<p>DS (sophmore) works diligently towards tests/grades, etc. He has around a 3.85 at a very competitive private school. He studies very hard for finals/tests. His teachers LOVE him and I think he will get great rec's He works very hard to maintain a good GPA. He is talented at XCountry and is very competitive in his league (voted team captain for next year, Varsity in Sophmore year) and head of the running club in off season. He got his PSAT scores today they were 162 total. I told him that I was proud that he was in the top 70% but he said that they were "awful" scores and he's not happy - I think he's depressed about it. He's a kid who everyone loves, tries hard, but does not test well. He has 200 hours of community service this year teaching English to Spanish speaking children and loved the opportunity and loved his students. He wants to attend a big sports school, with Fraternities/Sororities and run XCountry. He is interested in Sports Management and Business Administration as a major. We live in CA. Any ideas? thoughts? TIA</p>
<p>I am now a senior and as a sophomore I did horrible on my PSATs. My SAT is now a 2250 and I was just accepted into the Stanford class of 2010! Sophomore PSATs do not reveal a great deal. I suggest that your son continues working hard and does not let his scores discourage him. Also, if he is really worried, enroll him in a test prep service. Like him, I was disappointed in my sophomore PSATs. These standardized tests can truly be "taught" and he should do very well in the future.</p>
<p>He has time to bring up his PSAT/SAT score..its the junior PSAT that counts towards National Merit.S did an SAT tutor (group) prior to the PSAT..he was very motivated to "break" his S's NMF's score from years prior.
S is now in the midst of the app cycle to Sports Management programs.We're East Coast but searched the country for programs,also being careful of the Business Admin connection.I reccommend using the North American Society for Sports Management website as a starting point (NASSM.COM).Look under "academia" then under the heading "Universities".There's a scroll down list that links you to the colleges Sports Management dept websites.
S has direct Sports Management program acceptances so far at U Mass Amherst (rated #1 for Sports Management) U South Carolina (our hidden gem find for the major) and U Michigan,(where its housed in Kinesiology but has been recently enhanced with business componenets).Waiting on responses to U Miami and U Florida.
In the midwest,Ohio State's program is reccommended. On the West Coast U of Oregon's program is considered tops(by other Sports Management profs..S was helped with choices by two current profs at two different schools)..take a look at their website.It just seemed too far for us.
Pay really close attention to the credentials of the faculty. internship requirements/possibilities and business course reqs.
(PM me if you want to know what else we gleaned from our faculty advisors!)</p>
<p>kyedor - if he's motivated to do better on the PSAT/SAT, search for the xiggi method of test prep. He has done a generous and thorough job of outlining what to do and how to do it. It's in the Parent Forum; don't know if it's cross-posted on the SAT forum.</p>
<p>Here's the thread: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=65632&highlight=xiggi+method%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=65632&highlight=xiggi+method</a></p>
<p>xiggi starts his advice (which is broken down into numerous posts)around post #13, with a little preamble before that</p>
<p>PSATs count for virtually nothing. In any case he is only a sophomore and scores go up with maturity and classroom time. Why doesn't he take some practice SATs or ACTs and see how he does. These tests can be studied for.</p>
<p>Hi Kyedor. We were in a similar situation. D did horribly on SAT's. She took the ACT basically out of necessity and found that it was a better test for her. She scored about 140 points difference between the 2 exams. Now my d is also into sports and may be looking to major in Sports Management. As she wants to stay in mid-Atlantic region, she applied to Towson, Temple, SUNY Cortland and a few others. I also thought the U. of SC program sounded interesting but it was a little too far away from home for my d. I am going to second what Cathymee said about the NASSM.com website. It is a wonderful starting point. You have to realize that there are many more school that do have sports management than is listed. They may follow NASSM guidelines for their program but they may not have been endorsed or "accredited" by the organization. And regarding SAT vs. ACT- my very own untested & only a gut feeling is that SOME Sports kids do better on the ACT than the SAT. My untested theory is that maybe kids who are more physical, be it sports, performing arts, or other activities are just "wired" differently. I've read many posts (mostly the kids posts) on ACT vs. SAT. And there is definitely a difference in how some types of kids perform on one test vs. the other. My d just found the SAT test "brain numbing" and yet she did not feel that way about the ACT. She took the ACT with writing, so both the SAT and ACT were over 4 hours long. We're from Long Island. Up until 2 years ago hardly anyone took the ACT. Now it is becoming more popular. If your son is struggling with the SAT, please have him try the ACT. And remember those scores do not have to be sent to your HS or any college. He can take the test, see how he does and if the grades are ok, he can then send it out. I really think he will perform better on the ACT. PS I think Xiggi's method really works for some kids, but for my own d (and maybe your son to) she'd go kicking and screaming before she would follow those study methods. Good luck.</p>
