38 replies to this topic

[Junsu]

Anyone else understand the suffering of SATs and APs

Edited by Rapist, 08 September 2011 - 10:01 PM.

[Donaldmax]

Especially if you're asian.

[redlion]

Well.... yes I suppose.

SATs for me weren't hard. Just boring.

APs on the other hand, were at least challenging.

[Donaldmax]

Cries*
I have to take SAT classes and my score won't even budge. It's just torture... I'll never get a perfect score. It's going to always stay in the range of 2000-2210 (my highest). Sigh...

Edited by Donaldmax, 08 September 2011 - 10:22 PM.

[Kyouma]

SATs for me weren't hard. Just boring.

APs on the other hand, were at least challenging.

Same. But in my case, my AP classes shoudl've just been labeled self-study classes. The teachers were of absolutely no help whatsoever. I think I played psp in class more than listen to their lectures.

Cries*
I have to take SAT classes and my score won't even budge. It's just torture... I'll never get a perfect score. It's going to always stay in the range of 2000-2210 (my highest). Sigh...

Focus in on what you are missing, and just do tons and tons of practice tests for those specific problems or section. Worked for me, managed to raise my grammar score to 750 (a feat), and reading to 790 (damn vocab)

[Junsu]

SCREW IVY LEAGUE HYPE


I'm just going to stick with my 2100/2200

[Sage]

I honestly stopped giving a shit about those tests and just did enough to get into college. Lately nobody cares if you get anything less than a Master's degree anyway.

[SweetPea]

mm.. I ..somehow failed all my AP history/government tests, even though I got As in all the classes.. Though I did get 4 and 5 on the AP computer science ones..

I got into UCI and am majoring in Computer Science, but I went in undeclared. I didn't really stress too much in high school, but then again, I wasn't one of those people who got over 2000 on their SATs. ><

I AM Asian, but my parents were still stuck in the OLD OLD days when the highest AP score was 1800 or something so they didn't think much of it. xD

[Volition]

AP is weak, there's courses where like 50-70% of the people who get 5/5. One of my friends took Math IB (standard level), and runs into calculus bc blind having not done math for a year and gets a 5. IB is the way to go.

[Plunk]

Did they change the max score again or something? When I took them, I got a 1660, and I had colleges beating down my door to get me to go there.

[Bone]

SCREW IVY LEAGUE HYPE

I'm just going to stick with my 2100/2200

ACT > SAT brah. I got 34 composite on ACT but only 2180 on SAT.

Also, why would you want to go to an Ivy? Once I realized I can go to a ton of top-tier schools for free (NMF, trololo), I stopped even considering them.

[redlion]

SCREW IVY LEAGUE HYPE


I'm just going to stick with my 2100/2200

My applications went something like this:
SAT: 2150
GPA: absolute shit. No seriously, it was around 89%.
Rigor of coursework: Top classes in every subject but math, which meant AP english for 2 years, AP history every year (plus elective Art History senior year), etc, etc.
Extracurriculars: Debate, taekwondo.

I got a full ride to a state school (not my state) and acceptance from a few private schools. Georgetown didn't want me though

AP is weak, there's courses where like 50-70% of the people who get 5/5. One of my friends took Math IB (standard level), and runs into calculus bc blind having not done math for a year and gets a 5. IB is the way to go.

Well 'one of your friends' is hardly the basis for deciding my life, but cool story bro. IB and AP are usually offered mutually exclusively. Not always, but usually. This varies by school district. My high school offered courses in most any AP subject you could want, and they'd even pay half the cost of the AP test if you took the course.

Did they change the max score again or something? When I took them, I got a 1660, and I had colleges beating down my door to get me to go there.

Hmmm. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say you took the test right after they implemented the change. 1600 used to be the max score, and now 2400 is. For about two years after they introduced the writing section, most universities didn't take the writing score. They had to wait for a body of comparative scores to build up before they could legitimately use it for acceptance purposes.

If you didn't take it after the change, I honestly have no idea why they were recruiting you (based on this one factor). That isn't a particularly high score by the new accounting, and that score isn't possible on the old scale.

[Kyouma]

Also, why would you want to go to an Ivy? Once I realized I can go to a ton of top-tier schools for free (NMF, trololo), I stopped even considering them.

Depending on what you want to study and if you have the money, Ivy's could be pretty good. Studying med doesn't require an Ivy though. I think that's a waste of money.

AP is weak, there's courses where like 50-70% of the people who get 5/5. One of my friends took Math IB (standard level), and runs into calculus bc blind having not done math for a year and gets a 5. IB is the way to go.

APBio, 17% 5's
APChem 18% 5's
APUSH 11% 5's
AP Physics 14% 5's
MOST APs usually have around that %. A 40-50% 5 rate, so far, has ONLY been for Calc or languages, because, seriously, those are the easiest AP's if you took the class.

[Hydrogen]

After having done the whole college shebang, I'm of the opinion that none of the shit they make you do in high school really matters. If you're entering a science or engineering field, the college you go to for undergrad doesn't really matter either, so long as it's a somewhat decent school. The stuff you learn in undergrad was researched 30 or 40 years ago - it won't change across institutions. Really, the strategy should be to attend a school that attracts somewhat less intelligent students and be the top student. That will be more impressive when applying to grad school than being a mediocre student at a school that attracts incredibly bright students.

[Rooshy]

Hm, isn't education is a lot more hardcore in some other countries?
I wouldn't know, since I haven't been to school outside of the US, but. o.o

[iargue]

I hate how long they take. Waste of my time.

