<p>DD just walked out the door with dad to pick up her friends as they head to today’s SAT. I packed her a nice snack bowl–nuts and fruit and chocolate sot keep her going. No maple syrup though. BTW, I am a HUGE fan of maple syrup–it’s not just for pancakes any more! Since it’s crock pot season, here’s my favorite recipe using maple syrup…[Saucy</a> Maple Country-Style Ribs - Crockpot Pork Recipes](<a href=“http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotporkribs/r/bl109c10.htm]Saucy”>Slow Cooker Country-Style Pork Ribs Recipe) - you can also substitute boneless pork chops! </p>
<p>DD feels good about heading into the test today. She had the day off yesterday and was able to spend a few hours relaxing and then went through old CC threads on how to approach the test. She’s got a matrix of possible essay examples ready to go. A friend suggested that to “get your brain going,” do 20 minutes of a sample test on the way over. Yesterday we talked about how this is a “universal” experience–even though she finds it hard to believe that her parents could have possibly taken the SAT!</p>
<p>I’m going to feel so much better moving forward once we have test scores in hand. Like many of you, we’re going to be looking primarily at schools that offer merit money. Our EFC is too high. Funny how you can feel comfortable one but poor at the same time when it comes to $55,000-$60,000 annual tuition tabs. We’re planning on visiting the NE over spring break and I struggle as to whether or not it makes sense to even look at any of the Ivy’s – unless we can all wrap our heads around a “it’s just for fun” mentality. Knowing that she could possibly possess the scores to be considered for merit money (I think grades/EC’s/essays/teacher recs will be strong) will be the catalyst in what schools we choose to visit. </p>
<p>In the end, I know she will make the most of college. She’s just that type of kid. </p>
<p>happyORmom, if you’re in the Portland area, message me and I can share with you some thoughts on some good test prep options. DD did a combination of self-study this summer and prep classes. Once the SAT is done today, it’s on to self-study for the ACT. Unfortunately time is harder to come by now that school is in full swing.</p>
<p>newhavenCT mom–how fortunate that she can immerse herself in the Yale environment. That’s a huge motivator. You are doing all the right things.</p>
<p>mathmomVT-so glad you got the accommodations for the tests. I’m sure it will bring a lot less anxiety to everyone’s test day.</p>
<p>ecouter11–As i told my DD this am regarding the test…“Kill the #@%!!!++!” </p>
<p>BI - don’t forget that we had the help of Peppers big frying pan over on the Class of 2011 thread! In times of need and/or frustration, a few well placed whacks seemd to do the job for many of us. :D</p>
<p>Three years ago that was my thinking and situation as well. The part time outside scholarship counselor at S’s HS urged us to complete the forms (FAFSA and CSS) and submit them whether or not we thought it would have any positive results. They also had us check out the net cost calculators on some of the pricier school’s web sites that he was considering (including a couple of ivys). I also thought we fell into that gap between high EFC and not being able to simply write a $60K check each year. We were mildy and pleasantly surprised at the grant offers we received from his top admitted schools. For his freshman year it amounted to approximately 35 - 40% of his tuition and fees. Sophomore year it actually increased due to higher personal medical expenses that we incurred. I should also state for the record and full disclosure that the schools he applied to had very limited to vitrually no merit programs. This made the gap between the state schools and the private schools that admitted him just a few thousand dollars per year and greatly helped with the decision.</p>
<p>The bottom line? Take the time to apply for financial aid review (merit and grant aid - usually one application covers it all other than some special merit programs at some colleges) at any school you apply to. You might be pleasantly surprised at the outcome - particularly if the school is one of the “full need” schools. :)</p>
<p>Now the original post that I planned on sending.
