@CT1417 my S did skip one session at the HS given that he had toured, did a week class there this summer and they don’t really consider interest (in state safety) I figured he was ok.lol!
There is another I may have to “make” him go to if they visit that he’s already toured but so far they aren’t on the schedule. I do expect they will be. And if not we will schedule something at the school before their EA date.
Getting him to initiate meetings (or phone interviews) is another story but I’m working on it for the few there is nothing more than a college fair meeting to date.
Interesting to see all these in-school PSAT administrations.
Question for those of you at public schools: was the PSAT always administered during the Wed session or did your school change to Wed after last year’s mandatory Wed administration?
Our school happily reverted to Saturday this year, not wanting to deal with all the changes necessitated by Wed administration. They were not ready for it last year and did nothing to prepare. Students were expected to report to class as soon as the exam was over and it was only due to a last-minute parent request to the principal, asking that she suggest that classroom teachers not administer exams the afternoon of the PSAT. All games and meets went on as scheduled the night before the PSAT, so much easier to move it back to Saturday.
DS says his alumni interview today went well. He’s second guessing a couple answers he gave, but overall he was happy with it. About an hour long. The interviewer said he was a strong applicant and gave him some advice about what to emphasize on his application, which are the things he is emphasizing (if he ever finishes).
Our public HS was always a Wednesday PSAT school. There is a Saturday PSAT school about 45 minutes away (I asked in 10th grade), but all the other schools nearby are Wednesday.
Wow. Apparently the PSAT is a bigger deal in other parts of the country than it is in Iowa. (And rightly so.) It’s a normal school day here at S’s public school tomorrow. Presumably the <25 juniors (the school only had 25 spots available for a class of 125 or so) who signed up and paid for the PSAT have already completed and turned in the classwork they’ll miss, as that’s what S had to do last year. At least it was in the announcements this year–I had to track down the GC to get S signed up.
@stlarenas We are in the same situation you are. I can’t imagine S’s GCs providing help on college applications or reviewing essays, and I don’t know of any area schools that have a college counselor on staff. I feel like CC has made a huge difference for us. All we can do is our best for our kids and believe all will be as it should be. Think how much better prepared your D is now than many of her classmates.
QotN: Our school has its 50th anniversary celebration this weekend. How old are your schools?
There is a school in our district that was founded in 1875, which makes it the third oldest high school in California. Its current campus was built in 1924.
@IABooks …wow that is CRAZY that such a small portion of the class takes the test!
We are in Texas. Every single junior is required to take the test in our district. At Ds school you would think we would have a lot more NMFs–honestly I think it is due to lack of awareness as to how much really is to be tied to the PSAT. A lot of schools allow freshmen and sophomores to take the test as well and I think they take it for free also.
Seniors report late to school but have a mandatory senior meeting. D and her friends are all going out for breakfast. Exciting.
@longwood — I am guessing, but I would think that a student who has difficulty scheduling the alum interview and/or attempting to reschedule might be considered high maintenance.
@Ynotgo – I did not know the age of our HS, or our town for that matter! (People started living here in 1640 but it wasn’t the town it is now until nearly 200 years later.) Apparently the HS is approx 90 years old (it has been completely rebuilt twice) but the first three one-room schools in town opened in the mid-1800s. The RR changed the town (mid-1800s) from primarily agriculture, fishing, and coastal trading. Residential development picked up early 1900s, creating the need for own HS. (My history lesson for the night.)
Always Wednesday here for the PSAT. I can’t imagine the juniors being limited and not getting a spot! Not all take it but they all could if they wanted.
Interesting about all the Wed PSATs. Public schools in all surrounding towns have offered the exam on Saturdays and private day schools and Catholic schools offer on Saturday.
Our students register and pay for the exam during lunch periods.
My daughter is being incredibly frustrated with George Mason’s Honors College essay prompt. It’s overly broad—one of those “What is the most important question in the world?” types—but to her mind (and I’m not inclined to disagree) they err by having the word limit at 750, when it could really be best answered as a get in/make your point/get out 300- or maybe even 400-word essay.
I told her she just needs to vomit words on the page—pretend it’s a long timed essay, basically—and then edit from there, rather than try to craft each paragraph along the framework she’s already built. She isn’t happy with that approach, though.
QOTD The juniors and sophomores at S’s school take the PSAT tomorrow. The seniors go in late and take their panoramic picture for the yearbook. S and his friends are meeting for breakfast and then heading to school to do the picture.
@CT1417 According to the college counselor, the interview is evaluative not conversational. The interviewer specified the % it is weighed. I don’t think it’s enough of a % is a make or break situation. I think if a school were unsure they would prefer to call the college counselor who has spent more than 30 minutes with a kid. I will say that this interviewer was not right out of college and is accomplished in his field and should really know better. Once the app process is over, I’ll share more details. Not that I think he reads CC but it would be too easy to put the dots together by anyone who knows him. Some of the details are too specific. Oh and this was not interview optional it was required but if it were optional I would have had him do it. He’s survived it and is at the point of feeling it can only get better from here!
Our school started in 1933. I think originally it was a K-12 school for the whole city, then they built separate elementary schools and middle schools, and so on. 1933 is old for our area!
@Dave_N Oh, absolutely, there is editor essay fatigue here. I think my posts from Sunday reflect the editor’s slight meltdown. Monday the college counselor swooped in with a save. She put her foot down and apparently it sunk in…well maybe. He did write a supplement this evening. 9th new topic. He said he needed to get that one on paper because he knows he needs he will be recycling and wanted her to just look at this one with his collection of essays.
@hadmeathello Thanks for the JOTD! Love your picture. =)) You’re so funny.
I get what you are saying but I think it’s fair to ask the “are you sure you want to take it off the list” question. I like having options so I always cringe when I think something is coming off the list. we have the “list” but I still don’t know how far through the list we actually get. It will be interesting in early Jan for us to post what our list number was and how many our kids actually went through with applying to.
@hadmeathello I initially thought I wouldn’t have S17 put his cell phone number but then I read some of the other threads and if a student gets wait listed, it seems regional AO will call the student to see if they are still interested before they will go in and fight for them. I started reading story after story of a kid who got a call and then the next day received a verbal from the AO that they were accepted. I started to worry that we’d miss the call and he’d miss an opportunity. He is clear that he should let any call from a number to go to voicemail and not return the call until he is in a quiet setting, notepad and pen in hand.