Canadian student applying to Ivy's. Advice?

Colleges & Universities Yale University
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<p>I’m a Canadian student going into grade 11 next year and I am thinking about applying to schools such as Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Cambridge (I realize that this is not in the U.S but I just thought you should know). Since Canadian universities do not require you to take the SAT’s, nobody at my school will be taking them. This also means that we do not have any prep courses or tutors available regarding American tests. What are some ways that I can prepare for the test on my own? Also, when should I plan on taking the test if I want to go to university right after grade 12? What other tests other than the SAT’s should I be taking?</p>

<p>Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!</p>

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<p>If you live near any (remotely) major city, there’s probably going to be SAT prep courses organized by Princeton Review or Kaplan. Never rule out online SAT classes either.</p>

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<p>First of all, don’t worry about the lack of tutors etc. Prep courses and tutoring add no real value over what you can do with some *self-*preparation.</p>

<p>Read this thread:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>then order a Blue Book from the College Board (or buy one in your local bookstore, if they stock them) and do as the Xiggi suggests. Take a few hours every week to prepare.</p>

<p>(Xiggi’s method relies on you having access to problem solutions, not just answers, which used to be provided in the practice books but <em>I think</em> have been moved to the Web nowadays. This will probably be an additional cost, but is recommended. Someone who knows otherwise can correct me if I’m wrong about this.)</p>

<p>You would do well to have completed at least 2nd-year Algebra and have had some exposure to functions, statistics, and probability (often done in pre-calculus classes) before taking the Math part of the SAT Subject test. If you are at that level, January or March of next year (winter of your junior year) would be a good time for a first sitting. If not, I’d suggest May or June. You can then do a second sitting as a senior in October/November/December if you feel it necessary. Most colleges will consider only your best scores.</p>

<p>Don’t forget the ACT can be taken instead of/in addition to the SAT. Some find it a more appealing test although results on both tests correlate quite closely.</p>

<p>And, if you’re really going to apply to some Ivies, you’ll probably also need at least two SAT Subject tests (three for Princeton and Harvard), so plan for these, too. You’ll need a separate test date to take these as you can’t do both the Reasoning and Subject tests on the same date. You can take up to three Subject tests on a given date. Many feel the best time for these is in June just after school finishes while the subject material is still fresh in your mind. Again you can follow up in the Fall with additional tests if you think it necessary.</p>

<p>One caution: if you are planning on applying to a school’s early review process (typically Nov. 1 deadline with decisions by mid-December), you’ll need to have your testing completed by October of your senior year. Otherwise most schools will accept scores through the December sitting, and sometimes even the January sitting, of your senior year.</p>

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<p>I did something similar to Xiggi’s method, though more crammed. I took the blue book with me while visiting colleges and did two tests each day.
Also, online (as well as in the hands of some people) there are full tests not found in the blue book that have been collected over the years. They’re really helpful once you finish the blue book</p>

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<p>thanks for all of your help!</p>