SAT Prep

[BuzznBelle'smom]

It's a very thin line between encouraging and pushing. It's a hard line to walk. I do think that most of the motivation has to come from the child but I also think that parents need to know what their child is realistically capable of academically and set expectations that correspond to that. Not easy!

Encourage your child to do the problem of the day and provide her with a few study guides. Sign her up for an SAT prep course if she asks. But it isn't fair to the child to expect her to score high enough to win scholarships because you haven't saved enough. That is way too much pressure in my opinion. Scholarships are very, very competitive these days and no one should count on them.

Good luck, OP! This raising of teenagers stuff is hard! I have a teenage daughter too. She is a senior this year and is heading to college in the fall.

ITA. I should have clarified--if my DD16 WANTED to take an SAT prep course, I would gladly enroll her. Just like I bought her a study guide (she also got a couple from a senior friend who's done with them).

In my particular case, my DD wants to be a teacher. This is a perfect choice for her, based on her strengths. In addition to being on the honors/AP track, she's taking Early Childhood classes and she has 2 part-time jobs involving teaching (ski instructor and dance camp counselor). I think those choices demonstrate her interest in her chosen field, and will help her college selection much more than focusing solely on SAT scores.

I do agree that 10th and 11th grade are very different. DD is starting to whittle down the list of possible colleges so she can visit them. We happen to have a decent teaching college, literally walking distance from our house, but she doesn't want to go there. I'm fine with that, but I figure it's an excellent school to use as a practice run for campus visits, interviews, etc.

I do think SAT's are important, but they're only one part of a total package.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Thank you all for your responses. As a true DISer, I'm a planner by nature. Therefore the push to prepare. I also think I let myself get pulled into comparing my child to others. It's disconcerting when I read other threads about people who's children are taking advanced college courses in conjunction with high school courses, during the summer, etc. or whose children are scoring close to perfect on their SATs in 8th grade. The old joke around here is that all DIS children are perfect and I just feel like I'm letting my daughter down by not having her as prepared as possible. I really thought the language portion would be easy for her but when she does the practice and doesn't know the vocab it really concerns me. She doesn't always do the greatest on standardized testing which is also concerning me and doesn't always work as quickly as she needs to in order to complete the tests in the allotted timeframe.

As for the comment that it's not fair to put that pressure on her to get scholarships because we didn't save -- to a degree you are correct. However, nowhere does it say I have to guarantee my child a free ride to college. I'm pushing not only for my benefit, but for hers as well. I don't want her to start out under a huge mound of debt because so much of scholarships might ride on a test score and she just did okay. That's the part I can't get her to understand. I'm willing to help but not take on the entire load of debt and I've been reading where some people's children aren't being approved for the loans they need. I'd hate for her to complete 2-3 years of college and not be able to finish because she can't get a loan. Why not put in the time and effort now to do her absolute best on the SAT/ACT, hopefully getting scholarship money, so she doesn't spend the next 10 years paying back loans? It's all about the long-term big picture and she just can't see that far into the future, although I don't think most kids can.

I'm going to look into some of the suggestions made (flashcards, SAT specific books, etc.). I think if she can actually have some fun studying she might not be so resistent. And if all else fails, I walk away and let the chips fall where they may. (Easier said than done ).

 

[sndfan]

My DS is only in the 7th, but is a voracious reader! He can generally figure out most vocab words from the sentence, but I've noticed that now that he has his Nook, he simply taps on the word in question and gets the definition...something like that might just be handy for her in general to increase her vocab. It's a lot easier than stopping reading, looking the word up in the dictionary or asking me...so he just does it as habit now.

This summer he'll be studying for the HSPT (High School Placement Test)...so I plan to add all the HSPT vocabulary into Quizlet.com to make it easier for him to study. He uses Quizlet to study now, so it's a natural progression.

Good luck!

 

[marcyinPA]

Well, I have a DS16 (junior) who finally started caring about his grades this year. Before this year, it was two years of battling over homework, grades, studying, etc. Finally- he GOT IT.

I gave him an SAT study book last year, and it sat and gathered dust for a year. He took the PSAT last year, and again this year. Then he took a practice SAT about a month ago. He came home that very day and said "Mom, I think I need a class or a tutor". He had a particularly rough time with the math, because he is a year behind (he's in Alg 2 this semester).

