When you think of summer break, you probably think of sunshine, beaches, and sleeping in; you probably don’t think of study sessions. These tips will help you boost your study skills, grades, and test scores without sacrificing your summer fun.
Start an informal book club
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to read. Strong reading skills help you to succeed in classes on almost any subject. They also boost test scores and spoken and written communication skills. You don’t have to limit yourself to the classics to build great reading skills. That you read is more important than what you read. To motivate yourself, have a reading competition with friends to see who can read the most books over summer break. You can form an informal book club where you and your friends read the same book and then discuss it.
Start a new exercise routine
We all know exercise is good for us, but did you know that exercise does a lot more than just improve your physical fitness? In a study at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise boosts the size of your hippocampus, the part of your brain involved in verbal memory and learning.
Use summer for test prep
Balancing school work and SAT or ACT prep is tough. You’re already crunched for time because of after school clubs, team practices, and hours of homework. That makes it hard to make time for SAT prep. During summer, it’s easier to focus on test prep because all the school responsibilities are on the back burner. If you decide to prep for the SAT or ACT on your own, start with a diagnostic test to figure out where your strengths and weaknesses are. That lets you focus your efforts on the areas where you need the most improvement. This is why all 宝博体育 Education programs start with diagnostic tests that offer unique insights into student performance to help families build the most effective and efficient test prep programs.
Start a business
In the good old days of yore, student-owned businesses were generally limited to mowing lawns or organizing babysitting collectives. The rise of social media and other online resources means that students have tons of potential business opportunities. If you have coding skills, website building skills, or graphic design skills, launch an online business selling those services; if you have an awesome idea for a new creation, get a Kickstarter campaign going; if you love crafting, set up an Etsy store. You can make some extra money, exercise critical thinking skills, basic accounting skills, and communication skills. Not only that, entrepreneurship is a great addition to your resume.
Write every day
No matter what career path you intend to follow, you’ll probably need effective written communication skills to get there. In college, you’ll write papers (even in science classes), and in the workplace you’ll write memos, emails, and case studies. Practicing your writing skills, even if only for a few minutes a day, is a great exercise. Spend some time journaling, start a novel, write short stories, or launch a blog – it doesn’t matter what you write as long as you practice writing.
Take summer classes
There are tons of options for summer classes for high school students. A lot of public school systems give students the opportunity to get required classes out of the way during summer sessions to allow more freedom to enroll in elective courses during the school year. If that’s not your cup of tea, you could look into classes at a local college. Most community colleges (and some four-year colleges) allow high school students to enroll in summer classes. You get a real college experience, credits that will likely transfer to your eventual college of choice, and the chance to learn something new.
Schedule tech-free days
When those pesky school days don’t get in the way, it can be really easy to let yourself get sucked into the world of tech. Netflix binges, gaming days, constantly accessible social media, and an app store full of free games provide endless entertainment, but they don’t offer much in the way of intellectual development. On the contrary, studies show that too much screen time can quite literally rot your brain. Give your brain some much needed rest by scheduling a tech-free day (or even just a few hours) each week.
Volunteer
We could talk about how community service helps your college applications (it does) or meets National Honors Society or high school requirements (also important), but let’s take the higher road instead: Volunteering is just plain good for you. Studies have found that volunteer work is correlated with a longer lifespan, lower blood pressure, lower likelihood of suffering from depression, and greater life satisfaction. Not surprisingly, doing nice things for others feels good, which translates into improved overall well-being. (And it helps your college applications.)
Become bilingual
There are tons of resources to help you learn a foreign language, from Rosetta Stone to Babbel. Studies have suggested that consistent practice with a foreign language, even just a few minutes a day, can provide massive cognitive rewards: improved attention span, greater multitasking abilities, and a bigger brain. To get started, check out these tips from TED translators.
Take an online course
We’ve written before about the benefits of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): MOOCs don’t typically provide college credit, but they offer the opportunity to learn from some of the best professors in the world. Most of these classes are free, and you can find a MOOC on almost any topic you can dream of. Check out the offerings at Coursera and edX to see if something sparks your interest.
