@javascript@lsutiger25 There’s a reason they don’t use grade level tests, like ISAT or PARCC, or Iowa Assessments for that matter. Most people applying to IMSA get very high scores on those things, and I really don’t like their questions or how you have to explain every single miniscule detail or you get points off, and if you used a different, often more efficient method, you also get deducted points. It follows the example you mentioned about your teacher forcing students to do problems her way and only her way. The SAT, being a harder test, allows differentiation between students who are actually apt and those who consistently get 99th percentile on normal state tests by absolutely bomb the SAT. As for IQ tests, there is no true standardization of those tests.
Tl;dr: Standardized state tests are way too easy for IMSA’s standards. I may have also digressed slightly about the utter pointlessness of PARCC
@andrewd999 I agree PARCC is pointless, it does not have scale to fit me in it… I was above 99.9% seniors during my 8 grade… where did they find this seniors??? However, I struggled with SAT… too much time and energy involved … did not like the test at all
Anyway SAT test is all about your knowledge, so you can improve it by studying, IQ test is not easily improved by studying… this is why I think IQ test would be more appropriate for IMSA if they do not want to fill the school with good SAT takers… even colleges started to move away from SAT scores…
Yes, I agree with you guys. Also our school took PARCC on chromebooks, and since they were such bad quality one would crash every 15 minutes. IMSA should do a test like “How many different ways can you solve problem A”
@lsutiger25@melon132 What could work is a strict time limit that means you have to use the most efficient methods, kind of like competition math.
But then again, they have no money to do such things.
Personally, though, I believe in the achievement-based model.
I’ll digress some more if you don’t mind; I hate showing work. It genuinely interrupts my flow of thinking. Often, when a problem says show your work, I’ll solve in my head and then go back and show the work. It’s just pointless extra effort; if you know the answer, obviously you know how to get it.
Hello! Just weighing in on the IQ test discussion, it’s true that different IQ tests have different scales so they are hard to standardize. Also, the most accurate IQ tests have to be administered 1 on 1 by a trained psychologist so there would be a problem of accessibility, whereas the SAT you can take at basically any school.
@0chotona1liensis You have a good point. However, in ideal situation (IMSA has money) … The customised for IMSA challenge/test would work the best. SAT success is mostly based on how good are math/language programs in your school (or how good your SAT tutors are and if your parents can afford one…). So people with crappy math courses at school are at disadvantage over good schools… From another hand, people with crappy math/science programs at their home school are mostly in need to go to IMSA…
@TheNewmanry Officially, you have homework time 7-9 pm, but I know people staying till after midnight to complete their homework, it depends… if you have a large project for example… I wish students from class 2019 could share with us how much of their life homework eats there… I suspect it is a lot…
Also I know students at IMSA always want to sleep, they could fall asleep in any position and instantly. I guess main cause of sleep deprivation at IMSA is homework…
Hello there I’m class of 2017 (senior) at imsa and I’m a wing guide and peer tutor so if you have questions for me about homework or anything else feel free to ask. I also did an SIR on sleep habits at imsa vs normal public high schools if you’re interested in that. My younger brother is applying class of 2020 so I am familiar with the newer process and such.
I have heard that music department is really suck at IMSA… jazz band is organized by students… So, I would suggest to lower your expectations… I do not think they have a wind ensemble… @imsachick can correct me if I am wrong… I was invited to play at Carnegie Hall, but do not expected to get accepted just because of this. I am thinking if IMSA will not invite me, i will go to a college in a year… can not stand to be stuck at my rural high school for another 3 years…
Also, the reason I am not emailing your guys (who left their emails) is… I feel I have so miserable probability of acceptance so I do not want to bother you with my emails …
Well, I think I can pay anyone who think I will get in $50, if i really will get accepted. If I do not get in… I do not owe anyone anything…
Who wants to bet I will get in? <:-P ?
@melon132 This is tricky. To be completely honest, I’m not a huge fan of the music dept. I was in band sophomore year and dropped after the first year because I didn’t enjoy it. I still play all the time, for my wing, for church, etc. We do have a wind ensemble, you’re placed either into concert band or wind ensemble based on your audition during orientation if you’re admitted to IMSA. There are many talented musicians at IMSA and if you love music, you’ll keep up with it regardless of your enrollment in our band. One of my close friends (class of 2016) is majoring in music this year at Stanford. Our program is good and the musicians at IMSA are even better. I wouldn’t recommend letting our music department affect your decision to attend or not. There are many student-run music clubs on campus including the jazz band as was mentioned by @javascript. Also @javascript if you have a passion for something, even music, they’ll see that and it will help your application. You should not be making bets on your acceptance, that’s horrible and if IMSA were to find out, you’d be automatically rejected. You should be proud of your accomplishments and be smart enough not to make bets, especially bad ones.
Hey guys, just think, somewhere in Aurora, a group of tired adults are judging our list of accomplishments and making decisions that might alter the course of our lives. Does anyone else imagine the judges as jurors? Like they got a summons in the mail and are reluctantly doing whatever they’re being told to?
Also, email me: fakespam1212@gmail.com (Don’t worry, it’s an actual email address, it’s the only one I have that’s not my school address. I was feeling salty when I made it.)
STATS:
Ethnicity: Asian/White
Region: Chicagoland
GPA: 4.5 (out of 4)
SAT: 1480, 6-6-6 (New SAT, out of 1600)
ECS:
Volleyball (Club/School)
Robotics (Multiple years)
Speech Team
A few others I can’t remember.
Awards:
Honor roll all years (if that counts)
Speech Tournament Finals Qualifier (Regional Level)
Robotics Integrity and Design Awards (Regional Level)
A few local awards, nothing special
High School Course Load: Honors English, Honors Math II (Not sure what math course this is), Biology 400/Honors, World History, Spanish. These are the most advanced classes offered to my school’s freshman class.
