Monday, April 16, 2012

Lesson's Learned during the College Admissions Process: SAT's and ACT's

For most students, testing is their least favorite event in the college admissions process. The idea often is to take it once or twice and get it over with. However, if you have a son or daughter that is aiming for schools that are more selective or if you would like to see your child earn a merit award to reduce tuition, than these exams are more important than you think.

A Merit Award is an internal award offered by the College or University. It will reduce the total cost of attendance to that institution. It does not have to be paid back, so it is "free money" for you child to use to reduce tuition. Often, Merit awards are renewable for four years and require a minimum class load and minimum GPA to renew each year.

Consider that most schools accept both the ACT and the SAT as an acceptable entrance exam. Spend some time on the College Board website to see what types of scores are in the median range. These are the minimum goals your child should set to gain acceptance to each college. Reading through Financial Aid and Scholarship programs on the college website will tell you if there is a higher minimum for Merit Awards. Keep in mind that SAT and ACT scores will often determine if your child received any Merit Award.

For Homeschooled applicants, the SAT and ACT are the most important component of the application. I say this because the scores your child received will either confirm the homeschool grades he or she received or deny the validity of the grades. Remember that often homeschooled children are graded by Mom and Dad. So an "A" in Calculus will have little confirmation with a weak Math score on the SAT. Colleges will accept your child's homeschool transcript and grades but you will need to look at each school to see if there are additional requirements as a Homeschool applicant. I found that usually the College would like to see additional subject test taken through the SAT. Two or three additional subject exams was usually either "required" or "recommended". Why would they ask a homeschooler to take these additional exams? Again, they are looking for some standardized verification that the grades you gave your homeschooler are consistent with the type of scores they should be receiving through these standardized exams.

Lesson Learned in Hindsight: My daughter started taking her first exams by the end of her Junior year. This is a common time for many students to start taking these exams. She began with a Subjects test in Literature because she was finishing up a Literature class. The exam went well but when she decided that she was going to apply to college as an Engineering Major we realized that she should have taken Chemistry and Biology as well. She completed her Biology in Sophomore year as since she was now spending her summer preparing for the standard SAT and taking a Pre-calculus summer course, she simply did not have time to study for the exam.

My point is, if your son or daughter is not sure what he would like to major in during his Freshmen or Sophomore years, that's fine. But if they are taking a course in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Literature, why not having them take the SAT subjects exam? You may be planning to have them take the AP exam and that is great. However, keep in mind that anything lower than a 4 score is not very impressive for admissions. Also, AP exams are not required and SAT Subjects tests often are required for admission. Unfortunately, you may need for your child to sit for both the AP and SAT exams. However, keep in mind that only 2 or 3 subject exams will be required for college admissions.

Which SAT Subjects exams should my child take? Well, it really depends on what he or she is interested in studying in college. A child interested in the sciences will need Math 1 or 2 and then at least one or two subjects in science. Whereas, a History and English Major would be better off taking their subject and perhaps Math 1. Again, knowing which colleges your child is interested in applying to or at least seeing some possible college requirements will help you to direct them to the best decisions early in their high school years.

Lastly, Do Christian colleges require all of this extra testing and preparation? The answer is probably "No". They may not require all of the extra SAT Subjects exams. However, consider that your child may change his mind and decide by Senior year that a Christian college may not best meet their needs. Initially, my daughter was planning to apply to Christian colleges. The first college we visited was Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We loved the college and my daughter could see herself attending there and being happy. However, once we researched ABET accredited Engineering programs we soon realized that a Christian college was less likely to meet her needs. Planning ahead early for various choices

will allow your child more options when the time to make decisions is around the corner.