The SAT and ACT

Because a number of highly selective colleges and universities post policies indicating they are willing to accept ACT with Writing scores in lieu of both SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests®, students sometimes are lulled into thinking that the policy extends to every college requiring Subject Tests for admission.

This is most definitely not the case.  Although the vast majority of four-year undergraduate programs do not require Subject Tests, a small number are quite firm about the requirement and will allow no substitutions.

In fact for some colleges, like the University of Virginia, that “strongly recommend” Subject Tests substitutions are not encouraged.  Here is the guidance provided on the UVa website.

“If you are applying for admission as a first-year student, we require that you take the SAT I or the ACT. We also strongly recommend that you take two SAT II Subject Tests of your choice.”

Along the same lines, Johns Hopkins also “strongly encourages” students to take two Subject Tests regardless of whether they choose to submit the ACT with Writing or the SAT.  There are no provisions for making substitutions.   

And for students who have not yet taken Subject Tests for UVa or who were unaware of the policy, the UVa website goes on to say, “We strongly prefer that you complete all your testing by December of your senior year; but we will accept scores from January for the SAT II tests.”  Johns Hopkins also suggests the possibility of December as a last test date for SAT’s. 

So there’s still lots of time to fulfill this requirement.

For the record, the following is a list of colleges that require Subject Tests whether you plan to submit the ACT or the SAT:

• California Institute of Technology
• Carnegie Mellon University (PA) – exception: non-architecture majors, College of Fine
• Arts (neither required nor recommended)
• Cornell University (NY) – exception: applicants to Agriculture/Life Sciences and to
• Industrial/Labor Relations (Subject Tests optional for these schools)
• Dartmouth College (NH)
• Franklin Olin College of Engineering (MA)
• Harvard (MA)
• Harvey Mudd College (CA)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Princeton University (NJ)
• Webb Institute of Naval Architecture (NY) – note: Webb does notaccept ACT
• Williams College (MA)

New QS Rankings: Top Colleges

Once again the publication of the QS rankings has led to a mixed chorus of triumph, lamentation and soul searching. In most cases there is a plea for more money to prevent national champions from falling further or to maintain their high position. Some commentators offered implausible reasons for changes, although I suspect that in some cases, ascent or descent may be due at least in part to the academic and employer surveys.

Richard Adams of the Guardian reported that:

"Cambridge has slipped down an authoritative list of international university rankings in a league table of top universities published on Tuesday.

It was ousted from second place in the QS World University Rankings by Harvard University; both were behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the list of the world's leading universities."

He reports that:

'John O'Leary, member of the QS global academic advisory board, said: "The UK invests below the OECD average in higher education, so it is unrealistic to expect its universities to continue to punch above their weight indefinitely.

"The current success of leading institutions shows how vital it is that the government matches the investments being made by other countries in order to maintain their world-class status." '

The Philippine Daily Inquirer noted:

"The country’s leading universities remain highly regarded in international academic circles, but most of them slipped in the latest ranking of the world’s top 800 universities by the ratings firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). 

The University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Santo Tomas dropped in the 2013 QS World University Rankings, while De La Salle University maintained its place from last year. "

According to the Beirut Daily Star, cited in edarabia: 

"Of the 11 Middle Eastern institutions on the list, the American University in Cairo was the only one to make an improvement from last year’s listing, jumping from 392nd to 348th.

AUB held steady at 250th in the world, while universities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar precipitously fell from their spots at the middle and bottom of the international listing.

The reason for the decline was due to years’ worth of political instability and unrest, a researcher at the group said.

“Middle Eastern institutions are producing less widely cited research than in previous years, which may be related to unrest in the region,” said Ben Sowter, a researcher with the ranking organization."

This is not very plausible. If a university produces less research in 2012, that will probably mean that publication will start to decline two years later and citations in another two years and that will not have an impact on the rankings until 2016 or 2017. If the short-lived Arab spring had any effect on university rankings, it was probably more likely because of its impact on international perceptions reflected in the academic and employer surveys. Notice that universities in politically stable Arab countries fell while the American University in Cairo rose.


Meanwhile, Lucy Townend from the Manawatu Standard in New Zealand reports that:

"New Zealand universities' slide down world rankings has tertiary education leaders uneasy - saying Government investment in the sector is falling short of what's needed for them to keep up. 
  
But Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce refutes any funding shortfalls, and says the rankings reflect the increased competitiveness of the international university market. "


heraldscotland proclaims that:

"SCOTLAND has three universities ranked in the top 100 in the world, according to a new international league table.

The top Scottish institution is Edinburgh, which came 17th overall and fifth in the UK after climbing four places from last year.

 

The second ranked institution was Glasgow University, which came 51st after a rise of three places.

St Andrews took 83rd place after climbing 10 places in the rankings."

How to Get Into College.

