i’ll be the first to admit that i subjected myself to this system. and it definitely led to a less-enjoyable, more-stress-inducing senior year than i probably needed. it’s not a foreign concept: stretching yourself too thin is just, well…

the difference in college is that, for the most part, people have come to accept this. and actually refrain from slugging it out. which brings us to difference number one…

difference 1: you only really show up for what you want to show up for

in the beginning of the year, it’s definitely worth signing up for all kinds of email lists. the more clubs and organizations you can be exposed to, the better. it later becomes a matter of testing out the different meetings. you’re going to find that some days just don’t work with your schedule. and some group vibes just aren’t what you’re about.

the thing with college, though, is that you simply don’t have the time to feasibly be a part of things that you don’t like. if it maybe wasn’t worth it in high school, it definitely isn’t worth it in college. there are quite simply too many amazing opportunities that you could otherwise be a part of. and even then, if you can’t make a meeting of a club you are committed to, people are going to understand. while there’s a lot to do in college, there’s also a lot to get done.

difference 2: networking exists

there also tends to be more of a separation in college between the clubs you do out of personal passion, to meet interesting people, to learn something fun – and the clubs you do to network for career paths (not to say that the two are mutually exclusive… in fact, they shouldn’t be). a very large number of student groups prove to be key ways of getting your foot in the door for competitive fields.

now you may think this completely contradicts difference 1. but the catch in college is that most of these “resume building” clubs require actual resumes to even get in. there are generally applications with interviews, etc. and a lot of the times, freshmen don’t make the cut that first semester (though you should always go for it anyways – persistence gets noticed). reading this back, it’s occurring to me how scary this could sound, but it’s really quite the opposite. the more individuals you can meet with your major, the more you can learn about internships and the lifestyle potentially ahead of you. not to mention, there’s never a downside to getting more application and interview experience.

difference 3: there’s funding!

the days of bake-sale fundraisers are over (actually, that’s incredibly false… bake sales happen on campus all the time). but what i’m getting at is if you are trying to really go out and accomplish some big things: it’s even more realistically within reach. present universities with a compelling enough proposition, and they’ll have the means to support you. plus, clubs in college, more so than in high school, grant you a greater gravitas – it’s easier to contact experts for event speakers, you can align with larger nonprofits, and you can more successfully tackle causes from a political angle.

difference 4: it’s okay not to join anything

it’s far from out-of-the-ordinary to decide to focus on school work alone. when you get to college, you’re going to be overwhelmed. that’s just a fact. so don’t feel like you have to be active in any clubs at all. it’s exceedingly common for students to join organizations throughout the year (as it is for them to leave throughout the year). after all, the best clubs are the ones you want to make room for.

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and that’s perfectly okay.

but for those of you who’d like a sense of how to spend the next few weeks, here are some suggestions.

1. recharge

you owe it to yourself (and to your mental and physical health) to take a much-deserved break. how long you should de-stress is, of course, a completely subjective opinion – but ensure that it’s enough time to catch up on some of that sleep you’ve been missing. finishing this at-times-awful, marathon-like journey is a triumph that’s worthy of large self-reward. eat chocolate, watch netflix, go out – whatever it takes to restore yourself. as far as you have come in your senior year, there is still a whole second half to push through. and the senioritis is about to get real. big time.

2. give your thanks

if you have yet to give that teacher who wrote you a letter of recommendation a thank you card or gift then you really, really ought to get on that. they too struggled through their fair share of late nights, trying to make you look good. the least you can do is show your appreciation.

3. update your resume

with all of your accolades fresh in mind, now can be the ideal time to either make or revamp your resume. if you think about it, creating resume after resume is kind of what you’ve been doing this entire time – only in the format of an online application. all you’ve got to do now is restructure your information onto a clean, one-page word doc. resumes can be crucial now that summer is (oh so slowly) approaching. almost every employer will ask for one, and the sooner you can have one on hand, the better.

4. consider summer plans

a resume, of course, doesn’t matter so much if you know you have 0 desire to work out after school’s out. or if you know you’ll be traveling all summer. those months after senior year are a weird mixture of things: wanting to savor your hometown, wanting to prep for dorm life, wanting to enjoy new memories with old friends, wanting to make money before entering the great big world. these all aren’t mutually exclusive – but some do require more forethought than others.

particularly with summer jobs, prioritizing your options can be a great place to start. even better is to glance over their respective applications. what information do they ask for? who are they looking to hire? how early can you reach out to them? as graduation nears, you’ll find that most people in your class are chasing after the same kinds of positions, so an early game plan can really come in handy.

