Parents of the HS Class of 2015

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
5941

<p>Sally Congratulations to your D on the accolades!</p>

<p>BHM, you are an amazing wealth of info! Thank you for finding and sharing! Funny that I just mentioned New College and how my D crossed it off her list for the no grade policy, then we had a long discussion last night. She is feeling really stressed (I hadn’t fully realized how that stress they feel can be compounded by the stress all their friends are going through too…so trying to deal with their own stress and friends’ stresses…It’s a lot.) Anyway, she says that my reminders to study for the SAT/ACT stress her out and she’d prefer to take the approach of just taking the tests and see how she does, then, if she’s not happy with that score, plan to study and retake later. I had hoped she’d do the one and done thing…which could happen, but if that’s her plan, I told her I’d back off…and she said she is just so over the competitiveness and trying to get the best scores/grades. She want to find a college where it’s all about learning, and not about specific goals like grades. She says New College may just be back on the list. </p>

<p>Jazzland…I think it was you who posted about the stolen laptop…if this was an isolated incient and she’s not typically irresponsible, I would consider it lesson learned and move on…and go ahead and do anything you were already going to do for her (treadmill, trip, etc)…this is such a stressfull time, I’d err on the side of support.</p>

5942

<p>Congrats to Suzy’s and Maxwell’s kiddos for doing so well! I know that has to be a relief to have that score ‘in hand’.
Vista, I am so sorry it didn’t go as well as you D had hoped. I really feel for both of you and can imagine myself in a similar situation. Such a sadly sweet image was painted when you said she was in her superhero costume. They DO deserve to just be able to have some fun and be kids. siiiiiigh.</p>

5943

<p>3girls I hear ya!! I also wish I could mix up my kids a little bit- one is so intense and the other is so laid back. You just need to reinforce to her that the most important thing about the essay is finishing it ( easier said than done) and using all or most of the space. The tutor said that “average students” ( whatever that means) typically do well enough on the essay because these kids finish. It’s the kids who are towards the top that tend to do worse because these kids write a lot and have a hard time writing a basic essay in 25 minutes. My daughter did a very large project last year in Global and is planning to use that project as the basis for her essay. It can be tweaked to fit any question. </p>

<p>My kid told me that after February she is done with these tests. She is taking both in December, with re-takes in January ( SAT) and February (ACT). I am trying to decide if I should sign her up for the re-takes now or wait until I get her scores. I think I will sign her up because I want to get the location down so as not to travel too far ( these tests get booked). I doubt she will get a 2400 and a 36 ( LOL) so I think signing her up is fine. My nephew got a 34 on his first ACT and then decided on a whim to retake it and got a 36 ( but a 34 is amazing). </p>

<p>I am thinking that by January 1 we will have our first round of scores back. Hopefully it will be a happy new year!! Congrats once again to those of you who are finished. To those of you who are taking these tests again good luck- things will turn out fine. Kids tend to do better when they take it again- my older one had a 4 point increase from her first to second ACT.</p>

5944

<p>I think D is ready for the ACT tomorrow. She doesn’t seem stressed or worried, but then again, she usually thinks everything is fine…until it isn’t. She been carrying the study guide around for the last two weeks.</p>

<p>twogirls, it would be fantastic if D’s ACT score went up 4 points (that would pretty much put many matches into the safety group, assuming her grades remain on track). She would be done - unless she thought she could do better. I can see how taking these tests to get a yet higher score can be tempting. </p>

<p>Last night, there was a parent/student meeting with her high school program explaining to the juniors the required summer internship. It’s interesting to see how the parents took to the students finding their own placement without parental help. (“Parents will not have access to the portal. It you want to see it, your child will have to give you their password or you need to sit with them”) There seems to be plenty of in-school help and support for the students. Every student got placed last year, and there are fewer students this year.</p>

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<p>What kind of internship? Sounds interesting!</p>

