What Your SAT Scores Really Mean In College Admissions

For many high school students, standardized tests are a huge part of the college admissions process. After all, selective colleges often use test scores to help in the initial screening of applications, so it’s only natural that many students get anxious just thinking about them. Here at , we have successfully counseled hundreds of students through the test prep and college application processes, so we’ve heard all the questions and more. Will a bad score mean I can’t get into my top choice college? Does a perfect score outweigh my less-than-stellar grades? What score will guarantee me a place at an Ivy League? There’s no doubt that standardized test scores often play a role in college admissions, but it’s hard to generalize exactly much they matter across the board. In this post, we’ll discuss the various ways in which standardized test scores are weighed during the college admissions process. So, if you’re gearing up for a standardized test or college app season, read on to learn more about how much your SAT or ACT scores actually matter. There are two instances in which SAT and ACT are weighed heavily on college applications. The first is at the very beginning of an application’s review, and the second is at the end. Initially, SAT and ACT scores are sometimes used as screening tools in the college admissions process. That means they are one a few factors that are commonly reviewed before an entire application gets read. Admissions committees have a tough job. They often have to sort through thousands of applications to find the students who will be the best match at their university. Because these admissions officers are real people, and not simply robots without the need for sleep, food, or drink during admissions season, they are simply not able to read each and every application in its entirety. Instead, each application gets an initial review, or what amounts to essentially a skim reading, to determine if it should be looked at in more depth. Often, these initial reviews include a glance at standardized test scores, along with a few other factors like grades and extracurriculars or honors. If your scores in combination with these other factors do not compel the admissions committee to look further, there’s a possibility that your application won’t be completely reviewed. In other words, there are a few pieces of data on your application that have the opportunity to impress at first glance, and test scores are one of them. Perform well enough and you just might earn a spot in the second round of application reviews. Have a dismal showing and fail to compel the admissions committee in other ways and your application may not see the light of another day. The second instance in which your standardized test scores can be very important is when the admissions committee is finalizing their acceptances. Imagine this—the committee has narrowed their choices to 50 applicants, but only has room for half of them. Their job now is to compare the applicants and choose the ones who are most likely to succeed. If your application is identical to the next one, but you outscore him or her by 100 points on your SAT, you will likely become the more desirable candidate. Sometimes, SAT and ACT are not important in college admissions. This is great news for the student who simply doesn’t perform well on tests or who, for whatever reason, hasn’t prepped as well as possible. With our free SAT guide, you'll get ’s top tips for mastering the SAT. Enter your name and email below to download the checklist. SAT and ACT scores become less important when other aspects of your application become more compelling. For example, if you have competed at the national level in athletics or you have patented a new advance in medical technology, the fact that you performed poorly on your verbal SAT will be less important because the remainder of your application is so strong. Another time when standardized test scores don’t matter as much is when you are applying to a specific major or program that is largely unrelated to them. If your calling is musical performance and you have performed on the national stage, successfully competed in high profile band competitions, and taught master classes at a local community college, your SAT or ACT scores aren’t very relevant to your intended course of study. Finally, some colleges simply don’t weigh standardized tests very heavily. For example, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates, and George Washington University don’t require standardized tests at all anymore, and these are just a few of the colleges that now consider these tests optional. To learn more about testing-optional schools, check out our post The Reality of the Testing Optional Trend . Standardized test scores aren’t just useful to college admissions committees. They can be useful to you, the applicant, as well. When you are choosing which colleges you’ll apply to, you can use your SAT or ACT scores to help narrow your choices. The simplest way to do this is by researching the SAT and ACT scores of admitted students at the colleges that interest you most. This data is typically readily available through a simple online query and is also often published by US News and World Report in their annual college review. When you review the scores of admitted students, you will usually see them broken down into percentile ranges. For example, at Notre Dame, the 25th percentile SAT score is 1410, the 50th percentile SAT score is 1490, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1550. This means that if you score a 1400 on the SAT, you should consider Notre Dame a reach school, because your score falls in the bottom 25% of admitted students. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you won’t get in, but it does mean that your application will have to be more impressive in other ways to make up for it. On the other hand, if you score a 1570, you have a far better chance. While you still aren’t guaranteed an acceptance, you can be assured that you won’t be rejected due to your test scores. To learn more about how SAT scores can shape your college list and where you choose to apply, check out our post The College List, Decoded: Safety, Target, and Reach Schools . For help mastering both the content and strategy needed to boost your SAT score, consider the consider the benefits of ’s full service, customized SAT Tutoring Program , where the brightest and most qualified tutors in the industry guide students to an average score increase of 140 points.

