High School Students: Determine Success With Or Without the SAT

by Maria Pascucci
President & Founder of Campus Calm

It's that time of year when college-bound high school students start preparing to take that much-anticipated, and sometimes feared, SAT I. Maybe your parents hired you a tutor or perhaps you're enrolled in an SAT prep course. Or maybe your family can't afford test prep help and you're studying solo. You're probably aiming for a good score so you can get accepted into the college of your choice; some of you Ivy hopefuls may be shooting for a near-perfect score to beat out the stiff competition.

That one test can equal a whole lot of pressure. 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 (FairTest) lists over 730 four-year colleges in the United States that no longer require the SAT I or ACT for bachelor degree applicants. That's right, over 730 colleges! Many of these schools are fantastic schools, too - colleges where you can earn a great education. Click here for more information. Moreover, a rising number of colleges are beginning to place a bigger emphasis on grades and personal accomplishments over scores.

The belief that you'll never get into a good college and you'll never be successful in life if you don't master the SAT is a total myth. I'll 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, I'm an accomplished writer with national and regional credits.

My 27-year-old husband, Shaun, never even took the SAT! He went to a two-year college for graphic design that didn't require the SATs. After he received his Associates degree, he transferred to a four-year college and earned his Bachelors degree with honors. Today, he's a successful print/web designer (and the designer of this site). We are not the exceptions to the rule.

I'm certainly not telling you to waltz into the SAT exam room with an "I-don't-give-a-$#!†" 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.

Remember: No single test score or semester grade can define you or validate your potential for success. You validate you. You choose to believe that you're talented, beautiful, creative and intelligent and then you go out there and make things happen.
OK, no more preaching! ;=)

Questions:
• What SAT score or ACT score do you consider "good enough?"
• Do you plan to retake the SAT or ACT if you don't get the score you hoped for?
• Do you believe you can be successful in life without the SAT?
• Any stories or personal experiences on this subject that you'd like to share?

Shoot me an email and let's discuss this. I love to hear from students!



About the author:
Maria Pascucci is the President of Campus Calm - the award-winning online-forum for today's stressed-out students, and their parents and educators. Download your Student Life Stress-Out Less Kit with 4 FREE gifts at www.campuscalm.com.

Want to reprint this article in YOUR own website?
You can as long as the article remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info and link back to www.campuscalm.com), and you send a copy of your reprint to maria@campuscalm.com. You're also welcome to use my photo here.

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