FAQ

Q. How do we sign up for the SAT, Subject Tests and/or ACT? Hide: Registering on-line is the most effective way to sign up. For the SAT and Subject Test, go to www.collegeboard.com. For the ACT, got to www.act.org. If a student wants to take the test on a stand-by basis, he/she will need the paper registration forms which are available in the college counselor's office.
Q. What about the SAT or ACT? When? What about prep? Hide: We suggest that students take the SAT and ACT "cold," with no prep, midway through their junior year (there are tests dates in January, February and March). Once the test results are back, students can decide which test works best for them and then focus on preparing for that one. Colleges use the SAT and ACT interchangably. Studies show that practice is the best preparation-- whether that's in the form of a class, independently or one-to-one tutoring depends upon what works best for the student. SA has partnered with Revolution Prep, a test prep company, to offer classes twice per year on campus. But, there are plenty of options available.
Q. May we request a meeting with the college counselor junior year? Hide: Yes, of course! While we focus on the seniors in the fall semester, the spring semester is all about the juniors. Individual meetings (typically from February through May) are arranged for each junior.
Q. Should my child participate in lots of extracurricular activities? I’ve heard that it helps to be "well-rounded." Hide: A student's extracurricular involvement is taken into consideration in the college admission process because a college wants to get a sense of what talents, skills and interests a student might bring to the college community. The quantity of activities is not as important as the quality-- depth, commitment and leadership-- within an activity. Students should pursue the thing or things that they enjoy most.
Q. How does Sonoma Academy calculate its cumulative GPA? Hide: A+ 4.00 5.00
A 4.00 5.00
A- 3.67 4.67
B+ 3.33 4.33
B 3.00 4.00
B- 2.67 4.67
C+ 2.33 3.33
C 2.00 3.00
C- 1.67 3.67
D+ 1.33 1.33
D 1.00 1.00
D- 0.67 0.67
F 0.00 0.00 Sonoma Academy reports both a “weighted” and “unweighted” cumulative GPA on its transcript. In both cases, only sophomore and junior year grades and only grades earned in academic courses are used. This includes all visual and performing arts courses and electives. (Exploratory and PE grades do not count toward the GPA). Each individual course is worth one credit. For the unweighted GPA, a 0-4 scale is used. An A+ or A earns a 4.0 and an F earns a 0. The grades earned at the end of each of the four semesters are averaged together. For the weighted GPA, honors and AP courses earn an extra point per credit, making the scale 0-5. Note that when a student earns a D in an honors or AP course, he no longer gets the “bump.” A D earns a 1.00. The SA weighed calculation is similar to the UC calculation for eligibility, however the UC’s do not take into account pluses and minuses at all. If a student earns a B+ is an honors course, SA gives that a 4.33, while the UC’s give that a 4.0. If a student earns an A- in an honors course, SA gives that 4.67, the UC’s give that a 5.0. The UC’s do not use our calculation. They recalculate using grades reported. Many colleges recalculate GPA’s. We have tried to use the two formulas most often cited by colleges.
Q. Have Sonoma Academy courses been approved by the University of California? Hide: Yes, and our graduation requirements meet or exceed the UC system’s admission requirements.
Q. My child plays a varsity sport at Sonoma Academy. Should we expect that he/she will be recruited? Hide: To be recruited to an NCAA Division I program, a student-athlete must be recognized on a regional level and probably play on a traveling, club team. For a student to be recruited to an NCAA Division III program, the student-athlete should be recognized at least at the league level. Attending summer camps can help as well. Division III coaches do not offer athletic scholarships, but their efforts can help in the admission process. If you have further questions, please feel free to ask SA's athletic director or director of college counseling.
Q. Does my child have to be in an official summer program? Is it okay if he/she has a summer job? Hide: College admission committees do not place more value on travel or enrichment programs than they do on jobs. They want to see your child did something productive over the summer and challenged him/herself. Any activity – whether it’s work, travel or a college course -- that helps her further develop his/her interests, skills and/or talents will likely be looked on favorably.
Q. My child has completed level III of foreign language. Should he/she go on even though the requirement has been fulfilled? Hide: Yes.
Q. My child has completed PreCalculus as a junior. Should he/she continue on even though the graduation requirement has been fulfilled? Hide: Yes.
Q. Should my child take AP Statistics or AP Calculus AB senior year? Hide: If your child can handle AP Calculus AB, he/she should take it. For highly selective colleges and for students interested in going into the sciences and, often, business, calculus is expected. If he/she can’t handle it (remember, we give lots of support), AP Stats is a good second choice. She should talk to her math teacher or David Smock, our Academic Dean, to determine which is her best choice.
Q. Is Sonoma Academy accredited? Hide: Yes. Sonoma Academy is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
Q. Sonoma Academy does not report rank. Will this hurt my child’s chances of admission? What about for winning scholarships? Hide: No. Most independent schools and many public schools no longer report rank. We not rank students because of the highly academic nature of our program and small class size. On our school profile, we do provide a spreadsheet of grades in each discipline for the preceding two semesters. This allows colleges to see where your child fits in in a more general way. For special programs and scholarships, Sonoma Academy will tell the agency or organization whether your child fulfills their criteria – for example, if he is in the top 10% of his class. The cumulative GPA determines this. (In a class of 34 students, only the top three are in the top 10%.)

Academic Life

FAQ