Anonymous wrote:OP here. Just talked to counselor today. No, they don't bother with sophomore parent meetings. She says they don't parents and kids to stress. Well, hell, if my kid is taking the PSAT as a sophomore I need a little more info about what it is and why he's taking it now.

In their defense we did have a sophomore parent meeting at our school but it was this month, while the PSAT was back in October. So pretty disconnected. And really the PSAT is pretty standard. I took it in 10th and 11th grade back in the 70s. So taking it in 10th grade is not really a newfangled thing. You need to get on the College Board site and read up on testing. It pretty much lays it all out. You should also do some research on the ACT. The 10th grade PSAT is really just practice - it doesn't count for ANYTHING. So you should definitely not stress about it.

Also get on College Confidential as that can also be a helpful resource.

OP here. Just talked to counselor today. No, they don't bother with sophomore parent meetings. She says they don't parents and kids to stress. Well, hell, if my kid is taking the PSAT as a sophomore I need a little more info about what it is and why he's taking it now.

Anonymous wrote:The take-away from our sophomore parent meeting was that colleges view the junior year as probably the most important year. Course selection is very important and your 10th grader will be choosing next year's classes soon. My understanding is that the Oct PSAT was the one that counted for NMS, not sure about this. The rest can wait.

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

It is really not that hard to go on the college board website and find out the correct answers to these questions. It clearly states that the 11th grade test is the one that counts towards the merit scholarships.

11th year courses are important but you shouldn't forget about 10th. You still need a good GPA. Also 10th grade can be a good year to start a preliminary search for colleges. Go look at a few if you can over spring break. Going to see a school in session is better for seeing what college is all about. If you your DC likes a school, then you will have an idea of what they need to achieve or do to get into that school.

Taking a SAT II subject test in a course when they have taken an AP is also a good idea so they don't have to take 3 in one day in junior year.

Get a teacher recommendation from a teacher they have connected with is another good recommendation. It can be hard to go back and get them when they see so many kids.

Just to clarify - it is not worth doing tutoring for the scholarship money - the actual scholarships are small. It may be worth it for the recongnition.

The take-away from our sophomore parent meeting was that colleges view the junior year as probably the most important year. Course selection is very important and your 10th grader will be choosing next year's classes soon. My understanding is that the Oct PSAT was the one that counted for NMS, not sure about this. The rest can wait.

Go get a basic book on the college application process.

I dont know if your school had a sophomore parent meeting. Ours did. It was announced via the school listserv but was also on the school calendar on the website. It was run by the college counseling office.

The only test that counts for the merit scholarships is the junior year test. The sophomore test is just a practice. If your child is in range (the cut off in MD is in the 222 range) it may be worth doing tutoring.

College Confidential can be a good source for college info especially if you are aiming at top colleges.

doesn't know whether DC's school held a college info meeting for 10th grade parents? I don't know this because our counselor won't return my e-mails. Apparently, other schools have had this meeting but I don't know if ours has.

Also, is there a real PSAT given in 11th grade or is the one given in October to 10th graders the only one that is used for determine National Merit Scholars.

At the parent coffee in the fall the principal and the moms of seniors said don't worry about college yet wait until next year. Sounds like they may have given us incorrect information.