By Meagan Phelan, Writing Tutoring Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

When applying to college, you’re likely to hear about “the importance of being well-rounded.” It seems to be common knowledge that colleges look for students who’ve shown interest not only in school work, but in other pursuits, like sports, theater, music, or volunteering.

The reasoning is clear. These endeavors challenge you in different ways than classwork does and help you develop sensibilities separate from those you can hone as a student. For my part, I know that four years on the high school cross-country, swim and track teams taught me that even the hardest workouts—the ones that exhausted me physically and taunted me, “you can’t finish!”—were doable; I felt more confident at critical moments, like job interviews, as a result. Hours of practicing the violin, meanwhile, slowly grew in me a reserve of patience developed nowhere else; that came in handy when big school research projects required my long commitment. And I remember my theater classmates, whose work on the stage translated to confidence in public speaking, which I greatly admired.

Colleges want bodies of students who reflect these qualities: determination, confidence, patience. So as you work hard in the classroom (which is indeed critical), remember that the work you are doing elsewhere—as a Scout, volunteer, or lacrosse player—is shaping you, too. Take a moment to reflect on the way in which these activities are impacting how you approach the world; could you sum it up in a sentence?

Deviating slightly, I heard an interesting discussion recently, with respect to what colleges seek as they evaluate student candidates. Though colleges want “well-rounded” classrooms, they do not want well-rounded applicants; that is, students who are “jacks-of-all trades” and masters of none. The advice stemming from this discussion was to focus on a specific extracurricular about which you are passionate in order to reflect your investment in it. (We often do this naturally anyway.)

But focusing on one area—putting all eggs in one basket—is still not the goal; rather, the remaining advice was to layer your passion in diverse ways that guide you toward a greater understanding of it. (For example, if your passion were water color, find a way to explore that interest in your local community, perhaps by leading a class at a local retirement home. Do you like to teach? If your passion were Spanish, get involved in translating websites for local businesses who require Spanish webpages. Do you enjoy applying your skills in the business world?)

Simply put, these kinds of effort in an area you love separate you from the next student.
As you work hard now, in high school, you are likely already taking steps to stand out. This is just another to consider; what’s great, too, is that it involves more deeply pursuing that which you enjoy.

And don’t worry; if you haven’t found your “passion” yet, pursue what you appreciate, whatever that may be. Your motivation for investing time in such activities will fall out naturally when it comes time to articulate who you are in a college admissions essays (or in the world beyond). And all the while, you’ll be cultivating aspects of your character that you will call on for the rest of your life!

Meagan Phelan holds an M.A. in Science Writing from The John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and a B.A. in Biology from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa. She has freelanced as a science writer and is a Fulbright Scholar. She currently works as a Senior Writer and Editor at AIR Worldwide, a catastrophe risk modeling firm based in Boston.

Is it more important for students to be well-rounded or to be a master of one craft? Do colleges look at both?

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By Anna Katten, Language Tutoring Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

China is a rapidly developing nation, whose growing economy has placed it among the world’s leading superpowers. But it is also a nation with a rich, vibrant history, and a fascinating language. As Chinese is being offered in more and more high schools across the United States, it’s clear that American students can greatly benefit from learning the language that has the most speakers on the planet. Here are some tips to make mastering that process a little easier.

1. Don’t be intimidated.
For many students, learning Chinese seems like a daunting task because of its dissimilarity with English. Those of you thinking about taking Chinese should not be deterred by the fact that is it a non-Romanized language. Spanish and French may seem easier, and therefore might be more appealing at first, but Chinese is actually not that difficult to learn once you can make it over the mental barrier of abandoning the alphabet.

2.Remember your tones.
Chinese is tonal language, which can be a strange concept for English speakers to grasp. There are four tones, and a single word, such as ‘ma’ will have completely different meanings depending on the tone used. For example, ‘ma’ in first tone means mother, but ‘ma’ in third tone means horse. Obviously, mastery of tones is critical to speaking good Chinese and not insulting your mother.

3.Be vocal.
When you’re in class, participate! Part of learning a language is engaging with it, so don’t be afraid to speak up. The best help you can give yourself is to try out new grammar or vocabulary in class where your teacher can help you along and correct you. Also, the more you use your Chinese, the better your pronunciation will be, which is crucial when you’re starting to learn a language with pronunciations read as zhong or qiu.

