<p>Not tmi at all, JenPam-- very interesting and thoughtful. Your D sounds a lot like mine, academically, and it is so frustrating to have those serious weaknesses hold back an otherwise brilliant student–worse for them than for us! I’d tell your D to try for Vanderbilt if she loves it, and to search out others that replicate some of the strengths she sees there. I have had such an interesting time with my D as she feels through the whole process and begins to understand what essential things she’s looking for. </p>
<p>Twins, what a job you have ahead! But it will be fun too.</p>
<p>JenPam & Gwen - have you thought about any of the test optional schools? Here’s a link to fairtest: [The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/]The”>http://www.fairtest.org/) </p>
<p>We’re the opposite here - high tests scores and OK grades. Anybody have a list of GPA optional schools?</p>
<p>Lol, PN… D is taking the SAT for the first time this weekend. She did okay on the PSAT math by some accident or miracle…now if lightning can strike twice…</p>
<p>I read somewhere that people who eat mints during the SAT do 5% better than those who don’t. This cannot possibly have any validity…but guess who will be heading off to the test with a bag of mints in her pocket? This is no time to stand above superstition!</p>
<p>PN and GF, You both are too funny, GPA optional, Not standing above superstition. LOL. So gender specific, too. I didn’t need to look up if you had a son or a duaghter. Does that make me sexist?</p>
<p>ugh. Up until 4 am keeping DD company while she prepared for her History final. Looking forward to break next week and college visits in PA and NJ. We all need the break!</p>
<p>Bad news PN - I already researched that for D1 (HS class of '09), but came up empty handed ;)</p>
<p>Finally got D2’s delayed ACT scores back. Let’s just say we’re going to stick with the SAT. Her slow reading had an even worse effect on the ACT. She has almost a 4.0, will definitely be NM Commended, maybe NMSF, but scored in the 70th percentile in reading on the ACT?! Yikes!</p>
<p>1012 mom - can’t wait to hear about your college visits! Enjoy the trip.</p>
<p>Gwen - good luck to your D Saturday! My son is taking it too, and it will be his 2nd and last time - no matter what he scores. His first scores were high enough and he hasn’t studied at all - just expects to do a little better on the CR section than last time. He tends to get psyched up for some tests, and then he does well, but other times, if he isn’t psyched up about it, he doesn’t do nearly as well. I think the adrenalin must help him concentrate or something. I think he’s not thinking much about this Saturday’s test, so I don’t really expect it to raise his scores much. We’ll see. </p>
<p>PRJ - my son said the ACT was much more hurried than the SAT. He didn’t think it was harder, but he had to keep up a faster pace. I can see why that wouldn’t help someone who likes to read slowly. S has done poorly on the essay for both the SAT and ACT, but he’s actually a pretty good writer. I think it takes him longer than 25 minutes to organize his thoughts, so the fast essay format really kills him. It sounds like your daughter is kicking butt on the SAT tests, so forget the ACT!</p>
<p>I’ve forgotten to welcome the newbies! You will get lots of support and information here over the next year plus. And after that the fun begins - over on the College class of '13 thread we hardly talk about our kids at all any more: it’s all home remodeling, vacations, cocktails, and imaginary cross-country gatherings! JK - there is still kid talk (study abroad, heavy course loads, disappointing grades) as well as aging parents and job stress. The support goes on - the topics just change.</p>
<p>PN - you know, what’s weird is the reading coach we took D to recommended the ACT over the SAT for a slow reader. she couldn’t have been more wrong.</p>
<p>What kind of coach is that? I’ve heard kids say that time is an issue with ACT. For fast readers, you may not see any difference between the SAT and the ACT.</p>
<p>I tried to register her for the May SATs which are given in our high school and it said it was full for SSD (she’s LD). Called the high school and they said I should speak to the College Board and she would also. Spoke to the College Board (after 20 minutes on hold) and they said I should speak to the high school!!! Before I finished the email to high school guidance counselor she was calling me to tell me to register right now as they added two seats to the SSD room. ARGH!!! </p>
<p>Fortunately, all but two of my daughter’s possible college choices are SAT/ACT optional and they are all respected, top LAC. There are good schools out there who have had enough of the College Board (haven’t we all?) and seem to do just fine without considering the SAT/ACT tests. She already took them once and her scores were very respectable but she wants to take them again at her own high school with her friends as she thinks she’ll do a bit better in a more comfortable, familiar location.</p>
<p>DS is beginning to think about taking the SAT again in addition the the ACT. He is a slow reader, but he felt the reading and English sections are more straightforward than the CR section of the SAT. He was never willing to study vocab words, but may give it one more shot fall of senior year. he did say the math section is easier on the SAT, and recommends people focus on geometry and trig for the ACT.
