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.

Looking Back A Year Ago....

It was a year ago when my daughter and I began visiting colleges. We were visiting my family in Michigan while she was on Spring break. My daughter, Juliana, was wrapping up her Junior year in High School. At the time, we had no idea of how much work we were in for and my daughter was considering Engineering as a possible field to pursue in college.

Our first stop was Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Being from Southwest Michigan, it was in my back yard growing up. We were considering a Christian education and were welcomed by the school and enjoyed a beautiful day's visit. The following day, we visited my alma mater, Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The state school was much larger as well as the Engineering department. The amount of equipment and specialization available to the engineering students at WMU made Calvin facility and options look like a drop of water in a pail. That is when I knew that this was going to be a long process!

As I share my thoughts, I want to start by saying that there is no "one size fit's all" approach to finding the right college for your soon-to-be Senior. My daughter and I debated between a Christian school and secular school for her future college choice. For us, the decision became clear that a college that focused on Engineering with the financial resources for internships and extensive equipment would knock out most Christian schools. She has been in a Christian educational environment since she was in the 5th grade, so I feel comfortable with her Christian education and values. It was then, that we decided to focus on secular colleges and universities.

Everyone's needs vary. The options are overwhelming; Christian Colleges and Universities, Liberal Arts College (LAC's), Public State Schools, Private Universities, Research driven Universities, Trade Schools, On-line Colleges and smaller Community Colleges, just to name a few.

To begin my series, Lesson's Learned during the College Admissions Process: Starting Early.

I begin with the following advise to families,

1) Start Early. We began during the later half of Junior year. Had I really thought more about it, we would have began visiting much sooner. We could have visited during our various travels during my daughters Sophomore year and even Freshman year. Colleges will welcome you and it will give you and your child a chance to really consider what you both want from the college or university that they will select. It can be a lot of fun and if you space it out over a two or even three year period, it will be a lot less stressful when the time comes to make decisions.

2) Make it an official visit. This means don't just drive by and walk the campus. Actually sign up for a tour and stay for the day. Many colleges and universities consider "demonstrated" interest to be an important factor when admitting students. A student who has visited the campus and had time to see the programs offered and perhaps even sat in on a class or spoken to a professor or admissions officer is now no longer just a name on a piece of paper. Have your son or daughter keep in contact with the admissions officer if they are interested in eventually applying. They can ask questions and will have a contact later on when the time comes to submit their application.

3) Know EARLY what the colleges require (especially of homeschoolers) as part of their admissions application. Home schooled students are often required to take additional SAT subject exams. These require extra planning, time and money. A sophomore who completes Chemistry at the end of their high school year should probably take the SAT subject's test in Chemistry at the end of that year. A Junior will need to have their ACT or SAT exams completed by the end of Summer and may not have time to take additional subjects tests, especially if you are also taking AP exams. There is just only so much time to study and take all of these exams. So spacing them out throughout your Sophomore, EARLY Junior, LATE Junior and EARLY Senior year will be helpful in making sure your child gets all of the testing out of the way and will not stress that they didn't have time to complete everything. Additionally, if your child scores lower than expected, it will allow for more time to study and retake the exam before deadlines.

4) Visit different types of colleges and universities. Make a list of questions to ask before each visit. Take photographs (yes, they may all begin to look alike otherwise), take notes of what you liked or didn't like after each visit. Talk to Professors, Students, Admissions Officers, the Financial Aid Office. More people spend time reviewing their investment options for retirement or vacation planning then they do for their children's college decisions. This is a 4 year investment, or even longer. Planning ahead can save a lot of time, money and heart-ache.

5) Don't cross of a school just because you think it might cost too much or may be too difficult to get in. I will discuss later on the process of evaluating schools to be considered (Safety, Match and Reach Schools), we will look at how many a student should consider applying to, how to find schools that offer scholarships and good financial aid, etc. My daughter in finalizing her selection this week. The two schools she has narrowed it down to have a $45,000 and $55,000 annual price tag. No, we won't be paying that! I would have never considered either school if we had first looked at price tag. We focused more on a good fit and progressed to cost as our search narrowed.