@wonderfulreads on the opposite perspective, block scheduling means you’re in classes for longer each day, which, for they people at my school, because we don’t do it except for like finals or half days, makes it feel really boring and long and drawn out. Whatever you’re used to I guess lol.
Wow I’ve been reading that thread that was bumped up from like 2005 about Asian parents, and I can relate to some of the things so much ugh. (I’m not really Asian haha half east Russian and white af… my mom was born on the Asian continent so I guess that’s enough to be a tiger parent.)
I have a dilemma…I’m currently in a leadership program and the supervisor said she could write us a letter of recommendation. However, she teaches multiple programs and since there’s so many students, she requested that we draft a prefilled letter before we hand it to her. Does it mean that I could somewhat write the structure of my letter and then hand it to her? I’ve never done one of these before so I’m sort of confused. How do I write it with the intent of her filling in certain sections?
Do you guys recommend any SAT online programs that aren’t terribly expensive? The large books are intimidating and I can barely get through them. My friend did Kranse Institute and got a 1470 on his SAT which I think is good.
@preciousdiamond huh that’s interesting… My best advice would be to ask her, since I don’t know anyone else that does this.
@droporain Just use Khan Academy. It was the closest to my actual score.
@droporain I just used Khan Academy and got a 1500.
I think I am NOT going to retake the SAT and just focus on other aspects of my college resume…Is that a good idea??? I feel like I could get up to a 1540 but I don’t want to risk getting a lower school.
@sewin2music I think that’s a good plan but then again it depends on the other aspects of your resume and the schools you’re trying to apply to. Also, how long did it take you to study using khan academy? How is everyone getting such great scores??
@droporain I used Khan Academy to study for the PSAT using the SAT material. I won’t know how I did and if it worked for me or not until the 15th, but it helped me feel more confident with my knowledge going into the exam.
@sewin2music Is your score out of 1600? I think it’s a really good score! Focusing on other aspects of your college resume is a good idea for right now because you (and all of us) have only so much time before you apply to college.
I second, (third?) just using khan academy. Why pay when there are free resources out there? Plus the khan academy stuff was designed by the college board, so its the best to study from (vs. a 3rd party).
@droporain I’m thinking about getting a part time job soon, so not having to study for one extra test would free up some time. I could also increase the amount of hours that I volunteer for Hospice. I am aiming for schools like UCI, UCSD, and UCLA, but, really, I just want to get into a good (not Ivy league) school with a nice biology department and large scholarships.
I studied using Khan Academy infrequently for about 2 months and almost every day for another 2 months. I think that if you spend like 45 minutes per day for 2 months, you should be well prepared.
Also, Khan Academy uses a tiered level system (1-4). When you reach level 4, the system gives you all (or almost all) hard questions for that topic. I think this really helped me over prepare for the exam because I was practicing at higher difficulty that the mixed difficulty of the real exam. The practice exams are also harder than the real exam (in my opinion) so if you are scoring a bit lower than what you want, you should still be okay.
@frazzledazzle Yep out of 1600! I feel like it is really important not to just focus on tests because character is more important than a number.
Thank you guys for your help! I am not going to retake and feel much better about my score!!! I think I stress too much…
God I can’t even think about taking the SAT until I get my PSAT back haha and even then I know a bunch of the dates I can’t do because of competitions. I’m going to have to figure it out…
Edit: AAAAHHHH I just looked and the only 2 dates I can do are the May and June ones, and the May one is right after my 2 AP tests, so I’m looking at doing mine in June… Plenty of time to study then! Haha
@sewin2music I think that’s why colleges try to take a holistic approach to admissions. The applicants are more than the tests they take or the grades they get. There are people behind the numbers and they (their personalities and who they are based on their activities and essays) have to be taken into account to see if they would be a good fit for the culture and society of that school.
@Marg532 I’m thinking the same thing as you. I’m waiting to get my PSAT score before studying for the SAT because what I need to practice on Khan Academy will change once I enter in this year’s scores. I’m taking the SAT in March with my school and will probably take it again in June. I plan on taking the SAT Subject tests for Math II and Physics in May then (right around my AP tests 
).
@Marg532 @frazzledazzle Does your school have a day where they give all juniors the SAT? Mine does in mayish or something (for free too) and its during the school day so you wouldn’t miss anything
Update @frazzledazzle I read your post again and realized you kinda answered my question sorry haha… is your school’s sat during the school day?
Hey Everyone! A lot’s been happening these past few days for me.
