ACT Important

What Do Colleges Look For in Admissions Why Are the SAT/ACT Important SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Applying to college soon? Curious about what colleges are looking for in applicants? Specifically in regards to the SAT or ACT? The college admissions process can be very confusing. It’s easy to feel lost and frustrated. In this article, I’ll tell you what colleges look for in admissions and how to make your application the best it can be. What Do Colleges Look For in Applicants? When colleges look at applicants, they’re hoping to find students who will succeed in college and beyond.Colleges use your scores (SAT/ACT scores, GPA/transcript, class rank, and other test scores) to judge your readiness to attend their school.Are you prepared to handle the rigor of their classes? Colleges are not only looking to see your potential as a student but also as a potential alumni of their school.Are you someone who could win a Nobel Prize? Win an Oscar? Be a President?Colleges use your extracurriculars, application essays, and your letters of recommendation to judge these qualities. How Do Colleges Judge Applicants? Now that we have a basic overview of what colleges look for in applicants, I’ll address each part of the application in order of importance to colleges.I’ll let you know how the college judges you based on each of these parts of your application. SAT/ACT Scores Your SAT/ACT scores are arguably the most important part of your application.I’ll delve into why they are so important in the next section, butthe main value of SAT/ACT scoresis that they provide colleges with a standard way to judgestudents. Every applicant will have a varied background: attended a different school and taken different classes. However, every applicant will have taken the SAT or ACT. Colleges use your SAT/ACT score as an indicator of whether you’re ready to attend their school.What score do you need to have to be considered ready for their school?You need to have a score at least in the SAT/ACT score range for admitted students to that school.To give yourself the best chance of admission, you should aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for admitted students.You can find out the SAT/ACT score range for admitted students at your target school in their admissions profile, but I’ll explain that in more depth later in the article. GPA/Transcript Colleges are looking at your GPA and transcript for two main reasons: To see what classesyou chose to take. To see how you did in your classes. Colleges want to see what classes you took and how you performed to make sure that you're prepared to attend their college. Based on your GPA/transcript, are you ready to handle a college courseload from your dream school? To see if you're ready, I'd recommend you check out the admissions profile for your dream school.See what the average GPA is for admitted students at that college. You can find it by conducting a Google search for "[College Name] GPA PrepScholar." That will bring you to our admissions page for that school. Try to get your GPA into a similar range to give yourself the best chance of admission. NOTE: For students interested in top tier colleges (Ivies, Stanford, Vanderbilt and similar), when admissions officers look at your transcript/GPA, they’re hoping to see that you opted to take the most difficult classes at your high school and that you did very well in those classes.This only applies to students interested in top tier colleges. If you hope to be accepted to atop tier school, and your school offers IB/AP courses, you should be taking those courses.Top college admissions officers typically say that they’d rather see that you got a B in an AP or IB course than an A in a regular non-AP/IB course (if IB/AP courses are offered at your school).If there are no IB or AP classes offered at your school, obviously admissions officers don’t expect you to take have taken any. All that being said, what can you do to make your GPA/transcript strong?Take the hardest classes that are offered at your school and do well in them.Struggling to keep your GPA up? Check out our advice for boosting to your GPA. You'll always have a higher grade than G! Class Rank Your class rank is inevitably tied to your transcript and GPA since the more AP and/or IB classes you take and get A’s in, the higher your class rank will be.However, colleges still care about your class rank. Top tier colleges (Harvard, MIT, UPenn) really only want students who are ranked in the top 10% of their high school class.One of my friends did a high school summer program at one of the Ivies.The program he did was known to accept almost all participants into the college.He was not admitted. When he asked why he was told that it was a big deal to them that he was not ranked in the top 10% of his class. If you're hoping to attend atop tierschool, rank matters, so try to take the hardest classes and get your grades up to stay near the top of the class. If you're not gunning for the Ivies or similar schools, don't worry as much about rank. Just focus on getting your GPA in the range for your dream school! Extracurriculars As I mentioned at the start, colleges are looking for top notch applicants who they think will succeed in college and beyond.The beyond part is what they hope to glean from your extracurriculars. All colleges like to see that you got involved in extracurriculars and especially like to see that youhad a leadership role in your extracurriculars. Top tier colleges (Harvard, Stanford, Yale) want to see that you have an expertise.It doesn’t matter what that expertise is, but whatever you choose, explore it deeply.If you like science, try to win the state science fair, compete in science olympiads, intern at a local lab, etc.If you like acting, compete with your debate team in the acting categories (Dramatic Interpretation, Humorous Interpretation, or Duo Interpretation), stage a