7th Semester Grades or SAT?
- Thread starter Dadx4
- Start date
Ravens
Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2017
- Messages
- 98
No...that is not the solution. The solution is to study the material for an hour each night, maybe a couple hours each weekend, and continue to build on your knowledge base. There are lots of SAT videos on the internet that are basically free tutoring. The only requirement is the time needed to watch them. There are SAT test dates in October, November, and December. Take the test all three dates while continuing to study. You can't take a week off of classes at the academy to prepare for a test, so don't set a precedent now.
Old Navy BGO
10-Year Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2012
- Messages
- 4,624
Due to timing, I suspect USNA doesn't even see many candidates 7th Semester grades before making Admissions decisions. However, you are playing with fire here.. First, I would expect USNA reviews the entire transcript before I-Day, and would question any significant drop in grades. (Perhaps a current parent can comment on how the Offer of Appointment is worded -- I would expect it to be contingent upon continued performance, staying out of trouble, medical , etc). Second, I really don't think one can "prepare" for the SAT/ACT in a week, so candidate might be shooting him/herself in the foot without any gain.
Needless to say. not a good position to be in and not the right way to prepare for entry into USNA. One of keys to success at USNA is the ability to manage time, anticipating demands and prioritizing. Getting backed into a corner like this at USNA will result in a snowballing effect. Bottom line, you have to figure a way to do everything, and do it well.
Needless to say. not a good position to be in and not the right way to prepare for entry into USNA. One of keys to success at USNA is the ability to manage time, anticipating demands and prioritizing. Getting backed into a corner like this at USNA will result in a snowballing effect. Bottom line, you have to figure a way to do everything, and do it well.
Dadx4
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2015
- Messages
- 740
Thanks Old Navy. I know that some seniors take some time off to go visit colleges. Was just wondering if studying for SAT full time would be a better use of time. But you are right there are no guarantees. Will just press on with school and occasional SAT review and hope for improvement.
Why would taking one week off to study for the SAT harm seventh semester grades? There are plenty of kids who get sick for a week and arent harmed by it. Cant see why taking it off to study should hurt. I guess if it is done the week before finals it would make a difference. Additionally, the final semester depending on the teacher and school can be less stressful
Dadx4
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2015
- Messages
- 740
Kid has AP Calc BC, AP Phys C, and 3 other APs. Missing a day or 2 can make it very difficult to catch up, let alone a week. Missed a week due to illness freshman year and never caught up and grades suffered, so I posed the question from experience.
My son is currently working through the SA application process. He knew early on he needed to improve his SAT scores. We found a local SAT class. It met for 3 hours on Sunday evenings for the 6 weeks leading up to the test. The class also involved homework during the week.
The class was more than practicing math and English. It taught them everything from how and where to sit, a template for the writing portion, how long to spend on problems , etc. His score went up 200 points. He is also loaded with several AP classes, varsity sport and travel baseball. Not sure he would have caught up if he missed a week of class. His team would also have suffered. No class, he would not have been allowed to practice or play in the games.
Ask around for recommendations. My sons class was taught by a local college professor who was certified to teach SAT prep classes. He kept the classes small (6-8) as well.
The class was more than practicing math and English. It taught them everything from how and where to sit, a template for the writing portion, how long to spend on problems , etc. His score went up 200 points. He is also loaded with several AP classes, varsity sport and travel baseball. Not sure he would have caught up if he missed a week of class. His team would also have suffered. No class, he would not have been allowed to practice or play in the games.
Ask around for recommendations. My sons class was taught by a local college professor who was certified to teach SAT prep classes. He kept the classes small (6-8) as well.