6. begin scholarship applications

i can feel your scowl through the computer screen. more essays. more forms. more letters of recommendation. who in their right mind would want that?

well… someone who doesn’t want to pay all of their insanely high tuition cost …

plus, you’re likely going to find that a lot of scholarships don’t even open until february and march (which is a very generous thing). still, there are some that will be due in january – or even december. to prevent missing what could be the perfect scholarship for you, start sifting through possibilities now. excel sheets can be a perfect way to organize preliminary details: deadlines, dollar winnings, etc.

it’s free money that somebody has to be awarded – why not you?

7. enjoy your high school experience

the number one thing not to do is freak out about admissions. at this point, it’s all out of your hands. you could waste days agonizing over your chances, his chances, her chances, everybody’s chances. but it’ll get you nowhere. in the very least, push off that anxiety until late april, and use this time to bask in the joy of those around you. you’ve probably realized at this point that high school goes fast. don’t let a moment slip through your fingers.

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in a funny way, once you are accepted by multiple institutions, the college applications process seems to nearly repeat itself; much like how you had to decide where it was right for you to apply, you now have to determine where it is right for you to attend. this will undoubtedly lead you to reviewing the colleges’ websites all over again, and may very well re-spark some of those previous feelings of anxiousness, doubt, and stress. considering how daunting decision time can be, here are some pointers to (hopefully) make it less so.

1. understand your financial aid packages

one of the key pieces of information you will have now that you are accepted is what kind of financial support the institution is prepared to offer you. it’s no secret that college can get expensive fast, and understanding the kind of education you are getting for your specified price tag is a factor really worth considering not only on your own, but also with your parents/guardians. in the mean time, keep in mind that the financial aid packet for you and your family may come a couple weeks after your acceptance letter.

2. try to visit (or visit again)

it’s far from unusual to apply to schools without having visited them. if that’s the case for you, see if it’s feasible to experience the campus and the atmosphere in person. i truly believe there is no better way to get a sense of a school – and determine whether or not it’s a good fit. tours can still be helpful at this stage in the process, but considering you may already know a fair amount of the info they would say (you probably did, after all, have some knowledge fueling your desire to apply there), independent wandering can prove equally effective.

if you have already toured a school that you’ve been accepted into, it can still be extremely helpful to re-visit, especially if quite a lot of time has passed since you were last there. you may find that your preferences have changed over the past few months (completely normal), or that, now that attending is a realistic option, you just can’t quite commit to living there for four years. in any case, a good refresher of how you feel at the school can never be detrimental to shaping your decision.

3. reach out to attending students

props to you if you’ve already done this during the application period. if you didn’t (you were too busy, didn’t think of it, felt too shy or uncomfortable) – now is the perfect opportunity! from what i’ve seen, college students tend to be a lot more honest and verbose about their opinions on their schools when you tell them you’ve been accepted there and are highly considering attending.

simply asking around your high school, talking to teachers and peers, can be a great and easy way to find everyday people who are/were at the college you’re looking at. when i say everyday people, i mean those who aren’t necessarily in charge of the designated facebook group or helping at orientation. while people like that can be great resources, they will also have primarily positive things to say, and it’s important to hear a variety of opinions from a variety of students.

4. delve into the fine details

as much as you may know about the schools you’ve been accepted to, it’s really worth revisiting all of the info that you have collected – and then going out and gathering more. start digging into the nitty-gritty, investigating things like the dorm food, the housing options, the reputation of the professors. as previously mentioned, there will probably have been social media groups created at this point for your prospective class; engage in those platforms and use them to ask all kinds of questions. perhaps most of all, compare each school’s department(s) of the field(s) you’re considering. not all archeology, biology, literature, math programs are taught and designed alike.

in the end, it’s important to realize that the decision before you is an exciting one. you have the incredible privilege of not only pursuing higher education, but also having some degree of influence in where you do said pursuing. as afraid as you may be right now about making the “wrong choice,” know that, for a whole lot of other high school seniors before you, things had a wonderful way of working themselves out.

