Prepmedians Blog

Author: kalyanrm

  • Creating A Study Vibes Playlist

    Creating A Study Vibes Playlist

    Before we begin, I’m going to take the time to insert yet another #ShamelessPlug. Check out my other article “Is Your Brain Hungry?” which outlines the best foods to eat to boost brain activity. See, that wasn’t too long to read now was it? Okay, let’s begin!

    Sure, there are plenty of ways to enhance your ability to focus, but a more enjoyable habit you can develop is simply listening to music. Listening to music can do a boat load of things for you including:

    • enhance efficiency (when performing tasks repetitively)
    • increase productivity
    • increase [mental] presence
    • stimulate creativity
    • improve mood due to release of dopamine

    If you’re struggling with productivity, or you’re unsure of what music to play in the background while you’re on Prepmedians studying for the SAT or ACT, consider these three different types of music to help you put your best foot forward.

    Classical

    So, there’s this theory called the “Mozart Effect” that claims that classical music can enhance brain activity, and can be used as a catalyst for improving health and well-being. Classical music is known to be very calming and relaxing, and therefore, it is also a huge stress reliever. Listening to classical music will not only help you study longer, but it will also help you retain more information. Try starting off with classical composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, etc. I personally love to listen to classical music, specifically Tchaikovsky, when studying because the absence of lyrics has proven to not be a distraction for me when I’m trying to focus.

    Movie Scores

    One of my favorite movie scores has to be from the movie Inception. And trust me, you’ll be surprised at how empowering cinematic music scores can be. Even when you’re just chipping away at a list of clerical tasks, an epic soundtrack in the background makes what you’re doing more exciting. I, myself, happen to be both a Marvel fanatic and a Star Wars fanatic. In fact, my ringtone is the Avengers Assemble Theme from the 2012 soundtrack and my message notification sound is Darth Vader. Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, having the same taste as a seven year old boy is probably questionable and lame. That’s fair. Heck, I probably agree! But, call it what you want, I really don’t care. That’s beyond the point I’m trying to make. The point is that movie soundtracks can make the most mundane tasks feel important by simply lifting your spirit and brightening your mood. This will give you that extra boost of motivation we all yearn for, thus improving your productivity and concentration.
    ## Video Games
    The same thing applies to video games. The general purpose for video games is to create an enhanced experience for all of your senses. Thus, the music within these games echoes the simulated, stressful hardships you’re subjecting yourself to which keeps you engaged. Consider fantasy, action-adventure games like The Legend of Zelda or first-person shooter games like the Halo franchise.

    Nature

    Natural sounds are another way to boost your mood and focus. Why? Because they mask the distracting noises around you like people talking, eating, typing, etc. Enhance your cognitive function and concentration by listening to the soothing sounds of nature. I love rainy days, so listening to rainfall while studying creates an atmosphere that I enjoy which keeps me motivated.

    Remember that…

    Music is one of the very few things that connects us all. It’s a very cliché statement, but it’s true. Music is used in more ways beyond entertainment for ourselves. Music encourages us to be more productive and promotes our own creativity. All in all, music is beneficial to us because it helps with learning and improves our ability to process information.

    Click on the following link to get started on your Prepmedians journey and jam out to some music that stimulates brain activity while you’re at it wink wink.

  • Ways to Relieve Stress

    Ways to Relieve Stress

    We all know how stressful test prep can be. We have all been through it just thinking it is normal to be stressed during the process. While being stressed is nothing wrong, not handling it definitely is. You should find the key to the locked box called stress to help you be better prepared for tests in the short run and lead a healthy life in the long run.

    Meditate

    Meditation brings short-term stress relief as well as lasting stress management benefits. There are many different forms of meditation to try–each one is unique and brings its own appeal.You might develop a mantra that you repeat in your mind as you take slow deep breaths. Or, you might take a few minutes to practice mindfulness, which involves being in the moment. Simply pay attention to what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.

    Create Artwork

    Getting in touch with your creative side may have been easy for you during childhood, but if you’ve lost touch with your penchant for artwork, it’s not too late to pick it up again.
    If you aren’t into drawing or painting, consider coloring in a coloring book. Research consistently shows that coloring can have a meditative effect. Adult coloring books have risen in popularity and for good reason—coloring can be a great stress reliever. There are even a ton of apps where you can just color random pictures. While all this might seem too childish, you might unknowingly find yourself enjoying it.

