<p>momof10, ds’s school now has them take the PSAT every year so ds2 took it this year. Ds1 only took it 10th and 11th. </p>
<p>We did nothing before the 10th-grade PSAT because we wanted to get an honest baseline. Based on those scores, we figured it unlikely that he’d get NMSF, but we wanted to ensure that he’d be commended and knew he’d likely be NatlHispScholar. The summer before junior year, I had ds1 do the Xiggi method with the SAT Blue Book, figuring that SAT prep and PSAT prep were similar enough. What I did was have ds1 do a full test in June, July and August just to get used to the length, and then from there he did sections – all three maths, for instance – as time allowed on the weekends once school started. His PSAT did put him in the commended range but wasn’t what we had hoped for, so he studied more before the January SAT. That score was just 10 points shy of the psychological threshold we wanted. He didn’t do any more prepping for the June test and did MUCH better. We were very happy with his score, breaking that psychogical barrier by more than 100 points, and never looked back.</p>
<p>Ds2 is a great test-taker. We’ll probably do something similar with him. He’s also very motivated to do well on tests, so he’ll be up for studying, etc.</p>
<p>MidwestMom: We started using the tutor in 8th grade, after we got test results and the poop really hit the fan There is a private school for kids with LD’s about 10 miles away and I got the name of one of their teachers for tutoring. We ended up switching to a different tutor in 9th grade because the 1st one had a baby & she has met with D about 1x/week during the school year since then. At first, it was about organization & study skills. It’s never been really subject specific, although there are certain classes that she has trouble in (ones that require lots of memorization for example) and others where the NVLD & ADHD have seemingly no impact (humanities type classes.) We could probably have discontinued with that this year, but it’s D1s senior year, they have a great relationship & I thought it was helpful for her to have someone to just check in with since she has a fairly tough schedule. </p>
<p>Wow! Finally hit me that I should be tracking this thread. D2 is HS Class of '13 and we’re just starting to focus on college planning and prep for her. D1 was accepted ED at her first choice college, a highly selective LAC, this year, and will enroll in the fall. Until recently all our college energy had been focused on that process. But D1’s acceptance tripped some kind of switch in D2; inspired by her sister’s success and no doubt her own competitive instincts telling her she can meet or exceed D1’s achievement, D2 is suddenly interested in thinking about college and what she needs to do to get there. She asked us to take her on a tour of some colleges in the Northeast in August after we drop off D1 for the start of her freshman year, and she just took the March SAT, mainly as initial practice run to familiarize her with the format and diagnose where she needs additional prep. (Yes, I know a small handful of colleges now require applicants to report all SAT scores, but most of the places D2 is currently interested in don’t, and we figure even colleges that do see all the scores aren’t going to be too ruthless in holding a freshman-year SAT score against the applicant. Besides, we think she’ll probably get a decent score, though not as high as later as she didn’t quite finish the Math section which she otherwise thought was fairly easy).</p>
<p>In response to some previous posts about SAT IIs: first, conventional wisdom is that it’s best to take them immediately after taking that class in HS. That certainly was our experience. D2 will be taking the World History SAT II in June. As for whether you can pick & choose which SAT II scores to send: absolutely. Even if you take 2 or 3 SAT IIs on a single date, you can elect which (if any) of those scores to send; or you can send different combinations of scores to different colleges if you like. The only exception is the half-dozen or so schools that now ask to see all your scores. Even there, it’s on the honor system, though personally I wouldn’t advise being dishonest because if they find out, it’s grounds for denial of admission, rescission of an admission already granted, or possibly even expulsion once you’ve matriculated, on grounds the seat was fraudulently obtained. Of course, that all could change by the time the HS Class of '13 applies; more schools could demand to see all scores. Or not; a countervailing trend is that more schools are going test-optional or test-flexible. I guess the prudent thing if you’re aiming for HYPS-level schools is to assume that some of your schools will want to see all SAT I and SAT II scores. If you’re aiming a notch below that, I wouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>I am impressed that your D2 is engaged already. The only think we know for our D2 is that UT-Knoxville & UGA are off the table, and she really liked the floors in the science building at Birmingham Southern </p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback on the SATIIs. D1 ended up not taking any, but I’m thinking D2 will take her first one at the end of sophomore year.</p>
<p>All my D1 has learned from her '11 brother’s (lack of) college search is that she’d like to apply to Swarthmore and Dartmouth (because she likes the names LOL) and that she doesn’t want a physical education requirement. Hey, it’s a start!</p>
<p>Actually we’re going to have to take into account the board requirements/food service/dining halls etc. LuckyGirl has multiple food allergies and some food sensitivities (MSG etc). Each year more places are aware of food allergies such as peanut and gluten. Her main soy allergy is not as commonly known yet soy products are in almost every processed food, including sauces and seasoning bases and coatings.</p>
<p>We are getting close to the end of 3rd quarter here
DS has been running lots of laps today to make up for the PE classes that he has missed due to Debate and Math tournaments Makes sense, right? Well, a little running will not kill you!