He's a busy, involved kid, so we sucked it up and got him a private tutor. She starts tomorrow. We pre-payed for 4 sessions and she will go over SAT math with him. We can purchase more sessions if he needs it.

In the meantime, he is trying to salvage his cumulative GPA, which is just under a 3.2. He now understands why we harped on him so much freshman and sophomore year. He has had a great junior year so far, making honor roll every quarter, and this quarter pulling a 4.06 gpa.

My point is- all of that pushing and screaming and yelling, and he figured it out in his own time.

 

[padams]

I have a sophomore and very few of his classmates are doing SAT prep. Most wil start this summer before junior year.

You can buy her the SAT vocab flashcards. Give her an incentive to learn the cards. When she knows 100, she can do X or you will buy her Y. When she knows 250, 500, etc., the rewards get better.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

My DS is only in the 7th, but is a voracious reader! He can generally figure out most vocab words from the sentence, but I've noticed that now that he has his Nook, he simply taps on the word in question and gets the definition...something like that might just be handy for her in general to increase her vocab. It's a lot easier than stopping reading, looking the word up in the dictionary or asking me...so he just does it as habit now.

This summer he'll be studying for the HSPT (High School Placement Test)...so I plan to add all the HSPT vocabulary into Quizlet.com to make it easier for him to study. He uses Quizlet to study now, so it's a natural progression.

Good luck!

I didn't know about Quizlet! That's exactly the type of study aid I'm looking for! Thank you!!!

 

[minkydog]

This is my opinion but she is only a sophomore and has plenty of time. I don't think it is overly unusual for someone her age to not have a clue what they want to do for a living or what college they want to attend. And it isn't unusual for them to not be interested in studying for their SAT's. Forcing her to study for something she doesn't care about will likely result in low retention.

Believe it or not, college is still an option even with low test scores. Harvard won't be on the horizon but I'm guessing that isn't one of her choices anyway.

Have her take it cold without studying. She may just surprise you. If she doesn't do well, she'll be able to see what areas she needs to work on when she takes it again in her junior year.

I completely agree! I'm guessing this child is only 15--15~! Who in the heck knows what they want to be when they're only 15? Sure, a few extremely driven individuals might, but I daresay the average 10th grader doesn't have any idea what kind of career will make them happy. Making her take SATs at this age isn't really going to accomplish anything. I'd much rather see her take the SAT or ACT at the end of her Junior year, when she is more likely to be in the "college" zone.

OP, I do feel your pain. We went through much the same thing with DD18. She signed up for the ACT during her Junior year. I couldn't get her to take it seriously. I was pulling my hair out! She took the test and frankly, did badly. Boy! did that get HER attention! In her senior year, she got it together and retook the ACT, raising her scores by about 5 points. She took it one last time in the winter of her senior year and tweaked her scores upward just a little bit more. Now, DD has a lot of difficulty with test-taking, so the scores really don't show her at her best, but her scores were good enough to get into the state college that she's in now and certainly will be good enough for her to transfer to a community college she's interested in closer to home in the fall. In the long run, getting her into college had not hinged on any one factor. Her ACT scores matter, but so did her high school class choices, her participation in the arts, and her volunteer work outside of school. She's not just a smart kid, she's a well-rounded kid and that's what her college was looking for.

ETA: DD said the one class that helped her the most was Latin. Not kidding. She took Latin for 4 years, through Latin 7. It really helped her learn root words, prefixes and suffixes.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Well, I have a DS16 (junior) who finally started caring about his grades this year. Before this year, it was two years of battling over homework, grades, studying, etc. Finally- he GOT IT.

I gave him an SAT study book last year, and it sat and gathered dust for a year. He took the PSAT last year, and again this year. Then he took a practice SAT about a month ago. He came home that very day and said "Mom, I think I need a class or a tutor". He had a particularly rough time with the math, because he is a year behind (he's in Alg 2 this semester).

He's a busy, involved kid, so we sucked it up and got him a private tutor. She starts tomorrow. We pre-payed for 4 sessions and she will go over SAT math with him. We can purchase more sessions if he needs it.

In the meantime, he is trying to salvage his cumulative GPA, which is just under a 3.2. He now understands why we harped on him so much freshman and sophomore year. He has had a great junior year so far, making honor roll every quarter, and this quarter pulling a 4.06 gpa.

