Preparing for the SAT

I’ve been out of high school for a few years now, and even now I’m watching my younger friends prepare for taking the PSAT and the SAT. I’m having flashbacks to participating in after-school clubs and passing by my classmates huddled in corners in the library, reviewing vocabulary flashcards and scouring their prep textbooks for new material to study. Back in high school, I figured I was taking my school work just as seriously as my classmates. I was doing really well in my coursework and I was in an AP writing class. I succeeded in my extracurriculars and was a captain in the school’s Color Guard.

But, what I did not consider was that doing well in high school wouldn’t necessarily mean I would do so well on the way to college. I was just as worried about picking the right major for myself as my classmates were, but I didn’t put enough emphasis on prepping for the PSAT and the SAT. Doing well on these tests would declare what colleges I would be able to get into. I understood what had to be done in order to secure my future, but I didn’t prepare well enough.

When it came time to take the PSAT, I remember doing really well and assuming that, since I didn’t even prep for this test, that I would do well enough on the SAT, also without studying. I found out I was wrong when I got my SAT score back. My score was so low, it isn’t even worth mentioning here. I was devastated, thinking that I had no more chances, and that I had failed. Then, I was reminded that I could take the test again, and so I actually took advantage of the opportunity, and I studied. I bought an SAT prep book and index cards, and I studied. I took the SAT again, and my scores had dramatically improved. I felt better about myself and my ability to succeed.

While my score wasn’t as great as the top 10% of my classmates’, it helped me to feel better when I got accepted to my first choice of colleges. I was accepted at all four of the schools I applied to. With even better grades and scores in high school, I would’ve actually been able to apply for a bunch of scholarships at my university. Planning and preparing for the SAT could have launched a more successful career for me. I understand that high school students now have more difficult curricula to learn than their parents did, and that there is tremendous pressure to succeed, but doing well on the SAT is one of the most important stepping stones in your entire life. And that means studying hard; studying like you want a bright future. There is so much ahead of you, so much for you to have. Success is within your grasp; reach out and take it.

Kaitlyn Beausoleil