Parents of the HS Class of 2011 - Original

<p>D1 applied to TASP and made it to the interview stage. Phew, after that interview, the college admissions ones were a piece of cake. They really do grill you on your essays, and her interviewer was the head of the program, not one of the ‘cool’ ex-TASPer students ;).</p>

<p>D2 has no interest, she’ll apply to a state-wide internship program and likely one at CMU. There are several others, but they’re very low odds, and after all of the SAT prep, I’d like to enjoy our Christmas break together and not have to constantly nag about summer program essays.</p>

<p>cooker, TASP is one of the few for humanities interested kids, there are definitely more oriented towards science and math. I don’t know much about this program, but it might be worth a look if she’s interested in economics:</p>

<p>[Foundation</a> for Teaching Economics | Students > Economics and Leadership](<a href=“http://www.fte.org/students/efl/index.php]Foundation”>EFL - Foundation For Teaching Economics)</p>

<p>I’m not sure how long it is, the dates aren’t posted yet. Cost is $125-200 plus transportation.</p>

<p>cooker, she could check with a local museum to see if they need volunteers. We have one here which is delighted to get teen volunteers to work the admissions desk and lead tours during the summer.</p>

<p>I haven’t had a chance to check in much this week. Great to hear all those amazing PSAT scores. Congrats to all. Our kids’ hard work is paying off. My S was pleased with his score of 226. LY’s NMF cutoff in FL was 211. He will be taking the SAT in Jan, ACT in Feb.</p>

<p>Hi all. I have a PSAT NMS question. My D just got back her PSAT scores, and she is above the cut-off for boarding/prep school students for NMS. I am really happy for her, but I don’t exactly understand how this works. A number of students from all over the country are deemed eligible and then in the spring they cut it down to semi-finalists? What is the criteria for that? Please let me know how this works - thanks!</p>

<p>Do you think that any relationship with the NMS program (as in just reaching this initial qualifying stage) makes any impression upon admissions? Thanks!</p>

<p>Here is how NMS works:</p>

<p>[National</a> Merit Scholarship Corporation - NMSP](<a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php]National”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php)</p>

<p>For tips on naming schools, etc., Carleton has some good advice:</p>

<p>[Carleton</a> College: Admissions: Tips for National Merit Scholars](<a href=“http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/afford/national_merit_tips/]Carleton”>http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/afford/national_merit_tips/)</p>

<p>As far as making an impression with admissions, it depends on the school and the NM level reached. See this current thread:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/824674-national-merit-semifinalists-acceptance-into-top-schools-5.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/824674-national-merit-semifinalists-acceptance-into-top-schools-5.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>entomom, Thank you SO much - these links are really helpful!</p>

<p>You’re welcome, and congrats to your D!</p>

<p>I’m a little late to this party - but starting to get a little nervous so decided to post. S is very relaxed about starting the “college process”. He knows he needs to get a round of testing in this year, and plans to take the SAT in March and a couple of SAT subject tests in June, but beyond that, he says he really doesn’t want to start thinking about college until the end of the school year. When I raised the subject, his response was, in essence, “when have I ever let you down?” And he hasn’t. He did very well on his PSAT (required at his school for all juniors) and he’s doing fine in terms of grades. Still, when I read some of the posts on this thread, I worry that he’s going to find himself behind the curve when it comes to college applications. So I thought I’d ask for some collective wisdom. Should I push him or just let him go at his own pace?</p>

<p>Hi nyny and welcome to the jr thread! </p>

<p>It sounds like your S is tracking pretty well. He might consider keeping May open for a retest of the SAT if needed based on his March results. As long as he’s taking 2 Subject tests in May and has a couple of times to sit the SAT this year, he’s in good shape. I personally like to stay away from a fall sr year sitting of the SAT as it’s a very busy time and it makes it more difficult to target his list of schools when he doesn’t have a complete picture of his stats. </p>

<p>Whether or not he needs to be nudged is very individual, it depends on the kid, what schools they’re considering, whether they will be applying EA/ED and if they will be trying for merit scholarships.</p>

<p>Hello parents of juniors!! Just stopping by to let you all know that they announced the 2010 dates and locations of the “Colleges That Change Lives” tour, maybe they are stopping by you and your S/D:</p>