My point is- all of that pushing and screaming and yelling, and he figured it out in his own time.

Marcy this is what I'm trying to avoid -- the last minute push and stress that comes with it. Not that you son is doing anything last minute, but if we can get some stuff out of the way early (she's already completely her learning service requirements -- community service), putting her schedule on the right path (harder classes), keeping her GPA up, etc. then she won't be scrambling to get everything done Junior year. As much as I will do anything to help her do her best, I'm really struggling with paying for a tutor or a prep class. I sort of feel like why should I have to because you've been lax about studying? When you finally decide it's important I should jump and pull out the checkbook? I know that may sound harsh, but I feel like this should be a group effort with give and take. Not just all one-sided.

 

[goofy4tink]

Thank you all for your responses. As a true DISer, I'm a planner by nature. Therefore the push to prepare. I also think I let myself get pulled into comparing my child to others. It's disconcerting when I read other threads about people who's children are taking advanced college courses in conjunction with high school courses, during the summer, etc. or whose children are scoring close to perfect on their SATs in 8th grade. The old joke around here is that all DIS children are perfect and I just feel like I'm letting my daughter down by not having her as prepared as possible. I really thought the language portion would be easy for her but when she does the practice and doesn't know the vocab it really concerns me. She doesn't always do the greatest on standardized testing which is also concerning me and doesn't always work as quickly as she needs to in order to complete the tests in the allotted timeframe.

As for the comment that it's not fair to put that pressure on her to get scholarships because we didn't save -- to a degree you are correct. However, nowhere does it say I have to guarantee my child a free ride to college. I'm pushing not only for my benefit, but for hers as well. I don't want her to start out under a huge mound of debt because so much of scholarships might ride on a test score and she just did okay. That's the part I can't get her to understand. I'm willing to help but not take on the entire load of debt and I've been reading where some people's children aren't being approved for the loans they need. I'd hate for her to complete 2-3 years of college and not be able to finish because she can't get a loan. Why not put in the time and effort now to do her absolute best on the SAT/ACT, hopefully getting scholarship money, so she doesn't spend the next 10 years paying back loans? It's all about the long-term big picture and she just can't see that far into the future, although I don't think most kids can.

I'm going to look into some of the suggestions made (flashcards, SAT specific books, etc.). I think if she can actually have some fun studying she might not be so resistent. And if all else fails, I walk away and let the chips fall where they may. (Easier said than done ).

Okay...I could also be a 'princessksmom...I have a Kate who is a senior, and in the throes of college decision making as we speak!!!
So...do yourself, and your dd, a favor. Stop thinking about what everyone else is saying about their child. You have no way to know if what you are reading is 100% true, or a stretching of the truth. No, I am not calling anyone a liar here...but people do embellish when it comes to their kids and chatting with strangers on an internet board...just saying.
So....stop worrying about her taking the SATs as a sophomore. She has plenty of time. She should take it at least once in junior year...that way she'll have an idea of the format and what she needs to change. She could take it in late fall...then again in the spring if she wants a second shot before senior year. Then, when she's a senior, do it again in the fall...her score will most likely go up in that year.
Also....take the ACT. No, it is not nearly as popular as the SAT here in the NE. BUT....there are some kids that do much better on the ACT. So, take 'em both. My dd did better on the ACT...actually got almost the exact same score both times she took it. But, with the SAT, her scores in math went up, as did her writing score the second time she took it...so that overall, combined SAT score went up!!

Your dd has time...don't rush her. I know that my dd was just not ready to think about the whole college process in 10th grade. We are now in the process of making her final choice for college. She got her acceptances, now it's time to choose. There is little money out there for her...we will be paying almost all the cost. No, we didn't plan well at all. Oh well. Her grades aren't nearly good enough to get much merit based scholarship. She may get a little bit here and there, but not much. It will all be oop and loans. Some of which she will pay, some we will pick up.
Will she get into the school of her choice??? Maybe not...the ball is in her court. I tried telling my dd, back in sophomore year, that if she didn't buckle down, she was not going to have as many choices as she would like. And....she didn't. She has been accepted at some very good schools..not her top choices, but they will be fine and she is excited about her choices. But, if she had tried harder and put more effort into her studies, then she would have had more options, especially when it comes to merit based money.