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and it was that statement that kind of got me thinking. whether or not you’re a fencer, or an athlete in general, there’s still a good chance that you’ve felt, at one point or another, like someone was “out to get you.” and i’d bet a lot of the perceived antagonists that come to mind are teachers.

it’s commonly recommended to get on a teacher’s or professor’s “good side.” but what it takes to reach that point is not only highly variable from class to class, but sometimes impossible altogether. in light of this (and in light of me starting second semester tomorrow, with a whole new set of “good sides” to get on), i wanted to offer some fundamental steps that can be taken:

1. punctuality

the first impression a professor will have of you each day will be your arrival to his or her class. so try your hardest to get there five minutes early. find a nice seat towards the front (it doesn’t have to be the first row), where you can both see and be seen, hear and be heard. the same goes for email responses and assignments. the more you put those small things off, the more it comes across as indifference, laziness, or an inability to handle responsibility.

2. attentiveness

it’s probably not a shocker to you that this one is listed; participation and simple listening skills go a very long way. do whatever it takes to stay engaged in the lecture or lesson in front of you – take notes, ask questions, throw in some head nods here or there.

for one, it’s going to, you know, actually support your learning of the content. and on top of that, the professor will notice. having had this gig for awhile, they tend to be pretty perceptive with things like that.

3. investment

it’s a relatively straightforward exchange: if you demonstrate that you care, they will reciprocate in caring about you (or, perhaps better put, your grade). go to office hours, think deeply about their material, and try to dig into those big essays or assessments with a passionate fervor. doing so helps validate a lot of what (good) professors want to accomplish: sharing their aptitude and knowledge with those from the up and coming generation.

4. authenticity

this is my way of urging you to remain as approachable and interesting and real as you always are – whether it’s around a professor or not. they are always dealing with a fair share of know-it-alls and “teacher’s pets,” and it can be exhausting to have people following you around all the time, trying to prove themselves.

so don’t feel like, to earn your professors’ respect, you need to become anyone you aren’t. holding genuine conversations and possessing the self-confidence that you are a valuable contributor to their class will come across as quite refreshing.

at the end of the day, as beneficial as it can be to connect with a professor – it’s important to realize that there does exist a line, across which it’s no longer worth the effort. as soon as you feel yourself compromising what you believe in for the sake of recognition, or else fighting a draining up-hill battle for attention, it’s better to let things be. the caliber of your work can speak for itself.

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it is with distinct pleasure that i can affirm none of these things actually happened.

and it occurred to me, on my taxi ride to laguardia airport, that so much of my initial weariness for my college finals came, really, just from the hype of other people. it’s not like i had any bad prior experience that told me it was going to be sole-crushing. i sort of, well, assumed it naturally – which i’m beginning to realize is one of the easiest traps to fall into. with that thought in mind, i figured i might try to “debunk” some of the most commonly depicted stereotypes.

1. you have to lock yourself in the library

believe it or not, there are – in fact – other places that are available for doing work. and you’ll quickly discover that the main libraries on your campus tend to be obscenely full during finals week anyways… to the point where it’s difficult to find a single seat. also, often times, staying in the same place every time you study can prove pretty draining. for the sake of your sanity, i highly recommend mixing it up and frequenting cafes, empty classrooms, dorm rooms, parks, even dining halls.

2. there is no sleeping

sleeping is not some right denied to you in the face of exam season. yes, there are going to be those crazies who somehow decide the best way to optimize their skills is through never resting, psyching themselves out, and depending on copious amounts of coffee (and in scary cases, other things). but i want to stress as much as possible that operating at 200% is not necessary to be a successful student. in fact – it tends to be pretty detrimental (especially long term). college is one of the most important places to prioritize self care, so as long as you manage your time and stress decently well, you’ll be able to get enough hours of shut eye.

3. “dead week” isn’t going to kill you

if right now you’re going, “what in the world is dead week?” – it’s basically a handful of free days after classes end where you have no responsibilities other then gearing up for your finals. and there’s a reputation that people use it to frantically cram/not eat/forget to shower. the thing is though, that if you’ve been putting in the work all semester along, dead week is actually kind of… nice. i mean, nice in the sense that you get to be in charge of your own schedule – controlling when you eat, work out, and so on. plus, you’ll quickly realize that it isn’t totally possible to study for 12+ hours straight. especially not when you’ve had a final earlier that day. it’s all about picking your moments of concentration.

