ma23peas Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 I'm pulling together a workbook of sorts (word document) of some great ideas you guys have shared...I will be THRILLED to make it available when I compile all this research...I'm trying to help myself be prepared for high school (son starts 8th grade in January)...so if you could put together a preferred schedule on these testings what would it look like? Are there any other tests you would have considered? And I've done some looking at http://www.freeweb.com (scholarship listings) and wondering if any of you found them worthwhile or if your child did receive a scholarship was it mostly from the university/college he/she was attending? My goal is to have my children submit as many essays to various sources beginning in 9th grade and have them track their wins (they may not win any, but the trying will actually be a part of having them improve their writing skills) I know that I wrote several essays from 9-12th grade and racked up some money through savings bonds (mostly were $50-$100) but it really helped.... Thanks for all your insights!! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Is it true that the PSAT is the only test that qualifies National Merit Scholars? And can you only take that in the 11th grade? Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Is it true that the PSAT is the only test that qualifies National Merit Scholars? And can you only take that in the 11th grade? Tara Yes to your first question (as far as I know) - you can take the PSAT anytime up to 11th grade- the local ps has all 9th, 10th and 11th graders take it. The 11th grade is the one that counts "for real" - i.e. for the merit scholarships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 http://www.powerprep.com/collguid/collbd.htm Thanks!! I found the above website that might be helpful to others...any real world experience out there? Blessings, Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in NC Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 Don't forget to schedule SAT Subject Tests. These cannot be taken the same time as the SAT, so you need another date set aside for those. I'd recommend taking one a year from 9th grade on. Many schools don't require the subject test, but some do and you don't want to get caught having to take 3 or 4 in one year. In NC, the ACT fulfills our annual testing requirement. Likewise the SAT along with SAT Subject test scores does. So the ideal schedule, for me, would be 9th spring semester: AP, ACT and an SAT Subject Test 10th spring semester: AP, ACT and an SAT Subject Test 11th October PSAT; spring semester AP, SAT and an SAT Subject Test 12th (as needed, depending on college choice) ACT or SAT and an SAT Subject Test plus AP. I added an AP exam each May in the list above, assuming your student would start taking AP classes in 9th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted November 7, 2008 Author Share Posted November 7, 2008 Sandra, Thanks! I have a question about AP..my son will have Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Comparative Anatomy (9-12th)...how do I know if they're AP? Is he able to take the AP class just to try and get credit? Or is there an advantage to taking the AP if you don't want college credit? Here is my experience with AP's....I would rather my children go into college with a strong grasp of the sciences and use their first years of science at college as GPA builders...I would rather my son go into college knowing he can ace the first year of Calculus (rather than clepping out) and get that A than being place in an Honors class and get a B or a C...I want that first year of college to be easy academically for them so they can make the adjustment of living on campus and just the general life change....so do they need to take the AP for any other purpose? I'm just not sure if it would just look good to have those scores on their transcripts as "proof" of their knowledge base. And, if I'm just using the AP test as a proof for questioning universities, will the SAT subject tests fulfill that need? Thanks again!! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in NC Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 From what I've heard, colleges like to see AP courses on the transcript. It doesn't matter them if you take the AP exam or not. Even if you take the AP exam and qualify for college credit, you can still take the introductory college course. For instance, my son is taking AP Chemistry this year. He HATES chemistry and doesn't plan to major in anything that would require more than an introductory course in it. For that, he'll apply his AP test scores (if they're good enough) and hopefully not have to take Chemistry at the college level. On the other hand, he might want to take the introductory Government courses in college and not use his AP test scores to skip this level. It will be up to him. Colleges don't mind if you take their class rather than apply your CLEP or AP credits. You only get credit for the class once though. So if you take it in college it's like forfeiting the credits earned through testing. Regarding Subject Tests: Some colleges are inflexible about requiring Subject tests, and that's why I'd recommend taking them -- just in case you need them. Your reasoning is sensible, but sometimes college admission departments aren't. As far as listing a class as AP on your transcript, I think you have to have your syllabus approved by the College Board for that. I'm not sure of the process. We used PA Homeschool Classes which were AP approved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted November 7, 2008 Share Posted November 7, 2008 PSAT -- you can take it freshman and sophomore years as well, but the only time it counts for the Natl Merit competition is junior year. AP EXAMS -- I have heard that colleges discount AP classes that don't come with actual AP scores. Many high schools require AP courses of almost all their studentsso just taking an AP class these days doesn't necessarily mean much. The score on the AP exam is what actually indicates to the college that the class you took was a challenging AP-level class and that the student did well in it. There is no downside to taking AP exams -- other than cost and time. At many colleges, you don't "need" to take your credit from an AP exam if you don't want to.. At my kids' college, if you are going to major in the sciences you HAVE to take the 100-level science classes, even if you got a 5 on the AP exam and received credit for the elementary version of the class. On the other hand, if you are NOT going to be a science major, NOT having to take a lab science freshman year is a HUGE blessing. Lab sciences not only have the 3-4 hours of classes per week; they also have 3-4 hours of lab per week. That's a LOT of classroom hours. Of course, there is still the homework to be done. My ds1 is so happy happy happy not to have to take a lab science in college because of his 5 on the AP chem exam. He has hours and hours more time per week than my dd1 does just because she is taking a lot of lab sciences that consume hours and hours of time. Because of the intense time commitment, I would not consider a lab science class an easy way to boost a GPA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 9th spring semester: AP, ACT and an SAT Subject Test 10th spring semester: AP, ACT and an SAT Subject Test 11th October PSAT; spring semester AP, SAT and an SAT Subject Test 12th (as needed, depending on college choice) ACT or SAT and an SAT Subject Test plus AP. One thing to consider is your child's purpose in taking the AP test. If your child is taking AP tests to strengthen his or her college application, the results from 12th grade will not be available until the summer after 12th grade. Also, the fall of 12th grade can be pretty busy with college applications (ask me how I know!). In an ideal world, your child would have as much as possible of the testing done prior to the beginning of that year. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 Do remember to check out the SAT2 testing schedule carefully. Not all SAT2's are offered at each testing date. (Latin is only offered two or three times each year .....) My kids junior year schedule involved October -- PSAT December -- math SAT2 (provided good review for SAT) January -- SAT March -- SAT again if necessary (neither kid ended up retaking it) April -- final exams in college classes May -- AP exams June -- SAT2 exam (two of them) They each had taken two SAT2's before junior year and they each took one fall of senior year. Junior year was the test-intensive year. Junior year is absolutely nuts. I think you have to be young to follow that insane schedule! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.