Kevin's Watch

...I foresee this thread making occasional comebacks over the next few years...

For any recent college graduates, those currently matriculating, those approaching high school graduation and any parents of the aforementioned (ali? Creator? anyone else?)...

Beorn is barely halfway through his sophomore year of high school. He just received his scores for his second take of the PSAT (his first take was a year ago, as a freshman). The day after those scores arrived, we have started receiving college recruitment literature; mostly from schools we would never consider because of cost. However, as he has not applied to any of these schools, while financial packages are being implied based on his score results, nothing has been formerly offered.

Based on his scores, Beorn's guidance counselors at school are strongly recommending he retake the PSAT again next year in his junior year for National Merit Scholarship consideration. From what guidance is telling us, if he had been a junior this year or last year, he would have most likely been at least a semi-finalist, and his scores did improve this year.

So, my first question to this thread:
How seriously do we regard the current crop of recruitment literature? Do we respond to the offers for guides and further recruitment materials, to show the admission departments at these schools we are interested? Or is this something that can wait until junior year?

Thanks for any guidance...

University of Maryland or Virginia Tech. All other schools aren't worth applying to.

Although seriously, to answer your question, I wouldn't worry about things until his junior year.

All of the crap that universities send you after taking tests like the PSAT is just the same generic recruitment crap that all universities send. They just want your money.

-jay

As I suspected.
Thanks -jay.

*relieved exhalation*
...I am so not ready to deal with this...

That's exactly what I was gonna say. Also, it's imperative that you don't seem overly anxious or you won't get the best aid package offered. And that's a fact!

I already answered this on facebook, but I think I might add:
Do not trust any offers that are not overtly made in writing, and even then do not trust them.
And responding before next year will do you no good.
And high school guidance counselors can be valuable resources. My guidance counselor alerted me to the existence of the college I've been in for the last 3.5 years, and to several other good colleges that didn't spam me.

Thanks all. Your input is invaluable to me.

A question for those matriculating or recently finished...

Is a campus visit necessary to get a true feel for particular administration departments? Whether they're paper pushers or truly concerned about helping the students?

I'm pretty sure our entire family will become well acquainted with the Office for Students with Disabilities at whichever school Beorn winds up at.

I would certainly recommend a campus visit for a great many reasons, although you should probably take into account the fact that every institution is filled with paper pushers who act like they're concerned about helping the students until about halfway through the first semester, when they return to simply being paper pushers. It is how they draw you in.

hmm...

I had hoped our experience with the various administration at UF was the exception to the rule, but I fear not.

Thanks Owlie.

I noticed you said something about disabilities. Check with your state to see if they have a program for that. In Kentucky, it's called the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. I found out about it from a girl who got it for being diabetic. They paid her full books and tuition. And they will pay for virtually any disability.

For college?
Interesting.

I've been very, very pleased with my County's IEP program throughout Beorn's stint in the charter and public schools, but was under the impression all that ended upon high school graduation. Perhaps Beorn's caseworker at CARD will know more about such possibilities.

Thanks!

Try this:www.ovr.ky.gov/StateVRPrograms.htm

Auleliel wrote:I would certainly recommend a campus visit for a great many reasons, although you should probably take into account the fact that every institution is filled with paper pushers who act like they're concerned about helping the students until about halfway through the first semester, when they return to simply being paper pushers. It is how they draw you in.

Yes to this.
Here's something though...if there are any schools you know you're interested, look at there admissions info online sometime soonish
for one particular thing: some schools give greater weight/have a preference for the ACT over the SAT.
Also, if the scores are really important, there are a lot 'tricks' that can seriously improve scores. You don't have to buy one of those expensive fat books on it, or hire the tutors that specialize in it...most can be found free online, though it might be worthwhile to buy actual practice test book(s) (these usually include at least some strategies, too.) 3 or 4 practice tests can increase scores by 20% or more without a huge, stressful study burden.

I think I alluded to this in an earlier thread, but to be more expansive. (IOW, brace yerselves, everbody. )

Colleges are playing a numbers game these days. They are all trying to get rated by places like US News & World Report -- or, if they're already rated, they're trying to get their scores higher.

One way to get a higher score is to be considered a more selective school. That is, the percentage of applicants you accept is smaller than other schools'.

Since the size of your freshman class is not going to vary that much from year to year (due to infrastructure issues -- number of dorm rooms and so on), the easiest way for a school to look more selective is to increase the size of its applicant pool.

Which is why the schools send out all those slick brochures: they're trying to get more kids to apply, so they'll get a better rating.

So take all those brochures with a large grain of salt.

That said: Don't discount private schools on cost alone. The sticker price you see in the brochures and on the colleges' websites is *not not not* the price you will pay. The federal gummint has this thing called a FAFSA -- it's an application for student aid, which you guys will have to fill out and submit during Beorn's senior year (and every year thereafter that he's in college). It takes into account your family earnings and your other resources, and spits out how much the feds believe your family can afford to spend on his education each year. That number is then sent to the colleges he applies to, and the financial aid departments base their aid offers on that. This is not just for loans -- there are gummint grants that you don't have to pay back, depending on your income. And the schools themselves also offer scholarships and grants. Plus there are tons of other organizations that offer scholarships, both locally and nationally. My girls both go to a private university, but the family cost for each is about what I would pay for them to go to a public university.

