Things You Wish You Knew When he/she was in 10th Grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

NP here. Actually sent 2 kids off to SAT and ACT without any tutoring (save a practice test, I administered to the one who didn't test as well.) Both scored high enough to earn merit aid. It helps to know your kid before you rush to shell out lots of money for unnecessary tutors. At our public high school some consultant even offered a free service to have your kids take practice ACT and SATs to assess which one they were likely to do better on. As both my kids were time-strapped with other activities and requirements, it was a godsend to only have to take one test one time.

And while I think tutors can be valuable if you're really stuck, I agree that it isn't a perfect lesson for the real world. I have a child who routinely goes on and on about not getting stuff etc. So far he's been able to figure things out between asking the teacher and really working at the problems on his own. I think this is a valuable skill until they really do get stuck. Kind of like not picking up a baby the first time they let out a little cry.

That's great for you, really. But, most kids need to prepare intensely for the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, the NCLEX, the Series 7, and on and on and on. Teaching kids about the importance of preparation and hard work is not relying on mom & dad, it's called life lessons.

Where do you get MOST? My kids aren't brilliant but they didn't prepare for the SAT and did fine. Back in the day, NO ONE prepped. I think this is more fear-mongering by folks who started prepping their kids for the cogAT and preschool entrance exams. Yes, you want to help your kids maximize their test scores since schools do have certain cut-offs, but I see so many neat kids spending all these nights and weekends in SAT prep class learning test strategies when they might actually be using that time to do something to make themselves more interesting -- and attractive -- applicants.

When was back in the day for you? I graduated in 1990 from FCPS, and most kids at my school took a prep class for the SAT. So weird that demonize people for SAT prep. The SAT is awful and does not do a great job of predicting success in college at all. However, since most US schools and many top schools abroad can't seem to cut ties with it, students must play the game. It's a test of strategy that takes time time to master. Get off your high horse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

NP here. Actually sent 2 kids off to SAT and ACT without any tutoring (save a practice test, I administered to the one who didn't test as well.) Both scored high enough to earn merit aid. It helps to know your kid before you rush to shell out lots of money for unnecessary tutors. At our public high school some consultant even offered a free service to have your kids take practice ACT and SATs to assess which one they were likely to do better on. As both my kids were time-strapped with other activities and requirements, it was a godsend to only have to take one test one time.

And while I think tutors can be valuable if you're really stuck, I agree that it isn't a perfect lesson for the real world. I have a child who routinely goes on and on about not getting stuff etc. So far he's been able to figure things out between asking the teacher and really working at the problems on his own. I think this is a valuable skill until they really do get stuck. Kind of like not picking up a baby the first time they let out a little cry.

That's great for you, really. But, most kids need to prepare intensely for the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, the NCLEX, the Series 7, and on and on and on. Teaching kids about the importance of preparation and hard work is not relying on mom & dad, it's called life lessons.

Where do you get MOST? My kids aren't brilliant but they didn't prepare for the SAT and did fine. Back in the day, NO ONE prepped. I think this is more fear-mongering by folks who started prepping their kids for the cogAT and preschool entrance exams. Yes, you want to help your kids maximize their test scores since schools do have certain cut-offs, but I see so many neat kids spending all these nights and weekends in SAT prep class learning test strategies when they might actually be using that time to do something to make themselves more interesting -- and attractive -- applicants.

When was back in the day for you? I graduated in 1990 from FCPS, and most kids at my school took a prep class for the SAT. So weird that demonize people for SAT prep. The SAT is awful and does not do a great job of predicting success in college at all. However, since most US schools and many top schools abroad can't seem to cut ties with it, students must play the game. It's a test of strategy that takes time time to master. Get off your high horse.

My kid took a 2 1/2 month class that met once a week for SAT Prep. It wasn't really that much time sunk. So your kids didn't prep, big deal. You sound pissed that other people did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

NP here. Actually sent 2 kids off to SAT and ACT without any tutoring (save a practice test, I administered to the one who didn't test as well.) Both scored high enough to earn merit aid. It helps to know your kid before you rush to shell out lots of money for unnecessary tutors. At our public high school some consultant even offered a free service to have your kids take practice ACT and SATs to assess which one they were likely to do better on. As both my kids were time-strapped with other activities and requirements, it was a godsend to only have to take one test one time.

