My son is a junior and interested in going to a competitive school (Chicago, Northwestern, Hopkins, etc.) like his sister who is a freshman in college. He wants to major in biochemistry, but not pre-med. Feeling a little better about the process having gone through it last year.
My daughter is a junior and is interested in a good college for premed where she can get a scholarship. Nice to see fellow parents here. She has taken SAT but no subject tests yet. Planning to go to UPenn and Drexel this month for a campus visit (our first ones). Hoping she can make it to the NMF
@delilahxc My junior finds Biology as dull as dirt tooâŠ
LOL @SammieB⊠I found biology as dull as dirt too in college 25 years ago! My daughter has already decided her favorite class is drama⊠disheartening for my wife and I who are both chemical engineers.
LOL @jerzmaster that apple rolled down the hill didnât it? 
I loved Biology but S17 thinks it shouldnât even be considered a real science. Jokes on him though, heâs taking AP Bio next year because he is out of other science classes to take
Hi All, I saw the invite on the PSAT Discussion thread after I received score and was trying to make sense of it. DD17 started at a new high school this year and has no idea yet what college or major she wants. Iâm fine with that since our family is still recovering from last yearâs college admissions cycle with her older brother! He is our first child so the learning curve was steep for all this craziness 
Her PSAT score should be above the NMSF cutoff for CA which is great news. She took the ACT in December and will take the âoldâ SAT this month. She was not planning to take the new SAT at all, but with such a good score on PSAT she is reconsidering since she prefers the ACT format and the new test will be similar
Good luck to every parent and kid on this journeyâŠ
Hello, Iâm from the northeast with a DD '15 and a DS '17. MyS hopes to major in aeronautical engineering. I found CC really helpful during my daughterâs application process, but also a little anxiety-provoking as everyone seems to be such high achievers and so ahead of the game! I try to sweep that aside and focus on helping my child along their own journey by being as informed as possible. DD is at University of Southern CA for Chemical Engineering with a minor in dance and we must have done something right because she still feels like itâs the perfect fit. Hoping my DS ends up just as happy - but maybe a little closer to home.
Hi @jmek15⊠my daughter (or maybe more me) is interested in majoring in chemical engineering. What do you think of the USC program? Why did you choose USC? We live in TX, so USC is a long ways away, but not nearly as far as your D is travelling.
Hi Class of 2017 Parents - I canât really believe I am signing on again after a four year hiatus. I put it off as long as possible, but now that PSAT scores are in and the testing season has begun, I realize I need to ramp back up. Starting to make spread sheets, even. DSâ12 is a senior at UMiami this year, DDâ13 is a junior at URochester and now we have DSâ17. This board helped immensely with DS12 and DD13 finding the right fit academically and financially. Both my older kids received very nice merit aid packages because of the advice from CC parents. Now we are moving on to DSâ17. Good luck everyone and nice to meet you!
First of all, welcome to the new folks. I hope this forum remains a positive, nurturing environment( some other forums/threads have become snarky, and unfortunate). We too got PSAT results for S17. He got a 1390. Very comparable to his multiple SAT tests he has taken thus far(2130 high to date). My S is determined to attend what he calls a highly ranked school that has big time sports. Unfortunately, he is probably 100 -150 SAT points below where he needs to be. After reading about all the smart kids on this and other forums, I realize that my smart son is not quite high achieving enough. Son announced he wants to start ACT prep now, with a goal for a 33-34. Not sure he can pull that off, or if it is worth the time. But we donât want to deny him the chance to give this thing his all with no regrets.
Bottom line, his dreams of Duke, Vandy, Georgetown are long shots. We need to find some more schools that fit his desires. He wants Business or Econ. He researches what companies recruit at each school. He thinks there is big recruiting fall off at many schools he can get into. I like Wake Forest , tho it might be a little too small. UVA is stretch for him as OOS. UNC was ok in his mind. He did not like Emory, only because of lack of big time sports and Rah Rah. Hard to find all that he wants in his range. He will reluctantly, look at Tulane(they give good merit). He likes Michigan, tho I am concerned with lack of financial aid for OOS students. He is borderline for instate at UCB and UCLA. No other UC or Cal st. interests him. While USC is perfect for him, he wants to go away to school.
I know that there are many schools for all our kids. I know that he can be happy at many. My son cares about the prestige way more than his parents. I think we are in for an interesting year.
I hope this forum keeps a conversation for all types of students. I sometimes think type A parents who come here, and the phenomenal quality of their students, can be intimidating for some who . I have had my share of sobering moments reading here. Anyway, letâs all enjoy the camaraderie, and I look forward to following all the new postersâŠ
Have a nice weekendâŠ
Hi @BigPapiofthree, Our GC told us that at least at our HS, she has seen kids get higher ACT scores than the SAT scores they were getting. So, that approach may work for your son. DS17 is planning to take the February ACT.
If USC is too close, is UCLA not also in the same category? I donât know much about most division 1 sports, but we have a lot of CA kids from our HS who go to public universities in Oregon or Colorado. Do any of those have good football/basketball/baseball teams? I know Oregon is a powerhouse in track and field.
@BigPapiofthree â I know almost nothing about college sports, so canât really help, but will comment with the little I know on the schools you mentioned. (And you probably know all of this already!)
