Texas A&M in known for engineering, but just as important is their financial aid. If a kid can get National Merit, there's a great chance of full-tuition/full-ride at TAMU. Even if you don't get NM, if you can get a TAMU scholarship for $1000 or more, they waive in-state tuition. We've looked at them all, and nobody has the kind of aid they do. Or if they do, they don't advertise it at all. We've found nothing better. (Well Princeton and MIT have great aid IF you can get in and IF your income falls below $60-70K). But TAMU is not exactly mid-Atlantic. Oh, and I wanted to add Harvey Mudd. We've been really impressed with what we've seen of them...but they're west coast. Gig 'em Ags! Whoop! Lynne '91

Ds did this. No schedule, per se. He just worked through about one module per week. That's really helpful, isn't it? :001_smile:

That's a great score! It covers such a broad time span across Europe, and I've read through many of those FRQs--eeek! Well done!!

Oh, I just saw that no one has replied to your question. Yes, it's all together with the SAT. So choose "Register for the SAT" and then "Register Now". You'll have to set up an online account if you don't already have one. Then you log into your account and choose "Register for a Test". At some point you'll be asked to "Choose a Test"--then you select the SAT Subject Tests. If ds has taken an SAT before, it may be that the SAT is shown as the default test in the registration--in which case you click the link beside that which says, "Change Test". In my account there was a part one--setting up a profile, then part two, where you select a test date and then select a test --so you may have to plod through a bunch of stuff before getting to the test registration. If you keep going, you'll get to the right part! (I'm telling you this because I hate entering a bunch of information only to find out too late that I wasn't filling out the right forms and now I have to start over! You are in the right spot on this one!) On the start page you'll also see a link for "SAT Test Dates". You might want to check that out first, since all exams are not always offered on a particular date.

Wow, that was a long wait. Glad they finally came!

You can buy just the videos...if by that you mean videos without any of the online components that accompany them. I bought mine off Ebay (Thanks, MaryM!!) with the online key code--as new--but you can find them there without any extras.

I want to start by thanking Jann in Tx and Michelle in MO for all the helpful Lial's info you have posted on here over the years. I spent last night (insomnia) reading every Lial post on this board and feel very flush with knowledge right now thanks to you two. I have a copy of BCM and like it a lot, but I'm really, really drawn to Videotext for algebra, solely because dd (who struggles with concepts) watched their demos and really "got it". She was really drawn into the math. That hooked me...but then there's that price tag, and I do have some concerns about lack of review. I wonder if anyone can comment on the strength of Lial's conceptual strengths or weaknesses? If you can compare with Videotext, all the better. I want to make sure I've explored the options well before forking over for the VT. I'd really appreciate any comments!

\ OH NO!!!!!!!!! I have a good friend who "Hmmms" me! Ack! I'm going to have to pay more attention to when these come up in our conversation. Actually, I always find it a little annoying when my friend "hmmms" me, because from her it generally seems to come out as an expression of disapproval, rather than "You don't say!" So be sure that the "tone" of your "hmmm" is right, or you'll just annoy the SIL, rather than gently disengaging from the subject at hand. :lol: I think it's a nice tactic. The walking away thing sounds like a good plan, too. Maybe you can even interrupt him in mid-sentence to say, "I think I smell dinner burning!" before trotting away. Or for more dramatic effect, "Oh! I forgot to polish my toenails this morning....Gotta run!" Then again, I might not be the best one to advise you. I like to argue. :tongue_smilie: Maybe I should be praying for SIL/DIL who all agree with me? :001_smile:

Yes, these are like the Siemens winners. Always just blows my mind. Where do these kids come from? I don't know. Mind boggling!

OK, I know this is a dumb question. But if your dc have done these exams, did they think that either was possibly less challenging than other AP exams they have taken? I'm toying with the idea of ds doing these exams, but he already has a full load, and would basically be taking the exams for gov't and econ after a typical course of study (ie, no high-intensity prep). Would that be absolutely foolish? I think I'm foolish for even considering it, but I just wanted to ask for opinions. Thanks!

My first reaction would be that the 55% number is not accurate. But even if it is, there is still a big difference in that the students applying to UD are "self-selecting", meaning that primarily those with the appropriate qualifications apply. Their applicant pool would be different from the start. See what I mean? But at any rate, A&M is not what I would call a selective school. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with that, but you just can't compare 55% with 75% and come up with any meaningful conclusions about the schools. I never understood that either until fairly recently. Someone on here explained it this way: not all schools offer AP, so colleges can't really require them or accept them in lieu of subject exams--which anyone can take at an SAT testing location. Basically, subject exams are just a standardized way of making sure that students have met a certain high-school level proficiency in these areas of study. So if you have a student from Podunk H.S. and one from Best H.S. you can see how they stack up with one another as far as their high school preparation. Even though AP may go beyond this level, you can't compare apples and oranges (or subject exams and AP). So they just don't use them in this way. I think the other person on the board explained it much more clearly than I just did. This sounds like a great plan!

