Smartest Things You Did During College Process

Parents Forum
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<p>One thing about the SAT subject tests:</p>

<p>My D #1 (who was and is NOT a great test taker) wasn’t strong in Math, had average SAT Math section scores, and her H.S. guidance councilor suggested she take the SAT subject test in Math anyways - to at least demonstrate her willingness to improve herself in one of her admittedly “not strong” areas.</p>

<p>So, a lot of the value of taking the SAT subject test in Math (which she did as a senior, in the Fall, after she had already completed her common App and submitted it) was in the ATTEMPT itself, and not the result (which was remarkably similar to her SAT Math section scores anyway). It was the last in the series of standardized tests she took for college.</p>

<p>By the way, my D #1 got into her “reach” school, which at the time was #1 on her list.</p>

<p>One thing about schools with “rolling” admissions:</p>

<p>Apply EARLY (as early as those schools recommend). My D #2 did not apply “early” (but she didn’t apply “late” to be honest) and we’re waiting over two months now for what we thought was supposed to be a more rapid decision making process… BECAUSE it was rolling. She’s already heard back from schools with hard deadlines to which she applied EA - so those schools apparently had their act together sufficiently enough to get responses out to kids within the range of expectation.</p>

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<p>Having just gotten back my child’s acceptance on December 16, here are a few of my thoughts:</p>

<p>1) Definitely do the college tours in Junior year. Here counselor came up with a list of 20 schools after consultation with my D and myself. We put over 1,000 miles on our car from Maryland to Maine looking at schools. Some she immediately knew were not a fit. Others become solid possibilities as they came alive as we walked around.
2) Do some test prep. My daughter is very smart and goes to a very rigourous college prep school. However, she gained immensely from the time she spent doing one on one SAT prep. I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch for 4 months, but it was well worth the financial sacrifice. I suggest starting in January junior year so that they will be ready for the spring tests.
3) Try to keep their goals realistic and do not try to push them in a particular direction. This was really hard for me because I wanted her to attend my alma mater but it was definitely a reach school and not a given. We were very open minded during the tours and came up with some very good alternatives (which, YAY!!, we did not have to use).
4) Definitely have them apply to school(s) early admission. Our Christmas was so much better for the fact that she already knew she was in her first choice - and had already accepted their offer. For her friends that did not apply to their first choice EA, it was still good to go into winter break knowing they were “in” somewhere. Takes a lot of the pressure off.
5) As a parent, be a calming influence. I have never seen my child as stressed as she was between November 1 and December 16 when the decisions came out. This is definitely one of the down sides to a school where everyone goes to a selective college.</p>

<p>Hope this is helpful. I repeat some of the things said previously but I think that just means they ring true.</p>

<p>Good luck to all.</p>

143

<p>These are a combo of things that we did or I wished that we did:

  1. Excel spreadsheet to help select which schools were options. The spreadsheet had items that were important to my student across top with checks if it was available at each school. Also included were possible majors that student was interested in and whether it was available at each school and cost of attendance.
  2. Take an official PSAT in Oct of soph yr (score doesn’t get saved anywhere)
  3. Take at least 1 practice SAT and 1 practice ACT (AT HOME OR LIBRARY, NOT AT THE TEST CENTER) to see if kid has a natural strength or preference for 1 of them in soph yr. If the kid is able to score high enough on the practice SAT and PSAT (NMSF territory), then have kid prep for both SAT and PSAT in summer before Jr yr and take both PSAT and SAT in fall of Jr yr. If kid is not in NMSF territory, then no PSAT prep (since it’s unnecessary) and prep for either SAT or ACT, not both, in winter of Jr yr.
  4. SAT2 is taken during June when they took the class (and the AP exam is taken in May). So for example, AP Chem class: AP taken in May, SAT2 in June).
  5. Make the kid write their essays in summer before Sr yr. (so far, I have had no success with this, but other kids who have them done early have a less stressed Sr yr.)
  6. Have kid ignore their classmates’ opinions about other schools. Of course this is easier said than done.
  7. Apply to at least 1 school EA.
  8. I’m not sure about the benefit of college tours. Kid literally visited 30-35 colleges; got accepted to the college that kid liked head and shoulders above the rest based on the tour on 2 separate occasions, yet is not super happy there.
  9. Pick teachers for LOR who just ADORE your kid.
  10. If you really want to be considered for a particular college, try to make appts with a prof to discuss the finer points of their program when you are on campus for the tour.</p>
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<ol>
<li>Better than a standard campus tour would be to have kid shadow and spend the night with a friend who attends the college.</li>
</ol>

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<p>I like the suggestion, but how, precisely, does it help you to be considered? So that you can mention it in your ‘Why [college/university name]?’ supplemental essay?</p>

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<p>Typically, the professors that prospective students meet with during the admissions process and in particular during campus tours, open houses, or admissions events always refer admissions related questions to … the admissions department / admissions office. While its not a bad idea to make an appointment with an existing professors to chat about the school, or stay after and meet with them briefly after their open house presentation (you’ll be there if you’re interested in their major / their field), they don’t have input into your child’s admissions outcome.</p>

