College for a good student that does not test well
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Anonymous
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My DD, a junior in HS at a highly ranked NOVA Public school (not TJ), has mostly A's with a couple of B's while taking an intense course load (4 AP's, 1 honors, yr 3 lang +band). UW GPA is 3.85; weighted it is 4.15 (not counting this year; this year will probably bring it up to a 4.2 or so). The problem is her test scores are not great, around 1200 SATs. She has a 504 because of high functioning autism (which is probably why she does not do well on the tests like the SATs, though she did get a 5 on the APWorld exam).
She is interested in a dual major of Env Sci and Physics with a minor in Music (she plays a rare instrument: Bassoon). Her first choice is William and Mary, but I am worried her SAT's will preclude that. |
Anonymous
| Check out SUNY ESF: https://www.esf.edu |
Anonymous
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If extended time (or some other accommodation) for the SAT would help and you haven't already pursued accommodations with College Board, I would do that now.
I'd get a test prep tutor in the spring and have her retake in May/June and/or Aug/Oct. If she could eek out another 100+ pts (quite possible!), that could have a big impact on her college list. Some kids do not peak in score potential until fall senior year. |
Anonymous
| How come only a 504 instead of an IEP |
Anonymous
Her GPA is just below their average for NOVA, her SAT way below, and she's female. I would say W&M is not very likely. What does she like about W&M and what are your finances? Can you afford out of state publics and/or small liberal arts colleges, or does she need to stay in state? |
Anonymous
| She or her counselor can include information about LDs in her application. That might help to smooth over the SAT issue. I would also do private SAT prep and try to ACT too. It has more smaller sections. Some kids do better with the format. |
Anonymous
| Get her a tutor for the SAT/ACT - she can get that score up. Does she get extra time? |
Anonymous
She will next time. The problem she runs into (she thinks) is with some many people in the same room, she gets distracted. More than the extra time, she wants to take the test alone. |
Anonymous
| Students with a documented mental disability can receive accommodations. Also there's a thread on NYT piece on small Louisiana high school / Ivy admissions that shows mediocre to poor students do as well as top tier students at ivy league. It's fraud all around - so take advantage of all loopholes that's available. |
Anonymous
It seems as if she ought to be able to get an accommodation to take the test alone. That seems a lot more reasonable than getting extra time. |
Anonymous
Actually it doesn't show this at all. Read the article. There's one phrase in the headline that's a bit misleading, but sadly those students struggled far more than their peers in most instances. |
Anonymous
She will almost certainly get that accommodation if she tests in a small group or alone in her high school. |
Anonymous
| How about applying to schools that don't require SATs? There are a lot - |
Anonymous
| I know you all mean well, but she asked you to suggest colleges. Not one respondent has. Get past the fact that her child will likely attend (and thrive at) a second tier schhol. It’s not a death sentence. |
Anonymous
| Juniata would have the right focus for your child and is a welcoming community |