<p>If Subject tests align with AP exams, taking them in May just before the AP tests can work well. In our school, most of the AP classes don’t do anything after the exam so there could be a month to forget the information if you wait until June for Subject tests.</p>
<p>I wonder if the January curve is harsher because there are fewer kids taking the exam and those that do are likely to be more focused on college or higher achievers? Most of the kids are our town don’t take the test until May or June of Junior year. DD said that there were easily four times as many kids taking the March SAT than January.</p>
<p>Hi all,
My S came out of Saturday’s SAT saying, “Wow, that was so much easier. I did way, way better this time.”
Could the difficulty have been so different? He did a few practice tests and reviewed vocabulary between Jan and March - but no formal study group.
I should add that he took the SAT for the first time in January. Thought CR was difficult (hence, the vocab review).</p>
<p>Someone upthread mentioned that their child’s GC had recommended a number of schools. Is this a standard procedure? Spygirl has yet to meet with her regular GC regarding forecasting, much less college suggestions. Perhaps it’s time to schedule a follow up meeting with the private college counselor.</p>
<p>Rowman – I guess we’ll find out on March 28th! Glad he did well.</p>
<p>Agent99–I can’t recall if your school uses Naviance. If you do not, then my info will be somewhat useless. Naviance allows student, parent and GC to each add schools to the “Schools I Am Thinking About” list. (I probably have the title of that heading incorrect.) Each user can then see who added which schools.</p>
<p>Even w/o Naviance, I don’t think it should be unusual for the GC to suggest schools. My own GC did when I was in H.S., but I grew up in a town very similar to one where I presently live. </p>
<p>Now, were any of these suggestions better than something you could come up with on your own? I do not know the answer to that question. If your school does not allow you access to Naviance (or simply does not have it), then it would be challenging to compile a list based on the experiences of your school’s graduates. Either way, it seems to be a giant casino game, as our Naviance data does not reveal which data points were ED, legacy, URM, recruited athlete. </p>
<p>This was probably was not all that helpful, but I would certainly see if your D’s GC will offer that service. Good luck!</p>
<p>Spygirl’s school does have Naviance and we’ve been on it quite a bit. I just checked and the * Schools I’m thinking about* is blank. I’ve been hearing from DD that the college GC is supposed to be making the rounds through the junior classes to talk more about Naviance. So perhaps that’s when it’ll all come together. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, DD has been waiting for several weeks for her GC to pull her out of class to discuss a forecasting question. Not a big deal but the forms are due Friday.</p>
<p>Since time is running out, I’ll ask the question here: Does it matter that much if she opts to take a Constitution Team/T.A. rather than an AP Chem class?</p>
<p>DS’s school has Naviance too but there’s nothing yet in his “schools I’m thinking about” section - it was during his second meeting with him that the GC pulled out a huge listing of schools with contact info and circled 43 (!) of them, identifying them as safety, target, reach, or super reach +. He had given her some sort of distance from home parameter I think. Anyway I started to investigate and 13 of them didn’t have his major so I at least got it down to 30 (although I did add Pitt and a couple others because of their strengths in the discipline).</p>
<p>Interesting how each school uses Naviance differently, and based on what I have read here, schools do not all use the same features. I started placing school in the ‘ones I am thinking about’ category and then I ask my son to go in and research the schools and decide if he would like to pursue any of them. The GC added a handful and asked my son to rank them as low, med & high, based on his interest level.</p>
<p>Our school requires both the students and parents to complete a packet of info before the parent/student/GC college planning meeting. I didn’t learn too much new info but it was good for my son to hear it from someone other than me. The students learned about Naviance last fall, but my son didn’t use it until after the GC planning meeting last month. </p>
<p>99–can you obtain a parent password so that you can add schools to your D’s list. I find the “compare me” feature useful especially when SAT scores and GPA are updated and more schools change from red to green. </p>
<p>Can’t help with your course selection question but everything I have heard is that colleges like to see APs. But, as I tell my son, a B- in an AP will not look very good especially since his school barely bumps the GPA for AP courses, so it is a balancing act.</p>
<p>Agent99–If Spykid is a math/science girl, I would definitely encourage her to take AP Chem over Constitution Team. The more selective schools will want to see 4 years of science and an AP behind it will give her more clout. </p>
<p>I would encourage you to talk to the private CC–she’ll give Spykid very good advice about forecasting! :)</p>
<p>Ct: I do have a password, but I’ve been hesitant to add anything into Naviance. I’ll talk to Spygirl tonight. She has had no time to even think about it. The Naviance update can wait, what can’t is her forecasting. I’m getting a teensy bit concerned that her GC hasn’t been able to meet with her. DD has tried twice. We both really like her and I know they are extremely busy this time of year. But Friday is only 3 days away.</p>
<p>Here’s what she wants to take next year:</p>
