Preparing for college

[Aliceacc]

Sorry, double post. Someone on the Community Board was asking about books on the college selection process. I thought this might come in handy here too:

If your son or daughter will be taking (or, in the case of upcoming seniors, hopefully "retaking") the SATs, here's decent book on strategy:
http://www.amazon.com/Up-Your-Score-...9177832&sr=1-1

It's a little too full of cutesy pop references for my taste, but does a decent job on teaching how to approach the different problem types, as well as answering common questions about the actual exam.


Here's an article I give my Math SAT Prep classes. It originally appeared in NY Newsday:

"The Top 10 websites for college-bound students Originally published in Newsday May 7, 2010 9:23 AM

1. College Board (collegeboard.com): You’ll need to create an account here so you can register for the SATs-and check your scores the minute they’re posted. But this nonprofit organization of more than 5,700 member schools provides a wealth of other information as well. Its website is a great starting point to gather-and compare- basic data on colleges, including admission requirements, program offerings and costs.

2. College Confidential (collegeconfidential.com): This site bills itself as the “leading college-bound community on the web,” and it’s easy to see why. In addition to helpful articles on admissions and financial aid, it features lively discussion boards where parents, students and admissions officers answer one another’s questions, share tips and offer support throughout the college process. All you need to do is register and give yourself a “screen name” so you can join the conversation.

3. College Prowler (collegeprowler.com): You’ll get the lowdown on schools directly from students and recent grads. For each of 1,476 colleges listed, you can learn about everything from acceptance rates to assessments of the campus drinking and dating scenes. You’ll also find colorful quotes from co-eds that give you a real-deal sense of the college environment. In addition, the site offers a tool to help you assess your chances of admission at the schools you’re considering.

4. Common Application (commonap.org): Pretty much every high school senior is familiar with the so-called “common ap.” This is the go-to resource when the time comes to actually apply to college: It provides online and print versions of application materials for almost 400 schools. Students complete one main application and essay that can be submitted to multiple colleges with the click of a mouse. You can also link to any supplementary application materials a school requires. New this year: Online forms for teachers and guidance counselors to submit recommendations electronically.

5. FAFSA (fafsa.org): If you think you’ll need help paying for college, get comfortable with the website of the Free Application for Financial Student Aid. Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, it’s a user-friendly resource that’s loaded with publications, brochures and fact-sheets on financing college. And, most importantly, it’s where you set up an account to apply for federal aid, including Pell grants and Stafford, Perkins and Plus loans.

6. FastWeb (fastweb.com): If you’re hoping for a scholarship, this is the place to hunt it down. After registering, you can custom-search a database of 1.3 million awards based on your individual qualifications and needs. FastWeb also supplies info on job and internship programs and has an active discussion board as well.

7. FinAid (finaid.com): This award-winning website, sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, may well be the most comprehensive resource on paying for higher education. You’ll find nitty-gritty details about different types of loans, scholarships, grants and even military programs. The site’s “FAQs” cover anything you can think oft: There’s even a category called “miscellaneous and unusual” questions. In addition, it has calculators to help you project college costs, estimate your expected family contribution and decide how much to borrow.

8. NCAA (ncaa.org): Any student athlete who dreams of playing at a Division I, II or III school should log onto this site and download the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s guide. It contains the rules and regulations that spell out everything, from the way college coaches can recruit to what high school courses a student needs to take and what SAT scores he must attain. This is also where athlete applicants submit a “clearinghouse form” that is used by college coaches for recruitment purposes.

9. Peterson’s (petersons.com): If you’re looking to find a wealth of material in a single place, this site is a good bet. Originally a well-respected college guidebook, Peterson’s has migrated online with enough material info to fill volumes. You’ll find basic data about hundreds of colleges and universities, including criteria for admissions, courses of study and total costs. In addition, there are helpful articles on virtually every aspect of the admissions process.

10. Princeton Review (princetonreview.com): Though primarily aimed at encouraging students to sign up for the company’s test-prep programs, this site contains tons of free content, including articles on applying to schools, choosing a major and finding a study abroad program. One fun feature is the “counselor-o-matic,” a tool that asks questions about grades, test scores, interests and activities then spits out a list of “good-fit” colleges. You’ll also find light-hearted rankings, which name the top colleges in such categories as “Most Politically Active” and “Major Frat and Sorority Scene.” "

 

[MrsPete]

If your son or daughter will be taking (or, in the case of upcoming seniors, hopefully "retaking") the SATs, here's decent book on strategy:
http://www.amazon.com/Up-Your-Score-...9177832&sr=1-1

Here's another hint for SAT re-takers: You can get your first test booklet (along with your answers & the correct answers) for $18. Oddly, this isn't available every month -- just in the more popular test-taking months. You order it while you're registering for the SAT.

