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PSAT/SAT and Running Start


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My dd16 begins Running Start tomorrow. Her PSAT is on 10/17 and she is wigging out about missing her classes at the college for the PSAT.

 

Does she need it? Should she skip it? Do Running Start students typically take the PSAT?

 

On the same note, I assume she needs to take the SAT, yes? (Her plan is to get her Associate's Degree and transfer to a 4 year; she is hoping for Stanford.)

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I don't know what Running Start is. The PSAT is not a necessary test for college admissions. It is a practice test. However, it is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship corp. If your daughter might get a high enough score, it can be worth it to take it. I am sure that college professors would be ok with a studen missing class to take the exam. My kids have taken college classes at our local liberal arts college, which is on 10-week quarters. It is usually not a good idea to miss class, however, they have had to on occasion - one for a college visit and one for a 2-day lab intensive. As of yet, none of the professors have had a problem with it, provided they let them know way in advance. It could be an issue if there is another exam scheduled at that time, though.

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Most juniors will take the PSAT and I'm sure her college instructors would understand her absence. The main reasons for taking the PSAT is to get testing practice and for the possibility of scholarships connected to National Merit. The test has no bearing in college admissions and colleges won't see the score. Do you have any guess as to whether or not she's likely to be a high scorer?

 

I would suggest that she take the SAT or the ACT this spring, just to keep her options open. Many community colleges won't require it, but long term she may still need it when she transfers or if she ends up considering other four year schools in the fall. Many students are going to find that their math score is highest when they are closest to having taken algebra and geometry.

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Running Start is a program which allows juniors and seniors to earn an Associate's Degree in high school (at a local community college) and enter university with the freshman and sophomore years already completed.

 

I wanted her to take the PSAT as a practice for the SAT. But I'm not sure that benefit outweighs the loss of time in her classes, especially as she is so freaked out about missing her classes. (I kind of doubt she will score in the top 1%, despite her outstanding brilliance! :tongue_smilie: )

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Running Start is a program which allows juniors and seniors to earn an Associate's Degree in high school (at a local community college) and enter university with the freshman and sophomore years already completed.

 

Students in Running Start are still high school juniors so they are still eligible to take the PSAT and qualify for National Merit.

 

Just as an aside, with her eyes on Stanford she may want to check if dual enrollment credits can be used toward college credits as well. At many highly selective schools if the courses were counted toward high school credit (as they are in Running Start) they can't also be used for college credit.

 

I wanted her to take the PSAT as a practice for the SAT. But I'm not sure that benefit outweighs the loss of time in her classes, especially as she is so freaked out about missing her classes. (I kind of doubt she will score in the top 1%, despite her outstanding brilliance! :tongue_smilie: )

I understanding hating to miss class particularly just as school is starting. One option might be to have her take a full length practice PSAT at home (quiet room, with a timer, etc.) and just see how she does. If she's not in within a few points of the cutoff for your state this year just give it a pass. One good thing in her college classes is that she will get experience taking tests in a classroom setting.

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She isn't receiving dual credit. We aren't going for a diploma from her local high school. It is straight college credit.

 

While individual classes might not necessarily transfer, if she receives her degree, it will be accepted in its entirety. (IOW, classes they might not accept stand-alone, they will accept as part of the degree, which they will accept.)

 

The bottom line is, for her, she needs to earn an actual degree or the classes could end up a waste of time.... :(

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The bottom line is, for her, she needs to earn an actual degree or the classes could end up a waste of time.... :(

 

Is she planning to graduate from homeschooling? If you are using the credits toward homeschooling they are dual enrollment.

 

Not sure what state you are in but if you are staying within your state system it may be clear cut. If she is considering out of state colleges as a transfer student this is likely going to be a gray area with some colleges seeing these credits as dual enrollment because she's not a college graduate. It probably doesn't matter at this point because it is a good learning opportunity, but as she starts to consider specific schools she may need to check carefully about how they will treat her application and what status they will give her.

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Is she planning to graduate from homeschooling? If you are using the credits toward homeschooling they are dual enrollment.

 

Not sure what state you are in but if you are staying within your state system it may be clear cut. If she is considering out of state colleges as a transfer student this is likely going to be a gray area with some colleges seeing these credits as dual enrollment because she's not a college graduate. It probably doesn't matter at this point because it is a good learning opportunity, but as she starts to consider specific schools she may need to check carefully about how they will treat her application and what status they will give her.

 

She has researched the requirements for her top 3 college choices. She is *not* dual enrollment. And she *will* have a college degree - she will have an Associate's Degree - an AA, specifically. That is why I am not sure about the necessity of the PSAT and SAT.

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Any chance you can find a Saturday location? It's not always easy, but that's what we are doing because ds doesn't want to miss his CC classes.

