I’m currently in Grade 10 in an Australian public school. I decided that I will self-study 3 AP Tests, take the SAT Test this time next year, and take the German and Chinese SAT Subject Tests. On top of this I will have high school exams which count towards my ATAR, which will determine my admission to Australian univerisities - worst comes to worse!
I’m currently learning French at school, German and Mandarin at home. I’m thinking of studying AP German, US History and AP French. If I do SAT and AP German, and (if I change my mind for SAT subject tests) SAT and AP US History, will this help take a little bit of the pressure off? Or, will this not impress the college admissions because I basically did the same thing?
Also, can someone suggest a way I study for all of these tests? Of course I’m aiming for a 5 on the APs, and at least a 2300 on the SAT and 780 on SAT Subject Tests. On top of this, as I already mentioned, I have my high school exams and extra curriculars which includes running my organisation, being a UNICEF ambassador (3 hours weekly), debate team, running my website/business, sharetradining, making courses on Udemy, running DECA, tennis, gifted and talented special art on Saturday for 4 hours, extra tuition for four hours on Sunday and so much more.
I want to stand out in admissions which is why I’m additionally doing 3 AP Tests.
I’m from Australia as well (yr 11) and I’m self studying for 5 AP exams actually, and the only way I have managed keeping my school grades up as well as being active in extracurricular activities is by sleeping less during school days and making up for lost time on weekends. 6 hours Of sleep during week days is the norm for me. All of this whilst on track for a 99+ ATAR, not too bad I think. Maximize study time by not going on college confidential (yes I know it is summer holidays) during term time and not procrastinating, sacrifice social time with friends and just focus.
I’m applying Wharton Early Decision and HYP, but I’m realistic about my chances. Also applying to schools good for Econ/Finance like NYU Stern, University of Michigan Ross etc.
I think your best bet will be looking at places other than CollegeConfidential for stress management techniques. Things like sleeping enough (and well enough), exercising, and studying/working in 20-30 minute chunks with 5 minute breaks in between chunks are often overlooked, and they are actually really damn important to anyone trying to do a lot of stuff at once.
As for the actual studying, coursenotes, hippocampus, and prep books are always very useful. It may be good to find a few practice tests for AP tests, and learn the concepts as you encounter them on the test. For US History, for example, maybe question 1 asks about FDR and the New Deal. I’d find all the questions about FDR and the New Deal on the test, go read some notes about FDR and the New Deal, and then go back to the practice tests to see if you can answer them now.
For SAT/ACT, I recommend taking practice tests and reading. I just took practice tests over and over to get a 35 (eq. 2340 SAT) after 3 tries. My girlfriend, on the other hand, got a perfect test on the first try without even preparing. I’m convinced that it all comes down to how much you’ve read/ your vocabulary/ how well you’ve done in past math classes.
Good luck with everything, and remember to stay classy.