<p>That SUCKS @GoAskDad.</p>
<p>@goaskdad my biggest pet peeve is that if you order the TIR the usual wait time is after the next administered test. Explain to me how does that benefit the student and what a rip off of $. Tell me why in a digital world that the answers with the questions can’t be posted on your account on line the same day they receive the money? Or at least within 7 days. I could into a very windy discussion on the unorganization from the special testing area. It has not been a customer delight! ^#(^ </p>
<p>It’s like a cartel they know they got the goods that you need for your fix (college testing) and they DO NOTHING to make it a better FIX. This testing thing is OUT OF CONTROL no wonder those who aren’t paying attention for their student get lost in this maze called admission.</p>
<p>@wrestlersmom: Spawn will also be applying to TCNJ…in-state tuition, state honors college and she has the grades and scores to be at the top of the range. </p>
<p>We visited the campus, far enough from home that it takes a conscious effoert to drive and visit, but close enough just in case. The PA schools (Lafayette, Lehigh & Muhlenburg) are closer time wise to casa Threesdad than TCNJ.</p>
<p>We ordered the TIR a few weeks after the April test and received it before Memorial Day weekend. I thought they were pretty quick in sending it.</p>
<p>@bopper - we spent two days at Ursinus in the spring. I believe based on scores, we are looking at around 27k off. What I am worried about is if they use that 27K as a deduction off what the need based amount is. I am still somewhat confused about the financial aid process. TCNJ is supposed to have some set aside money for out of staters as they are trying to increase geographic diversity. I did not realize it held in such high esteem in state. I guess we will be attending their ice cream social then. :)</p>
<p>@Threesdad - did Spawn like the campus? DS will be a math or physics major. Even though he is an athlete, he wants to be surrounded by athletes who care about their grades. </p>
<p>I called their admissions office today but am waiting for a call back. How accessible is the area to public transportation? Is is close to Princeton? We visited there last summer. </p>
<p>@jennie11 we ordered it too and received April test two days before June test. We did this in December and I had to request not 1 but 3 times. Maybe We drew the short stick with the ACT :-" </p>
<p>TCNJ seems like a nice campus. My kids did a few activities there (robotics competitions and TSA State Conference). I heard they are pretty selective for their tech/eng majors. Our HS has lots of kids that go. My kids want to go further away so that they don’t feel like its an extension of their HS experience, but I keep pushing, hoping they might reconsider.</p>
<p>We toured Drexel today. Both kids didn’t like the whole city feel. I guess that really helps narrow down our visit list (and our possible options). S said that if the school was on a campus that he would apply in a heartbeat. </p>
<p>Good luck to any SATers who get their scores tomorrow. S doesn’t think he did well (ran out of time to study) but is at least hoping to go up in 1 subject. </p>
<p>@twogirls: Happy that interview went well. My D has 3 coming up in the next two weeks…Each one within 3.5 hr ride. Our close friend (see below) ran two practices…one with her and then one with a gentleman from her agency.</p>
<p>I have a very close friend who does independent college counseling after being a GC for 20+ years. She has been helping us with specific questions (at no charge bc I don’t think we could afford her).