We read several of the strategy books for ACT and used the techniques from Princeton Review with the most success. I am just hoping that when he takes it again in June he really will be done. After toying with the idea of SATII tests for a while, he decided to take those schools that require them off the list. His new requirement is to find at least a few “beach or warm” LACs to even out all the Midwestern schools. At least I will enjoy the college trips to “investigate” Florida and Louisiana schools.</p>
<p>Hi, everyone. I’ve been out of the picture for a little bit. Had a trial. This Berkeley girl is thrilled to see so many of you heading to visit my alma mater! Go Bears! We are getting ready for our April trip to Chicago to visit the Univ. of Chicago, Northwestern and then head over to Notre Dame. We won’t go to Berkeley or Stanford till the summer, probably on a trip to visit my family and maybe head up to Sea Ranch for the weekend… </p>
<p>My D applied for the California State Summer School for the Arts in Creative Writing. We are waiting to see if she is one of the 70 students accepted. If so, she will put her name in for the Young Arts Scholarship because she likely will have some nice work developed during the summer to enter into that competition. If not, she plans to attend UCSD this summer and study French.</p>
<p>She has decided to take the SAT again in October to try to move from 2190 to 2250. I know that seems a little silly, but she is trying to go IVY. She won’t study like last time. She will take a more rational class. She has two subject tests in May – US History and English. I hope she finds time to study, as Varsity Softball has started and she still has editor duties for her school magazine. I’m a little bit worried about that and plan to drop the subtle hint of some review books on her lap.</p>
<p>She also has four AP tests in May. APUSH, AP English Language, AP Psych, and AP Art History. I think the APUSH and AP Art History will be the tough ones. I like her AP Psych teacher. She seems very determined to prepare the kids, as was her AP Art History teacher. Saturday review sessions have already begun at her school.</p>
<p>She set up her schedule for next year: AP English Language, AP Government, AP Economics, AP European History, Pre Calculus Honors, Journalism (2 terms), Personal Fitness (she off her last P.E.), and a free fourth her last semester when softball rears its ugly head again.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I am very much looking forward to quarter break from UCLA. My oldest will be home in two weeks to spend a week with us before her last term.</p>
<p>I’ve looked into Fairtest.org’s site & member schools, and in fact my dad’s alma mater is on the list (Bard). We’re going to visit Bard with my kids, but I don’t think that my son would choose it, and I don’t think my daughter will get in. It’s still going to be a fun family trip, though! My dad is so excited to show us around his old stomping grounds. He always wanted one of his kids to attend (not that we had the financial means), so just having his grandkids visit is a pleasure for him.</p>
<p>I love the idea of GPA-optional schools! Ha! </p>
<p>My kids take the SAT for the first time on Saturday. Good luck to them & the other kids here who are taking it. Mints, huh? Worth a try!</p>
<p>MizzBee - your S should look into Eckerd. It’s in the St. Pete area, right near the beach. It’s on the list of Colleges that Change Lives. We know someone going there right now and he loves it. Lots of socializing on the beach, friendly students, laid back, but good reputation. </p>
<p>Welcome back, chrissyblu! Can you believe our kids are planning their SENIOR years! Wow.</p>
<p>JenPam - good luck to your kids on Saturday! My son always has a cup of coffee before morning tests - he says it really helps him focus. And we make some kind of breakfast with protein. What a long grueling test. My spidey-sense tells me he’s already mentally moved on from caring about the SAT, so I just don’t how probable it is that he’ll improve his scores from November.</p>
<p>I remember seven years ago driving DD to the ISEE’s with classical music playing on the car radio, because of something I had read about listening to Mozart right before doing math. All I could think was “this can’t possibly work.”</p>
<p>Anyway, yeah, good luck SAT takers! I’m going out for batteries and bananas when I’m done here! :)</p>
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<p>If your daughter finds schools that she thinks are fits, she just might make that case to them (especially since she’s a good writer!) and surprise you. I’m fully expecting both good and bad shockers in my lopsided daughter’s results, but we’ve decided to let admissions do their job and not worry too much about rejection. The greater fear in my opinion is taking yourself out of the running at too many places up front.</p>
<p>In our case, it’s “put your lousy grades from freshman and sophomore year behind you, take the SAT like the standardized testing robot that you are, line up your recs, write your essays – in other words control what you can still control – and see what happens. If you don’t get in, it’s probably got more to do with the number of beds there than any deficiencies – real or imagined – here.”</p>
<p>It’s a seller’s market at elite schools, and IMHO rejection is part of the process. With a smart list of a wide range of good fits, your daughter is a lock for someplace awesome.</p>