<p>Csihsis: the recommendation I heard was to take both, see which one you do best on and then focus on that one.</p>
<p>My PSAT scores for Fresh and Soph were 180 and 182. I havenât gotten my score for this year yet but I think I did worse than previous years.</p>
<p>Then one night while watching Pirates of the Caribbean I decided to take an ACT (counselor had a full test book) and I got a 31 which translates to like 2040.</p>
<p>Csihsis â The ACT has February test date that may work for you. My kid is doing the Feb date since he wants to do SAT II at same time as AP Tests if he needs the SAT II. I know a few Jersey/PA kids who did both SAT/ACT but only sent ACT scores when applying to colleges. It is not the norm in our region to not take SAT, but the colleges accept either, so I say go with your strength.</p>
<p>I thought of the February date but it says itâs not being offered in NY on that date -_-</p>
<p>Hello,
I have a daughter who graduates in '13. She has a list of colleges to look at:
Arizona State
University of Arizona
University of Washington
Washington State
University of South Carolina
University of Georgia
University of Kentucky
University of Tennessee
Clemson
Purdue
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill</p>
<p>Secondary Choices
Marshall University
University of Dayton
Fresno State</p>
<p>We will be touring the southern schools next summer.</p>
<p>We havenât gotten ddâs PSAT scores yet. Her scores as a sophomore were something like high 600âs for reading and writing and mid 500âs formath (ouch). I think her math can be betterâŠnot sure why it was so low.</p>
<p>Her school does not weight GPAâs. Hers is only a 3.6. Including this year, she has taken 7 honors or AP classes. Her HS is quite competitive (doesnât everyone say that??) but I do think itâs true. The 2010 graduating class had 14 National Merit Finalists and 34 commended students. The average SAT score was 1825 for the college prep students and 2118 for honor students. Her school does not give class rankings either. She takes 7 classes a year (the max at our school). Her schedule this year is Spanish Honors 3, Brit Lit, Irish Lit (one semester), creative writing (one semester), physics, pre-calc, religion and APUSH.</p>
<p>DDâs academic interest currently is psychology, early childhood education, speech therapy. Last year it was pre-med. So, since she isnât really definite, a big school seems good. </p>
<p>She really, really, really wants to be a baton twirler with a major college marching band, for a school that has bowl game potential. Thus, he list of schools. Sheâs pretty good. </p>
<p>Her extra curriculars are probably weakâŠIâm not sure. Her baton is 11 months a year, probably 10-15 hours per week. Within that she has team practice, individual practice, private lessons, tumbling class, dance class and she coaches a beginning team. She competes in 7 of 9 events. She was the overall champion at the NCABT High School and College Championships, and medaled at the International Cup competition in August. Her other extra curricular activity is with our churchâŠyouth group, Eucharistic Minister, and youth representative on the parish council. She also has alot of volunteer hours, with with kids with special needs. </p>
<p>Iâd appreciate any advice on these schools,or the college process in general. We are in CA, so all of these schools are far away. Is she even in the ballpark to be accepted by these schools? Is there any chance she could get some waiver (or partial waiver) of the out of state tuition? Will colleges change her GPA to reflect the honors or AP classes?</p>
<p>Any insight would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Regards,
Julia</p>
<p>Hi Julia,</p>
<p>I just wanted to throw out a quick welcome and Happy Thanksgiving! </p>
<p>Your Dâs PSAT scores sound similar to my daughterâs. I wish I could see her Jr Yr PSAT scores before she takes the SAT on Dec 3, just so I would know more of what to expect. I am hoping for a nice increase in math. </p>
<p>Her course load sounds challenging and I think most schools recalculate GPAs to their own scale, which makes it more fair, due to various grading and weighting schemes in schools across the nation. I also think her ECs sound good, because she is working hard and doing well in a few areas vs not much to show for many.</p>
<p>I would think she would have a good shot at a good many schools on the list. Iâm not sure about merit money though- youâd have to check each school individually.</p>
<p>CSIHSIS: I think you should take both, see which you are stronger ional n and then focus on that one. I would not eliminate the SAT from the get-go. JMO.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input of SAT classes. Weâll see how the scores go for D for the December test but I think she would benefit enough from a class to make it worth the investment.</p>