Showing ignorance here but what are NSU and OU? UD is an excellent school for many reasons, but FWIW, TAMU Commerce is in a different league entirely...and I can say that completely without malice because I'm an Aggie. :) These schools offer extremely different types of education and have very different requirements. That's not to say that your ds could not get a great education at either one...but it would be very different at Dallas vs. Commerce. And as Jane mentioned, AP and SAT subject tests are not interchangeable--either the subject exams are required or they are not. So having a high AP score wouldn't affect a decision to take a subject exam. If the school does not require them, then it is simply your own preference and goals that make this decision. Jane said, "There is a whole package of things that admissions people consider: level of difficulty of curriculum, test scores, extra curriculars. I think that it is best to work with your child to achieve a well rounded and rigorous curriculum. Be prepared for testing, but don't spend your life preparing for tests or focused on them exclusively. You'll miss out on too much." Absolutely!! BTW, I vote for translator for the Pope. But then again, I'm partial to the Pope! :) And if I may be so bold, I'd suggest TAMU College Station. They have a great Catholic culture--one of the best in the nation. Happy planning!

Yes, I'm sure it is something like that, and I even tried checking my settings there...but I'm like you--I know just enough to be dangerous. So I'm still waiting for someone to give me a clue! Thanks for your reply!

I second what Kareni said; that's a lot of subject tests! And ditto on the language exams: each language would require 2-4 years of prep, with two being the bare minimum. I suppose I would also question Latin I in the senior year after Spanish and Italian; it seems like latin would be better as a preparation for the other languages, and one year of it as a senior wouldn't be enough to make much headway. But maybe this kid has a gift for languages and plans to major in language in college? Also, as you are planning this, keep in mind that each of these exams are difficult and draining, particularly the SAT, and I assume the ACT is similar. I'm sure you know that already, but somehow looking at this written there, "ACT and PSAT and SAT" as a 10th grader...well that just looks pretty scary all right in a row! Maybe the PSAT in October, the SAT in January and the ACT in May? And of course the AP's all happen in May, too.... It looks like a tough schedule! At least at my house. ;)

Martha, the way you decide/plan, as I see it, is based on your student and his abilities and college plans. I have a very strong student who is great at taking tests; it seemed natural to use this to his advantage as much as possible. He actually began his testing career in the 8th grade after finishing biology. He took the CLEP exam for that, thinking it might help him get some credit somewhere down the road. (This was before he settled on his now top-choice university--one that is highly selective and doesn't accept any CLEP or AP.) If he doesn't get into this university, he can still go to plan B school, which does accept CLEP. So he'll have some credits in biology waiting for him if he needs it. It could save him some $$, especially in those subjects that are considered core requirements but that are not in his major. As his aspirations evolved, and his academic abilities developed, AP seemed like a good choice for him in high school. These are demanding tests which, unlike CLEP, indicate a high level of proficiency and a certain standard of achievement. For him, they could demonstrate beyond our homemade transcript, that he is capable of demanding work and that he has mastered difficult subject matter in high school. Plus, these courses were a challenge to him, and great preparation for college-level work. The SAT subject exams became relevant for him when he decided to pursue a top university. This school, and others like it, require a couple of subject exams. If he had not decided to apply to this school, we wouldn't have bothered with these tests at all....though if you have a student that might possibly attend a top-tier school it could be prudent to tuck a couple of these away "just in case". For example, if your student is finishing biology, he could take a subject exam while the material is fresh. If, as a rising senior, he should suddenly decide he wants to go to Yale, he would have this element of the application ready--something that might be difficult to prepare for a couple of years after the subject has been finished. CC is not an option for us because of our location. If we lived near one, we might have used it instead of CLEP or AP, depending on the student and depending on the college and its reputation. It's a very personal decision, and academics would only be a single factor among many when considering a CC. I really don't know how CC courses transfer to universities, particularly out of state, so that is something to consider too. Actually, it's something to consider with any of these options. Not all colleges give credit or placement for any of these things. I have another student who will enter 9th grade this fall. We will pursue an entirely different course for him, probably relying on CLEP exams as much as possible. The SAT can be taken early in the senior year and still be in time for college applications. However, only AP tests taken prior to the senior year can be considered by college admissions officers. Of course, senior AP's can still count for credit once you gain admission, but since the scores aren't posted until May (after the admissions process is over) these wouldn't be a factor in admissions--though certainly an admissions officer could see that a student is enrolled in AP classes as a senior and view that favorably.