    Make Time for Leisure Activities

    Leisure activities can be a wonderful way to relieve stress.Yet, many people feel as though their lives are too busy for hobbies, games, or extra fun. But building time for activities you enjoy into your schedule could be key to helping you feel your best. And when you feel better, you’ll perform better, which means leisure time may make your work time more efficient.
    Whether you find joy in caring for a garden, playing tennis for hours or you like making quilts, hobbies and leisure are key to living your best life.

    Practice Yoga

    Yoga combines physical movement, meditation, light exercise, and controlled breathing—all of which provide excellent stress relief. And while you’re likely to reap immediate benefits from a single yoga session, you’re likely to receive long-term benefits if you incorporate it into your life in a consistent way.
    There are a variety of apps like Breath2relax and Headspace that guide you through the process of yoga, saving you time of even stepping outside of your house to go to classes.

    Spend Time with Friends or Family… Even Your Dog Counts

    While this is not a new idea, it is true that just spending time with others takes your mind off of stressful things and lets you enjoy the present. Whether you go out with friends or just stay home with your family or take your dog out for a walk, just taking the time out and enjoying your surroundings will help you clear your head.

    Spending time with your family or friends would allow you to laugh and be happy. Laughter is a great stress reliever. Prepmedians provides you with the test prep videos that are entertaining and funny. It is meant for everyone to laugh while learning. Thus, Prepmedians is a way to relieve stress while learning!

  • The Top 20 Most Selective Colleges

    The Top 20 Most Selective Colleges

    Knowing a school’s acceptance rate is important. It’s a good tell on whether you have a chance to be admitted. If a school’s acceptance rate is 20%, that means only 2 out of 10 students that apply get admitted. And those 10 people applying aren’t just your average person, they’re people who think they have a chance at actually getting in. Do you think you’ll be that 2 out of 10?

    This isn’t to scare you, but it’s important to be strategic and realistic with the colleges that you choose to apply to. Most students divy up the colleges they apply to into “safeties,” “possibles,” and “reaches,” and generally, colleges with high acceptance fall into “safeties,” colleges with low acceptance rates fall into “reaches,” and everything in between falls into “possibles.”

    Note: Schools like the University of Michigan (23.5% acceptance rate) and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (21.9% acceptance rate) have “high” acceptance rates compared to some other schools but that acceptance rate isn’t necessarily the acceptance rate for you. What I mean is a lot of state schools have “inflated” acceptance rates because they must accept a certain number of in-state residents. If you are from out of state, you will be in a different applicant pool so your acceptance rate will be considerably lower (UNC Chapel Hill has an in-state acceptance rate of 41% and an out-of-state acceptance rate of 13% while UMichigan has an in-state acceptance rate of 41.1% and an out-of-state rate of 19.4%).

    Why Are Some College’s Acceptance Rates So Low?

    As mentioned above, a college’s acceptance rate can be attributed to multiple factors, but generally, the main factors for a college’s acceptance rate are their high academic standards and their popularity. At highly competitive schools, you’ll see an average SAT score of around 1500 and an average ACT score of around 33. That means that the average admitted student scored in the 99th percentile or close to the 99th percentile on the SAT or ACT. Popularity means that schools like the Ivy League schools get large applicant pools every year, but they only have a certain number of students that they can admit so they reject the majority of applicants.

    Note: Even if you meet all the academic standards of a certain college, that doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed admission into that college. Since elite colleges have such high academic standards and such huge popularity, many other applicants will meet the academic standards too. You have to have a complete and well-rounded application. That means your application needs to show extra-curricular activities, a strong personal character, and an ability to contribute to your community among others. You can’t just start developing these traits right before you send in your applications and expect colleges to believe that you’re actually passionate about what you do. Colleges are interested in getting to know you, so as long as you demonstrate your passion, you’ll be a strong applicant. These are some things that Harvard looks for when reviewing applicants.