We did this, and it was valuable. By going through her old test, my daugther was able to pinpoint exactly where her weakest spots lay. For example, she was dead-solid on everything algebra-related, but a review of geometry didn't hurt her. She did great on sentence completion, but she googled some extra help on passage related reading. Her score came up almost 200 points. Well worth the small amount of time she put into it.

 

[Aliceacc]

I do that with my SAT prep classes. Each time we do a practice exam, I have them take note of the kinds of problems they're leaving blank, and the ones they're getting wrong.

If they get any of the first third of the math problems in a section wrong, they're simply not paying attention-- those are the easiest problems in the section and they SHOULD be getting those right.

If they get the last 5 or 6 problems wrong on a regular basis, they really should stop doing those last problems all together-- those are the hard problems and they're costing the kdis points.

If they're consistently getting, say, the ratio problems wrong, it's time to either learn ratios or skip those problems.

Going over your test, whether it's the one you took in May or the practice exams you're doing over the summer, can have some real value!!

 

[poohbear8]

Thank you for the post! I have one starting college in the Fall and one starting HS. Though we made it through HS once, I have a file of things I wish I had known for kid #2. You list had some new things I did not know about.

 

[poohbear8]

x

 

[linnylu]

I also want to thank you for the post.
I was wondering what you think about my dd's test scores?
She took the SAT as a soph and scored a 750 in both critical reading and writing but a 630 in math. She retook the SAT as junior and went down in everything She scored a 740 in critical reading, a 590 in math, and a 690 in writing. She just got her ACT score back and scored a 32 composite.

My question is about sending the SAT scores to colleges. Can we send only the one she took her sophomore year? She we only send her ACT if the school doesn't care which test was taken? My dd doesn't really want to retake these. She isn't applying to any schools that require top scores, although she is hoping for scholarship money.

 

[imsayin]

I also want to thank you for the post.
I was wondering what you think about my dd's test scores?
She took the SAT as a soph and scored a 750 in both critical reading and writing but a 630 in math. She retook the SAT as junior and went down in everything She scored a 740 in critical reading, a 590 in math, and a 690 in writing. She just got her ACT score back and scored a 32 composite.

My question is about sending the SAT scores to colleges. Can we send only the one she took her sophomore year? She we only send her ACT if the school doesn't care which test was taken? My dd doesn't really want to retake these. She isn't applying to any schools that require top scores, although she is hoping for scholarship money.

I would sent the ACT only, since it is her better score. Her SAT converts to an ACT of 30. DD is in a similar position. We will only be sending her ACT. Almost all school accept either, so why not send the best.

 

[GinnyEmma]

Nice list! Thank you! I will print it out for the kids I know.

 

[Aliceacc]

I also want to thank you for the post.
I was wondering what you think about my dd's test scores?
She took the SAT as a soph and scored a 750 in both critical reading and writing but a 630 in math. She retook the SAT as junior and went down in everything She scored a 740 in critical reading, a 590 in math, and a 690 in writing. She just got her ACT score back and scored a 32 composite.

My question is about sending the SAT scores to colleges. Can we send only the one she took her sophomore year? She we only send her ACT if the school doesn't care which test was taken? My dd doesn't really want to retake these. She isn't applying to any schools that require top scores, although she is hoping for scholarship money.

The kids in my school typically take the SAT, not the ACT. But I'm pretty sure it will depend on the preference of the schools to which she's applying. Check, fairly early in the year, with the guidance department of her high school. We have a few counselors who do just college admissions; obviously that's the person you want to speak to.

 

[allison443]

I also want to thank you for the post.
I was wondering what you think about my dd's test scores?
She took the SAT as a soph and scored a 750 in both critical reading and writing but a 630 in math. She retook the SAT as junior and went down in everything She scored a 740 in critical reading, a 590 in math, and a 690 in writing. She just got her ACT score back and scored a 32 composite.

My question is about sending the SAT scores to colleges. Can we send only the one she took her sophomore year? She we only send her ACT if the school doesn't care which test was taken? My dd doesn't really want to retake these. She isn't applying to any schools that require top scores, although she is hoping for scholarship money.

I believe the collegeboard now offers something called "score choice" where you can only send certain scores? Not sure on the details, and some colleges might want all the scores anyway. Other schools say they only consider the highest anyway. I would check on collegeboard.com for info on that.

As for sending the ACT, all colleges in the US accept either test. In our area (northeast) it was rare to take the ACT years ago but it's getting more common now. One of my kids took both-she had a comparison chart and the ACT score worked out to be higher. She made the decision to only send her ACT. It worked out well for her.

Good luck!