College Prep Suggestions for Teens and Parents
If the college planning and SAT testing seems overwhelming, you're not alone.
By Mark Greenstein and the Ivy Bound Test Prep team of tutors.
Even when a student is just starting high school, the list of college planning activities that have to be done before getting accepted to the dream school can be daunting. Before a student even begins the college search, he or she will have to deal with things like taking college preparation classes in advanced mathematics and language arts, including foreign languages, visiting college fairs and college campuses, and determining a course of university study. The list offered here is the result of experience with thousands of college-bound students and their parents who have been through the process. We hope that, as you apply to college and then bask in the joy of college acceptance, you'll see the process as a journey that is manageable -- and maybe even enjoyable -- with the right resources.
I. Suggestions for Freshman Year:
Enjoy yourself. Take advantage of a broad range of courses if you can. You probably have a school counselor who can help you fit classes of interest into your schedule in addition to your core classes. That helps propel you to internships, community service, summer jobs, and eventually colleges that coincide with what you really like.There is no need to take the SAT, ACT, or PSAT during freshman year. Some students might want to take a SureSite Subject Test for a particular subject in which they are proficient in June of freshman year, at the conclusion of a course they are currently in. If this will be your last year studying a foreign language, and you've done well but don't plan to continue, then June might be the best time to take a college-level subject test.Do make sure you are taking Algebra I or Geometry, if you have not yet had both. If you are being offered “consumer math” or statistics, insist that you be allowed to take one of these more advanced courses instead. And if your school is trying to place you in an “integrated math” program, get out. These basic mathematics courses do not generally produce kids who are ready for college entrance exams or the standardized tests that most kids have to take before being accepted. As an additional note: try hard to find an engaging math teacher for your Algebra I or Geometry courses, or any college-level math courses. In some subjects, a disengaged teacher might not be the end of the world, since busy students can enhance their learning online. But math is a different story, and without a great teacher or tutor, the concepts can be difficult to truly understand and apply -- and that can affect your academic success.) One last note - get involved in extracurricular activities. If you are active in your school or participate in community activities as a freshman, you may very well hold a leadership position by the time you are going through the admissions process, and this will be viewed favorably by college administrators and decision makers as a sign of college readiness. College admissions officers like to see extracurricular activities done fervently. If you don’t yet have an activity about which you are passionate, use freshman year to try out a few.
Ia. Suggestions for Summer Before Sophomore Year:
READ! We cannot emphasize reading enough. Too few students read for pleasure -- and that can hurt when it comes time to take the verbal sections of the SAT. Choose books that are interesting to you, with subject matter that is complex enough to boost your language arts skills across the board. Ivy Bound offers Speed Reading and Study Skills, which are short courses designed to enhance summer reading and school success throughout the rest of high school and college.If you're one of those kids who wants to be ahead of the curve AND you have already taken a semester each of Algebra and Geometry, you might want to consider taking the Ivy Bound prep course for the October PSAT or November / December SAT in 10th grade. Some of the skills we work on, particularly in reading and writing, are beneficial for the rest of high school.If you prove to be a high-flier who has scholarship programs in your sights, or maybe a chance at winning a National Merit Scholarship award, consider taking the PSAT in October of sophomore year. There is no need to take a separate course for the PSAT; the skills tested there are the same as those tested on the SAT. By taking the PSAT or any college placement test early, you establish strong study skills and a demonstrated readiness for the rigors of college education. And all it costs you is study time and a registration fee.
