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SATs and Seward's Folly

February 15th, 2008 at 01:05 am

Child got SAT scores back

M 580 CR (Reading) 570 Writing 540

This is an average score and most of the schools we have looked at list a higher average score (mid range of 50%). So now I have to throw money at test prep books and such and pay for this test again.

Child feels dumb.

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Was going to go to Alaska this summer for vacation, but it is REALLY expensive. I am not getting the feeling that one can hop in a rental car and just drive along the road; do hotels fill up everywhere or just in DeNali? DeNali seems to require a day tour as privater cars are not allowed in the park. All of the tours and hotels I contacted want payment in advance with various cancellation options. It just seems like it all has to be planned to the nth degree. Any thoughts?

I like to get bang for my vacation buck. Honestly, I could go to Maine and get a lot of the same experiences for less dinero and bring my car with me.


4 Responses to “SATs and Seward's Folly”

  1. jennlem Says:
    1203041115

    As Alaska only has a short tourist season, most hotels and activities fill up quickly during high season. The cancellation policies are to protect them in the event a client cancels on short notice. The chances of them filling that room is small.
    The shoulder season is much more reasonably priced but is still expensive. I think a big part of the allure of Alaska is the fact you can't just drive there with your car (at least not easily or even mildly hard)
    Denali is set up to not allow individual cars to preserve the wilderness.
    I personally think it is well worth the price and will be heading up there this spring.

  2. davera Says:
    1203042510

    We flew into Anchorage and took the train to Fairbanks. We could have gotten off at Denali. This was in late summer. But we headed to Fairbanks, where we stayed at a lovely B&B. We rode back to Anchorage on our bicycles, as part of an organized, weeklong ride! It was an awesome trip of a lifetime. I think there is only one highway and no backroads between the two towns, and not too many towns either!

    BTW, if you really wanted to make an adventure out of it, you could fly into Washington state and then take the ferry to Anchorage!

    No offense to Maine, but there is no way that it can be comparable to the untamed majestic wilderness of Alaska.

  3. Broken Arrow Says:
    1203084106

    Aw, your child shouldn't feel dumb.

    I don't know what the situation is, but my parents GRILLED me on my SATs. And actually, I didn't mind too much at the time, because I knew it was important somehow....

    Truth is, SAT isn't a good measure of intelligence, but it's more of a skill in test-taking and effort in studying. All of these things are still important, of course, but I wouldn't feel dumb about it.

  4. threebeansalad Says:
    1203095293

    Your child shouldn't feel dumb. Just re-assure him that his/ her final score is the score that matters.

    I used to be an SAT tutor. Practice, practice, practice and the scores will go up remarkably. Anyone who says you can't "study" for the SAT is grossly mistaken. When I took the GRE for grad school I spent ~2 hours / day for 4 weeks doing practice tests and my scores improved greatly. Not only did I get into every grad school I applied to, I was also offered Fellowships. In other words, a little pain now will certainly pay off for your child.

    In addition to doing practice tests, studying a list of latin roots is a good idea.

    I imagine your library has a bunch of SAT books, too. When I was tutoring, I would just get those and make photocopies of tests for the students.

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