Even though I had been preparing for months, the day before taking the ACT, I was studying all night long. I was so worried about studying that I didn’t eat or make sure I had everything ready the next morning, which led to horrible day. Not resting enough made me sleepy. Not eating breakfast made me lose focus because I was focused on my hunger. I studied super hard before the ACT, thinking I was going to get a high score, yet everything I tried to learn didn’t help because I couldn’t remember anything. But preparing for standardized tests or applying to college doesn’t have to be that hard. Keep it simple, stupid, and you’ll be fine.
Before worrying about the test, don't forger to register for the ACT or SAT, which you can do online. Prepare yourself for testing by bringing with you supplies: pencils, a calculator, snacks and, most importantly, the admission ticket, which is easy to forget. My best friend, Terrance Rogers, and I both forgot our admission ticket at home. We asked administrators if we could just use our smart phones, which had saved our admission tickets, and luckily, they were nice enough to let us use them. If you are not familiar with the testing place, don’t forget to research the location. I thought I was too smart that I would get there on time. Well, let’s just say luck wasn't on my side. You want to be as early as possible. Try to be in the front of the line, so you can test at a corner, the best seat in the world. Time will fly out of the window, so keep track of the clock. Hard questions can take away about five or so minutes. As soon as the break starts, you should try to relax and eat. Don’t try to remember what you did wrong; think of the test as a whole. Try to be as optimistic as possible. At the end of testing, you should congratulate yourself for taking a very annoying yet - some may say - useful test.
And what about your college applications? Most colleges require you to submit a personal statement. Think of an interesting experience to tell the admission office. The humble stories are the most compelling ones, but don’t make one up. Your personal statement helps the admissions office to get to know you in a way that statistics fail to do. Also, don’t forget to get someone to proofread your essay. You should have a great teacher that asks lots of questions about your writing, knows you well and has seen you overcome challenges. Your teacher will be your guide to success for this step. I didn't know this and went to any teacher – one who always has too much to do and always tells you your paper is “excellent.” There are times where she hands back papers without a single comment. II used that personal statement for a scholarship, and I was rejected from it. I don't know if it was the personal statement, but I didn't use any other type of writing.. Try to avoid this type of teacher when making a crucial essay. You really don’t want to have an “excellent” essay.
One of my friends did something really dumb: he failed to submit his application. Why? He thought it was supposed to be submitted at 11:59 p.m., and he thought he had missed the deadline. But it was supposed to be submitted at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. His recommender was angry when she heard that her efforts were used for no reason. Her reaction was a quick slap to the back of his head. I think he has learned his lesson.
All of these things can be an obstacle, but they’re easy to overcome. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Just concentrate on the simple things you can do to get it right. Did I miss something that you went through? Leave a comment and share other ways to make getting into college less of a headache. Right now, I’m waiting to hear from two of my top choices, University of Illinois and Notre Dame. I am so excited to hear from them, but scared to hear that I was declined. Wish me luck!