<p>I agree- don't even try to predict his ultimate SAT score from the soph PSAT. He has plenty of time to do fine. He also might be a kid who will wind up doing better on the ACT. It is also too soon to predict how his running will develop in terms of what level of college running he would enjoy. Junior year cross country season will be key, but make sure he runs distance track this spring, too. Track times are much more important than cross country, since it is apples to apples.</p>
<p>My son's psat score improved greatly between sophomore and junior years. This was probably a combination of maturity, classroom time, and taking some practice tests at home (before the junior year psat; he did not prep for the sophomore psat).</p>
<p>I forwarded this thread to DS and he's in awe of all the valuable information here! Also, relieved. Thank you very much. CC to the rescue again :)</p>
<p>Kyedor, if your son isn't reading the newspaper daily yet, I'd encourage him to start. It's a painless way to boost that critical reading and vocabulary score (assuming it's not USA Today). A couple of months with the editorial section and a dictionary next to him at the breakfast table will do more for him than all the flash cards and expensive prep courses could ever do... plus he'll actually learn something.</p>
<p>Kids who love to read tend to do well on the verbal section. Boys seem to give up on fiction by HS but can be encouraged to keep reading with the newspaper and non-fiction if it's stuff he's interested in. Does he have any people he particularly admires? Still time to buy him a biography or two for Xmas....</p>
<p>Blossom, that's a great idea. He likes to read things he is interested in (don't we all!). Too bad XBox doesn't have an SAT prep game. That would be the perfect Xmas gift LOL.</p>
<p>Kyedor:</p>
<p>Your DS sounds like a great kid and a great student. 162 is not a bad score for a sophomore. Taking the PSAT as a sophomore is just a way for students to familiarize themselves with its format. He should not feel depressed! </p>
<p>One thing you and he can do with the sophomore PSAT scores: analyze what your S answered correctly or wrongly. The PSAT tells you how many questions were easy/medium/difficult; the math section is also broken down into algebra/arithmetic/geometry. Remember, as a sophomore, he probably has not yet covered all the materials that will be on the PSAT. When he re-takes it as a junior, he will do much better, simply by virtue of having studied the materials in class. </p>
<p>Reading anything is helpful. We did not push particular types of books onto Ss (kiss of death!), but made sure they were aware of articles/books on subjects that already interested them, including fiction by their favorite authors (S2 read almost exclusively sci-fi and fantasy fiction, S1 liked humor but also history/current events). We also encouraged them to discuss what they'd read or watched on TV or at the cinema. Being able to express one's views is a skill that can be cultivated.</p>
<p>Kyedor - you are going to think I am nuts, but actually there are a lot of gaming magazines. Does your S read them? Sure they are about gaming but a lot of words are involved:). Also some games, like Worlds of Warcraft and then of course the Magic cards, have incredible vocab. I still hate video games and curse the day I got my cute little son a Gameboy for a long plane ride, but I have to admit they have certainly contributed to his vocabulary.</p>
<p>The other thing S likes to read is the New Yorker. No, not the long articles on the life of cranberry bog farmers or anything, just the movie reviews. And the language is great.</p>
<p>Finally, there are great sports writers out there, and anothologies of their work.</p>
<p>We should start a thread. "High Level Reading for Boys....".</p>
<p>We should start a thread. "High Level Reading for Boys....".</p>
<p>Great idea Alumother! The only video games he plays are sports, imagine that:p He does like the New Yorker suprisingly enough and we got him a subscription to Sports Illustrated. I find if I push anything it's no go but if we leave the NYer laying around he picks it up. A gift card to Border's will be in his stocking.</p>
<p>"He got his PSAT scores today they were 162 total. I told him that I was proud that he was in the top 70% but he said that they were "awful" scores and he's not happy - I think he's depressed about it."</p>
<p>Don't you mean the top 30%? Those scores are not "awful scores" even for juniors. After all, the test is taken by college-bound students. Not all students will be in the top 10%, but virtually all who take the PSAT can find a college that will welcome them. This includes students whose scores are in the bottom 15%.
