Send those SATs, Seniors! (Plus considering a timetable for underclassmen)

Perhaps you caught Notes From Peabody recently about how long it takes for SAT scores to be sent to colleges . Even in this day and age when you would think they could be sent electronically in an instant, it appears to take as long as two weeks after you hit the “send” button. That number jumps to FIVE weeks if you’re applying internationally.

If your child is a senior and has not sent his/her SAT scores, stop what you’re doing and get that done now. It takes a few minutes, but it’s not difficult. This is not a gray area – schools do not accept self-reported scores.  And most schools want you to send them all (some require it) – it’s quite common for schools to only take into account your best score on each part of the test or “superscore.” As you select each school on the College Board website, you’ll see a description about that school’s SAT policy. For instance, if you are applying to the College of William & Mary, you’ll see this message when you go to choose your scores:

COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY has indicated that it considers your highest section scores across all SAT test dates that you submit. Only your highest section scores will be considered as part of the final admissions decision. Each time you submit scores, COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY will update your record with any new high scores.

COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY strongly encourages you to submit your scores each time you take the SAT. Sending your scores each time you take the SAT can benefit you by allowing COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY to consider you for all available enrollment-related opportunities.

It takes a while for schools to get each student's credentials all together - the application matched up with the transcript, any recommendations, and test scores. Unless you're desperate for another chance to improve your scores or waiting for better grades to make it onto your transcript, it makes sense to get these things sent along to your schools in plenty of time.

While we are talking about the SAT, all of you who are NOT seniors should consider a game plan for when your student will take these tests. The SAT is offered in October, November, December, January, March, May and June. Discuss with your student the following:

• How many times do you think you're willing (or can we afford) to take the SAT?
• Do you want to take an SAT prep class before you try the SAT or wait and see how you perform the first time?
• If you're not taking a prep class, are you the kind of student with the discipline to prepare on your own with an SAT prep book?
• Are you interested in any schools that require or suggest taking the SAT Subject tests?
• Is there a time of year that would be overly difficult to subject yourself to the test (maybe June feels nice because schoolwork is waning or May sounds stressful because of SOL and AP testing -- it will be different for every student/family!)

Seven times a year sounds like a lot, but most testing dates after October of senior year are too late. If you don't start thinking about them until Junior year after you've taken the PSAT for the second time, you may find yourself scrambling. 

College Applications and Mistakes to Avoid: Twitter Chat today at 4

If you're in the middle of getting those applications done, you may find this Twitter conversation today at 4pm helpful. Some people who really know what they are talking about will be on a panel tweeting about application mistakes to avoid -- including UVA's own Dean J.
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2014/10/23/us-news-twitter-chat-top-college-application-mistakes-to-avoid #CollegeAppTips

How Common IS The Common App?

“I Thought This Was Supposed to Be Easy Because of the Common App!”

A friend recently asked me to address this notion – just how many schools use an application other than the Common Application? According to the website, the Common App began in 1975 for 15 private colleges, and over five hundred institutions participate now. That’s a lot of schools, but the Fiske Guide to Colleges reports that there are over 2,200 4-year colleges in the United States.

Hopefully you’ve created that spreadsheet that I suggested. One of the column headings was for whether a school uses the Common App. The reason this matters is because for each school that does NOT use the Common App, your student will need to complete a separate online application. That involves typing names, addresses, honors, activities, essays, etc... over and again. You can’t overlook the time that takes and how some of these systems go into overload when too many students are trying to use them at the last minute.

Take a certain student I know who is considering applying to 10 different schools. Only FOUR of those schools use the Common App – less than half. So while the idea of the Common App is helpful, the reality is that she will be spending a lot of time entering and re-entering her personal statistics. One of these separate applications required her to add each class she took in high school and the grade she received – talk about time-consuming!

Here in Virginia, the Common App will cover many of your in-state choices including UVA, VCU, William & Mary, Mary Washington, Christopher Newport, GWU, Washington & Lee, and the University of Richmond. Some notable Virginia schools that require their own unique online application include JMU, Virginia Tech, George Mason, Longwood and VMI.

Encourage your student to at least get started on each of the online applications. Even getting through the simple steps will save time later. In addition, some applications require you to get through a certain number of steps before sending email notifications to teachers and guidance counselors for their recommendations. Give them the courtesy of NOT getting that notification at the very last minute.  It’s also helpful to cut and paste responses from one application to another document so that some of it can be re-used on other applications (taking care to change relevant school information, of course!)