My D15 was a NMF and I know my D18 wants to make that too, but I remind her that the tests are different and there’s not as much prep material out there which I think puts her at a little bit of a disadvantage.
@cardinal2020mom, my D15 took the ACT and came home certain she had done poorly, so much so that I was researching how to cancel her score. She decided not to cancel it and as it turned out her score was excellent so your son may have done better than he thought.
DD’18 takes PSAT on Wednesday. She is working on a few practice questions today. We’ll see how it goes. Best of luck to all!
S took the PSAT today. His “prep” consisted of reluctantly opening the practice booklet last night and testing himself on some math questions so he could remember the necessary formulas. He felt like he did pretty good on both sections. Hmm, we’ll see. Good luck to all those taking it later this week!
I had no idea this thread/forum existed! I have a lot to catch up on, lol.
My daughter also took the PSAT yesterday and didn’t know what to think. She didn’t finish two of the non-calculator math questions so just guessed on those. I’ve never emphasized this test to her, but hopefully she improved from last year’s trial run as a sophomore. She spent part of the summer in ACT review but a very small part - between working and being a teenager, you know how it is. Over Thanksgiving and Christmas she’ll do more, and the goal is a first try on the February test. Her school pays for one in March or April (they are still deciding which) and then, if necessary, she’ll do June.
The year is going much better than last year, in terms of homework load. I blame that on not taking chemistry this year. she doubled in bio and chem last year and it was a challenge. She did fine, but chem produced HOURS of homework. Ugh. The honors chem teacher is pretty much reviled by every student she’s ever had, so that’s not a good sign. Despite one AP and three honors classes, I have my happy kid back. 
We are starting the college short(ish) list. Right now there are 10 schools on there and that’s okay, since she is seeking a direct-admit nursing school for a BSN in our state and there are only 10 worth looking at. It will be a busy summer/fall for college visits. I also have started the financial aid investigations. In my house you know it’s serious if Mom starts a binder on something, lol.
Anyway, nice to have some junior parents to commiserate with. I also have an 8th grader, so hopefully this will be easier the second time around.
My son takes the test on Wednesday and English teacher sent home a practice booklet as homework last Thursday. Very curious to see if having a SAT math tutor since the beginning of July will have made an improvement from last years scores.
Two sessions w/college rep visits under his belt (UofSCar and VT) and the onslaught of mail and shiny pictures and emails has begun in earnest.
I am really enjoying reading all of the posts from the parents in the same boat. That stressful, exciting, time consuming boat!
S18 is filling a box with all those college mailers. I’m pretty sure it’ll overflow by next Fall.
@bearcatfan I have a freshman in nursing right now. (Also a D18). Let me know if you have any questions - I lived and breathed nursing prograns for the last 2 years!
I’ve been lurking on this thread for a while and will de-lurk now. D18 has her official PSAT on Wednesday and I scheduled an ACT for Saturday. D18’s a procrastinator but has gotten better this school year. Her HS had a practice-PSAT last year and we had her do an ACT as well. She did fine on both. Math was the drag on them … but her math skills have improved significantly since then.
@RyanG1207 where is your nursing freshman attending and what other schools were in the running? Have a very short list for my D18, any info would be helpful, thanks!
Hi @fazevan! I sent you a PM.
@fazevan What state are you in? If you are considering any in Ohio I can share my list of direct admits.
@bearcatfan, D21 will most likely takes H bio (here all H classes are called PreAP) it is just what they call them, and take H chemistry with it. I hear H bio is easy, but don’t know about H chem.
I need to dig more and see how that goes.
@bearcatfan, I’m in NJ but would be interested to see your list, thanks!
Ugh, I really wanted to have a low key peaceful, early to bed night before the PSAT. We canceled all after school commitments for the boys tonight. I was going to have the cedar plank salmon on the grill by the time the kids walked in the door so I’d just need to steam the asparagus and boil the broth for the couscous. Instead… I’ve just returned from the vet, after a call from doggie daycare informing me that Ember, our four and a half year old black lab, had been injured. They think another dog bit his ear and they couldn’t stop the bleeding. So now I’m home starting dinner almost two hours later with a drugged out dog with stitches in his ear and his head bandaged up like a mummy! So not the way I had tonight planned!