And while I think tutors can be valuable if you're really stuck, I agree that it isn't a perfect lesson for the real world. I have a child who routinely goes on and on about not getting stuff etc. So far he's been able to figure things out between asking the teacher and really working at the problems on his own. I think this is a valuable skill until they really do get stuck. Kind of like not picking up a baby the first time they let out a little cry.

That's great for you, really. But, most kids need to prepare intensely for the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, the NCLEX, the Series 7, and on and on and on. Teaching kids about the importance of preparation and hard work is not relying on mom & dad, it's called life lessons.

Where do you get MOST? My kids aren't brilliant but they didn't prepare for the SAT and did fine. Back in the day, NO ONE prepped. I think this is more fear-mongering by folks who started prepping their kids for the cogAT and preschool entrance exams. Yes, you want to help your kids maximize their test scores since schools do have certain cut-offs, but I see so many neat kids spending all these nights and weekends in SAT prep class learning test strategies when they might actually be using that time to do something to make themselves more interesting -- and attractive -- applicants.

When was back in the day for you? I graduated in 1990 from FCPS, and most kids at my school took a prep class for the SAT. So weird that demonize people for SAT prep. The SAT is awful and does not do a great job of predicting success in college at all. However, since most US schools and many top schools abroad can't seem to cut ties with it, students must play the game. It's a test of strategy that takes time time to master. Get off your high horse.

My DC didn't prep and scored a perfect 2400.

::shrug::

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

My only worry about relying on tutoring to go from a B to an A would be that my DC might then require tutors in college, also. That could get to be awfully expensive. I know that some high school teachers are not the best communicators, however, and I would not want my child to miss out on fundamentals. I'm mentioning my concerns not to be snarky, but to be part of a genuine conversation. By the way, I prepped for the SAT's myself when I was in high school with just a review book, and the results were spectacular. I was an extremely motivated high school student, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

NP here. Actually sent 2 kids off to SAT and ACT without any tutoring (save a practice test, I administered to the one who didn't test as well.) Both scored high enough to earn merit aid. It helps to know your kid before you rush to shell out lots of money for unnecessary tutors. At our public high school some consultant even offered a free service to have your kids take practice ACT and SATs to assess which one they were likely to do better on. As both my kids were time-strapped with other activities and requirements, it was a godsend to only have to take one test one time.

And while I think tutors can be valuable if you're really stuck, I agree that it isn't a perfect lesson for the real world. I have a child who routinely goes on and on about not getting stuff etc. So far he's been able to figure things out between asking the teacher and really working at the problems on his own. I think this is a valuable skill until they really do get stuck. Kind of like not picking up a baby the first time they let out a little cry.

That's great for you, really. But, most kids need to prepare intensely for the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, the NCLEX, the Series 7, and on and on and on. Teaching kids about the importance of preparation and hard work is not relying on mom & dad, it's called life lessons.

Where do you get MOST? My kids aren't brilliant but they didn't prepare for the SAT and did fine. Back in the day, NO ONE prepped. I think this is more fear-mongering by folks who started prepping their kids for the cogAT and preschool entrance exams. Yes, you want to help your kids maximize their test scores since schools do have certain cut-offs, but I see so many neat kids spending all these nights and weekends in SAT prep class learning test strategies when they might actually be using that time to do something to make themselves more interesting -- and attractive -- applicants.

When was back in the day for you? I graduated in 1990 from FCPS, and most kids at my school took a prep class for the SAT. So weird that demonize people for SAT prep. The SAT is awful and does not do a great job of predicting success in college at all. However, since most US schools and many top schools abroad can't seem to cut ties with it, students must play the game. It's a test of strategy that takes time time to master. Get off your high horse.

My kid took a 2 1/2 month class that met once a week for SAT Prep. It wasn't really that much time sunk. So your kids didn't prep, big deal. You sound pissed that other people did.