<p>RobD- Donât you go making us all emotional quite yet! I canât even think about it. Iâm already having insomnia from all the pressure! ;-)</p>
<p>Julia:</p>
<p>A couple of schools offer their lead twirler a full scholarshipâŠthe UIowa is one.</p>
<p>[University</a> of Iowa Bands](<a href=âhttp://www.uiowa.edu/~bands/HMB/Golden_Girl.html]Universityâ>http://www.uiowa.edu/~bands/HMB/Golden_Girl.html)</p>
<p>All of the schools on the list are great choicesâŠalthough some are currently terrible in football. It really comes down to what you can afford. Some of those schools give merit money to OOS students, others not so much. We can also suggest others. How much per year are you able to pay?</p>
<p>Vnadygrad</p>
<p>Thank you for your comments. Dd isnât taking the SAT until May. Iâd like her to actually study and take some practice tests!</p>
<p>Julia</p>
<p>Haystack,
She wonât be eligible for the Iowa twirler position. They have just one feature twirler and I believe she graduates this year. So, it will likely be filled next fall, and dd doesnât graduate for another year.</p>
<p>Moneywise, weâd like to stay between 25-30 K (tuition and room/board). We already have one son in college (sophomore), and a son who is currently a freshman in HS. Our HS tuition runs about 15K per year as well.</p>
<p>We arenât considering schools in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, although some of them have twirlersâŠdd is afraid it would just be too cold!!</p>
<p>Weâd love any other suggestions.</p>
<p>Julia</p>
<p>Hi VBC mom! A twirler? Wow! That is very exciting! I would imagine that would definitely help with admissions. I know for the âUCâ schools, for OOS they only give âfree moneyâ up to the cost of âin stateâ tuition and it is mostly need-based. A friend of S2 is at Fresno State and is having a great time! My D1 is at San Diego State and really enjoys it. I am not sure if they have twirlers, but they are going to a bowl game this year. But, to be honest, I donât think the student body is as supportive of the football team as the schoolâs on your list.</p>
<p>Hi tx5athome,
One of my daughters former teammates is a twirler at Fresno State. But dd really wants to go out of state. UCLA has a twirler as well, but I donât think dd could get into UCLA.</p>
<p>Weâve thought about San Diego State, but the impression you have is what we think. DD really wants to go a big time football school and those are out of state.</p>
<p>Julia</p>
<p>VBC Mom - Purdue has been very generous towards female applicants in the last couple years. She would apply by October 15 of her senior year for merit scholarships that would be based on her grades through junior year plus scores etc. She should shoot fora 3.8 but since they now evaluate kids âholisticallyâ, a little lower may not hurt her. I expect sheâll get in and she might get some nice merit, especially if she opts to apply to a school that has fewer female applicants (anything other than the school of education or college of health and human services. Even undecided (exploratory) is a better bet for $ than the above for a female student) She should definitely try the ACT to see if she can score higher. Purdue is looking for female students. It is a little chilly in Indiana but she might just like it.</p>
<p>Another very generous school with a big football scene is Ole Miss (University of Mississippi). We visited during Junior visit day last year and were very impressed. They have a beautiful little campus, only about 16,000 students, a terrific honors college and some great programs. That might be a great place for a twirler.</p>
<p>Hi Apollo6,</p>
<p>Thanks for the info on Purdue. We are definitely interested in looking there, but the OOS tuition is more expensive than other schools. Thatâs a good hint about entering as undecidedâŠsince in alot of ways, she really is. Sheâs considered early childhood ed, communication disorders, pre-medâŠthe list changes. Basically, she wants to work with young children.</p>
<p>Ole Miss is now on our radar!! We didnât even consider it because I thought it would be âtooâ southern for my California girl (sheâs conservative for CA, but Iâm sure liberal for the south) But, their OOS tuition is quite low. So, we are thinking of knocking out North Carolina on our trip (itâs out of the way AND more of a basketball school than football) and adding Mississippi.</p>
<p>Iâm confident she would be accepted, but not sure if she could be in the honors college. But, you never know. Even if her GPA maybe isnât as high, she will have strong coursework. Can the strength of the coursework taken help conpensate for a lower GPA?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Julia</p>
<p>Hi All! Happy post-Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>Welcome VBC Mom! With the list of schools you have, Iâm surprised University of Alabama isnât on the list. There is a growing number of students from California, and a number of the momâs post on the CC UA Board. The Million Dollar Band is pretty well known and people have heard of the football team 
