<p>For my part, I think it is nuts that there is a school already accepting apps for 2013.</p>
<p>NOVA is now suffering the agonies of major disappointment for many smart kids (and penny-wise parents!)…UVA RD came out this week. My D is horrified by who has been rejected…full IB/AP with good scores (they say) are outright rejected but sometimes they are the same kids with big scholarships from oos competitive schools. Not enough to make up for the instate tuition of UVA so everyone is really devastated. The average test scores are in the 700s for UVA…ouch! Nice to keep this in mind when we do our tour…nice to dream and fantasize about those tuition payments but nothing to pin a realistic hope on.</p>
<p>Thank you, Thank you for all of the encouragement folks! I really appreciate all of your posts regarding Step-D’s disappointing day. A Big SHOUT OUT to SteveMA for that ACT Review tip on their website. Very worth the 35 dollars me thinks! </p>
<p>I picked up a shift at work today (I’m just working pt for now) so it was good to be busy and keep my mind off of things. Before they called me in however, I was researching schools that have gone ‘score optional’ (just in case we need them!) Was heartened by how many schools are schools are now score optional or still in Step-D’s wheelhouse (so to speak) so I am not going to commence hair pulling or teeth nashing - just yet. </p>
<p>Still hoping for a good ACT score (hey, I don’t even want “great” at this point!) and thankful for the support from all of you. </p>
<p>Hey! Megpmom! Congrats on being one and done! Your son doesn’t want to make any extra cash by taking the test again and pretending to be a girl does he? heh heh heh ;)</p>
<p>Hi guys! Parent of a 2012 D and wanted to offer some encouraging words re: test scores. D failed the math section of the sat miserably. Truly abysmal scores and not just for CC but reality also. Took the act and scored above average in math. Act seems to represent content they learned and sat very much critical thinking, not straight forward. My D has a 4.0 and doesn’t struggle in math while doing it but her brain isn’t wired to maintain math very well.</p>
<p>Hope this helps some of you. And we learned that when applying to colleges, test scores do not mean everything. My D ended up with a 28 composite and 29 superscored with only a 25 on math section. She just got into a highly selective liberal arts school with a big scholarship even though her math score is probably in the bottom 10% of admitted students. I think GPA matters more than people think, as does course rigor and for small lac’s essays and extracurriculars. One more thing, to be fair, my D was considered a first generation but while that may have helped a little, it was the overall package! </p>
<p>Good luck guys, it goes so fast as many of you know that have older kids. I have learned so much on this site but the one regret I have is not having my D apply to more selective schools.</p>
<p>laurendog~My D got her scores back today, and they were not great, and were well below her ACT score. Don’t lose hope. D found that the ACT red book was a good study guide, definitely worth a try.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, D scores right where I thought she would on the math section, but below where I thought she would on CR and W. She will not retake, thank goodness, but will try the ACT again in June to see if she can raise her score a little bit. That will be the last test.</p>
<p>mspearl~ Thanks for the words of encouragement:)</p>
<p>Laurendog, sorry to hear about your Step-D’s SAT scores. I hope that the ACT is more representative. My D is actually interested in several colleges that don’t require test scores - they are definitely out there.
Congratulations to those who are done with the SAT’s!</p>
<p>Yep. March SATs came back today. D was disappointed but I was not! after reading how test prep is a waste of money…I feel it was definitely a help for her, if only because it gave her lots of practice. Her total score went up over 200 points from the PSAT so she was lucky to see that increase. Her friends in the prep class also saw a significant improvement over the PSAT so everyone was relieved to see the upward trend. She did much better on a practice ACT on the math section for the same reasoning above…it is more straightforward and she can show she can handle the trig. Unfortunately, the timing/speed on the ACT reading and science may be an issue for her. So…probably try a May SAT, June ACT and if still not satisfied one last gasp test in the Fall. Her debate now is whether to invest time in working on the SAT some more or switching to doing ACT prep.</p>
<p>Testing: S3 took the SAT in December and the ACT in Feb. Did slightly better on the ACT, but both scores need to improve. Still debating taking the SAT II’s. He will definitely take the ACT in June, and either the SAT in May or the SAT II’s in May and the SAT in June. I am worried about SAT studying in May might interfere with AP studying, but who am I really kidding?, likely he won’t study for either!!</p>
<p>Tx5, my son doesn’t take any AP courses but it seems like most kids take the SAT IIs in May. Preparing for AP tests takes the place of SATII specific prep.</p>
<p>D took her ACT in February, and SAT in March. It seemed to be tough for her to transition to SAT testing after studying for and taking the ACT. The SAT was tougher for her to study for, and she had VERY little desire after prepping for the ACT. I am glad that she will only focus on one, I think if I asked her to prep for both again she may bomb one just to spite me ;)</p>
<p>I agree RobD! I thought apps opened in August. Kids are so burned out- my IB D and her friends are exhausted and cranky. </p>
<p>Laurendog- sorry about D’s SAT results. It is still early in the game. </p>
<p>Great news Megp. </p>
<p>My D was disappointed. Her combined practices were coming in at around a 1400, but she is lower than that. She will gain admission, but not scholarships to today’s list. She is registered for the May SAT through school. I think she will do better with the home field advantage. </p>
