<p>In most NY High Schools a B+ means around an 88 while a 92 is like an A-.</p>
<p>Yeah a B+ is normally 88-89, while A- is normally 90-92</p>
<p>sorry for making a generalization, but the mom here sounds like one of those mothers who go over and beyond in the college process, the type that would complain to the school if they didn't accept her son, sorry for saying this especially since i don't know you but thats just what it sounds like.</p>
<p>Concerning PSAT performance, I didn't take it as a sophomore (I'm stupid I know) so I went into junior year with no tests, then took the PSAT with no prep, not even the little practice book that comes with it, and got a 195. On the SAT I ended up with a 2000, but hopefully that'll be raised to a 2100 with a little more prep.</p>
<p>It's great to motivate your son, but generally the most you can hope for is a pretty average 1600 or so out of 2400, even with prep.</p>
<p>I agree with you more about the choice of going into the services, a college education lasts a lifetime and especially with ROTC, he may end up going into the services with a considerably higher rank than if he just enlisted.</p>
<p>What about Dartmouth, Middlebury, Amherst, Williams, Bard?</p>
<p>yeah, your son only got 51 (not 510 because the psat is out of 240) above the minimum psat score</p>
<p>sorry to break your bubble, but most kids do not prepare considerably for the psat. your son is no exception except that he did worse than most of them (about 89% of them, for that score is the 11th percentile)
<a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/counselors/psat/selectionScores.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/counselors/psat/selectionScores.pdf</a></p>
<p>"Considering the average GPA at Colgate is around 1300 I dont think an 1100 on a kids first try at the PSAT's, with no prep, should think he has no shot to get into Colgate."</p>
<p>completely meaningless statement
1. gpas are orders of magnitude below that number
2. if you mean average sat score, then 1300/1600 is FAR HIGHER than 110/240
3. 110/240 is roughly equivalent to 730/1600, which is the 8th percentile on the sat (it's not good, fyi, because i see you have some problems figuring out what scores are good and what scores are not-so-good)</p>
<p>but lets say this kid pulls a fast one on us all and improves about 100 points on math and reading on the 1600 scale and goes to 930
guess what? that's still only the 33rd percentile! not good enough to get into colgate, much less cornell</p>
<p>"Much can happen in 1-2 yrs. With the hope of attending a school that makes a student feel proud and happy for his future in front of him it is amazing what a student can achieve when it is something he determines to work hard for."
from how you've described your son, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be particularly proud or happy to attend college, period.</p>
<p>you know, I thought this forum was here to support parents and kids in the college process and college life. Sounds like discouragement to me.</p>
<p>I have been posting for almost a year here on and off but I think there may be other avenues of college info on the web I may explore instead where the focus is on helping our kids succeed rather than quabble about scores.</p>
<p>thanks to all those who have helped in the past. And good luck to all the students in the coming fall!</p>
<p>Did you mean 110/160 or 110/240?</p>
<p>Luliz, though some people on here may be mean, we're all trying to make each other be realistic. Take people's advice with a grain of salt. It's great to find other sources of college info, but CC can be pretty helpful as well. I hope you don't let it drop off your radar :)</p>
<p>I agree with lavendercloud...there's no reason for people on this forum to tell you that you're "one of those mothers who go over and beyond in the college process, the type that would complain to the school if they didn't accept her son", as Fsu-uf said. In fact, I got the impression that you actually had hopes and goals for your children and the work that, I imagine, they will do. CC can be a helpful tool in the college process, like lavendercloud said, if you listen to those who try to help you and not those who tell you that your son has pretty much no hope. Anyway, I have friends who totally did not care at all about the psat in 10th grade, and practically slept through it. When they took the real one in 11th and then the sats later that year, they improved IMMENSLY, correlating directly with the amount of time and effort they put in to get better. Keep encouraging your son, and he will improve, perhaps even enough so to be able to shoot for those upper level schools. :)</p>
<p>10th grade PSAT is usually the first time a student ever sees a standardized test of this type and is not necessarily at all indicative of how the SAT will turn out. So, I wouldn't start limiting target schools based on SAT scores until at least the end of 11th grade; not the beginning of 10th grade. At this point, I would focus more on how high school grades are going and type and fit for college search.</p>
<p>We're trying to support your son and make his college journey rewarding. Hopefully you've already been to college if you wanted to go. Encouragement is great. Helicopter parents do damage. I remember your threads on your first child as I remember few other posts. Insisting Yale was in range if she could up her 400 SAT score. It chilled me. How could she not feel dissapointed and that she let you down?</p>
<p>Yea, we are helping you. Don't act like my parents who always want to send me to Ivies though I don't even stand a chance. The children hurt and feel even more discouraged because nobody understand them. I'm the one of them so I know what they feel. Be realistic, and if they go there, they will not learn anything. Try to put yourself as the child's role, do you really like to be inside the community that is full of genius and overachievers while you are not competent compared to them? This is how I pursuraded my parents though they do not listen to me.
