[Konig]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oistrakh /img/forum/go_quote.gif yup, asian....

one way u can turn things around is to ask her if she graduated from an ivy/ beijing univ/ seoul national univ/ todai for that matter.

if she did then i do suggest u looking for some special articles written for parents since thats the only way i know of

 

[phergus_25]

tell your parents that life is not all about $, and then realize that yourself

and I would suggest that you chill out.
you will find that life is not all about scores.
I went into HS being you, I now enjoy life, have a 3.76 and good enough scores to get a full ride to quite a few colleges, Im actually going to GSU since the atmosphere is awsome. Why go to Emory when I can go free elsewhere (and since I will be in school for ~10 years the first 2 are kinda un important.)?

About the most intelligent person I know went to Berkly after two years of community college, and hasent lost a dollar for any of his ~12 years of school
-greg

 

[Oistrakh]

^You probably had > 2200 SAT score though...

 

[phergus_25]

2k
really man, you will find that being the wrestling captain, band captain, other things like that really help alot more than a high SAT score.
and they are alot more fun than getting your SAT score up

 

[plus_c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phergus_25 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 2k really man, you will find that being the wrestling captain, band captain, other things like that really help alot more than a high SAT score. and they are alot more fun than getting your SAT score up

QFT - Penn took a kid a year or so ago because he played the tuba and said he would do so for the Penn Band. (Not many kids that go to Penn have the desire to play in the scramble band - I did it for a semester and quit because I missed the rigor of my HS marching band.)

 

[stewgriff]

X3. It'd really do you better to concentrate on community service/extracurricular activities. How much have you racked up? I often do tutoring in history; it's something I like, helps other people, good on the application record. Is there some sort of a academic competition or some other sort in your area? It's really nerdy, but it's something.

And I have to agree on HS marching band. plus_c, was your band one of those competition-style bands? Mine wrote a lot of DCI-style fast marching moves into its show. Marching 10 yards in 12 steps while playing the crescendo to an impact? I don't know a better exercise for the lungs...

And for the record, my last PSAT (haven't gotten my results yet) is pretty low, 1990. But I was only a freshman...and my GPA is much better than the PSAT score would make it out to be.

 

[Canucklehead]

I do agree that standardized testing is the bane of education today. However, just to play Devil's Advocate, one has to be careful not to pick and choose what one thinks is important on your resume. Many corporations do that today, they say "look, our profits are negative, but look at our cash flow over p/e," people invest in them, and they just turn out to be the next Enron. The asian parents' fixation on test scores is definately unhealthy, but not unfounded. I'm lucky enough to have asian parents who don't put that much pressure on me to do well in school. I put that pressure on myself (it feels a lot better when you succeed for yourself than for someone else).

I think that asian parents have to realize that pressure != success. My parents say that I could drop out of high school for all they care. Now I bring home Honour Roll and 213 on the PSAT (as a sophomore, without studying).

oh, btw, just to discourage you a little more

98th percentile in the PSAT will turn out to be much less in the SAT
My 213, if I translated it into 2130 on the SAT, couldn't be higher than 95th percentile I'm guessing.

But to comment on your problem:
Take advantage of the weaknesses of the SAT. The average score improvement with professional coaching for the new SAT is in the +200 range. If you apply yourself, you can get even more than that.

 

[plus_c]

Stew, my marching band was pretty intense. We were a band styled after Texas A&M, so no showy stuff (a la Florida A&M), but we moved with precision. (I should note that this was only my freshman and sophomore year of HS; I moved schools junior year to a magnet HS with no football team.)

Back in high school, I was really involved with band (both marching and concert season). I played the bassoon, and went to lots of band clinics all through HS. I was also pretty heavily involved in our math club, and these together I think helped push me over the top at Penn.

Oistrakh, it seems like you're not really taking in the good advice being given to you here. The only thing I can tell you to do now is to talk to an admissions counselor at an Ivy school - they'll tell you pretty much the exact same thing all of us have been trying to. Maybe you and your mother will feel better about this advice coming right from the people who will be reviewing your application?

 

[dizzyorange]

Anyone else studying for the MCAT? If anyone needs the AAMC practice exams (1R - 10R) shoot me a PM.

 

[labelbassist]

I hate excessive pressure to succeed. You don't need to get into an ivy league college in order to get a good education, a good job, or (above all) enjoy life.

 

[phergus_25]

One thing to think of....
If you are smart enough, true mental strength, then you wont need to go Ivy league at first to get where you need to go.
You can go from community school to a top university if your mentaly able.

 

[Azure]

It's just the PSATs, tell her that. Be better prepared when it comes to the real deal as that's what matters. Colleges won't give a crap about your PSAT score if they have your SAT score. I got similar scores as you on the PSAT but got a 2250 on the actual SAT. Don't worry about it. When it comes time to take the SATs just remember to study a lot then (take lots of practice exams and study each question!); also consider the ACT. Of course, remember to participate in a lot of EC's (or "good" ones because you're Asian...believe it or not, but there seems to be certain qualities/EC's that college apps don't like to see in Asians, namely those focusing on things like math, science, violin, etc...which sucks for those Asians that genuinely love those things but have to go out of their way to get non-stereotypical EC's) to show your leadership qualities and what not.

Honestly though, I love standardized testing. I know they're only so accurate on testing your intelligence and blah blah blah, but to me it's like a fun little challenge to test my smarts. The whole time while I take these tests I have a gamer's attitude in mind, if you know what I mean (This helps take off the stress and makes the whole process really fun).

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dizzyorange /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone else studying for the MCAT? If anyone needs the AAMC practice exams (1R - 10R) shoot me a PM.

I took it a few months ago....best of luck to you!

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oistrakh /img/forum/go_quote.gif well I'm being compared to my cousins, who all got near perfect SAT scores and went to harvard and are going to medical school, so....

You should compare them to the people who went to their state schools and are going to Harvard Medical School.

 

[Oistrakh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitzula /img/forum/go_quote.gif 98th percentile? Well, clearly, you'll have to work manual unskilled labor from here on in.

well I doubt that doctors make up 2% of the population... Out of the 1.25 million high school seniors, I think less than 2% get into ivies...