4.Practice your characters.
One of the most intimidating things about learning Chinese is figuring out the writing system. Characters are a beautiful representation of Chinese culture. There are characters inscribed inside bronze vessels dating back to the Shang Dynasty, which ruled China from 1600BC-1050BC. Many of these characters are so similar to modern characters that they can be easily read, making Chinese the language with the oldest continually used writing system.
There is a formula for writing characters, but it’s quite different from writing using an alphabet. Sounding out how to write a character is very tricky, so instead, new students of Chinese truly need to dedicate themselves to memorizing characters at first in order to form a good basis of understanding for the written language.

5.Go to China.
As with all foreign languages, the best way to cement your language skills is to go to the source. Find out about high school exchange programs in cities like Beijing, Shanghai or Taipei. Your high school doesn’t offer these programs? Don’t sweat it. You will most likely have the opportunity to study abroad during college, and even if your college doesn’t have an affiliation with a program in China, you can apply to independent study abroad programs.

With these tips in mind, stride bravely forward into learning Chinese. It’s a skill whose value extends outside the classroom, never becomes obsolete and has the ability to enrich your life in ways you have yet to imagine.

Anna Katten holds a BA in East Asian Studies, concentrating in Chinese language and literature, from Wesleyan University. She is currently working on translating her second Chinese novel into English and is also a Chinese and ESL tutor.

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By Meagan Phelan, Writing Tutoring Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

You are in high school; undoubtedly, you’ve got more papers to write than you’ll have ’til, well, college. Yup, you’ll be writing late into the night for many nights to come, exercising your writing muscle to its fullest potential.

How, then, to make it stronger? How can you ensure the writing you’ve got to do will be better than it’s been?

In my experience, great writers follow a few simple rules.

1) Read.
Great writers are great readers, too. If you find reading tedious or have trouble making time for it, don’t worry; reading is like distance running. The more you do it, the better you get at doing it efficiently, which often means you’ll like it more. Try setting your favorite online newspaper as your homepage on the internet. Make it a goal to read two articles a day; often times, topics in the news make great topics for papers you’re writing, or for important conversations you need to have during college interviews. Another way to incorporate reading into your daily schedule is to consider your nighttime routine; do you dabble on Facebook, or play games on your phone? Swap out your computer or phone for a book. Read a chapter a night before bed. (It’ll help you sleep!)

2) Put the strongest word at the end of the sentence.
(Which of the following sounds more powerful? The adopted girl realized she could not be at peace until she found her mom, the woman she was related to.The adopted girl realized she could not be at peace until she found her mom, the woman to whom she was related.) It may seem a subtle difference, but it goes a long way to make the meaning of your writing clear.

3) Delete “There is,” or “There are,” any chance you get.
These are filler words that can easily be replaced with a little editing. For example, try changing, “There is a lot to be done around the house today,” to “A lot remains to be done around the house.” Doing so means every word you write is valuable. Makes your writing pack more punch.

4) Ask for feedback.
The only kind of feedback that doesn’t make you a better writer is feedback that is dishonest. Teachers can provide good feedback; you don’t have to only solicit feedback from teachers though. You can submit an e-copy of something you’ve written for school to a local newspaper author (you can often find email contacts of these authors online). You can also submit your writing to teachers at your school that aren’t your teachers, but who focus on writing.

5) When describing complicated (or even simple but lengthy) processes, follow the AB-BC-CD method.
That is, make the last word of a sentence the first word (or concept) of the next sentence, and so on, until the description of the process is complete. Here’s an example: Everyone needs a widget. A widget works because the wire inside it is based on a complex architecture. The architecture allows the wire to perform varied tasks. The tasks the widget can perform include emitting light and absorbing moisture.

Meagan Phelan holds an M.A. in Science Writing from The John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and a B.A. in Biology from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa. She has freelanced as a science writer and is a Fulbright Scholar. She currently works as a Senior Writer and Editor at AIR Worldwide, a catastrophe risk modeling firm based in Boston.

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Alexis Avila Founder/President of Prepped & Polished lists his six favorite free online SAT websites.

1. Khan Academy for SAT Math

2. PWN The SAT for SAT Math-especially for intermediate and upper level test takers.
3. Ultimate Verbal Blog-for Critical Reading and Writing
4. College Board Site-for free practice tests, sample questions, and word of the day
5. Quizlet-for SAT vocabulary
6. Free Rice-for improving vocabulary and donating to charity

Which one of these six websites would you consider using? Suggest any others?

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by Jason Modzelewski, GMAT Test Preparation Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

1) Go in confident and excited.
A little anxiety is good. But you have to believe in yourself and not second guess your instincts. This test is not designed to trick you or make you feel stupid. It’s an opportunity to show off your skills. The difference between the right attitude (confident) and the wrong attitude (pessimistic) can be as much as 50-100 points on your final score.

