FAQ

Q. Should my child take the PSAT’s as a sophomore? Hide

Yes! This year the PSAT will be administered on Saturday, October 18. All Sonoma Academy sophomores are automatically registered for the test. A nominal fee will be charged to the family. Taking the PSAT as a sophomore offers a number of advantages:

It provides an opportunity for a low-stakes practice for the SAT.
It’s an effective learning tool. Students receive a report showing how they answered each question, what the right answer was and whether the question was easy, medium or hard. They can work through the problems they missed. And they get specific advice on what subject areas they need to improve.
It facilitates college planning to have the PSAT score in hand when starting the junior year.
It help students prepare for the junior-year PSAT – which can help students qualify for National Merit, National Achievement and National Hispanic awards.

Q. May we request a meeting with the college counselor during sophomore year? Hide

There will be a meeting for sophomores and their parents in the spring to discuss course registration, the college search and application process and standardized testing. Before that meeting, students receive close, personal attention on a regular basis from their faculty advisor. The advisor serves as the student's guidance counselor, advising on academic matters from course registration to finding a tutor, and any difficulties as they arise. So while you won’t meet individually with our college counselor until junior year, rest assured that your child is on track for college success.

Q. How can I get my college-related questions answered while my child is a tenth-grader? Hide

Recommended Reading List

Parents seeking more information about college admissions are encouraged to:

Visit the Sonoma Academy College Counseling Website
Read recommended books and articles (on list above).
Attend college informations sessions at SA (you'll receive invitations) and in the area
If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact SA's Director of College Counseling Jennifer Christensen

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. Should he take any Subject Tests (SAT II tests) at the end of his sophomore year? Hide

Maybe. If your child is in AP Spanish or AP French, he/she may be ready to take a Subject Test in June. Your child should ask his/her language teacher if he/she thinks this is a good time.

Q. How does my child gain entry into an AP class? Hide

Your child will automatically be entered in AP classes as he/she fulfills the prerequisites. For example, he/she will be entered into AP Physics B and Honors Functions when he/she passes Physics and Algebra II and Biology and Geometry. She’s automatically entered into AP US History and AP English Language her junior year. AP Math classes have prerequisites. Please see the Sonoma Academic Curriculum Guide for details.

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 important are sophomore grades? Hide

Very important! The UC's and CSU's do not count grades from the freshman year, so sophomore and junior grades are the ones that are considered in those institutions' admission processes. If a college or university asks for a high school transcript, all grades (from ninth grade on) are reported.

Q. Should my child take the AP exams? Hide

Advanced Placement Exams can help your child in two ways:

Scoring high on an AP exam – typically a 4 or a 5 – could allow your child to earn college credit. She may be able to take advanced courses right away and graduate from college early. Most colleges post their AP credit policy on their websites.
High AP test scores could also help her in the college admission process – as they demonstrate her ability to do college-level work. Many colleges – including the UC’s and Stanford -- ask students to list AP exams they have taken and the scores they earned.

Q. How does Sonoma Academy calculate its cumulative GPA? Hide

Letter grade 4.0 scale 5.0 scale 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.

Academic Life

FAQ