To College: Advice for Getting Into College

*Warning: What is written in this article is based on the author's own experience. This is aimed toward recent high school graduates, or people close to graduating high school, or parents who want their kids to go to college.*

So, you've graduated high school with a diploma at hand, and now it's finally time to face the real world. But wait. Once you get out into the real world, you'll need a good job to support yourself. And unfortunately, most of the good jobs out there require some kind of college or university degree. So what do you have to do in order to satisfy that requirement? You go to college.

Most colleges and universities, however, have a set of standards that must be met before you're allowed to enter. Of course, you have to first apply for the college. And you'll need to have good grades to get into college and/or university, at least the good ones. But just good grades won't be enough. There's the SAT standardized testing that must be taken.

You all know about the SATs. They're the tests that absolutely must be taken. Without taking those SATs, or getting an acceptable score from those SATs, you won't have a ghost of a chance in getting into any good college or university. So you better take those tests.

The SATs are divided into three sections: Reading, Writing, and Math. There's also one section in the test set aside for essays. You better start sharpening those essay-writing skills. Many colleges have a minimum score acceptable requirement for each of the three sections. Now, sometimes, the score requirements vary between schools and between subject. It depends on the schools how high a score you have to get before they'll accept you. Some advice: GET AS HIGH A SCORE AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY GET!

To get started with the SATs, I suggest making an account on College Board (collegeboard.org). Doing so would open you to a lot of different resources to help you prepare for the SATs, as well as help you sign up for the test at whichever location you want, and they send the scores to the college or university of your choice for you.

Here are a few ways you can proceed from there. You can do nothing to prepare and just go take the test, after signing up for it, of course. (I highly do NOT recommend this.) Or you can take a class that focuses on taking the SATs. (Did that.) You can also buy/borrow a book with sample SAT test questions and actual tests and practice over and over again.

There are many ways to prepare for the SATs. One such way would be to apply for classes that focus only on preparing you for the SATs. Of course, that meant you'd have to go to school on your free time.

If you really want to prepare for the test, you can get a book full of SAT sample questions, and actual tests that you can practice on. It won't be a guarantee that it'll get you perfect scores, but it will be enough to let you get the hang of the way the tests work and used to how it works. Though, you will have to put your all into those practice tests, as if you were taking the actual test.

There's also the practice tests that schools provide for their students. It's just like taking the real test, and will be helpful in showing you just how well prepared you are for the actual tests. Lots of students take it to see how well they would do on the actual test at their current level.

Apart from practicing for the SATs, other ways to prepare for the test, of course, includes sleeping well and eating right. And it wouldn't hurt to look over what is and is not allowed to be brought to the testing centers, which are likely to be in the nearby schools.

To all of you who want to get into college or university, good luck.