At some point, you have to hand them the wheel and let them drive the process. Sure, you can berate them into SAT prep classes. And sure, it will raise those test scores, which in turn will get them into a 'better' school. But really??? If you aren't there to push them in that 'better' school, how do you think they are going to perform there? I have seen way too many kids pushed into schools that they really shouldn't have gone to..but hey, they were prestigious schools and mom and dad were so very proud to say that Johnny was going to xyz!! But, now Johnny has flunked out..there was no way he could keep up. So, he is at a state school, doing really well and hoping to transfer after a year or so!!

 

[minkydog]

As for the comment that it's not fair to put that pressure on her to get scholarships because we didn't save -- to a degree you are correct. However, nowhere does it say I have to guarantee my child a free ride to college. I'm pushing not only for my benefit, but for hers as well. I don't want her to start out under a huge mound of debt because so much of scholarships might ride on a test score and she just did okay. That's the part I can't get her to understand. I'm willing to help but not take on the entire load of debt and I've been reading where some people's children aren't being approved for the loans they need. I'd hate for her to complete 2-3 years of college and not be able to finish because she can't get a loan. Why not put in the time and effort now to do her absolute best on the SAT/ACT, hopefully getting scholarship money, so she doesn't spend the next 10 years paying back loans?

I agree. I think it's great if parents can pay for college, but it's not a requirement. IMO, it's good for our kids to have some skin in the game. They aren't so quick to blow off classes or take fluff when they're paying for it themselves.

DH & I came from poor families. They couldn't pay for ANYTHING. We beat the bushes for financial aid, found 2 and 3 jobs, worked through school holidays and summers, found scholarships and took out loans. It took each of us 5 years to get through, but we did it--on our own.

Our DD18 is in the same position. We are paying nothing toward college. We can't afford to. At one point we came into some money and had to make the decision: college or retirement? We chose retirement and it was definitely the right choice. DD has received a grant, which helps, but she has also had to take out loans and find a job. She knows that *she* is responsible for repaying the loans, not us. We simply can't do that. DD is very proud herself. It makes her feel good knowing that she is doing it on her own. She's making good choices and taking school seriously because it's on her dime

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I completely agree! I'm guessing this child is only 15--15~! Who in the heck knows what they want to be when they're only 15? Sure, a few extremely driven individuals might, but I daresay the average 10th grader doesn't have any idea what kind of career will make them happy. Making her take SATs at this age isn't really going to accomplish anything. I'd much rather see her take the SAT or ACT at the end of her Junior year, when she is more likely to be in the "college" zone.

OP, I do feel your pain. We went through much the same thing with DD18. She signed up for the ACT during her Junior year. I couldn't get her to take it seriously. I was pulling my hair out! She took the test and frankly, did badly. Boy! did that get HER attention! In her senior year, she got it together and retook the ACT, raising her scores by about 5 points. She took it one last time in the winter of her senior year and tweaked her scores upward just a little bit more. Now, DD has a lot of difficulty with test-taking, so the scores really don't show her at her best, but her scores were good enough to get into the state college that she's in now and certainly will be good enough for her to transfer to a community college she's interested in closer to home in the fall. In the long run, getting her into college had not hinged on any one factor. Her ACT scores matter, but so did her high school class choices, her participation in the arts, and her volunteer work outside of school. She's not just a smart kid, she's a well-rounded kid and that's what her college was looking for.

ETA: DD said the one class that helped her the most was Latin. Not kidding. She took Latin for 4 years, through Latin 7. It really helped her learn root words, prefixes and suffixes.

Minky, my daughter is 16 (missed the birthday cutoff for starting school) and I realize it's unlikely she'll know what she wants to do with her life, that's why I encouraged her to take the Computer Graphics course she had her eye on, while sacrificing the SAT prep course. I don't want her entire day to be filled with tough courses and no fun and interesting ones. Unfortunately, junior year is tight. She really doesn't have any outside interests, hobbies, sports she plays, etc. so she'll be short on that in her apps and she also doesn't have a job. I'd really prefer she spend her time working on good grades, not working for a living. So again her apps will be short on that. She has done approx. 60 hours of community service the past two years and I hope she'll continue.

She has taken Spanish 1 and 2 and was encouraged by everyone to continue on that track as it shows persistence. We were told it's much better to take 3-4 years of one language than 4 years of two different languages. If that were the case she really wanted to take French. Instead she'll be taking Honors Spanish.

