High School Students: Determine Success With or Without the SAT

Ready or not, October marks that time of year when college-bound high school juniors prepare to take the PSAT, which serves as practice for that dreaded and sometimes feared SAT I. Before you work yourself up into a full-fledged anxiety attack at the mere mention of the word SAT, consider this:

The National Center for Fair and Open Testing lists over 730 four-year colleges in the United States that no longer require the SAT I or ACT for admission. Thats right — over 730 colleges! Moreover, a rising number of colleges are beginning to place a bigger emphasis on grades and personal accomplishments over scores.

The belief that youll never get into a good college and youll never be successful in life if you dont master the SAT is a total myth. Ill give you a personal example: Both in our twenties, my husband and I are not SAT success stories. I scored a mere 1070 on the SAT in 1996 and never bothered to retake the test. I hate standardized tests and never do well on them. Yet I still went to an excellent college in Western New York on an academic scholarship and graduated at the top of my class. Today, Im an accomplished writer with national and regional credits. My 27-year-old husband never even took the SAT! He went to a two-year college for graphic design that didnt require the SATs. After he received his Associates degree, he transferred to a four-year college and earned his Bachelors degree with honors. Today, hes a successful print/web designer. We are not the exceptions to the rule.

Im certainly not telling you to waltz into the SAT exam room with an I-dont-give-a-s#@$ attitude, but keep things in perspective. Whether you ace the SATs, fail them big-time, retake them three times, or decide never to take them at all, you can be successful in life. I will repeat that: You CAN be successful in life with or without the SAT, or the ACT for that matter.

Questions to think about:

• What SAT score or ACT score do you consider good enough?
• Do you plan to retake the SAT or ACT if you dont get the score you hoped for?
• Do you believe that you can be successful in life regardless of your SAT score?

Maria Pascucci is the President of Campus Calm (http://www.campuscalm.com). She helps high school & college students achieve balance, reduce stress, increase self-confidence and gain perspective in our hectic, achievement obsessed world. Free reports for students, parents and educators available with subscription to Campus Calm Connections. Maria lives in Buffalo, New York with her graphic designer husband, Shaun, who shares the homepage of their personal writing/design website (http://www.creativetypeco.com). Contact her at maria@campuscalm.com.

Author: Maria Pascucci
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News