play for free at your local children’s hospital, do regional theater, etc.I won’t delve into this in this any further in this article because we have another great guide that further explains this concept How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, by a Harvard Alum. For extracurriculars, I just recommend that you follow your passion and participate in several extracurriculars in that area of passion.I also recommend trying to get leadership experience in your extracurriculars.By showing passion and leadership, colleges will see your potential for greatness after college (you could win a Nobel Prize or Oscar!). Letters of Recommendation Personal Essays I’m talking about these two items side by side because I think their importance in the college admission process is the same (and they are not as important as everything mentioned above). NOTE: Some colleges don't require letters of recommendation nor personal essays, so make sure to check the admissions website for your target colleges. Also, your letters of recommendation and personal essays both serve the same purpose: to show that you have the potential to succeed after college.You want to have great letters of recommendation that rave about who you are, what you’re passion is, and how great you are at that thing you’re passionate about.Check out these examples of great letters of recommendation and the breakdown of what makes them great letters.You want your personal essays to reveal who you are and what you’re passion is.Check out these example college personal essays along with advice. What about AP/IB tests SAT IIs? Other Test Scores Other test scores include AP/IB exam scores, SAT IIs, and any other non-SAT/ACT exams that you’ve taken that you’re choosing to include on your application.I wouldn’t stress too much about your other test scores.Just like the ACT/SAT, colleges look at these to evaluate your readiness for their college.However, the ACT/SAT is the most important score.If you’re at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for your target school, you’ve got a great chance of getting in. That being said, I think colleges use these other test scores to double check that you’re ready for their school.If you got a perfect SAT score but failed every AP exam that you took, then an admissions officer may question if you’re prepared for their college.Basically, don’t let your other test scores be a red flag, take your other test scores seriously but know that they won’t hurt your chances unless the scores are really low (failing for AP or IB exams). Don’t stress about one failed AP test.I was accepted to a few Ivies including Brown and UPenn, and I took many IB and AP exams. I did pretty well on them (a mix of 3s, 4s, 5s on my AP exams and a mix of 5s, 6s, and 7s on my IB exams). However, I did fail one of my AP exams with a 2 (It was AP US Government).As I said, don’t worry too much. These scores will only hurt you if they’re really bad (all failing). Try to get the highest scores you can on your AP and IB exams and SAT IIs so that your high scores only give colleges another reason to accept you. Why Is Your SAT/ACT Score so Important? There are two main reasons that your SAT/ACT scores are important to colleges. Let's discuss each reason one at a time. Reason #1: Your SAT/ACT Score Is How Colleges Compare You to Other Applicants from Around the World While applicants to one college will come from different backgrounds, will have attended different high schools, will have taken different classes, and will have done different extracurricular activities, all of the applicants will have taken the SAT and/or ACT (at least at non-test optional schools). Your SAT/ACT score reveals whether your GPA and transcript are accurate representations of your preparedness for higher education.Colleges use your SAT/ACT score to figure out if your high school grades were inflated or accurate.For example, if you have a 4.0 GPA with a perfect SAT or ACT score, colleges will likely be impressed and think your GPA is reflective of your academic potential (since your scores were so high).However, if you have a 4.0 GPA with 1000 SAT score or 20 ACT score, colleges may think your grades were inflated and that your SAT/ACT score is a better representation of your academic potential. Additionally, a high SAT/ACT score can also make up for a lower GPA. If you have a 3.0 GPA with a perfect SAT/ACT score, colleges may be willing to overlook your lower GPA and consider your SAT/ACT score as an indication that you’re prepared for college. Colleges use SAT/ACT scores to compare apples to oranges! Reason #2: Colleges Are Judged by Their SAT/ACT Score Ranges Yes, the SAT/ACT is important to schools because they use it to judge your readiness for college.However, it's also important to schools because if you're admitted, your SAT/ACT score will be incorporated into their yearly SAT/ACT statistics. Every year, colleges publish their freshman admissions profile (see an example from Princeton).In this profile, colleges provide the data on their admitted students.This data includes either the 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores (sometimes referred to as the middle 50%) or the average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students.The 25th percentile score means that 25% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 75% of admitted students scored above).The 75th percentile score means that 75% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 25% of admitted students scored above).The average score is just what it sounds like, an average of all the admitted students scores. The general public looks at this data to perceive the selectivity of the school (the higher the range, the more competitive or â€Å"better† the general public thinks that college is).When you think of top-tier schoolssuch as Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, you likely think, "Wow those