4. you’re on your own

finals week is one of those things that is unifying in its isolation. it’s true that no one will be able to fully relate to your mental state. and most people will not have the exact same schedule of tests as you do. but at the end of the day, we’re all going to have that same little bit nervousness and apprehension. we’re all going to want to do well. because of that, it’s pretty painless to find a study partner – or even just a venting buddy. a lot of professors, too, will be more available with their office hours and more responsive with their email. think of it as one, college-wide bonding experience; and it’ll be over before you know it.

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i know from experience that just getting something down on paper is the most grueling and torturous experience. once that first draft is finally scraped together, it’s oh-so-tempting to just let it lie and never look back. but don’t let exhaustion jeopardize your chance to submit a well-crafted, representative piece. there’s a lot of magic to be had in the revision process, if you know how to approach it right.

read it out loud to yourself

yes, this is unbelievably elementary. it’s also an important first step in ironing out the preliminary, most evident wrinkles: incoherent sentences, redundancy, grammatical errors… go through the entire essay one time without marking anything (even those missed commas and accidental apostrophes). then make notes on the “problem areas” you noticed, asking yourself if the idea of the piece came through, if it was fluid, and if it was coherent.

have someone read it to you

one of the most uncomfortable things to have happened to me at college thus far was when my writing professor read my first paper back to me. it was horrifying – but wound up being crucial to be the betterment of my work. as soon as you let someone else speak your words, you’re able to understand where your reader (in this case, where the admissions advisor) will speed up, slow down, pause for clarification, etc. whatever comes out sounding far different than what you intended it to should be revisited and reworked.

use “say back”

a popular strategy for academic essays is to ask your editor to “say back” to you, after reading your work, what they found it to be about. in other words, to conversationally summarize it. where this can be particularly monumental for your college essay is in asking the simple question of, “what does this say about me?” remember that, no matter what, you are trying to convince the admissions advisor of something. whether it’s that you’re well-rounded, close with your family, humbled by the world around you, etc., the reader needs to have gained a level of understanding about who you are. to ensure that the impression they get is what you want it to be, recruit a few acquaintances (the less they know you, the better) to do preliminary test-reads.

guide your editor

as a writer, it’s important to recognize the roll you play in the editing process. the person looking over your essay is going to be able to provide much more meaningful feedback if you give them an idea of what you need. it can be as simple as jotting down a few bullet points at the top of the page. this will also help deter editors from residing on the polar ends of the spectrum: scrawling nothing but “it’s good” at the end or nit-picking every tiny mistake they come across.

maintain control

if you’re determined to get as many opinions on your essay as possible – that’s great. massive props. just be careful not to lose the “you” in your writing. college essays should be representative of your voice, not your mom’s or counselor’s or best friend’s. and if you ever feel like you’re getting contradicting advice, or that you don’t agree with a constructive comment, remember your trump card. at the end of the day, the final verdict is always yours to decide.

leave time for marinating

one of the best things you can do is let your essay sit for awhile, even after you’ve put it through several rounds of revision. often times, too much focused work with one piece can fog your judgment. you very well may look back at it after some space and still feel 100% ready to send it in. or, as happened with me, you may reread it and realize that you got carried away with cutting out the parts that made it unique. in either case, the less rushed you can be prior to submitting an application the better.

the revising process should be a rewarding one, not something to be dreaded or abhorred. after all, polishing and refining your work can take it to places that you didn’t think were humanly possible just a few weeks before.

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1. there will be heavy lifting

this will, of course, vary by school, but generally once you arrive on campus you need to transfer all of your stuff into large, moveable bins. sometimes people will be there to assist you. often times, not (but don’t worry, they’ll have wheels). elevator lines are inevitable, and chances are your wait time will be composed of parental small talk with the people next to you and silent panic over whether or not you brought too much stuff. (i was personally freaking out over being “that girl.” trust me, though, there will be someone there who need more bins than you do).

2. you’ll still need to buy a ton of things

after shlepping all of those suitcases into your “cozy” shoebox, you’re going to need to do some serious unpacking. (pro-tip: if you don’t have a/c, find the fan first). you’ll quickly find that stuff has been accidentally left behind. or, if you are an eighteen year old girl like yours truly, that you need twice as many hangers as you originally thought. don’t let this stress you out. yeah, the amount of people in the bed bath and beyond will make it feel like disneyland on steroids. but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. if you really want to avoid crowds, scope out your student store; they tend to carry a good amount of essentials.