2) Get familiar with computerized adaptive testing (CAT).
When you sign up for the test, the GMAT will give you two full online practice tests to complete. Do them both! Ideally, do one practice exam two weeks before the real test and the other practice test the week before the big day. Remember that you can’t skip a question and come back to it on a CAT-style test. To see the next question, you MUST answer the current question. Getting good at making educated guesses in a short period of time is critical to success on the GMAT.

3) Three tips for Data Sufficiency problems.
1) You don’t have to actually solve the problem. You only need to get far enough to conclude that you could work out the answer with the information given. 2) If you determine that each statement is sufficient – answer choice (D) – but your solution to the problem differs when using statement (1) vs. statement (2), you’ve made a mistake somewhere. There should only be one solution to every problem on the GMAT. Go back, re-test your assumptions, and try again. 3) When reading the second statement, pretend that statement (1) doesn’t exist. Cover it on the screen with your hand if you have to. A common mistake is to read the 2nd statement and conclude, “Yeah, I can answer the question now!” and mark answer choice (B), when the correct answer is (C) because you need both statements together.

4) Practice reading more quickly.
The GMAT is a timed test that requires solid critical thinking to master. The more time you spend reading, the less time you have to do the real work: analyzing the answer choices and drawing conclusions. It should take you no longer than 60 seconds to read (and comprehend!) 30 lines of a GMAT reading passage. Get out a stopwatch and time yourself to be sure. Practice reading at a pace just slightly faster than your normal, casual reading speed. For best results, train your eyes by reading actual GMAT passages on a computer screen with black text on a white background.

5) Think like the test maker.
This is especially important on the Critical Reasoning section, which incidentally is one of the hardest sections on the GMAT. It’s difficult because you can’t hone your skills by memorizing formulas or studying common errors in grammar. You only have your intuition to guide you. But here’s a tip to help you to pinpoint answer choices that are likely incorrect. Take a look at your hand with all five fingers spread out. Your five fingers are like the answer choices (A through E) on a Critical Reasoning question. One answer is out of left field and just doesn’t fit in with the others. That’s the thumb, and it’s definitely a wrong answer. One answer choice doesn’t go far enough and is too limited in its scope. That’s the pinky, and it’s wrong, too. Another answer goes too far outside the scope of the question. That’s like your middle finger – another answer choice to avoid. The final two choices are fairly close to one another in scope (like your index and ring fingers) and each is a possible correct answer. Don’t make any unnecessary assumptions, don’t use any extra information not provided in the question, and trust your instincts to pick the right one!

Jason Modzelewski holds an MBA from Boston College and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He works as a product specialist for Charles River Development in Burlington, MA and has been tutoring part-time in the Boston MetroWest area since 2008. He has over 10 years of work experience in the finance industry and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

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By The P&P Test Preparation Team, Prepped & Polished, LLC

The ACT math section gives you 60 minutes to answer 60 questions on a broad range of topics that extend all the way from pre-algebra to basic trigonometry. Each question has five possible answer choices that are listed in order from least to greatest value. Unlike the SAT, the ACT has you tackle the entire math on the test in one marathon session and does not include any free response questions. The math section is graded on the same 1 to 36 scoring system as the other portions of the test and accounts for one fourth of your composite score. The variety of topics covered by this section can be daunting, but in the end it is the easiest section to prepare for, because you know what topics will be tested. The following tips will help you study effectively and deal with the unique challenges presented by ACT math.

1. Know the test layout:
Simply put, you must know what topics are covered by the math section before you can study effectively. There is no point studying calculus and advanced trig because they are not on the test. The exam covers all math up to and including basic trigonometry but no more. You must understand how long the test is before you can gear up mentally. 60 minutes is a long time to do only math. As a result, any good preparation system needs to include long practice sessions to help you prepare for the strain. Lastly, you need to know that the questions increase in difficulty as you go along. The first 30 questions are easy, the next ten or so a little harder, and the last 20 are genuinely difficult. This bit on information will help you get a better sense of how to pace yourself through the test.

2. Know what you are good at:
The section’s order of difficulty is not the final word on which questions you will find easier or harder. You will be better at some concepts than others and you can use this to your advantage. For example, if you are near the end of the section and are looking at the last 15 difficult questions, you should glance over all of them and single out the ones that deal with topics you are comfortable with. By doing this you will be able to use your time more efficiently and boost your score as a result.