Blog Author: Ashley Zahn
Ashley joined 宝博体育 Education in 2008. Since then, she has been instrumental in developing 宝博体育 Education’s unique line of curriculum materials, helped hundreds of students through 宝博体育 Education’s college admission essay help service, and shared her expertise in the fields of education and college admissions through the 宝博体育 Education blog.
The Best 10 Summer Study Tips
MISCELLANEOUSStart an informal book club
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to read. Strong reading skills help you to succeed in classes on almost any subject. They also boost test scores and spoken and written communication skills. You don’t have to limit yourself to the classics to build great reading skills. That you read is more important than what you read. To motivate yourself, have a reading competition with friends to see who can read the most books over summer break. You can form an informal book club where you and your friends read the same book and then discuss it.
Start a new exercise routine
We all know exercise is good for us, but did you know that exercise does a lot more than just improve your physical fitness? In a study at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that regular aerobic exercise boosts the size of your hippocampus, the part of your brain involved in verbal memory and learning.
Use summer for test prep
Balancing school work and SAT or ACT prep is tough. You’re already crunched for time because of after school clubs, team practices, and hours of homework. That makes it hard to make time for SAT prep. During summer, it’s easier to focus on test prep because all the school responsibilities are on the back burner. If you decide to prep for the SAT or ACT on your own, start with a diagnostic test to figure out where your strengths and weaknesses are. That lets you focus your efforts on the areas where you need the most improvement. This is why all 宝博体育 Education programs start with diagnostic tests that offer unique insights into student performance to help families build the most effective and efficient test prep programs.
Start a business
In the good old days of yore, student-owned businesses were generally limited to mowing lawns or organizing babysitting collectives. The rise of social media and other online resources means that students have tons of potential business opportunities. If you have coding skills, website building skills, or graphic design skills, launch an online business selling those services; if you have an awesome idea for a new creation, get a Kickstarter campaign going; if you love crafting, set up an Etsy store. You can make some extra money, exercise critical thinking skills, basic accounting skills, and communication skills. Not only that, entrepreneurship is a great addition to your resume.
Write every day
No matter what career path you intend to follow, you’ll probably need effective written communication skills to get there. In college, you’ll write papers (even in science classes), and in the workplace you’ll write memos, emails, and case studies. Practicing your writing skills, even if only for a few minutes a day, is a great exercise. Spend some time journaling, start a novel, write short stories, or launch a blog – it doesn’t matter what you write as long as you practice writing.
Take summer classes
There are tons of options for summer classes for high school students. A lot of public school systems give students the opportunity to get required classes out of the way during summer sessions to allow more freedom to enroll in elective courses during the school year. If that’s not your cup of tea, you could look into classes at a local college. Most community colleges (and some four-year colleges) allow high school students to enroll in summer classes. You get a real college experience, credits that will likely transfer to your eventual college of choice, and the chance to learn something new.
Schedule tech-free days
When those pesky school days don’t get in the way, it can be really easy to let yourself get sucked into the world of tech. Netflix binges, gaming days, constantly accessible social media, and an app store full of free games provide endless entertainment, but they don’t offer much in the way of intellectual development. On the contrary, studies show that too much screen time can quite literally rot your brain. Give your brain some much needed rest by scheduling a tech-free day (or even just a few hours) each week.
Volunteer
We could talk about how community service helps your college applications (it does) or meets National Honors Society or high school requirements (also important), but let’s take the higher road instead: Volunteering is just plain good for you. Studies have found that volunteer work is correlated with a longer lifespan, lower blood pressure, lower likelihood of suffering from depression, and greater life satisfaction. Not surprisingly, doing nice things for others feels good, which translates into improved overall well-being. (And it helps your college applications.)