Beorn's high school guidance office can point you in the direction of these resources, and also help him target schools that would be a good fit. Which I think somebody already said, so I'm shutting up now. But rest assured that I'll have more to say later, when he's further along...

Is Beorn in the Gifted and Talented program (or whatever they're calling it these days)? If his counselors think he's a contender for the Merit Scholarship, he should be. If so, they should already be working with him on this, showing him schools that meet his interests, academic performance, and finances (including ways to reduce the latter, as ali said). Not that it ever did me much good (against all advice, I kamikazi'd my dream school. then I decided not to go after I got accepted), but I had far more information on it all than my mother ever could have.

Thanks ali, thanks Jeff, thanks Harbinger.

With Hyperception having been a student pretty much the majority of our marriage, I'm well versed in the FAFSA at least.

*whew*

As far as "tricks" and practice tests...
With his autism, Beorn seems to be the exception to this, Jeff. He does much better relying on the skills he has learned, than trying to implement "new" tricks. A sense of routine is fundamental to his well being, and relying on what he has learned and absorbed over time, rather than trying new techniques, keeps him more focused. He gets bored taking the practice tests even once a month, whereas he finds the challenge of the once a year tests engaging and stimulating, resulting in higher scores.
But that is Beorn. Those methods probably do work better for the majority.

I don't really know how accurate a prediction of the SAT the PSAT is, but he only needed three points (equal to 30 on the SAT) to max out critical reading, and 6 points (equal to 60 on the SAT) to max out mathematics. His writing score could improve, but that has always been a struggle for him, and the implementation of him finally being allowed to use a computer per his IEP for the long answer and essay portions of the test raised his writing score dramatically from last year.

He took something offered by the ACT this year called the PLAN. Apparently it is a full fledged practice ACT, offered by ACT themselves. The score report includes ways he can improve his score. He maxed out mathematics, with a score of 32. English was his lowest at 26. Science was just under the max at 31, and reading was a 28. They say he's composite score is a 29 out of 32. Do you think the tricks would help him?

Harbinger, my thanks for the link! I'll send it to Beorn's caseworker, and see if she knows of anything similar here in Florida.

Thanks Syl. Beorn is in the Cambridge University AICE program at his school, and has been a member of Duke University's TIP since 7th grade. I am sure eventually we will be given guidance; as I said earlier, these recruiting letters just seemed early to me and I am seeking input on how best to react to them.

Menolly wrote:He took something offered by the ACT this year called the PLAN. Apparently it is a full fledged practice ACT, offered by ACT themselves. The score report includes ways he can improve his score. He maxed out mathematics, with a score of 32. English was his lowest at 26. Science was just under the max at 31, and reading was a 28. They say he's composite score is a 29 out of 32. Do you think the tricks would help him?

I thought the highest score for the ACT was 36? When I took it I got a 32 out of 36. Have they changed the scoring system in the last five years?

Menolly wrote: With his autism, Beorn seems to be the exception to this, Jeff.

Ah. I wasn't aware of this. What I said probably will not work (and may actually be detrimental)...and since you say he has an IEP, he's probably getting great help already.

I agree with whoever was advising you to ignore the 'sticker price' of private universities. The Feds, the states, the universities themselves, lots of organizations, offer aid that can help. Some of it you'll have to dig for on your own...the FAFSA won't go there.
I know for a fact there is a private organization specifically dedicated to offering grants for higher education to those with autism and related conditions (I'm going to search my college disks and see if I have the name. I ran across it doing research for a class on writing/creating IEP's. I'll post it if I find it)

I don't know.
The plan scoring sheet says the score range is 1-32.
Perhaps since it is a practice ACT for 10th graders, it is scored differently?

Thanks Syl. Beorn is in the Cambridge University AICE program at his school, and has been a member of Duke University's TIP since 7th grade. I am sure eventually we will be given guidance; as I said earlier, these recruiting letters just seemed early to me and I am seeking input on how best to react to them.

That's cool, but he should be getting this kind of guidance now. That's all we did for two hours a week from my freshman year on - reading up on colleges, test preparation, and learning about various grants and scholarships. We also went on a college tour trip every year. If he's not getting any of this, I strongly recommend you get on the phone with his guidance counselors and schedule some monthly meetings. He could be applying for grants and scholarships or even admission next year, and that's not a whole lot of time.

Menolly wrote:I don't know.
The plan scoring sheet says the score range is 1-32.
Perhaps since it is a practice ACT for 10th graders, it is scored differently?

Maybe. That would have been my guess. I believe there is a difference in the scoring between the PSAT and the SAT, right? If so then it would make sense for there to be differences between the practice ACT and the ACT.