COLLEGE PLANNING MINUTES
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December 12, 2014
©HAMPTON ROADS EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING, LLC
PSAT Score Report:
Your Key to an Online Gold Mine
Within the next couple of
weeks, the score reports from
this year’s PSAT will be distributed to students at their
high school. Don’t lose your
teen’s! It holds the key to
unlocking a treasure trove of
valuable online information.
While most parents know that
a student’s scores on the
three sections of the PSAT
serve as useful predictors of
his likely SAT scores, many
don’t realize that the College
Board has an online tool, My
College QuickStart, that contains a detailed analysis of
each student’s PSAT performance, a predicted range
for his SAT scores, personalized test prep and college
planning advice. For an overview, check out this video: Your Next Steps: Using PSAT/NMSQT® Results Student Video. You
can also preview a demo of the instrument here, When your student gets his paper score report,
look for the access code and information about how to log in at the bottom of the page.
How Good is Good Enough?
The answer depends, of course, on the colleges your teen is aspiring to attend, so consult the
College Board’s search engine, Big Future, to investigate the average scores at those schools.
What if your daughter’s predicted SAT scores fall smack in the middle of admitted students’
scores at her dream college? Should she just take the next SAT without further ado?
Not so fast. If she’s aiming for a college with a low acceptance rate, she needs to be aware that
many applicants whose test scores match or exceed those of admitted students will be denied
simply because the college doesn’t have enough places for all qualified applicants. Accordingly,
she should aim for test scores well above average to boost her chances of acceptance. Even if
her dream college is not extremely competitive, better scores can translate into merit scholarships or an honors program. So my advice to all students is to do serious test prep before taking
the SAT. It's just too important a test to take cold. (Continued next page.)
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COLLEGE PLANNING MINUTES
PSAT Scores Cont’d
Won’t Your Teen’s Scores Just Naturally Improve Over Time?
Many students optimistically expect their scores to improve over time simply because they’ve
taken the test previously and continued to study math and English in school. Are they right?
Not according to College Board data, which indicates that the average junior to senior year improvement is a mere 40 points for all three sections combined. So if your teen needs more than
a marginal improvement, don’t bank on test repetition and a year of aging. Instead, work with
him or her to come up with an effective test prep strategy. For an in depth analysis of how
much test scores count and how to plan and prepare for them, check out the articles on my
website, The Sidelines: Parent Guide to College Admissions, starting with Admission Testing.
PSAT Scores and the National Merit Competition
The junior year PSAT serves as the preliminary qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship competition, so while you’re reviewing your son’s report, be sure to look for his selection
index, the sum of his scores on all three sections. The cutoff score to qualify for recognition
varies from year to year and from state to state, so it’s too soon to know whether his selection
index score will be high enough to qualify. However, recognized students are typically those in
about the top 3% of their state, so if his percentile scores are in the mid to high 90s he might be
a contender.
I’ll be publishing an article about how the National Merit Competition works in the Timely Tips
section of my website (The Sidelines: Parent Guide to College Admissions) within the next
week or so, so if you’re interested, watch for it.
Decisions, Decisions
As the parent of a teenager you have a lot of decisions to make;
big ones like choosing the right school or special program to
smaller ones like helping your child prepare for standardized
testing and select courses and activities. The decisions you
make today can impact your child’s future for years to come, so
don’t wing it.
Get expert advice from Dr. Ellen Fithian.
Dr. Fithian has an M.D. from Columbia University and a Ph.D.
in Education from the College of William and Mary, where she
served as Director of Precollegiate Learner Programs at the
Center for Gifted Education before starting her own business.
She’s helped guide her own four children through college and
graduate school and has advised numerous Hampton Roads
families over the past 10 years.
Introductory 1 Hour Session Just $99
Call Dr. Fithian at 757-868-6034 or e-mail her at [email protected]
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COLLEGE PLANNING MINUTES
Early Decisions: The Agony and
the Ecstasy
Within just a few days, some students who applied to
an early decision or early action college will learn
their fate. For some, the news will be their first Christmas present and the beginning of a respite from the
weary grind of applying to college. But others will
face the uncertainty of having been deferred, or
worse – the certainty that they will not be attending
the college of their dreams. This can be a difficult
blow for teens, and they may need some time and
space to recover. Be understanding and patient, but
don’t let them grieve too long, because if they didn’t
get accepted to their first choice college, they’re not
done applying. My suggestions for next steps follow.
If Your Child is Accepted
Congratulations and happy holidays!
Students accepted to an early action school are permitted to apply to other colleges, and should now
review their college list to evaluate which ones they
still want to consider. As a favor to other applicants,
however, I encourage them to withdraw their applications from any college they are sure they would not
attend.
Students who’ve been accepted to an early decision
program are required to withdraw other applications,
and should do so promptly.