Become bilingual
There are tons of resources to help you learn a foreign language, from Rosetta Stone to Babbel. Studies have suggested that consistent practice with a foreign language, even just a few minutes a day, can provide massive cognitive rewards: improved attention span, greater multitasking abilities, and a bigger brain. To get started, check out these tips from TED translators.
Take an online course
We’ve written before about the benefits of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): MOOCs don’t typically provide college credit, but they offer the opportunity to learn from some of the best professors in the world. Most of these classes are free, and you can find a MOOC on almost any topic you can dream of. Check out the offerings at Coursera and edX to see if something sparks your interest.
Blog Author: Ashley Zahn
Ashley joined 宝博体育 Education in 2008. Since then, she has been instrumental in developing 宝博体育 Education’s unique line of curriculum materials, helped hundreds of students through 宝博体育 Education’s college admission essay help service, and shared her expertise in the fields of education and college admissions through the 宝博体育 Education blog.
Understanding Your SAT Score Report: Free Resources
TEST PREPOnce you’ve taken the SAT, you get to play the waiting game for a couple of weeks until you get your score. Once you get your SAT score, can you tell how well you did on the test and figure out where you need to improve? We can, and we’re going to show you how.
We have a couple of resources that are available for free:
If you still have questions or concerns about your SAT score report, schedule a free consultation and bring your SAT scores to your local 宝博体育 Education center where our expert educators can help you use your SAT scores to create a college admissions game plan.
Blog Author: Ashley Zahn
Ashley joined 宝博体育 Education in 2008. Since then, she has been instrumental in developing 宝博体育 Education’s unique line of curriculum materials, helped hundreds of students through 宝博体育 Education’s college admission essay help service, and shared her expertise in the fields of education and college admissions through the 宝博体育 Education blog.
Social Media and College Admissions
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSThis week, Harvard College rescinded admissions offers to ten prospective students after discovering some truly terrible social media behavior.
This should serve as a reminder to all students that what you do online is never private and it never goes away.
In a “private” group chat that was spun off of the Harvard Class of 2021 Facebook group, the students traded memes and messages that are inappropriate by any reasonable standard, featuring themes of violent racism and sexism. After discovering the existence and contents of the chat, Harvard administrators revoked admission offers to the students involved.
Some believe that revoking admission is unfair, arguing that an individual has the right to say or post whatever he or she wants on social media. Others, however, point out that free speech does not mean that speech is free from consequences.
Regardless of which side of the argument you fall on, it is important to know that colleges do not live in an off-line bubble. In a survey, 35% of college admissions officers reported checking social media as part of the application process, so if you are applying to college soon, make sure your online presence will help you, not hurt you.
Avoid Highly Controversial Posts
Colleges seek a graduating class that is diverse, open, and accepting. No college wants to become the center of a PR nightmare because a group of students committed some heinous act of intolerance, so posts reflecting racism, sexism, or any other sort of intolerance are not only wrong in and of themselves but also create an undesirable image of you as a prospective student.
If You Wouldn’t Want Your Future Boss to See It, Don’t Post It
Your social media presence will follow you for a very long time, and simply changing privacy settings or deleting pictures may or may not actually help conceal youthful online indiscretions – and your posts might hurt your future in more ways than one. After all, colleges aren’t the only ones who might judge you by your online presence: Some surveys indicate than nearly 2/3 of employers research job candidates through social media sites.
Include Links to Your (Best) Profiles
Social media can be a powerful tool for helping admission officers get a better view of you as a person. While many admission officers don’t look at student social media as a rule, if you provide them with a link in your application, they’re likely to check your profile out. So if you’ve been engaged in activism or entrepreneurship through your YouTube account, link to it. If you’ve developed a thoughtful and passionate blog, link to it. If your passions really shine on your Instagram account, link to it. You might even consider exploring social media platforms that you likely aren’t on yet, such as LinkedIn, which can provide you with a platform to really help your resume shine and to highlight your strongest skills.
