More Than a Test Score

Congratulations to Kristal Wharry, the Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner for this week! Kristal’s essay showed us that while we all have our own regrets, it’s not about holding on to them, but rather how we learn from them and move forward.

Here is her winning essay:
My mother was a professor at Columbus State University, she died when I was 13. I never appreciated her work fully until recently. I stumbled upon her book and dissertation when I Googled her name–reviewers were amazed by her work! I just wish I could have told her that I was.

Here is a little more about our winner:
I am currently a senior at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I am majoring in Broadcast Journalism . I am seeking a minor in Music. I hope to pursue a masters degree in Social Work as a step toward becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I have a strong passion for people and I pounce at opportunities to help them and be a positive influence in their lives. My second passion is Music! I sing, play piano, guitar, and write my own music. Ultimately, I would love to be a music artist or talk show host, but until then I intend to work as a social worker!

Here’s a few of our favorite runner-ups:

Hiram Espinosa: All I wanted was to see how a fire extinguisher worked as I held it in hand, blasting away, so I tried it. It was not until later when it hit me that I was in my church bathroom, with one of the adults walking in, when that awesome feeling quickly became the thing I regret most.

Alexis Murry: The one thing I regret most in my short life of sixteen years, is wanting to grow up as fast as I could. Now that I’m getting older, the responsibilities are piling up, and I’m starting to wish it wasn’t all happening this soon.

Erin Brownett: The thing I regret most is waiting so long to really embrace who I am as a person. I’m still having trouble completely coming out of my shell sometimes, but I’ve found that the time has come to let the world know the real me. Others may not like it, but some will, and this is it.

Looking for your chance to be like Kristal and win a smooth grand towards college? Click here for this week’s essay prompt and submit your own essay to win.

Congratulations to Clarissa Villondo , the Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner for this week! While everyone has their own little favorite hideaway, Clarissa explained for her the sky’s the limit–quite literally!

Here is her winning essay:
I could be over ten thousand feet up in the air and at any time there could be a crash, but that’s where I always want to be. I love seeing the clouds below me; the cars below never seem to go as fast in a plane. For those few moments I’m in a plane, I feel alive.

Here is a little more about our winner:
Success is achieving all of my goals. I own an informal non-profit, design clothes, create art, attend classes full time, roam around without a car, and I still don’t have enough to do.

Here’s a couple of our chosen runner-ups:

Elizabeth Humphrey: Nuweiba, located on the Sinai Peninsula, has to be one of the best places in the world. Standing in the Gulf of Aqaba looking out to see the coast of Israel and Saudi Arabia, I realized I loved experiencing life in a different country and taking in all of the world’s beauty.

Benjamin Melano: My favorite place in the world is my grandparent’s house. I built many memories in that house when I was a child, it was practically what I called a home for myself. I learned so much in that house that it helped me become the person I am today, strong, outgoing, and confident.

Head to this week’s essay prompt and send in your response for the chance to win a $1,000 towards your college education here.

Deciding on a school can be tough.  There are so many choices: Small liberal arts college or large research university? Small, rural town or large, bustling city?  Scheduling a round of college visits is the ideal way to explore your options and find the best fit.

Whether you’re a senior preparing to submit your last round of college applications, or a sophomore stoked for your first shot at the PSAT — late summer and early fall can be a great time to check out a few schools.

Here are a few ways to get the most out of your visits:

-Schedule your visits during the week. By looking at schools during the week, you can check out classes, chat with students who are strolling around, and get a feel for what a typical day at that school is like.  The College Board suggests to schedule your visits during high school holidays that fall on Mondays, when most colleges are still in session.

-Contact the college in advance. Many colleges have special tours and
arrangements for students who are visiting their campus.  Some schools will pick up your lunch tab or set you up with a current student who can show you more than what you see on an official tour. Since you only have a limited amount of time to wander around each school on your list, this will help you allocate that time more wisely.

-Mix up the types of schools you visit. Many high school students have a list of 10 or more schools under initial consideration.  With a demanding class load, it may be hard to visit every single school on your list. That’s why we recommend visiting at least one of every type of institution.  If you have a big list of potential schools but limited time, then perhaps a visit to an Ivy League school, a small liberal arts college, and a public university will give you a better feel for which campus best suits your needs.

