2.8 Million Students Take AP Exams in May

College bound students know that the GPA and SAT scores listed on their college applications are scrutinized by college admissions officers.  But so too are additional numbers: the scores on their AP exams. 

AP stands for Advanced Placement. It’s the term for college level courses, created by College Board (the same folks who bring you the SAT exam), that provide high school students with the opportunity to earn colleges credits if they score high enough on end-of-year exams.  AP exams are currently offered in 38 subjects, including the Arts, English, History and Social Science, Math and Computer Science, Science, and World Languages and Cultures, although not all courses are offered at every high school.  AP exams were introduced back in the 1950’s and have greatly increased in the number of options and in popularity over the years.  Currently, some 2.8 million students take AP exams each May. Students who score 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) are offered college credits by many of the nation’s colleges and universities.

Students Get Unlimited “Do Overs” on SAT Exam

 

Just as the SAT has evolved over the years, so too have the “rules” surrounding it.

 

The first SAT was administered on June 23^rd, 1926 to 8,040 students. In 2022, nearly 100 years later, some 1.7 million students took the exam as part of their college application process.

 

The test has survived a multitude of revisions over the year, with a major overhaul scheduled for March of 2024 when the test will go digital in the United States and decrease significantly in length from three hours to two hours of testing material.

 

The good news for students is that they will continue to have control over which of their scores get reviewed by colleges. Students can take the current and/or new SAT exam and all of their scores are recorded on their College Board account. When it’s time to apply to college, students can literally check off the scores they want to submit.  Colleges do not know how many times a student has taken the SAT and do not see any scores that students do not want to share.

Preparing for National College Decision Day

May 1st is a momentous day for college bound students.  It’s National College Decision Day – the deadline day for college applicants to confirm their enrollment for the upcoming fall semester. 

Typically, high school seniors apply to a gamut of schools, spreading their applications out among perceived “stretch,” “target,” and “safety” schools. By March 1^st they will have heard back from the vast majority of these colleges, letting them know whether or not they have been accepted.  Now, the ball is in the student’s court.  

 

Often, there is a clear-cut favorite and enrollment decision is an easy one.  Other times it’s a difficult choice.  As May 1^st approaches, students who are unsure of which college to choose may decide to “double deposit” – accepting admission at two schools and paying an enrollment deposit at each.  While possible to do, this is considered unethical as the student will ultimately attend only one university.  It’s also unfair to one’s peers, as it’s taking up a spot that could be cherished by another student. Likewise, it’s a waste of money, as enrollment deposits are typically nonrefundable.

Top 3 Hurdles of College Application Process

Admissions officers spend about ten minutes per application at large universities, and fifteen to thirty minutes at selective smaller schools, according to industry insiders.  So, students hoping to gain admission to highly competitive schools should emphasize three qualities on their applications.

The first is their numbers.  Every school looks at an applicant’s GPA and SAT or ACT scores, if submitted, with the exception of the very few “test blind” colleges and universities.  High school students should therefore take as competitive a course load as possible since Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses can significantly boost their GPA.  Students should also take the SAT (or ACT) several times, as they get unlimited “do overs” and can ultimately submit their highest test scores without colleges knowing how many times they took the test.

More Than 1.7 Million Students Took SAT Exam In 2022

More than 1.7 million students took the SAT exam in 2022 as part of their college application process, according to statistics from BestColleges.com.  Unfortunately, their collective scores were less than impressive with a national average total SAT score of 1050 – the lowest reported scores since 2016. Broken down by section, the average Evidence-based Reading and Writing score was 529 while the average Math score was 521. Back in 2018, the average total SAT score was 1068.

As expected, scores vary greatly by state.  According to BestColleges.com, the average total SAT score in 2022 for New Jersey students was 1079, slightly higher than New York’s average of 1067 and Connecticut’s average of 1025. But New Jersey students, on average, scored substantially lower than did their peers in Tennessee and Missouri (1200), Montana (1206), North Dakota (1212), South Dakota and Kentucky (1219), Nebraska (1222), Minnesota (1225), Mississippi (1226), Utah (1233), Kansas (1238), Wyoming (1244) and Wisconsin (1252).

What’s most significant for individual students is the way their SAT score compares to those of peers at their high school.  Colleges consider students in comparison with their classmates and favor those with the highest SAT scores for admission and scholarship purposes.

The Key Strategies for Identifying Best Fit Colleges

There are more than 3,000 colleges in the United States, often posing a dilemma for students who have no idea how to go about narrowing down their list of potential colleges.  While many colleges resemble resorts, with amenities such as a lazy river, golf course or ski slope, students realize that the main purpose of a college education is to prepare them for a career in their chosen field.   

So, the first step is to identify one’s ideal major. College Board has published the Book of Majors, listing the vast majority of majors offered at colleges throughout the country, and indicating which schools offer a degree in each field. Students can also go to the website of a large university, such as Rutgers, Penn State or Ohio State, view the vast list of majors and research those that are of interest.  

 

For more unusual majors, the list of potential colleges will be greatly streamlined.  According to the Book of Majors, only two universities offer a bachelor’s degree in Animal Genetics, Rutgers – New Brunswick and Clemson in South Carolina, while Animal Nutrition is offered only at Purdue in Indiana. Likewise, only a handful of universities offer a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Psychology, including University of Connecticut, Emory in Georgia, Northwestern in Illinois, Tufts in Massachusetts, and Brown in Rhode Island.

Top Spring Break College Tour Tips

Believe it or not, spring break will soon be here. And it provides a unique opportunity. It’s one of the few times during the school year when college classes are in session while high school classes are not.  Most colleges schedule their spring break for early March while most high schools hold theirs in April.  This provides the ideal opportunity for high school students to visit campuses while college life is in full swing.

 

If parents are available during a student’s spring break, it’s the perfect time for a road trip to visit out-of-state colleges.  The vast majority of students attend college within five hours of home, so the destination need not be a distant locale.  If a student dreams of attending a big city school, then a tour of colleges in the Boston or Washington D.C. areas may prove fruitful.  If a student prefers a suburban or rural environment, then a drive through Pennsylvania offers an option of touring close to 100 different colleges and universities. 

 

Students who are on their own during spring break can still put the week to great use. By visiting two of New Jersey’s highly ranked schools, The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Rutgers University, students can quickly recognize the type of college they prefer.