    Some colleges are popular for reasons outside of academics. Schools like West Point and the US Naval Academy have low acceptance rates because applicants must pass physical fitness tests and need a nomination from a US Representative, Senator, or the Vice President. Schools like Juilliard and the Curtis Institute of Music have low acceptance rates because they are looking for talented student musicians, and in Juilliard’s case, you have to audition in front of a faculty member. And there are schools like the Curtis Institute of Music that promise full-tuition scholarship or to meet financial need. That’s not to say that when applying to these schools you can have a low GPA or low standardized test scores, but these are examples of colleges with low acceptance rates out there that may consider other aspects of your application even more strongly than they consider academics.

    If you’re applying to a Military School and you can’t do cardio for your life, you should probably reconsider. If you’re applying to a music school and you haven’t touched an instrument until your senior year, unless you’re the next coming of Beethoven, you’re probably not good enough to be admitted. Like non-specialized colleges, specialized colleges require you to have implicitly built your application from an early age, whether that be through academic excellence or pursuing your passions.

    The Top 20 Most Selective Colleges

    This is a list compiled by US News. I’m only going to list the top 20 most selective colleges since it just so happens that the top 20 have an acceptance rate of 10% or lower.

    It’s important to note that these colleges and any college with an acceptance rate below 15% are reaches for all students. Just because you are a strong applicant does not mean you are guaranteed admission to any of these schools.

    School Name # Accepted # of Applicants Acceptance Rate
    Minevra Schools at Keck Graduate Institute 306 16,000 1.9%
    Curtis Institute of Music 18 428 4.2%
    Harvard University 2,024 42,749 4.7%
    Stanford University 2,114 43,997 4.8%
    Columbia University 2,214 40,203 5.5%
    Princeton University 1,941 35,370 5.5%
    Julliard School 157 2,545 6.2%
    Yale University 2,224 35,308 6.3%
    California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) 542 8,208 6.6%
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1,427 21,312 6.7%
    University of Chicago 2,348 32,283 7.3%
    Pomona College 779 10,245 7.6%
    Brown University 2,718 35,437 7.7%
    Northwestern University 3,396 40,426 8.4%
    University of Pennslyvania 3,740 44,491 8.4%
    United State Naval Academy 1,373 16,086 8.5%
    Dartmouth College 1,925 22,033 8.7%
    Duke College 3,219 37,330 8.6%
    Claremont McKenna College 584 6,272 9.3%
    United States Military Academy (West Point) 1,210 12,294 9.8%

    Note: Since Minevra Schools at KGI is a new school, there isn’t a lot of information about them so I pulled information from their 2016 incoming freshman class. The rest of the information was pulled from either collegefactual.com or the respective college’s most recent incoming freshman profile (students who applied in 2018-19 and will graduate in 2023).

    What’s Next?

    Getting into schools with low acceptance rates is hard and ultimately requires a lot of work and dedication. There’s no telltale way to be accepted into these schools. As Harvard puts it, “there’s no typical Harvard student.” Are you a quarterback? Well you better be better than Uncle Rico and be able to throw it over the mountains. Are you a musician? You better have a hit single before applying.

    You don’t actually have to accomplish these nearly impossible feats, but you do have to show dedication to your crafts and interests, especially when applying to specialized schools like Juilliard or the Curtis Institute of Music. If you’re applying to non-specialized schools, you’ll have to have a high GPA and strong standardized test scores. Even if you’re getting recruited to play a sport, highly selective colleges still require certain GPA and standardized test scores (albeit lower than the average student). The college application process is a stressful time, but once you’re finished and admitted into a list of colleges, you’ll have some of the best 4 years of your life to look forward to!

    Are you intimidated by the SAT or ACT? Come check out Prepmedians. Prepmedians alleviates the pressure and painful boredom of preparing for standardized tests since we teach SAT/ACT material through sketch comedy and music. We make test prep more enjoyable and something to look forward to rather than an obligation. Yes, students genuinely say they actually look forward to learning their SAT/ACT test prep through our platform. Believe it or not, test prep can really be fun.

  • Extracurricular Activities and College Admissions Part 2

    Extracurricular Activities and College Admissions Part 2

    Welcome to Extracurricular Activities and Colleges Part 2

    As you might remember from our last post (and if you don’t check it out HERE), grades and SAT scores are only one aspect of your college application. Another big part is what you do outside of the classroom, what you do in your free time – your extracurriculars. So, let’s jump right into it and start part 2 of this!