<p>On the other hand, you can get their business card, and see if they’ll be willing to provide information, suggestions and perhaps contacts for out-of-the-classroom opportunities (e.g., volunteer opportunities, community service options, shadowing, etc.) related to the major your child is planning on applying for at their school. If you’re able to follow-up and make some of those things happen, you’ll have that much more for your child to put on his / her Application when the time comes.</p>

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<p>Agree with so much of what YoHoYoHo wrote above, but especially this:</p>

<p>“Take at least 1 practice SAT and 1 practice ACT (AT HOME OR LIBRARY, NOT AT THE TEST CENTER) to see if kid has a natural strength or preference for 1 of them in soph yr. If the kid is able to score high enough on the practice SAT and PSAT (NMSF territory), then have kid prep for both SAT and PSAT in summer before Jr yr and take both PSAT and SAT in fall of Jr yr. If kid is not in NMSF territory, then no PSAT prep (since it’s unnecessary) and prep for either SAT or ACT, not both, in winter of Jr yr.”</p>

<p>There are some students who are just natural test takers and they can probably take the ACT & SAT interchangeably and achieve comparable scores, but my son really benefited from repeated SAT practice tests at home. If he had divided his time between ACT & SAT prep, I don’t think he would have achieved the success he did on the SAT. So, as stated above, take one (or two) full-length timed practice tests and then have student decide which format he prefers, and study for that one only.</p>

<p>In terms of timing of exams….sit and discuss your child’s Jr year schedule and ECs. End-of-season sports play-offs, or three day Model UN Conference, or Spring Drama production, etc, etc, all get in the way of exams and exam prep. Again, for the student who can walk in and take the test cold, it is just a matter of finding a free Saturday morning. But for the student who would benefit from taking practice exams, it is important to have some free time leading up to the exam date.</p>

<p>I also agree with visiting one or more colleges the summer after sophomore year—especially for a student who has not visited colleges before. (The younger child dragged along probably does not need to start that early, assuming he was not too much younger.)</p>

<p>Also agree with Marian about taking Subject tests when taking the course. Our 9th grade honors bio teacher encourages stronger students to sit for the Bio SAT II at the end of 9th grade b/c many won’t take AP Bio until 12th grade.</p>

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<p>In addition to the other ideas posted early, my daughter knew which degree she wanted to pursue. When deciding on which college she should apply to, we narrowed the list down by checking on whether the program offered at each school was accredited. She was pursuing an engineering degree, so we verified programs at ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). </p>

<p>Have started looking for my son, who wants to pursue business. Looking for an accreditation from Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).</p>

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<p>“Make sure you focus on the numbers from Naviance or whatever source you have for the schools you’re considering. … if you have a slightly unbalanced student whose grades are higher than his scores, or vice versa. You should make sure to apply to schools where the lower of the grades or scores is a good match. I’ve seen too many disappointments because parents look at an 800 and think Stanford here we come, or vice versa, a valedictorian with 680’s for scores and all of the focus is on Yale. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment out of ignorance.”</p>

<p>dadx, </p>

<p>With all due respect I think this is very bad advice. Naviance is useful but flawed. Grades and test scores alone are not totally representative of competitiveness, especially for an LAC. For a large state school they are alright , but for a lot of smaller schools essays and recommendations are really important. If your child has great grades, great essays, great teacher recommendations, good extracurriculars but got an 1900 on their SAT you would be doing a huge disservice to your child if you discouraged applying to the elite LAC’s. In high school I had so so grades through 3 years from an elite private school taking hard classes, very good SAT’s, 3 years as a captain of a varsity sport, good EC’s, great essays, excellent recommendations and very good grades senior year.
Had I taken your advice I wouldn’t have even applied to schools that I ended up getting into like Bowdoin, Williams or Pomona and would have instead gone to a school of lower quality like American University or UC Davis. There were times where I didn’t even want to apply to Pomona or Williams because I looked at my first 3 years of grades and said why bother, but fortunately my parents and my college counselor convinced me otherwise.</p>

<p>My best piece of advice: be realistic, but DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT.</p>

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<p>dadx,
Also you do realize that 680s across the board is a 2040. That is barely below the middle 50% of SATs for Yale. If this person had very good grades like an unweighted 3.95 in challenging honors/AP classes, from a good high school, with Ivy caliber everything else this person would have a fighting chance.</p>

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<p>This thread is very helpful!

