<p>Thanks sendemsoaring for the link. That is a relief for us in TX, where unlike last year, the number of juniors taking the PSAT did not go up much. Actually, the number of whites taking the test declined. So, if I had to make a guess, I would say the cut off will not rise, may come down a few points, because of the harsh curve.</p>
<p>Sendemsoaring: The national percentage for each subcategory dropped from
Critical reading 2010= 0.9
critical reading 2011= 0.7
mathematics 2010= 1.1
mathematics 2011= 1.0
Writing 2010= 1.5
Writing 2011= 0.9
Bringing the national difference for the top scoring range:
Critical reading: .2
Mathematics: .1
Writing: .6
If you are trying to estimate your state cutoff I recommend the following:
Compare the difference between the national percentage and your state percentage for the past few years(2007-2011) Once you have an idea of how the state percentage looks vs national percentage you MUST do the following. There is a link I will post containing the national 99+ , 99 , 98 percentile index scores. Identify the closest trend your state follows pertaining to the national percentile index scores. Once you have done this you can have a pretty good idea of where the cuttoffs for your state are going. If you live in a state that has a higher 99 percentile than the national percentile, you need to hope that (using the comparison I suggested earlier) the difference is less than usual for the cutoff to go down or stay the same.(you want your state percentile to be closer to the national percentile). If you live in a state with lower cutoff scores, you want the difference to be great. (meaning the nation did better than your state).</p>
<p>Thankfully clapuma took the time to find this:
<a href=âhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1257840-psat-score-199-any-chance-making-commeded-scholar-2.html[/url]â>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1257840-psat-score-199-any-chance-making-commeded-scholar-2.html</a></p>
<p>Sendem - thanks for the PSAT link. Interesting.</p>
<p>Youdonât - I appreciate the analogy between winter and dating. I think Sâ13 will not be swayed too much by cold weather if he loves the way a school feels (and my guess is he will choose a northern school if the finances are right). That said, he came in the house a few weeks ago when there was frost on the car windows not knowing what to do to make it go away. I used a credit card and warmed the car a moment - problem solved. We have visited cold a few times in his lifetime, but I just want him to have a more recent sense of what cold is about. There are plenty of posts out here saying how kids would hate being in a place that was hot (and/or humid). They would adjust, just as Sâ13 will to winter, but I figure they may want to know that you still need sunscreen for football games in October around here.</p>
<p>Mail keeps coming in and I find it so strange how much of a mix it is. Today was U. of Georgia, Williams, American and List College (a jewish theological seminary). A real mish-mash. Seems like a waste of resources, but they all do it. So the schools must be benefiting enough to make the cost worth it. Itâs keeping me entertained anyway.</p>
<p>dadotwoboysâyou more often than not need sunscreen in October here too, not so much at football games because those are at night but during the day. 80-90 in October isnât unheard of here but 70âs are more common. Evenings get chilly but daytime temps are usually pretty nice. Toward the end of October you can expect highs in the 50âs though.</p>
<p>Just chiming in on the weather issue. We live in Southern California where we complain if is is under 70 or over 80. S3 went to New England last summer for 10 days. It was very hot and humid while he was there. We asked him if he thought he would like to go to school out there, and his reply was âI donât know, it is really hotâ, DH and I were thinking âlikely that wonât be the problem during the school yearâ. D1 and S2 are at schools within 90 minutes from us, but honestly they maybe come home once a quarter/semester if at all. At Parents weekend for S2 the professor that gave the âempty nestâ lecture said that his son goes to the school he teaches at, and he still never sees him.</p>
<p>The weather as a factor is one of those very personal decisions. Some kids look at going to a completely different climate as a great adventure, while others shy away. Neither strategy is wrong. D2 lived 1/2 her life in the Northeast & 1/2 her life in the South. She is much happier weatherwise in TN. She doesnât remember the intensity of her dislike of ârealâ cold and snow but I do. I think if it was the âperfectâ school, that she could work around a real winter, but otherwise it would be a check in the negative column.</p>