I am planning our Easter trip right now. With AP books as companions ;)</p>
<p>Just checking in after a long hiatus and reading up on you all - what great kids you all have!!!</p>
<p>D’13 has the LAST hockey tournament of the year this weekend - then a “long” (being sarcastic) two week break until tryouts for next season’s teams. It will be a challenge balancing a higher-level team next year (with TONS more tournaments) with the more rigorous courseload she is signed up for next year. EEK!</p>
<p>She is going back and forth as to whether to continue her travel soccer - she is the only one on the team who is not on the HS varsity team so she is afraid she will be riding the pine most of the time. I am sure the coach will pressure her to stay though since she is one of the strongest players physically (not necessarily the most skilled player but she has got that Abby Wambach build!)</p>
<p>Anyone else considering sending their D or S to an athletic camp this summer for exposure?? D wants to go to the hockey camp at Cornell - closeby but that will take a ton of babysitting jobs lol…</p>
<p>Hi Rachacha, sounds like your d is very involved in athletics. You mentioned she plays hockey. Is that ice or field hockey? My d plays field hockey and would love to go to our state u’s camp this summer but she has to take PE in summer schoool to accommodate the required classes in her music magnet program. She also had to do this last summer, but this summer will be the final time she has to do this. She is looking forward to freeing up her summers for other activities in her remaining high school years.</p>
<p>It’s ice hockey blueshoe…funny you mention your D having to take PE in summer school, my D has to do her health requirement during the summer as well, what a nuisance…hard to schedule anything else if you have to do that, let alone camps.</p>
<p>Any other NY parents here??? I was hearing rumors about the state reducing or eliminating the Regents exams, which would actually be great for this D since she is definitely challenged by standardized tests, I dread SATs and ACTs with her…</p>
<p>I haven’t read all of this thread yet but I will go back and start at the beginning. So glad to have found a spot that fits where we are right now.</p>
<p>S is in a magnet IB program - MYP until 11th grade- and students are already planning college visits. S has made a list of schools that he is interested in and would like to visit a couple this summer. One of the positives about visiting a few schools this early is that he can get a feel for the different types and sizes of schools. </p>
<p>S took the PSAT this year and scored in the 70’s in each section. We have considered allowing him to take the SAT next year to get a base score. I worried that for schools that require all scores this may be a bad idea.</p>
<p>Anyway, is it to early for him to be doing all of this stuff? I will say he is the driving force behind all of this but I think much of it may come from peers who have siblings that have been through this process.</p>
<p>Rachacha, my '13 D will be playing on a club team this summer, but not going to camp. I think the college coaches will be looking more at the '11 and '12 girls in the club though. She’s not really interested in playing in college, just plays the travel team because she loves the sport and wants to improve. (The coaching is MUCH better than our high school team)</p>
<p>Our school offers health online to those who can’t fit it into their schedules.</p>
<p>DogsandBirds, from this thread it looks like many kids have started standardized testing already. For our family, it is too early. A PSAT for practice sophomore year is fine in my opinion, and SAT/ACT won’t start until junior year.</p>
<p>DandB, my '13er has a senior brother this year and so has seen up close and personal all the stress related to the college app process. Because my freshman already is a good tester (and yours sounds TERRIFIC!) and hyper-competitive, I absolutely would not encourage my kid to take the SAT before junior year. You already have a baseline from the PSAT. A 210+ as a freshman is no fluke. If you sense that your child already is a little overwound about it all, I wouldn’t encourage him to keep measuring himself.</p>
<p>D&B: Welcome to the thread My freshman D also has a senior D (waving to YDS from the Class of 2010 thread so she’s seen the process, although we’ve done our best to keep things as separate as possible a) to make sure that D1s experience is all about her and b) so that D2 doesn’t make decisions based on a freshman’s experience. D2 has gone on 2 college visits so she’s already expressed some preferences, but I don’t feel like we need to do more with that until next summer. I’m hoping for a mellow sophomore year (D1 will be at college, and junior year will be crazy especially since D2 is planning on continuing with IB.)</p>
<p>Having said that both my Ds participated in talent searches in middle school so they both took the ACT & SAT as 7th & 8th graders. My older D didn’t test again until 10th grade (PSAT) and then in 11th grade she took the PLAN as required by the school, the PSAT (which I knew was an avenue to NMF, but that the school didn’t require) the ACT without writing (which all juniors have to take in TN to graduate) and then the SAT in April. That’s it. She was one and done for both major tests. Never took an SAT II (considered it, but then didn’t take any after making her final college app list.) The HS has upped their emphasis on national standardized testing so my freshman D2 took the PSAT and an “official” ACT that will get graded by an independent service so it won’t “count.” Not my idea. </p>
<p>Both my Ds are/were naturally good test takers, as your son certainly is too and I never felt the need to push the testing earlier. I second guessed myself a while after spending too much time here on CC but it worked out well for D1. I will make D2 take SATIIs as appropriate when she finishes certain classes just so she won’t have to scramble.</p>