@3scoutsmom, oh no! How big a bite was it? Good grief! Poor baby.
Maybe this will be a good way for your kids to not overthink the test tomorrow. As much as we try a make everything copacetic, life happens to throw us a curve ball.
Best of luck to your kids tomorrow and I hope your 4 legged kiddo recoups quickly.
Good luck to all of the 2018 kiddos taking the PSAT tomorrow! Wishing them all peaceful sleeps and clear heads. >:D<
go2boy is taking the PSAT tomorrow. His SAT tutor should be here any moment to help him get his “head in the game.” I’m hoping he will do his best although he’s a bit reluctant because he has extended time accommodations for ADD. I think he will do fine if he can resist the temptation to rush. He’s been much more responsible both at school and at home this year–perhaps he his finally maturing! He’s been signing up to do college visits at school and is excited about visiting some campuses. I’ve told him that we really need to get a solid SAT score under his belt so by spring break we should have a solid plan. Unless he is a candidate for merit aide, we’re taking schools off the list since financial aid is not in the cards. So sorry about your pup, 3scotsmom–sounds like a strong G&T would help you get through the night!
@cardinal2020mom it was a slit about half inch long that required five stitches. Everytime he shook his head (which he was doing frequently because his ear hurt), it would start bleeding again and spray blood everywhere. You don’t want to see my car! The mummy bandages are to keep his ear immobilized so he won’t shake it and pull the stitches out. Bandages can come off Thursday morning and if he can leave it alone he won’t have to wear the ‘cone of shame’, we’ll see how that goes. If he can leave it alone long enough to heal, the stitches can come out on the 28th.
I’m pretty irritated at the doggie day care folks, they are supposed to supervised play time and but they have no idea how this happened. I just got, “dogs will be dogs and sometimes they play rough.” Really? My dog is not allowed to use teeth when playing, period! They also said that he might have caught his ear on something that ripped it. I asked what shape objects they have on the grounds that could have caused such an injury but they did have an answer to that.
This is the second time I’ve picked him up from doggie daycare and gone straight to the vet. At least this time they noticed he was injured and called. The first time was when I picked him up and he saw he was bleeding in the car. He had a torn dew claw which I can understand how they might not have notice since it’s difficult to see blood on a black dog. I’m not sure if I’m going to give this place a third chance or not. This vet visits aren’t cheap!
DS18 doesn’t have any homework to speak of tonight, he poked around at some PSAT prep for about a half an hour and is vegging out playing video games before turning in early. I made it a point to mention that he already qualifies for a good scholarship from his first choice school that would make it affordable even without National Merit and if he can manage the same score he got last year as a sophomore he’d still make the cut in our state.
@3scoutsmom, any video cameras at the doggie day care? I know some places have those. It is their responsibility to make sure all the dogs are unharmed. Make sure you speak with the owner/s and note that this is the 2nd time. Did they not even offer to pay for vet bill? He was under their supervision. I would be just as upset. I would make sure that they do not have you dog and the other dog together again. I know that can difficult depending on the set up of the place. However, as a paying customer, your dog shouldn’t be in danger of getting hurt.
I can’t even get into this any more. I’m getting so upset for you. Ugh! Is he happy when you take him there? Another place you could look into? Ok, I have to stop. I’m sorry. I’m getting worked up over here. Give them the bill. See how they handle that. There’s always good ole social media. You can always mention that to them.
Back to PSAT.
I’ve been happy with the “Princeton Review - Cracking the New SAT 2016 Edition” book. It has four practice tests and nice explanations of the answers along with “tricks”. D18, the procrastinator, finally did two of the non-calculator math tests in it tonight. My real goal is not the PSAT tomorrow but rather the ACT on Saturday. I figured that the PSAT would serve as a warm-up for the ACT knowing she’d wait until the last minute to prep for it. If she can get a good score on the ACT then we can put this standardized testing stuff behind us.