Anyways, hope your child will succeed in the college application. =]</p>
<p>Boy- this really has brought up some harsh responses from some of the kids. I think everyone does agree that it is good to have high expectations and try to encourage an environment that your son will thrive in. But those high expectations can easily turn into pushing a kid into a realm of unrealistic goals with disappointing results.
As a NY mom- I implore you to tread carefully with your son. It is one thing to post that you are thinking of Cornell and Colgate for your son and you just want to gather info. but if admittance to those schools are THE GOAL and he is not able to bring his scores up considerably, he may always feel that he disappointed you and that he is not able to live up to your expectations. I think some of the kids are responding to you as their own parents may have had unrealistic goals for them, leading to alot of conflict.
Gellino is probably right- it really is too early to see what direction you should take in looking at schools. If your son after 10th grade is running a B+, I think the best you can realistically hope for is an A- overall average. School choices with an SAT of 1100 is going to be quite different than an SAT of 1300-(old scoring) so you may need to be patient and wait for the first results to come in.<br>
As a LI parent with a d who had an 89 average (B+) and a 23 ACT (1060SAT equivalent) I took some interest in your situation.<br>
If your son lives up to your expectations and does get into the A-/1300 SAT range, he will still only be a longshot for some of the schools that YOU are considering. If you are putting too much emphasis on schools like Colgate of Cornell- you may be setting up a situation which can only lead to disappointment.
If you are touring this summer and decide to visit those schools, you should also check out Wells-Cortland-Elmira-Bing and Clarkson (though not in the immediate area) or other schools of that caliber. You should check out the colleges of distinction website. Many of the schools being talked about are listed- including Elmira, Alfred, Clarkson and Niagara.<br>
Though the kids were quite harsh to you, I think they may have lived with this scenario with their own parents. Learn from their experience. Good luck</p>
<p>This definitely doesn't fit the rural part but would be a good fit for the other things he talked about. You might want to add Kings Point to the list.</p>
<p>The options coming out of KP are amazing -- not just the military and you spend a year at sea. My S is right now somewhere in the Med on a commercial RO-RO in the process of circumnavigating the globe.</p>
<p>It might at least be worth a look.</p>
<p>One last thing- SUNY and Alfred U has one of those strange programs (I love those programs- d # 1 is at Cornell ILR and tuition ain't too bad). It' s the NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred U- which is also affiliated with the School of Engineering at Alfred U. It really may connect your son's artistic ability with engineering and be in the rural type of environment that he wants. I found the link through the SUNY.edu website. You can probably get info from Alfred U too- but it is known as the NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred U.
I believe Alfred has ROTC and criminal justice too- I think a match may be in the making!! Good luck.</p>
<p>If you read my posts then you will see that I am gathering info on a whole RANGE of schools.</p>
<p>We just got the SUNY Geneseo brochure today. I t says hS avg from most recent freshman class Middle 50 pct 90-95 gpa, SAT 1 mid 50 pct 1180-1330</p>
<p>This sounds about right for him presently. I am very interested in learning more about Geneseo. I know it has a good rep in the SUNY system. My D's HS reccomended for her last yr.( BUt she could not survive in such a rural place whereas my S is requesting it)</p>
<p>I don't have his psat score in front of me have to dig it out but you are right about the score ....I acn't remember what his actual score was I only know that my D told me that whatever his # was it conveted into approx 1100 for an old SAT score. Bout now after all this talk I will dig it out just to see the #.</p>
<p>His Hs is public and considered a good school, we got his final 10th gr report card yesterday too. Gpa is 89.4 But the real challenge is jr yr and this is where I would like to see him apply steam to his studies. He knows this and says he intends to. </p>