3. it is possible to lose your id on day 1

and when you do, you will be consumed by instantaneous panic. breathe. retrace your steps. then, when even that fails you, don’t be like me and buy a new one right away (only to be emailed an hour later that it’s been turned in). try to give it a few hours, if you can. that $25 i blew is basically the equivalent of two nyc-priced coffees.

4. absolutely no one will want to eat (or do anything) alone

i was petrified to have my parents leave for the night, and they were coming back in the morning, only because it meant truly being on my own. it all comes down to having to put yourself out there. if you have a roommate, grab a meal together. if you have a neighbor, introduce yourself. (facebook messaging them is not creepy!) if you find a group, ask to join in. these don’t have to be your best friends for life; in fact, they probably won’t be. but having a buddy to sit with really makes all of the difference. the beautiful thing is that everyone is just as terrified of being alone as you are. be friendly and be approachable – i guarantee that it will make someone’s day.

5. you’re going to have to persevere through the awkwardness

my first night i went out to dinner with my parents and absolutely gorged. by the time they left, though, i needed to do something. so i figured, if i made myself a salad in the dining tent, i’d have my reason for asking to sit down and eat with someone. in front of me, two guys were chatting, looking relatively harmless, on a nearby bench. and in my brazen streak of independence, i inquired about the open spot just to the left. the one guy gives me the go-ahead only to, as i sit down, completely turn his back and continue rambling on about something that apparently didn’t concern me. there i was – staring at a salad i didn’t want in the first place – having utterly failed my mission of making conversation. (it didn’t help that one of the boys was, err, not too bad looking).

what i’m getting at is that, as deflated as i was for a moment or two, i quickly shoved that salad down, stood up, and kept going. i’ve found it easiest to simply laugh at the discomfort of college. and sure enough – i went on to meet a very pleasant boy at the fruit stand. after all, that’s where all the pleasant boys hang out.

6. get used to answering the same questions

you’ll be asked four things when you start college: what’s your name? where are you from? where do you live? and what are you studying? any time you make it beyond those topics, consider yourself blessed.

ps: you are probably going to run into the same person and have a repeat experience of all of those. it happens – you’ll do it too.

7. find little victories

when you’re feeling down, you will need to make your own pick-me-up. revel in the small things, like successfully showering without forgetting your underwear…

or finding the best water bottle fill-up station on campus. it’s not a lot, i know, but after some days it will be enough.

8. all you can do is focus on yourself

you may want to jump to conclusions – don’t. it’s impossible to use the first day as a precursor for your entire experience. people will evolve in front of you, and so will your affinity towards your surroundings. the best advice i can give is to simply check in with yourself from time to time; do what you need in the moment and remember to prioritize your own wellbeing.

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as i’ve come to find so far, there about 5 main ways that set my current classes apart from prior years.

1. reduced time with the professor

as you might already know, the actual class time in college is significantly less than that of your typical “high school” day. for reference, the biggest in-person time commitment i have to make for any of my classes totals at 5 hours a week. most of the others only run for one-hour periods twice a week. this has its obvious advantages – no one loves sitting in a stuffy room and being forced to pay attention. but keep in mind that, as a result of the greater space and flexibility in your schedule, you’re going to be expected to work a lot more on your own (homework, test-prep, etc.). it becomes a matter of staying disciplined with your days and checking up on your priorities.

another point to keep in mind is that less in-class time with your professor will make it substantially harder to form a close connection. gone are the days of instantly becoming the teacher’s favorite. not only will there be more students who are just as capable as you are, but there will also just, well, be more students…like in general. after all, lecture halls can be upwards of 200 people.

it becomes important, then, to optimize the opportunities that you have in order to establish a relationship. office hours are often the best go to. (can’t think of a reason to talk to your professor? make something up. or bring a buddy and just say that you were in the area.) another huge factor not to be overlooked is in-class participation. ask enough questions and offer enough insights that they can start recognizing your face, learning your name, and appreciating your contributions.

