Sticks got his SAT scores from the October 14th exam today. They seem respectable, but I can’t tell. I knew the essay was going to be the sticking point and it was (scored right at the midpoint), but I was a bit surprised by the reading score, which was in the 74th percentile — he usually scores higher than that (much higher) on standardized tests. The math score was right where I’d have expected it to be, though.

So now we’ve got a set of scores. And to me, it’s a big ’so what’? Even with the College Board reports of average scores for students applying to his chosen schools, it’s all a mystery to me. How much weight do they carry, how much weight is given to his GPA (4.2), how much weight will his drumming ability carry in the bigger picture? And if he can’t get a handle on writing a solid essay, I don’t know that it will make a dent in the admission requirements for his chosen schools.

These are parent fears. If you want to get a visual idea of what students are afraid of, check out these postcard-expressed fears created by the local community college that Denise’s daughter attends. As parents, we might have some idea that our kids harbor fear, but these postcards are a visceral reminder of the stress our kids are under, too.

Sticks has been notably apathetic about the admissions process — getting him to focus on college applications has been tantamount to moving mountains. When I get like that, it’s usually because I’m afraid of something. I wonder if that’s true of him, too. I wonder which of these is his biggest fear? (My guess? Failure or leaving home, but I’m going to send this link to him in the hope that it’ll start a conversation)

Technorati Tags: SAT, college admissions, college fears