This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

College Application Essays - Avoid the Stress... Questions of SAT

How important is the SAT to the college acceptance process?  

First, for the purpose of full disclosure,
this is my opinion of standardized testing in general. The only people who truly benefit from the SAT are real estate agents. A high school proudly proclaims that 99% of the students scored a 2200 or better and everyone wants to move to that town….driving property values into the stratosphere. Don’t get me started on what happens next. That’s a different blog altogether.    

Additionally, countless studies have shown that a multitude of variables
can negatively affect a score (by MANY points)…everything from an argument with a friend the day before to a stomach ache. Not to mention test anxiety. (Why the heck are so many children on anti-anxiety meds?) Wait until you are MY age….then it’s time for a psycho-pharmacologist…and a good friend named Vinnie)  

SAT and the College Process
 

The SAT is not the tool that gets the student into college.
It’s the tool that “allows” the student to apply to that particular college. Qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 doesn’t mean victory at the finish line. Wow…look at me…a Long Island Jewish guy with a race car analogy. What’s next? Hockey?   If your son or daughter scores a 2300 on the SAT, that is great…..but everyone else applying to that school (or schools) also received a 2300.

Think of the SAT as permission to be taken seriously….
along with the other 22, 000 candidates.  

The bottom line:
The better the score…the more OPTIONS there are. But don’t rush out and start bragging that your teen is going to Yale or Harvard just because of a 2380. (At this point I should insert a hockey analogy but I know nothing other than the last time I went to a fight, a hockey game broke out).  

I will be presenting a FREE workshop on the Top Five Mistakes Students Make on their College Application Essays at each of the following libraries. (Pre-registration is strongly advised. Please call the library if you wish to attend) I am also available to speak at PTA meetings, JCC, etc....
May 16 – Merrick Library
May 21 – Harborfields Library
May 22 - Rockville Centre Library 
Sept 16 -  Syosset Library 
Sept 18 – Manhasset Library  
Sept 23 – Bellmore Library
Sept 24 – Jericho Library 
Sept 30 – Smithtown Library 
Oct 3 –   Oceanside Library  
Oct 6 –  National College Fair (Nassau Coliseum) 
Oct 9 –   My 55th BD….I’ll be under the bed, curled in the fetal position, crying.

Randy Levin is the ONLY college application essay expert asked to speak at the National College Fair- Nassau Coliseum – Oct 6th 2013. The vast majority of Randy’s clients are accepted to the Ivy League or other prestigious colleges. He has a MA in English and a MFA in Creative Writing. He is a published writer and was a high school English teacher in high achieving north shore Long Island school districts for close to ten years.  For FREE information, go to his website: WriteToCollege.com




We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?