Commerce at UVA, the McIntire school, is not a direct admit like Ross at Michigan. (Not that many are directly admitted to Ross, but not an option at Virginia.) From Virginiaâs website:
"The School requires that students complete a minimum of 54 credits (60-63 recommended) before enrollment and strongly recommends students be enrolled full-time for a minimum of two academic years before enrollment. The Admissions Committee strongly believes that a minimum of two academic years of full-time enrollment is critical for studentâs academic and emotional maturity.
Thus, UVA students are eligible to apply during their second year for enrollment in the following fall semester. First-year students may apply if they have completed all requirements before enrollment; however, it is strongly discouraged and extremely rare that a student be admitted after only one year of full-time college-level coursework. Also, third-year students may apply but should realize they must complete a five-year baccalaureate program."
To possibly consider: Villanova and U of Maryland, College Park. MD is approx $20K less than privates for OOS, or at least it was a couple of years ago. I realize that these schools are not at the same level as the schools you mentioned.
ACT may be worth a shot. Has he taken a full-length practice test, timed with breaks, simulating testing conditions? The advantage of the ACT at this point is that it does not conflict with SAT dates, in case he still have to take subject tests. (Three for Georgetown, if he decides to apply.)
The schools you mentioned, Vandy, Duke & G-town, accept REALLY high stats applicants from our HS, or recruited athletes (Duke & G-town).
Cornell historically offered Business in their Ag school in the AEM/Dyson program, but have just announced the formation of a Business College pulling the Dyson program, the Hotel School and the MBA program under one umbrella. Trustees still have to approve at late Jan meeting and petitions are circulating among alums in protest of the new college, afraid it will dilute the brands of Dyson and the Hotel School. But sports are not a draw at Cornell.
Welcome everyone who has migrated over from the PSAT thread or is reconnecting after a hiatus. My S is funny when it comes to standardized tests. He did OK on the PSAT as a 10th grader, but was decently short of the commended score. This new PSAT however seems to be more along his style and he scored much better than expected. I went from the maybe he can get commended line to I think he can be NMSF line. His old SAT score from last June is nowhere near his PSAT, although itâs high enough to validate the PSAT score (barely). He will take the ACT in March. No one in out family has taken the ACT, but I think it is more to his style. I am also thinking, based on his PSAT score this year, that he should take the new format SAT too. Surprisingly, he agrees with me! Anyone else looking at the new SAT, and if so, which date?
@mtrosemom There is no national ACT in March, Feb 6 or April 9th.
I am also thinking about new SAT but not sure if I can deal with aggrevation after new PSAT.
@BigPapiofthree , during last summer vacation, we visited UVA on the way. So @CT1417 is correct. The chance of being admitted to businessâs school is like 25% and getting more and more competitive. It is due to the fact that they are required to have around 2/3 students from VA. Therefore, I believe their in state is not as competitive as Out of state. DD didnât like the lack of diversity. We actually left during the tour!
How about NYU and ND? If your son is a little more technical, CMU has great program with more math focus, I believe.
@payn4ward, our school district is requiring 11th graders to take the ACT and I think they test in March. Maybe April. I am really not sure.
ACT Is not offered in the entire state of NY in Feb. This drives all the NY test-takers to NJ or CT, much to the surprise of residents of those states who find themselves unable to register at all in CT. ACT will also be offered in June, and the Sept test always used to provide scores in plenty of time for ED apps, if we ignore this yearâs score reporting debacle.
@mtrosemom â when my son saw his PSAT score, his only comment was that perhaps he should not have wasted time taking the old SAT. He would agree that this new format is more to his liking, but I do not recall why. He has no interest in taking the ACT and unless someone can point out a good reason to take it, I wasnât going to ask him to. He should safely be NMSF. For those of you familiar with ACT, is there some similar designation one would want to achieve for the ACT?
If he decides to pursue the new SAT, keep in mind that CB has already announced that March SAT scores may not be released until after May SAT. I canât see a student willingly sitting through the May SAT w/o knowing his scores, so then testing is pushed to June and the middle of final exams. If you are looking for a strategy schedule for your son, I would suggest March SAT and then plan on retake in June. Good luck!
I am new to the forum and was drawn when trying to find anything on the scores that just came out for PSAT. My DSâ17 is in a very competitive (5000+) high school in the midwest but does well on standardized testing. His grades are good but not phenomenal (approaching 3.9). I think he will make the cutoff easily for NMSFâŠwho knows with the new testsâŠbut my question is: where do we begin with schools? We have started to narrow it down. He wants to do something in law, but who knowsâŠit was medicine until he got into AP Chem. ! Oh wellâŠtrying not to push him, but I know we need to get on the ball. We are looking for a school that is more on the conservative side and christian. Any thoughts?
@mtrosemom Will the state ACT include essay writing component? Most state ACTs donât, so students end up retaking another national ACT.
Chiming in to agree with @payn4ward about the essay section.
CT decided to replace state-developed standardized testing with the new SAT!!! Will be administered during the school day and is mandatory. I cannot recall if the essay will be included. Very little info released by the state, and as of now, no one knows if the scores will be reported on the studentâs own CB account. This matters to students who are applying to âsubmit all testing historyâ colleges. Some of these students had not planned to take the new SAT and would not bother to prep for an in-school standardized test. Frustrating to say the least.