are good schools!" Why do you think they are good schools?You might think of their alumni or campuses.However, many lower ranked schools such as Denison have beautiful campuses with famous alumni like billionaire Michael Eisner.You might think of their low admissions rates, but there are other colleges with comparable admissions rates to the Ivies. One of the main reasons you associatetop tiercolleges with prestige is because of their published SAT/ACT score ranges and their ranking among other colleges.When doing research on applying to schools, you likely came across the US News World Report ranking of US colleges.Each year, US News World Report assembles their rankings based on several categories including the SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. If you’re admitted to the school, your SAT/ACT score will be factored into that school’s overall national ranking in US News World Report.Top tier colleges such as Princeton, Yale, and Stanford want your SAT scores to be a good so that it reflects well on them.Even "second tier schools" such as Vanderbilt, USC, and Emory care about this because they hope to continue to rise in the US News World Report rankings. What Does This Mean for You? If admissions officers are judging you so heavily by your SAT/ACT score, you want to get a score that will meet their standards.As I mentioned earlier, colleges are hoping to admit students who are in or above their SAT/ACT score range (or at or above the average). Here at PrepScholar, we recommend that you try to get your score at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score of admitted students to give yourself the best chance of admission.Let’s set that as your SAT/ACT score goal. Setting a Score Goal To give yourself the best chance of being admitted to your dream school, you need to set a score goal that is at or above the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for that school. How do you find out what the 75th percentile SAT/ACT score for that school is?Here at PrepScholar, we’ve created a very cool resource to locate each college’s 25th/75th percentile score and to calculate your chance of admissions to a given school based on your SAT/ACT score and GPA. To access this resource, simply Google Search, â€Å"[College Name] [ACT or SAT score] PrepScholar.† For example, I looked for USC’s page: The first two search results are both from PrepScholar, the Requirements for Admission page give GPA, SAT, and ACT data. The Complete Guide: ACT Score and GPA page gives information only on ACT and GPA. I recommend looking at our Requirements for Admission for your target colleges to get a sense of the SAT and ACT scores of admitted students.See a sample of our USC Requirements for Admission page: I scroll down, and I find the SAT and ACT data: As I said before, aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile score, so for USC, that would be a 33 or above on the ACT or a 2230 or above on the SAT.Why aim so high?You want to give yourself the absolute best chance of admissions. You want to be in the top group of applicants. You want the admissions officer to see your application and say, â€Å"duh, they should get in.†Okay, they’ll likely say something more eloquent, but you get my point. You might be thinking, â€Å"Hey Dora, 25% of admits score below the 25th percentile, can’t I just score slightly below the 25th percentile and get in?†In theory, yes, you can.In reality, it’s unlikely. Colleges will admit certain applicants with lower SAT/ACT scores because that college needs that student for some reason.For example, colleges sometimes accept athletes, legacies, or students with another exceptional talent (the #1 ranked debater in the US or a world-class violinist) who have lower SAT/ACT scores. Also, colleges sometimes accept students with lower scores who are the children of significant alumni donors or the children of other wealthy or famous people. Unless you fall into one of the above, try to aim for a score at or above the 75th percentile score.While these students may not make up 25% of the admitted students, it’s better to be safe than sorry.Get your score at or above the 75th percentile to give yourself the best chance! Planning Your Prep Now that you’ve set your SAT/ACT score goal, you need to create a plan to reach it.Check out our guide to planning your study based on the amount of improvement that you’re hoping for and based on the amount of time you have to study. Need a launching off point for your test prep?Check out our complete guides to SATand ACT prep.Taking the test really soon (within a month)?Check out our cramming guides to the SAT andthe ACT. What’s Next? Interested in learning more about the college admissions process? Learn about how to get a college application fee waiver, learn about the best extracurricular activities for your college app, and plan your college application timeline. Not sure where you’d like to go to college?Figure out how to find your target school. Still not sure whether the SAT or ACT is right for you? Let’s help you pick the right test for you! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Marshal Michel Ney - Napoleonic Wars Biography