3. Do not be afraid to go back to Middle School:
If you are an 11th or 12th grader who gets good marks in math class, then you will likely be well prepared for the more difficult topics on the ACT math section, because you deal with those topics in your day to day classes. You may also be caught off guard by questions testing elementary math concepts you have not looked at since 8th grade. It is natural for unused skills to deteriorate. Fortunately, it is easy to get back on top of old math topics. Just devote a few hours reviewing your old books or notes and it will all come back, plus you will not have to deal with the embarrassment of being a good student who gets two of the first five questions wrong.

4. Do not waste time:
The most rewarding thing about math in the real world is facing down a difficult problem and finally overcoming it through great effort, unfortunately this is not the case on the ACT. You only have an average of 60 seconds to answer each question. You do not receive extra credit for solving more difficult problems and should always try to pick up every possible point in the easier portions of the test before devoting five minutes to a question in the 50’s. You also need to be willing to leave a question and move on if you have been working on it and do not see a path to the answer. You can always return to questions later if you have time.

5. Stay confident:
In my experience, this section induces more mental breakdowns than any other. Students face so many different questions and topics that they are almost certain to go blank on a few. You need to have a short term memory for this section. Individual defeats happen, but they cannot be allowed to affect your psyche and performance on following questions.

Bonus: There is no guessing penalty on this or any other ACT section. You should never leave blank questions on your scorecard. The ACT does not do you any favors and you should avoid doing any favors for it.

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By The P&P Test Preparation Team, Prepped & Polished, LLC

The ACT differentiates itself from the SAT by including a science section along with the English, math and reading sections. The science portion of the exam is graded on a scale from 1 to 36 just like the other parts of the test and counts every bit as much towards your final score. You will have 35 minutes to complete 40 questions concerning 7 different passages. Because you have only a small amount of time to deal with so many passages, time management and efficiency are very important. Luckily, you do not have to know the first thing about science to score well on this test. Just follow these steps and you will have a solid grasp on the challenges presented by this section.

1. Know your passage types
The science section throws three basic passage types your way. You will encounter around three chart based “data representation” passages that tend to be easy in difficulty, about three experiment based “research summary” passages that are moderate in difficulty and one argument based “conflicting viewpoint” passage that is usually challenging in difficulty. Once you learn how to identify these passage types at a glance, you will be able navigate the section with a greater degree of confidence.

2. Know which scientific subjects you find the most engaging.
If you have a personal interest in a given subject covered by a passage, you will have a better opportunity to comprehend its text and data. A passage type’s difficulty tells us only so much. Your personal interests play a big part in determining which questions you find easy and which you find difficult. It does not matter if a passage on astronomy is generally seen as hard, if that subject is one of your favorites, you will do well on it.

3. Complete easier passages first.
You have a strictly limited amount of time to complete the science section and may not be able to attempt every question. Ideally any problems you do not have a chance to look at will be the most difficult on the exam. By combining the first two steps and gaining an understanding of the section’s structure and what your personal strengths are, you can order the passages so that you save the most difficult ones for last.

4. Look for patterns.
The charts and graphs on the science section act in only two roles, there will always be either a pattern in a given data table or correlation between that table and another also attached to the passage. There will also always be questions that test your ability to recognize these patterns. It is very easy for one to zone out when reading dry charts full of stuffy terminology. If you remember that you do not have to understand the scientific concepts in the charts and only have to find patterns, then you will save yourself a lot of time and mental strain.

5. Keep track of who says what in conflicting viewpoint passages
Conflicting viewpoint passages give students fits because they do not come with helpful charts and require test-takers to keep track of what two or more people/groups/theories say about a given topic. As you read these passages you should constantly take notes and/or underline text that helps you keep track of who says what. If you can stay on top of which author or theory makes which claims, you will be able to avoid the confusion that makes conflicting viewpoint passages “hard”.

Bonus: Never leave questions blank on your score sheet.
There is no guessing penalty on the ACT, so every time you leave a question blank you give points back to the test. It is good to be generous, but not in this case.

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By Meagan Phelan, Writing Tutoring Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

When I was 15, my parents took me to tour JLG—the leading manufacturer of lift equipment in the United States.  I remember walking through warehouses full of tall yellow and orange cranes, trying to comprehend the relevance of the experience. Did Mom and Dad think I’d be a lift operator one day?

That same year, my parents took me to tour the Pfaltzgraff (a ceramic company), Harley Davidson (the motor cycle manufacturer), and Merrill Lynch (a prominent bank).

