Sophomores & Juniors: I’m sure you have heard the SAT and/or ACT tests whispered in the halls and dark corners of the school- they will soon take over your life (if they haven’t already). If you don’t already know, they are standardized tests that many colleges use to determine your academic prowess (aside from your GPA and courses) and knowledge of Math, English and/or Science.
Two of the most frequently asked question we get from clients are “Should I take the SAT or ACT?” and “When should I take the SAT or ACT?” Today’s post will focus on answering those questions and explaining what the lesser known SAT IIs are. Should I take the SAT or ACT? Back in the dark ages, when the definition of “app” was appetizers, there was only the SAT. ACT was created as a direct competitor to College Board’s singular reign in the college readiness assessment testing department. Since the ACT was relatively untested and we humans generally don’t like change, it wasn’t really considered as an alternative to the SAT nor was it taken seriously by most- especially the more traditional schools (think Ivy League). As more students take the tests, and more colleges accept the ACT as an alternative form of testing to the SAT, ACT became synonymous to the SAT to the new generation (even though they are vastly different in techniques and styles). Now, most universities across the U.S. will look at ACT the same as the SAT. One is not better than another, or preferred by colleges. Regardless, the way to decide between taking the SAT and ACT is simple: pick the one you’re scoring higher in the percentile. If you are scoring in the 88th percentile on the SAT and the 86th percentile on the ACT, you should be spending all of your time in improving your SAT score and taking that test comes junior spring. Wait, junior spring? That’s when I should take the SAT/ACT? Yes. Most of our students take the PSAT/PACT during the fall, prepare for a few months and then take the tests during junior spring. The timing is important in not only maximizing your score on the tests, but also on scoring well on your school work, participating/leading in a bunch of extracurricular activities, and acing your APs/IBs; by taking the SAT/ACT in the spring of junior year, you give yourself enough time to practice and improve your score while also giving yourself a few extra shots to take them senior fall if you don’t do so hot during junior spring. Of course, if you are batting perfect scores, feel free to take them whenever you want. As part of our services, we also hold mock tests throughout the year for SAT and ACT with full length tests- they simulate a real test environment and the students get immediate feedback, all without having to wait or worry the colleges seeing the scores. So what’s this SAT II thing? SAT IIs are short for SAT Subject Tests. They are supplemental tests to the normal SAT/ACT tests that test you in different subjects: English, History, Languages, Mathematics, and Science. They are hour long, content based tests that allow you to showcase achievement in specific subject areas where you excel. While not required by most, some colleges do highly recommend you take the tests. By taking these subject tests, you are improving the quality of your applications and letting the colleges know that you excel in subject areas other than just SAT/ACT level Math and English. To get more tips on college admissions, be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter! Many argue that the crux of any college application is the essay. From the perspective of a college admissions officer, this makes perfect sense. The essay provides admissions officers with a glimpse at an applicant’s personality and life experiences, beyond his/her GPA and SAT score. The best way to make an application stand out is to write an enticing narrative that paints a mental picture of the role that (s)he would play at the university.
A well-written essay can be the pivotal instrument in getting to the “Yes” pile. A sub-par essay can… well, you get the idea. Below are 3 of the most common mistakes that our consultants see while reviewing essays. Be sure that you don’t make one of them! 1) Telling instead of showing The truth of the matter is talk is cheap and words are meaningless unless backed by actions. See below for an example of a student that we helped: Original: I believe that my innovative personality makes me a strong candidate for Brown University. Edited: Creator of an automatic program that opens all of the most used apps on the iPhone and President of the Robotics club, I... In the original, unedited version, the applicant informed the admissions officers that he has an innovative personality. This sort of narrative may be fine in a normal “about me” piece in high school but ranks average, at best, in the admissions process. The edited version conveys that innovative spirit using the applicant’s experiences and leadership roles. This is a much more readable and interesting way to make a claim. Make sure your essays are showing and not telling, and your readers will be more engrossed and interested. 2) No overall theme There are very few things worse than reading an essay that has no theme to tie everything together. While it is understandable for the applicant to want to convey how colorful and diverse his or her interests are, oftentimes the result will seem misguided, jumbled and chaotic. Instead of trying to convey a long list of positive traits in one essay, select one or two strong ones and elaborate on them to show depth and complexity. A quick, useful test that we often suggest is to ask a friend to read your essay, wait 5 minutes, and then ask what main traits the friend remembers. If the friend struggles to answer or regurgitates a laundry list, the essay does not have an overall theme. 3) Not showing the colleges what you can contribute This one is subtle, but very important. Let’s revisit the example from #1- Original: I believe that my innovative personality makes me a strong candidate for Brown University. Edited: Creator of an automatic program that opens all of the most used apps on the iPhone and President of the Robotics club, I believe I can contribute meaningfully to the research in the Astrophysics department at Brown University. Do you see the difference? While the original is about how the applicant is a strong candidate, the edited version, aside from showing rather than telling, conveys how the applicant can contribute to Brown University because of his innovative spirit. At the end of the day, colleges do not want to accept just anyone. Show that you have done your research and are already mentally invested in the university. Convey that you plan to be involved and have relevant interests. Crafting the perfect college essay can be daunting! As always, EmpiricEdge is here to help. Don’t forget to contact us for your FREE consultation. |
AuthorWe (EmpiricEdge Consultants and occasionally, featured education consultants) hope to keep parents and students informed and connected through our weekly blog. Archives
November 2016
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