    Large, Competitive Public Universities

    Big state flagship schools like UC Berkeley, University of Virginia, or University of Michigan receive tens of thousands of applications each cycle. Due to their great reputations, applicants are not only from local areas, but from all across the country and even the world. The sheer number of people applying means that these schools must make their selection processes much more selective.

    To give an example, the University of Florida (which would count as a “large, non-competitive public university” from part one) receives nearly 30,000 applications annually, and they accept around 50%. However, nearly 200,000 students applied to UC Berkeley and only 17.5% were admitted. With so many high quality applicants vying for such a small number of spots, competitive public universities must evaluate qualitative criteria like extracirruclar activities with greater depth.

    In order to gain acceptance into these internationally-renowned public university like UMich or UNC, you’re going to need nice grades and test scores as well as significant extracurricular involvement. I know it sounds tough, and it is, but think of how many other people are applying! Typically, students admitted to these schools are involved in a number of extracurriculars and tend to hold some sort of leadership role in them.

    However, while extracurriculars have more weight for large, competitive public schools, they still do not weigh it as much as their smaller private school counterparts. These big guys (I’m referring to these large, competitive public schools – I just wanted to switch it up a bit) have literally hundreds of thousands of applications to sift through, and so it’s necessary that admissions committees use some sort of process to determine if an applicant is even worth looking deeper into. And this often takes the form of standardized test scores and grades. So while extracurricular activities certainly matter, you’re going to need to pass a basic benchmark first.

    If you’re looking to improve your ACT or SAT scores, come check out Prepmedians! We teach ACT and SAT test prep through sketch comedy, music, rap, and more. With 5 star entertainment scores, you’ll have fun while gearing up for the next test!

    Large, Competitive Schools Admissions at a Glance:

    • Generally more holistic than large, less-competitive schools
    • Tend to consider factors beyond grades and standardized test scores, but still rely on these measures to sort through applicants in order to determine who to look into further
    • Sometimes do not accept as many letters of recommendation and other supplemental materials compared to private colleges
  • Extracurricular Activities and College Admissions Part 1

    Extracurricular Activities and College Admissions Part 1

    Along with grades and SAT scores, colleges also put heavy consideration into extracurricular activities. Basically, they want to know you have a life outside of classes, school, and all that boring stuff (I’m kidding; all of that is pretty important). Students are often pressured to volunteer at the local animal shelter, become president of a club, play a varsity sport, and do anything else to demonstrate that glowing leadership quality that colleges look for in applicants.

    But how much do extracurriculars matter? Do they play the same role in every student’s application? Read on to learn more about how much extracurricular activities actually matter in a college application.

    It Depends on the School

    To be honest it really depends on the kind of school you apply to. Obviously, extracurricular activities are super important in your application, but the extent to how much they can impact your profile will rely on differences in admissions requirements, class sizes, and student populations. These factors can cause admissions committees to place differing amounts of weight on extracurriculars.

    Large and Less-Competitive Public Universities

    Unfortunately at larger public universities, extracurricular activities typically won’t have significant weight on your application (but this is good if you’re worried about not having enough extracurriculars!). Schools like this, especially state flagship schools, receive tens of thousands of applicants each year, but have extremely limited resources available to evaluate them. I can’t imagine what it would be like sitting in that office reading through piles of applications…

    Schools like this aren’t able to dedicate the time and attention to a single applicant.

    As a result, these schools tend to rely more heavily on the quantitative side of your application (think SAT or ACT scores and GPA). It’s quick and easy to evaluate numbers, and it doesn’t take as much time and energy to pore through essays and recommendations. According to CollegeVine, some schools even use computer algorithms to quickly sort applicants by GPA and test scores… Ouch right? That’s how it is sometimes, and it’s why we apply to multiple schools!

    Where Extracurriculars Actually Have Impact

    One way extracurriculars have significant impact at large public universities is actually in the merit scholarship selection process. The selection process is quite a bit more competitive and rigorous than general freshman admissions, and so these programs put greater consideration into extracurriculars. Additionally, these programs might even require supplemental application materials that ask applicants to discuss their interests and accomplishments in greater detail than they did on the Common App or freshman application.

    To Summarize:

    Admissions at Large, Non-competitive Universities

    • Grades and test scores are considered first, typically admit or reject applicants on this basis
    • Not holistic, as you can see from above (sad face)
    • Evaluates extracurriculars for merit scholarships
    • Merit scholarships are likely more intensive and holistic than general freshman admission
  • Should I Retake the ACT/SAT?

