<p>Triguena- I agree with sjmonof2, have your S take the ACT. My D has always been at the top of her class academically. While her SAT scores were good (great for AA), they were not stellar like several of her classmates. She took the ACT and scored much better. She submitted only her ACT scores and was admitted to all of the colleges in which she applied. She did not apply for any scholarships but was offered substantial merit $$ at three schools. </p>
<p>You should also look at your Ss PSAT booklet. It may give a hint as to why his score is not more reflective of his academic performance. In the case of my D we discovered every question she answered was correct but she did not finish the exam. That info helped her prepare for the SAT.</p>
<p>A belated second to TriG's mother's day wishes, and a quick pop in to congratulate all on your brilliant children's final decisions. This thread DOES make me proud. </p>
<p>With one left in 9th, I'm watching the string about academic stars/SAT underperformers. I agree w/the advice re the PSAT forensics. The PSAT results really do a great job of pinpointing areas for improvement. But as I was reading the posts, a few thoughts crossed my mind:
1. Have the P/SAT strugglers taken calculus or pre-calc?
2. Are we certain the school is actually teaching what it SAYS it is in terms of content? (for example, some schools offer Alg II & Trig, but "round" grades based on the highest test scores -- which happen to be a 40/100. When an "A" is a 40, no one learns).
3. What does "scored low" mean in these discussions? For example, pbush notes that her D "scored low" on the SAT, but still got free rides & considerable merit. Pbush, did your D do well on the PSAT, then not-so-well on the SAT? </p>
<p>4.Can posters give a ballpark on how low was low so others can draw hope from the posts? For example, if Kid A scored "low" with a M/V score of 900, and still got merit aid, that might give somewhat more hope than if Kid A "scored low" with a M/V score of 1100. It would be helpful to have a frame of reference.</p>
<p>Here's a question for you parents of now happily off to college kids: If there're one or two things you'd have advised your child differently in high school, what would they be? Here are mine:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I'd have advised my D to load up on APs in Sophomore and Junior years instead of Jr/Sr years. I didn't know about the whole AP Scholar with Distinction thing, which really doesn't matter at this point since the college app process is over.</p></li>
<li><p>I'd have really tried to push D to take additional math classes to make it to precalc and calc. I didn't realize that you couldn't ace the math portion of the SAT w/o advanced math courses.</p></li>
<li><p>I didn't realize community service was such a huge consideration for so many scholarships. I'd have had D participate in/organize at least one high profile, mainstream, community service project, instead of the hundreds of small services she performed (and we didn't keep track of) as part of Girl Scouts, church, and other community service orgs. KEEP TRACK OF THEIR SERVICE HOURS!</p></li>
</ol>
<p>What are your D's and S's doing this summer?</p>
<p>I second what Super Mom says about community service. I didn't realize it was such an important part of so many scholarships. I would also advise students to pay attention to how your school ranks students. Make sure you do whatever possible to be one of the top students. Parents, pay attention to what the college counselor says. At our school, parents were asked to do a "brag sheet." College counselor said that she would freely plagiarize from the brag sheet. My take on this was that I would be writing at least part of my kid's recommendation. I paid attention to it accordingly.
My advice to my S about standardized tests (which I learned on CC) was to start with the ACT. My advice to S was to start with the ACT early. If you have an ACT score around the same time as your PSAT score, you can get a feel as to how you will do on each test. There may not be a need to take the SAT at all if you do well on the ACT. If you start with the SAT first and don't do well, you can never "hide" those scores if you also take SAT II's. Score choice on the ACT is a good thing.</p>
<p>Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers down here :) I kept telling myself to come down to the parents forum
on Sunday and thn I didn't. Thanks guys to all of u who have been so supportive to the CC kids.</p>
<p>
[quote]
What are your D's and S's doing this summer?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>DS is doing what he's been doing the last two summers, Summerbridge, aka Breakthrough Collaborative. A time consuming but rewarding summer internship personally and financially. Looking forward to meeting some of the other CC parents in Amherst this August.</p>
<p>One bit of advice for up and coming students and their parents;</p>
<p>If you are fortunate enough to be in the realm of considering a selective school that sponsors trips to visit(which there are quite a few), do so. The sooner the better. A picture is worth a thousand words, but visiting may leave you speechless. Visiting early may help you to eliminate/pick schools to apply for in the fall of your senior year. GPA and testing are still the key. You have a lot more control of your destiny than you may give yourself credit for. Cast a wide net. Be resourceful and vigilant. 09' promises to be the most competitive class ever.</p>
<p>As far as SAT scores, I'd say the min to shoot for to be scholarship eligible is 1200-1250 M/V. That is a very broad generalization though, and it's also just my best guess. There are so many other factors that come into play with things like that, including the individual school or program itself (i.e. public v. private, tier 1 v. tier 4, special talents, etc.). </p>
<p>Yes, a significant premium is placed on community service, but quality is more important than quantity so I'd advise to focus on specific pet projects in which some depth of interest can be demonstrated. It's not necessary to log thousands of hours; it's more about having balance with academics and other activities. </p>
<p>In a nutshell, how students spend their time beyond academics is important. Whether they work a job, volunteer, or participate in community theater, they are being required to be much more dimensional these days. </p>
<p>I agree about knowing how your school ranks students. Some of it is so convoluted that it borders on the ridiculous, but you still need to know what you are up against. In our area, students game the system by taking a ton of online courses, and learning how to exempt final exams. Also, unless you get As and Bs, loading up on AP and advanced level courses won't help much when it comes to the rankings in D's school. In others it works very differently. Fortunately, many adcoms see through a lot of those types of things and will accept a summary of the students clarification on such matters.</p>