Motivation As A Contributing Factor In Second Language Acquisition Essay

Motivation As A Contributing Factor In Second Language Acquisition - Essay Example However, the issue is that there is no singular, fundamental model of motivation as it pertains to second language acquisition (SLA) that can guide instructors of a secondary language or provide further guidance to students in this domain. Therefore, it is necessary to compile the findings of several notable researchers on the subject and determine if there is a best fit model to understanding the motivational variables that contribute to SLA and long-term success after the learning has completed. It is hypothesized that it is externally-driven motivations that contribute the most influence on whether or not an individual remains motivated in this particular task, rather than inherent or intrinsic motivators related to personality, culture, or needs. However, in order to justify this hypothesis, it is necessary to view a cross-section of research findings and expert analyses on the subject to gain perspective on what drives success in SLA as it pertains to motivational stimulus. This literature review provides research data on the educational environment, personality traits in the individual learner, social constructs, and personal attitude components related to cultural values and beliefs. 3. Definitions Before discussing motivational stimulus, it is necessary to define key terms and concepts on the subject: †¢ Motives – A specific need or desire that will prompts goal-directed behaviour† ... These operational definitions will guide the premise of the literature review on each subject pertaining to motivational constructs. 4. External motivators VanTassel-Baska, Feng, McFarlane & Heng (2008) offered results of a research study involving 100 teachers from Singapore and the United States to determine their level of instructional effectiveness as it relates to second language acquisition. The study measured variables on educator competency such as differentiation strategies, critical thinking and metacognition, a form of self-awareness and knowledge of one’s own cognitive processes. In relation to second language acquisition, it was determined that all three factors related to instructional effectiveness impacted motivation in SLA (VanTassel-Baska, et al.). Teacher competency was measured by the ability to create unique classroom curriculum and assist students in understanding their own legitimate limitations as well as talents related to the task. Why is this data im portant? The methodologies employed by teachers related to their creativity and support (humanistically) in helping students identify with their weaknesses and strengths directly impacted whether or not students in SLA were successful at completing the programme. Achievement levels increased based on the differentiation strategies employed, suggesting a positive correlation with the external environment as a predictor of higher motivation. Gardner (2006) supports this assessment, offering that it is the educational context that determines whether or not students are motivated to learn a second language. The educational context involves the system where the student registered, the classroom environment, quality of the programmes offered, classroom

Judicial Precedent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Judicial Precedent - Essay Example It has also helped in the development of the English law, however original precedent are those that apply new rule in decision making. Despite the importance of judicial precedent higher courts can have an effect on it and this occurs when the following occurs: This happen when a court rejects decisions of an earlier case on the bases that there were no sufficient facts to support the decision, in this case therefore judicial precedent is affected. Example is the Balfour V Balfour (1991) case. Binding precedent is that precedent that must be followed, in this type of precedent lower courts must follow and honor decision made by higher courts. This type of precedent is also referred to as mandatory precedent. Example Young V Bristol (1944) case Persuasive precedent is that precedent that is not mandatory but helps in decision making, it is also known as advisory precedent because it helps in decision making; therefore decision will rely on other parallel court decisions example military courts. Example R v Gott (1992) case ant the R v Howe (1987) case Customs can also be viewed a form of precedent whereby decision by a court will be influenced by customs held by a society, these customs are referred to as precedents only is they have been tradition held by a community for a long time. Certainty is presen Advantage and disadvantage of judicial precedent: Advantages: Certainty: Certainty is present in law whereby decision are made in particular way, in the case where the cases were not based on precedent then there would be the occurrence of uncertainty whereby citizen would not clearly know their rights. Growth: Precedent allows the adoption of law and the development of new laws, relying on previous decisions is a clear indication of adoption of new laws into the system making it possible for growth and development in law. Consistent decision: Due to the fact that decisions are based on previous decisions then there is a high possibility of consistence in judgment and decision making, similar cases with similar fact and issues will receive almost similar decisions. Disadvantages: Rigidity: It has a disadvantage in that it is characterized by rigidity, this occurs when binding decision are made even if the decisions are thought to be wrong, the decisions are made with reference to past decision instead of distinguishing them. Slow growth: Judicial precedent may also lead to slow growth and development of law, this is because judges will make decisions on cases depending on previous decisions despite the need to make adjustments in the law system.