Along the lines of motivating a student to prep before taking an exam, as your students plan to take their first ACT or SAT, it can be helpful to look at the testing requirements for the colleges they are considering. Some elite schools require an applicant to submit the score for every test taken; some colleges require 2 or 3 SAT Subject tests alongside the SAT yet none if the applicant is submitting the ACT; some require the ACT with essay, others do not. IMHO, ideal is to prep as if you get only one chance, hopefully do so well you don’t have to take it again, and move on. If they do still need to take the test again, prep can then be focused on areas of needed improvement, relieving the pressure a bit off of test #2 (or #3). While spring of Junior year can be stressful for students, who then rationalize “I can always take it again, so I’ll just do a dry run,” we found that May was impossible with APs at the same time, and June of Junior year is a low-energy time to take these tests. By Fall of Senior year they are so stretched with applications and Senior Year.
I have a friend who had all 3 of her kids take the tests in Fall of Junior year after a summer prep. My own 2 were always too busy to do that, but the timing is ideal for those who can.
Anyone else feeling antsy / tired of waiting for various test scores to come out? I sure am.
This does not bode well for the year-long wait to see who makes NMSF!
Re: test requirements for various colleges, man oh man, get out the wet noodle cuz I messed this one up. I made a list of schools we could afford, and told S that I’d be responsible for the research on those. He was welcome to add schools to the list with the understanding that 1) he would be responsible for all of the research, and 2) we held financial veto power even if he got in.
After looking at the financial safeties, I told S he could skip the essay on the SAT. Somehow I missed that all UCs require it, so either he has to retake the SAT and do the essay, or he has to accept that he can’t apply to any UCs. I think I missed it because the UCs really aren’t affordable for us, but I still dread telling him. I’m waiting until after we see his scores to say anything.
@DiotimaDM
I hear you.
We should have a better idea of the national trend for NMSF when the Commended score is released, I think in April. I try not to anticipate those milestones too much, as I don’t want to wish away the dwindling months I have with my D still at home. =((
Edit: I just saw your edit. Sorry about the UCs and SAT essay.
@ShrimpBurrito Re: the dwindling months - I know!! S will probably go out of state, and it’s flabbergasting to think that in about a year and a half he’ll be… gone. He’s considering a gap year, and if so he’d live at home and work as an EMT. It’s his choice, of course, but I’m torn between wishing him wings and hoping he takes the gap year.
@DiotimaDM sorry about the essay snafu! If I read your requirements right though I think you are feeling unjustified guilt. Wasn’t he required to research the requirements for the “extra” schools himself? If so, this one’s on him. Though a pang of “I should have reminded him to double check his extra schools” guilt is always something we parents struggle with, right? That said, if you’re OOS and they are unaffordable, seems like a no-brainer to drop them. They aren’t on the common app, and require 4 short common app style essays. We are in-state, my D has long had a weird distaste for them, so even though I kinda want her to apply to 1 (because they are affordable for us) I doubt I’ll convince her it’s worth the trouble to write 4 essays for a school she isn’t going to want to go to. Your S may decide the same once you’ve made the financial picture clear. In any case I wish you luck dealing with the fallout.
@ShrimpBurrito Yes, he’s gunning for med school, and the EMT stint is partly to see if he’s still interested afterward.
@1822mom We’re in-state for the UCs, and the local one has a new-ish med school with a special pipeline for local kids who promise to stay local after finishing. I figured he should apply and see what happens even though my guess is that we can’t afford it (darn donut hole!) even with a possible Regents scholarship.
If he makes NMF, he’ll probably end up at one of the big NMF schools. His wildcard is Tulane, but he’d need very large merit to make it work. If he doesn’t make NMF, he’ll probably go to UNM on an autostats scholarship - and that will still be better than going to the local UC financially speaking.
So. We had scheduled 2 visits to schools over Spring Break this year and D just told me that she’s definitely not interested in one (oh I love that school - that made me sad!) and maybe interested in the other, but she’d like to go visit schools that are south. Being that it’s February here in the midwest (although it’s been a mild winter), I can’t blame her. So the list is now completely different, and there’s going to be a lot more car-time with mother and child, for good or ill.
We’re doing a college tour over spring break as well, trying to do 4 colleges in 5 days - UNM, OU, UT Dallas and Texas Tech. There’s too much driving to really do all four, so either we have to skip one, probably Texas Tech, or do UNM on a separate trip. UNM is the closest geographically, so a three day weekend where they have class but we don’t is a possibility.
@suzy100 Thanks! Yes, he’d need the DHS or PT, or maybe even Stamps to make it work. He’ll definitely apply, but attending will depend heavily on finances. We’re hoping to visit early next fall sometime.
@DiotimaDM yes, that is a lot of driving. Not the most exciting landscape east of ABQ, either.
OU would be a great fit for my D, except that it’s our in-state flagship. Too close to home! I know many happy students there. Beautiful campus, friendly people.
Re: February and school visits… Michigan State is one of S’s possible schools, and his stats will probably get him an invite to the Alumni Distinguished weekend… in February. Next February, of course.
I’m from MI originally, but S is Cali born and Cali bred. He may like the school, but he needs a taste of real winter before he commits to four years of it. February is the exact perfect time for him to visit.
Too funny, @DiotimaDM. My D has lived her life in Southern California and Oklahoma. Other than the occasional Colorado ski trip in March, she hasn’t experienced real winter, yet she wants to go to school in Canada. Her sport takes up all of her time in Jan/Feb and visits then just aren’t possible. She thinks she likes the cold, but she may be in for a rude awakening!
D18 took ACT Saturday…first words when she came back…who the heck designs a test with 75 questions to be answered in 45 minutes? lol! So guessing she struggled a bit with finishing the English portion, she said she just bubbled the last 10 for sure. Which is unfortunate because she feels she “killed” the math portion and feels the science and reading section went well for her too. Now the wait…
Both of my kids feel the science section on the ACT isn’t really about the science, it is about reading and inference. When my D18 took a practice ACT this summer I stopped halfway through grading the science section to ask her if she cheated because I couldn’t believe she hadn’t missed ANY questions yet. She is by no stretch of the imagination a science kid.
Spring break plans:
D18, my oldest son (age 19) and I are traveling to Canada for second visits to McGill and U Toronto. We leave in less than four weeks. The catch is that I’m nursing a broken leg. My dr says by mid March I should only be wearing a brace, but that I probably won’t feel like walking much. I may end up spending lots of time in the hotel, letting my two eldest run loose in the city. They are both very responsible, so I’m optimistic that it will work out fine.
