I’m at a loss with the comments about the Lang/Writing being double. Like one poster stated they just duplicated the 3 sections from before:
Math 1/3
Grammar/writing 1/3
Reading 1/3
Or is MY math off???
@nicki20 If you look at how the regular SAT is scored, it is 50% math and 50% ERW That is not the same as the PSAT where math is 33% of the score and ERW is 66% of the score.
PSAT score is calculated exactly like regular SAT. However, NMSQT uses a Selection index which is calculated at 2/3 weight to Reading score. DS20’s 1470 (R 720, M 750) is a 219. But if it was a 1470 ( R 750, M 720), index would be 222.
Google “PSAT cutoff calculator” to play with free online tools.
Yes, @Barefooter is right in that the “PSAT score” is the same, but it is the NM methodology of 1/3 and 2/3 in terms of PSAT’s importance.
Couldn’t you make the argument the SAT is unfair? Wasn’t more fair when the total score was 2400?
@nicki20 I am probably not the one to respond bc I think the SAT and ACT standardized tests are poor assessments of actual student ability. But, to answer your question, no, I don’t think the 2400 score is “more fair.” Fwiw, the 2400 score was only in use for about 10 yrs out of something like 65 yrs. The 1600 scoring has been the predominant methodology.
You may be right that the standardized tests are poor assessments of actual student ability. But class rank and GPA are too. I’m not sure anything though is foolproof.
Swarthmore is very aggressive lately. Emails almost every other day. Snail mail today. I looked it up on naviance, it seems pretty hard to get in. Each year, there are about 1 or 2 students make it in. Wondering anyone toured it and have feedbacks?
Noticed the same thing about Swathmore…
I can’t imagine any college having a more aggressive marketing campaign than Case Western. They are relentless.
@whataboutcollege Swarthmore has about 10% acceptance rate so it’s very competitive. I took S17 to visit. It’s a nice campus (smaller side) with train station at the edge of campus that goes to Philly in about 30 minutes. Students can take classes, eat and go to any event at Haverford and Bryn Mawr. Busses run between the campuses. They can take classes at Penn if not offered at Swarthmore and school will pay for train. Almost everything is included (no extra fees for on campus events).
DS has also gotten Swarthmore snail mail and emails. Their letter is actually quite comical. We have not toured there nor is DS interested. Also get a bit from Dartmouth. Very nice brochures; maybe tuition could be reduced if they cut down on the mass marketing. Luckily no calls yet. Ds’16 would get so many calls; it drove us nuts. I told him he had to be firm about telling them he wasn’t interested so they’d stop calling.
Wondering if anyone else has started looking at summer pre-college, music festivals, or research internships. What are your students’ summer plans? Know of any good programs?
Mine has gotten snail mail from a few schools but opted not to get mailings from collegeboard. Many fewer mailings (so far) than S20.
@SoccaMomma what area of interest. My ds who graduated in May with his UG degrees in math and physics did multiple summer programs or was accepted and opted for a different program.
SSP and PAN are 2 fabulous ones (physics and astronomy, though SSP has has expanded since then).
Astronomy Camp is one he did when he was younger and is less competitive, but he really enjoyed it.
Mat Zoom is another he enjoyed when he was younger. Math Camp is another good one that friends attended but we have no direct experience with.
I have had a dd attend the forensic chemistry camp at App. Another attended BYU’s summer French camp. Neither of those are the slightest bit competitive but are good camps that they got a lot from.
I forgot about foreign language camp at Millersville University. My dd really enjoyed that one.
Re: summer camps, both of my kids have enjoyed the Summer Institutes at UCLA and one liked a GSA summer session he did at UC Irvine. These are 1-2 week camps, so they aren’t a huge time commitment.
My d20 went to the 3 week VSA program at Vanderbilt and took a math class last summer. It was very well run and she got a lot out of the class.
My kids work and swim/run in the summer. Couple of backpacking or camping trips with girl scouts. D17 never did anything else. D20 might apply for Student Conservation Corps.
D20 did a summer program at UCSD related to her interest in media/marketing. She loved the class but wasn’t thrilled with the general student body (mostly STEM) which wasn’t her group. Her PhD candidate instructor stated that if D was interested in business/marketing this college was probably not the best choice for her.
My junior has done sessions at the Concordia Language Villages for the past 3 summers and wants to go again this coming summer for a 4 week session. We are also planning a family trip to Europe so there will only be a couple of unclaimed weeks left, which will likely be used to veg out a bit and then start on essay writing.