Hi everyone,
I have a junior who is taking 3 AP, band, run, scout, volunteer. We are CA resident, aiming for UC but he wants to expand his options. To take SAT and keep up his GPA, he can’t keep them all. He is debating between dropping cross-country to study SAT. He is doing ok but not a fast runner.
For SAT, he is sure that 1400 is his safe score and aiming for 1500 with study.
I am not sure what to advise him. If he drops cross-country (his 3rd year), he will do track and field next spring and aim for daily weight-training for 60-90 min this fall.
Please advice. Thank you.
What does he want to do?
It’s also difficult to make recommendations without knowing the full picture of his academic qualifications.
If running serves as a stress reliever and/or social outlet for him, I might hesitate to drop it. If that’s true, running > volunteer work, if one had to go. He can get volunteer hours in during the summer and school breaks, if he has volunteer opportunities that he likes doing.
Does he still like scouting? Band?
If he could potentially become a national merit finalist, studying for the PSATNMSQT, given this Fall at many schools, it could make sense to prep for that.
Junior year can be a step for many students, so it does make sense to critically think about the student’s time and how it is best spent. I would prioritize academics and mental health, and then go from there with the ECs. Do not do anything that he doesn’t like doing…certainly don’t do anything because he/or the parents think it looks good for colleges.
Good luck, I hope he has a great year.
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This is precisely why my daughter never took the SAT. She looked at her other commitments and prioritized her volunteering/ECs over test prep. That is not to say that that’s what your son should do, just saying that that is an option and a valid choice, too.
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Seems like if prepping for the SAT takes as much time as any of the ECs, the proposed prepping is likely a time inefficient method. Time efficient prepping, if needed at all, probably would not require dropping any ECs.
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Absolutely agree…time efficient test prep should not be anywhere near a full sport or intense EC. Many kids just do a couple of practice tests and get a score well within range of the colleges they seek.
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This only works if the student is not applying to any schools where tests are required (e.g., FL/TN/GA publics, MIT), any test preferred schools like Auburn, or any schools where maximizing merit requires a test score.
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I wouldn’t drop anything to study for SATs. Too many schools are test-optional and the UCs won’t even consider test scores. Why drop something meaningful for something of little value? If he really wants to improve his score, take a couple of practice tests and let that be that.
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I wouldn’t drop. Just plan to carve out time to prep for the SAT in November after cross country season and rake the SAT in December. The test is worth less and less with so many schools now.
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Take one released old SAT, find out which types of questions had the most mistakes, and prep only for those types of questions. This would take less time than prepping for everything on the test.
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Hopefully he can prep for about 20 minutes a day. Through December, the SAT is still the old format. Starting with 2024 it all goes digital. The digital is shorter and scored a bit different (math questions carry different weights). So you can decide which he’d prefer.
We do not yet know what schools will decide about test optional for the fall 24 application process. Several colleges that we’ve toured couldn’t yet say what they’d be doing.
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Can he prep over the summer and take the summer and early fall tests? That is what my kids did, but we get out of school in May so they had time to prep for the June test. He could still take June, Aug, Oct, even Nov (all 2024) SAT tests before he would have to apply RD to schools next year.
If he loves cross country - that’s an assurance - not that they’re good at it - that they love it and it shows tenure in EC and it brings teamwork and camraderie - why would they give it up?
Guess what - they can fit in a bit of SAT prep online, or we sent our kids to a tutor (I know, not everyone can) or who knows what schools he’s interested in. Maybe it’s 15 minutes a day studying a few problems.
A 1400 is very good - well over the 90th percentile - and there’s people that study for the SAT and go down. Sometimes it’s just the test that day didn’t work for them.
Yes, kids have to organize time and perhaps more efficiently - but you want ECs with tenure an d if it’s assured the student will enjoy cross country, removing it for something that’s not assured (a higher SAT) makes zero sense.
Let the kid be a kid!!
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That is a lot.
I would suggest that he drops whichever he wants to drop. There is no “best” EC, other than the EC that the student wants to participate in. There is no “worst” EC, other than one that is either destructive or the student does not want to participate in.
Also, the parents and the student might want to read the “applying sideways” blog on the MIT admissions web site. As I understand it, it recommends that you do whatever is right for you, and do it very well. This approach has worked well for our family.
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UCs are test blind. Prepping for the SAT at the expense of a class he wants to take or an EC is a waste of time.
After you apply | UC Admissions.
“UC will not consider SAT, ACT of SAT Subject Test scores when making admission decisions or awarding scholarships. If you choose to report test scores as part of your application, they may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll. SAT, ACT and SAT Subject Test scores can only be reported after the application has been submitted.”
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As OP is a junior, it’s important to note that this Fall’s PSAT NMSQT will only be available in the digital format. If OP is looking to maximize potential merit aid, their S should spend time familiarizing himself with this test, doing some prep, and trying to score their best.
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Deciding on the SAT depends on how “reachy” his list of target schools is, and whether he needs financial aid requiring those tests.
If either is true and he’s looking for 1500+, decide whether he’s a better SAT vs ACT taker, and get through some daily practice with sample tests, that should deliver a decent superscore over 1-3 tests.
I can’t see any reason why he needs to drop anything. First…he is a junior. Many kids don’t even take their first SAT until later in their junior year…and by that time cross country season will be in the rear view mirror.
Continue what he is doing.
@Lindagaf the OP says they want to also expand their options beyond the CA schools.
I still say…there is no need to drop anything. And agree with @Mwfan1921 . The PSAT will be administered this fall…and that could be the focus now. I don’t know if there are any practice tests for the digital format of this test…
If they are trying to expand options, that doesn’t change my advice. I don’t think it’s worth dropping any class or any EC in favor of prepping for a test. If this student is aiming high, he needs at the very least 1500 in order to be competitive for tippy top schools. I’d say 1530 is more realistic. Achieving a 100+ point increase is going to be extremely difficult and prepping excessively very likely won’t achieve the desired result. Unless this student is aiming for MIT, the time spent is not worth it.
The new reality is that as long as colleges remain test optional (nearly all the top colleges are) there is no benefit to the majority of students in submitting anything other than a score of at least 1500, and realistically, 1530. Unless the student is hooked in some way, that is. We don’t have any information to support this.
This thread contains all information about the new digital SAT, including how to access the free official tests.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/t/the-new-digital-sat
Meanwhile, College Board still has all eight current official practice tests on its site.
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Agree. The student shouldn’t drop anything to prep for these tests!
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Living in Ca. I wouldn’t drop anything and keep doing what he is doing and not take the SAT
If he really wants to take the SAT take it at beginning of senior year and study in the summer.
Unless he is applying to a school that requires scores ie. Florida schools I would apply test optional
D23 who is going to University of Florida, applied test optional to all OOS schools.
Why?
Her scores were good enough to get her in but not above the 75% at most for max merit so went Test optional. Got accepted to all and most she got more merit than expecting but ultimately stayed in state free tuition thru Bright futures.
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