<p>So in todayâs mailings was an envelope from Pace. D opened it and said âthis smells funny. I bet the campus smells funny tooâ and put it in recyclingâŠ</p>
<p>DD went through todayâs pile of letters looking for free t-shirt and lanyard offers and then shredded them. One school generously offered a 'free water bottle STICKER"âŠum, thanks. :).</p>
<p>Wow! A sticker? How generous of them 
Weâve noticed almost every mailing the past few weeks has included a postcard to return so you can receive some variation of a guide to choosing a college. </p>
<p>D2 hasnât gotten anything terribly exciting yet. D1âs most memorable mailings were the Magic 8 ball type device from U of Kentucky that played some type of song when you turned it over and had all types of UK âanswersâ on the fortune that showed through. And the paperdoll book from Ole Miss complete with student holding a âStudents for McCainâ poster.</p>
<p>Yes, every mailing has some version of âHow to Pick the Perfect Collegeâ. I accidentally clicked on one email that was offering this so one is on the way. I was really trying to get the the schools website to find out where they were because I had never heard of the school before.</p>
<p>A while back DD did get a T-shirt from Gustavus. :)</p>
<p>Ds mail is not that interesting⊠
She has responded to Uof Rochester so far. She also loved Pratt. She has been looking up the colleges as the mail is coming in, but has been recycling most of the items. It does seem like such a waste. I wish they would just leave this process as self serve to reduce the environmental impact.</p>
<p>It would be wise for the PSAT people to put an option for snail mail, email or both on the form so kids can choose which they prefer. The worst part of all this mail is that they got an email from almost every one of those schools a day or two before. Last year about this time I stacked up one weeks worth of mailings the kids got. It was 2 feet high.</p>
<p>D2 didnât check for anything and she still received a few post cards from U of Chicago, Carleton. She has received tons of stuff in her email from Duke, Penn, etc⊠I did ask her to create a separate account for the college spams but somehow the spams come from the same account that she uses to register for PSAT and SAT.</p>
<p>Rescueing from Page 3! S3 went to Winter Formal Saturday night and had a great time. THe dance was at an amusement park, so they could dance or go on the rides, so all the girls wore fancy heels for the pictures and then all changed into their Converse tennis shoes before dinner. He had finals Monday thru Thursday. We were nervous about Spanish, but he ended up with all Aâs! Yea!!</p>
<p>My son has his first meeting with his high schoolâs college counselor tomorrow. Iâve decided that I will sit this meeting out in hopes that he will then be forced to actually talk/think about this process. I sent her an email letting her know that Iâm not just blowing the meeting off. I have a reason for it. I offered to be available via phone if the wanted to do a conference call type of meeting and just beriefly stated what the plans right now are. (focusing instate to take maximum advantage of state fin aid but still casting a wide net) I asked my son whether or not he wanted me there and he said yes because otherwise he wouldnât have anything to say.</p>
<p>tx5 - The formal at an amusement park sounds awesome!</p>
<p>Weâve getting all the PSAT mail too. I go through it all. My son just wants to trash it all - if it isnât on his radar already, no sense in adding it. Iâve found some great stuff - I really liked Washington College in MD - then I looked at merit and FA - not going to be enough. I think my son has it right. Most of the mail isnât worth looking at.</p>
<p>Am I the only one that had S check the box: do not share my address or email? Thankfully, it worked as we have not received one single piece of mail.</p>
<p>I made him check the box - He rarely goes through the guide books. I thought the mail would inspire him. Since I made him check it, I now get to go thru the mail (or watch him trash it without reading it). My bad.</p>
<p>DS checked the box and put HIS email address in, DD checked the box and put my email address in because she thought I would want to see all of thisâŠbless her heart :).</p>
<p>Ds1 gave my e-mail the first year. I made sure he changed it after that!</p>
<p>Ds2 created a new account the night before the test, but nothing is in there. I think he gave them his old e-mail. DOH!</p>
<p>He went to a Super Bowl party last night and had a great time. Tonight, he plays in a makeup soccer game that got rained out Friday. So, he has three games this week. Phew.</p>