<p>I don’t really see the point of memorizing words outside of the SAT. I learned a lot of them for the SAT by using this book called Word Smart. I also competed in Latin derivatives and got a good understanding from those. I never kept up with it and I’ve gotten way better at writing and thinking in college. </p>
<p>I think the derivatives are useful, but I don’t see any point in memorizing words to “project a certain level of intelligence” as in post #2. The last thing I would want is to be judged as intelligent because of the words I use rather than the thoughts they convey. I just plain wouldn’t want to use a word that other people might not know. What would be the point of that? </p>
<p>Intelligent ideas are not dependent on words anyway. You should be able to explain your ideas in any number of ways, meaning using different wording each time. </p>
<p>My best advice outside the SAT would be to look up the words you don’t know so that you understand what you are reading.</p>