I really am listening and hear everyone. Hopefully she will get swept up in the tide of SATs/colleges during Junior year and start working toward that goal. We really didn't receive any guidance from the Guidance Dept. It's a huge public high school (2600 students) and anyone below Junior or Senior year is sort of swept aside as they need to focus on those students. Without pushing there's lots of info I wouldn't have received and it really would have been hard for her to play catchup. I think she also gets less attention because she's an Honors student. They feel those kids are already on track and don't need as much attention. I think we were had a huge disadvantage because she came from a Catholic grammar school into the only public high school in town. The high school began working with the public school students in 6th grade so they had a much better idea of what was available, what questions to ask, what they needed to get the most out of high school. We saw our first guidance counselor in May of 8th grade.

 

[Navychica]

I completely disagree with everyone saying to back off! I received my scholarship which paid for all 4 years at a private school because I had my application, SAT scores and all, turned in by the end of junior year. My parents pushed me, and I hated it at the time, but now I'm 23 with little debt and a well-paying job that I love.

Have her take the SAT multiple times. My siblings and I all took it for the first time in 7th grade to familiarize ourselves with it, and then a couple times each sophomore and junior year. Even if she doesn't know what she wants to do, she needs to keep her options open by doing as good as possible. Make sure she understands that you're pushing her because you know that she can do it, and that you're not making unrealistic expectations.

My parents had me do SAT prep workbooks everyday once I was finished with my homework. I didn't like it then, but I understand the reasoning now. She may not listen to you as her mom, so enlist the help of her school's guidance counselor. Even state schools such as University of Georgia are increasingly harder to get into, so hearing what the standards are might help. Depending on your budget, college visits might get her excited and give her a reason to focus.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Goofy4Tink you do understand! You were where I am now. And you're right, I won't be there to push her in college so it will all fall to her. I definitely do not want her in over her head.

I have discussed colleges with her Guidance Counselor who assured me that DD shouldn't have any trouble getting into Rutgers, which is a state school and, I believe, a good school. I'm thrilled because I thought it would be a reach, but it's obviously not. I just don't want to trust that until she's accepted. Another of her teachers asked her where she would like to go if money weren't an obstacle. Her response -- NYU. That's not going to happen. Not only because I don't think she has the grades or the drive for it, but because we don't have that kind of money and I'm sure wouldn't be able to get loans for that kind of money. Of course her teacher encouraged her to apply to anywhere she wanted and said that she should reach, which I'm fine with, but I think we need to be realistic. DD has pie in the sky aspirations without having any idea what it takes to attain those oh so lofty goals. She wants to go away to college which I think is exactly what she needs, but going to a state school is much more financially feasible. I know it sounds like I've planned out her future, but I honestly haven't. Just trying to be realistic with her about what's doable and what's not.

 

[PlutoPony]

We really didn't receive any guidance from the Guidance Dept. It's a huge public high school (2600 students) and anyone below Junior or Senior year is sort of swept aside as they need to focus on those students.

I think that's the case in most public school systems, that's pretty much the way it is here and I hear the same thing from friends in other areas. High school guidance depts. have been cut significantly as school budgets have been strained, and you're on your own more to know what you need for the colleges you might want to attend. My son just sat with his school counselor and she made sure he was covered with respect to HS graduation, and had the classes that would give him the best chance to get into the colleges he wants - and he'll be a senior next year. A little late to make major changes to his course sequencing At the end of 1st semester, the seniors are pretty much done as far as guidance is concerned - recommendation letters and 1st sem grades sent out - so the focus seems to shift then to juniors.

My guess is you will be pleasantly surprised next year at the change in your daughter's interest in college, SAT's and all that goes with it. One option is to have her take the first SAT test in September and let her see what all the fuss is. If she does well, it takes a lot of pressure off. BUT you do have to ask yourself if she doesn't do well, will that help or hurt her.... will it motivate her to put the effort in to improve her score, or add to the stress of doing better the next time?

 

[goofy4tink]

I completely disagree with everyone saying to back off! I received my scholarship which paid for all 4 years at a private school because I had my application, SAT scores and all, turned in by the end of junior year. My parents pushed me, and I hated it at the time, but now I'm 23 with little debt and a well-paying job that I love.