- So on Monday, during 4th period AP Lang, we were told to go to the career center for an "All About the College Admissions Process" presentation. The presentation included a list of the most to least important factors in the college admissions that was pretty interesting. We were also given resources for SAT/ACT test prep and told that the best time to get testing done was this year. After the presentation, we were taught how to use Naviance, a website that we'll apparently be using a lot in the college admissions process. We also went ahead and did a small career aptitude test and personality test to best determine what careers we would best be prepared for and used Super Match to find out which colleges we're most likely a match for. After coming back from lunch, most of us were given individual time to talk with our guidance counselors to plan the next step in our transition from high school to college. We went ahead and scheduled for my senior year as well as this summer and this is what my schedule looks like:
Summer 2017:
World History and Geography 2 (Online)
Senior Year (2017-2018):
PLTW Engineering Design and Development
AP Computer Science A
AP Physics C
U.S. and Virginia Government
AP Calculus AB or BC
AP Economics (Micro and Macro)
English 12
Prior to seeing my counselor, we were given our transcripts and I wasn’t exactly pleased. My rank had gone up, but it was still pretty low (256/497). My rank puts me at the very top of the bottom half of the graduating class! Most of the people in my AP Lang class were in the top 100 and I congratulated them, but I just kind of sat there thinking that if it wasn’t for my freshman year, I’d probably be up too. I feel like a good portion of my stress when it comes to grades comes from my poor freshman year. Now I feel I have to do everything in my power to make up for it all. The whole just made me more anxious and I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
- To make matters worse on an already pretty crappy day, I had a pretty bad sit-down with my track coach. He said that I'm not committed enough to practice, likely because of my other clubs. He was prepared to make me a team captain, but due to me not being at practice all the time, he's not so sure. Since then, I've been kind of in a funk. I never thought I would have to choose between my extracurricular activities, but I've basically been put on the spot. I'm interested in most of the clubs, but I'm most interested in Robotics and Track, both of which I've done since middle school. Choosing between them will be fairly hard, as I've made friends in both. I asked my librarian from middle school, who currently works at my high school and who I've known since middle school, provided me with some really great advice. DON'T OVERTHINK IT! (Something I constantly do!) She also said to stick with what truly interests me, not what somewhat interests me. I also had to remember that most colleges care about quality over quantity. They don't care about the amount of clubs I've been in, only the stories I can tell. So for now, at least this week, I'm taking a step back from my ECs to focus on my schoolwork, what truly matters in all of this, and trying to just let my life go in whatever direction it takes me. Hopefully, I'll make my choice soon.
- Tuesday went a lot better for me. I'm finishing up my engineering project and my teacher announced that we'll be moving on to underwater Robotics after our desk organizer project. I'm also understanding AP Chemistry, somewhat.
I would just like to take the time to appreciate you guys and just wanted to say thanks for being on this will journey with me.
@frazzledazzle I’m not really as nervous anymore about the PSAT. At this point, all I know is I definitely did better than last year! 
@neptuna Coming from Virginia and living near Virginia Tech, where one of the worst college campus shootings happened back in 2007 and another shooting a few years later, it can be quite scary. School can’t be 100% safe, but they’ll definitely try.
Also, good job on getting the guy’s number. Hopefully a first date is in your future! 
@neonerudite His videos are really funny, especially his parodies! :))
@LeopardFire I felt the exact same way after my Moles Test in Honors Chemistry last year. I just wanted to try because it seemed my mind was completely blank. A word of advice: Talk to your teacher about it! Work with them. Maybe they’ll try and help if they see you want it. I myself have been getting C’s in AP Lang on certain assignments, but my teacher allows us to improve.
@apple1893 You’re definitely going about it the right way! An award should definitely not be used as justification for all of your hard work. Your hard work IS the award. I have not received a single award in track, but I don’t really care. I’m just happy to be on the team. And personally, I hate the idea of participation trophies.
@sewin2music I would definitely be fine with a 1500/1600.
@ak2018 ur taking AP Physics C without any prior physics knowledge isn’t a prerequisite regular physics or AP Physics 1
@BucketsUCSC At my school, taking AP Physics 1 is not a prequisite of AP Physics C. Many are able to handle AP Physics C without prior physics knowledge because Physics C is similar to Physics 1, but with Calculus.
@snowfairy137 We take it during the school day. Makes it easier for everyone so they don’t have to go into school on a Saturday.
@ak2018 I’m making sure I get all of my standardized tests (including a SAT retake) done this year. I don’t want to worry about it next year when I’m already worrying about college apps.
I’m not nervous anymore because I know I have no control over what happens at this point and because I studied (a little) for the test. I think I did better than last year as well.
Just thought I’d share with you guys the songs I’ve been obsessed with for the past few days, if you want to check them out too:
The Temper Trap - Burn, Need Your Love, Fader, and Fall Together
MIKA - We Are Young
Billy Joel - For The Longest Time and Uptown Girl
Mikky Ekko - Kids
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to The Black Parade
Bastille - Good Grief
Evanescence - Going Under and Tourniquet
Bruno Mars - 24K Magic
Twenty-one Pilots - Heathens
I’m planning on listening to the rest of Black Parade by MCR as well as The Temper Trap’s albums this weekend. My U.S. History teacher introduced me to Billy Joel’s music and I thought it was very well written and meaningful. I would have to say I’m slowing going into the alternative rock genre and some of the oldies too. My parents literally raised me on 80’s R&B, so I can definitely listen to the oldies.