ACT prep sucks.... really really really sucks

[Ava]

i'm hating this so far. i've taken an english and reading practice test and so far my score is 31. i'm going to take the science and math either in a bit or else in the morning.

i hate this crap and so far i'm disappointed with my score.

i have three practice tests in each subject so i'm just going to keep practicing and try to bring my scores up. *sigh*

[Critters2]

1. 31's not a bad score. Not perfect, but not bad.

When do you take the test?

[Ava]

2. next saturday

31 is the 97.6 percentile, but i'm going for a 33 because of the schools i want to get accepted to.

[Critters2]

3. Where do you want to go? nt

[Ava]

4. i'm applying several places

NYU is among them along with Georgetown. my mom has encouraged me to apply to harvard, but i doubt i could get in there. most of the places i'm most interested in are private schools so i would have to get a scholarship or financial aide. i'm also applying to a few schools over in the uk (lse among them).

[Critters2]

5. Do those schools take ACT scores? I would've thought you'd need

SATs. I took ACTS, so I've never understood the scoring of SATs, but most eastern schools use them, I think.

FWIW, I went to a state school (Illinois State) and had no trouble getting into eastern grad schools--including Harvard (yes, I turned down a chance to go the Harvard Div. I'm just that good!!)

Anyway, I wish you well!

[Ava]

6. most schools accept the ACT

and all ivy league schools accept it

[Critters2]

7. Huh. I didn't know that.

Not a good test-taker myself. Somehow got lucky and maxed the Miller Analogies Test (a fluke, I'm sure), which meant I didn't have to take the GRE.

Did moderately well on the ACT, though I knew it didn't have to be wonderful to get into the school I wanted (Illinois State, again). My lefty parents did NOT want me going to a private school for undergrad. They saw them as elitist, and thought it was important for me to meet a variety of people, socially, racially, ethnically, etc, as part of my college experience. They'd been saving since I was born for me to go to college, but if I decided to go to a private school, all that money would go to my sibs. Did I mention my parents were lefties? I could go to state schools in other states, but anything private would mean no help from them (and lots of disappointed looks when I was home from school).

I turned out okay. I guess.

I wish you well in your future. And a 31 really is a good score :hug:

[Ava]

8. thanks

:pals:

there are some public schools i'm applying to as well of course.. some that i'm very interested in. most of my top schools are private though.

[rockymountaindem]

13. The ACT is about as widely accepted as the SAT these days

It was when I was in the college application process five years ago, and I imagine it's only gained more traction since then.

[SallyMander]

9. You should look at Brown U

My alma mater -- i LOVED it there... tons of cool lefty people, tons of freedom to study what you want. It's a wonderful place. :D

Good luck with the ACT! :hug:

[Ava]

10. i've looked at brown

i'd have to get a scholarship in order to go since it costs about 50,000 a year(yikes!)

[SallyMander]

11. WOW

It's gone up a lot even since i was there (i graduated in 2002). They have a good financial aid program though, and need-blind admissions. Loans seem scary, but you'll get them paid off eventually. :hug:

[Ava]

12. if i have to get loans i'm not going to school that costs that much

i've watched my mom struggle paying off her student loans... she's STILL paying them off now :scared:

[LibDemAlways]

20. My nephew goes to NYU and loves it. He's a political

science major and will probably go on to law school. He grew up in the So. Cal. suburbs, so NYC was a big change for him.

Best of luck and I'm sure you'll do great no matter where you go!

[Ava]

21. NYU is my top school

i want to double major... political science and journalism

[LibDemAlways]

35. Sounds very ambitious. And don't let the snarky posters

here get you down. You are the one taking the test and know what you need to do! You obviously have your priorities straight.

[Ava]

37. thanks

:hug:

[Callalily]

43. Please don't dismiss colleges

like Harvard because of tuition fees. Their endowments are insane. You clearly have the academics they are looking for. If they want you, they'll put up the money.

I always encourage students to apply to private (tuition high) colleges. You'd be surprised what's in their coffers!

Good luck on your ATCs and your college search!

[sir_captain]

44. Harvard has need-blind financial aid

they don't give merit based scholarships like most private universities do. On the other hand, they now subsidize costs for families making up to $180,000/year so it doesn't really matter.

[harmonicon]

14. why bother?

I'm serious. You should spend our time enjoying life, not doing pointless studying. I just took the tests - I didn't take any pre tests or any crap like that. I went a good school, and the places I went for my master's degree could have cared less about grades and test scores, and where I'm doing post graduate work now could likewise care less about where I went to school, just the quality of my work. I really don't see all of the pressure to go to one school or another for your undergrad, unless there's a very specific field you're interested in, and one school excels in that. Still, I'm not sure if that's all good - I'm glad that I went to a large university for my undergrad and took loads of classes in other schools. I even changed my major half way through (though within the same school at the university). If I'd been somewhere less diverse, I might have just dropped out.

[Ava]

15. i bother because i want to

i'm doing act preps by my own choosing, and i'm glad that i'm doing it. now i know what to expect and studying doesn't hurt.

i spend time enjoying life, but this studying isn't pointless. i'm going to enjoy going to a good school as a result of doing "pointless studying."