<p>Look, I am not a harsh hard driving mom at all. Ask my kids. I DO make myself involved in thier college process, my D and I had a partnership from the beginning in trying to visit and gather info on fin aid, stats, scholarships, merit rewards, social climate, artistic opportunities and everything that came our way through the process. She was our first and a great learning experience in the world of college applications. As she moved from Summer before senior yr through winter of senior year she needed less and less help from me as she gained experience and knew more what she was looking for and i took a back seat and proudly acted more and more as guide and confidant. We shared the "butterflies" when March rolled around and made a best friend of the mailman as she ran down the driveway to see if any results were in. We visited schools again for admitted students days and I ultimately sat back and watched and listened as she made her final decisions about which college she would pick. I am very proud of her. We attended her college choice for the placement tests and brought her grandparents to see the school. She was very proud and happy showing them around. She really is happy with her choice and how I know this is she almost always wears her school's sweatshirt she bought in the gift shop, now she wears the lightweight backpack to the beach she also picked up.. And displays her school decal across the back window of her car. I look forward( though sentimentally...hoping not to cry at least not too much)when we drive her up her first week. </p>
<p>You see I am a guide and an encourager and a timeframe keeper and goal setter for my kids in this process NOT a mom setting her kids up to disappoint me.</p>
<p>I have st goals for my s the same way we did for my D.</p>
<p>We put schools in catagories according to SAT score and GPA range.</p>
<p>For example 1350+ Cornell Colgate Vassar Hamilton RPI and ANY/All of the military academy( he likes the idea of this BUT here is where I am showing him that admittance is really tough since it is based not only on grades and Ecs but on physical top condition and athletic background...which he is avg but not in top shape. He tells me he knows but that if he chooses to apply to an academy he will apply to a summer program in Jan and then begin training and conditioning)</p>
<pre><code> 1200-1350 SUNY Geneseo, Syracuse,Skidmore,and many others can not recall list at moment
1100-1200 SUNY albany, Alfred, Clarkson,Union,Ithaca,Wells,many others
</code></pre>
<p>We plan to visit some this summer. I was kind of mapping out some routes for a few day vacation. Thinking of starting out on rt 87 to SUNY albany and seeing RPI Union and Sienna then Skidmore . Maybe Vassar Marist and Bard and New Paltz on the way home to LI.</p>
<p>A different trip to see Syracuse, LeMoyne,Ithaca and yes while in Ithaca see Cornell(haha)Wells, Hobart and Smith.</p>
<p>Also Suny Geneseo and Alfred.</p>
<p>The ones that are piquing my intedrest so far with the little I have read about them are:</p>
<p>SUNY Geneseo, RPI, Hobart and Smith SUNY ONenedaga and now I would like to know more of SUNY Cortland( thank you to the CC responder who suggested this.)</p>
<p>Skidmore too but seems kind of artsy( not as much as Bard or Vassar but somewhat this is what my D would have liked but not so much for my S. I think he prefers more techy type( Math) but in a rural oudoor active place)</p>
<p>Sorry for rambling. This thread sure got more response than I thought. I thought I was just inquiring about Upstate Ny schools....haha.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for helping.</p>
<p>Another</p>
<p>thank you. Yes, I have been reading about Alfred and checking out their website. Very interesting. I'd like to visit Alfred U. Long trip into the hills sounds like by looking at the map but sounds beautiful. Just wondering what kind of fin aid they would give and if we could afford it. Big ratings for Ceramics Engineering, Glass too and other engineering, great art programs too, we had looked at this for my D but it was too remote of a location for her.</p>
<p>I am glad you took note of it- It does look like a very interesting program. I can tell you that the "SUNY tuition" at Cornell is around $18,000 as opposed to the regular tuition of $30,000- so it is a significant savings. You might want to think about doing a trip to the southern tier schools- Binghamton, Elmira-Alfred and Geneseo. Hopefully the gas prices go down a bit. Let us know about the NYS Alfred program- it does sound interesting. Other NYS parents may be interested in it too. Also just some more advice. Don't overload on too much touring. My d could only take so many schools to visit. If your son is not yet quite ready to look at colleges, you may want to proceed with caution and just look at a few which seem the most promising.</p>
<p>BTW My D was rejected from the school she wanted most and no, I did not call the school and complain. I would never in a million years think of doing such a thing.</p>
<p>However i can't help but feel it is the schools loss..haha...they don't know who they missed out on...haha ok ok now I AM being an overly proud mom, sorry...but I don't get why they did not accept her,especially since schools running parallel in caliber accepted her....her and I suspect that it may have had something to do w/ her need for aid.....but who understands the ways of the admissions office? She took it in stride after some disaapointment but is happy in the end with her choice.</p>
<p>You bring up a good point in that needing aid can often mean the 50% are not the numbers you should be looking at. At many privates needing considerable aid means you have to be closer to the 75%. With 2 in college and each school only getting half the EFC, keep this in mind.</p>