If he continues in rigorous courses, his scores will more than likely go up next year, when they really do count.</p>
<p>S. is sitting on the sofa reading "High Fidelity" by Nick Hornby. Good boy reading, especially for boys who like rock/pop/soul music.</p>
<p>Great points have been made in this thread.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Try the ACT. I had a very similar PSAT score, and as a result, my SAT score wasn't what I thought it was going to be (although not bad). My ACT however, was much higher, and I was pleased with it.</p></li>
<li><p>Reading that Sports Illustrated is a great idea. I read it often, and there really is some higher level writing in there, albeit it easy to understand. My writing/reading isn't what it's supposed to be, but I lucked out when the ACT's essay was about sports (HA!).</p></li>
<li><p>cathymee really knows her stuff on the SM schools. You really need to check out the business administration connection. Try finding a list of the actual classes, and their course descriptions. NASSM is a great site. When looking for schools, you really want one's that have those A's for approved, under the undergraduate one. I am the same in the thinking process- I wanted a big name school with big name athletics that I could get involved in. But financial limitations as well a the family not allowing me to go certain places limited my schools.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm going to echo and add some schools to cathymee's list. Indiana University has a strong sport management program that i'm nearly committed to, as well as classes connected into the Kelley school of business, one of the nation's best business programs. Your son should be in line for some great merit money. If he can get his SAT above 1300, or ACT above 30, he will get a full ride there. If his class rank is top 5%, he should get more than a half ride there (12K). </p></li>
</ul>
<p>South Carolina has lots of money as well. The application is very hard for the Honors Program/Scholarships, but worth it. McNair Scholars get 12K per year. Good oppurtunities in NASCAR internships as well.</p>
<p>Michigan is, well, Michigan. By far the most prestigious university of the one's listed, the only top 25 school listed. SM program is very good, set up people who get degrees with great jobs. Also have one of the top 3 business schools in the nation (only behind MIT and UPenn)</p>
<p>Massachusetts is the best program in the country. They are the longest tenured program, have great internships mainly due to their location, and have approved programs at all the levels. Unfortunately there isn't much merit money, and being a public, they need to meet the in-state's aid before the OOS's aid. </p>
<p>Miami's program actually has a required business minor to the sport administration major. Great internship oppurtunities, great weather, and good merit. More than 1/2 the accepted applicants get offered at least a 1/4 scholarship, and they have lots of aid money. Being a private, no discrimination either to OOS applicants.</p>
<p>Florida and Oregon also have good programs. I wouldn't recommend Ohio State's program because they don't have an undergraduate SM program, rather an exercise science program, not business oriented. Very good for grad school. I would also recommend Ohio University, Florida State U, U Georgia, U Connecticut, U Texas, Texas A&M, and U Tennessee.</p>
<p>also, I'd like to add that i went up 350 points from my sophomore SAT to my SAT, and most of this improvement was natural (I took the practice tests in the blue book but didn't memorize vocab, etc).</p>
<p>I'm so glad A2Wolves6 found us. He's become the maven on Sports Management. I came back on to tell Kydor to track him down but I see it wasn't necessary. D just got her acceptance to Temple - School of Tourism and Hospitality. The Temple Sports Management Program is in that school. They are also affiliated with the Fox Business School at Temple- so many of the Sports Management Programs do align themselves with the Business School or they encourage taking a Business Minor. The internship possibilities at Temple are terrific due to all the teams in the Philly area. Unfortunately I don't think my d was thrilled with Temple, so it probably ain't going to happen- but the sports mangement program did seem pretty impressive.</p>
<p>Thank you A2Wolves6 and Marny1. Wow, so much wonderful information and schools to check out. I love CC :)</p>