Bored CC Old Timer taking questions!





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Discus: SAT/ACT Tests and Test Preparation: July 2004 Archive: Bored CC Old Timer taking questions!
By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:34 pm: Edit

no boundaries, no limits, anything you wanna know I will attempt to answer since I'm bored like hell.

Fire Away.

By Kewlkiwi102 (Kewlkiwi102) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:39 pm: Edit

where do babies come from?

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:42 pm: Edit

try to think back 15/16/17 years and remember how you popped into this world, please feel free to inquire further if that method fails

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:43 pm: Edit

lol isn't that what specific topics R for? :-P

well I'll shoot. thanx for answering my questions

- What is your experience with Kaplan? some person (sounds like a cute girl :-P) said their tests tended to be easier? How would you compare it with Princetonreview and other test companies?Which is the most realistic

- What are the best books for academic success in general ex) college life, getting into med school, scholarships, etc

- Is Rice and the other ivy leagues really worth it if you can get in? Can a solid liberal arts college give you the same education? Do med schools place much value on going to somewhere like Rice vs. a small liberal arts school?

- What is the best book for grammar for the PSAT and SATII Writing?

I'll try and think of more as u answer :-P

By Xiggi (Xiggi) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:45 pm: Edit

Will you send me a postcard from Columbia?

By Etsrep78328 (Etsrep78328) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:51 pm: Edit

Can you send me a postcard from Madagascar?

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:51 pm: Edit

y R so many smart people on here? and how come I only heard of this place a few months ago!?

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:56 pm: Edit

Vtran31:

-I feel the Kaplan tests have to be divided into two categories: the classroom virtual tests and their commercial book tests. From experience, I had quite a bit of trouble with their classroom tests, and I am not willing to attribute it to the surroundings. The tests in their books, however, are rather easy and the level of difficulty can vary greatly from test to test. I did not purchase any TPR books, so I have no basis for answering that piece of your question. The other book I used was Grubers, which tends to include some math problems not tested by ETS.

-I think the best source for that is College Confidential.

-Remember, most private colleges now cost just as much as the Ivies. NYU, BU, and GW are three lesser schools that charge even more than the Ivies for tuition. Unless the discrepancy is great (i.e. Full merit scholarship from another top school), then I'd go for the elite ones. That said, the LACs are extremely good at getting people into competitive graduate programs. Amherst, Williams, and Swarthmore all have law school acceptance rates higher than that of Columbia undergrad. But the level of prestige tend to drop significantly once you go out of the top 14 or so LACs.

-The Kaplan SAT II book is terrific for grammar, although I didn't feel it helped too much on the essay section.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:56 pm: Edit

Xiggi: I'll even send you some Columbia apparels if you want.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 10:58 pm: Edit

Smart people come here because they can't find anything else more enjoyable to do. The reason you found it so late is that you didn't think there would be such a congregation of eggheads anywhere in the world.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:00 pm: Edit

ETSrep: I'm not planning to do any study abroad in Madagascar anytime soon, so I don't think that is quite feasible.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:11 pm: Edit

still bored - more questions welcomed

By Asianalto (Asianalto) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:17 pm: Edit

Is Peter parker supposed to be at columbia in Spiderman 2?

By Number9 (Number9) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:21 pm: Edit

How can I get in on some of that Columbia apparel?

Also: Would you say that your High School was pretty competitive? Did any others get in at top schools from your class? I'm applying to Columbia, so I am wondering...

By Calidan (Calidan) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:21 pm: Edit

Can I have some Columbia apparel, too? I love Columbia.

By Asianalto (Asianalto) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:24 pm: Edit

Are you just giving away free columbia apparel?

By Number9 (Number9) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:25 pm: Edit

Lets hope. I doubt it, though. Xiggi has much more cred than Calidan and me.

Yes, that's Columbia in Spiderman.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:26 pm: Edit

My high school is a relatively mediocre one when compared with other schools in our county (Westchester, NY). I was the only one accepted into Columbia. The valedictorian was waitlisted and the ranked 7th student was also waitlisted by Columbia. However, we do have 2 people going to Harvard, 1 at Yale, 3 to UPenn including Wharton, 1 to Dartmouth, 1 to Amherst, 1 to Johns Hopkins, and about 10000 to Cornell.

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:27 pm: Edit

what are LAC's? I think I can get some full rides ( High SATs and high rank and GPA can get u a lot of things u dont really deserve). but i might be goin to a not so academic school that is desperate forsome "smart people"

time4somemorequestions! dude the space is kinda jammed .... that aint cool

- Do med schools look much at goin to a prestigious school?

