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I never knew what SAT’s were…
SAT Tips and Advice:
I never knew what SAT’s were and the point of taking it until I went to the US for an exchange program. People started talking about ACT/SAT during advisory class and I really had no idea what they were. In Indonesia, there is no need to take both tests unless you study in International School or you apply for college in a foreign country.
A year after coming back home, I decided to sign up for SAT because I wanted to apply for Carnegie Mellon and Northwestern University Doha Campus, Qatar where they both require applicants to submit their SAT scores.
Frankly I did not know how to prepare for my first SAT test. I went to a public school where normally no one would take any American based tests included ACT, SAT, or AP tests. No one to ask even my English teacher! Nonetheless, I only had less than two months before sitting for exam. You should make a note that cramming and short-term prep may not work on this type of test!
For those who want to score higher in SAT and get admitted in to prestigious colleges, not only do you need to master all subjects, but you also can use your own tricks to get your business done. Here they are:
1. I highly suggest that you do not take the special prep classes because it would be costly. The best way for me is to purchase SAT prep books, namely College Board blue book, Princeton Review and Kaplan.
2. For all sections arranged in order of ascending difficulty; Do the easiest questions first, then move on the easiest questions in another section. Leave hardest questions and long readings for last.
3. Make sure you answer all the ones you know first. That definitely helps!
4. Do as many as you can, but if you have no idea at all about the questions, don’t bother doing them. It’s a minus system.
5. Finally – Don’t be nervous and good luck.
G
Grandika Primadani
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THE ESSENCE OF FAILURE
” I will not lose, for even in defeat, there is a valuable lesson learned.” – Blueprint 2
The first thing I would like to say is “thank you”. Not only have my majors provided me with exceptional opportunity it has also been a time of fear. I am feeling rushed to write this November blog.
Being selected as a featured blogger whose articles will be published
to over 70 thousand students is a great responsibility.
The event themed “The use of Social Media Tools to Promote Social Change” is aimed to raise awareness for the young people in Indonesia using social networking.
A contest was opened to High School and University students age 16 to 25 throughout the nation. Out of 250 papers submitted only three winners were chosen.
In the beginning everything was going well and my essay was in the top 20. As one of the finalist I had a chance to win the favorite essay.
Attempting to win the favorite essay, I asked my friends on facebook and twitter to vote for me. It seemed my votes were ahead of the other essay’s but in the end I did not have enough to win. My expectations were high and the disappointment was devastating. I have been depressed and allowing fear to hold me back from composing my November blog.
I have very recently realized that even the most accomplished people on earth have faced failure at one point or another in life. I have chosen to have the courage to move on and try again.
Per J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter series, “Failure gave me an inner security that I have never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected.”
For those facing hard times and disappointment, you need to remember the stories of great failure. Learn from the failure and choose to move forward. The choice is yours. It is time to show the world that through failure can come success. And the success is that much sweeter when you have had to work hard to achieve it.
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A College Survival Story
Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid – Frederick Buencher
The story began a week before first day of college officially started. I honestly was not ready to move out of my town. I did not feel like going away to college. The primary concern was not about the school’s reputation or even my major, but about the city where I live, Surabaya and what’s wrong with it.
All I ever wanted to do was go to college in nicer metropolis, namely Bandung or Jakarta. I am not saying I don’t like Surabaya which is the major city in East Java, Indonesia. In fact, the hot, sweaty weather during monsoon season is slowly killing me; if you put a shirt on during in the sun, you sweat profusely without any exertion whatsoever.
Being away from home is not always easy, especially for those who live miles away. My hometown, Kediri, situated two hundred and fifty miles east of Surabaya, is widely known for its dazzling scenery, invigorating air, and tourist destination. On the other hand, Surabaya is one of the biggest cities in Indonesia with a population of nearly three million people which leads to incredible density and inevitable wrecks caused by horrific traffic conditions. To be true, I can’t stand gridlock!
Yet, I have no regrets. Being a freshman at Airlangga University is quite achievement, with an acceptance rate under 13%, it is incredibly selective; out of 3,000 applications for admission, only 240 were accepted.
Within a week I finally felt as if this were finally “my world’ even though my friends questioned my decision to pursue pharmacy as my major. Taking every chance, trying everything, and doing what feels right will help me overcome every obstacle and make everything seem manageable. I don’t give a crap about the weather anymore.
Hopefully my first year of college will be one of the most mind-blowing years in my life. Living on my own has been a huge step. It is quite common for new students to question if this drastic change will beneficial for them as they try to settle into strange, new surroundings.
For me, it is a time of decisions and about how I will proceed with my life and even survive college.
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College Orientation
How many of you have experienced a new college student’s orientation? Were all the activities organized by the committee worth attending?
Those two questions may be hard to be answered by anyone who is currently sitting in high school. Yet, envisioning the answers, I believe they will be prepared to experience how ‘fun’ college life is. As far as I know, the main goal to conduct an orientation is that letting new students to get to know their current study place and new friends. So, don’t you think it should be fun and full of joy?
Today, I just completed five-day orientation orientation in my faculty, which is Pharmacy. Many of friends kept telling me that this week had been a bulky battle on top of everything. I would not forget how much assignment the committees gave to participants, a lot, or maybe too much. However, there is always a good side of it which simply teaches me as a new student not to complain it. Being a professional pharmacist not only has to be smart, but she or he has to be a hard worker.
All my classes will not be started until next month due to Ramadan Break. I can’t wait to see how much I have changed after college orientation. Hopefully, I will be a high achieving student, academically and non-academically by the time classes start.
-Grandika
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Grandika: International Acceptance
I thought being accepted to a state university in Indonesia would never be as hard and complicated as what my friends kept telling me. As long as I have a desire to study, also pray for the best outcomes, Insya Allah it would come up with a good one as well. Unfortunately it did not always work this way. My previous two applications (read: national college entrance tests) ended up for nothing. Bummer!
The only thing I will keep in my mind, and thankfully I often remember this phrase when a bad thing happens to me, is that ‘Allah has a better plan for me’. I, as a human being, never know what Allah has planned and should not be giving up in any situations. Even the greatest or smartest people in the universe inevitably experience hard time. They become acknowledged because of knowing the way to deal with it.
Lately, considering which University I will study at will depend on the announcement of university entrance tests, namely ITS, Padjajaran University, U of I, and Qatar University. Tonight, July 17th, July 24th, and August respectively would be very crucial time to opt my landing spot. I expect for the best, but prepare for the worst too.
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