<p>As a matter of technical grammar without regard to meaning, it can be. In that case the object of “saw” is, to omit the participial modification, simply “a person.” The suggestion is that the emphasis is on the writer’s sight of a person.</p>
<p>If we change “person” to the possessive case, creating “a person’s stealing my burrito,” the new functional noun (gerund) is not “person” but “stealing.” The emphasis is now on the sight of the theft rather than the mere sight of a person. This is more logical. </p>
<p>Most situations, however, won’t require keen subjective distinction to decide whether what may seem to be a participle should be considered to be a gerund, yielding the need to modify it possessively. “Being” is one of the most common gerunds on the SAT, and it is used as a participle only rarely, so it should usually be preceded by a possessive modifier, as in</p>
<p>I really like watching pigs’ being treated right.</p>
<p>Its being comfortable is the reason that I want this chair.</p>
<p>This knowledge can be useful in omitting choices on the Improving Sentences questions.</p>
<p>Does it matter if I put my major as biomedical engineer or some other field if I garnered nearly 400 hours of research and a few awards in biomedical research? Also if I do put biomedical engineer would it benefit me more to take AP Biology or Cal 3 in my senior year to complement my decision?</p>
<p>^ When applying to some universities, the prospective major that you indicate will determine which college within the school will evaluate your application. Many universities (especially public ones) have separate colleges for engineering applicants. These colleges tend to look, understandably, for advanced science and math classes, science and Math Level 2 Subject Test scores, and perhaps research experience. </p>
<p>At other schools, the major or majors you list will not affect the formal process for evaluation of your application. This is the case, for example, at many of the most selective colleges in the country. In these cases and understanding that indication of major is subject to change but not meaningless, admissions officers may use the information to contextualize their understanding of your interests and why you have pursued the activities and coursework that you have. </p>
<p>Presenting a cohesive picture of your interests (not necessarily a matter of narrowness or breadth but one that inspires a confidence that you’ve done what you have because you were genuinely interested) is helpful in contributing to a compelling application, so the complementarity that you describe here may serve you even better if you select biomedical engineering as your major. Make sure your application also conveys aptitude for matters outside science and mathematics, though.</p>
<p>To make recommendations on your course schedule, I would probably have to know more about what you have taken, especially since you are debating between courses that are in different subjects. As a biomedical engineering major, you would eventually have to take math at least at advanced as multivariable calculus as well as classes beyond general biology, so they would both be useful in that sense.</p>
<p>Thanks for your extremely thorough answer silverturtle! I think based on your information taking Cal 3 vs Biology will not matter if I want to be a biomedical engineer. I guess I will put biomedical engineer as my major then.</p>
<p>I am a freshman (Asian) and in the process of figuring out what ECs and clubs to join next year. I am strong in Math and Science and will probably major in it. But I have been told repeatedly that one has to have some humanities to show diversity in your activities. I am good at writing and have won competitions like Letters about Literature, Gold Key in Alliance for Young Writers etc. Our school also has a strong Model UN, Model Congress(IPLE) program. Wondering if I should join the School Newspaper or Model UN. Please don’t say the cliche ‘follow your passion’! Assuming one is capable of doing both but has time for only one, which looks better for HYPS level admissions?</p>
<p>^ Forgive me for turning to a different cliche, but your prospective interest in the activity is relevant to admissions because you’re more likely to invest greater effort in activities that you enjoy. This may bring leadership positions and achievements in the activity that you wouldn’t otherwise garner, and these are what admissions officers care about. The ability to make a difference in the activity you join is more indicative of your capacity to contribute in college than is the number that you join. It also makes it more personally rewarding.</p>
<p>As for presenting a well-rounded profile, your writing awards will go a long way to preclude any possibility of the perception that you are excessively math- and science-centric. But I understand that you’re seeking a particular recommendation, so I would say to join the school newspaper because it clearly complements your other achievements in writing. If you’d rather join Model UN, though, definitely choose that.</p>
<p>Hi silverturrtle,
I am an international student from Kenya and I found your advice is remarkably invaluable. It helped raise my score by over 300 points and this helped me get accepted by williams college for the class of 2016 on a full ride. I am grateful for it.
