<p>Welcome lovingbird! It is a fine line to walk, I was always one of the parents that would rather have my kids learn to swim, ski, etc. in a class rather than teach them myself, so I understand where you’re coming from. </p>
<p>D2 will be taking the SAT II in USH since she’ll be taking the AP test and her teacher is excellent in preparing the kids. She took Bio-M last year, so this will be her second and last SAT II. I tried to get her to take the Math 2 last year, but she would have needed to give it some solid prep and that wasn’t in the cards, so two will have to do.</p>
<p>Other than Georgetown, are there any schools which still require (or recommend, as the case may be) three SAT IIs? I know some students do like to have more, but can’t think of anywhere other than Gtown that still has a three-test requirement.</p>
<p>How does one choose writers for letters of recommendation? I’ve looked in the college counseling handbook we were given last month and there are no guidelines, except that the writers need to be chosen during May!</p>
<p>Is it best to have a teacher from junior year? Or can one choose a teacher from a previous year with whom the student still has an active relationship?</p>
<p>Klucky: my kids were instructed to choose two teachers: </p>
<p>one humanities (english/history) and one math/science…</p>
<p>usually junior year is best, but if one/two cannot be found from junior year, we have been told that sophomore year is better than senior because the teacher has a full year of experience with the student when they are writing (and may know that student from other school activities as well…)</p>
<p>If you have a list of colleges going, check their websites to see if they require anything in particular. Quite a few schools want recs only from the teachers of core classes (so the choir teacher who knows him best doesn’t work.) One school said only core classes, and only from Junior or Senior years…well the senior year teachers don’t know you at the first of the year, so that really limits it to core classes from junior year.</p>
<p>Of the choices available, it’s also important to choose a teacher who’s a decent writer. </p>
<p>I know when we had out sit-down with my D’s GC, she asked her which teachers she was considering, and tried to steer her gently (when it was a choice between two humanities teacher) to the one who had a reputation for putting more thought into the letter and imbuing it with considerable personal anecdotes about individual students. </p>
<p>I also know from experience with my S (now a college junior) that it’s important to make your requests early so that your offspring is in the first batch of letters that the teacher is asked to write…and not get lost in the pile later in the fall when he/she has to pen 10 letters in a weekend. I suspect that as more and more information is submitted online, it’s made recommendation writing easier, but it can’t hurt to be ahead of the game as you most certainly are at this juncture!</p>
<p>This is asking for a LOT of advance planning, but if your student is going to apply for any private scholarhips - e.g. DAR, credit union, etc. - try to find out if they require recomendation letters. We had to go back to Son’s teacher in April for another letter for a scholarship for which he applied at the last minute. (Fortuntately, he had written a terrific thank you note after the first round of letters.)</p>
<p>Thanks for link, SlitheyTove. There are a few schools on her list that “consider” SATII’s, and there’s a possibility, although not probability, that she may apply to two that require two. So I’ll have to check into signing up for the May date. I am having some trouble signing up on the website for the June SAT date -they are not accepting the code I used from the PSAT and I can’t figure out what they’re looking for. A phone call is in order later today.</p>
<p>Since our student could take the SAT2s in either May or June, and retake the SAT1 at either date
our student chose to dot he subject tests in May since it will be AP season and finals and helpful studying for the same things…in this case Math 2, Physics Honors and AP Chemistry…so those are the three SAT2s… skipped the plan to take the Latin one–though “medalled” in the National exam and will still take the AP for that…so plenty of balance (also AP Eng)</p>
<p>So if your student missed the May registration deadline–check the June registration.</p>
<p>My gut says better to take the test wheil the material is fresh rather than decide to take it in Oct/Nov when its been a few months out…</p>
<p>Does anyone know if there is a rule that prevents a student from taking the tests close together? Meaning if the ACT in April is so-so…can they retake in June instead of Sept. ?</p>
<p>Did I read somewhere that Harvard and others like NYU may go to SAT2 subject tests in lieu of the SAT1 ? </p>
<p>I shoudl think with the ACT and the SAT2 tests being more of “what you know” as opposed to the “logic” of the SAT1, that the SAT2 scores are straightforward. Anyone know more?</p>
<p>Princeton is another place that requires 3 SATIIs.</p>
<p>As far as the teacher recommendations go, we were told to ask a teacher that likes the student, vs. the one that teaches the students strongest subject.</p>
<p>SAT2s - 2 will cover nearly everywhere. I think Princeton is now alone in asking for three. It’s good to have one ‘hard’ (math/science) and one ‘soft’ (everything else). Math 1/2 are both straightforward, and physics is generally not too hard as well. Mine found the English lit very straightforward, but I think it would depend a great deal on what your child’s English classes were like. We were told to take them as soon as your child has covered the material.</p>
<p>I think the LOR should be a teacher that teaches in a subject area that will reflect the students college major. For my son, his math teacher is also his AP comp sci teacher so an obvious choice for his intended majors of CS or IST or something in those fields. I think it’s likely that the teacher that likes the student is the same one whose class that the student is doing well in anyway.</p>
<p>fogfog, I don’t think there is any rule spacing out the timing between taking of tests - or if there is one, I have never heard it! I suppose the spacing we all seem to experience comes from waiting to find the results of one before signing up for another - but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t do them in quick succession, and just not wait for results before signing up.</p>
<p>In our house, ACT was just taken, then May SAT, and June SAT subject tests - 3 of those will be taken, but not sure which. Yes, I did read Harvard had dropped down to two, but I thought that Princeton only needed 2, not 3? Easy to find out…</p>
<p>Cooker, for what it is worth, I really would recommend trying to get a couple of SAT II tests in, just in case…just to have them in case your child suddenly falls in love with a place that is not on the radar right now, and that requires them…It would just take a couple of hours out of your child’s life, and could really open up some options - just playing safe here!</p>
<p>So far as rec letters go, I think a great letter writer can make a big difference. It was obvious with my oldest which two teachers he should ask. My youngest only has one of those two, and she already has written a rec letter for him for an app he did this spring. When he hears of seniors who have gotten into schools in which he’s interested, I’ve had him ask who wrote their letters. With the classes he is taking I think he will end up with one fantastic rec from the woman who has written one already, and one “just okay” one. His math/science teachers just aren’t as good rec writers.</p>
<p>D1’s school has two teachers in particular who are known as the great letter writers. Just about everyone uses them. Sounds great, except that D1 just isn’t getting along with one of those teachers. There’s yet another teacher who does good letters, and seems to like D1, but that teacher won’t do more than 6 letters. D1 might manage to squeak by with Other Great Letter-Writing teacher, who will do whatever is asked for, and No More Than Six Letters teacher, depending on how many schools she applies to, and how many LORs are needed for each school. Some schools don’t ask for LORs, but they help for merit aid and/or honors placement. </p>
<p>OGL-W teacher did a rec for D1 for a summer program (D1 was accepted, hurrah!), and NMT6L teacher did a rec for another summer program (haven’t heard from that one yet, but D1 won’t be able to accept it), so those teachers have already done much of the work needed for the LORs.</p>
:</p>
There’s yet another teacher who does good letters, and seems to like D1, but that teacher won’t do more than 6 letters. D1 might manage to squeak by with Other Great Letter-Writing teacher, who will do whatever is asked for, and No More Than Six Letters teacher, depending on how many schools she applies to, and how many LORs are needed for each school. Some schools don’t ask for LORs, but they help for merit aid and/or honors placement. </p>