Weekly Wisdom

Synopsis:
The NEW SAT – first analysis. Articles about interview prep and AP courses, interview prep in general, middle of the road schools to pack the college list, vocab of the week, and George Washington University.

Introduction:
This week’s wisdom is about THE NEW SAT. A practice test was finally released for public consumption by The College Board earlier this week, and we have analyzed, pored over it, and are willing to present our first insights to you. We have an article and an answer about interview prepping, and an article about AP courses. In our application tips section, we talk about filling your college list with mid-level schools. George Washington University is our college of the week.

Weekly Wisdom

Well, it’s finally here. The NEW SAT has been released (at least, one practice test) by our illustrious friends over at The College Board. If anyone wants a sneak preview for themselves, please feel free to hit the link at the end of this article, where you will be taken to our website and can download a pdf copy of the test to peruse at your leisure. Here are our first glance insights: NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, just as we wrote in our article in the Los Angeles Times. We have already taken it here, two of us scoring perfect 2400s with an objective writing grade. The only thing about this test that will throw kids for a loop is the 10-section format! This is really going to seem like a marathon for these poor students. Previously, there were seven, only six of which counted! Though the extra sections only add 30 minutes to the test, the format makes it seem quite a bit longer. The ten sections will ratchet up the anxiety level quite a bit, and proper prep is going to be more valuable than ever. Now, outside of the format, (which we had some indication of), there were no surprises. The analogies have become extinct, and the tacked-on writing section is EXACTLY the former SAT II: Writing test. So, we’ve no need to worry. If anything the writing experts at The Prep School just got a leg up on the competition because of our experience with the writing test. The math section has, frankly, not changed as dramatically as we had hoped. For months, the College Board has been releasing questions at a time to the public, hinting at harder, “more representative” math questions. Unfortunately, we do not see it fully in form here. We are going to wait until October when we will see eight more practice tests, but our first inclination is that the Math section, while a little bit harder, still contains all the traps and trickiness of the old SAT. However, the inclusion of the writing, along with the elimination of analogies and inclusion of shorter, more elementary critical reading passages, is a good step for us. We are, to be honest, very excited about the new test. We think it will be, though perhaps a bit more harrowing for students, a more coachable test. More test updates in the coming weeks.

Click here for a pdf copy of the NEW SAT test.

Click here for the scoring guide for the NEW SAT test.

Upcoming Deadlines

• Sept 25th – ACT Assessment Test
• October 1st – last day to register for Nov 6th SAT & SAT II
• October 9th – SAT & SAT II !

Articles in the News

This week we present one article to serve as an answer to our “ask the experts” question about interviews. The article talks about interview prep, and has some nice insights.

http://collegeapps.about.com/cs/interview/l/aa012603a.htm

The second article is about AP courses. The article talks about AP trends and the importance of APs. It also addresses some of the problems with AP courses, and is worth a read. For our students and parents, who tend to be AP-crazy, this is a good article to read. Keep in mind that, like the system or not (not, in our case), you still must play the game.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/08/22/advanced.placement.ap/

Ask The Experts

asktheexperts@thepreptalk.com

Q: How, if at all, do I prepare for the interview?

A: Well, the first thing you can do to prepare for an interview is to dress appropriately! Guys, this means pants and a collared shirt (at least), and girls, this means nothing too exposing, you get the drift. Also, don’t be too nervous or fidgety. This is true both because it makes you look nervous, and, perhaps more importantly, makes the interviewer nervous. Finally, try to be positive. Let the analysis of your answers begin after you leave the room. If you feel like an answer you gave was “wrong” or “stupid”, don’t let it show right there! Smile, then move on. Chances are you didn’t sound as bad as you think.. and drawing attention to it won’t help things. There are many more tips available on-line in articles like the one in our “articles in the news” section. Just remember; be genuine, ask genuine questions, and they will like you. If you try to be too fake and present something you are not, not only will it probably backfire, but you won’t be getting the most out of your experience.

Application & Essay Tips

The Middle of the Road. The median. All of our lives we are taught that we need to stick to one side or the other. Choose a side. Pick a team. And, in college applications, it’s “reach” or “safety”. However, oftentimes the most effective way to get into the college you want is to make the bulk of your application portfolio “middle of the road” schools – schools which, playing by the numbers, you have a reasonable chance of getting into, but which are by no means safe or long shots. Think about it – If you only have a 50% chance of getting into the school, and you apply to eight of these schools – you could be looking at four fine schools to choose from in March. Or, you can apply to eight “reach schools,” each of which gives you a 10% chance of getting in, and you could be looking at one open door in March (if you are lucky). And then we end up with the old “safety issue”, where an applicant ends up going to a school simply because he applied there, not because he wanted to go there. The “safety” school is like the “the other team” in this scenario. This was discussed in our piece on “solid” schools. So, consider these types of schools. Look for good fits, do your research. Think about doing what our politicians do…drift towards the middle.

Featured College

George Washington University
“GW” is one of the big schools in Washington, D.C., along with Georgetown, American University, and Howard. Historically, GW has taken a backup position, obviously behind Georgetown as the premier school in the area. But GW is starting to step out into its own territory ahead of American, but is still leaps behind Georgetown in the rankings. GW is not a campus school. as the main campus is in the middle of Washington, D.C. But, as most students will attest, the campus is our nation’s capitol. The Smithsonian, the White House, and all of the major buildings of the Federal Gov’t. are within walking distance. The average GW student is politically motivated, though it is not a prerequisite for attendance. The school is not a heavy party school, as most Greeks don’t actually have houses, and there is not a huge sense of school spirit, as the school leads the nation in off-campus internships. So, if an up-and-coming school with a clear emphasis on government, service, and ambition is your cup of tea, then GW may be a very good choice for you.

Vocab of The Week

Splendiferous: (adj) having great beauty or splendor

Green Day’s new album is supposed to be a splendiferous mixture of punk and pop sensibilities.

Placate: (v) to allay the anger of, appease

Lauren Bacall needed to be placated after having been offended by a paparazzi who called Nicole Kidman a legend but left Bacall out of that category.

Torpor: (n) a state of mental or physical inactivity

The bear was in torpor, which was understandable, but why John Kerry was also in such a state was a mystery to his fans.

Jollity: (n) convivial merriment or celebration

Johnny Depp brought such jollity to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow that it is hard to believe he wasn’t having lots of fun on the set.