SAT Prep on the Cheap
Saturday March 29, 2008
In today’s hyper-competitive college admissions environment, one point of constant criticism is that admission to elite universities privileges the privileged. In earlier posts, I’ve written about Dartmouth, Columbia, and Colby offering remarkable financial aid packages to students without financial means. But tuition costs aren’t the only barrier to admission. A family that lacks financial resources cannot afford the tutors, essay editing services, SAT preparatory courses and college counseling services that improve a student’s chances of being admitted to a highly competitive school.
On the bright side, dedication and hard work can sometimes make up for the lack of a fat wallet. Samuel Freedman recently reported in The New York Times how a group of students from a struggling Florida high school took on the challenge of SAT preparation themselves. Indeed, there is nothing magical about expensive prep courses -- the main thing they offer is a structure in which to grill thousands of practice questions, and perhaps a few strategies for guessing effectively. A motivated student can, in fact, raise his or her test scores significantly through self-directed study.
photo by The BrassPotato / Flickr
Comments
College Board appears to be doing all they can to help students who they consider disadvantaged pass the SAT exams. They have added additional points to the final score because scores were getting lower than they wanted. They have removed the analogies because this can be studied and is not really taught in most schools.
In our private school we council students to study for the SAT by getting an SAT Prep book or go to a book store and read it there and look at each question and then look at the answer. Do this question by question.
Remember the SAT is a test of skills that will give some measure of your ability to succeed in college. SAT does not necessarily test your knowledge, the ACT Exam does that.
Congratulations to the students in Miami, with the attitude they have they should succeed in any field they choose.
I’m a highschool junior and reading about the record-breakingly low acceptance rates is not at all comforting. But like the students in Miami, I have done a huge amount of SAT prep on my own, simply because I can. I can afford to take SAT prep courses, but I think preparing on my own not only saves a ton of money, but helps me learn to discipline myself and stay motivated. I’m taking my first shot at the SAT this saturday! So nervous
, but if all goes well, I know my work will pay off. That you can NOT study for the SAT is THE biggest myth out there! I have been able to improve my score by 200 points on the PSAT and hope to improve by at least another 200 on saturday!