As January finally pushes out, I'm reminded that winter is really only half over here in the Northern hemisphere, and as much as I hate this weather, winter really is a great time for high school juniors and their parents to engage in serious thinking, talking, and planning about college.
One way to start is to make an appointment with your son or daughter's high school counselor. Your agenda should just be simple: review grades and PSAT or PLAN scores, and look ahead to see which standardized tests and dates are available for your child.
If, for whatever reason, your high school counselor isn't able to see you, then you can do some of this on your own, but I think it's also worth thinking about hiring outside help if you don't feel as though the high school will be able to answer all your questions or point you in the right directions. That doesn't mean they're not doing their job; it usually means that they have to much to do or too many people to serve to spend the time on you that you wish they could.
Whether you do things on your own, with a consultant, or with your high school counselor, the first objective should be to plan ahead for the testing that your son or daughter needs to take: SAT or ACT. My best advice is for kids to take one of each during junior year, without having scores forwarded to any college yet, and then compare the results. Often kids will feel more comfortable or score a little higher overall on one test versus the other. THAT is the test, then, to retake. And then that becomes the test score that you want to submit to colleges.
By the way, in order to do the best comparison, be sure your child signs up for the ACT with WRITING when he or she registers; it's optional with the ACT, but it's incorporated into the regular test with the SAT. Most schools that accept either test, will require the ACT with writing.
Some kids will also need to submit SAT Subject Test scores, depending on the colleges and their requirements--another reason to begin early by searching through college websites to discover what the testing requirements are at the colleges where your son or daughter hopes to apply. Subject tests are one-hour long and focus on specific subjects such as literature, physics, US history, math, and so on.
For juniors who are also taking an AP course, the best time to take the SAT Subject Test may also be right around the same time they are taking the AP exams--either the SAT date in May or June. It makes sense to test then when the knowledge at the end of the course is at its freshest and when kids are already preparing for a much longer, more intensive AP exam anyway.
So, by planning now, you can look at test dates for the remainder of the school year, compare those dates to your family calendar, and register early so that your child's testing becomes a priority. That way, the majority of a student's college testing can be finished before senior year. Of course, taking a fall SAT or ACT is also a good idea, but that really depends on scores from junior year and the final list of colleges you all come up with in September. For now, for January, focus on planning and preparing for those national exams that your child will need.
Later, I'll talk about test-optional schools. And remember, I'll always answer any question you send my way. Thanks and good luck!
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