Why is life not fair?

Test Preparation
41

<p>watch harold and kumar (first one) again if you haven't seen it in a while. The universe tends to unfold the way it should (paraphrase but you get the idea), and i'm sure even if you don't gget into College X the fact that you have a good work ethic will let you do w/e you want in life.</p>

<p>edit: of course, thats about teh ONLY bit of advice you should take form that movie :)</p>

<p>i probably work just as hard as you but my school doesn't grade on a proper scale and everyone save like 2 kids has a gpa lower than they'd like... but i've accepted that. you can always take the sat again, no? i can't retake freshman year (before i started trying hard enough in school).</p>

<p>EDIT2: another point is that the sat doesn't test pure knowledge, which i like. i hate learning random crap in school i could just look up on the internet or in a book when i need it when i'll just forget it within a week after the test : /</p>

42

<p>I think you should still apply even if you have crappy test scores. I know someone who has crappy test scores and they got into Princeton.</p>

43

<p>Life is fair in that it is unfair to everyone.</p>

44

<p>C'est la vie~~ life is never fair... learn to overcome difficulties.. yeah, try ACT!</p>

45

<p>i just moved to the US a year ago. im a senior now... i took the SAT and i did really bad because english is not my 1st language.. what should i do?? take the TOEFL?
any suggestions?? =)</p>

46

<p>Taking the TOEFL can be a good idea for someone who isn't a native speaker of English. Check the requirements of each college to know what you must do to apply to that college.</p>

47

<p>Im taking the ACT in Sept and gonna study like hell for it. If I dont do well then screw it.</p>

48

<p>okay...lets just start with this...i know exactly how you feel. I have worked my butt off from my freshman year until now(senior) and i have near perfect grades and tons of hours put into ECs as well.
When i took the PSAT i got a score in the 160s which IS above the national average yes, but in comparison to others at my school it was abysmal. My grade has 30+ kids who qualified for national merit and tons and tons or scores in the 190s and low 200s. This made me feel even worse. Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself i immediately sought after some help. I first talked to my parents and they suggested I take a diagnostic test at a prep center. After doing this my score was still low. So I ended up going though a 15+ tests total. I timed every section so i made sure my timing was down pat, as well as tried to broaden my vocab. I would pick a word every day and try and use it in every day speech...i know it sounds geeky but it works like crazy...when you use the words you remember them. On all the CR sections it was simply finding a method that worked for me. (one in which i could quickly find answers to questions) after all this and all the tests i was more or less familiar enough with the SAT to try it with my eyes closed....i knew what kind of questions were going to be thrown at me.<br>
After 2-3 months of doing this my score was slowly crawling up....my second diagnostic it bumped up a bit then same with my third. When i finally took the test in June my score had risen a ton. up to a 2100...so 500 points and this was all because i just said to myself: "there is nothing to lose at this point and everything to gain!!!!" and i just went for it and worked hard.
Hard, hard work will pay off and the all the unfairness in the world will come around and pay you off with some "fairness" as long as you make the effort. Everyone has there hardships in life and I certainly hope that you make it through this one. I truely believe you can.<br>
Federer wasn't the number one tennis player in the world when he was starting his pro tennis career. He suffered many HARD defeats before reaching where he is today. The same can be said for anyone....watson and crick didn;t come up with the structure or DNA in 2 sittings....it tooks months upon months!
Work hard and things will turn out great!!!!
Good Luck this fall!!
im rooting for you!</p>

49

<p>thanks so much zfox</p>

50

<p>Study over the summer for the ACT and the SAT and you'll do fine. That is what I am doing, my score has been going up on the practice tests. Don't think this is the end of world, just work hard. I don't think a low SAT score will be the deciding factor in your admissions, since you sound solid otherwise.</p>

51

<p>why does you being urm make any difference as to why your sat score is low?</p>

52

<p>Well, if this isn't fair, is it fair that anybody ever gets rejected from any university??</p>

53

<p>the SAT isn't everything..some schools don't even require you to submit it.</p>

54

<p>You should still consider applying. Besides, its not about where you go, its what you do with it. College isn't just about education, its about networking and getting to know people who can get you where you want to go. Besides, from my understanding there are a lot of colleges that give some leeway if your SAT scores are low but your GPA is high and you have a lot of extra curricular activities. Writing a good personal statement wouldn't be bad either.</p>

55

<p>Sounds like you're in the same situation as my daughter. She, too, worked her booty off, and ending up with "above-average" grades (including AP classes) ....... BUT she also totally flubbed the ACT tests (twice) --- Even worse than your score. I just couldn't believe it. I mean, her school is ranked "average to above-average" in competitiveness, yet, she just can't do well on the standardized tests. I truly believe that some people/students just can't do well on those tests. I don't think it has ANYTHING to do with their academic intellect .... But I do think it has a lot to do with the way the standardized tests are structured.</p>

<p>Also, I think it's GREAT that a lot more colleges, including some popular named universities, are starting to abolish the use of ACT and SAT tests scores to determine acceptance to their universities. And, let me add, statistics have proven that students that score higher on standardized tests do not do any better in college than the students that score lower on the tests. There have been numerous studies that consistently show this. .... And that is why more and more universities are choosing not to include standardized tests scores as a determining factor when it comes to a student's admission to a college. GOOD FOR THEM!!!!</p>

56

<p>you can always cheat. There are no tangible consequences.</p>

57

<p>Thanks Risinghigh. Im just going to do my damndest to do well on the ACT in September and screw all else. Its so true, I know i have the ability to do well at any school out there. Some stupid test isnt going to convince me otherwise and if I get rejected because of low scores i'll have to accept that.</p>