- anyexperience with academic decathalon? anysuggestions on studying n stuff?

- ever watch familyguy? now that is a funny show. put in a weird plot andthe randomest thingsin existance, and there is the show

- Does memorizing those massive word lists accomplish much?

- Any experience with large classes? I'm kinda weary of that cuz I figure I would have to learn most of the stuff on my own and get lost

-R U goin to college yet? how old R U?

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:28 pm: Edit

Anyone else interested in Columbia apparels can contact me and I'll be glad to give you instructions for writing the "check payable to" section.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:32 pm: Edit

1. GPA and MCAT scores are most important. Going to prestigious undergrad will give your a boost when they calculate GPA.

2. We have an Academic Challenge team at our school. Our advisor supplies past questions to look over, but no one studies them.

3. Wordlists can only hurt if it takes away your time for other type of more conducive studying.

4. The largest classes I've been in, with the exception of PE, had about 30 people.

5. I will be attending college in September. I'm 17.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:35 pm: Edit

LACs = Liberal Arts Colleges

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:40 pm: Edit

any suggested way to study or study material for AP tests? I may be taking Bio, Chem, Physics, Comp Sci A/AB, Some History, Both Eng tests, Economic, and Calculus

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:47 pm: Edit

have any goodbooks u'drecommend?

if milli- means 1000, why is 1 milliion 1,000,000? a thousand ions? This ismath, notchemistry! :-P

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:48 pm: Edit

The best preparation for AP exams is to take the course and try paying some attention while in class. If you stayed awake half of the time in class you are bound to do ok. Computer Science is a bit tricky in that you either know it or you don't have a clue and end up with a 1. English is not too hard and you have a lot of leeway in interpreting essay prompts. The M/Cs are not all that different from SAT critical reading pieces. History is pretty easy as well assuming you paid attention in class. REA sample tests are good for history. Calculus I didn't take and I'm glad about it because it sounds hellishly hard.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:53 pm: Edit

Princeton Review = good if you don't have much time left, it's very concise and has charts so you don't have to read page long paragraphs

REA = good for study-along-with-course, it's much more detailed and contain a lot of info that may not be tested. Their sample tests are great.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:55 pm: Edit

It's close to midnight here in the NYC suburbs, and that means yours truly is getting ready to sleep. Keep the questions coming and I'm sure I'll be bored enough to answer them all tomorrow.

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:56 pm: Edit

- what if I do not plan to take the course due to not enough room in my schedule or we have a really bad teach?
- hey, how come it seems nearlyeveryone here is liberal in mindset (politically, religiously, etc)

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 11:57 pm: Edit

oh u answered #1. gracias

By Vtran31 (Vtran31) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 12:07 am: Edit

do thosebig schools care if u take a lot ofSATII's (more than what is required)? i'd rather jus do the AP and 4get boutwasting mytime with them..

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 11:15 am: Edit

-If you don't plan to take the course, then you should be confident in your ability to self-study. Some APs are easier to self-study than others. I find psychology to be one which you can self-study for a month and still get a 5. One can also be expected to do well on the English literature exam if he/she is a good writer. Try to fit in as many honors/AP classes as you can in your schedule, and whatever you don't manage to get in there you have to use your own discretions on whether you can adequately self-study.

-it is shown that at most colleges liberals dominate the student body, especially at the elite schools. Many theories has been posed in an attempt to answer that, but none is proven to be "the" answer.

-I suggest you don't take more SAT IIs than necessary because it's a waste of time. Everyone has 3 subjects that he/she is the most confident in, and it's generally better to just focus on those. Score choice is no longer an option so you can't hide those 550s anymore.

By Adidasty (Adidasty) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 02:04 pm: Edit

Hey how many ATP are produced per each NADH in the Electron Transport System? 3 baby 3. This is what we need in CC.

By Miamidude (Miamidude) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 02:41 pm: Edit

here lets have fun:

Total ATP's from 1 molecule of glucose

Glycolysis(substrate level phospho) = 2
Glycolisis= 6
Pryuvate -> Acetyl CoA = 6 (2 nadh =6 atp)
Krebs (fadh2)= 4 (2 fadh=4 atp)
krebs (nadh) = 18 (6 nadh=18 atp)
krebs (atp) = 2

Total= 38

ofcourse this is only a model, cells may work at different efficiencys, i just wasted my time i dunno why and i dunno how this will help u

By Nyc33 (Nyc33) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 06:15 pm: Edit

if i want to apply ED to columbia can i rush my nov. sat2 scores? bc im retaking the sat in oct

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 06:22 pm: Edit

Columbia advises people NOT to rush scores. This is from Columbia's admissions page:

If you are willing to make a binding commitment to Columbia as your first choice, you may apply under the Early Decision plan. All your application documents must be postmarked by November 1. You must have all standardized testing completed by the November test dates, and you must be certain to have your scores reported directly to Columbia by the testing agency.

