I know we discussed this weeks ago but I can’t find it!
I’m trying to download practice tests on the crack ACT site but you can’t do it directly? It requires you to download what looks to be a sketchy app. Help??!
http://bestactprep.org/printable-act-practice-test-pdf/
http://thecriticalreader.com/college-resources/
ACT tests
http://www.answerexplanations.com/act/
Some explanations here
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-official-act-prep-guide-2016-2017-act/1122727661?ean=9781119225416&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP313&k_clickid=3x313
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1119225418.html
New Official ACT book is coming out 5/31 but may be too late for June testers.
I printed some tests from the Crack site, but D never used them. You’re right, @carachel2, very sketchy. Don’t download any app/reader from that site. There is always a direct link, from what I remember. It’s just not always obvious. But it’s there amongst the confusing garbage. (Me being skeptical again). We used the Bestact tests @payn4ward linked above.
@payn4ward Thanks for the ACT prep help DS 18 will be studying this summer!! DS 17 got through it in October & it was very nice not to have to study for this throughout the school year. Appreciate the info re new ACT book and other suggestions above.
Thanks @payn4ward !
I am so ready for D to be done! She wants ONE more point on the math section.
@carachel2 My dd has been using problems from this link for a student she is tutoring. This is a weaker math student, so I don’t know it will be helpful for your dd, but the person who I got the link from said their math student pulled up their math score significantly. (They also said a few of the answers are incorrect.) https://www.math.lsu.edu/nsfgk-12/prACTice%204%20success%20student%20workbook.pdf
Well, My DS never touched any of those including numerous prep books I bought.
Glad to be helpful to OTHER children! :))
@payn4ward …if she is one of those kids who sits down for one ACT with no prep and makes a 34-36 then I’m envious and in awe!
I have a kid who is crazy motivated for some merit aid at a school she would otherwise not be able to attend. She is a smart kid with great stats but is having to work quite hard to get those scores she needs. Proud of her hard work!
I have posted some of this elsewhere, one in a bit windier version but thought I’d add our spring break tour recap here as well! We hit 3 schools over spring break. University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University and University of Wyoming. All 3 had some things in common. Gorgeous settings, very very strong outdoor activity programs (low cost ski bus/pass, week long outdoor programs for incoming freshmen, all kinds of scheduled hikes, full gear rental centers etc), larger OOS state research universities. All three require living on campus the 1st year, for most, after that kids move off campus. Beyond that, 3 very different schools and 3 very different tours.
CU Boulder. General info session and tour.
CSU. Engineering program tour.
U of Wyoming. Admissions/financial aid meeting with a rep, general tour, lunch with a student, academic interest meetings.
CU we visited as it was easy to make it on the way to CSU, our prime target of the trip. Gorgeous campus. Very packaged and slick info session with a slight tone of elitism but not enough to be a real turn off. Well presented and a lot of general info that resonated well. S fell in love with the campus. Amazing rec center. Boulder is a wonderful town with lots going on. S visited this to humor us, it actually came “on” the list after the visit. Would have to go back for a program visit. It does have several options that would work but given the OOS cost it is unlikely it will even stay on. However, it did open up S to the fact that maybe a big school isn’t so awful and he shouldn’t throw out considering them. As a result of the visit, 2 schools made it “on” the list for consideration later.
CSU. We had confusion at check in (and as such a delay) as to who was actually touring S. Very general program tour, visited both engineering buildings, saw labs in process, etc. Surface discussion of the program, tour guide didn’t know much about S’s area of interest. Both the guide and the students hanging in the engineering office reiterated how hard it was, to apply ED, and that if you don’t, forget about Mechanical. S was there to tour Environmental but does have an interest in Mechanical as well. Tour then included some general parts of campus and dorms but zero history or overview. As a result, starting in the Engineering building and then to dorms, etc and back it was a ton of walking. Sprawling flat campus with tons of open space. Apparently S is pretty hung up on the building aesthetics (shouldn’t be surprising, Environmental Design is of interest as well) and he didn’t care for the campus at all. In retrospect I think his ADHD was also a factor, he fed off of the energy at CU and with all that space at CSU, it just wasn’t there. We wanted to love it. However, it really doesn’t have the variety of programs available that makes it strong for S to have some flexibility while he figures out what he wants so it is just as well. Fort Collins itself is absolutely wonderful and we all fell in love with the town as we spent the night there, wandered around, had dinner, etc.
U of Wyoming. This seemed so off the grid and radar it still feels odd that we visited but we did so, specifically based on programs it offers that we are not finding elsewhere, Energy Systems Engineering and Energy Resource Management. We joked that it was like driving through Radiator Springs to get there from Fort Collins. Just stunning. We also got incredibly lucky on the weather, it had been snowed in with a blizzard the weekend before. U of Wyo also calls itself UDub and as a Husky, this threw us all off! The admissions meeting was wonderful, rep spending a lot of time to get to know S, figure out what might transfer or not, discuss scholarships etc. General group tour was also good. Gorgeous campus with a traditional college set in a national park vibe that S loved. Nice use of green space and a good buzz from the students. Not as busy/intense as CU, not as spread out/laid back as CSU. Nice and in the middle for S. I thought the dorms were the worst of the 3 we toured but in reality they were all practically identical in layout and function. There are some underground tunnels for bad weather which definitely happens. S had thought “cool dorms” were a factor for him but honestly didn’t seem to care at all at any of the schools given that it would only be for one year. We saw all the academic buildings on this tour and loved how non segregated the departments felt compared to CSU. After the tour we headed to lunch (provided for S, discount for 2 out of 3 of us). We did eat on campus at the other two. On our dime. Wyoming fed S and in the actual dining hall (Both CU and CSU main dining halls are meal plan only so we “couldn’t” pay to try) where a new assigned student actually hunted us down to hang out with us during lunch. This was a great touch. Food was fine, not earth shattering but certainly plenty of options. Our assigned student was kind of a classic Wyoming kid…a bit of what S feared would be an issue for him. Hipster Seattle kid concerned about the Cowboy vibe shall we say and whether he would fit in. Big belt buckle Ag major and all, our lunch hang out dude smoothed out some of those concerns in a big way. We then met with an assistant professor in the ME department, really wonderful interactive overview of the program, ME in general, and what role energy plays at the university. S is interested in renewables and well, Wyoming is built on coal. Great interaction and very fun to see a professor opening up your kids mind. Undergrad and masters from Wyoming, PhD at Cornell. He plans to send his kids to Wyoming. As the professor wasn’t part of the ESE program directly, he then took S to meet (unscheduled) with the professor that oversees all of the Senior ESE projects. A student was in chatting with that professor, conveying open door and approachability in a way a presentation can’t possibly do. Another great interaction. S would have both of these guys as teachers.