    Should I Retake the ACT/SAT?

    The time has finally come and your results are in. You’re scrolling through the page until BAM! there it is: your score bolded in large font. But the score you’re seeing isn’t the one you had hoped for. Now, you’re forced to make a decision and even though most students see that their scores improve substantially after their first test, retaking the test is a huge commitment in itself. And I hope that by the end of this article you will be able to determine what is best for you, and if that is retaking the exam then so be it.

    In order to answer this question of retaking the exam, you must also determine the factors beyond the opportunity cost of time and the monetary cost of the registration fee that you should weigh and the questions you should ask yourself. Let’s begin!

    Target Score?

    Figuring out your target score should be decided by the time you take the exam the first time around. Everyone’s target score will differ because it depends on the schools you’d like to apply to, your performance on practice tests, and honestly, how good you are at taking standardized tests. Determine if your current score is a fair representation of your ability and capability then move from there.

    Consider your target score, and the proximity of it to your current score when deciding to retake the exam. Ask yourself: “Do I have wiggle room? Can I surpass my current score?” For example, if your SAT score is hundreds of points away from your target score and you still intend on sending your score to the same schools, you should probably retake the exam. If it is less than fifty, reconsider how precise your target score is. Look at the average scores of the admitted students of the schools you are applying to and consider other external application factors.

    Will I Actually Improve?

    This is the question most of you want answered and is probably the reason as you decided to read this article. And I hate to tell you this, but it depends. However, I can tell you that simply retaking the exam does not guarantee improvement in your score. Consider these factors:

    Underperformance

    Just because you didn’t achieve the score you had aimed for, does not automatically equate to underperformance. One way to know if you truly underperformed on the SAT, for example, is if your score is over 100 points below your average practice test score.

    Underperformance is often synonymous with test anxiety or errors like filling in the wrong answer or reading directions incorrectly. The good thing is that these issues can be easily addressed and fixed, and in doing so, you’ll see a return to a value near your average range. To help with test anxiety, we at Prepmedians have put together a visualization exercise available for free that you can listen to so that you become more desensitized to the stress of test taking!

    Preparation

    If you didn’t study at all or as much as you should have, but you finally decide to apply yourself you will see a much larger improvement between test administrations. Therefore, if you decided to apply yourself using a service like Prepmedians the second time around, you will see large improvements in your scores. Between my first and second attempt, my parents and I decided to invest in proper preparation for the exam and that was when my best composite score came.

    Attempts

    How many times have you taken the test so far? We all know the saying “first is the worst, second is the best…” and generally speaking, this applies to standardized tests as well. The average student’s greatest score increase happens the second time they take the exam. However, this is not to say that your score won’t keep increasing after a second attempt. Most students continue to experience score improvement, but the gains are far less significant compared to that of the second exam. If you read my last article, you probably remember that I said I took the ACT five times. Well, my score didn’t keep improving after each time I took it. At some points, I dropped lower than my initial score and at others I remained stagnant. Out of all the times I did take the ACT, my best composite score was from both my second and fourth test. Just let that sink in for a moment.

    What’s the Verdict?

    I suggest that you definitely consider retaking the exam at least one more time considering the factors that I’ve stated above. Why? Because essentially you are taking advantage of capitalizing off the score improvement that is associated with a second exam attempt. That’s just my opinion, but ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what is best for your situation. Whatever your decision may be, just remember to believe in yourself because we at Prepmedians certainly do!

  • Liberal Arts Colleges: What Are They and Should I Apply to Them?

    Liberal Arts Colleges: What Are They and Should I Apply to Them?

    What is a Liberal Arts College?

    The term “liberal arts” is defined as academic subjects such as literature, philosophy, mathematics, and social and physical sciences as distinct from professional and technical subjects. Cool, so what does that mean? Liberal arts colleges have nothing to do with political stance or a specific area of study, but rather liberal arts colleges are schools that fundamentally are about having a well-rounded approach to education rather than a vocational education. A common phrase at many liberal arts colleges is that they’re helping you “learn to learn.”