[harmonicon]

23. I just don't think a school that demands high test scores = good

you should choose a school that's good for you. I don't understand the testing thing - some people study, and some people don't, which will be reflected in their scores. That has nothing to do with how smart they are, or how well they'll do in college. There aren't any college courses in ACT and SAT test taking, so I don't see what it proves. I didn't mean to suggest that you don't spend time enjoying life, but that you're be better off using this time for that than studying for the ACT.

[Ava]

26. i have to study for the act if i want to get into the school that is good for me

and my point is that i don't need a lecture on what i need to spend time in my life doing. i enjoy myself and have a good time. just because i have two weeks out of the year that i spend a few hours at home studying for a big test doesn't mean that i don't enjoy myself or have a good time with friends.

[harmonicon]

28. yet you're the one bitching about this taking up your time

if you don't like it, don't do it. If you like it, don't whine about it. easy solutions.

[Ava]

29. in life, we do things we don't like

that is life. i don't like it, but i have to do it if i want to get a good score.

sheesh, i thought this was the lounge :eyes:

[harmonicon]

32. as did I

I've made sacrifices in my life for things that I want, so I understand your point, but I don't think you know that you want to go to some school if you've never been there (just visiting and reading about it doesn't count). My attitude is that a school that doesn't want to accept me as an individual and would use a test score to vet me for admission isn't a place I'd want to go. I'm much happier being a person than a number. And having this attitude has always gotten me into good schools. There has never been a time when I've thought I made a poor choice education-wise, or thought "if only I'd studied harder". I'm not trying to be hard on you or single you out - I just hate this system where people are judged based on test scores. The purpose of higher education, as I see it, is completely contrary to the practices involved in getting admitted to the educational institutions, and it ought to be stopped. I've taken a stand on this in the past (looking at schools, those that demanded GRE scores for their graduate programs, I knew were not the places for me) and it's worked very well for me. You seem convinced that this is what you have to do..... so be it. I just don't think anyone should have to deal with this crap.

[Ishoutandscream2]

16. 97th percentile? And you're disappointed?

What I would have given......

[Ava]

18. for the schools i want to get into, yes

:(

i just am afraid i won't get into the places i want to go and/or get the financial aide i'll need. i love my state(alabama) but i don't want to go to college here.

[Ishoutandscream2]

22. I understand

but you're such an incredibly intelligent young lady. There's so much pressure on kids today, and I want to tell you what I tell my own children - "Just be happy."

[Ava]

25. it is a stressful time, no doubt... but i am pretty happy

and no matter what i know that i'll be ok ;)

[Ellen Forradalom]

17. It could always be worse

Ponder this from the latest ESPN magazine: "For 352 days a year, Ron and Laura Ezell have the perfect marriage. Those 13 other days--when Auburn or Alabama takes the field--are a whole other story."

[Ava]

19. hey, i know what that is like

Roll Tide! ;)

[Robeson]

24. I wish I had been as driven as you are at your age, Ava....

...I think you'll do fine....:thumbsup:

[Ava]

27. thanks Robeson

:hug:

[sniffa]

30. You poor thing

It's so hard for you. :hug:

[Ava]

31. i shouldn't have started this thread

didn't realize i'd be greeted with snark .. thought this was the lounge.

[Whoa_Nelly]

33. In studying for several tests now required for teaching, found the Internet had a lot

of great study resources. And, in using these sources, I really feel that those sites helped me to pass more than just the book study guides.

(In turning in my scores to my school district so they could be added to my credentials, was told that 1) amazing that I passed the first time, as many teachers don't, and 2) I had the highest scores they had ever seen within the district.)

So, here are some online study guides for you!

http://www.studyguidezone.com/acttest.htm

http://www.testprepreview.com/act_practice.htm


And this site offers many links not ony for study, bit also some for test taking strategies and tips:

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/act_sat.htm

[Ava]

34. thanks

i've the the official prep guide of the act and it's been a really awesome help so far. it has 3 real tests in it so you can get prepared and familiarized with the test. :hi: :pals:

[Whoa_Nelly]

36. Just like the study guide books I bought to take CBEST, RICA and CTEL

and I swear, taking all those book tests did not give me as much information and info help as the online sites.

Good luck on your ACT!
You are a very smart young woman. You will do well!
:hug: :loveya: :hug:

[Ava]

38. thanks Whoa_Nelly

:hug: :pals:

[Fox Mulder]

39. You're disappointed with a 31????

I would've killed for that.

I got a shitty 26...but I didn't study and I got into one of the best public liberal arts colleges in the country.

[Ava]

40. i was looking up average scores for the schools i am applying to

according to princeton review the average act score at NYU is 29 so it makes me feel a little bit better

[sasquatch]

41. I never took'em and got a 24

I was also out of high school for 5 years.

[Mendocino]

42. Keep at it.

My son took it three times (28, 29, 31). The 31 qualified him for a full tuition scholarship.