Why? What if a student does SAT and SAT subjects and does well. Is it still necessary for her to take ACT?</p>

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<p>“Also you do realize that 680s across the board is a 2040. That is barely below the middle 50% of SATs for Yale.”</p>

<p>I didn’t think this sounded right, and just looked it up. In the 2013 Princeton Review guide, Yale’s 25th percentile for CR is 700 and the 75th is 800. For Math the figures are 710 and 790 respectively, and writing 710 and 800.</p>

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<p>VISIT SCHOOLS!
Find out what sets the school apart! Not just student-faculty ratios or size, things like research specific professors are doing, historical milestones related to the university, and other fun facts!</p>

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<p>Start the SAT prep towards the end of sophomore year and work hard in the summer. This has helped DS (1) score high in PSAT, a test many juniors at his school were not prepared for; (2) sit for SAT during junior year and put standard tests behind him; (3) free up the summer before the senior year for internship and EC activities; and (4) free up the senior year so that he could dully enroll in our state flagship U. For parents, the merit scholarship offers from many Us as a result of the NMSF status are amazingly attractive. </p>

<p>Also we made sure that DS would not take SAT or SAT II without being sure that he would do well. His dream school requires all standard test scores be reported so we felt multiple takings of SAT would not be ideal. Taking all the tests only once not only saved him time, but also reduced the stress level around the house.</p>

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<p>Indiana university - bloomington, University of Minnesotta twin cities come to mind… also IL State is a good choice. I don’t know stats for SLU but that and Rolla are also good universities from MO.</p>

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<p>After reading so many threads from kids wanting to transfer, move back home, over their head, or changing majors multiple times, I have to reiterate that the single most helpful action, was have them take a year off.
Also take the ACT when SAT scores weren’t as expected.
( although neither one did any prep)</p>

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<p>Maxwell: If a student does really really well in the SAT or ACT, they do not need to take the other. However, because they are different types of tests, you may do better in one than the other. Even if you have a score that is high enough to get admitted to your favorite college, a higher test score on one of those tests may earn extra merit aid at many colleges.</p>

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<p>The big test prep franchises (Kaplan, Princeton Review) give mock SATs and ACTs under testing conditions and grade them. All for free, although you have to listen to their pitch. That’s a good way to find out which test works better for which kids. The ACT is longer (requires faster work) and has clearer language than the SAT. I thought it was worth a try for my daughter to do the ACT because she was always the first one done on any test. And indeed she did much better than her PSATs would indicate for the SAT.</p>

<p>This is a good thing to establish early in junior year, or a little later after the PSAT scores come out.</p>

<p>My daughter is a senior and all the schools she applied to except for one accepted the ACT with writing instead of SATs and SAT IIs (subject tests). She reported one subject test to one school out of the seven schools she applied to. For the rest, the ACT with writing was enough.</p>

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<p>I would highly recommend visiting colleges early. We started our “search” (at her request) between 9th and 10th grade. Our summer vacations centered around college visits. Between 10th and 11th grade, we visited 7 schools. By the end of junior year, we had visited 20 schools, some twice. </p>

<p>I highly recommend attending summer college programs to see if child is interested in medicine, computers, teaching, etc. DD decided that she did not want a career in medicine…too competitive and she is competitive. She knows that it would not be healthy for her. </p>

<p>Be honest early about finances. I cannot emphasize this enough. My parents were not honest with me and it led to a lot of heartbreak. Fortunately, we have been preparing for our daughter’s education and can afford to send her where she wants to go. Many families cannot do what we are offering our child. Do not hide it. (Chances are, if you are coming to this site, I am preaching to the choir.) </p>

<p>If your child struggles with writing, consider a tutor or something to help them improve their abilities. Everyone talks about test scores, gpa, etc. However, the essays are important for many admissions counselors to get to know your child. The common app essay topics are released in June…look at them, begin brain-storming, write a rough-draft. It will save a lot of time during the first semester of senior year. Our D was surprised at how busy she was with school work and ECs and found herself grateful to be mostly done with her essays.</p>

<p>Ask someone who knows your child to read their essays. We can edit as parents, but we are parents. Get an objective person to read them and offer input. This was invaluable for our D. </p>

<p>Have your student as teachers they had their junior year to write their LORs. These teachers have had your child for a full year and know where they excel and struggle better than the teacher they have had for only two weeks. Also, have your student ask the teacher “can you write a positive LOR for me?” Some students ask teachers to write a rec for them thinking the teacher likes them and the letter is not all that positive or does not show that they teacher knows much about the student.</p>

<p>Apply EA to schools that allow it. Our D applied to 5 schools EA and we have 5 acceptances. Four of the five are safeties and the fifth is her top choice. She thought she would apply RD to a handful of schools, but decided to only apply to the other reach school that she could see herself attending. The release of the EA notices is at a crappy time (before holiday break, and for many, semester exams), but to know that you have been accepted somewhere is a huge relief. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Every kid is different. We let our D lead us and we did not not talk about college. It has been a large part of our lives for the past few years and any time we had a question, concern, or comment we addressed it. Yet, we respected her request to stop talking when she asked. </p>

<p>Have fun with the process. If you decide to look at colleges during the summer over a week or two week period, schedule some down time or fun event in the areas you are visiting. Our favorite vacation was the summer between 9-10th grades where we visited Brown, Yale, and Harvard. We took a day to spend in NYC, spent a couple of days in Boston and a weekend in Maine.</p>

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<p>Students can take the PSAT as early as 7th grade. Our district offered it to the top students, for free, beginning in 8th grade. D took it 8th and 10th grade. There is something to knowing the process before taking it when it counts during the junior year. </p>

<p>D was happy to have completed standardized testing by the end of her junior year. The first semester of senior year was busier than she expected, and it was a relief to not have to worry about tests, too.</p>