Engage with Colleges
Colleges are often concerned with “yield,” meaning the percentage of accepted students who ultimately enroll. For this reason, expressed interest in a school is an increasingly important factor in college admissions. Between two equally qualified students, the one who has expressed a strong desire to attend is the one more likely to be admitted. In addition to things like taking campus tours or contacting alumni networks, one way of expressing interest is through engaging with colleges online. Follow the schools you want to attend, post on their pages, and whatever you do, DON’T talk smack about a school you might want to get into.
Regardless of your goals – in college and in life – be smart online.
Blog Author: Ashley Zahn
Ashley joined 宝博体育 Education in 2008. Since then, she has been instrumental in developing 宝博体育 Education’s unique line of curriculum materials, helped hundreds of students through 宝博体育 Education’s college admission essay help service, and shared her expertise in the fields of education and college admissions through the 宝博体育 Education blog.
#宝博体育Teachers: Why We Love Our Students
MISCELLANEOUSIn honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, 宝博体育 Education has been taking extra steps to show all our #宝博体育Teachers just how grateful we are for everything that they do.
This week, we asked some of our teachers about their experiences at 宝博体育. Not surprisingly, we learned that what our teachers love most about 宝博体育 is their students. Check out the conversations below for some great student stories from some of our top teachers around the country:
Kyle Hurford: I’d like to tell you about one of my most noteworthy students. He started coming to 宝博体育 in 10th grade in pursuit of a good SAT score. He was very opinionated and never failed to try to debate me, and I came to respect his mind and thoughtfulness even when we didn’t agree. He came in for a summer SAT class and continually worked to identify his weaknesses and improve. During this time, he also created a start-up company working on a medical project that required a great deal of programming prowess and marketing skills. With a strong college essay that we had polished together, a standout SAT score, and his own business pursuits behind him, he was well-qualified to get into Georgia Tech in 2016 and continues to make me proud. While I may have helped him along the way, his dedication and drive carried him further than the average high school student.
Sam Anderson: One student who sticks out was a student who came to us at the end of 10th grade to help bolster her math grade. She would continue to attend over that summer to begin preparation for her SAT. She started with a 1030 that, through hard work and dedication, she was able to bring up to a 1460. In her time with us, she has also worked on a total of 8 AP courses, ultimately receiving early acceptance at a 5 year occupational therapy program at the top ranked Thomas Jefferson University. She is a sweet girl, always eager to learn and explore, and one of my favorite students, even if we sometimes joke about how she wasn’t my biggest fan when she first met me.
Russell Stephen: I have developed a special relationship with one of our longest attending students. He has been studying at our center for more than ten years. Our team has constantly emphasized his need to show his work, and our efforts over the years are finally paying off. In our SAT workbook, he got stuck on a word problem, so I suggested that he sketch a diagram. He drew a square, and then right next to it, he wrote down the correct answer. At least he wrote something besides just the answer! When he moves on to the college of his dreams, the center will never be the same without him. The 宝博体育 teaching experience is rewarding in myriad ways. The opportunity to participate in the academic and personal growth of 宝博体育 students is more multi-dimensional than spending just one or two years in a classroom with a student, allowing me the good fortune of starting to work with a student in middle school, and culminating with that student bringing in a college acceptance letter. This is one reason why I treasure the 宝博体育 teaching experience.
5 Most (and Least) Popular AP Exams
TEST PREPEver wonder which subjects are the most and least popular for AP exams? Based on College Board data, here’s your answer! (Note: Because languages are so specialized and require several prerequisite courses, we did not include foreign languages on this list.)
5 Most Popular AP Exams
Politics
Composition
Composition
5 Least Popular AP Exams
Politics
Magnetism
Top 5 AP Exam Day Tips
TEST PREPFor hundreds of thousands of students, the first two weeks of May mean only one thing: AP exams. Some students might only take one exam, others might undergo a marathon of five or more exams during the two-week testing period. Whichever camp you fall into, we’ve got some AP exam day tips for you:
#5: Come Prepared
Review the AP exam policies in advance. Don’t bring forbidden items (cell phones, for example) and be sure to bring everything that you will need for the exam (such as pens, pencils, and identification). Nothing will ruin your scores faster than not being allowed to take the exam because you’re missing something vital (like your ID) or because you violated an important policy.
