Basic info on SAT prep and other local NC questions (Durham: chapel, high schools)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello,
My kids go to a popular high school in Cary and while they won't be looking at college for a few years I am trying to figure things out being newer to the state and just out of the loop, and also not accustomed to the math course terms here ("NC Math 1" etc). Is it just NC Math 1 and 2 that are primarily needed to be prepared to take the SAT (no need to wait on Math 3)? In the case that they've completed the necessary math early, why not take their 1st SAT sophomore year? My kids test well on these type of exams but parental anxiety is creeping in. For more formal prep, a neighbor recommended Princeton Review or Huntington Prep but there seem to be online courses versus in-person like Prep Academy etc that the kids may prefer since more self-serve. If anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears. I did take a memo from another post about Membean which we'll have to check out so that was very helpful. Also, I am not sure I really see the point of taking the PSAT versus just studying for and taking the SAT (or practice SAT tests) if they aren't going to be merit scholars...?
Local school questions - do NC State and UNC Chapel Hill (and I guess most colleges of similar caliber) all require essay entries these days?
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,779 posts, read 15,793,171 times
Reputation: 10888
Yes, most schools require essays. NC State and UNC definitely do. Usually there is one 650-word essay that you write on the common app that can be sent to several schools, and then many schools have supplemental questions/essays. The PSAT is generally given in the school to all juniors, so it's good, free practice, and schools don't see it. And if you qualify for NMS, even better. There are still a few highly competitive schools that want to see all sittings of your exams (Georgetown, for example), so that is one reason not to use a real SAT sitting as a practice. You should have Math 1, 2, and 3 before you would be fully prepared for the math on the SAT. Note that the SAT will be administered digitally starting in March. So the test is different than the old paper/pencil ones. Reading sections are shorter. There are more vocabulary questions. Math is different, too. There used to be a calculator and non-calculator section. Now there is a built-in calculator that you can use throughout the section. And the test is adaptive.
I would not stress about these exams. Khan Academy is a free resource that many students use to help them improve their scores. I would have your kids practice there and see how they do. But please don't stress out your kids this early unless they are seeking it out. High school is stressful enough. Also note that nearly all schools accept either SAT or ACT, and some students perform better on one versus the other so it's worth having them try both. All NC students are given the ACT in the spring of junior year.
You definitely want to take the PSAT in case they are Commended or Semi-Finalists or even Finalists. Otherwise my kids didn't bother with the SAT at all. The ACT is required by the state so that's what all the kids take. My kids didn't do the SAT also, just the ACT. Did not do much prep either. Khan Academy is good if you need to brush up on some math concepts. I agree do not stress your kids out about this. They have enough going on as it is.
Most colleges, but not all, require essays. You can set up a parental account on the Common App if you want to see what it's all about ahead of time.
If your "popular HS in Cary" is Green Hope, Green Level or PC, you will need the SAT because all the other kids will be submitting theirs. Admittance to UNC and State from those three high schools is extremely competitive. A few years ago a girl from PC got into Harvard, but not UNC.
If your "popular HS in Cary" is Green Hope, Green Level or PC, you will need the SAT because all the other kids will be submitting theirs. Admittance to UNC and State from those three high schools is extremely competitive. A few years ago a girl from PC got into Harvard, but not UNC.
That's ridiculous - so does UNC-CH look at specific high schools to see how many students to accept from each on across the state. I thought it was by county? Like an above average student in a rural county has a better chance of acceptance to UNC-CH.
I've also heard of some above average students trying to get into Cary Academy because it will increase their chances of UNC-CH. Is this true also - that a private high school in the area will be better for the admissions committee for this purpose? (Putting aside that fact that the class as a whole at CA will have higher "numbers")
That's ridiculous - so does UNC-CH look at specific high schools to see how many students to accept from each on across the state. I thought it was by county? Like an above average student in a rural county has a better chance of acceptance to UNC-CH.
I've also heard of some above average students trying to get into Cary Academy because it will increase their chances of UNC-CH. Is this true also - that a private high school in the area will be better for the admissions committee for this purpose? (Putting aside that fact that the class as a whole at CA will have higher "numbers")
Absolutely, NCSU and UNC-CH look at specific high schools for admission (and class rank is a factor). A student in a rural county with lower GPA/scores/class difficulty will have a much greater chance of getting into UNC-CH than a student from a Western Wake high school with better GPA/scores/class difficulty. UNC-CH has a program to increase enrollment a certain % from Tier 2 and 3 counties (more economically disadvantaged counties).
Personal anecdote, I've shared here before - son and daughter (4 years apart) had same weighted GPA (4.55), son's test scores were slightly higher, daughter had much better extra-curriculars. Son was ~27th out of 600+ at PCHS (top 5%), Daughter was ~125th out of 475 at GLHS (top 30%). Son got into UNC-CH, daughter was waitlisted. Wife and I are both UNC-CH alums.
Hello,
My kids go to a popular high school in Cary and while they won't be looking at college for a few years I am trying to figure things out being newer to the state and just out of the loop, and also not accustomed to the math course terms here ("NC Math 1" etc). Is it just NC Math 1 and 2 that are primarily needed to be prepared to take the SAT (no need to wait on Math 3)? In the case that they've completed the necessary math early, why not take their 1st SAT sophomore year? My kids test well on these type of exams but parental anxiety is creeping in. For more formal prep, a neighbor recommended Princeton Review or Huntington Prep but there seem to be online courses versus in-person like Prep Academy etc that the kids may prefer since more self-serve. If anyone has any recommendations I'm all ears. I did take a memo from another post about Membean which we'll have to check out so that was very helpful. Also, I am not sure I really see the point of taking the PSAT versus just studying for and taking the SAT (or practice SAT tests) if they aren't going to be merit scholars...?
Local school questions - do NC State and UNC Chapel Hill (and I guess most colleges of similar caliber) all require essay entries these days?
Thanks in advance!
We investigated classes for SAT/ACT prep. They all wanted insane amounts of money and claimed to need 6 months minimum to improve ACT score by 1-2 points. We bought a couple of test prep books and had my daughter grind through their processes/sample tests and she improved her overall ACT score by 3 points in 1.5 months.
That's ridiculous - so does UNC-CH look at specific high schools to see how many students to accept from each on across the state. I thought it was by county? Like an above average student in a rural county has a better chance of acceptance to UNC-CH.
I've also heard of some above average students trying to get into Cary Academy because it will increase their chances of UNC-CH. Is this true also - that a private high school in the area will be better for the admissions committee for this purpose? (Putting aside that fact that the class as a whole at CA will have higher "numbers")
You really don't have to go that rural. I know a girl from a HS in Durham who got into UNC with a 4.2. Not happening in Wake County. Both of my kids' graduating classes from Green Hope sent about 70 kids each to UNC and State - their classes were vastly different in size so it seems to be a hard number rather than a percentage of the class.
I thought it was just by county and not by specific high schools in what UNC-CH looks at. Well, then that makes sense on some of these people blowing money on Cary Academy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
