College bound...

[Pollyanna]

Holy moly, for us that is only 2.5 years away, SATs and the like start next year. Anyway, while doing some research I stumbled across a great website: http://www.collegeconfidential.com/ TONS of info and really great message boards. Plus a whole section devoted to paying for college (dh and I are still figuring out how that is going to happen. Anyway, I know there are a few of us with high school kiddos so I thought I'd pass this along.

[Sheherezade]

Is it too early for me to start worrying with DS in 8th grade??? I'm thinking of going to the "applying to college" seminar that the high school is offering this year for junio parents. My name is Angela and I am a Helicopter Parent.

[Pollyanna]

Is it too early for me to start worrying with DS in 8th grade??? I'm thinking of going to the "applying to college" seminar that the high school is offering this year for junio parents. My name is Angela and I am a Helicopter Parent.

Hey, it's never too early, our 7th grader talks about college on a regular basis.

[peggyfromwastate]

Kate's friends are taking the SATs this summer-- THat's before 9th grade. Crazy.

[NYCHoosier]

Kate's friends are taking the SATs this summer-- THat's before 9th grade. Crazy.

I took the SATs in 8th grade! It was a good experience, I think. I got like, a 1200 or something (out of 1600)... so, still a little way to go. A bunch of my classmates also took it. I think everyone tended to score in the 1000-1300 range. Maybe they were trying to see if any of us should skip high school? haha.

[ladymoreta]

I took the SATs in 8th grade!

My middle school did this, too. We had the option to take either the ACT or SAT. (ACT is a more commonly taken test here than the SAT.) It was a good experience for me, too. When I was ready to start taking the ACT prep classes in high school, I had a better idea of what to expect and how to prepare. And it was fun to get college promotional mail when I was that young!

[SoonerTexan]

My little brother took the SAT in 7th grade...he's a sophomore now, and I think it helps. My mom has made him do SAT flashcards before he gets to use the XBox for the past 3 years, though. She had this dream of all five of us getting National Merit scholarships.

Is your dd taking any AP classes? I HIGHLY recommend them if she isn't sure. I got 33 hours of credit that way and they tend to be a better "learning environment" (i.e. at the very least, fewer drug deals happening in the back of the classroom) than normal classes

[scarlett09]

Is your dd taking any AP classes? I HIGHLY recommend them if she isn't sure. I got 33 hours of credit that way and they tend to be a better "learning environment" (i.e. at the very least, fewer drug deals happening in the back of the classroom) than normal classes

Yes, this. At most colleges, receiving college credit for AP classes is dependent upon receiving at least a 4 or 5 on the AP exam. If your DD is taking these classes, make sure she studies a lot for the AP exams! No one is giving credit for just taking an AP class. Because why should the person who slept through class and didn't do the work be given the same credit as someone who participated and did all of the work?

And taking the SATs early is a good option, if it is available. I took them every year, starting in 7th grade. I think I got like an 880 the first time I took them, which is apparently around the average for 7th graders. A few friends of mine scored just above 1000, but they were the uber smart people.

Anyway, PSATs are also good for the whole National Merit Scholar thing and getting college promo materials early on. College admissions counselors are really looking at the highest SAT/ACT scores the student has anyway, the rest of it doesn't matter much in the long run.

[peggyfromwastate]

I for one am not going to feed the SAT $ pot more than I have to. 7th grade to take the exam? It's an option out there, but it costs $$ and then it's usually offered with a course. I know parents who are spending close to $1000 for SAT prep for their Middle Schooler.

It's a giant scam.

I think it's adequate to take the PSATs in 10th grade, study and maybe do 1 abbreviated course if it's really necessary, and then take the SATs 2 times, and that's that.

That's just me, but I'm not shelling out for taking all these exams.

And the AP courses? This has gone crazy lately, too. In our area, the average high school graduate takes 13 AP exams. The top-tier high school students take around 26. Who cares about AP credit since you only get the credit if you go to certain schools. With the proliferation of AP exams as routine for every single high school class offered, I'm not expecting any of the AP exam credits to translate to college credit. It's just another money grab, this time by the people who write the AP exams.