Here’s wishing everyone that was affected by Sandy a quick return to normalcy with power, gas supplies, shelter, groceries and all of the other comforts we take for granted in our daily lives. It was a bad storm and some of our east coast friends in the line of fire need all of the support thay can get - both physically and online.</p>
<p>Suzanne, we found that the Ivies may come through with more aid than you’d expect based on your FAFSA EFC – that worked out in our case as well. We did have several schools where my DS had the scores for big merit, and the Ivy school he ended up at did not end up being the cheapest overall, but it was in the ballpark. Try the Net Price Calculators at some of the schools of interest before deciding to cross them off the list. (That said, we do have some schools that we had to cross of the list due to no merit aid being offered, and us not qualifying for enough need-based aid – Olin at the top of that list so I’m not saying don’t cross anything off, just that you may be surprised…)</p>
<p>There seems to be a way to check the PSAT score online. My child could see her 2011 score this way and I am hoping we can see the 2012 score when it becomes available. </p>
<p>You need the college board login information (you will have this if your child has registered for SAT or SAT 2 online) .</p>
<p>Login. This will take you to your child’s “My college QuickStart” page. One of the boxes in this page is “My Online Score Report:2011”. Clicking on it gives details of the 2011 PSAT scores for each of the sections. It has the list with Question numbers, your child’s answer, the correct answers, the difficulty level and the skill.</p>
<p>In general you can’t see your PSAT score through “My College QuickStart” with the code number that is printed on the paper score report you get from your guidance counselor. It’s possible that kids who already have QuickStart accounts they have access to from last year will be able to find their 2012 scores there, but I don’t think it usually works that way.</p>
<p>Ds felt ok about the sat today, particularly the math and essay sections…now the wait…thankfully will be able to put standardized testing on backburner and focus on school, ecs, and enjoying life otherwise</p>
<p>Congrats to vandyeyes’ son and all other testers. I felt great on every section except for one and that’s the section with the worst curve -_- (SAT math, how I hate you!). I ended up omitting two questions, solely because I didn’t remember rotational geometry and then wasted my time working on it while I could’ve been solving the question that’s usually easier for me.</p>
<p>I’m upset because it’s not like I can’t do math; I can! It’s just been 3 years since I took geometry -_- and I have a more algebraic mind (math is just another language for me) but visualizing is not my strong point. 2 questions missing on the SAT can even mean a 710 or 720 which would be significantly less than my score May with less studying. </p>
<p>I know you’re not supposed to fret about standardized tests, but I come from a relatively unknown high school internationally so a good score is important. Other schools in my city do send people to Ivies as do other places in the country especially (I’m looking at you, Toronto ). </p>
<p>I think I’ll retake it in December and cancel today’s scores. I don’t work particularly hard on standardized tests until ~2 weeks before they happen so this might actually be better for me since I felt good on the other sections. Ah, I’m such an idiot…</p>
<p>ecouter - I wouldn’t cancel any scores based upon 2 omitted math questions. Feel free to retake. I’ve heard adcons tell me they liked to see kids retake and do better as it shows them they have a work ethic to do so. Work ethic means a lot to success in college.</p>
<p>Wow! Thank you for such kind words. I am very touched(and very verklempt right now :)). Your words have reminded me of why I do what I do. I felt so guilty about my outburst to her the other night and thought I was such a terrible parent! It’s nice to know that I am not the only one who has felt this way…I guess my inability to cancel my membership was God’s way of saying that this is where I belong. I swear I don’t know where she would be if I hadn’t found you guys! Many heartfelt thanks to you all!</p>
<p>New Haven had its first Parent University yesterday and I decided to attend. It was a great event. Its so funny how I now feel like an expert on so many topics(b/c of CC) they covered yesterday. I kind of felt a little out of place, but glad that I went nonetheless. PU stresses the importance of parental involvement and offered 40+ workshops ranging from reading effectively to your young children, college planning, encouraging good study habits, how best to deal with issues that urban males face, why STEM careers are important, effective communication with your childs teachers, science fun @ home, why math matters… the list goes on and on… I know the organizers and wanted to attend to show my support, didn’t plan on staying the whole day but I did. </p>
<p>@Ecouter–Kudos to you! I am sure you did very well on the test and should you receive scores that don’t meet your expectations, you are lucky enough to be able to retake. You have planned out your testing schedule nicely. My gut says you won’t have to do it again. So no worries. Put that test out of your head for now and have a little fun. You deserve it.</p>
<p>@mathmomvt-- I think you are right… you just jogged my memory and I think you have to do something special to get your new scores each consecutive year. Which is so silly. Why do they make you jump through hoops to see your scores?</p>
<p>@pdx–thanks for the link. That recipe sounds delicious! I bet it would be great on chicken too. I still wouldn’t mind a pumpkin/mapletini… I bet its great with a few tapas on the side :)</p>
<p>@egelloc80 --Your username doesn’t look familiar, if you are new to our little corner of CC, then welcome! If not, hello and great first semester of grades! DD’s grades close this coming Friday I believe and I am sort of on pins & needles… this is such an important year for our kids. One marking period down, three to go.</p>
<p>NHCtMom- I’ve had parents lift me up here more times then I can count. As AvonDad points out, in the 2011/2015 thread we had a cast-iron frying pan we passed around to knock various and sundry teachers, students, college board, etc., on the head that needed a dose of reality! Cathartic and useful. Sometimes we had to remember who had it last, but it was very useful. FWIW, my S2, now a second year college student has many times very sincerely thanked me for my help during the admissions season, admitting that he would never be where he is without my help. I never touched an application, essay (even to edit), etc., but I was one heck of an administrative assistant and fact finder.</p>