5946

<p>Good luck to those taking the ACT tomorrow! In hindsight I wish my D had signed up for this one, would be very nice to have it done and since so far she is holding up well, the timing would have been good. So interesting how some kids do better on one vs the other…Last night D and I were looking through some of the OOS schools with good merit for her stats ( Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss…) and she is trying to figure out whether our spring break trip should be East Coast or more Florida/Southern schools. Distinctly different experiences!</p>

5947

<p>SlackerMom - Good luck to your D with ACT. Hope she does well. I think summer internship is a great idea. I tried to find one (research/lab internship) for D last summer but didn’t work out. We plan to try again this coming summer. </p>

<p>Do schools superscore ACTs? I always thought only SATs are superscored. I was told most schools superscore ACTs but not all. Is that true? Someone was suggesting D should retake ACT so she can bump up her (superscored) ACT score.</p>

5948

<p>I think most schools do not super score the ACT but there are a few that do.</p>

5949

<p>FromMD, I’m pretty sure Ohio State superscores the ACT. Don’t know about any others.</p>

<p>mittenger, my D and I are having the same dilemma about spring break - whether to head south or east!</p>

<p>lhenkin, I don’t have experience with the Common App, but I don’t know how you would report the writing score without the essay. I know what my D got on the multiple choice portion, but I don’t know what that score means on the Writing scale without the essay.</p>

<p>D told me last night she thinks she wants to take the SAT again. I suggested she hold off on that decision until after she takes the ACT.</p>

<p>Good luck to all of the kids taking the ACT tomorrow!!</p>

5950

<p>When we were looking at schools for D (2013 hs grad), we only saw one that superscored the ACT. Georgia Tech actually super scores across SAT and ACT. They do a head-to-head comparison of the individual reading, math, and SAT writing vs ACT English-combined-with-essay scores and will take the best of each section based on a conversion between ACT/SAT. They don’t use the composite scores of either test.</p>

<p>Good luck to everyone testing tomorrow!</p>

5951

<p>STEMFamily - superscoring across ACT and SAT sounds so complicated. No wonder they’re a bunch of ramblin’ wrecks there! (I got my Master’s at Ga. Tech. I really enjoyed the school - they had a sense of humor).</p>

<p>twogirls, I haven’t a clue what kind of internship. One problem I have with this program is the administration isn’t forthcoming with information. I think it’s more an organizational problem than not wanting to be transparent. The mentors are good with process. November is all about creating the resume. The kids have to develop a resume by Thanksgiving break but the mentors look at them at least twice before the final draft.</p>

<p>I think students usually start applying in January or February, although some internships have deadlines as early as January 10th.</p>

5952

<p>^ what a cool sounding program, and how nice for the students to get those skills in high school!</p>

5953

<p>Good luck to all the ACT takers tomorrow!</p>

<p>My D. did very well in her SAT history test. She had a rough start in June. Bad accident happend, we had to cancel her test that time. (we even got some money back. that was a surprise.) She took it again three weeks ago and did really well. </p>

<p>Next thing in plan is to take the SAT in January.</p>

5954

<p>Congrats HerandHis and good luck to everyone on the ACT!!</p>

<p>So today I randomly asked my daughter if she narrowed down a school type ie small (3,000) versus large (20,000), city/ no city etc. Once again she said no, and she said that she is “not the type to narrow it down” because she could love a small school and a big school. She wants to apply everywhere and she will know when a school is right. So there you have it: I have a kid who can apply to Haverford ( 2,000?) and to Ohio State. She can apply to NYU and to Kenyon ( which I believe is small and rural). This is not going to be easy.</p>

5955

<p>Congrats herandhis! It must really feel good now, especially after the bumpy start. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Good luck to all test takers tomorrow!</p>

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<p>twogirls,
D1 applied to a wide range of schools from small W & L- to large UGA, urban GT to cute college towns UNC chapel Hill. Like your daughter she was looking for merit money. I had it 100% wrong to where she would select. I placed her at W & L, enjoying the little town, working in the British shop on the weekends and loving all the preppy boys. She chose the SEC school, loves the football games which she attends in her summer dresses in school colors, bows in her hair and pearls on! I would never in a 100 years imagined that she would have flourished and loved a large state SEC school!</p>