I still think it's CRAZY to take these long, boring exams in middle school... I'd rather put the $ into my kid doing swim team or summer camp than a Kaplan program followed by a practice SAT...

[DCJenn]

Here's the problem with the SAT. They predict jack shit about college preparedness. Statistically they're meaningless. In fact, the GRE is also statistically insignificant as a measure that indicates graduate school readiness.

Many of the Ivies and I predict soon more of the next tier schools are no longer looking at the SAT for admission.

One poor kid from the Barrio who could be the scientist who cures cancer is going to score for crap on the SAT. It's written for middle to upper middle class white kids in the suburbs. (true- there have been decades of studies on the test)

The best standardized predictor for success is the Miller Analogy Test for graduate school and schools rarely ever use it because it's hard. (it's a critical thinking test)

Jenn

[Rapunzel]

For homeschooled children, though, SAT and ACT scores are very, very important. And, the specialized SAT's (such as history, the sciences, foreign languages, etc.) are also worthwhile - because they prove that the high school transcript is accurate.

Good thought about taking the SAT early in order to get some practice in. DS goes into 8th grade next year (technically) and I'll make sure he takes it - because with the "regular" SAT it really isn't what you know - it's how to take the test.

Anyone have any idea who I need to speak with in order to get him signed up for the SAT in 8th grade? And, someone help me here - what are the deadlines for the sign-up dates (fall and spring)?

[NYCHoosier]

I think most of my classmates took the PSAT in 8th grade, but I wasn't free that day and ended up taking the real SAT. They're both administered through the College Board, so I'd talk to someone there. Also, when I took the PSAT junior year of high school to qualify for National Merit, the [public] school paid for it. It might be worth looking into. Like I said, I got $8k from it, and others get full rides out of it.

Having had friends teach at Kaplan, I think it's crap. I've never taken a prep course, but having done a little research, I think most (if not all) of them are a rip-off. The books are very helpful, though! And I agree it's important to know the test.

The AP courses, though, do tend to be solid courses... I earned 3 3's and a 5, so for NYU I only got credit for the 5. However, for my second degree (at a less prestigious school) I received credit for the 3's. I don't know of any schools that don't accept them. Maybe not certain specific tests (like say, Music Theory), but if you do well (4 or 5, sometimes 3) on the main subject tests, you will probably get credit. The college board website has that information, too, in the college profiles.
A friend of mine who went to Michigan was an AP Scholar with Distinction and got 32 credits waved. The tests only cost $50ish each. A semester-course at Michigan (even in-state, though she was out-of-state) costs far more than that! Of course, her parents didn't want her to graduate college early, so instead she triple-majored (plus pre-med). If she was looking to save money, though, she could have saved a year's worth of tuition and fees.

[Pollyanna]

Dd has taken the PLAN (pre-ACT and was in the 90th percentile) and the PSAT this year and next. Her high school has a testing day every year so it's built into the schedule for her. Luckily she is a good test taker so aside from a test prep class next year I don't think we will do anything else.

Neither dh or I are good at standardized tests but clearly perform well in "real life". I'm not a big fan of standardized tests for many reasons. Something I have seen on numerous occasions is holding a child back in math (ie: they could be doing math with the 6th graders but they are kept with the 5th graders) to boost the scores of a particular grade.

[SoonerTexan]

And the AP courses? This has gone crazy lately, too. In our area, the average high school graduate takes 13 AP exams. The top-tier high school students take around 26.

That's pretty ridiculous. Are you sure that's right? Four years ago I don't think there were even 26 offered, and it wouldn't have even been possible to take that many simply because there are only so many courses you can take in high school! I was one of those overachievers, and I only took 9 AP courses/tests.

It may seem like a scam, but don't discount it if the colleges your child is interested in them will grant credit. It allowed me to pick up a second degree (I'll have a BA & BBA) and still graduate in four years without killing myself.

In fact, some of the AP courses I took in HS were higher quality than some of my courses in college!

[SoonerTexan]

I don't know of any schools that don't accept them.

I know of one--Rice University. It was the sole reason I didn't even take a second look at it.