So, you want to get into college? I can help you do that. I can't help you get recruited by the Yankees, join the Army, be casted on the Real World, or even choose a Junior College. I can, however, explain whats going on in this crazy world of college admissions. 
First of all, some things I should get out of the way... You may be wondering how I'm qualified to do this. In all honesty, I'm not on the admissions committee at Harvard. I have very recently completed this process myself, and what I say comes from both research and experiance. Also, I may give my opinion on the merits of a particular college. Just keep in mind that any college I mention here is excellant, and just because I don't like it, it doesn't mean you shouldn't consider it.
Right, so I'm assuming a few things about you. I'm assuming that you want to get into a competitave university. This probably means any college where they accept less than half the people who apply, and a lot of others. I'm also assuming that you do reasonable well in school. If you've been arrested for armed robbery, and gotten d's all through high school, even I can't get you into Harvard. Keep in mind that that doesn't mean you can't go to college, I just don't know how to help you get there.
Maybe now would be a good time to explain the whole deal with standerdized tests.
Ok, so the College Board writes a couple tests that you should be aware of, and probably take. The most famous one is the SAT. The SAT is a multiple choice test given around 6 times a year. There is a math section and a verbal section. On each section, you can get between 200 and 800 points. You can take the SAT as many times as you want, but colleges will see your score each time, so its better not to take it more than twice, or three times if you have to. 
Ok, then there's the PSAT/NMSQT. This test is offered once a year, in the fall. There are two important things about the PSAT. First, it is excellant practice for the SAT because it has almost exactly the same type of questions. Second, if you do well on the PSAT your senior year, you can win lots of great scholarships from some people in the National Merit Scholarship Corparation, from the people your parents go to, and from the University you will attend. The structure of the PSAT? There are three section, Math, Verbal and Writing (note that its still multiple choice, you don't actually have to write anything). Each is scored out of 80 points, and the theory is, if you add a zero to the end of your PSAT math score, thats what you'll get on the SAT Math, and same with Verbal. The Writing section isn't supposed to tell you about how you'll do on the SAT, but rather on another test called the SATII Writing test.
Then, there are the SATIIs. SATIIs are multiple choice tests on different subjects (http://www.collegeboard.com/sat/center2/html/meetlist.html). They are an hour long each, and are scored out of 800. While colleges see every SAT you take, you can choose which SATII's you want them to see, if you choose an option called Score Choice.
There are also AP tests. These are graded on a scale from 1 to 5. If you get a 5 or 4 (and sometimes even a 3) you can get college credit in that subject, which can allow you to take advanced classes in college, look good to colleges you apply to, and allow you to graduate early from college. They are harder than SATII's although similar in that they are on specific subjects. A class in high school with AP in the name should prepare you for them, (ie AP Spanish) or you can study for them yourself. They are kinda expensive, at $80 a pop, but the College Board gives discounts if that is too much.
There is another standerdized test that some colleges accept instead of the SAT, called the ACT. Some people feel more comfortable with one test than with another, s check it out, at http://www.act.org/aap/index.html.
Well, its not really clear how important standerdized tests are in getting into college, buts it is clear that it much better to do better than to do worse. So there have been a frenxy of test preparation courses. People buy books with strategies and practice SATs, get private tutors, go to classes, and even summer camps which will teach you to raise your SAT. The problem is, these can cost many thousands of dollars, and may or not be effective. In my opinion, the best way to go is to find a senior in high school or a freshman in college, who has done very well on the SATs and who has experiance tutoring, and pay them $10-20/hour to tutor you one on one. This may seem steep, but classes can run hundreds of dollars an hour.
So, here's a timeline... ignore at your own risk

Some time before you enter high school: Take Algebra I so you can take Geometry in 9th grade.

Freshman Year: Take (at least) Geometry. Get good grades in hard classes, yada yada yada. I don't really think I have to explain this. Also, and this may be less obvious, get involved. Try out for the baseball team, or the school play. Get a job, or take up the oboe. Whatever it is, find something which you enjoy and are good at, and dedicate some time to it. Don't worry about it too much.

Soph. Year: In October, sign up to take the PSAT (do it online at http://www.collegeboard.org). If they don't offer it at your school, find a school where they do. When you sign up, you will have to fill out a bunch of forms - in fact, by your senior year you will have to fill out hundreds of these forms. So do yourself a favor, and be consistant. If you have a middle name, always include it. If you live half the time with each parent, choose one parent whose house you want college related mail sent to. Ok, when it comes time for the PSAT, don't stress. Don't study, don't take a course, don't make flashcards. Do get plenty of sleep the night before, and try to do as well as possible. Also, if in your sophmore year you have completed a year of chemistry or biology it would be very smart to take the SATII in that subject. Also, you could take the AP in any AP classes you are in, or in history or English.

Junior Year: So this is really when the shit hits the fan. buckle down and get good grades, cuz this is where it counts kiddo. First of all, take the PSAT again. But before you do it, read the directions (you can get them ahead of time at your high school's college counseling office). Make some vocab flashcards, and maybe even look over a few math equations. Don't do anything excessive, but this test might actually score you some $$$ if you do well, cuz you could win a National Merit Scholarship. Ok, at some point in the winter, buy your self one of those big fat books with a name like 'The _____ Guide to Competitave Colleges.' Actually, I highly reccomend Princeton Review's '311 Best Colleges.' Keep this book by your toilet, and just read through the descriptions of different colleges. You might even want to mark the ones that seem interesting, and circle good things (and underline bad things) about each college. Don't try to make a list yet, just get an idea of what the options are. In December, take the SAT. In Jan. take the SATII Writing, and if you want to, one other SATII. Now, as spring break is approaching, you might want to consider taking a college tour. To do this, you'll actually have to make a list of colleges you are interested. Talk to friends, your guidance counselor maybe even your parents, and make a list of schools you can visit. Make sure that you visit different kinds of schools (big schools, small schools, coed schools, all womans schools, urban schools, rural schools) Try to avoid visiting more than one in a day, and call ahead to arrange to take the tour. When you get there, keep a diary of each college, because if you don't, you will forget them.

Still need help making a list of schools? I have done you a huge favor and made you a list of schools to look at, sorted into catagories. These are ALL the best schools in the country, so here goes:
Academic Powerhouses: Basically, people go to these schools because the academics are great. They may have a lot of other stuff going for them...
Harvard
Stanford
Yale
Princeton
Columbia
Univeristy of Chicago