58

<p>SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2008
WFU makes SAT/ACT scores optional
Updated: 05/28/2008 07:47 AM
By: Wes Wilson </p>

<p>Wake Forest Drops SAT
News 14 Carolina's Bob Costner has more on how the university reached its decision.</p>

<p>WINSTON-SALEM -- Wake Forest University will no longer require prospective students to submit SAT or ACT test scores in order to be accepted into the school and have instead made the test scores optional.</p>

<p>The new application process will be in place for the freshman class of 2009, and Wake Forest administrators said the move makes it the only top 30 university, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, with a standardized test-optional policy.</p>

<p>Wake Forest hopes the new policy will lead to a more diverse student body.</p>

<p>"By making the SAT and ACT optional, we hope to broaden the applicant pool and increase access at Wake Forest for groups of students who are currently underrepresented at selective universities," Martha Allman, director of admissions at Wake Forest, said in a news release.</p>

<p>The university said it still plans to allow students to submit their SAT and ACT scores if they choose to, but THE NEW POLICY SIMPLY ALLOWS A STUDENT TO OMIT THEIR SCORES IF THEY FEEL IT DOES NOT “ACCURATELY REFLECT THEIR ACADEMIC ABILITIES.”</p>

<p>Wake Forest made the move after research showed that standardized tests favor wealthier students.</p>

<p>"WHILE MANY TOP-TIER UNIVERSITIES ARE INCREASING THEIR RELIANCE ON STANDARDIZED TESTING IN THE ADMISSION PROCESS, RECENT RESEARCH SUGGEST THAT STANDARDIZED TESTS ARE NOT VALUABLE PREDICTORS OF COLLEGE SUCCESS," Wake Forest Provost Jill Tiefenthaler said, adding that the move has the full support of the Board of Trustees and the school’s deans.</p>

<p>Julie Cunningham, a guidance counselor at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem for nine years, said the move could benefit some students, adding that Wake Forest University did their research before making the switch.</p>

<p>“One thing that impressed me was that there were several private liberal arts college in the northeast [that moved to this model,] SO THEY HAVE A PRETTY GOOD COLLECTION OF DATA,” Cunningham said. “I think Wake looked at them carefully and what the results have been.</p>

<p>“THERE'S VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUDENTS WHO REPORT THEIR SCORES AND THOSE WHO DON'T.” </p>

<p>West Forsyth High School guidance counselor Cindy Zimmerman agreed. She said there are some excellent students who might not do well on standardized tests, but she said given Wake Forest’s lofty academic reputation, “students who typically apply to Wake Forest already do fairly well on standardized tests.”</p>

<p>University admissions officials said they will now make enrollment decisions based on high school curriculum and grades, combined with written essays, extracurricular activities and evidence of character and talent. As part of this new philosophy, the admissions office will now strongly encourage personal interviews as part of the process.</p>

<p>Students should not throw their SAT or ACT study booklets away just yet though.</p>

<p>“I certainly would continue to urge students to take the test because they are going to be applying to more than one university,” Cunningham said. </p>

<p>Wake Forest hopes the new policy will encourage students who excelled in high school but had low test scores to apply.</p>

<p>“I don't know that there would be a great number of students who would not put their scores on the application [who already planned to go to Wake Forest.] It might open Wake up to new students who hadn't thought about going there,” Zimmerman said.</p>

<p>“I do think they will accept students who don't report those scores but I certainly think they will be judicious in making those choices,” Cunningham added.</p>

<p>As for the university itself, Wake Forest officials said they think this will remove one more obstacle that low-income students have to overcome to be successful. </p>

<p>"[THIS STUDY] PRESENTS A COMPELLING ARGUMENT THAT RELIANCE ON THE SAT AND OTHER STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR ADMISSION IS A MAJOR BARRIER TO ACCESS FOR MANY WORTHY STUDENTS," Tiefenthaler said. "By taking this step at Wake Forest, we want to remove that barrier."</p>

<p>This year, Wake Forest received more than 9,000 applications and expects to enroll about 1,200 freshmen this fall. That includes five students from R.J. Reynolds High School and a similar number from West Forsyth High School</p>

59

<p>Heavily quoted in coverage of the Wake Forest policy change was faculty member Joseph Soares, Associate Professor or Sociology. Soares’ book, The Power of Privilege: Yale and America’s Elite Colleges, demonstrates how reliance on test scores is a de facto reverse affirmative action policy. Referring to the SAT, Soares said “IT'S A ROTTEN PREDICTOR OF COLLEGE GRADES. It’s a very reliable predictor of family income. If you are picking students from the higher end of the SAT bell curve, you are overwhelmingly picking students from economically privileged backgrounds.”</p>

60

<p>Here's my advice. From what you've said before you get anxious for tests. I myself had this problem too. What you need to do is work on not caring about the test and just having focus. See it as a puzzle that needs to be solved. Also, do things to make yourself not nervous. If you have a favorite pencil, use it. If you drink coffee, do it before your exam. If your testing center doesn't have good tables, go to one that does (if it's reasonably nearby). Don't hesitate when you see the questions, just give it your best. Know that you are capable of greatness with every bubble you fill in, and do enough prep to the point where you know what you're doing.
The format is going to be the same. The questions are going to be typical. You just need to familiarize yourself with the types of questions asked and how to deal with them. Know that test score alone won't fail you. If you can write a kickass essay and have a good GPA, that will set you apart far more than 3 little numbers. And your minority status will help you with this.
A lot of people want you to do well, so don't lose steam.</p>