I'm not mad that people prepped. Just sad that so many parents come into the college application process assuming that you have to.

Remember, OP asked what things we wished we knew when our kid was in 10th grade. When my oldest was sophomore there was already this absolute panic in his school about getting the best SAT prep. Should you do classes or a private tutor or some guy in McLean who everyone swore could help get kids perfect scores. It was nuts. Some parents even wanted an IQ standard in prep classes so that their kids wouldn't get slowed down by the dummies. This in particular always made me want to ask, if your kids are so smart, why do they need a prep class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

My only worry about relying on tutoring to go from a B to an A would be that my DC might then require tutors in college, also. That could get to be awfully expensive. I know that some high school teachers are not the best communicators, however, and I would not want my child to miss out on fundamentals. I'm mentioning my concerns not to be snarky, but to be part of a genuine conversation. By the way, I prepped for the SAT's myself when I was in high school with just a review book, and the results were spectacular. I was an extremely motivated high school student, though.

The elite private universities I'm familiar with all have free tutoring services available to undergrads. At DC's university there are even drop-in hours every Sun-Th evening until 11:30pm. There are writing TAs (assigned to particular classes) who read drafts. Profs hold regular office hours. Some have online fora where they answer questions. Lots of support/individualized assistance is available to students who seek it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

NP here. Actually sent 2 kids off to SAT and ACT without any tutoring (save a practice test, I administered to the one who didn't test as well.) Both scored high enough to earn merit aid. It helps to know your kid before you rush to shell out lots of money for unnecessary tutors. At our public high school some consultant even offered a free service to have your kids take practice ACT and SATs to assess which one they were likely to do better on. As both my kids were time-strapped with other activities and requirements, it was a godsend to only have to take one test one time.

And while I think tutors can be valuable if you're really stuck, I agree that it isn't a perfect lesson for the real world. I have a child who routinely goes on and on about not getting stuff etc. So far he's been able to figure things out between asking the teacher and really working at the problems on his own. I think this is a valuable skill until they really do get stuck. Kind of like not picking up a baby the first time they let out a little cry.

That's great for you, really. But, most kids need to prepare intensely for the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, the NCLEX, the Series 7, and on and on and on. Teaching kids about the importance of preparation and hard work is not relying on mom & dad, it's called life lessons.

Where do you get MOST? My kids aren't brilliant but they didn't prepare for the SAT and did fine. Back in the day, NO ONE prepped. I think this is more fear-mongering by folks who started prepping their kids for the cogAT and preschool entrance exams. Yes, you want to help your kids maximize their test scores since schools do have certain cut-offs, but I see so many neat kids spending all these nights and weekends in SAT prep class learning test strategies when they might actually be using that time to do something to make themselves more interesting -- and attractive -- applicants.

When was back in the day for you? I graduated in 1990 from FCPS, and most kids at my school took a prep class for the SAT. So weird that demonize people for SAT prep. The SAT is awful and does not do a great job of predicting success in college at all. However, since most US schools and many top schools abroad can't seem to cut ties with it, students must play the game. It's a test of strategy that takes time time to master. Get off your high horse.

My kid took a 2 1/2 month class that met once a week for SAT Prep. It wasn't really that much time sunk. So your kids didn't prep, big deal. You sound pissed that other people did.

I'm not mad that people prepped. Just sad that so many parents come into the college application process assuming that you have to.

Remember, OP asked what things we wished we knew when our kid was in 10th grade. When my oldest was sophomore there was already this absolute panic in his school about getting the best SAT prep. Should you do classes or a private tutor or some guy in McLean who everyone swore could help get kids perfect scores. It was nuts. Some parents even wanted an IQ standard in prep classes so that their kids wouldn't get slowed down by the dummies. This in particular always made me want to ask, if your kids are so smart, why do they need a prep class?