Marshal Michel Ney - Napoleonic Wars Biography Michel Ney - Early Life: Born in Saarlouis, France on January 10, 1769, Michel Ney was the son of master barrel cooper Pierre Ney and his wife Margarethe. Due to Saarlouis location in Lorraine, Ney was raised bilingual and was fluent in both French and German. Coming of age, he received his education at the Collà ¨ge des Augustins and became a notary in his hometown. After a brief stint as an overseer of mines, he ended his career as a civil servant and enlisted in the Colonel-General Hussar Regiment in 1787. Proving himself a gifted soldier, Ney swiftly moved through the non-commissioned ranks. Michel Ney - Wars of the French Revolution: With the beginning of the French Revolution, Neys regiment was assigned to the Army of the North. In September 1792, he was present at the French victory at Valmy and was commissioned as an officer the next month. The following year he served at the Battle of Neerwinden and was wounded at the siege of Mainz. Transferring to the Sambre-et-Meuse in June 1794, Neys talents were quickly recognized and he continued to advance in rank, reaching gà ©nà ©ral de brigade in August 1796. With this promotion came command of the French cavalry on the German front. In April 1797, Ney led the cavalry at the Battle of Neuwied. Charging a body of Austrian lancers that were attempting to seize French artillery, Neys men found themselves counterattacked by enemy cavalry. In the fighting that ensued, Ney was unhorsed and taken prisoner. He remained a prisoner of war for a month until being exchanged in May. Returning to active service, Ney participated in the capture of Mannheim later that year. Two years later he was promoted to gà ©neral de division in March 1799. Commanding the cavalry in Switzerland and along the Danube, Ney was wounded in the wrist and thigh at Winterthur. Recovering from his wounds, he joined General Jean Moreaus Army of the Rhine and took part in the victory at the Battle of Hohenlinden on December 3, 1800. In 1802, he was assigned to command French troops in Switzerland and oversaw French diplomacy in the region. On August 5 of that year, Ney returned to France to marry Aglaà © Louise Auguià ©. The couple would be married for the remainder of Neys life and would have four sons. Michel Ney - Napoleonic Wars: With the rise of Napoleon, Neys career accelerated as he was appointed one of the first eighteen Marshals of the Empire on May 19, 1804. Assuming command of the VI Corps of the La Grand Armà ©e the following year, Ney defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Elchingen that October. Pressing into the Tyrol, he captured Innsbruck a month later. During the 1806 campaign, Neys VI Corps took part in the Battle of Jena on October 14, and then moved to occupy Erfurt and capture Magdeburg. As winter set in, the fighting continued and Ney played a key role in rescuing the French army at the Battle of Eylau on February 8, 1807. Pressing on, Ney participated in the Battle of Gà ¼ttstadt and commanded the right wing of the army during Napoleons decisive triumph against the Russians at Friedland on June 14. For his exemplary service, Napoleon created him Duke of Elchingen on June 6, 1808. Shortly thereafter, Ney and his corps were dispatched to Spain. After two years on the Iberian Peninsula, he was ordered to aid in the invasion of Portugal. After capturing Ciudad Rodrigo and Coa, he was defeated at the Battle of Buà §aco. Working with Marshal Andrà © Massà ©na, Ney and the French flanked the British position and continued their advance until they were turned back at the Lines of Torres Vedras. Unable to penetrate the allied defenses, Massà ©na ordered a retreat. During the withdrawal, Ney was removed from command for insubordination. Returning to France, Ney was given command of the III Corps of the La Grand Armà ©e for the 1812 invasion of Russia. In August of that year, he was wounded in the neck leading his men at the Battle of Smolensk. As the French drove further into Russia, Ney commanded his men in the central section of the French lines at the Battle of Borodino on September 7, 1812. With the collapse of the invasion later that year, Ney was assigned to command the French rearguard as Napoleon retreated back to France. Cut off from the main body of the army, Neys men were able to fight their way through and rejoin their comrades. For this action he was dubbed the bravest of the brave by Napoleon. After taking part in the Battle of Berezina, Ney helped hold the bridge at Kovno and reputedly was the last French soldier to leave Russian soil. In reward for his service in Russia, he was given the title Prince of the Moskowa on March 25, 1813. As the War of the Sixth Coalition raged, Ney took part in the victories at Là ¼tzen and Bautzen. That fall he was present when French troops were defeated at the Battles of Dennewitz and Leipzig. With the French Empire collapsing, Ney aided in defending France through early 1814, but became the spokesman for the Marshals revolt in April and encouraged Napoleon to abdicate. With the defeat of Napoleon and restoration of Louis XVIII, Ney was promoted and made a peer for his role in the revolt. Michel Ney - The Hundred Days Death: Neys loyalty to the new regime was quickly tested in 1815, with Napoleons return to France from Elba. Swearing allegiance to the king, he began assembling forces to counter Napoleon and pledged to bring the former emperor back to Paris in an iron cage. Aware of Neys plans, Napoleon sent him a letter encouraging him to rejoin his old commander. This Ney did on March 18, when he joined Napoleon at Auxerre Three months later, Ney was made the commander of the left wing of the new Army of the North. In this role, he defeated the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Quatre Bras on June 16, 1815. Two days later, Ney played a key role at the Battle of Waterloo. His most famous order during the decisive battle was to send forward the French cavalry against the allied lines. Surging forward, they were unable to break the squares formed by the British infantry and were forced to retreat. Following the defeat at Waterloo, Ney was hunted down arrested. Taken into custody on August 3, he was tried for treason that December by the Chamber of Peers. Found guilty, he was executed by firing squad near the Luxembourg Garden on December 7, 1815. During his execution, Ney refused to wear a blindfold and insisted upon giving the order to fire himself. His final words were reportedly: Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her... Soldiers Fire!† Selected Sources Napoleonic Guide: Marshal Michel NeyNNDB: Marshal Michel NeyTrial of Marshal Ney