@eandesmon and @RightCoaster I think the SAT II are best taken after the course is taken, especially the math ones. If they don’t end up being sent, that’s fine. Saves from having to review old material for the test.
@itsgettingreal17 agreed, which in general if they are even needed would not be until at the end of sophomore year for most kids. For some not until end of junior year.
D should have taken Math II end of freshman year. Not sure when it’s best to take the science. Is honors enough or should they wait for AP? If honors is enough, that would be end of freshman year. But generally yes, end of sophomore year.
QOTD: Much earlier on this thread I shared advice given to me by an Ohio State Alumni Interviewer who said that it’s a turn off when interviewers call kids to schedule an interview and they are less than engaged in the discussion because they are distracted by the noisy friends in the background. Then the apps started and it was clear they wanted the students cell phone number. I reminded my son how important it will be to make sure that he doesn’t take any calls unless he can give the person calling his undivided attention and respect. He said he won’t be answering any calls that is not identified as being from someone in his contacts and we agreed it would be best to let it go to voicemail and return the call as promptly as he can when he is in an appropriate environment, calendar available and paper and pen at hand. He is providing his cell number on apps.
has anyone following this thread
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/319650-say-it-here-cause-you-cant-say-it-directly-the-get-it-off-your-chest-thread-p794.html
@itsgettingreal17, if you D is already in Calculus, make sure she reviews the algebra and precalc skills before taking the Math II test. S took it after precalc and got an 800. I bet he wouldn’t do so well now. The questions he missed on the PSAT, SAT and ACT were all algebraic ones. With the more advanced math concepts he was fine! I think the science tests are best taken after advanced/AP classes (however your school designates). S took the physics SAT II test after advanced physics (= to AP physics). He did fine, but should have reviewed the prep book a bit more. 720 on the SAT II. 5 on Physics C AP test. The AP test gets him more (test out of classes) in college than the SAT II will.
@Tgirlfriend My son gets a ton of mail/ emails from U of Chicago. It’s a school he’s never even considered based on location. We anticipate he will be a NMSF but we don’t know if they got his contact info from CB or ACT.
@mtrosemom D took it after BC Calc this year and got 800. But she had to refresh herself on a few topics.
I am currently waiting for my flight home at a Chicago airport. D17 rejected the idea of coming with me on this trip to go visit a couple of schools herself. Because she has her field hockey practices and yadayada. The good news is that she just shared with me the supplement essays she put down these a couple of days. And I had to say they are great essays!
I think SAT IIs need some prep whether one is taking AP or IB or honors. My S studied Chemistry a lot for Science Bowl, but still felt he needed to brush up on couple of things for SAT II. Same with Bio and Math II. His first diagnostic in each of them came around 750 and he studied the topics he missed and did couple of practice tests to get to 800.
I just read the revised start of S’s CA essay and it is good. He finally has a “voice”!
@srk2017, I WISH S would have really studied for some of these standardized tests. He had good intentions, but not the best follow through.
DS visited Cornell with DH - focus of the day for them was on engineering & CS - liked what he saw mostly and learned. Dorms are rather far away (a mile?) and it is hilly but there is a shuttle bus. Engineering bldgs are connected by tunnels so helpful during winter. Big school but most classes have 25 or fewer students - and are taught by profs. Co-op there is pretty popular and they encourage some study abroad. Hopefully I will get more info tomorrow.
Yes, similar to @itsgettingreal17’s D17, my D also took Math II after BC Calc this year (oops) and got an 800. They have amazing minds that can retain all sorts of crap that never ceases to amaze me. On the other hand, her Chem/Phys AP teacher told her to hold off on the Physics one until after they cover a few topics (optics maybe?) at the start of senior year…so that will be her last test in October.
Question: Has anyone had a child in college take a class not taught by a professor? Not one of my kids has ever had a TA teach a class. Only TAs have been in recitation sections or during labs.
@eandesmom The separate college email is a real one, it gets put on apps and can communicate with schools; it’s just separate like a personal and business email account.
@mtrosemom - Kids are overloaded and standardized tests are not the favorite activity for them. DS is in a highly competitive school (800s in SAT IIs, 2350+/35+ in SAT/ACT), so that motivates him, plus he asks me figure out the dates and sticks to the schedule.
I signed up S17 for Math II right after PreCalculus in ** June ** after sophomore year. He took it cold and got 710. I signed him up again in ** December ** in Junior year (I would have done it in October or November if I remembered) and he took it again cold and got 800.
He took physics subject test after Honors Physics in June after Jr year. He took AP Chem concurrently with Physics. He will take AP Physics C in Sr year.
His physics teacher gave a sheet of formula for the subject test.
He took it without prep other than glancing over the formula sheet and got 760 (taken in past June.)
On the other hand, he got 3 in AP Chem and 670 in chemistry subject test (taken in May.) Apparently in class (only) preparation was not sufficient in this case.
I signed up S17 and he took: old SAT in ** January ** and ACT in ** April ** and ** June ** , gaining 3 points.
He will not take the new SAT. His PSAT is not even close to nmsf (not commended) although his old SAT could confirm if he did.
FWIW, I am glad all standardized testing is ** done ** now (by diligently scheduling the tests during the last 12 months.) Test scheduling really is a logistics problem.
I would say he is a natural born cold test taker (never gets nervous) and gets better scores than he deserves. :))
DD17 took the Chem SAT2 after only first year chem with little prep and got a 700, she’s taking AP Senior year and I’m sure would do much better after that, but too late!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek – my son’s freshman writing seminar was taught by a grad student, but all other classes (other than sections/labs) have been taught by profs.
@CA1543 – the Engineering quad is perhaps as far as one can be from the freshman dorms, and yes, I bet it is one mile. Some of the buildings way out on the Aq Quad (animal science perhaps) may be as far. My son took the bus regularly and found it very convenient. They did not offer a bus when I was there.
Upperclassmen housing is at the bottom of the very large hill, Libe Slope, so unless he lives down on West Campus, he will not climb that hill. However, Collegetown, the location of off-campus, non-Greek housing, also has hills. The academic campus is almost completely flat. Slight incline back to North Campus (freshman housing) but nothing like the slope between upperclass housing and the academic quads. I lived on West Campus freshman year, and my calves never returned to their original size.
Both West Campus and some Collegetown apartments would be closer to the Engineering Quad than North Campus is.
The Engineering quad had been so unattractive, but money has been pouring in and the buildings are being updated & expanded. $50 million for BME last summer: http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2015/06/50m-gift-creates-meinig-biomedical-engineering-school
Another $50 million six months ago for chem and biomolecular:http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2016/01/robert-f-smith-gives-50m-engineering-cornell-tech.
The construction your son and H saw predated these donations, I think. And that Gates building is certainly bright and shiny! My point in all of this is that the appearance of the Eng quad will continue to improve, but the students will live through construction. I am used to the look of the place now, but it was such a shock to return there four years ago and see all the new buildings.
And after all of the test taking, S is likely only applying to schools that don’t require SAT subject tests. But we didn’t know that until this summer. C’est la vie.