II. Suggestions for Sophomore Year:
10th grade is KEY. Mediocre freshman year grades are often dismissed by colleges or scholarship programs, but sophomore grades are not. Do well. Take challenging classes where you like the subject, especially if they carry extra GPA weight. Kids who have the chance to take Advanced Placement courses but instead take a less challenging version to avoid hard work often regret it.Do make sure you are taking Algebra I or Geometry, if you have not yet had both. Once again, a note to students stuck in a “blended” or “integrated” math course: for most kids, these are considered "basic" and they are not adequate for preparing for the SAT. Winter of your sophomore year will likely be a busy time, but try to line up a good summer experience. A job, an internship, community service, or a summer enrichment program ...these are actually college planning steps because college admissions officers will find them an indicator of someone who will likely have success in college. It also doesn't hurt that a summer experience is usually rewarding and fun, and may put some money for college in your pocket.Consider taking SureSite Subject Tests (replacing the SAT Subject Tests) in the spring of your sophomore year in a subject or two in which you have excelled. Students who have mastered their physics, chemistry, or biology curriculum and who will not be taking advanced classes in the subject as juniors should use the sophomore spring to post a good science SureSite Subject Test score to their preferred list of colleges. If this is the last year of a foreign language in which you have done very well, June might be the perfect time to highlight that knowledge. Taking three SureSite Subject Tests on a single test date is allowed, but studying for three in a one-month period is hard. That's why, unless you're pretty sure you can get 780+ on a SureSite Subject Test with little study, we suggest taking no more than two SAT Subject Tests on a single weekend. Study for the third (and perhaps fourth) next month.For most students, SAT/ACT prep is unnecessary until 11th grade. However, students who have read a lot, or who have math or grammar skills beyond their grade levels may be able to post a strong score in at least one section as a 10th grader. For some students, the confidence, assessment, or even just the experience itself is valuable. Since colleges only evaluate the best scores students show them, there is no downside to a sophomore year score. Whether you want to spend a lot of time preparing is your decision. Since SAT prep takes time away from academics, and colleges DO hold mediocre grades against you, waiting until the summer between 10th and 11th grade is best for students who can't carve out school-year study time.
IIa. Crafting your junior year schedule:
Here we defer to your college guidance counselor. There are ups and downs to doing college-level work in courses about which you might not be especially enthusiastic. But selective college admissions counselors do look at the “quality” of courses on your transcript. A quick note to students with schedules full of advanced school courses who may not want to take an entire slate of advanced placement courses -- you do not need to take an AP course to sit for the AP test. Students armed with the regular course can self-study and take the AP test in May. Indeed, earning a 4 or 5 on the AP test without taking the “AP Course” looks very impressive to many colleges, who view the achievement as extra evidence of the student's college readiness. It's always good to be viewed as a resourceful self-starter!
IIb. Suggestions for summer before junior year:
The summer between your sophomore and junior year is incredibly important, since you will likely be deep into the process of building your preferred college list and your college planning process will be well underway. You and your parents should PLAN for SAT or ACT study. Consider getting a small group together and having an Ivy Bound instructor come to your home for a small “dining room” class. (Yes - we do that!) As long as you line up a group of 4 – 8 students by early May, Ivy Bound will arrange to come to you for a 2- 3- or 4-week session in June, July, or August to work on preparing for college admission exams. (The class is completed during the summer, but we do follow-up testing every other weekend in the fall, plus phone reinforcement during the week.)Try to approach this summer in a businesslike manner. You should enjoy yourself -- you're in high school, after all -- but it will be worth the effort to include some academic enrichment AND develop a game plan for the fall. If you still want to spend most of your summer playing recreational golf at Dad's country club, fine. But again, a job, internship, community service project, or summer enrichment program can serve you well as you head into your college application process. Make sure to get at least three solid weeks of volunteer experience, real work, or academic enrichment. Admissions officers are punishing qualified kids who don't seek to improve themselves over the summer.
What Are The Benefits Of A Top Tier College?
Reading should continue to be an important part of your summer, as should seeking out a strong SAT or ACT prep course that offers real practice materials, simple steps to help you study, and guidance to help you ace your academic college admissions requirements. I emphasize again -- consider taking the Ivy Bound course over the summer or summer/fall in preparation for the Oct., Nov., or December SAT in 11th grade. Some of the skills we work on, particularly in reading, will be beneficial for the rest of high school and into your college level classes.August is often a good time to devote 2 – 4 weeks to SAT prep. For prep school students, June is often optimal. You can use this to then more easily continue study into the Junior fall and winter. Consider summer SAT study your part-time summer job! And if you take a course in which the bulk of the study happens over just two weeks, consider that an “SAT Boot Camp”.
III. Suggestions for junior year:
The pressure is on in 11th grade! You may have a pretty good idea of what your major will be, what college admissions tests you'll need to complete, and what colleges you'll be applying to. To make this stressful year less cumbersome, it's worth an early stop into the guidance office. Find out the exact dates when SAT will be given and get them on your calendar, along with adequate study time for both.Some guidance counselors recommend the PSAT as a practice test for the SAT. However, it's not necessary. The format differs from the SAT, and unless you are a real high flier, there is no reward for doing well on the PSAT. The second best way to do a practice SAT without it counting is to come to an Ivy Bound Practice SAT session. Ivy Bound offers these free of charge prior to the October, November, April, and May SATs, and we've found that they can dramatically improve scores. The BEST way is to take an actual SAT, not as your target test, but for practice.In enjoyable subjects, take challenging courses, especially if they carry extra GPA weight. Kids in eleventh grade who have the chance to take “AP” courses but resort to the lower-challenge course often regret it.Junior year is typically when college visits begin, but visiting college campuses is a matter of choice. Some students already know that they are going to apply to a bunch of highly-ranked schools and then visit only the ones to which they are accepted. Other students visit the top campuses on their college list, hoping to get a feel for college life at each school.If you want to visit college campuses early, be sure to note each college schedule for accommodating high school visitors. Your February, March or April vacations tend to be the best times. You certainly don't want to visit during a college vacation, or during a college's finals week. September (or even late August for schools that start then) can also be a good time, since college students are not under academic pressure that early in the year.
