Wise Like Us

"Double Your Pleasure, Double Your..." Math Score?

That's right. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have found a link between gum chewing and higher math scores on standardized tests.

Don't believe me? You can read about it here!

What's for Breakfast this Saturday?

Besides a heaping spoonful of ACT questions for lots of students? That's actually what I'm here to talk about-- effective breakfast strategies for a successful test-taking Saturday.

Researchers at Tufts University (that's in Boston) have found that while breakfast is key to boosting mental alertness, a breakfast of fiber-rich oatmeal equates to far better performances on tests. The reason? Whole grains keep your blood sugar and energy levels more constant.

That means, you should skip the Pop Tart on Saturday morning (refined carbs and sugars can lead to energy crashes mid-test), and grab the cylindrical cardboard cannister before taking the ACT. How's that for alliteration?

One test does not a student make

Margot, a member of the Collegewise clan, likes to say, "What you do in four hours on a Saturday is much less important than what you do over the course of four years."  Filling in bubbles on an SAT or ACT scantron test sheet will never substitute the time and effort that high schools kids put into their schoolwork.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out that one.  But I was really happy to read this article unveiling the results of a University of California study determining that those standardized test scores don't predict how students will perform in college either.  Take this excerpt for example:

The primary finding was that high school grades are consistently the strongest predictor of any factor of success through four years in college. And contrary to what researchers expected to find, the predictive value of high school grades goes up as students progress through college, even though more time has passed since high school.

So guess what, high schoolers?  All of that late night studying, note taking, and essay writing really WILL help you in the long run!  Doesn't that make you feel better?

 

Out with the Old

Sometimes traditions need a little spring cleaning.  Take standardized tests for example.  So much has been said denouncing the tests' legitimacy in gauging an applicant's academic abilities, especially for those students who are at a deficit in terms of test preparation and high school curriculum.  At Collegewise, we always say that the numbers can't convey personality and individuality to an admissions office.  I firmly believe that and have seen amazing things happen for students who were creative writing virtuosos, accomplished athletes, and pre-Picassos who just didn't have the best test scores.  The results of one Saturday spent filling in bubbles on a test sheet could never convey a person's potential contributions to a college.  This article demonstrates that many colleges are seeing this light as well.  True learning arises from growth and change, right?  Well, with respect to standardized tests, it looks like a number of colleges are saying out with the old (judging applicants with the SAT and ACT) and in the with new (the true holistic approach).

37 Tests (And Nothin' On)

Talk to any current or former admissions officer and there'll always be a few applicants who have left indelible marks in their mind.  However, it's not always for the best of reasons.  One such kid for me was one who by the end of his senior year was on target to have taken 19 Advanced Placement tests.  At the time he applied to Caltech, he had already taken 14 AP tests through his first three years of high school and notched a 5 on like 13 of them.  Even at Caltech, where we not infrequently saw kids taking AP courses in the double-digit range, this was exceptional to say the least.

But it being Caltech, he wasn't admitted.  He seemed to have no other interests outside of taking an extensive battery of tests.  While his performance was impressive, there's more to admissions than high test scores (though that never really hurts).  In fact, checking in later with friends of mine at other schools, I learned he wasn't admitted to any of the ultra-selective schools he applied to (including MIT, Harvard, Yale)  with the exception of one school to be left unnamed in this here humble blog.

ACT Now...or Maybe Not

The SAT vs. ACT.  It's not quite Freddy vs. Jason but for your average high schooler, mention either of those tests and you're still pretty likely to bring about nightmares.  This is the time of year where most of my juniors are taking taking their tests.  Which means, it's also the time of year I get the question whether one test is better than the other.  Like so much else in college admissions, the answer is, it depends.   But for the first time, it doesn't depend on where you're applying.  As this USA Today article notes, the ACT is now officially accepted by EVERY four-year college in the country. 

Psst...It's Only Practice

Halloween isn't the only scary thing in October for some high school kids. There's also the PSAT. Increasingly, I've had kids and parents asking me whether it makes sense to prepare for the PSAT specifically. My answer is always no. There's an inclination with all the college admissions hype to overemphasize what's little more than practice for the SAT.

Sure it serves the purpose of qualifying juniors for the National Merit Scholarship competition, but keep in mind that's only about 10,500 out of 1.3 million students taking the test. Pretty great odds. Rather than spending time specifically preparing for the PSAT, students are better off staying focused on their coursework and being active in whatever they're passionate about- both being approaches far more likely to bring scholarship consideration.

There's also a tendency to overemphasize the scores themselves. The truth is that NO college uses these scores- good or bad- for admissions purposes. In fact, the only way colleges use these scores is by purchasing test-takers' names based upon broad ranges of scores to send out promotional mail.

And for the parents of freshmen and sophomores taking the PSAT, remember that the test was designed with the curriculum of juniors in mind. It's not an intelligence test and it will not necessarily predict your kid's SAT score. Use the scores only to identify strengths and weaknesses in particular areas so you can direct further attention to those if needed.

A Date That Will Live In Infamy…

When most people hear, “December 7, 1941,” they think of FDR’s radio address and our entry into World War II.  But a dusty footnote to that chapter of American history is that the bombing of Pearl Harbor also marks the day of the SAT’s entry into college admissions.

“The presidents of Harvard, Princeton, and Yale were attending a routine meeting to discuss College Board affairs. When they learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor, they realized that many young men would be called to active duty; there would not be time to administer the traditional written examinations to those who might want to take them. So they agreed to drop the College Board's written examinations and to offer, instead, the SAT and multiple-choice achievement tests.”

I came across this fascinating historical tidbit in an excellent article Diane Ravitch wrote about the College Board in the Chronicle of Higher Education, “The Fall of Standard Bearers.”  A professor of education at NYU, she outlines the evolution of the College Board from an organization of educators that in its early days thoughtfully influenced classroom curriculums to one that today mostly concerns itself with test-making.  Prior to WW II, the College Board would construct guidelines for high schools to use when teaching their kids and later test them with comprehensive exams slightly resembling the AP tests except there was no multiple-choice.  It was fully essay writing and/or problem-solving across a broad range of subjects.