Girlie AGDee's College Search Thread

[alum]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Oh, the other factor, which nobody prints, is SAT II scores. We have no idea where she really falls with those scores, but they were above the 70th percentile and we figure, since only kids trying to get into these kinds of schools even take those, that's pretty good.

Not necessarily!

In areas where more students attend private colleges as opposed to the publics, the high schools strongly encourage the kids to take the SAT 2 for a particular subject as soon as they finish the subject ( ie freshman year June for the Biology SAT 2) rather than waiting to knock out 3 in on sitting during sr yr if they are not going to take a more advanced version of the class later ie AP/IB. For the Math I, it is recommended to take the exam as soon as the 2 levels of Algebra plus one Geometry are completed. The Math Level 2 is for the kids having just completed Trig.

Very few kids from my Boston suburb went to UMass. It was assumed that we would all be at least applying to schools requiring subject exams. So I took the Chemistry (I had zero interest in AP Chem for later) and Math Level 1 as a sophomore and then Math II and English Composition as a junior.

When my oldest started high school, I asked about the SAT 2 classes. Living in Virginia which is blessed with an abundance of excellent public institutions (William and Mary, UVa and to a lesser extent VA Tech), the SAT 2s are not emphasized nearly as much. Consequently, the student ends up taking 3 subject exams at the end of jr yr and of those 3, may be taking one in a subject that was completed as a freshman or sophomore. I should have had my kid take these exams as she completed the coursework rather than following the advice of the guidance and college counselor.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by alum

When my oldest started high school, I asked about the SAT 2 classes. Living in Virginia which is blessed with an abundance of excellent public institutions (William and Mary, UVa and to a lesser extent VA Tech), the SAT 2s are not emphasized nearly as much. Consequently, the student ends up taking 3 subject exams at the end of jr yr and of those 3, may be taking one in a subject that was completed as a freshman or sophomore. I should have had my kid take these exams as she completed the coursework rather than following the advice of the guidance and college counselor.

We were told to take the SAT IIs right after we took the corresponding AP exam. The only reason I took them was because Berkeley required them and Berkeley was my #2 choice until the fall of my senior year. If I had just stuck with the private schools, then I wouldn't have needed them. I had also taken the ACT.

[alum]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

We were told to take the SAT IIs right after we took the corresponding AP exam. The only reason I took them was because Berkeley required them and Berkeley was my #2 choice until the fall of my senior year. If I had just stuck with the private schools, then I wouldn't have needed them. I had also taken the ACT.

You didn't need SAT 2's for your Ivies?

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by alum

You didn't need SAT 2's for your Ivies?

Nope. At the time of my application (November 1998), the ACT could be substituted for the SAT-II requirement. I still submitted them but that wasn't the reason why I took them.

[alum]

In my day (early 80s), very few East Coast schools accepted the ACTs as a standardized test and certainly not for replacing the Achievement tests (the old name of the SAT IIs).