All You Want to Know About SAT / ACT TESTS

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General Facts

• Most colleges accept either the SAT’s or the ACT’s.
• Juniors typically begin taking SAT’s or ACT’s during the second semester of their junior year.
• Students applying to the UC system and planning to take the ACT must sign up for the ACT with Writing because, unlike the SAT, students have a choice of taking it with or without Writing. The UC system includes the Writing test in their student application review process.
• Tests can be taken more than once.
• The UC and CSU systems will use the highest scores from either the ACT or SAT.
• There are strategies involved when taking these tests that students should explore, either with a prep class, resource book or on-line.
• Each testing company also offers free preparation booklets with sample questions and test content.
• The UC’s will accept college admission tests taken through December of the senior year.
• This is also true for the CSU system with the exception of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Diego State, who want them completed by October or November of the senior year.
• Students should check the testing requirements for private and out-of-state schools, as they may differ from the UC or CSU systems.

SAT

• Second semester SAT dates are in January, March, May and June.
• SAT Reasoning test includes Critical Reading, Math and Writing.

ACT

• Second semester dates are in February, April and June.
• ACT Assessment differs because it includes four sections: English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning.

SAT Subject Tests

• UC’s and many private schools also require SAT subject tests.
• The UC’s require two subject tests in two different subject areas. The subject areas include history, literature, math, science and language.
• Students should take the subject tests in May or June when they have almost completed a school year of the subject.
• For example, students enrolled in AP US History who are preparing for the May AP test will find they are well prepared for the May or June US History subject test. The same goes for AP Biology, Chemistry, and Math, etc.
• If a student chooses to take Math as one of the two subject tests, the UC system wants Math Level 2.
• For the Chemistry test, students should at least have taken Honors Chemistry, as it is a “time intensive and difficult” test.
• If Language is used as one of the subject test, the Language with listening for native, fluent speakers is only given in November. Language without listening is given during the other test dates.
• AP European History does not necessarily prepare students for the World History subject test, because the subject test focuses on non-European cultures.
• The UC’s will use the two highest subject test scores in their admission reviews.
• The subject tests take one hour, and students can take up to three on a single test date, although that’s pretty tiring.
• The CSU system does not require the subject tests.

Source: Mary Church, DVHS Career Center, mchurch@calhigh.net
http://www.dvhigh.net/ptsa/DVHSSept08newsletterver2.2.pdf

Last Updated: October 27, 2008

Higher Education in California

Higher education is education that is provided by universities, vocational universities, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, technical colleges, and other collegial institutions that award academic degrees, such as career colleges.

The higher education in California consists of:

• University of California (UC)
• California State University (CSU)
• California Community Colleges system
• Private universities and colleges

UC

The UC system has 10 major campuses located in Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Davis, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Riverside, Merced and San Francisco. The UC system is intended to accept students from the top 12.5% of college-bound students, and provide most graduate studies and research. It has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students.

CSU

The CSU system is composed of 23 campuses and has over 450,000 students supported by 47,000 faculty members and staff. It is intended to accept the top one-third (1/3) of high school students.

CCCS

The California Community Colleges System (CCCS) consists of 110 community colleges in 72 community college districts serving more than 2.5 million students.

AICCU

Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU)

Last Updated: October 27, 2008

Books – Prepare for College

What Colleges Don’t Tell You (And Other Parents Don’t Want You to Know): 272 Secrets for Getting Your Kid into the Top Schools

What High Schools Don’t Tell You: 300+ Secrets to Make Your Kid Irresistible to Colleges by Senior Year

From Here to Freshman Year: Tips, Timetables, and To Dos that Get You into College

The Ultimate College Acceptance System: Everything You Need to Know to Get into the Right College for You

Last Updated: September 19, 2008

Checklist for Seniors – Preparing for College

• Work with your school counselor to reviewyour senior transcripts to make sure that you are on track and/or has a plan for high school graduation.
• Check the college catalogues and /or the computers in the Career Center for information about the colleges that interest you. Ask to do a college search if you are undecided. Decide on 5-7 colleges as your goals. One should be a “sure shot,” one a “maybe” and one a “long shot”.
• Mark your calendar to attend any college night in your area.
• Invest in a calendar and mark the deadlines for college applications, tests, financial aid, housing, and recommendations.
• Complete a UC or CSU eligibility worksheet to see what you must do to be eligible for admission if you wish to attend a campus in either system.
• By December, preferably October, finish taking the necessary entrance exams for colleges. Register for SAT I and SAT II (subject tests) at www.collegeboard.com and for ACT at www.act.org.
• Seniors who plan to play Division I or Division II athletics must register with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at www.ncaa.org
• Begin planning for college expenses involving tuition, room, board, books, and travel.
• Begin looking into financial aid and scholarship opportunities by checking with the Career Center.
• For Seniors applying to private colleges and universities: Completely fill out the ‘Parent Brag Sheet’ and ‘Senior Resume.’ (Copies are available in the Career Center.) Secure your letters of recommendation. Ask individuals who know you well and give them at least 3 weeks notice to complete this for you.
• Begin your college application essay(s). College application tips are available at www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/essay-skills and tips for writing the UC Personal Statement can be found at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions. There are also several books available on this subject in the career center at SRV and your counselor is a great resource in this area too.
• Explore the COIN career guidance system and/or take the Major Interest Inventory Test for help in choosing a college major in the Career Center.
• Think seriously about college criteria (for example, do you want to attend a large or small school? Do you want a sports program or other special interest activities on the campus? How far away from home do you wish to be?)
• Attend college representative meetings in the Career Center to hear more about colleges you are considering.

Last Updated: September 10, 2008

Is test score important?

No test score? No problem!

Currently, about 750 colleges and universities across the country are test optional, but Wake Forest is the most well known of the group.

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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Why go to college?

May be a better question is, “What do you want to do for the rest of your life?“

In 1997, President Clinton referred to education as “the fault line between those who will prosper in the new economy and those who will not“.

A college education will offer you:

• Gain information and skills that you’ll use for the rest of your life
  • Expand your knowledge and skills.
  • Express your thoughts clearly in speech and in writing
  • Grasp abstract concepts and theories
  • Increase your understanding of the world and your community
• More Money/Future earnings
  Though money isn’t the only reason to consider a particular career, remember that a job that pays well offers more personal choices.
  • Statistics from U.S. Department of Education (2004):
    • A high school dropout earned $22,100/year.
    • A high school graduate earned $30,056.
    • A college graduate earned $54,704.
  • In 1998, male college graduate, aged 25 to 34, earned 63% more than his counterpart who did not attend college.
  • According to the 2001 U.S. Census:
    • college graduates earned $1 million more during their lifetimes than high school graduates
  • U.S. Census Bureau, 2004:
    • lifetime earnings for a person with a college degree is about 3 times that of a person without this education
    • $1.5 million versus $500,000
• More Job Opportunities or career choices
  
• More Freedom
  • living on a college campus with other students,
  • meeting people from all over the country and world,
  • studying abroad (see, it pays to learn a foreign language), and
  • choosing your own cool courses

Keep Your Options Open!

Thinking ahead doesn’t mean you have to know right now what you want to do “when you grow up.” It’s okay not to know yet.

*Note: The income is based on year round full-time workers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplement

Source:

• WHAT CAN A COLLEGE EDUCATION DO FOR ME?
• Why Get a College Degree?
• Why go to College?
• Why go to College?
• 10 Reasons to Go to College
• Sure You Should Go to College?
• College Planning for Gifted Students: Choosing And Getting into the Right College

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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