As a result of the unscheduled ESE meeting we were late to our last academic appointment with the Marching Band director. Thankfully it was a non issue. Another assistant professor who heads up S’s section. S brought up Jazz right away and the guy rushed us out the door and across the building to try and catch their top Jazz band rehearsing. We didn’t make it but seeing the interaction of the professor as we ran, with students he saw, put S at ease. Classic classic band director. By far the most aggressive interaction of the day on the recruiting side, the net result is they need his instrument and will pay him to come play even if he is not a music major. Not a lot mind you but still, it felt nice to all of us and more importantly showcased that S can keep some music, if he wants to. As with the ESE professor, a student wandered in to chat with the band professor and shared some good local music scene info with S that was helpful. The performing arts building is stunning, S also does theater tech and would have that as an option.
The town itself is a concern for S, he is not sure there will be enough to do. Fort Collins is only an hour away. He is less sure about being that far away from home but really loved the school and was the only school he talked about for the remainder of the weekend. He is not at all in love with the mascot (Cowboy) but does realize that is not a reason to walk away from a school. It by far seems to have the most flexibility in options for programs that are of interest to S and that is very very attractive. The low OOS tuition + automatic merit doesn’t hurt either. It would come in less than our state flagship.
@carachel2 I wish! He did get 36 in math but in other sections did not so well :(( The real thing is the only practice he gets [-( (Well, his school gave practice tests.)
I do think that middle school competition math is all you need for SAT/ACT math.
Get the middle schoolers do that (weekly math club, monthly regional math circle, AMC, etc,) and they are prepared for SAT/ACT math.
@eandesmom wow, great reports!
@eandesmom Wyoming sounds like a great option!
My college grad son has a highschool friend who is a junior at CU Boulder. She’s on the bio side of Environmental, though not engineering. She’s been doing research with a prof and field work in Central America (how a particular species is affected by climate change). She’s very happy with the academic and social aspects of CU, though it’s definitely a change from the Mid Atlantic suburbs!
@eandesmom My nephew is also really interested in Wyoming. Probably for MechEng, but maybe with some business on the side. I heard great things about their visit from my sister.
I passed Intermediate Spanish! (falls on ground and weeps with relief).
That is all. Back to the kids.
@MotherOfDragons felicitaciones!
Congrats @motherofdragons! I lived in Brazil for over 2 yrs, had a Brazilian maid, lived in an entirely non-expat community of Brazilian speakers, and at the end of 2 yrs my Portuguese was no better than when we arrived (basically butchered high school Spanish level!) My poor ds who was 7 when we arrived and 10 when we moved back had to translate everything for me (and he hated doing it!) He was fluent within 3 months. Sigh…for me it was torture. You are amazing!! I.could.not.do.it!!
@payn4ward, My D is the total opposite!! She got 36 in Reading (or English? I forgot) but her math was 23!!! I was hoping for one and done but with 23, I’m making her take ACT for the second time. I want to nag her to practice for math but I know she won’t. Grrrr.
Congrats @MotherOfDragons!!!
@payn4ward thanks! @WhereIsMyKindle CU’s Environmental program looks very strong. They have some really nice minors and dual majors (Energy, Global Sustainability) that are quite attractive. I am just not sure that what they offer is worth the extra price tag though admittedly S’s chances are much better at CU than at our own flagship. I suspect if he goes the engineering route, a smaller school with more attention will greatly increase his chances for success versus say our own flagship where he will be lucky to get in and then if so, it would be pre-engineering at best. If he goes the policy/energy non engineering route then he may have equally as good and less expensive options. If nothing else it did get him to agree to tour our own UW lol. The kid just really wants to leave Seattle but I can see why Boulder felt so comfortable.
@Ynotgo Wyoming seems to have a great MechE program. A lot of their petroleum kids are switching over and I do wonder if at some point they will end up seeing a cap issue like we heard about at CSU. I liked the fact that there was a ton of overlap in the ESE and SER program curricula so that if S goes that route, he could easily switch if he plans courses correctly with zero penalty in year 1/2. It really was a wonderful visit and nice to have a high bar set from a very affordable match/safety.
@payn4ward and @HiToWaMom those are great scores on those sections! I am still waiting for my DD ACT April scores to come out. Hopefully not much longer. However she doesn’t think she did as well as when she took it in October. And did she take any practice tests for the April one? Ha…she told me to back off with the nagging and I did and subsequently she did nothing to prepare. It’s on her I guess.
I love reading all of these college tours and descriptions. It makes me want my D to apply there! But she’s aiming for one school ED and hopefully that’ll be that. but there will be a few backup plans I assume.