    Liberal arts colleges aren’t necessarily training you for a specific job (though that can happen), but they’re more about teaching you soft skills, making you a critical thinker, challenging your beliefs, and setting you up to become global citizens. It’s a holistic approach to education.
    # Differences Between Liberal Arts Colleges and 4-Year Universities

    Liberal Arts College 4-Year University
    Focus on a well-rounded education (lots of requirements to graduate in different areas of subject) Focus on research
    Typically small enrollment size and smaller classroom size (more classroom discussion) Typically large enrollment size and classroom size
    Emphasis on undergraduate education Graduate, Ph.D., and professional education offered
    Use of teaching assistants but not that extensively Heavy use of teaching assistants
    Faculty more accessible Bigger focus on athletics
    Admitted to the college itself Admitted to a specific school within the university
    Offer broader areas of study More specific areas of study

    One thing that may dissuade students from applying to liberal arts colleges is that generally liberal arts colleges have bad sports teams/no sense of school pride. While liberal arts colleges aren’t going to touch Bama in college football or Duke in college basketball, sports and school pride are still there – look at Davidson’s NCAA run with Steph Curry. However, generally sports and Greek life have smaller scenes at liberal arts colleges than 4-year universities.

    Another thing that might dissuade students from applying to liberal arts colleges
    is that the small enrollment size creates a high school-like environment. Small enrollment size can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, a small enrollment size allows you to become acquainted with more people and arguably develop stronger relationships; on the other hand, a small enrollment size forfeits your anonymity on campus.

    I can personally attest that for me the pros outweigh the cons. A common belief is that you’ll make all or 90% of your college friends in your freshman year, and I found that because of small class sizes and a stronger sense of community, that belief didn’t apply to me. I was able to keep meeting and making new friends whom I got to know in my classes over sophomore year as well. And while losing your anonymity is somewhat true, you have as much privacy in college as you want there to be.

    Why Choose a Liberal Arts College?

    One primary reason many people choose liberal arts colleges is that they don’t know what they want to do after college. As noted in the differences section, one common aspect of 4-year universities is that you apply to certain schools within the university. That’s not to say you can’t switch between schools, but people who attend these universities are often pigeonholed into a certain career path while people who attend liberal arts colleges have more freedom in which career path they want to pursue.

    Another reason is for the holistic approach to education. At liberal arts colleges, you’re learning more about life skills rather than work skills, and these life skills will translate into your future career path.

    There are a lot of factors that help decide whether a school is the right fit for you. Ultimately, it comes down to which school best fits you. Even if you know you don’t want to go to a liberal arts college or you do want to go, visit the campuses and sit in on classes to get a feel for the vibe and culture of the school. You can’t dismiss a school solely on the type of school it is. And once you’re able to experience campus life, trust your gut when it comes to choosing which college you’ll attend and enjoy some of the best 4 years of your life!

  • 5 Tips for Preparing for Standardized Tests

    5 Tips for Preparing for Standardized Tests

    Tip #1: Start Preparing Early

    How many times have you said “I’ll do it later” or “I can do it tomorrow?” How many times have you waited the night before to complete an assignment or study for a test? Procrastination is one of the deadliest detriments to our society, and it is something that plagues everyone, but when it comes to the SAT/ACT, it’s something that should be stamped out.

    Unfortunately, preparing for the SAT/ACT is painfully boring, unless you’re using an entertaining platform to prepare for the SAT/ACT like Prepmedians, but what sounds worse? Studying for 7 hours a week for 3 to 4 months (an hour a day) or cramming 40-50 hours the week before the test (around 6 hours a day)? If you’re anything like me, yo uwould rather only have to do 1 hour of prep a day. And say you do like cramming, do you really think you’re going to accomplish much on that 6th hour of doing practice problems? Starting early makes your studying time more efficient and makes the experience much more bearable.

    Tip #2: Plan Your Time

    Starting early is important, but it isn’t that effective without a plan. Why do you think schools often give out planners or centralize all due dates on an online platform? It’s easier to accomplish your goals when you are more organized and plan a schedule for yourself.

    Setting aside dedicated time blocks to studying prevents procrastination and forces you to accomplish the task written in that time block. This is even more helpful when you tell a parent, sibling, or friend about these time blocks because they can hold you accountable to following through with your plan. Organizing your time also allows you to have a focused attack on preparing for the SAT/ACT rather than just blindly studying or doing practice problems. For example, you should dedicate one week to studying math, one week to studying grammar, etc.