<p>Hope your D has fun in NYC!</p>
<p>Good morning peeps. I can’t remember if some of y’all also have 2012 kids, but I hope you all survived 
So again, this is my first and only time going through this process. My son and I are scheduled to attend Lafayette’s junior visit day tomorrow. But it’s supposed to be rainy and chilly. I’m thinking of not going but I’m not sure if he will be missing something that couldn’t be had on another visit on a nicer day. The school is only 90 minutes away so there would be no hardship in going another time. This school is a real long shot for him anyway. I’ll see what his thoughts are but I don’t see him being disappointed with not going.</p>
<p>reeinaz - H, Step-D and I kind of like doing the ‘official’ school stuff at each school. However, if the school is a real long shot, it might not be worth checking it out until you have a good handle on whether it’s realistic or not. I wouldn’t want to take a kid somewhere, have him/her fall in love, and then say ‘well this is a total longshot!’ </p>
<p>Besides, if you are only 90 minutes away, if the school becomes more feasible, then you can always pop over for the official tour and info session on another day.</p>
<p>nellieh - Thanks for the commiseration! I have higher hopes for the ACT in a few weeks! I am sure your D will do better with the Home Field Advantage!!!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t mind at all if he fell in love with Lafayette, or any school for that matter. That would mean he cares But he knows where his grades and predicted scores put him in the great scheme of things and I’m sure we could find more suitable schools with the same qualities that he figures out matter to him. As long as there isn’t a torrential downpour when it’s time to head out tomorrow, I think we’ll go. The tour is only a small part of an entire day of events and the visit will get him thinking. I think it will be a nice contrast to Temple, which he didn’t care for.</p>
<p>Congrats and condolences where they’re due for the SAT results. FWIW, DS took subject tests in the fall - he had quiz bowl nationals on the June date last year (and took the SAT for the 2nd time in May). Didn’t seem to make much difference, although it probably depends on which tests one is taking. </p>
<p>The first time DS took the SAT, his writing score was relatively low, although he’s a really good writer - so even though many schools don’t look at it, he wanted to raise it. There’s a thread on the SAT/ACT forum called “How to get a 12 on the writing SAT” (or something like that). Gold - DS went from 650 to 800 with only a few hours of prep. If that’s an area of concern, check it out. DS also used shmoop (google it) for online test prep and found it pretty effective.</p>
<p>I’ve been lurking but not writing, still dragging my feet along with D2 that college searching should start anytime now, LOL!</p>
<p>Did learn from D2 that she feels really stupid when it comes to vocabulary though she said it is largely due to massive cumulative tests she has now where they are just matching word to definition and not using them in a way that helps her retain them. She said she hates feeling stupid though when her friends use words she doesn’t know. Any thoughts or sources that anyone has found that could help with this? She’s an avid reader and talented writer but I’d love to get her confidence up. I told her my vocabulary came from my loving to read the dictionary growing up and also just falling in love with the sounds of words so I would learn them and incorporate them but also that my large vocabulary has also grown over the years and is far larger now than it was at 16. She’s one who gets stick in the mud stubborn though (like me) so I’d love to find something to up her confidence.</p>
<p>In a surprise note though, I got an email from her physics teacher that he thinks she is doing an amazing job and a leader in his classroom and he has offered her a tutoring position for a girl new to his class from another school in exchange for no homework in the last semester. D2 is thrilled and feels quite proud, as do I. She’s often felt in the shadow when it comes to math/science because her big sister lives and breathes them and D2 does not find her passions there though she did choose to take AP Physics next year which shocked us all, including her :)</p>
<p>Her SAT score was good for her and gave her the confidence to go after it again after studying so that’s good. She is one I really can’t have discouraged the first time out of the gate because she’d rather not try but if she finds something to hold on to she’ll try as hard as she can. Can be very frustrating, though that’s usually because it’s like rationalizing with myself :)</p>
<p>I’ll try to get back in to posting more! It’s just been crazy busy in real life so my downtime and response time is limited!</p>
<p>Shillyshally, I know people tend to recommend it for test prep, but my son really got a lot out of reading the Direct Hits books. They put the vocabulary words in context, using pop culture references and other relatable descriptions. While my son’s spoken vocabulary is still pretty basic and plain (other than his habit of inventing new slang words), his written vocabulary is very rich. I hate to admit this but I was so surprised by something he wrote, I ran it through a plagarism checker 
It was all him!</p>
<p>Oh and this just popped in my head from the Temple U info session. Although they report admitted SAT scores on a 1600 scale, they use all 3 section. Writing and CR get averaged together then combined with Math. They said their’s is a unique way of doing that but it might be a question to ask colleges if it isn’t spelled out. I would’ve assumed a score based on 1600 was just CR and M.</p>
<p>reeinaz - thanks, that might be something that she’d really like. She said if it’s in context of something she gets it better, and she pointed out the SAT words shower curtain we’ve had up since D1 was studying for the SAT (not an avid reader) did NOT help her either, LOL! I’ll check those out!</p>