I don't find them that challenging though

I hate Standardized Testing Wastes soooo much time, and then I have to tell ten different people why I do not want to be skipped ahead a grade

[MistressMezvers]

Standardized testing is a serious joke. Some people are pretty much geniuses but don't test well. I had a number of friends throughout grade school who would ace every class, but when test time came around, they would flop because they have a hard time with the setting.

Education needs a serious revamp. Srsly.

[Frank12]

The tests are easy. But they are easy because most people are drop-dead stupid fucks. When a freshman can get near perfect on SATs without special attention by parents or advanced schooling, you know either the test is a joke, or teenagers these days are just bad. You ever wonder why kids with average intelligence go to college on scholarship? APs were slightly more challenging, but yet again, they didn't seem anything to stress for.

Standardized testing is a serious joke. Some people are pretty much geniuses but don't test well. I had a number of friends throughout grade school who would ace every class, but when test time came around, they would flop because they have a hard time with the setting.

Education needs a serious revamp. Srsly.

Um, more like the other way. Genius tend to ace standardize testing, yet fail at the repetition of school. Your friends are most likely the organized try-hards, who max out their potential by doing things correctly. I know the difference, when someone aces school and fails SATs, they were either fucked up the night before, or they're really not geniuses

Edited by Frank12, 10 September 2011 - 04:10 PM.

[iargue]

Standardized testing is a serious joke. Some people are pretty much geniuses but don't test well. I had a number of friends throughout grade school who would ace every class, but when test time came around, they would flop because they have a hard time with the setting.

Education needs a serious revamp. Srsly.

No one that I've ever considered a genius has done bad on a test. The tests are extremely easy, most of the time you don't even have to know the answer, you just have to know which answers are impossible.

[Kyouma]

Hm, isn't education is a lot more hardcore in some other countries?
I wouldn't know, since I haven't been to school outside of the US, but. o.o

This.

I've gone back to China for summer every single year, and every time, I've been lonely, because my cousins are all in prep school, or being tutored, etc. etc.
They spend their weekdays in school and their weekends in prep school or taking extracurricular classes. Vacation is just more time to study.
Its gotten to the point where this is practically mandatory, because since everybody is forcing their children to suffer through this, those who don't will inevitably drop behind in their classes.

They're being tutored in fucking 1st grade, for christ's sake.

[Narcissa]

I got shit on my SAT's. Didn't study; only took em once. ACTs were better. AP scores were stellar. I still got accepted into a really high end school (didn't go because paying 50k for one semester is torture, even with financial aid). Don't sweat it. College is stupid anyways, and mostly a scam.

[WharfRat]

After having done the whole college shebang, I'm of the opinion that none of the shit they make you do in high school really matters. If you're entering a science or engineering field, the college you go to for undergrad doesn't really matter either, so long as it's a somewhat decent school. The stuff you learn in undergrad was researched 30 or 40 years ago - it won't change across institutions. Really, the strategy should be to attend a school that attracts somewhat less intelligent students and be the top student. That will be more impressive when applying to grad school than being a mediocre student at a school that attracts incredibly bright students.

+1. This was my strategy entirely.

I was in the IB program, moved to IL and got into the AP program... (Ended up moving back to Texas and they wouldn't let me back into IB, so I just got fucked out of credits... but I digress.) AP was solidly easier than IB... I'd say by far. (At least, in my experience...) I still share the sentiment of Hydrogen that high school isn't really preparation for anything. Undergraduate studies are mostly bullshit... The first two years is spent trying to get all students up to the same level of standards that high school was supposed to get them up to. The last two are spent studying something in particular, but that still equates to only simple generalized information that will lay the foundation for your graduate work. In essence, where you do your undergrad at is largely irrelevant. Just pay attention, focus, do your work, and you can ace the program. It's graduate schools where selection starts to matter... so go to an accredited school that you can easily get A's at. It'll look much better when you're applying for graduate school. (Which you will... because otherwise you are going to be less qualified than anyone else on the jobs market right now. Everyone will be ahead of you either because they got hired straight out of highschool and have worked in your industry much longer than you and are a safer bet, or because your job is so specialized, that they much prefer someone with a higher level of education than you. It's sad, but it's true. =/)

/rant for now...

P.s. Take the ACT's. I got a composite 32 (35 on math and 35 on science without a calculator... Fucking 24 on my English section! FFFUUUU!!! I think 28 was my other raw score?) ACT is a no-brainer test... Just use process of elimination on each question and you'll get every question correct.

[Rooshy]

This.

I've gone back to China for summer every single year, and every time, I've been lonely, because my cousins are all in prep school, or being tutored, etc. etc.
They spend their weekdays in school and their weekends in prep school or taking extracurricular classes. Vacation is just more time to study.
Its gotten to the point where this is practically mandatory, because since everybody is forcing their children to suffer through this, those who don't will inevitably drop behind in their classes.

They're being tutored in fucking 1st grade, for christ's sake.

Mhm, China was what I was thinking of when I wrote that. e.e
I was there in August, and got so many confused looks from people when I went to get my nails done and such. They were like, "why aren't you studying? Aiya."

[Joanna]

Anyone else understand the suffering of SATs and APs

Oh the horrors!! And honestly... my SAT scores only helped me once... and now I don't even need them for my present school. Its a costly time wasting menace to society.

[Donaldmax]

I feel sad for the people saying college is stupid and a scam.
Yes, it costs a lot of money, but it's not a scam. It maybe a waste of time and stupid, but it pays off.
You'll see when the person with the degree gets the promotion and you don't.