The life of a junior:SATs and big decisions
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Rutland High School junior Megan Resnick, 16, starts her college search while looking at a college guide and an SAT study book this week at the high school’s library. JON OLENDER / RUTLAND HERALD |
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By SARAH HINCKLEY Herald Staff - Published: October 18, 2006
The preparation process for attending college begins for most students during their junior year in high school. Taking preparatory classes, college-prep exams, touring campuses, and choosing a field of interest all go into deciding the best college to attend.
This is the first in a series in which Rutland High School junior Megan Resnick has agreed to allow the Rutland Herald to follow her through this process …
Megan Resnick, a junior at Rutland High School, isn’t worried about which college she’ll go to — yet.
This Saturday, she will join about 200 of her peers at the high school to take the PSAT, the practice version of the SAT, administered by the College Board. Resnick has decided to take the SAT in January, her first shot out of a possible three tries.
“I guess that’s what’s recommended,” she said, pointing out the College Board takes the best score of each subject no matter how many times it is taken.
This is the second year students will be required to complete an essay section of the SAT — another 800-point section of the test bringing the possible high score to 2,400 points. According to an article in Time magazine, the new format resulted in the biggest drop in SAT scores since the 1970s, but it could be the component that is likely to create more gender and economic equality.
An honor student who earns grades of “A” consistently in her classes, Resnick has little anxiety about taking the PSAT. Her stronger subjects are math and science, so she is planning to study for the SAT by practicing the essay part.
“I’ve got a very math- and science-oriented family,” said Resnick. Her mother has a background in electrical engineering and her father’s background is in the field of finance.
These days, Resnick’s preparation includes answering a question of the day sent to her e-mail from the College Board Web site. Most of the questions are English section questions, which Resnick has answered pretty easily. But she admits they’re not always a breeze.
“I can look at a sentence and tell what’s wrong with it, I just can’t write it,” she said.
Practice versions of the SAT can be printed from the College Board Web site for students to test themselves and prepare. The site changes these practice tests periodically.
“I’ve just been working on timing myself,” Resnick said. She tested herself in math recently and scored 700 out of 800 possible points. “And that was in my home with everybody going crazy.”
Other than scoring high grades, Resnick studies dance and is part of the high school ski racing team. During the summer, she works at a restaurant in Castleton.
Thinking about where to go to college is a greater concern for her mother than for Resnick right now — though both parents are hoping for the University of Vermont in Burlington.
“I’m just focusing on getting through this year,” she said. Resnick is referring to her full course load, which includes Advanced Placement and honors classes and may include an SAT-prep course in the spring.
Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@rutlandherald.com.
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