@NJWrestlingmom – Yes, we’re an NC family. My S21 is looking at computer engineering or CS so NC State is high on his list. That said, it’s pretty close to home so he’s got reservations. We’re in-state so the financial aspect is very appealing.
They do give some merit OOS but not a lot. The campus is not the most beautiful but they have some tremendous resources and nice new buildings. The current chancellor is a rock star and I think the university is doing really well. Being so tech focused and near RTP is a real plus.
Oh – and my son is quite keen on VT too! Really liked the vibe there and the mountain setting.
@evergreen5 Yep! There is it! And I’m actually pretty happy with D’s score. Makes me wonder if she should switch to SAT from ACT. I mean, it’s not great and would require studying but without ever having studied for the SAT at all, it’s higher than her composite on the ACT actual test she just took.
@homerdog my son took a practice ACT over thanksgiving and did better on it then we expected…I’m thinking the ACT is better suited for him so now we’re thinking his testing plan. He took the Nov 2 SAT and was planning on retaking it in March on our school’s testing day. Now he’s wondering if he should redirect and start concentrating on ACT prep instead
@mamaedefamilia It’s funny because we seriously were not even “waiting” like so many others. She bombed PSATs freshman year and soph year (around 1100) so she just went into this test to just finish it because it’s required in the state of Illinois. She even said she just gave up on some of the math problems without even trying to figure them out because this test meant next to nothing for her. She was really set on just continuing the ACT. I don’t have her breakdown for EW yet but I can use her score and the PSAT link above to see that she got 37/48 right on the two math sections even though she said she flat out skipped some. Seems to me she could work on that pretty easily. She also said she finished all sections early which never happens on the SAT.
So…the bummer is that the next SAT isn’t until March and she’s signed up for Dec and Feb ACT. I’m going to have her continue to do some focused study for this upcoming ACT sitting and we will go from there.
@homerdog an 1100 as a freshman/sophomore is not bombing!! Many kids start there junior year and get up into the 1400s. (And never leave anything unanswered - better to guess on the SAT!)
So speaking of Naviance and varying ACT and SAT test scores - you know how your child’s “person” populates on the scattergrams for each school?
This just popped into my head - when you apply to a school, you’ll obviously send your highest test score, right? Will the scattergram populate you as a green check only on the test that you submitted? Or will it populate you across your highest score on each test? Does it superscore if the college superscores or just use your highest test? That might be a little misleading if you have a big difference in your scores.
@3kids3dogs Right. I’ve thought of that too. So you don’t see superscores. I asked our guidance counselor that. She said they put in the highest single sitting.
Plus, it’s possible to have a student who took SAT and ACT but only sent one of the tests. You can have a student who got a high ACT score and it will show he got into a school. Then look at the SAT option and that same kid looks like he got in with a low SAT score but the truth is he never sent that score. And you can’t tell who is who of course so it just looks like someone got into that school with that SAT score.
@homerdog interesting on the Naviance!! I never thought of that - some items I see a super low acceptance and assume legacy or athlete. Never dawned on me the could have submitted a 36 ACT!!!
And a 1300 is great! My friend’s son prepped for the ACT for months…couldn’t break 27. Took the SAT cold and got a 1400, while her older son got a 36 ACT and never broke 1300 on SAT. You never know!
Our school doesn’t have Naviance either. How do you know which dot represents your child?
D21 will be taking the SAT Saturday, and she’s been pretty good about studying a little on Khan Academy almost every day in the last month. Hasn’t done any major multiple-hour prep days and she hasn’t used any of the prep books I’ve bought but she says she’s doing a little better on the ten-question mini-tests she has been doing on Khan. She’ll take the March test, so results from this (and the PSAT) will establish her study base. I so hope to be done in March! Maybe after next weekend I can get her to try a full ACT practice test just in case she likes that better.
@homerdog, my D got in the 1100s for her PSAT10…did pretty well on ER (680) but froze in Math. She said she went blank, which she had never done, even in her state’s math testing every year. Do you know if the SAT10 includes Algebra 2 material/ asssumes the student has already taken it (meaning, is PSAT10 really the same as the regular PSAT test?) Hoping that having completed Algebra 2 last year will make a difference in her score.
Like you, I’ll be happy if my D reaches 1300 on this year’s PSAT! I think if she eventually gets to mid-1300s (would be over the moon if she reaches 1400) we’ll be satisfied that she’ll likely get into at least one of the schools she likes. I really don’t want to pressure her…but so far I think every school she has liked will be reaches/high matches unless she gets the SAT up. She hasn’t found a safety/low match that she’s thrilled about. I think that’s because she’s focusing on LACs where the right fit and “feel” are so important. In a larger school there will always be a few people you can click with and probably a larger range of academic levels.