citerused

[citerused]

Late night thoughts

So it’s hella early/late and it’s been a while so I strangely decided to update this lol.

Anyway so I’ve decided to retake the SAT rather than the ACT. My logic is that my ACT score is already high enough while I know my SAT score could be higher. I’m going to be retaking it december 2nd.

My grades are slowly falling but I have an A in all of them so far but my APUSH grade is scarily borderline (90.2) so I’m pushing myself a little harder in that class. Fingers crossed that I can keep it up until the end of my first quarter which is the end of October.

Science Olympiad started and I am doing 3 events: Ecology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Microbe Mission. I am coaching Ecology and it’s not looking too hot right now.

So yea it’s late and I should sleep but that’s basically what’s going on in my life.

[citerused]

APUsH is Killing me

Well I got a 69 on my second quiz so I’m kinda salty right now but that’s okay.

I won’t let it bother me.

This is totally fine.

It’s okay because I’ll just learn from my mistakes and do better in the future right?!

Sorry I’m just extremely disappointed in myself right now. Don’t mind my saltiness.

[citerused]

SAT vs ACT

I just took the ACT today (September 9th) so now I’ve taken both the SAT and the ACT. I’ve decided to do a quick review of both of the tests so you might decide which one is better for you. You can find more specific details online so I won’t get into the nitty gritty.

Timing:

The SAT is considerably lengthier with more time allotted for questions. The amount of questions is also considerably less. 

The ACT however is notorious for its fast pace; its most notable example is the English/writing/grammar section that gives roughly 36 seconds per question. As a result, you ought to consider if you work well underneath a time pressure.

Easiness (my vocabulary is dead sorry guys):

The SAT requires you to think on a much deeper/analytical level. This is apparent even in the math section where the concepts are at a much lower level (basic algebra) but require lots of reading and conceptual understanding. If you consider the large amount of time given, it makes sense that the SAT calls for thinking on a deeper value.

Ignoring the time crunch, the questions are considerably easier and straightforward. They have to because you simply don’t have to time to sit back and digest the information. 

Mindset (STEM vs Humanities):

The SAT is similar to many humanities classes I’ve taken where you often have to read detailed articles and do formal analyses of them. If that is what you are good at, the SAT is more suited for you as you already have the necessary tools needed to succeed on the harder reading section.

The ACT I feel is much more suited for STEM orientated people. This is primarily due to the fact that it has a science analysis section. It’s fast pace also is suitable for STEM orientation as you simply need to glean the important details and facts from the text. 

My Personal Preference:

I was decent as both the SAT and the ACT as I could shift gears easily. However, I personally like the ACT more as I am a STEM orientated person and liked the fast pace. With the SAT and all the extra time, I often found myself going back and questioning all my answers, which is an uncomfortable feeling and does not sit well. 

Preparation:

You can prepare both tests through repetition. However, its harder to raise your SAT score due to the reading section. 

All in all, it is possible to do well on both tests regardless of what kind of person you are. The point is to chose the test that plays to more of your advantages. 

[citerused]

Any act test takers, good luck on tomorrow's test!!!!

I'm sure you'll all do great and get the scores you want :)

[citerused]

Last Year Review

Hey guys,

After writing a post about the classes I received this year, I decided to do a run down of last year’s classes.

So last year I was a sophomore and took 5 APs: Calculus AB (Calc AB), Calculus BC (Calc BC), Chemistry (Chem), World History (World/WHAP), Art History (APAH). Since this was last year, I will also include the scores I got on the AP test.

Calc AB (5): I took the BC exam and got an subscore of 5. In terms of the class, I would say it was pretty easy but I barely clutched an A due to underestimating the difficulty of the class. The concepts weren’t too difficult and if you truly understand them, retaining the knowledge is definitely easier. So while the class in my opinion was pretty easy, it’s not “free.”

Calc BC (5): This class was actually really simple. The only difficult concept for me was Taylor Series but it was definitely doable. The AP Exam is also very easy with a huge curve and high 5 rate. As long as you stayed awake during class and did most of the homework (lol), this class is pretty free.

Chem (5): I got the hardest teacher for this subject so I had to work my ass off to get that A. Considering chemistry has one of the lower 5 rates (roughly 9% the year I took it), this preparation probably helped me get a 5 so easily. Khan academy and Bozeman Science were relatively helpful for some of the more difficult concepts like electrochem and acid/base. I’d definitely say Chemistry is one of the harder classes so make sure you work really hard for it.

WHAP (4): This class leaves me somewhat dissatisfied because a 5 was probably attainable but I didn’t really bother studying for this test. The class itself wasn’t too terrible but there was a lot of information and I was quite frustrating at times. This is also one of the harder AP exams so time and hard-work is a must.

APAH (4): The class was free. Didn’t even have to study/listen to the lectures and passed the class with an 96. However, my teacher didn’t really teach us how to write the essays on the AP exam and there wasn’t a huge amount of online information either. So, in my opinion, the 4 was pretty inevitable. People planning on taking this class should seek as much help from the teacher due to this class being less popular and therefore not as much information out there.

If you guys want help/tips in any of these classes, feel free to pm me.

[citerused]

The New School Year

Hey guys,

So I just got my class schedules (my school starts August 29th and yes that is indeed pretty late) and it looks like I have another rough year in front of me.

In terms of classes, I have 7 APs and 1 lab assistant class that I will swap out for its pass/fail equivalent. 

The APs I’m taking this year include: Physics 1, Physics 2, Biology (Bio), Studio Art Drawing (Studio Art), Computer Science Principles (Comp Sci Prin), US History (APush), and English Language (Lang). The parentheses refers to the nicknames I will be giving these classes.

Physics 1 and 2 (same teacher): I got the hardest teacher at my school. To be honest, I am not too worried about this class because I have a strong math background (taken Calculus already) and I already completed AP Chemistry with the hardest teacher at my school as well. However, it will still definitely be pretty killer and I am expecting a year with many all-nighters.

Bio: I got the decent/easy teacher so I’m thinking this will be an easy A. For the actual AP test, I might have to do some more outside studying. 

Studio Art, there is only one teacher and she’s pretty brutal whilst not assigning much homework. Probably going to be a stressful class.

Comp Sci Prin: I got our school’s new teacher so this is slightly troubling/worrisome. Anyone who took this class in the past, please give me some tips.

APush: I got the nice, but still tough teacher. If you add in the fact I’m not the greatest at humanities, this is looking to be a bit of a blunder.

Lang: I got the hardest teacher at my school. He’s notorious for handing out Cs and Bs so let’s say I’m quite worried. 

So pretty much I reeled in all the teachers that grade harshly but definitely prepare you well for the APs. I can’t say I’m happy but I also can’t say I’m upset. I’ll probably find out tomorrow just how difficult these classes will be. 

Citerus