<p>[CTCL</a> Programs & Information | Colleges That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/events/programs]CTCL”>College Fairs & Information Sessions – Colleges That Change Lives)</p>

<p>For those not in the know, these fairs have representatives from schools featured in Loren Pope’s book “Colleges that Change Lives” . The book truly transformed my D’s college search - she applied to six of these schools (out of nine total), got acceptances with merit aid at all, and is currently a freshman at one.</p>

<p>The schools are mostly all LAC’s, not the best fit for all, but definitely worth a look…</p>

<p>BEST OF LUCK to you all, from one who has been there (and will be again in a few years)…</p>

<p>entomom, your D getting to the TASP interview stage is really impressive. </p>

<p>Yay for all the PSAT results!</p>

<p>nynyparent, if you are considering touring some schools and you want to see them while they’re in session, you may want your S to do a little thinking now. People report that things can get very busy at the start of senior year, when there may not be much time to do any college visits prior to applying. If nothing else, you can tour local schools so he can get a feel for if he likes big or small, public or private.</p>

<p>nynyparent, Hardly any of my son’s friends are looking at colleges now but I know from personal experience how summer tours on empty campuses turn out and how rushed the senior year can be if you are just starting to look at colleges then. It’s actually a much less stressful process if you can look at a college here and there during Junior year and just visit a couple in the fall of senior year. I didn’t ask my son what he wanted to do, I just said that we were going to start looking at colleges at the end of last summer and asked if he had some preferences. He is very much on board now and we’re looking forward to looking at 2 or 3 during his very short Spring break. We’ve visited three colleges with friends and their Mom’s which makes it more enjoyable.</p>

<p>NYNY parent and others: It also is a good idea for your juniors to retain paper copies of graded essays this year. Our current college fresh did not, and was anxiously waiting for his senior lit. teacher to grade papers so he would have a graded writing sample to submit as part of his application package. Only one college required this luckily.</p>

<p>Our hs jr D is still waiting for her PSAT scores. Hopefully, she’ll get them this week and can review the score report over break to prep. for the March SAT.</p>

<p>I was just telling my son this morning that he should be sure to save the English essay he is working on. </p>

<p>nynyparent, if you have some idea as to what your son in interested in studying or what size school he might be interested in, etc., your being here on CC can be a great resource. We learned about schools we would never have otherwise heard of.</p>

<p>Rachacha, thanks for sharing the link! That was really nice of you.</p>

<p>UPDATE, D just called from school near tears over her PSAT scores. HUGE drop from last year! Too bad. :(</p>

<p>Thank you for all the thoughtful responses. In terms of testing schedule, S has EC commitments that will preclude the May testing, so I think we’re stuck with March for SAT and June for subject tests and then retake next fall if necessary. I suggested the possibility of January, but he wants more prep time and I’m reluctant to rush him on that. In terms of college visits, I may try to suggest a few for spring break, but will probably wait until closer to spring to raise it with him. My guess is that he’s going to want a city school, as he’s commented on occasion that he can’t imagine living outside a city. In terms of his interests, he loves physics and math, but also writing and music, so I’m not sure what direction he’ll end up going. That’s why I’m anxious about getting him to think about what he wants. I agree that cc is a great resource, as well as a good place to vent anxiety so that, hopefully, I don’t convey it to S.</p>

<p>Husky, good suggestion on keeping copies of graded essays. I’m sorry your D was disappointed with her PSAT scores. The good news, I guess, is that colleges will never see them, so they’re really just a practice run that may provide some guidance as to areas she should focus on for the SAT.</p>

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<p>I strongly suggest he take the Jan SAT as a practice test if he hasn’t taken the SAT yet. There will be nothing better to give him an idea of where he needs work than an actual test. Once he gets the results he can then start to concentrate on those areas he needs help rather than work everything.</p>

<p>Husky82, sorry to read about D’s lousy psat results. Hopefully she is able to cull some meaningful info from it. Did she fair poorly all around or in just one area?</p>

<p>I am still waiting for S’s school to release the results.</p>

<p>Thanks folks for kind words about D’s PSAT scores. She was especially disappointed because her soph yr scores were above the commended level cutoff, and figured with luck she might have a decent shot at NMSF. Her score dropped below 200, so no NM commended certificate. The critical reading took the biggest hit, so it might be advisable for her to also take the ACT if she is not happy with the SAT outcome.</p>