Have you considered publishing a guide book on the sat? If yes then I will be one of the first to buy it and also recommend it to everyone I know:)</p>
<p>Silverturtle, Thanks for your detailed reply. I like to write and so I think I should just stick to it. School Newspaper has lots of opportunities for leadership positions and it is something I would enjoy doing and so I am going to go for it, next year.</p>
<p>stiller17 according to other posts you state you got a 1790 and thats how you got into Columbia, yet according to your “proven secrets to SAT Success” you scored considerably higher. So whats the deal. If your methodology worked what was your final score</p>
<p>It looks like your SAT method didn’t work, so don’t post things like this and give kids that idea that this could actually work!!!</p>
<p>I don’t quite understand inverted sentences. Like when subject is in the end. I know that “there” and “here” means the subject is after the verb, but when there isn’t there/here and it’s inverted, it’s confusing.</p>
<p>Generally, verbs ought to inflect in concordance with their subjects. For example, I walk and He walks are correct. This relationship is true even when, in contrast to the majority order in which the verb follows its subject, the verb precedes its subject. </p>
<p>It is not vital that subject-verb inversions be recognized as such; it is necessary only to identify the subject of a verb, in the process not closing one’s mind to the potentiality that the subject may appear after its verb. Nonetheless, priming oneself for sharper recognition by exposure to examples may be helpful. Here are some cases in which inversion occurs.</p>
<p>[ul][<em>]When there are expletive pronouns, such as here and there. There is a crazy pelican. and There are plaintive pelicans.
[li]When a question is asked. These sentences generally begin with interrogative pronouns (e.g., who or what</em>) or other interrogative pro-forms (like where and when). Who is that speaker? and Who are those screamers?[/li][li]When an adjective immediately precedes a verb. Few are the foods I won’t eat. and Lonely is the man who scares others. [/li][li]When a prepositional phrase immediately precedes a verb. Through the door crawl the salamanders. and Through the door crawls the baby salamander.[/li][/ul]
I hope that this clarifies the topic. If not, let me know. </p>
<p>(*These interrogative pronouns may be considered to have non-manifest inflection to the plurality or singularity of the noun to which they cataphorically refer. E.g., “who” in Who is that speaker? is singular, and “who” in Who are those screamers? is plural. In this sense and others (such as that in which the dependence of the pronoun’s number on its referent does not preclude the pronoun’s status as the sole subject of the verb), the subject-verb structure is not technically inverted. For verb agreement, the matter is merely pedantic, though.)</p>
<p>I know this had probably been asked somewhere, but where do you attend school silverturtle? And thank you so much for all the help! This is 10x more valuable then all of CC combined.</p>
<p>This was honestly more helpful than my private SAT tutor, who got paid big bucks for really doing nothing. He was useless. We went over questions I got wrong, he told me I’ve gotta improve and gave me a lackluster explanation for why I got them wrong. THis is amazing, practice questions, guides, wooo!!!</p>
<p>That’s currently a bit hazy, hard as that may be to believe. Brown or Columbia is still each prospectively the appropriate future answer to that question. I won’t delve into the specifics here.</p>
<p>I appreciate the interest, though, and welcome inquiries on my thoughts on school selection or other college-related issues via PM or here, if generally relevant.</p>
<p>Often, tutors can definitely be described as hit or miss. Perhaps surprisingly, effective SAT tutoring is less about educating (though that can come into play when knowledge gaps rear their head) and more about facilitating efficient, progressive practice on the student’s part. </p>
<p>Many have been PM’ing me lately for a PDF version of the guide. Another user posted one a while back in this thread that seems to have been buried now, so I will link to it again: [Silverturtle’s</a> Guide to SAT and Admissions Success.pdf](<a href=“File sharing and storage made simple”>Silverturtle's Guide to SAT and Admissions Success)</p>
<p>I’m appreciative of all the favorable opinions this guide has enjoyed over the last couple years since I wrote it. I thought I would share now that the co-authored (between me and a JHU med student, as well as a one-chapter contribution again by CC’er christiansoldier) SAT-ACT adaptation/book is nearing draft completion. My original “self-chancing” Excel tool for admissions also received much interest in the last couple years, and I’ve retooled that for a new version to be released (for free, unlike the book) online sometime soon.</p>
<p>Since things are not quite finalized with the book, modest changes and additions can yet be made. I want to welcome anyone to post here with suggestions on areas in my original guide that you think deserve more or otherwise different coverage, or to propose any other particular recommendations you would like to see. Thanks.</p>