Have her take the SAT multiple times. My siblings and I all took it for the first time in 7th grade to familiarize ourselves with it, and then a couple times each sophomore and junior year. Even if she doesn't know what she wants to do, she needs to keep her options open by doing as good as possible. Make sure she understands that you're pushing her because you know that she can do it, and that you're not making unrealistic expectations.

My parents had me do SAT prep workbooks everyday once I was finished with my homework. I didn't like it then, but I understand the reasoning now. She may not listen to you as her mom, so enlist the help of her school's guidance counselor. Even state schools such as University of Georgia are increasingly harder to get into, so hearing what the standards are might help. Depending on your budget, college visits might get her excited and give her a reason to focus.

Having just gone through all this....I have to wonder what your situation was. There are very few schools that we have found that even look at applications/test scores from anyone other than a senior!! I know that at our high school....one of the best in the state....doesn't even meet with sophomores regarding college. The junior class has one big meeting, but the guidance dept is focusing on the senior class until April. THen, the focus moves over to the current junior class.

There is a college for just about everyone. And here's the thing....if your child doesn't get good enough grades/test scores to get into their first choice school, then they can go to a 'lesser' school for a year or so and then transfer. If they have done the work, freshman year, then most schools will be happy to accept them. And in all reality, it doesn't matter one whit where they started off...only where they get their degree. And even that isn't 'all that and a bag of chips' a month or so after graduation. Most companies just don't care, unless it's an area of specialty.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

PlutoPony, I definitely think if DD doesn't do well it will motivate her to do better. She will then have a definitive marker to look at and it won't just be mom being a pain in the buttocks. As with most teenagers, she thinks I don't know anything about anything. She'll either do poorly and become motivated or take great pleasure in rubbing my face in her good scores. I'd be happy with either outcome.

 

[padams]

Does she know the scores she needs for Rutgers? Knowing the median scores might provide some reality for her. Also, take her to Rutgers and do the tour, hang around the campus for an afternoon.... Being there may make it seem more real.

 

[Navychica]

Having just gone through all this....I have to wonder what your situation was. There are very few schools that we have found that even look at applications/test scores from anyone other than a senior!! I know that at our high school....one of the best in the state....doesn't even meet with sophomores regarding college. The junior class has one big meeting, but the guidance dept is focusing on the senior class until April. THen, the focus moves over to the current junior class.

There is a college for just about everyone. And here's the thing....if your child doesn't get good enough grades/test scores to get into their first choice school, then they can go to a 'lesser' school for a year or so and then transfer. If they have done the work, freshman year, then most schools will be happy to accept them. And in all reality, it doesn't matter one whit where they started off...only where they get their degree. And even that isn't 'all that and a bag of chips' a month or so after graduation. Most companies just don't care, unless it's an area of specialty.

You're absolutely right that most companies don't care about where you went to school. I wanted a small school that didn't have huge lecture halls, so I had to hunt for one and for a way to pay for it! Although I didn't apply for the school until August of my senior year, many of the scholarships I applied for accepted applications from juniors.

I am in no way trying to brag, but I didn't do too shabby on the SATs, and I think it's directly because of all the practice I got beforehand and the fact that I wanted to get out of my small town. My parents motivated me by taking me on college tours all around the Southeast. I think that getting teens excited about something, whether it's a campus with an awesome food court, a surfing club, or an underwater basket weaving major, will make them try to attain it.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Navychica, my friend and I had discussed taking the girls (BFFs since they were 4) on college tours this summer but thought that was putting the cart before the horse. Since neither one knows what they want to do, where they want to go, it seemed extreme at this point. However, my DD did compete in a Constitution competition at Rutgers last month and really enjoyed the little bit of the campus we saw. However, Rutgers has 3 campuses so there's no guarantee that would be the campus she'd be on.

 

[Navychica]

Navychica, my friend and I had discussed taking the girls (BFFs since they were 4) on college tours this summer but thought that was putting the cart before the horse. Since neither one knows what they want to do, where they want to go, it seemed extreme at this point. However, my DD did compete in a Constitution competition at Rutgers last month and really enjoyed the little bit of the campus we saw. However, Rutgers has 3 campuses so there's no guarantee that would be the campus she'd be on.

If she's not sure what she wants to do, then a large state school with a variety of majors may be great for her. I'm just trying to think of ways to motivate her. If she can see the results that she's aiming for, it may be a lot easier to buckle down and start working on how to get there.