I <em>believe</em> that the twirlers are all part of the Crimsonettes, but I could be wrong; Iâd suggest asking on the CC UA board as there are a few people involved with the band who post there. Crimsonettes: [Crimsonettes</a> | University of Alabama Bands](<a href=âhttp://bands.ua.edu/ensembles/million-dollar-band/million-dollar-band-divisions/crimsonettes/]Crimsonettesâ>http://bands.ua.edu/ensembles/million-dollar-band/million-dollar-band-divisions/crimsonettes/) My older D is a sophomore at UA. They are fairly generous with OOS merit aid. Their OOS merit aid page is: [Out-of-State</a> Scholarships - Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama](<a href=âhttp://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html]Out-of-Stateâ>http://scholarships.ua.edu/types/out_of_state.html) It would be really easy to take on a visit to Tuscaloosa if youâre already planning on visiting Ole Miss. </p>
<p>Best of luck on your search!</p>
<p>Hi Rob, you are correct, University of Alabama isnât currently on our radar. The reason is this: the Crimsonettes are more like a dance line, and dd is not tall and blond! We just didnât think she would even have a chance there. But I will post and get more info. Thatâs why I came hereâŠto help me plan our summer trip! And to learn more about these schools.</p>
<p>Dh is really struggling with this. He DOES NOT want her to go to the South (or East Coast, for that matter). So, we are looking at schools, but will have to see what happens with merit aid (or if she gets any at all!!!)</p>
<p>I appreciate all of the help!</p>
<p>Julia</p>
<p>Woohoo! I just got excited about my sonâs safety and in turn, got him excited about it. itâs one of our state schools, Kutztown, but has the perfect major for him and even if nothing changed stat wise from today, he would be admitted. Itâs a professional writing major that allows him to take a ton of creative writing classes and also minor in film. An internship is a requirement for graduation. Itâs bigger than Iâd like, about 10000 students, but only 90 minutes from home. I like this school better than the branch campu sof Penn State I was eyeing. Iâm feeling good right now. Report card conferences are Wednesday so this good feeling wonât be lasting long ;)</p>
<p>The big day is coming. D is taking the SAT for the first time on Saturday. She has done some prep work- not as much as Iâd like but nonetheless- and did okay on the two practice tests Iâve had her do. I didnât have her do the essay part but I have had her read the thread on CC about writing the essay. On the practice tests her scores have gone up about 150 points from her sophomore PSAT, which is the only thing we have to compare to at this point. Hoping for at least the same on the SAT!</p>
<p>So over T-giving break, I was fielding a few college questions from the extended family. D is the first grandchild on both sides so this is all new to everyone. My BIL was shocked when I told him she was taking the SAT and that we would use it to see what she needed to really hone in on. He felt like taking the SAT multiple times (2-3) was a mistake. Itâs my understanding that that is pretty common to do. I know <em>I</em> took it at least twice and that was back in the dark ages. When kids apply to schools, do schools ask for ALL scores? And then some superscore and some donât? How does this work?</p>
<p>My D has the Monday AFTER the Martin Luther King Jr Day off, so I think we will try to knock out a college or two on Monday or Monday-Tuesday. Not sure if weâll head to Western PA, or central PA or what. I just know that I need to take advantage of whatever free days she has! </p>
<p>I hope this thread picks up a little as time goes on!</p>
<p>As far as multiple SATs go, I have a hard time believing that colleges really care that much. I think they downplay numerous testing just to discourage kids/parents from killing themselves trying to max out on scores. If a kid takes 4 tries to get from the 1600s to over 2000, how can anyone look down on that? But I see no logical reason for a school to reject a kid because they had a âlowâ score on one of their SATs or because they took it âtoo manyâ times. </p>
<p>I had my son take the SAT last May. He will take it again in May and maybe once again fall of senior year depending on his May score and how he feels about it. I had originally wanted him to take the Oct SAT but since he did no prep for the PSAT, I saw no point. So he wouldâve been looking at 3-4 tests rather than 2-3. We are not looking at tippy top schools or even top schools but he is one of those kids who makes large gains from one sitting to the next. Whether itâs from familiarity with the test or more knowledge from schooling, I donât know. Itâs surely not due to prep. But if he had received scores on par for the schools we already had in mind on that first test, heâd be a one and done kid.</p>