By 1212 (1212) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 06:34 pm: Edit

do u have a hot available sister between the ages of 12 to 65?

By Qwert271 (Qwert271) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 07:08 pm: Edit

Why'dya choose Columbia? Cater your response to a rising senior interested in C, please.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 07:26 pm: Edit

Sorry, sister doesn't meet your age requirement. I'm sure someone else has a 65 year old sister, good luck in your pursuit for a senior mate.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 07:27 pm: Edit

Columbia was my first choice all along because of location. I live in Weschester County and Columbia is about 30 minutes away. It's nice to be able to get back and forth whenever I want while at the same time waking up everyday in NYC.

By Deerhunter (Deerhunter) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 08:47 pm: Edit

Hey soul. You mentioned that SAT word lists don't hurt, as long as you keep up with your other studies. What exactly do you mean?

By Amylase (Amylase) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 10:13 pm: Edit

Hey soul, I need some advice studying french. I have no previous experience in french and yet i need to do it in less than two weeks for a placement test coming up in late august.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 10:23 pm: Edit

Deerhunter: if you feel you are strong in other areas of the test (math, STRATEGIES, CR), then by all means study wordlists because it might just help you notch that extra 20 points. Wordlists, however, shouldn't be the starting point of your studying because it is very time consuming and drives one nuts. The chances that you'll remember even 50% of what you studies and see 5% of what you memorized are quite remote.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 10:25 pm: Edit

Amylase: the hell with French, take Chinese.

By Benzinspeicher (Benzinspeicher) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 11:00 pm: Edit

1212, 65 is kinda old for a hot girl, no? i like em 18-19 yrs of age

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 11:02 pm: Edit

17 isn't bad either.

By Phantom (Phantom) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 01:39 pm: Edit

Are the Barrons practice tests for the SAT II Writing and Math IIC fairly close to the real thing? I wouldn't mind if they were merely harder than the real tests, but after doing 3 practice math iic tests, many of the questions seem a bit obscure (about 1/4 of the test). I'm only getting about 30-35 of the 50 questions each time and I'm getting a tad worried. I'm aiming for the 780-800 range.

Which company's practice tests do you think ARE the most accurate?

"We have an Academic Challenge team at our school. Our advisor supplies past questions to look over, but no one studies them."

Are you in it? If so, I've probably played you before!

By Nyc33 (Nyc33) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 05:33 pm: Edit

so wait if i havent finished taking all my sat2s by nov. i cant apply ED to columbia?

By Ericlu87 (Ericlu87) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 05:56 pm: Edit

when am i suppose to take the sat i and ii again i, and when should iapply for it, i apply to college this fall =\

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 06:26 pm: Edit

Phantom: I've never been a fan of Barrons and therefore did not use it for any test preparations. I had success with Princeton Review and Kaplan books and my philosophy is to stick with what's proven to work for me. (I personally think Kaplan's SAT II Writing is great, albeit a bit on the difficult side) I have no basis for judging Barrons, sorry. In terms of most "accurate", I think Princeton Review fits the bill best.

What is your name and what school do you go to? If I met you at a match I'll probably remember your name.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 06:28 pm: Edit

Nyc33: that's what I infer from Columbia's statement. I would suggest calling their admissions office to double check. The number is (212)854-2522.

By Soulofheaven8 (Soulofheaven8) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 06:33 pm: Edit

Eric: I'm not sure I completely understand your question, but I'll attempt to answer anyway.

Most people take their SAT I in the spring of their Junior year, and usually again in the fall of their senior year if they are not satisfied with their first score. If you are planning to apply Early Decision then you should have all your SAT I and SAT II taken/retaken by the November test date.

Most colleges have January 1st as the deadline for Regular Decision. In that case they will accept your December and even your January SATs. Testing information is usually stated explicitly on the college's application, and you should follow what the application states.

As for SAT IIs, most people take it at the end of the subject. For example, they take US History SAT II after taking the US History course in high school. Most competitive colleges require 3 SAT IIs and you should aim to have it done by Nov for ED and Jan for RD.

By Nyc33 (Nyc33) on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 10:19 pm: Edit

thanks soulofheaven8, i intend to call them.


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