<p>D is currently enrolled in an SAT Prep class that will end just before the March test date. We had planned for her to take that test in order to allow for a retake and SAT-II if needed. Also, she wants to apply to some rolling admissions schools in the late summer. There are additional SAT test dates in May and June, but that might not allow for any retakes before summer. Unfortunately, she was also supposed to go on a school band trip that weekend. What would you do? Pass on the SAT date or pull out of the band trip?</p>
<p>Pass on the SAT date if she would really prefer to go on the band trip. </p>
<p>She can still do May or June, reserving the other date for SATIIs, and retake in October if necessary.</p>
<p>What if she miss the band trip?
Personally, I think she should take March test.</p>
<p>I would discuss the issues as you presented them here. I would see just how much this trip means to her. If she has been on the trip before, or is only mildly disappointed, I would tell her that I think the SAT is more important. If she has her heart set on this trip, it is the only high school she is doing, and if she has looked forward to it for a long time, I would give her the choice and accept her decision.</p>
<p>I'm with northeastmom. There is no clear "right or wrong" path, so D's view is the tie-breaker. Good practice for the decision-making she'll have to make later in college.</p>
<p>It might also depend on where she is applying late summer - would she need stellar SAT's? My D would never have missed something she wanted to do to take SAT's, but then she only bothered to take them once and figured if that wasn't good enough for the schools she was applying to, fine.</p>
<p>The band trip is something that is NOT going to happen more than once. The SATs happen multiple times. </p>
<p>Go on the band trip.</p>
<p>Band trip vote here. Where are they going?</p>
<p>May and June are great time's to take the SAT/SAT subject tests. You can have the Oct test date if you need to pick up an extra subject test or take the SAT again.</p>
<p>Band trip.</p>
<p>Band trip!</p>
<p>Son had the same dilemma. Only it was a band performance at a festival with his percussion ensemble. Since it is a small group performance, if he didn't go, the whole group really couldn't perform (they depend on each member and don't have alternates.) He was fine with skipping the SAT but it did make rescheduling tight especially fitting in SAT 2s.</p>
<p>I think that she needs to find out whether there are any penalties for not going on the band trip before making her decision.</p>
<p>If band is a credit course, not going on the trip might affect her grade.</p>
<p>My vote is on the SAT, especially if she is not a good tester. My recommendation is to be finished with all SATs by end of Junior year. If she does badly on her June tests, it is too much pressure come fall.</p>
<p>S2 found he had a student council regional conference on the same weekend of the March SAT. We hurriedly registered for the Jan SAT so that he could retake in May (saving June for SAT IIs). But if the timing hadn't worked, he would still have skipped the March SAT and pushed his possible retake date into the next school year. Those kind of school trips are invaluable...I'm with those above who say go with the trip and work the testing dates around it.</p>
<p>Once again, I would discuss the problem and pros and cons with your daughter. I think that she should make this decision with guidance from her parents. If mom or dad says SAT, and she does not like her scores, she might resent mom/dad for not letting her have fun instead. </p>
<p>If she goes on the trip, and then feels too much pressure to do well on SATs later, and is not ready to apply early, she might blame parents for encouraging a trip over a high stakes test.</p>
<p>In conclusion, mom/dad may be blamed either way. Perhaps this decision is best made by your daughter with parent guidance.</p>
<p>SAT. My DD, not the best test taker, really needed more dates than we planned on between retaking SATI and II's. Especially now that some colleges won't be seeing how many times they take the test, I'd give any kids lots of chances.</p>
<p>Remember, there is not one college that insists on an SAT rather than an ACT with writing, and some kids do better on the ACT. The ACT and SAT are on different dates. You could have her give the ACT at try.</p>
<p>Band trip.</p>
<p>We really need to know if this is a kid aiming for reach schools.</p>
<p>For me, I have a faded memory of a band trip but a lot of fond memories of a college I was a marginal candidate at.</p>
<p>had the same dilemma last year on the May test date. sense of duty led my d to go on the band trip; she's first chair in an instrument with few other players. One of her friends, a weaker test taker, opted not to go - but she played a very common instrument and opted out guilt free. D's school also held a required event the night before the March test date...she was not at her best the next day, but did reasonably well. This was the ideal date for her because it fell right after test prep was over.</p>
<p>For the June SAT - she opted not to test due to it being held in the middle of a th-fri-mon-tues-wed exam week. Too much for her.</p>
<p>For the June ACT - she got violently ill, and had to be picked up during the last section.</p>
<p>So, you can see how things can conspire to make these dates evaporate, or for some reason, they are not at their best on that date.</p>
<p>It all worked out in the end for my d as the October test went well, but realize that future events can make dates disappear, or less than ideal. </p>
<p>We'd have had extraordinary difficulty fitting in SATIIs had we needed to.</p>