2. asking questions

yes, i just told you to ask questions. but i also need to warn you that doing so can be surprisingly difficult. this doesn’t exclusively apply to large lecture halls; personally, i can be equally intimidated in my discussion sections of 20. was i supposed to already know this? am i going to sound stupid?

some professors will be highly encouraging when it comes to voicing any confusion. many others… well… not so much.

if it’s something more logistical, the very first thing you will always want to do is check the syllabus/website/calendar (wherever your professor posts information). follow that with some verification with your classmates. then, if your class has designated ta’s, ask them. in regards to content, though, a lot of it comes down to feeling out the situation. as i said before, questions can be a great way to demonstrate your critical thinking in a subject to a professor – you just need to have the guts. and once you do, ta’s/professors tend to prefer that you approach them in person (after class works fine for some people, but your safest bet is during office hours). emails tend to be a last resort means of contact, particularly because the response time from professors is nothing like it was in high school (if they even respond at all).

3. it’s all “optional”

okay, maybe not all of – but a lot of it is, including the classes themselves. so much is really just left up to your own discretion in college. do the homework if you need the practice. go to recitations if you need the clarification. that kind of a thing. (fyi: i’m a strong believer in always attending class… but that’s a topic for another post). granted, some classes will have homework count for points, but if it does, it’s likely a depressingly small percentage of your final grade. ultimately, it comes down to picking your moments. there are going to be times when studying for your french test is more important than getting every question right on your chem problem set. and that’s okay, so long as you understand the pay off.

4. grading breakdown

there aren’t nearly as many cushions to your grade as there “should” be… (aka: as i wish there were). far more emphasis is placed on tests and essays – which you generally are expected to be working towards for a relatively significant amount of time. this can feel really terrifying at times, but it’s all about doing what you can. the worst thing that you can do for yourself is get freaked out; a surprising number of freshmen will, and they’ll either a) choke or b) study way more than they need to (sacrificing sleep, meals, and other homework time).

while in high school, you will be at such an advantage just in practicing a calm state of mind prior to big exams.

the second part to this is that you should treat every percent like it counts. in high school, an a is pretty much an a (it doesn’t really matter whether there’s a minus or a plus to it). in college, though, those tiny differences will shift in your gpa. and the last thing you want is to have barely missed a cut off due to a lacking “participation” or “assignments” grade.

5. the variability

if you thought that there was a wide variety of teaching styles in high school, wait until you get to college. there can be such a polarity in how your section is run compared to your floor mate in the same class – and all of it, ultimately, comes down to your professor. some will post power point slides, others will use exceptionally faint white board markers (and assume you can figure it out). some will gear things to be discussion based, others will just ramble on without clear direction. some love handouts, others expect everything to be printed on your own time (and budget). some closely follow the book, others require you to purchase it then proceed to never bring it up.

no matter what combination you wind up with, it will take time to figure things out. instead of trying to always game “what they are looking for,” it’s best to stick with where you know you can be successful. if you have to take your own notes from the textbook, do so. if you need to talk things through with others, be proactive in forming a review group. it’s never too early to start; the more that you can be clued in to your own study strengths, the better you will be able to adapt to each situation.

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sat subject tests are multiple-choice tests administered by the college board that focus around specific academic subjects. as of now, there are 20 different tests spanning across the general areas of history, math, english, science, and foreign languages. scored out of 800, these tests are often required by colleges to serve as supplemental material to your primary standardized testing result.

how do i register to take them?

registering for subject tests is a near identical process to registering for the sat itself. all tests are offered on the same monthly dates (so, in case you were actually considering doing this, you cannot take the sat subject tests and the sat on the same day). you must go through the college board’s website and select when you wish to take your subject test(s). there’s a ‘(s)’ to that statement because you can take up to three sat subject tests per individual test date.

here is the link where you can register.

when should i take them?

the first thing you need to look at is when they are actually being offered. in general, the more common sat subject tests are available at every test date. world history and certain languages, however, are not. this link will take you to a page on the college board’s website that lists every subject test with corresponding check marks for the dates of when it will be offered.

the other half of deciding when to register is determining when you will know (or remember) the most about the particular subject. speaking from experience, i’ve found that your best bet is either to take it shortly after/towards the end of its corresponding high school class or to take it around may when you’ll be studying for the ap test. so many tests at once can be overwhelming, but by hitting two birds with one stone, you don’t have to spend as much time studying overall.

lastly, if you’re in any high school classes that match with subject tests during your sophomore year, take them! had i known about sat subject tests my second year of high school, i would have registered for world history and potentially saved myself from a lot of added work as an upperclassman.

which ones should i take?

