Justine Yan
Irvington High 2400
  Justine It is impossible to say this without sounding like a complete nerd, but here I go: SAT practice can be fun. And, to qualify that statement: whenever you use "fun" to describe hard work, you actually mean "tolerable." It's not easy to make SAT studying tolerable, but it's possible to make it so.

Think Tank definitely helped make studying an interactive process for me. My instructors were always enthusiastic and helpful. My improvement was visible week by week because of how they structured our class time. Though weekend classes were long, I considered each day an exercise for my mental stamina, which would be important for the final test day.
On my own time, I found that studying in short bursts was effective. How did I make productive use of my time, even when I was busy with school and other activities? People seem to believe that to score high on the SAT, you have to become a math genius and be memorizing vocabulary all the time. This is not true. If you work hard but not smartly, you burn yourself out. Not only do you exhaust your mental capacity, but you also quickly lose motivation and confidence.

Instead of memorizing vocabulary from lists, I read books that were inspiring and enjoyable but challenging as well. I slowed down and paid close attention to the details, especially noting writing style and diction. I internalized good, professional writing while reading magazines and recorded the unfamiliar words that I found in novels, travel literature, or poetry.

I didn't turn off my learning mentality when I was relaxing, but I rarely consciously decided that I would spend long periods of time with my head in the books, either. I strove to strike a balance on most days, and that's how I maintained my willingness to work hard.

Today, I know that the key to reaching your target score for the SAT is having a long-term goal in mind. My advice is to make a promise to yourself. Think: "If I reach my goal, I will __________."

For me, it was: "If I get a 2350, I will travel the world." At first, both my target SAT score and the corresponding goal seemed inaccessible. But all goals seem that way, and still you should have them. With hard work, they can definitely be achieved.

ThinkTank has been an essential part of my success.
Irvington High ----- 2400
Justine Yan