The College Admission Process: Acing the SAT in High School

The idea of applying to college and pursuing the major of your dreams can sometimes be a stressful journey. Though it is indeed an extensive process, the approach is something that the majority of students fail to recognize today. Whether it's endless nights of studying for the SAT or ACT or joining every single extracurricular known to existence, there is a fine line between intelligent and cumbersome practices. Don’t fret! This article, which will illustrate clever studying tips and important extracurriculars, will become your best friend in no time!

Acing Standardized Tests

First, it is certainly important to ace your standardized tests, whether you are taking the SAT or ACT, and there isn’t necessarily a “right” way of studying, however, there is a “smart” one.

TEST PREPARATION SKILLS

One of the biggest mistakes that contemporary high schoolers make today is purchasing every prep book they can and flying through the practice tests as a means of covering as much material as they can in a short amount of time. However, it is the constant cycle of recognizing your strengths and weaknesses and ensuring that they don’t occur again that truly make a difference when preparing for college admissions tests.

Each time you take a practice test, you are usually presented with the full range of the types of questions that would appear on the actual test. Therefore, whenever you make mistakes, you should aim to understand precisely why you got that particular question incorrect and either do more practice(especially for math) or go back and re-read passages(especially for reading/writing).

UNDERSTANDING STANDARDIZED TEST LOGISTICS

Furthermore, the logistics of the test is something that you can certainly use to your advantage. For example, the reading section of the SAT is 65 minutes and there are 5 passages that you must cover in that time span. The passages range from literature and historical passages to different scientific articles.

Prior to test day, identify your strengths and tackle those passages first. Momentum is key on standardized tests and you wouldn’t want to stall on a difficult passage, and consequently, kill your confidence.

Timing is also critical.

Make sure you time yourself during the practice exams so that you can simulate test day as closely as possible and get an idea of your mental endurance to sit through an entire exam, which may seem impossible at first. Trust me, the more closely you diligently practice as if it is test day, the more successful you will be at raising your cumulative score.

Mental Wellbeing in College Admissions

Lastly, the most important factor that is often underrated in today’s competitive world is your personal well-being. The college admissions process can be overwhelming, however, it wouldn’t hurt to take a step back and breathe.

Many students accumulate large amounts of stress and damage their mental health, which we cannot afford to sacrifice at all in any scenario. My advice would be to live a day at a time and take this process one step at a time.

You should only pursue what you can handle and this is including any extracurriculars you wish to join in the process. Though there are a plethora of activities for you to pursue, you should aim to join research, volunteering, or even entry internships to demonstrate your dedication towards your field. These would not only boost your resume, but will also further your knowledge of the subject. With all these tips in mind, I hope you implement the aforementioned strategies and manage your time wisely.

I wish you the best of luck in this journey!