<p>We’ve just returned from yet another dinner at the Olive Garden since D16 is taking her finale (hopefully) SAT on Saturday. I had forgotten how much I disliked this restaurant until we had to eat there twice in less than a month. Lazy waiter didn’t even bother to unscrew the cap and I had to pour myself a glass of wine from the bottle. Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m a foodie and I’d rather cook myself than eat over salted food at chain restaurants. The things we do for our kids!</p>
<p>We should have the SAT scores on 11/26, the PSAT scores on 12/12 and have planed to make our first official college visit on 2/14-15. Has anyone heard any different dates for PSAT scores from their GC’s?</p>
<p>A side note, d was invited to a concert and pizza party at UT-Austin specifically for high school students on her instrument last week, although the director was disappointed to hear that UT-Austin was not on D’s list, D was thrilled to learn her playing was on par with UT’s majors for her insturment. Since D only wants to minor in her instrument in college, this was a huge boost to her ego </p>
<p>Another SAT taker here. This is our first SAT so we will see. Next week D will have to miss 4 days of school to attend a conference. I am so glad it is next week and not this week before the SAT. No SAT prep today. </p>
<p>No SAT for us but SAT prep with tutor tomorrow. S is already at mid-term for 2nd quarter; " I have a lot of test next week,". Then the push for semester finals.
Plan: SAT in January ; ACT in Feb-March which ever month then repeat in June if needed. </p>
<p>Our GCs only say we wil have PSAT scores in “mid-Dec to mid-Jan”. I would LOVE to have them before Christmas for planning purposes. ACT/SAT free practice day is coming up before Thanksgiving. DS will miss 2 days of school this week for a leadership summit. Prep time for the 12/13 ACT is disappearing quick. The red book did move from bookshelf to desk but I cannot tell how much use it is really getting. DS raised this week that a senior friend is encouraging him to look at UMich. That friend is a NMSF. Given the COA for OOS my DS will need a decent scholarship to even consider attending. I am going to tell him we will only visit if/when he gets the stats to make that a possibility. Maybe that will get the book some use?!? [-O< </p>
<p>Hi! I have a quick question. What type of system are your kids using to prep for the SAT? I noticed a Kaplan one for $299. Then my husband’s employer offers a discount on a eknowledge SAT prep. Then I was reading something abotu SAT BOOTCAMP. What is the best online system? I would like my son to take the SAT in January. Thanks.</p>
<p>Hi all…well, no SAT scores for d16 yet. Still under investigation. Yesterday she mentioned that “Oh, I was doodling on the question book in Chinese when I would finish early.” Um, WHAT? Good grief, talk about frying pan into fire (in case you have not followed current SAT drama, the scores of everyone from China and Korea were held because of tests being leaked in advance in those nations, no matter what country they took the test in.) We will be e</p>
<p>Oh no! Well at least it’s early enough that if she has to retake there’s time but I don’t think it will come to that. I hope you get your scores soon. I will add no doodling in Chinese to the list of SAT advise I’m starting for S18!</p>
<p>@allboys I think all the prep programs have their pros and cons. Do any of those have free trial periods that you son can try for a day or two? You also need to look at how much time each program requires and how much time your son is actually willing to put into test prep. We went with PrepScholar.com, I felt it gave the best prep for the amount of time invested and the format worked for my daughter. I like that it was tailored to my D’s needs and that the essays where graded by real humans not a computer. I can’t tell you if PrepScholar paid off until we get her scores at the end of the month but over all I was happy with the program. You might involve you son in picking which program to use, no program will be worthwhile unless he is willing to use it.</p>
<p>@AKFirefly: S says a friend got his AP test taken away last year for doodling on his test booklet. No word on what the doodles were, or in which language, though I’m pretty sure the friend doesn’t write or speak Chinese.</p>
<p>Hello all I’m in the Mid-West and new to this site. I have a son who is a Junior this yr we had a major picked (anesthesiologist) we had the pleasure to sit with a Dr and it has now crushed my sons dreams. As he plays sports and now he isn’t sure that he can do both. So now our dilemma is finding him something else to purse. I’ve suggested Business (since I’m an accountant), Science major, Occupational Therapist. I need help navigating this website and scholarship items…EVERYTHING!!! My kid is pretty smart 3.8 GPA at the moment while playing sports. Any help I can get is greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>As for navigating this site, make sure to bookmark interesting threads when you find them! I like to scan the recent posts and a few specific sections like scholarships and financial aid, national merit sub group and the SAT prep section. I have learned so much about the college process from this site and people here are very helpful and friendly.</p>
<p>@chansfan Hello. I would like to say good luck in your search. Please be aware there is NO pre med Degree and Med School admittance is based on science requirements and a high MCAT. </p>
<p>My best friend was a social work major then med school. So let him know that it’s okay not to like ALL science or math classes. Health careers are good but they involved working with the public so people skills are a huge component.</p>
<p>If sports are in the cards he might want to look at Div 3 or 2 LAC. Unless he is already a recruit. The lower division gives him the best of both worlds…education and a chance to continue to compete.</p>
<p>ACT practice test scoring question: Is it possible for a student to get a very high reading score on the ACT practice test and it to be a “false positive,” so to speak? My child just did a practice test under real “testing conditions” and the score is shockingly high, given what I expected and what she got for the Math ACT score. Should I be trusting this result? Should I be licking a salt block? </p>
<p>ACT practice test can vary so if she consistently continue to score in same a 1-2 point range then yes they are pretty accurate. Just getting use to the timing of the test is a major hurdle for many.</p>
<p>@chansfan: Welcome! There are a lot of kids who don’t have a detailed ten-year-plan at the age of sixteen. If he’s a gifted athlete, sports physiology might be something to think about, or nursing (male nurses are still a hot commodity, especially in fields like orthopedics-- and there’s still nurse-anaesthetist as an option if he cares to o on with his education). And really, med school isn’t entirely off the table either. I’m pretty sure Jordan Italiano at Kent State is pre-med. (Okay, it’s Kent State, not Ohio State…but it’s still a Div I team.)</p>
<p>We have twins graduating from HS in 2016. I had checked this board before, several times actually, and now finally decided to sign up and make an account. </p>
<p>Welcome @BayAreaFRP! There are many folks here willing to share what they know. I hope it is helpful to you. I cannot imagine doing this with 2 at once. Are their interests similar or very different? </p>
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