#4: Know the Test Format
If you already know what kinds of questions you’ll be asked, how long each section of the test is, and how long your breaks will be, you’ll be able to relieve some anxiety about test day. A big chunk of testing anxiety can be chalked up to the unknown – we’re less likely to worry when we know exactly what we’ll be facing. Knowing the test format can also help you to plan out your time better while taking the test, which brings us to tip number 3.
#3: Manage Your Time
Know how many questions you have to answer and how long you have to answer them. This will help you to better manage your time. If, for example, you know that you have five passages to read on the multiple choice portion of your AP Lit exam, you can make sure that you don’t spend half your time on the first passage. If part of the test is taking too long, move on. You can always go back if you’ve got time, and you will be able to answer more questions if you don’t spend too long on questions you find overly challenging. Don’t forget that there’s no guessing penalty on AP exam multiple choice sections, so if you find yourself running out of time, try to make an educated guess on as many questions as possible.
#2: Plan Your Essays
In a timed setting, it’s really tempting to just jump right into writing on essay sections. Resist the temptation! By setting aside five minutes or so to plan each of your essays, you’ll be able to create a better, more organized essay in a shorter time. You won’t need to sit there staring at your test booklet because you don’t know what to write next – you’ll have a plan! You won’t write an essay that meanders all over the place before finally making a cogent point at the end – you’ll have a plan! Taking time to plan is an excellent use of your essay-writing time.
#1: Sleep
This is our number one tip for good reason: A well-rested brain is a functional brain. Sleep is the time when your brain processes all of the information you learned that day, which means that if you stay up all night studying the night before the test, your brain never has time to consolidate that information before it needs to recall it.
Even though we’ve covered some solid test day advice, don’t rely on just these tips! For AP exam prep done right, you need a study plan, practice, and the right support in place. If needed, don’t be afraid to seek out some AP tutoring to assist you in your quest for 5’s.
Filing FAFSA Without IRS Data Retrieval Tool
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSNo one likes filling out the FAFSA – it’s right up there with filing taxes and getting teeth pulled in terms of enjoyable activities. But in the last couple of years, the FAFSA got a whole lot easier with the introduction of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which allowed students to automatically populate information for big chunks of the FAFSA.
In March, the IRS took the tool down.
Why did the IRS disable the Data Retrieval Tool?
The tool helped hackers steal about $30 million from the U.S. government, placing some 100,000 people at risk for identity theft. If you’re one of them, you should have already heard from the IRS or will be notified soon, and the IRS will offer free credit monitoring.
When will the IRS Data Retrieval Tool be back online?
The IRS and Department of Education have issued a joint statement saying that the tool will likely remain unavailable until the beginning of the next FAFSA season in October, 2017.
How does the Data Retrieval Tool being down affect my FAFSA?
With the tool down, you’ll need to manually enter all tax information. It’s a headache – but it’s not an impossible hurdle. You can do it!
How do I get the info I need to complete the FAFSA without the IRS Data Retrieval Tool?
In order to manually input your family’s tax information, you’ll need last year’s tax return. There are several ways to get this info:
• It’s good idea to save tax returns for a few years – see if your parents have a copy of theirs.
• If your family used tax software to file taxes (like TurboTax, for example), you or your parents should be able to log in to access the old return.
• If your family hired someone to do their taxes, that tax professional will have a copy on file.
• No one has a copy and your parents have no idea how to access it – oh no! It’s okay. Visit the IRS website to request a tax return transcript online (or to request one by mail).
Great, I have the forms. Now what?
Check out this Department of Education webpage for help figuring out where to find the information you need to complete the FAFSA.
What’s being done to help students with the FAFSA now that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is down?