I'm a different PP, and ITA here. I got bombarded with test prep questions long before sophomore/junior year. I was at a medical appointment with my kid and the doctor asked which test prep company we were using, and when I said I wasn't sure if we were using one the doctor said, "oh, you have to, everyone has to because otherwise he won't score as well as everyone who did prep." Then she said she'd spent $8K on one of her kids. (Must be nice to be a doctor.)

I have nothing against test prep, but I honestly didn't see the point until after my kid had taken the tests at least once. I had him work on reading via Khan Academy for a few nights, but that's it. Didn't see a point in math prep since he was doing well in math in school. He scored OK on SAT but got a terrific ACT score. Maybe he would have done even better with prep? I have no idea. But the point is that it's silly to get worked up over test prep until you know there's a reason to invest in it.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we resisted the test prep pressure too. DC did it old school (buy a book, one and done). But we did have DC take SAT and SAT II junior year, so if scores weren't high there was a summer test prep option before Sr year.

I *do* have something against test prep. Hate that there's an industry the grows up around these stupid standardized tests which are not well suited to sorting out kids by ability or knowledge. So I was happy not to feel compelled to feed the beast or to have DC spend more time than it was worth on this stuff.

But we probably would have done it differently if the first set of results seemed unlikely to get DC where DC wanted to go.

[Anonymous]

I was in high school in the early 80s. Most kids were prepped for SATs (and PSAT's come to mention it).

I really don't see what the problem is.

[Anonymous]

Remember, OP asked what things we wished we knew when our kid was in 10th grade. When my oldest was sophomore there was already this absolute panic in his school about getting the best SAT prep. Should you do classes or a private tutor or some guy in McLean who everyone swore could help get kids perfect scores. It was nuts. Some parents even wanted an IQ standard in prep classes so that their kids wouldn't get slowed down by the dummies. This in particular always made me want to ask, if your kids are so smart, why do they need a prep class?

A minimum IQ for a prep class?!

I paid for a "live online" Kaplan prep class for my older DC after a meh PSAT score (1150 or so in both 10th and 11th). She put zero effort into it, did the same or worse on the SAT, and ended up getting a much better ACT score without doing any prep for that. Younger DC had a much higher PSAT score and will take SAT in the fall after doing some Khan Academy in the summer if I can persuade him to do it. He seems on-track to score over 1400 with a little prep in the reading section, which is more than high enough since he is an A- type student with limited ECs. Maybe he'll take an ACT too.

One thing I learned the first time around is that this process does NOT have to be that stressful. There are MANY good schools out there if you can look below the USNWR top 40 or 50. Some of them have easy applications and really don't care if your kid was the president of everything, a 1500 SAT or 35 ACT, or had straight As in AP classes - it's enough to have good grades and good test scores. If you have a happy, laid back kid who doesn't want to completely kill themselves with all the hardest classes and intense ECs, don't let the pressure get to them or to you.

[Anonymous]

I wish DS had taken/prepared for both ACT and SAT. He did the ACT but we had not realized that most schools superscore SAT only. His ACT composite was pretty good but when he tried to improve a particular section, some other section decreased. Could never get above 33. On SAT, if this had happened he could have relied on superscore. A superscore on ACT would have given him a 35 but only a handful of schools do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was in high school in the early 80s. Most kids were prepped for SATs (and PSAT's come to mention it).

I really don't see what the problem is.

I graduated high school in 1981 and hardly anyone prepped for the SAT/PSAT. (This was in the backwater state of Massachusetts. )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish DS had taken/prepared for both ACT and SAT. He did the ACT but we had not realized that most schools superscore SAT only. His ACT composite was pretty good but when he tried to improve a particular section, some other section decreased. Could never get above 33. On SAT, if this had happened he could have relied on superscore. A superscore on ACT would have given him a 35 but only a handful of schools do it.

And some schools only look at the Math and Reading Score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in high school in the early 80s. Most kids were prepped for SATs (and PSAT's come to mention it).

I really don't see what the problem is.

