Below are the 4 most recent journal entries recorded in fidelia301's InsaneJournal:

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
1:39 am	Which SAT II's Should You Take and When? SAT Subject Tests can be taken on the same dates as the SAT Reasoning Test (with the exception of March). But students cannot do both on the same day, nor would you want to. Furthermore, you can take up to three SAT Subject Tests on the same day. Thus this requires planning. Those of you prepping for the fall SAT Reasoning Test should want to take the test TWICE. If the student wants to do the SAT Subject Tests, then he or she will need to take tests on all THREE of the following dates: * October 1 * November 5 * December 3 Seniors could also use the January 28 test date, but we prefer to consider it as a last resort. Some schools take results from this date. For rising seniors who are prepping with us, our standard recommendation is to take the October SAT Reasoning Test for those who have done serious summer preparation. If you'd like to apply Early Decision or Early Action, the vast majority of schools accept the Oct and Nov tests (the USAF, USCG, USMA, and USNA are exceptions; for them November is too late.) If the student plans to take the November 5th test(s) and apply ED, EA, or Rolling, he or she must not forget to notify the admissions committees and that he or she will be sending results immediately on Nov 24th. With regard to rising sophomores and juniors who've commenced prepping already, generally Nov and Dec OR Dec and Jan should be your objective test dates. We always want students to take the SAT Reasoning Test twice after tutoring. After January, the subsequent SAT Reasoning Test (though no SAT Subject Tests are given) is March 10th. March 10 can be a backup if things don't go well earlier. The ideal time with regard to sophomores and juniors to take the SAT Subject Tests is normally May and/or June when course material had been covered and is still fresh in the students' brains. SAT IIs or SAT Subject Tests are offered in the following subjects in October, November, December, January, May, and June unless otherwise noted: * Literature * US History * World History (Dec and June) * Math Level 1 (through Algebra II) * Math Level 2 (through Pre-Calculus & Trigonometry) * Biology * Chemistry * Physics * French (reading & listening) (listening November, reading various other dates) * German (reading & listening) (reading June, listening November) * Modern Hebrew (reading only) (December only) * Italian (reading only) (December and June only) * Spanish (reading & listening) (listening November, reading other dates) * Chinese (listening only) (November only) * Japanese (listening only) (November only) * Korean (listening only) (Nov only) Realize that SAT II scores skew higher than SAT Reasoning Test scores. A 650 SAT II score isn't very outstanding. On some of the SAT Subject Tests, 650 is a below average score (average as measured against those who take these tests, which is a strong group). If the student isn't confident with a Subject or hasn't studied it for more than a year, he or she should probably choose a DIFFERENT Subject. The practice tests within your Official SAT Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests are a good gauge of which Subject Tests are the ideal choices. There are instructors who could tutor for essentially all subjects for those of you who want extra tutoring designed for SAT Subject Tests. Unlike the SAT Reasoning Test (also called SAT I or SAT), the SAT Subject Tests more directly mimic students' actual coursework. Thus, students commonly need only 8-12 hours of tutoring for any one hour SAT Subject Test. (Comment on this)
12:08 am	AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CURRENT ERA OF UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS The ACT/SAT is no longer a socio-economically biased examination. It can test things based on American lifestyle, but that's the culture familiar to almost every American secondary school student. The ACT and/or SAT may be unfair for the recent immigrant; colleges usually tend to assess immigrant applicants by many other standards. Highly-ranked colleges are inappropriate for some students. We merely want every last child who might find it appropriate to have all possibilities open. The US News Survey has a highly flawed methodology. Since it is the most-recognized ranking, students looking for competitive schools should consult it. Highly ranked schools merit a person's consideration DUE TO THE FACT JOB RECRUITERS and GRAD SCHOOLS value that high ranking. Irrespective of the training students receive at the top-ranked schools, the imprimatur of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, U Chicago, Duke, Stanford, and CalTech carries significantly into the market for the first job, for graduate school, and possibly even for promotions afterward. Ask recruiters who unabashedly state they may have discrepant thresholds for interviewing candidates determined by their school. Ask Nicholas Lehmann, who said in a PBS Frontline interview - "a good school positions you in the way of more opportunity". Getting a high ACT and/or SAT score(s) is an important factor considered by highly ranked schools. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011
4:42 pm	Importance of ACT & SAT I The best time to study for the ACT/SAT</a>is when the student has the most free time, often summer time. All other factors being equal, the best time to prepare is early - summer time before junior year, junior fall, and junior winter season. (This assumes the student has completed a semester each of Algebra I and Geometry at that time). Holding a great ACT/SAT score report before senior year makes college visits and university decision-making much simpler. Secondary school success doesn't automatically translate to ACT/SAT success. Even for good students, the SAT Math is normally difficult since it asks recognizable concepts in unfamiliar ways. Even for good students, the SAT CR can be difficult because it asks vocabulary that may be new, and demands reading capabilities many students have never used. Even for excellent students, the SAT/ACT Writing can be difficult since it asks for impromptu opinion-based essays, with a severe time constraint (25 minutes for SAT; 30 minutes for ACT). Even for good students, the ACT Science is very hard because of the newness and also the time constraints. Though we make an effort to make it otherwise, ACT/SAT test prep is not really particularly entertaining. We don't drag out the preparation classes. A number of intensive weeks with us, or weekly for the full semester is usually all, should you do it correctly. Consider it a part-time summertime job; or treat it as an extra honors course in a semester. ACT/SAT test prep has grown to be one of the many responsibilities of the college-bound young adult. We don't drag out class time either. A semi-militaristic attitude towards promptness and missed classes helps everyone. We make available extra assistance, and encourage parents to prompt students to use Help Line. (Comment on this)
Saturday, October 15th, 2011
4:53 am	Role of ACT and SAT I The ACT/SAT is a good standard to help in university admission decisions, considering disparities in secondary school quality along with students' choice of courses. The ACT/SAT is simply not a measure of fixed practical knowledge, skills, and also "intelligence". (Ask any students who definitely have raised their scores 200+ points after a few months of prep.) The ACT/SAT is coachable. Everyone improves with training. The only issue is the amount of improvement. The ACT and SAT or SAT I can be decent evaluations of aptitudes and know-how. They aren't great predictors of success following college and are dubious predictors of success in college. Seeing that competitive four-year colleges have made them a major factor in their admissions decisions and merit scholarship awards, it is just common sense for students seeking admissions at competitive colleges to study for the ACT and/or SAT. ACT/SAT prep ought not replace any efficacious component of a high school curriculum or wholesome extra-curricular activities. Universities overweight the ACT/SAT since other measures, such as GPA, moral character, and school competitiveness, are tricky to compare and contrast. Overweighting the ACT/SAT provides a great opportunity to high school students who lack strong grades, or are at less highly-regarded schools. Overweighting the ACT/SAT means students with good grades and from good high schools have to protect them by having solid ACT/SAT scores. To be blunt, however , real: just about anyone seeking a competitive university or college who doesn't make an attempt to master the ACT/SAT is actually unwisely bringing down long-term satisfaction for short-term frivolity. I say this on account of the sheer number of adults who rue their not trying harder in high school, and to the trends that elite institutions carry MUCH MORE punch in hiring in addition to grad school decisions than ever before. (Comment on this)