A number of Congressional members have requested that the Department of Education offer support to students affected by the outage, including relaxing verification requirements and ensuring enough manpower to provide support through the call center, and some states and schools have pushed back their priority FAFSA deadlines (check with your school).
This is awful. Do I have to fill out the FAFSA?
Do you need financial aid? Do you want financial aid? If you answered yes to either (or both) of these questions, you should fill out the FAFSA. In fact, we recommend that even students who think they won’t be eligible for financial aid still complete the FAFSA. If you don’t complete the form, you definitely won’t qualify for financial aid. If you do complete the form, you never know – you might qualify for aid you aren’t aware of.
Yes, manually entering all of your family’s tax information is somewhat time consuming and annoying. But remember that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool didn’t even exist until 2010 – before that, everyone always had to manually enter the data.
With any luck, the IRS will resolve security concerns and the tool will be up and running next year.
Top 10 SAT and ACT Prep Tips
TEST PREPSAT and ACT scores boost your chances for admission at your dream schools—so it’s no wonder that many students find them particularly anxiety-inducing. Follow these SAT and ACT tips to boost your scores and lower your stress levels.
Start with a Practice Test
Any test prep plan should start with a practice SAT or practice ACT. Before you can set a goal, you need to figure out where you’re currently scoring – a diagnostic test is the best way to do that. To get the most accurate score, you’ll need to take your practice test under realistic testing conditions. If you choose to take a test at home, you should take the test in a quiet setting and time yourself for each section. Alternatively, consider taking a 宝博体育 Education diagnostic SAT or ACT, which are full-length tests administered under realistic testing conditions.
Create a Study Schedule
Once you have your original test scores, you’ll need to set some goals. If you already have a list of colleges where you know you want to apply, research the median test scores from prior admitted classes. The College Board’s Big Future website has a search tool that provides this information for hundreds of colleges. Compare your original scores to the average scores for your target schools, and use this information to set your score goals. Your goal will determine what kind of study schedule you create. After all, if you need to boost your SAT score by more than 100 points, you’ll need to set aside more time than if you hope to boost your score by 40 or 50 points. Remember: Great test scores boost your chances of admission, even at test-optional schools.
Build on Strengths and Target Weaknesses
One of the most valuable things you can learn from your diagnostic SAT or ACT is where to target your test prep. If there are certain types of questions that you did particularly poorly on, you know you need to focus on those questions. For example, if your writing score wasn’t as high as you’d like and you noticed that you didn’t do very well on organization questions, you know that you need to spend extra time studying transitions and paragraph cohesion. Although you’ll want to spend more time on your weakest areas, you’ll still need to spend some time reviewing areas you did really well on so that you can maintain your skills.
Read, Read, Read
One of the best SAT or ACT tips is to READ! Both the ACT and SAT require that you be able to read quickly and efficiently. Whether you’re prepping for the ACT with its lengthy reading, writing, and science passages or the SAT, where the passages are shorter but there are lots of them, you’ll need to be able to read and comprehend a lot of complex text in a short amount of time.
There is no shortcut to learn to read quickly and efficiently. The only way to gain that skill is through lots of practice. The more you read, the better a reader you’ll become. Whether you prefer to read novels, magazines, or news articles, simply pick some reasonably complex text and make sure that you read every single day.
Practice Makes Perfect
Especially if you’re studying on your own, practice tests are your best friend. Taking practice tests can help you to not only master the content of the tests, but also improve your time management, combat testing anxiety, and boost your confidence by allowing you to familiarize yourself with the test format and question types ahead of time.
Know the Test
By knowing exactly what you’re going to face on test day – the types of questions, how many passages, what the instructions say, and so on – you can enter the testing space with confidence. Testing anxiety is reduced by familiarity, and you won’t waste precious minutes parsing the wording of instructions or wondering what information a particular type of question is asking for.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
It’s tempting to stay up late doing some last minute cramming for the SAT or ACT, but your best bet is to go to bed early! In fact, in 2012 researchers at UCLA found that sacrificing sleep for extra study time actually has adverse effects on academic performance. Sleep is important for retention, and the first half of the night contains the largest amounts of so-called “deep sleep,” which is when the brain consolidates new facts.