<p>Thanks Mamabear, YouDon’tSay and RobD. I am going to encourage son to wait until junior year for the SAT and ACT. He and a friend signed up for a practice test at school this year but it was cancelled because of snow. S is one of those few kids that really enjoys testing.</p>
<p>^ We’re starting testing early because D2 may not be able to test in her junior year. She’s got her heart set on doing a year-long junior-year foreign exchange program. We’re non-committal so far, but it’s a definite possibility, so we need to prepare for that possibility. There are a few foreign cities where you can take SATs or ACTs, but not many, so if she does the year-long exchange testing may be impractical. We don’t want to put it all off until her senior year; too much pressure, and possibly a problem if she wants to apply ED someplace. That means the bulk of testing needs to be done in her sophomore year, which means it’s not too early to get started now on a couple of practice runs. IMO, even at the small handful of colleges that want to see all scores, it’s not going to be a disadvantage to show an upward trajectory from freshman to later years; that’s just normal. They’ll still need to evaluate your sophomore/junior/senior scores against others in your age cohort. Adcoms are not stupid.</p>
<p>In our school system, kids take the PSAT in 9th and 10th grade (free) and if they want to take it in 11th grade, you have to pay for it. My DS did Duke TIP and so took the SAT in 7th grade. He did pretty well (1050 - not including the writing section). He’s so NOT motivated, though, and while 9th grade doesn’t seem that hard, he has some zero’s for not doing some assignments or not having them typed, etc. Very frustrating because it really affects his grade.</p>
<p>The dreaded week of math competitions is OVER !!! So happy I don’t have to think about it any more. Now just keeping fingers crossed for end of quarter this week ;).</p>
<p>Cocoa’smom - I so get what you are saying. I also have a very good test taker but a HUGE procrastinator. I am after him re: grades, which are SO important!</p>
<p>cocoa & Kelowna – Just sign me up for the club of procras. son who tests well but forgets/neglects homework. Hoping he’ll mature out of it before college :)</p>
<p>I had posted earlier that Son would take SAT II this year, but after all is said & done he has a great EC that has an activity the same weekend the SAT II (World History only given Dec & June) is given so he will not be taking the SAT II.</p>
<p>I’ve gone back and read from post one. Now I have a question.</p>
<p>I know this is the time for students to start getting really involved with ECs. I’m curious how much time your student allows for these.</p>
<p>Here is our situation:
S is a high A student (overall average 98-99) with all MYP (honors) classes except PE. Grades are important to him so he knows he will have to find a balance. Also, sleep is very important. He likes to have homework done by 8 and in bed by 10:30. He is VERY organized and takes Saturdays off from school work but does everything on Sunday that he can do early for the following week.</p>
<p>He has about 120 volunteer hours - mostly animal shelter but also a few others</p>
<p>FIRST Robotics - this takes up a lot of time during build season (about 25 hours a week for about 6 weeks)</p>
<p>Model Airplane Club - not school related spends about 5 hours per week</p>
<p>Rocket Club - about 10 hours a week - but not during Robotics</p>
<p>Local Bike club - time depends but usually a Saturday a month</p>
<p>A few school clubs that meet a couple times a month about 10 hours a month.</p>
<p>Now he has been asked to join the swim team. The coach is demanding but S doesn’t mind. My problem is the time commitment 20+ hours a week.</p>
<p>I know lots of kids get by on little sleep and very busy but S is just not able to do that. He needs his sleep and downtime. </p>
<p>DogsandBirds, my D is also a high A student with an all honors schedule. She is very involved with her music. She plays violin in the local youth orchestra program and performs with a trio that is preparing for their first gig, along with the many responsibilities of her school chamber orchestra. She played jv field hockey in the fall and is playing club hockey now. She is also currently playing for her high school tennis team. She belongs to a couple clubs at school of which only one (Key Club-20 volunteer hrs.) requires much time. She also volunteers with the youth orchestra program and our church where she altar serves, knits baby hats, and plays the violin for some special occasions. Right now, I feel she is a little too busy, but her grades have not suffered at all. She actually says she likes it better when there is a lot to do. She missed the sports a bunch this winter and was glad when spring sports began. Like your S, she is in bed most nights by 10:30 and does a lot of homework and studying on the weekends for the week ahead when her evening time is limited. It is a balancing act much of the time, but she is happy:) We will probably reevaluate activities next year, but for right now, all is well. I think your S sounds very interesting and like my D knows what he likes. I am learning to follow my D’s lead. I am more cautious than her and tend to want to hold back, but she knows what she can handle. She is learning to go after what she wants, and I will support her as long as her academics don’t suffer:)</p>
There is a private school for kids with LD’s about 10 miles away and I got the name of one of their teachers for tutoring. We ended up switching to a different tutor in 9th grade because the 1st one had a baby & she has met with D about 1x/week during the school year since then. At first, it was about organization & study skills. It’s never been really subject specific, although there are certain classes that she has trouble in (ones that require lots of memorization for example) and others where the NVLD & ADHD have seemingly no impact (humanities type classes.) We could probably have discontinued with that this year, but it’s D1s senior year, they have a great relationship & I thought it was helpful for her to have someone to just check in with since she has a fairly tough schedule. </p>
</p>