<p>My D is a junior, and unless she completely loses focus in the next 14 months, she will be a National Merit Finalist. 228 PSAT, 3.9 GPA, etc. She took the SAT and scored 680 CR-670 M-750 W. She will take the ACT on 12/11 and a state mandated ACT in the spring. </p>
<p>She only wants to go to UA, so now sees no need to study for the tests. I am good with her going to Alabama. It’s close enough, it has her program, the awesome scholarship, and money is a tremendous concern.<br>
Here’s the question: Is it too soon to be done with college search? Would you have your kid improve scores or look into other schools? The relief of knowing there is a full paid option is phenomenal, but is it enough? Any advice?</p>
<p>Your daughter still needs to make 1960 on her SAT in her senior year to confirm her score. If she makes that cutoff and keeps her nose clean (no disciplinary action at school) she should qualify for the wonderful scholarship that 'Bama offers by being named a National Merit Finalist.</p>
<p>She will also be admitted to the Honors College if she applies. Beyond that, there are other opportunities available to her at Alabama that she might want to pursue that she would do well to work a little to improve her test scores for next year. Have her look at the Computer Based Honors Program and the University Fellows Program to see if she is interested. These are competitive programs that better test scores might help her with. If she’s not interested, then I’d back off. </p>
<p>Now, the Daddy in me would suggest to her that change is a part of life. Many High School Juniors change their minds about majors. Also, while there is no indication of this, just suppose Alabama changes their scholarship next year to only offer tuition? Having better test scores will NEVER hurt her and may give her options next year in the event things change. At the worst, she’ll have spent a little time preparing ‘just in case’. After you’ve given her that to think about, just back away. She sounds like she’s getting tired of the process from the little you’ve written. Giving her space to withdraw from it if she chooses will probably serve her well.</p>
<p>As far as looking into other schools, I would not press her on this issue. She’ll be getting a FLOOD of mail/email/calls over the next year. Alabama looks to be a great school. If that’s where she wants to go, then be content with her choice and support her in it. </p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter and you. Becoming a National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist is a huge accomplishment!</p>
<p>Congratulations to your D. I will encourage her to continue to study hard and do her best. There are a couple highly selective honors programs at UA that she shall try. The better her stat is the higher the possibility to get in.</p>
<p>Loring, my son took the SAT for the final time in January of his junior year. So unless the rules have changed in the past two years, a student would not have to take the SAT as a senior to confirm her PSAT score.</p>
<p>That may well be the case. I know that they have to confirm their score but was not certain of the timing. My son was under the impression that he had to take the SAT in the fall of his senior year to confirm it. Thank you for the clarification.</p>
<p>I would be thrilled if she decided on UA. It’s only 3 hours away. I love the opportunities they offer. She toured this summer and immediately said, “This is my school.” I’m just wondering if she will wish she had more choices in the spring of Senior year. </p>
<p>I guess I should celebrate one and done in this new context. I’ll suggest giving the state mandated ACT her all for those extra honors programs. We’ll see where it goes from there.<br>
Thanks for the replies.</p>
<p>It’s been a bit stressful on my son this year. He doesn’t respond well to me meddling and he’s done more than I could have hoped for. It’s a tough balance knowing when to make suggestions and when to let them come to you. </p>
<p>Good luck and make sure your daughter enjoys her senior year!</p>
<p>You’re right, Loring, about meddling. She’s a great kid with a good head on her shoulders. I spent the last 6 months stressing the importance of the PSAT She is probably tired of it. I’m happy with UA, she’s happy with it. So if it’s what she wants, great. I guess it is no different than ED, but with a an almost guaranteed acceptance and great scholarship.</p>
<p>Is Loring your first name? It was my father-in-law’s name. It’s not very common.</p>
<p>*Your daughter still needs to make 1960 on her SAT in her senior year to confirm her score. *</p>
<p>No, she doesn’t. A junior year score is fine as well. the confusion is that kids are told that they must take a “confirming score” by Dec of their senior year…and I think dates of the Oct, Nov, Dec tests are given, so some think those dates are required.</p>
<p>And…the confirming score has nothing to do with any child’s individual PSAT. A child could have a 240 PSAT and a 2000 SAT and be fine. The confirming score is often around 1960…but can change a bit each year.</p>
<p>After S2 helped S1 move into his college dorm and a few weeks later we went to a football game, S2 announced that he ONLY wanted to apply to Bama. (this was a change from when he was a sophomore in high school and proclaimed that he DID NOT want to go to the same college as his bro (which was fine with us.)</p>
<p>However, I did make him apply to a few other schools just in case he changed his mind. However, he didn’t nearly go on as many college visits as his brother did to various colleges. he just wasn’t interested in anywhere but Bama.</p>
<p>Here’s the exact wording regarding the confirming score:</p>
<ol>
<li>Take the current SAT® and earn scores that confirm your 2009 PSAT/NMSQT performance. You must take (or have taken) a national administration of the SAT between October 2008 and December 2010.</li>
</ol>
<p>My d took her SAT the week before PSAT for the practice. Her 2100 is enough for to confirm National Merit. She could indeed be one and done, except for state mandated ACT.</p>
<p>I probably will have her apply at a couple of more schools, but if she chooses Alabama, excellent.</p>
<p>Yankee Belle, my D is a senior this year, and UA is the only school she will apply to. We went down for a campus visit in spring of junior year. She’d been there before with the high school band, but only to the music building area. She fell in love with campus before the day of the campus visit was half over.</p>
<p>She’s been back a couple of times since then, and she still loves the place. </p>
<p>She’s applied for CBHP and UFE (just finished uploading her UFE info). She’s not NMF or NMSF, but she does have a 33 on her ACT. She’s already received full tuition, and she’s in the running for additional scholarships. (There are a couple of great ones with priority given to students from Madison County.)</p>
<p>We’re only 2.5 hours away. You mentioned that you’re 3 hours away. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you? We’re up in the northwest part of Madison County.</p>
<p>Count yourself lucky she feels confident that Bama is where she wants to be…it was very stressful for several of my D’s friends who didn’t know till March or April of senior year where they’d be accepted or if they’d end up at one of their ‘safe’ options. </p>
<p>In terms of honors programs we investigated, UA’s program was by far the best. (A couple of them had such onerous mandatory classes my D didn’t think it was worthwhile even participating.) You can rest assured they will have classes and programs that will sufficiently interest & challenge her.</p>