Why is college so important?

As young children never wanting to let go of our parents’ fingers, we all dreamed big. Our parents’ love and encouragement made us believe that we could be the President. The Movie Star. The richest person on earth. As we grow older, these dreams are often shattered by the reality of probability and the awareness of opportunities. No matter what our future goals, we are told one thing. “You must go to college to be successful”.

This seems like the most difficult statement to understand as we are comfortable teenagers protected by the doors of our homes and the walls of the familiar high schools. Why do I have to leave? Why do I have to start over? Going to school with the same friends for years, and having parents or guardians to guide us seems like too good of a deal to leave behind. We all think that we have excellent maturity and can handle anything that life throws our way. However, it is sometimes important to wonder, have we really experienced everything that life has to offer?

That’s where college comes in and offers us something vitally important-experience. Experience makes us wiser. Experience makes us stronger, and more willing to persevere. Taking the sometimes impossibly difficult classes, meeting people from all over the world, and travelling to the most remote places, each day of the 4 years of college brings something new, something we have never experienced before. The long exam week, the diverse student body, the community activities done through various clubs, team work established between peers, knowledge gained through experiments, relationships and networks created - all of this and more changes us into strong, skilled citizens. We are then truly equipped to handle all of the world’s problems.

President Obama attended Occidental College, got is BA from Columbia University, and studied Law at Harvard. Julia Roberts attended Georgia State University. Finally, Bill Gates attended Harvard. Suddenly, the dreams of being the future president, a movie start, and the richest man in the world don’t seem so impossible. While it is true that we grow the most in the first few months after we are born, college is the time for one to grow the most as a person. Without this growth, the remote dreams of our childhoods seem to remain distant.

As high school seniors it is difficult to understand why we must work so hard to get into a college of our dreams. The grades aren’t enough to get us in. We must have extracurricular activities, do well on the SATs or the ACTs, fill out numerous applications, etc. However, the simple word ‘college’ does not justify the prestigious and significant portion of our lives that the word brings with it. College is important. College is crucial. Why? Well, there is no better way to seek an answer to that question than to live through it.

Victory Step

SAT/ACT Test Prep

Ph: 214-417-7406

Website: http://www.victorysteponline.com

Email: solutions@victorysteponline.com

Back to School!

The time has come to buy the new notebooks and arrange the new backpacks. Everything is new and exciting and it’s one of the easiest times for a student to completely erase college examinations from his or her mind: Back to School!

While school itself usually comes with an enormous course load, and is accompanied by extracurricular activities, sports, etc., it is not advisable to let the SAT or the ACT completely slip from thought. Students often work rigorously during the summer to bring up their score on the SAT or the ACT. When school starts however, all this work can go to waste. It may seem hard, and it is, but it is crucial to set aside some time to do practice problems, work on some vocab, or even just read up on some strategies. Use online resources, rent books from the library, and take practice tests. But, all of this could require some self motivation. Victory Step could help you through the process, with the help of our highly intelligent, fun and charismatic instructors. Victory Step currently offers SAT and ACT Classroom instruction and SAT & ACT private tutoring in Dallas, TX.

Seniors: It is difficult to know exactly how busy senior year can be until you are actually experiencing it. It seems that time truly does fly by during senior year. This is because there is so much going on with college applications, interviews, not to forget the school work. If you are one of the many seniors still trying to bring up that SAT score or that ACT score, make sure you have registered for the first available test date and are spending every free moment preparing. Do everything you can to make that time slow down and use it to ensure admission into an incredible college.

SAT Test Date Registration Deadline

October 9, 2010	September 10, 2010
November 6, 2010	October 8, 2010
December 4, 2010	November 5, 2010

ACT Test Date Registration Deadline

September 11, 2010	August 6, 2010
October 23, 2010	September 17, 2010
December 11, 2010	November 5, 2010

Test dates in 2010 alone are fast approaching. It is easy to get involved with school and forget registration deadlines and test dates. For that reason, go to victorysteponline.com to ensure such things don’t happen. Schoolwork is definitely very important but by spending a little time each day on college preparation will do not harm, but only put that schoolwork to good use at an excellent college.

Victory Step

SAT/ACT Test Prep

Ph: 214-417-7406

Website: http://www.victorysteponline.com

Email: solutions@victorysteponline.com

SAT vs ACT?

The Battle of the Tests

Choices are great, right? We get to choose which test we want to take. That ought to be a fantastic deal! However, when it comes down to choosing between the SAT and the ACT, the decision may not be so easy. Which test is better? Which test will I do well on? Which test do colleges like?

Well, we live in a world of options. From the Ivy Leagues to the community colleges, it seems that almost all universities today accept both the SAT and the ACT. So it isn’t a matter of impressing a college, but it simply comes down to personal choice. There are many stereotypes concerning the two tests. Some say that boys tend to do better on the SAT and others say that those with a shorter attention span should favor the ACT. Well, how to separate the myth from the fact? It comes down to analyzing yourself with a few simple questions.

1) Do I prefer knowledge based tests or strategy based tests? The SAT tends to prefer using different strategies in order to trick the test taker on even easy questions. The ACT however, is very straightforward with the questions but requires knowledge of more material.

2) Am I good at science? While the science section on the ACT isn’t entirely based on knowledge alone, it does have a science section that requires problem solving and analytical abilities. Hate science? The SAT does not include a science section!

3) Vocabulary or Grammar? Both tests pay strong attention to English. However, the SAT focuses more on vocabulary and strategy based reading comprehension while the ACT tends to pay more attention to grammar, syntax, etc. Don’t like vocabulary or grammar? Well then you’re out of luck.

4) Do I prefer skipping or simply guessing? Well, while neither test is scored more leniently than the other, they both have different methods of scoring. The SAT is based off of 2400 points (which I hope everyone knows by now). The test awards you 1 point for every correct answer, deducts 1/4 of a point for every wrong answer, and gives no points for a blank answer. Yes, this means that skipping is allowed. The ACT on the other hand, grades each section out of 36 and does not deduct any points for wrong answers. Therefore, guess away!

5) How much do I love writing? The SAT starts the test off with a bang, or an essay to be more precise. The 25 minute section is required and is scored out of 12 points. The essay is read by two readers, each of whom grade out of 6 points. Technically, the ACT essay section is optional. It comes at the end of the exam and is 30 minutes long. However, most colleges do like to see the essay section in order to accept the ACT score.

It is all easier said then done. In order to really find out which test is the right one, the best decision is to take both the tests. While it may seem like unnecessary work, it is important to find out which test works better for you personally, rather than what Mom or Grandma or the neighbor thinks. No one can know which test you will do better on until you take both exams.

Call one of Victory Step's consultants today. We will be more than happy to guide you to your right path!