Between my fifteenth year and the time I went to college, I got internships at the local hospital (in the radiology department), at the courthouse (working in public records) and with my dentist (I’ll never forget watching him make a gold tooth).

To me, each of these experiences was unique; I couldn’t quite decipher the connection my parents wanted me to make. Furthermore, I never thought to myself, “I definitely want to pursue this career.”

What I did think, however, was “Someday I will be able to work in a profession I choose!” And having heard the stories of the physicians and bankers I shadowed, or the engineers I observed discussing the design of motorcycle engines, I was aware of the way in which professionals in the world at large had to put their education to work for them, every single day.

Indeed, by the time I got to college, I realized Mom and Dad were not only trying to broaden my awareness of the many career paths available to me but also trying to ground my current work in reality; to say, “there is a direct application for the work you are pursuing today, and it’s more real—and nearer—than you might think.”

Often times high school students today can get caught up in test scores and college admissions processes; and don’t get me wrong—those scores and those admissions essays are critical hurdles on the track to a successful future. That said, if you don’t contemplate the lasting value of education and make the studying you do an effort that you truly and deeply digest, you are only doing a disservice to your future self—the self that will be looking for a job.

Alexis Avila Founder/President of Prepped & Polished teaches you a helpful backsolving technique for scoring higher on the SAT Math Section.

Plug-in the answer choices usually starting with choice C because it’s the median of the five answer choices. If your first backsolving attempt doesn’t work, eliminate this answer choice and attempt the other answer choices until you find a match.

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By Grant Hanada, Tutoring and Test Preparation Instructor, Prepped & Polished, LLC

You should know the essay on the SSAT test does not count toward your score at all. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about it. In fact, you should put just as much preparation and effort into your essay as you would for any of the scored sections on the test. All of the schools in which you are applying to will have access to your essay and will most likely use it towards their decision in your admittance. Here are some great tips to help you write the best possible essay:

1. Come prepared
Some people are born gifted writers and can produce masterpieces on the first try, but for the rest of us, we need to go through many drafts to get it right. In order to write a great essay on the actual test, you should practice writing great essays beforehand. So instead of writing a first draft on the test day, you are really writing a well-practiced final draft.

2. Write a great introduction
Think about anything you have ever tried reading: literature books, news articles, magazines, comic books, an e-mail, the back of a book, or even a long facebook wall post. I bet you could tell in the first 2 lines whether or not it was going to be interesting. Maybe you didn’t even finish reading it. That is the same mentality your admission readers will have. Focus on saying something interesting and unique right from the start. Don’t just repeat the question that the prompt asks you. Be creative! Introduce a quote or ask a question to entice the reader to pay attention. Writing a catchy introduction will set the tone for the rest of your essay.

3. Prepare good, flexible examples ahead of time
Almost all the essay prompts are very general and vague. They often ask you to agree or disagree with a statement. Don’t sit on the fence, pick a side! Figure out which side you can write a better argument for. It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe the side that you pick. It matters how well you can convey your points to the reader. Since the prompts are general, you can actually prepare ideas ahead of time. Make a list of important people, historical events, current events, or literature books that you know about. Try to choose subjects that are flexible and can viewed as both positive and negative. For instance, the value of the internet is a great subject. It can be talked about positively for all the information we get out of it or it can be viewed negatively when used in ways to hurt people. You can also write about a personal experience (even if you make something up), which is a great way to prove a point and add a personal touch. Having a pre-planned list of subjects will be an invaluable tool on the actual test.

4. Make clear connections
Now that you have come up with a bunch of potential subjects for your essay, practice connecting them to different prompts. It is important to do some research on your subjects and show that you know facts. Use important names and dates or significant events. After writing about the facts, it is just as important to say HOW they relate to the prompt. Be very clear in tying your subject back to the essay topic. Insert the same words that are stated in the prompt into your essay at the beginning and throughout each paragraph to really prove your point.

5. Organization and Neatness count
You should have 4-5 clearly defined paragraphs. You need to have 1 paragraph for the introduction and 1 paragraph for the conclusion. The body of your essay should be 2 or 3 paragraphs depending on how many subjects you decide to write about. Make sure you indent your paragraphs or leave a blank line between paragraphs to clearly show your organization. If you need to cross out a word, draw 1 straight line through the middle of the word. Even though you can’t lose points for not writing neatly, people can get slightly irritated when they have to struggle to read your essay. You don’t want to put your reader in a bad mood, so write as neatly as you can.

Grant Hanada has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychobiology from UCLA, and is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Boston University.

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