<p>ecouter - Sorry you are frustrated about yesterday’s test. I have to agree with Creekland in that canceling the scores really isn’t necessary. You may score exceptionally well in one section and you don’t want to nullify that (score choice). I have found it to be VERY common with advanced math students, including my older son, to score lower then expected on the SAT1 Math section. It only goes through Alg2. For students who are on to Calc AB/BC or beyond they are rusty on basic algebra and geometry skills and need to brush up. If you haven’t heard of khanacademy dot com it’s an excellent resource for math and science tutorials. My kids use it to reinforce concepts not covered well in class, review for SAT, etc. My second year college student (mech engineering) even uses it as a resource for studying when a professor isn’t clear on a subject and he wants something more then the textbook explanation. Take a breath and know this is something you are very capable of doing some basic review. Take it seriously, but don’t overreact. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>In the old days, taking a SAT to see ‘get motivated’ or waiting for PSAT were reasonable approaches, but with the availability of online SAT, I think taking a free online SAT with instant scoring (KEY for motivation) the way to go. I’d offer a choice like this:
I’m concerned because I have gotten the message from you that you feel you need to put time into SAT study, and yet watching your behavior I don’t see it happeningn and this is a very important decision that you are making - so I’m offering you a choice you may -
a) take this 3 hour online version of the SAT in the comfort of your own home or
b) Keep a time journal for the next 2 weeks to see how you are currently spending your time and then meet with me to review how your priorities and your actual time alottments align.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reminder that financial aid can still surprise you…in a good way! Spent some time with DD and three of her friends last night. All had taken the SAT. DD felt really good about the math (“I wish there had been more!” Seriously?) but hated the essay prompt and still finds CR difficult. She said she answered every question and still had time to go over her answers. I think she wanted a stroke of brilliance with the essay and it threw her starting of the test with a topic she really couldn’t dig her teeth into. She’s a strong writer and I’m sure she will do fine but it’s hard to watch her beat herself up over it. Her friends also disliked the essay topic immensely. They were pretty exhausted last night and slap-happy. So glad to have one test under her belt. Ecouter–my guess is that you are like my daughter–you have high expectations and standards for yourself. Don’t let the small stuff get to you…of course, this is a reminder for us parents as well!</p>
<p>Sorry for those who took the SAT – sounds rough.</p>
<p>We had a hard enough time getting S’14 to his SAT tutor Thursday because of aftermath from Sandy. The gas line wound for a mile through the streets. No other cars could get through, and his tutor’s office is right near the gas station. We told S he had to walk (it’s only 2 miles from our house). He was shocked. I was going to launch into “when I was a kid I walked 5 miles to my SAT tutor!” but when I was a kid, we didn’t have SAT tutors…</p>
<p>Same here, but my kids also don’t have tutors. They do have prep books. My middle son ('12) was a tutor though. He made a decent amount of $$ his senior year tutoring for subjects, ACT/SAT, and, occasionally, chess. ;)</p>
<p>It’s my personal belief that youngest ('14) doesn’t care to study (for tests) because he wants to be different than middle son. He needs his own niche. Too bad there aren’t scholarships for that…</p>
<p>On a lighter note, I had pancakes with maple syrup today </p>
<p>Thank you for all of your suggestions. DD is signing up for Dec SAT. A question though, is it necessary to fill in all the information about classes she took so far? The section “build college profile”?</p>
<p>HappyORmom: when ds signed up for recent sat we definitely did not spend much time on this section and frankly found it somewhat nonsensical and irritating…i wouldn’t sweat it</p>
<p>Well, S3 took his first practice SAT out of the big blue book today. Not great, not bad, definitely scores he can build on. It’s important to get the timing down, the strategies, but he needs to try to identify any patterns to what he missed so he can effectively study. No sense going over alg2 when you got all those right but were rusty on geometry or basic algebra. </p>
<p>Tomorrow we head to the school…THE one he likes, which I’ve avoided doing a tour there and have been focusing attention elsewhere because this will be a reach more then likely. They are having a program I hadn’t seen offered before so I thought it was worth taking him. It’s a STEM open house, tour, etc, that addresses the students in science and math who are in the college of arts and sciences, not just the engineering kids. So often they get forgotten and STEM focused events really mean the e’school only. There’s an entire group of math and science kids who don’t identify with humanities but are in the same school as the philosophy and classics majors. Anyway, this seemed a good attempt to reach these kids so off we go. It will be a beautiful day, 52 and sunny. He’ll get to see his older brother’s apartment for the first time since he’s been too busy to go down when we’ve made the trip, and we’ll grab a meal with his brother at their favorite gourmet burger place. I feel like a heel, but I did suggest if he didn’t have hw that he bring the SAT study book in the car…less then a month and time is a commodity he can’t waste often.</p>
BTW, I am a HUGE fan of maple syrup–it’s not just for pancakes any more! Since it’s crock pot season, here’s my favorite recipe using maple syrup…[Saucy</a> Maple Country-Style Ribs - Crockpot Pork Recipes](<a href=“http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotporkribs/r/bl109c10.htm]Saucy”>Slow Cooker Country-Style Pork Ribs Recipe) - you can also substitute boneless pork chops! </p>
so I’m not saying don’t cross anything off, just that you may be surprised…)</p>
). </p>