She mentioned to us about getting a letter from schools with “priority status” which I know several people have gotten. It does waive the fee, but it also “tags” the application. She said usually because of expressed interest, impressive scores, many of students from your HS attend, or athletics.</p>
<p>She mentioned that if you use Naviance and use the priority application/code, it sometimes delays your GC from attaching school documents in a timely manner. She said to call adcom and mention you will be using common app and Naviance. They will then tag same way and often give you code to waive fee. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>PS: Two point increase on ACT. Sending both test dates because schools we called said they don’t “officially” superscore ACT, but do “unofficially” for merit purposes.</p>
<p>Thanks eerboco and congrats on the ACT score increase!! </p>
<p>If any one is planning on touring TCNJ this summer or fall I beg you to visit <a href=“http://www.groundsforsculpture.org”>http://www.groundsforsculpture.org</a>. It will rock your and your childs worlds. </p>
<p>The current Grounds for Sculpture traveling exhibit is awesome. I hope that some of us that actually go, include this in their reports. I love when people enjoy stuff that makes us happy too. Great call Shacherry!</p>
<p>Apropos of nothing, I heard this song earlier today. If you were around a college campus in the late Eighties or early Nineties, there’s a good chance you heard the Indigo Girls perform it live – and that the entire audience cheered at the line “I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind, got my papers, and I was free.” If our kids get to know this song over the next couple of years, that line may resonate with them too. Have a good evening, all. </p>
<p>[Indigo</a> Girls – “Closer to Fine”](<a href=“Indigo Girls - Closer to Fine (Official Video) - YouTube”>Indigo Girls - Closer to Fine (Official Video) - YouTube)</p>
<p>Hello, long time no see. Erin gets her scores tomorrow, and I am far more worried about it than she is. She <em>says</em> it was easy, and only skipped one question. Hmmm, we will see. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>She needs a lot of help from a great score. She has a 3.11 GPA, due to a rough freshman year, and a bumpy transition from high school classes to Running Start college classes, but she had her best semester GPA yet this last semester, a 3.85. </p>
<p>Her #1 school choice is U Washington, second is Washington State, followed by Oregon State and U. Oregon and U Idaho. Yeah, she likes big Western state colleges with engineering programs.</p>
<p>@Hoosier96–I ordered the June TIR also so hopefully we receive it as quickly as the April test as her tutor is planning to work with her on it through the summer. Maybe we got lucky in getting it so quickly, but if we get lucky on something, I prefer it to be in the form of another 5 pt increase in September!</p>
<p>So now my son says he’d be ok with trying the ACT. Hm. He still has his three subject tests to take. I had planned on his doing two in Oct. and one in Nov. Does the ACT usually conflict with the SAT or is it typically on a different Saturday? That would be a lot of test taking, but if he could take the ACT in Nov. on a different Saturday, I guess it’s doable if he can do his studying after his summer job and summer class and before the community college starts on Aug. 19th.</p>
<p>Also, I have never looked at the ACT. Should he automatically take the ACT with writing just because? He plans to take the Lit, Math II and Physics subject tests.</p>
<p>Any tips? He’s pretty even on the SAT, though the writing section was his best (80 on the multiple choice) but his essay pulled him down 50 points (6-ew). His math was 750 and CR was 730, so he seems pretty balanced.</p>
<p>Is the science section really science or only reasoning?</p>
<p>I do have a guide at home, so I guess it’s time to become familiar with it!</p>
<p>Best of luck to your daughter LadyArwyn. In a few hours I will have my daughter check on her Spanish scores. :-SS </p>
<p>@sbjdorlo I would recommend taking the ACT PLUS WRITING because a lot of schools require a score with writing. The school website should tell you. Also, the ACT essay score is not counted in the composite. A separate English/writing combined score is listed at the bottom of the report. I’ve only seen one school that explicitly mentioned using that (Georgia Tech).</p>
<p>@sbjdorlo I think they’re always on different Saturdays, by design. It is a VERY different test, so yes, he needs to get familiar with it, ACT itself sells a set of online preps and exercises for $20. Definitely take the one with writing. I think many/most schools, certainly all the selectives, require it. It used to be that the science section was basically just a specialized form of reading comprehension, no outside knowledge, but on the June test that changed a bit, along with some other things.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips, STEM and hs2015. That’s great if the essay doesn’t count. My son just cannot write a decent essay under time pressure, though he’s a good writer.</p>
<p>Since the ACT seems to have changed, I wonder if my prep book is still worthwhile for him to use? I guess we can do the online prep for $20 if need be; that is, if the test has changed that much since the prep book was put out.</p>
<p>Guess I just have him go through the prep book once to become familiar and then we can identify weak areas. On the SAT, he missed 5 CR reading questions and 2 math questions (and left one blank), and that was all, so his CR is the area that is the weakest on the SAT.</p>