wisdom teeth - NO STRAWS if you hadn’t heard that already. the suction can dislodge the blood clots and cause dry sockets. Our surgeon gave S this nice around the face tube sock-like icepack holder that concentrated the ice packs around his jaw. It worked well Ice cream is good because it is easy to eat and cold. soup w/o chunks. Scrambled eggs. S actually had a pretty easy time. He was upstairs on the computer almost right away and really didn’t swell much. He had his our just after his 16th b-day.
sigh.
my kid is killing me.
May SAT’s are up.
ours were on the disappointing side. mine had time management issues on the M and it absolutely showed. she did much better on the Old vs the New, although she did solid on CR+W.
i guess its not the end of the world. i just cappex’d her holy grail school and both scores still put her squarely in the center of accepted’s. i havent analyzed the section data yet to decide if she should take it one more time or just let it go—i mean, we could practice timed runs this summer if we HAD to. she already did a 10 week prep course (which weirdly, did not focus on timing at all)…and unless there is something glaringly obvious from a content standpoint, i’m guessing there isnt really a ton of room for improvement on that front-by now, she either knows it or she doesnt.
now i’ll say that i have an average-average kid who while by her own school peers is a borderline rockstar, she can barely put pants on compared to the apparent national cohort. we arent striving for top schools or anything like that, but as full payers we could umm, use a bit of merit and she’s righthere…could go either way depending on her final list (we have no list at the moment, we are still at one and done)
retake it one more time withOUT writing or let it go?
thoughts?
@BusyNapping I’m curious, what are the SAT subject tests taken for? I thought most schools that ask for them just want math 2 and a science subject test?
@kac425, did she ever try the ACT? Although it is very fast paced as well.
That is tough @kac425. I really feel for you. If you need some merit unfortunately think you may need to go again, or look at more schools where she is higher in the admitted pool (not knowing scores). Is the one school on your list a financial safety? Does she like it? If so, then I would leave the decision to her.
@kac425 - If it is time management issue, I would recommend retake. Practising using clock is key. The approach we took was, practice one section per day using a watch and then take full test on weekends.
@mommdc - Lot of top tier schools require SAT subject tests, typically 1 math and 1 Science but lot of kids take one humanities also to show that they are well rounded. Some LACs may need humanities subject test. My DS is a STEM kid, so not sure about humanities.
@mommdc At present, if I counted correctly, there are roughly 25 colleges and universities that require SAT subject tests and a like number that “recommend” (which I take to mean exclude them at your peril). Some will accept the ACT + reading in lieu of SAT subject tests. At some schools, they are required/recommended for specific majors - usually STEM fields.
http://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-list-of-colleges-that-require-sat-subject-tests
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/subject-test-requirements-and-recommendations/
@BusyNapping - your daughter should be really pleased with those subject test scores!
@kac425 Has your child taken the ACT? If SAT scores have been consistent across multiple sittings/practice tests, maybe a different format would be worth considering.
S got his physics subject test score back. It’s ok, not great. However, he recently told me he didn’t think he did very well because there was a lot of optics on the test, and he hasn’t had optics for two years! (Now he says something.) So I am happy he got over 700 by a little. He will not retake. Frankly, I think that his list no longer includes any schools that require SAT subject tests. Now I wait until the AP scores and the June SAT test results are released.
@srk2017 @mamadefamilia thank you for the subject test explanation!
Agree with @srk2017 about practice and then sitting for full-length, timed test in test-like conditions. There is only so much the prep companies/tutors can teach. These students know most of the material; it is just mastering the test at this point. Good luck!
On wisdom teeth - D needs to have all 4 pulled. And I need to empty my flex spending account soon so hoping to get it scheduled for the small window she has available this month. It was definitely not fun when I had it done a few years ago. I mostly ate yogurt and applesauce and worked in bed and watched TV.
@mommdc Funny story actually! D meant to take Biology, Math 2, and US History. I’m letting her apply to one ultra reach school that is unlikely to be affordable, and she chose Georgetown which recomnends three subject tests. So, she signed up for math, science, and a humanities test to show breadth.
She gets to the testing center and realizes her calculator isn’t turning on. We had put in fresh batteries the night before to ensure everything would run smootly, so that was shocking. Turns out her brother needed batteries for his console controller and borrowed them from her calculator without saying anything! Well, D realized the batteries were missing and took it as a sign from the gods that she shouldn’t take the Math test. I couldn’t pick her up early, so she took Lit to pass the time. That is why the tests are kind of random. Oh well, we got a funny family story which is more interesting than a test anyway!
ETA: She’s a humanities kid anyway, so the two humanities tests make sense. Alls well that ends well!
D’s summer plans - Working (paid and volunteer), completing college apps, doing AP homework for the fall, 3 camps (1 at UT, 1 at Notre Dame, 1 water-skiing), relaxing, hanging with friends, and lots of forced family fun time :)).
We’ve looked at the Common App prompts months ago, but D is waiting until July 1 to start writing as other schools will open their school specific apps and we can figure out what will work for the most number of schools.
@BusyNapping Wow, so 800 on Lit with no prep!?! That’s impressive!
@BusyNapping, wow that could have happened at our house! Kudos to your D for changing strategy so quickly.
Yes, definitely get those wisdom teeth out before college.
@kac425 Is your D’s old SAT score high enough for the schools she is targeting? If so, only send that one. If not, I’d recommend a retake after working on time management over the summer. My position for D has been, if well above the 75%ile for the schools and within range for the reported stats for merit award recipients, do not retake. So though I think she could do better on the SAT if she took it a second time, she did well enough and will not retake. Besides, getting her to study for it would be like pulling teeth. Also, D contacted a few of her top choices and they all told her that she was within range and should focus on the rest of her application instead of retaking.
Ok, so I am a bit unhappy/bummed. My S who has had positioned himself nicely to apply to his dream schools. Only one B+ in his freshman year, and all A’s in a high rigor curriculum for the past two years. His SAT superstore is a 2250, and that puts him in the middle 50% of his top choices. Today he got his SAT subject tests. While getting an 800 in Math 2 is good, he only achieved a 640 in History. His top two schools do not score choice, and ask that all scores be sent in. One school(Georgetown) suggests submitting 3 scores…I am concerned this score is highly problematic. Not sure taking it again will change much. He is a math kid, much more than Liberal art type… Doesn’t seem fair that a one hour test can negate four years of hard work…oh well…this sucks
Agree with you @BigPapiofthree My son is not a strong test taker, so he will not be applying to any schools that require SAT subject tests. Georgetown was number 1 on his list months ago when we started this process, but it quickly dropped off after learning they require 3 SAT II tests. My son sounds alot like yours. Excellent grades in a very rigorous Honors/AP curriculum. But we worry that he might end up in the mid to high 20’s on his ACT. It’s just who he is. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if a school doesn’t want him because of a mid-range ACT, considering the rest of the package, its their loss, and we’ll move on.
@BusyNapping what’s more impressive than the 800 in Lit is that D’s little brother is still alive!
@BigPapiofthree Sorry for the disappointment. I agree with the sentiments of @STEM2017. When I started this college search I was immediately faced with the reality that we simply can’t afford many schools that D is competitive for. In our search for affordable choices she has fallen in love with a couple safeties. They are her top choices now, although there’s a long way to go. Your S’s four years of hard work were not negated. Take a different test and move on! If GT isn’t lucky enough to get him, there are tons of other great schools out there.