<p>I would encourage your d to apply to a diverse range of schools. When she gets invited to the scholarship interview weekends she will know where she belongs. I was very stressed when d1 was applying. Friends reassured me that d1 would “know” the right fit when she found it. In the car on the way back from the interview weekend at UGA, she was so animated and loved the kids she met in the program. I nearly crashed the car when she announced if she received the scholarship, that’s where she was going.</p>

<p>I am confident your d2 will flourish wherever she lands. She seems like the type of girl that will seek out and take advantage of opportunities that exist in college.</p>

<p>Another whoo- hoo to herandhis and I hope all the ACT test takers tomorrow enjoyed their sushi : )</p>

5957

<p>So if the schools don’t super score the act does that mean it can be a mistake to retake it a couple times? I will definitely do some more reading but I guess I was under the impression that school superscored the act or maybe I am getting that mixed up with score selection? It would help me to be able to focus on one test at a time to understand it. </p>

<p>Is there a one page chart comparing and contrasting the act/sat that anyone has found that really pinpoints the important differences?</p>

5958

<p>shoboemom–I do not know much about the ACT but I will pass along what I do know. There are only a handful of colleges that require applicants submit all scores, and even then, some will request all SAT sittings if reporting SAT but not require ACT reporting, and vice versa.</p>

<p>While more schools are superscoring the ACT, it appears to be far fewer than SAT. I have even heard of a school or two that takes a hybrid of SAT & ACT scores and superscores. Cannot imagine what that would look like.</p>

<p>So, to answer your question: if a school does not superscore the ACT, is it detrimental to take the test a few times? Up to a point, no, especially if the college does not require submission of all scores. </p>

<p>For schools that superscore SAT, scores from all three sections of each requested test date are sent. So, if a highest of each section were achieved from three different sittings, then all nine subscores will be sent. I assume, but do not know, that the ACT would function in the same manner.</p>

<p>As to differences between the two tests…this is all second hand as my son did not try the ACT.
ACT requires student to move more quickly through the exam…more questions/minute.</p>

<p>ACT does not try to trick students by asking student to solve for X in order to provide answer for 3X but then list X’s value as answer A while 3X’s value is answer C. </p>

<p>I have heard it said that vocab on SAT is higher level whereas ACT math includes some Trig while SAT only covers through Alg 2.</p>

<p>SAT penalizes for wrong answers while ACT does not. 1/4 point deduction for incorrect response. ACT composite score is weighted average of four subscores and then rounded up or down, as appropriate. </p>

<p>The following is just my own opinion, but I feel the ACT can be more forgiving of a student with one weak section. When you look at the CDS or any of the guide books, SAT scores will often be expressed as at least the CR & M score, but ACT scores are almost always expressed as a composite. A student could score 34 on three sections and 28 on one and still end up with a 33. That is an extreme example, but if you assume the colleges care about scores for the purposes of rankings, then the 28 can be forgiven in the context of the composite 33, while an 800 and 650 might both be looked at individually. As I said, this is my own theory and my be completely incorrect!</p>

<p>If your child is still trying to decide between the two tests, I would suggest sitting and taking full-length timed practice tests in simulated test conditions. There’s no need to pay anyone to administer the tests. Simply use the exams from the CB blue book or ACT red book and enforce timing and breaks.</p>

<p>Hope that answers your question.</p>

5959

<p>The ACT is a more straight forward test as long as you can get the timing down. The reading passages are easier on the ACT but you have to work quickly. I agree that it pays to take a practice test for each- you can do it at home. </p>

<p>Thanks Sally- she will probably apply to a wide variety of schools and figure it out once the acceptances roll in. I just feel like there are going to be a lot of schools for her to narrow down.</p>

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<p>For a student who is strong in math and science but weaker in reading and writing, the ACT may be a better test because the reading and writing comprise only 1/2 of the composite while they are 2/3 of the SAT. Of course, that distinction is only true for schools that use all three parts of the SAT.</p>