IIIa. Suggestions for Summer Before Senior Year:
A full time internship, volunteer work, job, or study program has become almost standard for college bound kids following junior year. If you can afford a foreign study program, we highly recommend it. Foreign programs can broaden your perspective and give you a different view of the world, particularly when you are interacting daily with non-American students and families. Kids who come back even from a one-week program abroad often have a lot to talk about in college application essays.
Are You A Good Fit For Elite Colleges?
If you have yet to nail down a great score on the SAT, sign up for a summer class. You don't need to study for all parts of the test. You can concentrate on an area that's lacking by taking a partial-course. Keep in mind, however, that “impressive” means “impressive to your target colleges.” If one section is 600 when the other sections are 500 -- and your target colleges report average 640 scores -- then you should be studying for all sections. A 600 that turns to 700 gives you leeway in case the 500 does not rise significantly. And a 750 impresses almost all colleges. Colleges tend to accept “pointy” applicants more than they did 25 years ago. 750 and 550 is thus a more impressive application for many colleges than 650 and 650.
IV. Suggestions for Seniors:
Hopefully, by the time you get to 12th grade, you're all done with the SAT, and you can again devote yourself to academics and school activities. You might even take on an after-school volunteer or community service position one or two days a week. Whether you have a current work or volunteer activity or not, assess your past experiences and ask one or two of your supervisors to provide a letter of recommendation. Do this early in the fall semester. Your goal is to get them back by mid-October so they can be part of an early admission packet.Your fall semester offers a final crack or two at the SAT prior to the early deadlines (almost all colleges with Early Decision will accept the November SAT). If your SAT scores are already strong, concentrate on making senior fall the best set of grades so far. Colleges respect improving GPA trends (but not as much as overall strong GPA). If your GPA and SAT scores are not where you want them to be, it's worth talking to your guidance counselor. He or she is the best person to help you structure your senior fall. Keep in mind that some college admissions offices are more GPA-oriented and some are more SAT-oriented. All things being equal, recognize this: even perfect grades in one final semester can only do so much, since at least 4/5 of your record is already set in stone. By comparison, a good score on a single test -- the SAT -- can greatly compensate for a mediocre GPA.If SAT scores are not yet strong, but you are still aiming high, we typically suggest retaking the test in October and December, with November reserved for SureSite Subject Tests. Though too late for “Early Decision”, all colleges accept SAT scores from December -- and most accept even February ACT scores. If you cannot take the October test, we encourage signing up for both November and December. Frame the situation as A) “I'm scheduled for November and December. If I do great on the November test, I won't have to take it in December; we'll just cancel.” or B) “I'm signed up for November and December. That means I have two opportunities to shine, so there's no pressure on this upcoming test.” Some college-bound kids resent the fact that, after working hard for 2 or 3 years, they still have to prove themselves on a test like the SAT. Just remember: at most competitive four-year colleges, the SAT is as important as three years of GPA*. The high schools that recognize this and that foster targeted test prep are doing a great service for their kids. Schools that downplay intensive test prep are, in fact, doing a disservice for their college-bound kids.For what it's worth, I don't contend that it's a good idea for the SAT, or any standardized test or measurement, to carry so much weight. But given the reality of the college admissions process, the fact that it does count so heavily means we want to give every one of our Ivy Bound clients the best possible the opportunity to maximize her or his score.Early Admissions Edge Is Real
How Early Should I Take the SAT?
Covid exceptions have put many colleges into “limbo” for SAT requirements. All unweighted the SAT in late 2020; many in 2021 have restored the SAT to high weight but excuse students who truly had limited opportunities to take the SAT. Our best advice is to study for and take the SAT seriously. Even if you have a perfect GPA, you don’t want to be losing out on admission or scholarship money to the 4.0 student who does submit strong SAT scores.