To get a good night’s sleep, avoid screen time for at least an hour before you plan to hit the hay. The blue light from televisions, smart phones, and computers can make it harder to fall asleep, and lying awake staring at the ceiling won’t help you on test day.
Eat a Balanced Breakfast
Your SAT or ACT exam is probably going to take place pretty early on a Saturday morning, so it’s easy to rush out the door without eating breakfast first. Like any other organ in the body, your brain needs food to function properly, so breakfast is important! Prep a healthy breakfast the night before and set your alarm a few minutes early so that you have time for some brain food. Research shows that a breakfast low in sugar – think whole wheat toast and eggs – improves the ability to maintain attention, and maintaining attention is pretty important when you’re about to take a 3+ hour long test.
Gather Your Supplies
To reduce test day stress, get everything you’ll need together the night before the test. Be sure to bring an approved calculator, several sharpened pencils with erasers, your ID, and your registration information. Check the list of banned items for the SAT or ACT to make sure you don’t accidentally bring something you’re not allowed to have. This includes certain types of calculators, pretty much any electronic device (leave your phone in the car or turn it off and keep it in your bag), and food or drink.
Overcome Anxiety
A lot of absolutely brilliant students are disappointed by their SAT or ACT scores because they froze up on test day. The ACT and SAT are high stakes tests, so it’s easy to get inside your own head and overthink things. Before test day, work on some anxiety reducing techniques to help you beat testing anxiety and boost SAT and ACT scores. For example, you could try positive visualization – picture yourself looking at your really amazing test scores in a few weeks. Or you could try deep breathing, which has the added benefit of ensuring that your brain has ample oxygen to work with. Inhale using your diaphragm (not your chest) for a count of 5, hold the breath for a count of 4, then exhale slowly for a count of 7.
Bonus Tip
Keep SAT and ACT scores in perspective. Yes, they’re an important part of the college admissions process. But remember that these tests are not a one and done event – if you don’t like your scores, you’re free to try again or to try a different test altogether. And, as any college admissions officer will gladly tell you, you are more than just a number on a page. Don’t forget that the college admissions process involves a lot more than just your test scores.
Even with these SAT and ACT tips, if you’re still worried about any part of the college admissions process, talk to your school’s college counselor or reach out to your local 宝博体育 Education center.
College Admission News Roundup: February, 2017
COLLEGE ADMISSIONSWhether your college applications are still months or years away, or whether you’re scrambling to meet a looming application deadline, here are two great articles about college admissions to check out:
What the People Who Read Your College Application Really Think, NPR
NPR looks behind the curtain at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts to find out what admissions committees really think.
Ten Ways for Parents to Get on Top of the College Admission Process, Forbes
A former Amherst College admission officer writes about how parents can help with the college admission process.
The Ivy League has released early acceptance rates for the class of 2021. The good news? the Ivy League schools have posted early acceptance rates that are significantly higher than their usual overall acceptance rates, meaning that applying early still helps at these schools. The bad news? Across the board, Ivy League schools have reported increases in the number of applications received, meaning there’s more competition than ever. Here’s the early admission acceptance rate breakdown for the Ivy League:
• Harvard University Early Admission: 14.5%
• Princeton University Early Admission: 15.4%
• Yale University Early Admission: 17.1%
• Brown University Early Admission: 21.9%
• University of Pennsylvania Early Admission: 22.0%
• Cornell University Early Admission: 25.6%
• Dartmouth University Early Admission: 27.8%
• Columbia University Early Admission: Not Reported
Interested in data for other schools? The Washington Post maintains a database with early action, early decision, and regular admission statistics for top ranked colleges and universities. As of this posting, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is posting the lowest early admission rate at 8%.