<p>If I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now, the main thing I would have done differently is pursed some type of organized/professional help for D with how to take the PSAT/SAT/ACT. We live in a rural area with the closest Kaplan or Princeton review class being 300+ miles away. Also we live in a state that has created its own series of exams (4th, 7th, & 10th grades) which require the student to explain and show how they arrive at the correct answer. Its almost the antithesis of a timed, standardized typed test. D was totally unprepared for taking an exam where you didnt double check your answer before circling it on the answer sheet, or where guessing when youre 80% sure is okay. </p>
<p>In our area the AfAm community is very small but I wish I had organized something similar to the Asian Sunday school. These kids get together every Sunday for additional academic help in the form of tutoring and college test prep.</p>
<p>D is still looking for a summer job .a few possibilities but nothing confirmed yet. Ill keep you posted. ;)</p>
<p>My Ds girl scout camp counselor job fell through. Hiring freeze after she was told she had the job. Oh well; glad I'll have her around. she just finished performing in "Guys and Dolls" (played Nicely Nicely) and I feel like I haven't seen her in months. My ninth grade son plans to be a television star in a pilot written by a kid he "met" on X box live. With his grades, that might be his best bet.</p>
<p>Today is graduation day!! We've been to the Honors Convocation, the Candlelight ceremony (passing the leadership to class of '09) , the senior all night party, the parent daughter liturgy and dinner and this evening is culmination of it all!!!</p>
<p>Rounding up the grandparents and godparents for the ride to the graduation and then it's all over. But before we can take a breath, we are getting ready for the next chapter!! I love this roller-coaster ride with my daughter!!!</p>
<p>And yes, I already put the tissues in my purse!!!!</p>
<p>You know, Silvermoonlock, I'm surprised I haven't cried yet. I'm just so happy!. Didn't cry on senior awards night or at the fabulous jazz choir's last concert. Didn't cry when I saw her looking gorgeous in the prom dress. Didn't cry when I was mailing out the invitations to graduation. I wonder if I'll cry at the ceremony itself. I'm just feeling so proud I could burst. Everyone tells me I may not cry until I actually drop her off at school.</p>
<p>I'm reading these posts and I am already getting teary. D is our only child and next week we are starting with the senior awards, school scholarship fund, etc. I never saw this day coming. What a ride.</p>
<p>Silvermoonlock and Texasmama you are made of tougher stuff than me! I am going through sympathy crying FOR YOU!! I anticipate being a basket case next year and fully expect that you will not forget me. Remember to log on next year to give virtual hugs.</p>
<p>DS has one more round of the cursed ACT and then we are calling it quits. Test scores are but one factor, right? His big issue now is that he is concerned about being short one science class. No science freshman year b/c of course conflict. Good science grades (with lab) soph-junior year. Strong science anticipated senior year. He is not interested in pursuing science in college. Anybody anticipate problems?</p>
<p>Forgive me for not posting earlier. No, my daughter did not test well on the PSAT. She took an integrated math class which in my opinion was too short for her to gain necessary skills for the standardized test. Although, she received A's in Precalcus and AP Calculus which I'm told have different concepts. I don't know because I didn't get that far. In her own words "I'm much more than my scores". She proved that with admissions counselors and Scholarships. To date, she's received $20,000 in outside scholarships and $20,000 from the university. She also received a scholarship to attend their summer program, so she'll leave in June. </p>
<p>I think my advice to parents is to know your own child. Know their strengths and weaknesses. Try not to compare them with others. Allow them to discover what works well for them. My daughter was heavily involved in sports during middle school. Everyone knew she would get a college scholarship in sports. Well, in high school daughter decided that sports was no longer for her. She wanted to focus on community service and academics. It worked out in her favor. </p>
His big issue now is that he is concerned about being short one science class
[/quote]
Triguena My D had only 3 years of science (9th, 10th, and 11th grades) w/ labs. Although, she did very well (As in all three), she is not interested in pursing a science related career and decided not to take a science senior year. If your son has had or will have at least biology and chemistry or physics w/ labs along with one other science w/ or w/o lab he should be OK.</p>
<p>I guess I 've been guilty of being a "lurker" in cc parlance. I've had the pleasure of reading through the various posts on this thread and want to offer my congrats to all parents of graduating seniors. They're on to wonderful things.</p>
<p>I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce myself, in a way, and to reiterate a question that I posted on a different part of CC.</p>
<p>I'm the parent of 2 Ds, one is in college, the other is finishing up her junior year of HS. The HS junior is a very strong student and has tested well on the both the SAT and ACT. She's interested in pursuing chemical or biomedical engineering. We've visited several colleges and have been gathering information to come up with a list of good schools with engineering programs. </p>
<p>As of now, she's interested in Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Harvey Mudd, MIT and the University of Michigan. She'll also be applying to University of Md - College Park (in state). </p>
<p>I posted on the engineering school section of CC and got some feedback on her choices and some other recommendations. My particular question sought feedback from students that could communicate the perspective of african american female students at the schools my daughter was considering. I got some responses, but still feel like I don't know a lot more than I did about what things are like at those schools for black females pursuing engineering.<br>
I thought that I'd repost here just in case you parents have any particular advice or information.</p>
<p>First a disclaimer--I know nothing about engineering. But, hey ignorance has never stopped me before :)</p>
<p>There is a mom on this board whose daughter is a freshman at Penn Engineering. I can't remember her screen name. Maybe someone else's memory is better than mine and you can IM her for more info.</p>