in general, it’s always better to test in the subjects you’re strongest in. that being said, though, subject tests can also be great assets in rounding out your application. for example, if you had a hard time in a particular math class, and it shows through on your transcript, rocking it on the calculus subject test can prove to schools that one poor marking doesn’t define your mathematic knowledge.

most of all, though, these tests help relay to schools what fields you are skilled and interested in. (if you are striving to be an engineer, you are going to want them to be math and science oriented.) unlike the sat or act, subject tests are more of a bonus resume builder; they aren’t going to make or break your application. as such, see them as an opportunity to further promote your value to a college’s specific program or department.

note: while you do have to indicate which subject tests you plan to take when you register, you are permitted to completely change your mind and take different ones once you’re actually sitting in your desk on test day (with the exception of language with listening tests.)

do i have to take sat subject tests if i’m using my act score?

it completely depends. some schools will require them with the act. some will only require them with the sat. some won’t require them at all. additionally, colleges will vary in how many they want. (it’s most common for them to require 2 but allow 3.)

because it is such a case-by-case basis, i would highly recommend taking them anyways. often, when subject tests are not mandatory on an application, they are still allowed to be included, and you’re going to want to take full advantage of that.

how should i study for them?

subject tests are designed to test high-school level knowledge. the questions will not be at the same difficulty level as an ap test, but that doesn’t mean they won’t still trip you up (your teacher may have chosen to skip over some content that the subject test expects you to know, etc.). as a result, your best bet is to look over both your personal notes as well as the practice questions provided by the college board. you should also always ask your teacher for further tips or study materials.

if i scored poorly on one, do i have to include it in my application?

if you don’t need a subject test score to meet an application requirement, it is completely up to you whether or not to include it. just remember that the majority of application readers are looking for reasons to admit you, not the other way around; there’s a very high likelihood that a sub-par subject test score won’t be the determining factor in your future.

the post faqs about sat subject tests appeared first on magoosh blog | high school.

yup, you read that right.
 

the premise

we technology-savvy millenials have all heard (over the sound of our own tweeting) the warning, “be careful what you post.” and it turns out, when it comes to college application season, those five words ought to be engraved onto our iphones.

according to a survey released this past april by cornerstone reputation, admissions officers are conducting more and more online searches of their applicants as a part of the selection process. in other words: no facebook, twitter, or instagram account is safe.
 

the frequency

now that the panic has begun to seep in, i’m sure you’re probably wondering, “but just how often is this happening?” well, more often than you’d think. the study focused on responses from over 200 admissions officers at the top 100 national universities and the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the u.s. during this past 2014-2015 application season, 40% of the surveyed admissions officers searched their applicants online.

that gives you a 2/5 chance of being googled (or bing-ed, if that’s what they’re into).

seeing as public, digital documentation is only gaining in popularity, it’s relatively safe to assume that as the years go by you’ll have less and less of a chance to sneak under the radar. aka: it’s not worth the risk.
 

the content in question

similar to the rest of your application, admission advisors aren’t looking for your social media presence to align to their personal political views or netflix preferences. (fear not, your spoiler-alert post about last night’s game of thrones episode won’t kill your chances).

it’s less about sifting through to find the red flags and more about grasping an even better idea of who you are to your peers and the public.

cornerstone reported that of the admissions advisors who responded, 44% found content that left a negative impression – but 46% found content that left a positive one. (so this doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it may even give you a slight leg up). it’s impossible to define what exactly qualifies as “positive content,” but you can generally figure it will involve portraying you in an impressive, pleasant light (photos and posts that speak to your activism, evidence of friendly interactions with others, things like that).

it is, however, a little bit easier to determine the danger zones. pass on any over-the-top profanities. selfies of your middle finger – not charming. and this isn’t the time to get likes for that artsy shot of you blowing smoke or double fisting two red solo cups (even if you swear it’s only apple cider).
 

the best solution

erring on the side of caution will only work to your advantage. there’s no need to go to extremes, obliterating all evidence of yourself online or creating a cookie-cutter persona that no one will be able to disagree with. instead, take twenty minutes and clean up your accounts. get rid of the content that could be misconstrued for sloppy, inappropriate, or offensive. at the end of the day, admissions officers primarily want to confirm that you’re a likeable enough person who roughly matches their application and will be able to thrive in a college environment. if your social media reflects that, you should be just fine.

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