 

I didn't know that was an option! Thanks! I'll look into it. I assumed (and you know what they say about assuming!) that it was all on the same morning everywhere. I will check with the two school districts which border our district. :)

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She has researched the requirements for her top 3 college choices. She is *not* dual enrollment. And she *will* have a college degree - she will have an Associate's Degree - an AA, specifically. That is why I am not sure about the necessity of the PSAT and SAT.

It looks like transfer applicants do need the SAT.

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It looks like transfer applicants do need the SAT.

 

Thank you. :) Dd isn't here today or I would have asked her, lol. She knows all of this inside out and backwards but had a meltdown over missing classes for the PSAT. So I thought I'd ask. I'm still not sure the PSAT is necessary. But the SAT is, so she will do that. :D (And that is on Saturday mornings, so no meltdown!! Woo-hoo!)

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She has researched the requirements for her top 3 college choices. She is *not* dual enrollment. And she *will* have a college degree - she will have an Associate's Degree - an AA, specifically. That is why I am not sure about the necessity of the PSAT and SAT.

 

Just tossing out there, often it is not a clear cut situation how Running Start students will be handled if they transfer out of their state system. These are often complicated individual decisions that don't neatly fit information available on college websites and even asking one admissions officer at a college you may get a totally different set of information than will ultimately happen after admissions. So, I'm just saying it is a complicated gray area. You can have the same kid with the same record and one school calls them a junior and accepts all the credits and another calls them a freshman with advanced standing. There are also schools that will not accept a transfer student with an AA or AS unless they have a high school diploma as well.

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Can you call and transfer from the Wednesday PSAT test date to the Saturday test date? If not, don't panic; just cancel the test, and plan to go with the SAT or ACT. Unless your DD would be in the top 2% of the PSAT test, there will be no scholarship money.

 

As for the SAT and ACT tests -- they are only scheduled on Saturday mornings (with a few Sunday morning dates for those with religious or other reasons for not testing on Saturdays). So no worries about missing class for those tests.

 

There are also test dates that are after college semesters have finished, so, if you're really worried, you can just schedule after the end of the semester:

 

This year's ACT test dates: Sept. 8; Oct. 27; Dec. 8; Feb. 9; Apr. 13; June 8.

This year's SAT test dates: Oct. 6; Nov. 3; Dec. 1; Jan. 26; Mar. 9; May 4; June 1.

 

And yes, even if she gets an AA degree and then applies to college, still have her take the SAT and ACT tests -- those scores REALLY HELP with scholarship $$, which the AA degree will NOT do. BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited by Lori D.
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Can you call and transfer from the Wednesday PSAT test date to the Saturday test date? If not, don't panic; just cancel the test, and plan to go with the SAT or ACT. Unless your DD would be in the top 2% of the PSAT test, there will be no scholarship money.

 

As for the SAT and ACT tests -- they are only scheduled on Saturday mornings (with a few Sunday morning dates for those with religious or other reasons for not testing on Saturdays). So no worries about missing class for those tests.

 

There are also test dates that are after college semesters have finished, so, if you're really worried, you can just schedule after the end of the semester:

 

This year's ACT test dates: Sept. 8; Oct. 27; Dec. 8; Feb. 9; Apr. 13; June 8.

This year's SAT test dates: Oct. 6; Nov. 3; Dec. 1; Jan. 26; Mar. 9; May 4; June 1.

 

And yes, even if she gets an AA degree and then applies to college, still have her take the SAT and ACT tests -- those scores REALLY HELP with scholarship $$, which the AA degree will NOT do. BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

 

I want to print this out!! Thank you! :grouphug:

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The instructors at my kiddos' CC seem to know that juniors will miss the day of the PSAT. I had my kiddos tell their instructors, but it wasn't a big deal to ANY of the instructors.

 

My students only took the PSAT for National Merit reasons. We used the ACT as our standardized test each year since 8th grade, so they were familiar with that and our kiddos test better with the ACT than the SAT. All colleges to which my oldest son applied last year accepted the ACT or SAT.

 

HTH.

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Has she researched how Stanford will deal with the credit? Because most schools of that caliber won't transfer CC credits.

In addition to EKS's post, depending on the school, it is more difficult to gain admissions as a transfer student vs. a student applying as an incoming freshman. I have not researched it myself, but I have read that this holds true for admissions to Stanford.

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In addition to EKS's post, depending on the school, it is more difficult to gain admissions as a transfer student vs. a student applying as an incoming freshman. I have not researched it myself, but I have read that this holds true for admissions to Stanford.

 

Stanford's acceptance rate for transfer students tends to be 1-2%. So, it is extremely competitive. It is okay to have a "reach" school dream as long as you have other options well.

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If you look on the web site that has the PSAT listings you can go to each of the schools near you and see when they offer the PSAT. My own SD has it on Wed but a couple north of me have it on Saturday. That's when I'd have my child take it. (She's in Running Start too and I loathe to have her skip 3 classes to take the test.)

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