My little "remember me" box apparently doesn't work, because no matter how many times I've checked it, I cannot stay signed in. I tried checking my settings and didn't see anything to remedy this problem. Suggestions?

Lisa, He did the courses one after another--finished physics and then began advanced physics sometime in January. I asked him about skipping the first book and using it as reference and he said he didn't think that would work too well. He didn't follow a schedule, but worked through about one module each week--"marching through". Good luck with wrapping up this one loose thread!

Apologia sciences sometimes get a bad rap around here and while I certainly respect everyone's differences of opinion and the various preferences and needs of individual students, I also like to put in a positive word for Apologia when I can because it has been such a great science resource for our family. I've written before about using Apologia chemistry with great success as preparation for the AP Chemistry exam, and now I wanted to add testimony for Apologia physics. Ds used both of the Apologia physics courses this year and then took the AP Physics B exam and the SAT II Physics exam, scoring a "5" on the AP and an 800 on the SATII (the highest scores you can get on both tests). I'll be the first to admit that ds is a uniquely gifted science student and a great test taker, but his only preparation in physics came from his Apologia books and a couple of study guides at the end. He did say that there was one area on the AP exam which Apologia didn't cover (or at least didn't cover in depth), and that there was a question about that very thing on the exam--but he had covered this enough with his study guide and was able to get through it. I don't mean to suggest that Apologia is the best thing out there and that everyone should use it to obtain these stellar results. :) I just want to throw this out there for people who really want to use it, but have some hesitation or concern because they think it is somehow less rigorous than other texts. Maybe it is, but I guess it still gets the job done. HTH!

You'd probably need to check the course outline or list of material covered on the respective tests to make sure that the CLEP covered the same material, but I'd guess that if your dc was prepared for the AP, then the CLEP would be no problem. As to whether it would be a futile effort and waste time, that would depend on why you are doing it. Did your dc take the AP and score 3 or better? If so, CLEP might be an unecessary effort. Some of this depends on the course and the college. For example, a college might award 3 credits for APUSH (with appropriate scores, of course) or 3 for CLEP Am. History I and another 3 for CLEP Am. History II (I think they call them something different, but the tests are set up in two parts and a university we're looking at does award credit just like this, believe it or not!) At any rate, if you can somehow gain more credit by taking a CLEP, then that would be great. Otherwise, there really isn't a reason to take it in addition to AP. Of course if your dc prepared for the AP but didn't actually take the exam, or didn't pass with 3 or better, then CLEP would be a great alternative route to getting credit. Naturally you'd also want to check with your college to see if they award credit for CLEP and the minimum scores required. If you don't have a college picked out, then you can certainly take the test anyway and hope that in the future you may be able to use them! I hope this isn't too rambling and scrambled. I'd be glad to discuss it further if you have other questions!

Ds just walked by and looked over my shoulder. He said, "Hey--tenor cleff." (He's a former bassoonist.) I'm glad he explained it to me; I was clueless. I thought it was a fancy letter "B" or something. Glad I'm not the teacher! :D

I don't know any scores from other kids' writing, but I would think that if a kid can write a solid essay using ANY format, that piece of writing would receive good marks on the SAT. It doesn't take long to tire of reading bad writing, and those readers must LONG for something good to come past their eyes--five paragraph or otherwise. I suspect they want to reward anybody who can communicate effectively! You've gotten lots of great feedback on IEW. It's been a great tool for us, and as many have mentioned, it served as a starting point--not necessarily the be-all/end-all.

That's really weird. Sure you don't have someone playing pranks with your mail? :tongue_smilie: Good luck!

We got ours a week or two ago...maybe around the 14th?? They do say it can take up till the end of July I believe. I remember thinking that we'd at least have to wait that long before calling to ask why they hadn't arrived. Sorry they haven't come. Bummer.

I've been searching for some time for a program to use for dd as she grows into algebra age. She is a right-brainer with no math intuition...and no conceptual understanding. I just can't go the Saxon route with her. Today my requested Videotext sampler arrived. I began to watch it, but she quickly took my seat away. I watched from behind as she eagerly viewed the lessons...all of which were much beyond her level at this point. However, she was getting the concepts as they were explained and I could actually SEE things clicking in her brain. And for that matter, things were clicking in my own brain, vwhich isn't especially good at math, either. I haven't watched any of Dana Mosely, but I do think I'm sold on this. I guess that was the purpose of the sampler, after all--to sell me the product. :) Am I just being duped by a slick production? Maybe some people find this tedious or dull, but as one who never understood math even while passing calculus with an "A", I thought it was rather appealing. And more importantly, dd was hooked. If anyone wishes to chime in with good reports or bad, speak now please! I'd love to hear more of both sides.

Yea!! That's great! Glad you finally got them!!!!!