<p>French 4 (No AP or honors is offered)
AP English 4
AP Calculus
AP Physics
AP Gov & Politics
Either AP Chem or Constitution Team 1 semester/T.A. 1 semester</p>
<p>She really wants to take Constitution Team, which is a class and a competitive team. This is her last chance to take a class she will actually enjoy. Her chem teacher is freaking out as he wants her to take AP Chem.</p>
<p>x-posted with you Go2mom. DD has a ton of science – Biology, Honors Physics, Honors Chem and then possibly 2 next year. She doesn’t enjoy chem the way she does physics, which is part of her reluctance.</p>
<p>I think where she already has one each of Biology, Chem and Physics, and is taking AP Calc and AP Physics next year (and a very rigorous schedule all around!), I don’t think she needs to take AP Chem if she doesn’t want to.</p>
<p>While I agree with go2mom about importance of AP Chem, that sounds like a very full schedule already. You know your child best so completely silly of me to offer advice here.</p>
<p>As to adding to Naviance…the schools I add are listed as added by parent. I do understand your reluctance to interfere, but I just decided to proceed as I wanted to be able to use Naviance. My son has since deleted some of the schools I added and the GC told us to go ahead and delete her additions, if they do not appeal. But, every school views this differently. </p>
<p>Would your D be able to make an appt with her GC? Our school requires the student schedule the appt for the college planning meeting and then another appt to review next year’s courses. My son was able to schedule appt via email with his GC, so that helped.</p>
<p>IMHO, two AP sciences in one year isn’t necessary as long as she has 4 years of science that include bio, chem, & physics. Now, if she was majoring in chemistry, bio-chem, ChemE then you might want to rethink. I would ask the GC if the choice is going to change the ‘rigor box’ that she checks on her report. Four APs seems sufficient, however not knowing what top students are doing at your DDs school we have no way of knowing that it will make no difference. </p>
<p>I’m still not reconciled to S3s schedule so believe me I get when things aren’t clear cut. S2s schedule was a blasted no brainer.</p>
<p>Ah, now it makes sense, Agent99. If she’s already doing AP Physics, she may not want to add AP Chem to her plate. However, we were advised that at many schools, so many students come in with AP Chem under their belt but still take beginning chem in college. The AP kids have a clear advantage. DD doubled up on sciences this year: AP Chem and Honors Bio so has fulfilled her four years. However, she’s in Calc this year and has found it easier than some of her classmates who have not had more advanced math. If she does decide to go into a science major or attend a science-oriented college, I still think the AP Chem will give her a leg up. Does anyone know whether more students take AP Chem or AP Physics? </p>
<p>You might also want to call some of the colleges she’s interested in and get their take…</p>
<p>I think the science progression is very dependent on your school. Up until this year most students taking the most rigorous path took hon bio, hon chem, AP chem (2 blocks), and AP Physics. Depending on their schedule and interest some added AP bio Sr year. This year enrollment was so low AP chem wasn’t offered. Pretty pathetic in a school with 3k kids. S3 ended up swapping to AP Bio. S2 was very glad to have the Chem credit going into e’school and choose not to retake it. He really disliked it the first time and going into mech’e had no plan to build on it. He did retake physics despite credit and the same is true with most kids having taken it in hs. If you were seeing it for the first time you were going vertical.</p>
<p>You all are so great with advice, I really appreciate it. Just had lunch with Spygirl and she did see her GC yesterday. Forgot to tell me Anyway, they both decided that Constitution Team is the way to go as it’s considered a feather in your cap to be in the class and be asked to be on the team. DD is a very strong speaker and has wanted to take this or debate but has never been able to fit it into her schedule.</p>
<p>She’s a strong math and science kid, so if she has to take Chem again in college, she’ll be fine. At least she’s taking one fun class in high school.</p>
<p>My DD will be taking a subject SAT this June and that would be the last of the SAT /SATII exams for her. The four colleges she assigns to get the free score report from collegeboard will have the complete set of scores by June.</p>
<p>Do the colleges keep the scores when she sends the college applications to these schools in the fall? Or do we need to resend the scores again by paying to collegeboard? We are hoping at least not to have to resend to these four but only to other additional colleges in her list by paying for it. </p>
<p>Yes, I agree with mathmomvt. The free reports are fine, but have your student follow up, especially with any EA/ED which have strict reporting deadlines, to make sure the scores are merged with the app. Glitches can happen with name spellings, dob, or if a ssn isn’t used to help further identify the student. </p>
<p>We had an issue with subject tests not merging from Jr year (which aren’t sent until you determine the school they are matriculating to and have Sr yr scores). Luckily it wasn’t an issue of admissions, but it did need to be corrected so S2 could get credit and register for the proper courses.</p>
Anyway, they both decided that Constitution Team is the way to go as it’s considered a feather in your cap to be in the class and be asked to be on the team. DD is a very strong speaker and has wanted to take this or debate but has never been able to fit it into her schedule.</p>