I graduated high school in 1981 and hardly anyone prepped for the SAT/PSAT. (This was in the backwater state of Massachusetts. )

I also grew up here in FCPS and graduated in 1989. Most of my friends prepped for SAT either by a class or review book, but most definitely we were encouraged to do so by counselors at school. It's not a new phenomenon. Yes, there more test prep companies now and online services, but it's not new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private tutoring is the best investment you could ever make. Bs turn to As, 90-percentile SAT turns to 95-percentile.

Yeah -- and your kid learns to rely on mom, dad and the tutor to fix everything for her.

Last time I checked, the student being tutored actually has to do WORK to understand concepts and pass the exams. Are you just sending your to SAT cold turkey? Good luck with that.

NP here. Actually sent 2 kids off to SAT and ACT without any tutoring (save a practice test, I administered to the one who didn't test as well.) Both scored high enough to earn merit aid. It helps to know your kid before you rush to shell out lots of money for unnecessary tutors. At our public high school some consultant even offered a free service to have your kids take practice ACT and SATs to assess which one they were likely to do better on. As both my kids were time-strapped with other activities and requirements, it was a godsend to only have to take one test one time.

And while I think tutors can be valuable if you're really stuck, I agree that it isn't a perfect lesson for the real world. I have a child who routinely goes on and on about not getting stuff etc. So far he's been able to figure things out between asking the teacher and really working at the problems on his own. I think this is a valuable skill until they really do get stuck. Kind of like not picking up a baby the first time they let out a little cry.

That's great for you, really. But, most kids need to prepare intensely for the SAT, the GRE, the LSAT, the NCLEX, the Series 7, and on and on and on. Teaching kids about the importance of preparation and hard work is not relying on mom & dad, it's called life lessons.

Where do you get MOST? My kids aren't brilliant but they didn't prepare for the SAT and did fine. Back in the day, NO ONE prepped. I think this is more fear-mongering by folks who started prepping their kids for the cogAT and preschool entrance exams. Yes, you want to help your kids maximize their test scores since schools do have certain cut-offs, but I see so many neat kids spending all these nights and weekends in SAT prep class learning test strategies when they might actually be using that time to do something to make themselves more interesting -- and attractive -- applicants.

When was back in the day for you? I graduated in 1990 from FCPS, and most kids at my school took a prep class for the SAT. So weird that demonize people for SAT prep. The SAT is awful and does not do a great job of predicting success in college at all. However, since most US schools and many top schools abroad can't seem to cut ties with it, students must play the game. It's a test of strategy that takes time time to master. Get off your high horse.

My kid took a 2 1/2 month class that met once a week for SAT Prep. It wasn't really that much time sunk. So your kids didn't prep, big deal. You sound pissed that other people did.

I'm not mad that people prepped. Just sad that so many parents come into the college application process assuming that you have to.

Remember, OP asked what things we wished we knew when our kid was in 10th grade. When my oldest was sophomore there was already this absolute panic in his school about getting the best SAT prep. Should you do classes or a private tutor or some guy in McLean who everyone swore could help get kids perfect scores. It was nuts. Some parents even wanted an IQ standard in prep classes so that their kids wouldn't get slowed down by the dummies. This in particular always made me want to ask, if your kids are so smart, why do they need a prep class?

I'm a different PP, and ITA here. I got bombarded with test prep questions long before sophomore/junior year. I was at a medical appointment with my kid and the doctor asked which test prep company we were using, and when I said I wasn't sure if we were using one the doctor said, "oh, you have to, everyone has to because otherwise he won't score as well as everyone who did prep." Then she said she'd spent $8K on one of her kids. (Must be nice to be a doctor.)

I have nothing against test prep, but I honestly didn't see the point until after my kid had taken the tests at least once. I had him work on reading via Khan Academy for a few nights, but that's it. Didn't see a point in math prep since he was doing well in math in school. He scored OK on SAT but got a terrific ACT score. Maybe he would have done even better with prep? I have no idea. But the point is that it's silly to get worked up over test prep until you know there's a reason to invest in it.

I don't see a lot of kids and parents jumping into test prep without a baseline score. The PSAT is given by most high schools. My kids took the free SAT/ACT tests given by Kaplan just to see what they would score without prepping. There are a myriad of ways to see what your kid is scoring early.