by Elyssa Silverman '17Q: How can I balance school work, tests, extracurricular activities, and social life? I want to have a fun year but I also want to have good grades.
It can be tough to balance school, extracurriculars, and a social life, especially during junior and senior year with the added pressure of things like the SAT and college applications. It is totally possible to have a fun year while maintaining good grades. Here are some pointers on how you can do this! First, don’t put too much on your plate. Sign up for a few clubs, take some tough classes, but don’t take all APs and join 5 clubs if you haven’t even taken one AP before. Know your limits. If you struggle in advanced classes and want to challenge yourself, try one class in a subject you like and see how you do! If you challenge yourself in a healthy way, you can grow without sacrificing your social life. Second, manage your time as best as you can. Do as much work as you can at school and use every minute to your advantage. If you are finished with a test 10 minutes early, find something to do for that time. Don’t waste free periods! This way, when you get home, you can relax and catch up on a little studying instead of having truckloads of homework to do. Another important thing to do is ask for help. Isn’t it the worst when you’re trying to do math homework but you have no idea what you’re looking at? Resource periods are there for you to get extra help. Plenty of teachers are available in the morning and afternoon (before and after school) and are more than willing to help you. Study in groups and do homework with your classmates- if you are struggling, someone who gets it may be able to help you. Make sure it works the other way around, too- help friends who are struggling in subjects that you are good at. The most important thing is to find a healthy balance between work and free time. Once you do this, you can have a great year without endangering your grades! Q: How should sophomores prepare themselves for the SAT? Sophomore year is a great time to start preparing for the SAT, this way you don’t have to overload yourself with test prep as junior year gets closer. There are a lot of things that you can do to familiarize yourself with the content of the test and sharpen your skills. These tips are also great for juniors and seniors who are planning to take the SAT. The most important thing you can do is become familiar with the layout of the test. Read the directions on your practice tests so you don’t have to waste time reading them on test day (especially for the fill-in math questions). Learn what types of questions will appear on the test and how long you have for each section. You can do all of this by reading outlines, taking practice tests online or practicing questions in books. I’m personally a big fan of Barron’s SAT prep books, but you can use whatever book you like best. After you get comfortable with how the test plays out, start getting comfortable with the content of the actual questions. What types of concepts will be tested in math? What genres can I expect to see on the reading section? You can answer these questions by taking practice questions and full tests. Khan Academy has a great (free) online program for SAT prep. I used this program and nothing else for the new SAT and did really well, so I highly recommend it! Some people also feel that prep classes are helpful. While they don’t help everyone, they can be great practice for people who are struggling in a particular subject. Look into local test prep centers to find the class that works best for you. The most important tip is to remain calm. The SAT is a test. It does not measure your intelligence- don’t beat yourself up if you don’t do well the first time. It is a difficult test, and the more you prepare for it and remain confident in yourself, the better you will feel on test day! Good luck!
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