT out of the way!</p>

<p>Our local Borders is going out of business and all books are 50% off. Scarfed up two ACT books, the Blue Book, and a couple of subject area tests. S2 was not terribly amused, but he’s the one who wants to give the ACT a try. I figured since his GF is preparing for the ACT, too, they can share.</p>

<p>ag54, I’ll be doing happy dances with a 33!</p>

<p>My freshman niece has not gotten her PSAT scores back yet. My sister forgot to sign up my soph nephew (and he is a likely recruited D-I athlete in two sports with great grades – what are they thinking?!). My junior niece found out about the PSAT the day before, figured she had no chance for NMSF and didn’t even bother. While we saw them over the holidays, I got all of their course schedules, and now Aunt CountingDown is going to play college advisor. All three got unbelievably crummy advice (or none at all) from their schools – not that this is a surprise to anyone on CC! – so I am going to try to help them broaden their horizons and get them into schools that will help them blossom.</p>

1611

<p>Congratulations to all ACT performers! My D did not like the format of the practice ACT she took last year, so I doubt that she will take it. She prefers the shorter 20-30 min segments for the SAT; it allows her to pace herself better. She already has a very good score under her belt from last year, but is planning to retake the SAT in March. About correlation with practice tests, she tends to do about 10% better on her real tests than the practice tests- isn’t that nice? </p>

<p>Lets hope we are all dancing happy dances by April 2010!</p>

1612

<p>cd, That is a great thing to do for your neice and nephew. Good for you!</p>

1613

<p>CountingDown - sorry your local Borders is going out of business - but at least you picked up a few bargains. I would be so sad if our local bookstore closed! Good deal getting those review books at 50% off! Those things really add up!</p>

<p>Nice of you to help out your nieces and nephew - sounds like they can use your help.</p>

<p>vicariousparent - my D said something similar about the preferring the SAT format. She took them both anyway…lol.</p>

1614

<p>ag54 - That’s a great score! Congratulations to your S. </p>

<p>And, CountingDown, you’re a good aunt.</p>

1615

<p>I know I should be ashamed to say it, but all these reports of 33-35 act scores are giving me a bit of an inferiority complex… I have to keep saying that 31 (my D’s score) is 98%ile and it is just one section, science, which really tripped her up.</p>

<p>Of course I am very happy for everyone’s good news/great scores. </p>

<p>I went to order the answer service, and see that it is a form you print out and mail! How low tech! It is also interesting that it is only available for Dec/Apr/Jun tests this year, that is interesting. I will get it in the mail soon so she can have it back to prep for a future test. She is still talking about possibly retaking in Feb, but I want her to email her coach to see what the details may be for an Apr conflict. I would prefer Apr as she would have more time to prep and it wouldn’t be an hour away.</p>

<p>Hope everyone is done with their vacation homework! D1 is almost done, and then she has some APUSH extra credit which she does not want to do but which I am strongly encouraging.</p>

1616

<p>Good morning, all.</p>

<p>Jackief - don’t make yourself crazy over your D’s 31 - that’s a great score, as you know. It’s just a very competitive bunch here on CC. D still has some homework to finish today, so your D is not alone.</p>

1617

<p>Oh, my DS has a bit of APUSH work to do as well today.</p>

<p>CountingDown: Way to go in helping out your niece and nephew. The process has gotten too complex for anyone to have to go it alone without a good support system. Plus, things seem to change by the day. Although not unexpected, I just read an article in the LA Times that the UC system is pondering an increase to admits for OOS since they pay full freight and result in a profit for the system. Having this occur during a time of economic stress when the number of IS applicants is on a steep rise, one wonders how this will shake out in the end?</p>

1618

<p>FindAPlace --very interesting about UCs possibly increasing OOS admissions. S’s best friend is interested in UCLA’s undergrad pharmacy program.</p>

<p>By the way, do any of you know of any good pre-pharmacy (undergrad) programs? I really don’t know the family situation, but this boy seems to be (at least to me) pretty much on his own in the college search process. S and I are trying to gently help him along, while trying not to step on any toes (we don’t really know the family). S encouraged his friend to take the PSAT as a soph, and had him take the ACT with S in December, loaned him our Fiske guide and other college books, etc. I know the friend is doing some college research on his own (which has helped move S along in that direction of thinking also!). I certainly don’t want to be too pushy, but I have the time and interest to help this boy along this journey. FWIW – he is Asian, and his parents are older (his only sibling is 16 years older). I emailed S a list of pharmacy programs I found, so he could email it to his friend if the friend was interested.</p>

<p>Any thoughts from the oh-so-wise CC college gurus? :)</p>

1619

<p>Thanks all for the congrats! I have to tell y’all how I told my son, it was priceless.</p>

<p>He was at lacrosse practice when I looked it up. I honestly thought they wouldn’t be posted because of the holiday weekend, so was doubly shocked that they were up and that he had done so well.</p>

<p>So, he gets out of his car and I say, “Your ACT scores are posted.” </p>

<p>He has a look of terror and says, “Well, how bad are they.” </p>

<p>I said, “You got a 26 on the reading section.” </p>

<p>He says, “I did better in math, right?” </p>

<p>“Yes, pretty well.” </p>

<p>“What was the score?” </p>

<p>“36” A look of wonder and shock come over his face and he says, “That’s perfect, right?”</p>

<p>“Yes, and your composite was a 33!”</p>

<p>He jumps in the air and literally tears up, and says, “So, the pressure is off, it doesn’t matter how I do on the SAT!”</p>

<p>Funny thing, my 2nd son who got a 30 a couple of years ago was kind of po’d that my youngest outscored him. But, for this 3rd child who has lived in the shadow of 2 high performing older brothers, it couldn’t have been better.</p>

<p>My son has decided to retake it just to see if he can bring up the reading. But, if the overall score doesn’t improve, we are just reporting this one.</p>

<p>jackief- my oldest son, who was a NMF with a perfect 800 verbal, 1540 SAT (in 2004) only got a 26 on the ACT, my second son - a hs valedictorian only got a 30.</p>

<p>A 31 is a kick-a@@ score and better than the VAST majority of kids. </p>

<p>You’re surrounded by parents of high achievers (who are college obsessed - hence our involvement on CC :rolleyes:) </p>

<p>Your daughter did really great! If she retakes, she will probably go up, but if not, a 31 is nothing to sniff at!!!</p>

1620

<p>ag54 - now I’m even happier about your son’s score. With two high-achieving older brothers, it’s nice to see that he outdid them on this test - must have made him feel great about himself.</p>