If Your Child is Deferred
Applicants who’ve been deferred from First Choice U are understandably disappointed, but the
good news is that they’ll get a second chance in the regular decision pool. Prudent next steps for
them fall into two categories:
1. Work to improve their admission chances at First Choice U by doing the following: Send
an update to the admissions office to restate their interest and note any accomplishments they’ve
accrued since they submitted the early application. Now that the Common Application and many
others are entirely electronic, your teen may have to call the admissions office to ask how to submit such information. Then he should aim for the highest possible first semester grades. These
can be a deciding factor for deferred students.
2. Develop a Positive Plan B: While deferred students have reason to hope they will eventually
be accepted to First Choice U, they also need to face the distinct possibility that they won’t. Now
is the time for them to carefully review their college list to make sure it includes colleges in the
reach, likely, and safety categories that they would be genuinely happy to attend.(Cont’d next pg)
COLLEGE PLANNING MINUTES
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Early Decisions Continued
If Your Child is Denied
Being rejected can be extremely upsetting for a teen. The realization that her dream of attending a certain college will not come true is painful. On top of that, she now faces the prospect of
spending her winter break filling out applications and writing more essays instead of celebrating. It’s a bitter pill. Fortunately, most teens are surprisingly resilient, and the silver lining is that
by virtue of learning her fate at her dream college early, your teen has time to apply to other
schools that match her interests and would be delighted to welcome her as a freshman.
Helping Top Students Deal With Disappointment
Top students who’ve been deferred or denied from an ultracompetitive college often have an
especially difficult time dealing with the bad news. Teens who’ve taken every advanced course
available to them and excelled, have aced their
standardized tests and
ruled their schools may experience nothing less than
an existential crisis. What
was it all for — and what is
wrong with them?
Parents can be equally distraught as they deal with
their own disappointment
and the incredulity that, perhaps for the first time ever,
their child has been unsuccessful. Here’s my advice to
families in these circumstances.
First, remind yourself that a
competitive college admissions committee does not set out to reward the “best” or most deserving students. It’s assembling a diverse, vibrant community made up of students with a variety of backgrounds, personalities, and talents. Further, the competitive admissions process is subjective and somewhat
capricious. I’ve seen many students who were denied in the early pool at one elite college go
on to be accepted to several others in the spring. So don’t give up hope.
On the other hand, don’t completely rely on it, either. If your son has been deferred or denied
from a top school, now is the time for you and him to critically examine whether he was truly a
competitive applicant. Compare his test scores, GPA and class rank to those of accepted applicants to the school. If you conclude that he’s a marginal candidate at a top tier college, find
some great schools that are a little more accessible. Act quickly, though, and look for colleges
whose application deadlines are in January (preferably after the 1st since many high schools
will be on break until the 5th.) The admissions process at elite schools is complex; to learn
more about it, read the article on Ultracompetitive Colleges on my website, The Sidelines: Parent Guide to College Admissions.)
Best of luck to everyone and hang in there - the college application process is almost over!
COLLEGE PLANNING MINUTES
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‘Tis the Season
To Apply for Special High School Programs
Application Deadlines and Information:
For 8th Graders:
Hampton Magnet High School Program:
International Baccalaureate - December 17
Information: Click here.
Newport News Magnet High School Programs:
International Baccalaureate Program– Info night Jan.6 Warwick H.S.
Information at: http://warwick.nn.k12.va.us/ib/index.html
Other Magnet High Schools-January 16
Information at: http://www.nn.k12.va.us/magnet
York County Magnet High School Programs:
International Baccalaureate Program-January 12
Information at: http://www.edline.net/pages/yhs/ib
School of the Arts–January 12
Information at: http://edline.net/pages/BrutonHS/SOA
Walsingham Academy: Full Merit Scholarship
Catherine McCauley Distinguished Scholars Program: full tuition for four
years to two applicants to the 9th grade class. Application deadline Feb
2, 2015. For more information, click here.
For 8th and 9th Graders:
Governor’s School for Science and Technology PreAdmission Program
Application deadline: Submit to school counselor by January 15
Info and application: click here.
For 10th Graders:
Governor’s School for Science and Technology
Application due February 1
Info at: http://nhgs.tec.va.us/governorsschool/admissions.php
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COLLEGE PLANNING MINUTES
Need a better system for
staying on top of college
planning information?
Learn what you need to know when you need to know it by following Dr. Fithian’s
Timely Tips on her website, The Sidelines: Parent Guide to College Admissions.
Follow The Sidelines Guide on Twitter or Facebook to have the
articles sent straight to your inbox.
Happy
Holidays!
Hope yours are
filled with great
food, fun, and
family.
Hampton Roads Educational Consulting, LLC
200 City Hall Avenue, Suite B
Poquoson, VA 23662
Phone: 757-868-6034
www.hredconsulting.com