Dear Friend,
As I write, we are in the middle of dealing with the remains of a winter ice storm. The 14” of predicted snow missed us, but the ice has built up on windows, trees and fence posts and there are pockets around the state with no electricity. The landscape is perfectly white, which is probably why I noticed a rather unusual thing. To my amazement this morning, a fairly large bobcat walked calmly under my office window and circled the perimeter of the house, probably looking for mice or rabbits. While I see a lot of wildlife out my window (no human habitations visible clear to the horizon) a large predator like a bobcat is fairly rare, especially so close to a house and in the open.
It brought back memories of when my children were much younger. When things like that would happen through the course of the week, we would pull out ID books and try to identify just exactly what we had seen. Then we would find other informative books and read about the bird, animal, tree leaf, insect, or mineral we had just discovered.
Of course, the secret to being able to follow the kids’ curiosity was to have a well-stocked library at home. Teachable moments are so fleeting. If I had to wait for a trip to town to check out a book from the library, my little children would have already lost interest. By being able to follow up immediately, their interest was often piqued for weeks and sometimes I would quickly design a unit study to make the most of the chance encounter.
Relax. This isn’t as expensive as it sounds. While I did spend a considerable sum on new books, the majority of our huge library came from library sales, secondhand stores, and yard sales. Happy book hunting.
Blessings,
Jeannette
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Feature Article: SAT vs. ACT
While I refused to let standardized tests rule the lives of my children, they are a fact of life for students heading to top colleges. The real key is to understand what tests you need, which ones showcase your student’s skills the best, and how to spread them around to make your life less stressful.
I encourage students to take their first AP class(es) at least by the sophomore year (you can start as a freshman) and take a SAT Subject test that year as well. Then take another SAT Subject test early in the junior year, followed by the PSAT, ACT or SAT mid-year, then another SAT Subject test in the spring with any AP exams. In the senior year that leaves only the AP tests in May, giving them plenty of time to work on college applications in the fall and visit schools in April.
For any standardized test, I recommend the student take a number of practice tests at home under exact testing conditions. About 5 months out (or as soon as they have the requisite knowledge) take a diagnostic test and evaluate it carefully. Buy a study guide, work on weak areas, and re-test at regular intervals. If they are weak on a test or in a particular area, you might want as many as 8-10 practice runs. This month, let’s look the two standard reasoning tests.
SAT vs. ACT
Virtually all colleges require a reasoning test. Many will accept the ACT, but the SAT Reasoning Test is always accepted and generally preferred by college admissions officers (even though that preference is subconscious). So, I usually recommend the SAT, but there are some important considerations you need to keep in mind.
The ACT Test - There are a few states that base scholarships solely on the ACT. So, to be on the safe side, double-check what is available in your state and the requirements. You don’t want to miss out on scholarship opportunities!
Another thing that makes the ACT attractive is that some colleges do not require additional SAT Subject tests if you have taken the ACT. If you take the SAT, they sometimes require 2 or more of the subject tests, making for a much bigger testing load. You can’t count on this, but if your student is older and doesn’t have time for all the extra tests (and is willing to limit the college choices to those with this policy) you can save much time and effort.
Finally, some students just perform better on the ACT. To find out which test showcases your student’s skill, check out the SAT/ACT Combo Sample Test from Kaplan. It only takes 90 minutes. www.kaptest.com/satactpractice.
The ACT is a 3-hour test that includes English, math, reading, and science. It is offered 6 times a year. There is an optional writing test that many colleges require, so I recommend taking it just to be on the safe side.
To learn more about the ACT test and find official released exams, visit: www.act.org/aap
The SAT Reasoning Test doesn’t require much specific knowledge and does not go beyond what is reasonably expected of high school juniors. It is a four-hour test offered seven times a year and covers critical reading, math, writing, and an experimental section that doesn’t count against your score. However, if your student is not expecting it, the strange questions could throw them. So, just make sure they know that if they run into something really wild, they just need to keep moving and not let it blow their confidence. Chances are it is the experimental section and won’t matter anyway!
SAT scores can be raised with practice (more so than the ACT test). Use timed, realistic practice tests from the CollegeBoard as your primary preparation. This will help your student get a feel for the test and find the strategies that work best. The summer after the sophomore year (about 5 months out), have your student begin preparing, testing, and perfecting their skills.
The Collegeboard website (www.collegeboard.com) provides detailed test information, released exams for purchase (real exams used in past tests), registration services, daily SAT test questions, SAT and AP test prep books, and other resources. Collegeboard resources are generally to be preferred over those of other companies since the Collegeboard actually designs the tests.
Bottom line – find out whether the ACT or SAT showcases your student’s skills or puts them in line for the best scholarships and stick with it. There is no need to drain a student’s time and energy with any more testing than is absolutely necessary.
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Resources: The Truth about the Congressional Award
Many homeschooling families have asked me about participating in the Congressional Award program which allows students to set individual goals in the areas of volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. This award, given in the levels of bronze, silver, and gold by the U.S. Congress is touted as being a tremendous resume builder and highly regarded by college admissions offices. It also seems to be a perfect fit for the homeschool preference of determining our own objectives. So, why do I counsel families to find other avenues to demonstrate and develop their student’s skills?
- The Congressional Award appears to give a student a great deal of flexibility in choosing their activities to demonstrate their competence. However, closer inspection reveals very tight limitations and large time commitments. Students are trapped into spending lots of time on trivial things and jumping through someone else’s hoops.
- The recordkeeping for the award is fairly intense and time consuming. Often, when it is submitted, the committee drags its feet in giving awards or requires additional work.
- While it is true that admissions officers value the award if they understand its time requirements, very few of them do. To satisfy my own curiosity, I did an informal, unscientific survey of college admissions offices (starting with Harvard). In my survey, NONE of them knew what the Congressional Award was! To complicate the matter, it is next to impossible to explain the convoluted process of receiving this award on a college application.
My advice? Forget the Congressional Award and let your student do the things they love. Encourage them to create new opportunities for themselves, new programs that benefit the community, or find new ways to stretch their skills. Any of these things will teach your student a great deal more than spending such huge amounts of time filling out a bunch of forms developed by our government. Enough said.
Caveat – Students who are interested in the military and plan on attending one of the Service Academies or Military schools might find an audience that is more familiar with the award as they are so closely linked to Congress. As I stated early, if an admissions officer knows what it means, it is certainly impressive.
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About Jeannette
Jeannette Webb is the founder of Aiming Higher Consultants, a firm dedicated to helping Christian students gain admission to great colleges. She has a heart for assisting parents as they train their children for excellence. Jeannette works to empower families to make thoughtful choices for their younger children, to confidently navigate the difficult high school years, and then ace the college admissions process.
If you liked today’s issue, you’ll love her personalized consulting services that help you map out a holistic plan for your student.
While Jeannette is best known for her clear-sighted counseling, her clients feel that her biggest gift to their family was permission to be themselves.
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