What are you waiting on?  Get out there… you may find the perfect fit!

The Critical Reading section of the SAT tests your ability to, well, read critically. This includes your ability to understand the meaning of a complex sentence, your ability to understand an argument, your ability to understand assumptions implicit within a text, your ability to make inferences and deduce the logical consequences of a position, and your vocabulary. Guess which of these skills is the easiest to improve?

In olden times, vocabulary used to be a bigger part of the SAT, but it still counts for a lot. The Sentence Completions are obviously very vocabulary dependent, and they alone account for almost 30% of the section, potentially worth 150 points.

Vocabulary is important on the Passages, as well. Questions and choices may use hard words, and the right answer often hinges on a tricky word. Then there’s the passage itself, which is also made up of words, words you’ll have to know. Vocabulary is always an important part of reading-if you want to be able to read, you have to know words.

Often, the only thing that makes a question hard is its vocabulary. Compare these two questions:

- Dave was in a ——- mood; he was smiling and cheerful all day long.

(A) happy

(B) angry

(C) sad

(D) smart

(E) cold

- Dave was in a ——- mood; he was smiling and cheerful all day long.

(A) sanguine

(B) bilious

(C) disconsolate

(D) perspicacious

(E) boreal

Did you notice the difference?

Because vocabulary is so important to so many questions, we at A-List have developed a foolproof rule to help you turn the hardest Reading questions into the easiest questions:

LEARN MORE WORDS

But how?   Decades of research proves that the absolute best way to learn vocabulary is to have visual, verbal and auditory clues to connect the words with specific memories, so we created VOCAB VIDEOS.

The Vocab Videos system uses hilarious short videos to illustrate the meanings of 500 of the most frequently-tested SAT and ACT vocabulary words making them easy for students to learn and remember. Unlike flashcards and other traditional methods of learning vocabulary, the videos don’t just tell students what words mean, they show them.  With entertaining plotlines, hilarious characters, and parodies of popular TV shows like Lost, The Office, and Gossip Girl, students actually have fun studying vocabulary!

Check out some videos now http://www.vocabvideos.com/zinch-offer.html

As a  special offer for Zinch members, save 20% on all subscriptions!

“One of the great clichés of college admissions is the exhortation that students find their own voices in the essay (and interviews)-and ‘be themselves.’ It’s a cliché because it’s good advice.”

-William R. Fitzsimmons, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, Harvard University

The essay is an essential component of any college application helping to convey a more complete picture of the applicant. After all, a student is more than an accumulation of numbers; GPA and SAT/ACT scores don’t tell a student’s whole story. The essay offers students the opportunity to share a piece of themselves that their transcripts do not reveal, and allows admissions officers to get to know applicants on a more personal level.

19 million students enrolled in college in 2009. The college essay is one part of the application where students truly have the potential to stand out. Taking the time to write your essay well, and to really find your voice in the subject matter, could pay off-big time.

Keep in mind that you will likely have many essays to write, especially if you are applying to competitive colleges. This goes for those who use the Common App, too, since many colleges have various supplemental essays. To simplify your college essay process, saving hours of time and getting instantly organized, go to College Essay Organizer (“CEO”).

CEO’s revolutionary technology will:

- Deliver ALL of your essay questions in a single document

- Map out a clear plan for writing the fewest essays that work for all your questions

- Reduce anxiety and procrastination with your personalized essay plan

- Ensure that you don’t overlook any questions, especially for specific programs or departments, or for short and optional questions

- Provide hard-to-find scholarship questions

- Get the essay requirements for each of your selected colleges as soon as they are posted, with CEO’s e-mail notification system for members

Don’t think you’ll have that many essays to write?

Even if you use the Common App, you’ll likely have many supplemental essays. Go to CEO’s homepage and click on the FREE button on the right. You’ll see how many essays your colleges require and how CEO will make this a much more manageable process for you.

Get Started

Go to www.CollegeEssayOrganizer.com to create your Essay RoadMap account.

Promo code = Enter zinch for 20% off when you purchase before September 15 and your account will be only $39!