    Note: It’s important to organize your time in a flexible manner. If you’re strong in math, then it makes more sense to focus on studying the Reading section and vice versa. If you feel like you know the material well enough, then it makes more sense to focus on simulating the test and doing practice tests rather than doing practice problems. Prepmedians creates 20 minute modules (5 minuts of questions before a video, 5-10 minutes of video, and 5 minutes of questions after a video) so that you can plan what you want to do in a much easier way. For example, if you want to spend an houra day working on test prep, just complete 3 modules a day! Also, you can retry question sets as many times as you want and each time the order of the questions will be randomized.

    Tip #3: Take Practice Tests Under Test-like Conditions

    This may seem silly, but test day is stressful and puts you in a different mindset than just doing the test in the comfort of your house. Think of take-home tests: something every student loves and anxiously awaits. Obviously, they’re easier than regular tests because you can just look up the answers without any repercussions, but you’re also not under the pressure of a time clock or in the mindset that you have to know the answer to the question.

    When doing practice tests, you should sit in an actual desk, simulate breaks, turn your phone on silent and use a timer for each section. The more similar and realistic you can make your practice test environment to the actual test-taking environment, the better. This way you’ll be less thrown off at the actual pace of the test and be more confident when taking the test. You can access free SAT practice tests at khanacademy.com and you can access free ACT practice tests at act.org.

    Tip #4: Learn Your Strengths and Weaknesses

    Not everyone’s good at math. Not everyone’s good at Reading. Everyone has areas they struggle in, whether that be generally like math or specifically like grammar rules, but what separates the top scorers from the rest is how they approach their weaknesses. As mentioned earlier, dedicating more time on studying your weaknesses is important when preparing for the SAT/ACT, but it’s helpful during the test too. A common mistake while taking the SAT/ACT is that students spend too much time on certain questions and miss other questions they could have answered. Knowing your weaknesses eliminates this possibility since you’ll know to skip a question and come back to it later just by seeing what concept the question is testing. Prepmedians lets you track your progress on your own profile so that you can see which skills you need to improve upon by test day!

    Tip #5: Find a Test Prep for You

    There are thousands of test prep books available, plenty of online tutoring available and plenty of in-person tutoring available. Each has their pros and cons. Our recommendation is Prepmedians because it alleviates the pressure and painful boredom of preparing for standardized tests since we teach SAT/ACT material through sketch comedy and music. We make test prep more enjoyable and something to look forward to rather than an obligation. Yes, students ACTUALLY say they look forward to learning their SAT/ACT test prep with our platform! Believe it or not, test prep really can be fun.

    If you don’t feel prepared come test day, don’t panic! It’s not the end of the world. Remember, you can always retake the SAT/ACT, and there’s always superscoring for those who did well on one section but not on the whole test. Ignore the pressure. Look forward to how rewarding all your work and effort will be once the college process is done and how much fun the next 4 years at your dream school will be!

  • How to Tackle College Admissions?

    How to Tackle College Admissions?

    What Activities Should I Pursue to get into a Good College?

    All colleges want to see that you have passion for something and that you pursue your interests to the best of your ability. So it is probably important to, well, have passions and interests. Stop worrying about whether college admission officers will be impressed by the things you’re interested in and just go for it. The college application reflects on your best personality, not your perception of the admission officers’ best personality. You like video games? Great. Nothing gets you more excited than the new limited edition sneakers that are about to be released? Okay. Your voice enters ranges not audible by humans when you see puppies? Cool. It doesn’t matter what you’re passionate about, as long as you’re passionate about something. Regardless of how quirky your passion is, it is your own. So, show that in your applications with pride!

    What are you doing about it?

    Okay, now you’ve got a passion. That is still not enough — you have pursue your passion. You’re a painter? Blog about it, give your painting for a showcase, conduct painting lessons. You love cooking? Maybe there is a food festival coming soon or host your own community cooking show. You <3 puppies? Find a local animal rights charity or dog rescue and start volunteering (but do it passionately, don’t treat it like a chore). No matter what your passions are, find out what you love the most about your passion and pursue it in that path.

    How are you pursuing it?

