Testing Time

Most of my posts now will be shifting to juniors and younger since seniors are just waiting on final acceptances and making their decision at this point. Take a look at the picture attached here that one of my tutoring students sent me. Parents, senior year “these days” is nothing like it was back in “our day!” Students still must keep taking rigorous courses, doing well in those courses, and they should take English, math, science, and social studies for at least four full years. Some students double up on these credits by taking two courses a year. To be a competitive applicant, students are also advised to take more than the minimum two years worth of world language classes.

The last thing you want to have happen is that you get deferred, they ask you for senior year first semester grades to make their decision, and you don’t have good grades to send! Also notice that this picture (from USF) asks for updated test scores if you have any. I have a few tutoring students who had decided they were finished taking ACT or SAT tests and are now scrambling to take super late tests in the hopes of still being admitted to certain schools.

Moral of the story: Start test prep during junior year with the aim of having a competitive score (if you’re applying to Florida public schools or other schools that aren’t test optional) by the end of the summer before senior year starts. Worst case, you can keep testing into the fall. Also, senior year isn’t a blow off year in any way! Plenty of students have said it’s tougher than the dreaded junior year. Lastly, as I’ve said before, the summer before senior year is the time to get the great majority of college applications finished.