    I am not saying that you should ONLY do things related to your narrow range of interests. You should focus on being involved in your school and your community (and not just to get into college, but because you enjoy it). Lots of students sample a little bit of everything, their resumes list positions in 15 different clubs each year to the point where you have to wonder if maybe they have a time traveling device to get to all those meetings. Well, they definitely don’t yet. Colleges can see that, and they know that you did this to pad your resume to impress them (and so, of course, they aren’t impressed). Find a few clubs, organizations, charities, teams, or groups that you enjoy being a part of and stick with those activities throughout high school.

    Why it matters?

    The reason you shouldn’t spread yourself out is so that you can spend time developing your interests and skills. It is not just about how broad your exposure and knowledge are, but also about how deep they are. How can you become the editor of your school newspaper if you are only in the newspaper club for a semester? How dedicated to quiz bowl can you be if you only participated for a year? Find the activities that truly interest you and pursue those activities for multiple years. Of course you can go through a trial and error process. If you are not sure what clubs you enjoy, try the ones you are interested in for a couple weeks when you start high school. Once you figure out your interests focus your time on that. The main focus of this process is for you to figure out your interests that you would enjoy for the rest of your life. Do this for yourself and not the college applications!

    When it comes to your college applications, your essay is the best place for you to put your totally awesome, unique, interesting personality on display. After you participate in activities that you enjoyed every minute of, you’ll find it so much easier to reflect and write about them in your essays. So, do things that you enjoy rather than what you think the college wants because you are the best at being yourself!

  • 🎵 What Shall I Wear Today? 🎵

    🎵 What Shall I Wear Today? 🎵

    What to Wear on Exam Day

    When it comes to standardized testing, there are some external factors that can have a large impact on your performance, and picking the proper attire is one of them. So, let’s walk through what would be considered appropriate attire for exam day.

    Look Confident, but Comfortable

    The ACT and SAT test dates aren’t the first day of school where most students are looking to dress to impress. It’s okay if you’re not trying to wear a runway-ready look. In fact, it’s not that high on the priority list for most students. If there is anything for you to take away from this article, let it be that you should always choose comfort over fashion. You’re not gaining any brownie points for looking amazing, so make good decisions by avoiding clothes that cause you to fidget or re-adjust. However, promoting comfort as the number one priority does not mean that I am advocating students to show up looking like slobs. It’s important for me to note that if you feel good, you will be more inclined to do good things and that includes tackling the test.

    Shoes and Accessories

    Let’s be real here… no one ever wants to be known as “that kid” in class. The type of person that everyone else stares at angrily and probably hates because they consistently attempt to impress the professor. Same thing applies here, so listen up ladies! Be considerate to your fellow test-takers and don’t wear heels to the exam. You’re not impressing anyone by click-clacking your way back to your seat on already squeaky floors. I advise everyone to wear soft-soled shoes to avoid being a distraction for yourself and others. Also, note to everyone, avoid wearing noisy accessories and jewelry that can throw you and others off of your game. If you’d like, wear an old-fashioned watch for timing purposes like I’ve mentioned in my other article “The Clock Never Stops Ticking.”

    Lucky Charms?

    At one point or another, we’ve all had an object in our life that we’d consider a lucky charm. If you have one, bring it! Now, does this object actually help you find the answer to a question? Probably not. But, it does offer a sense of security and comfort that we all search for in stressful times. However, do not use this object as your only way to prepare for the exam. Check out our Prepmedians website to properly prepare to ace your exam(s).

    Hair

    If you have longer hair, avoid constantly pushing or blowing it out of your face by simply pulling it back or putting it in an easy updo. No one has the time to fix their hair while reading and answering passages on the exam, so make your life and the person’s sitting behind you easier.

    Layers

    If it’s hot outside, we wear shorts and t-shirts. If it’s cold outside, we wear sweatpants or jeans with sweaters or hoodies. Our outfits are determined by the weather outside during the day. We know that the weather is always changing, but the temperature outside doesn’t always reflect the temperature inside a building. Avoid being too hot or too cold by regulating your own temperature wearing multiple layers.

    Remember that…

    You should always choose comfort over fashion and don’t stress over wearing the perfect outfit on exam day. Also, try to pick out your outfits at night to avoid wasting time in the morning. Whatever outfit you decide to wear, I’m sure you will feel good entering and leaving the exam.