College Application Event Planning Timeline: Fill & Download for Free

[Background: I used to run my own test prep company in NYC; have worked for big tutoring companies (as a tutor and an advisor); have prepared thousands of students for this test; have scored perfect myself.]For a student's perspective, check out Sarah Brown's post in this thread.As a tutor, here were the 5 biggest mistakes I saw students make in studying for the SAT.Prelude - This test does matter. A lot, unfortunately.I'm about to write and you're (perhaps) about to read many words about this test. I wouldn't mess with it or advise you to if it wasn't important. But, your standardized test score is worth about 1/4 of your application (according a survey of the National Assoc. of College Admissions Counselors). Your academic record (GPA + difficulty) is worth about 1/2."Oh," you might be thinking, "grades are lot more important than SAT; I should just worry about my grades." And yes, by all means, do get good grades! However, note that at the start of senior year your GPA -- what colleges use to measure your grades -- is composed of hundreds of events across ~20 classes and 3 years. That means the huge Chem final that was worth 20% of your final grade? It's only 20% of 1/20th of your final GPA -- or about 1%.My point is not that your grades don't matter -- they're vital for college admissions and as a reflection of your actual learning. My point is to put into perspective how much you should study for the SAT. That huge test in school -- the kind you study for days on end: your SAT will end up affecting your college application literally 100x more than that test!! So if you took the number of hours you studied for that test and multiplied it by 100 -- that's how much you could justify studying for the SAT based on importance to college applications. (If you are appalled, I don't blame you; I'm just stating the facts so you can deal with them.)In terms of things that you can control about your application, your standardized test score is actually the most important single event. More than any school test you take; more than your essay; more than the club you're in. That's why I don't want to see you make the following mistakes.Mistake 1 - Not trying the ACT.Colleges don't care whether you take the SAT or ACT -- they just care about your "percentile" score on whichever you do. Therefore, take the test you'll get the best percentile on. How do you figure that out? Glad you asked:1. Take and score a full, official, timed ACT (and an SAT if you haven't).an SAT: Page on collegeboard.org | an ACT: Page on act.org2. Convert your ACT score --> SAT equivalent using this table.(I created this by calculating exact percentile data for each test)3. Commit to the the test you're better at!(Do not, I repeat, do not prepare for both tests.)Is your "SAT equivalent" 200+ greater than your actual (P)SAT?TAKE THE ACT!!!!Is your "SAT equivalent" 100+ greater than your actual (P)SAT?Take the ACT. (unless you just haaated it compared to the SAT)Is your "SAT equivalent" similar to your actual (P)SAT?Use these tie-breakers:Uncomfortable "thinking on your feet"? Take the ACT.Uncomfortable making yourself skim-read? Take the SAT.[Note: The rest of this answer will deal with the SAT only . If you want a post like this about the ACT, ask "How do I study for the ACT?" and point it @ me on Quora or @timreillys on Twitter]Mistake 2 - Thinking that tutoring will be magic.First of all, let's get one thing out of the way. Those SAT classes run by big tutoring companies? Those don't even deserve the name tutoring. They are actual scams, as exposed by the Wall Street Journal (among others): SAT Coaching Found to Boost Scores -- Barely. Don't waste your time/money.Now -- tutors. I'm not against them. In fact, I used to be one (and still am sometimes). Good tutors can be very, very helpful. But even the best tutors are never magic."It would be a good thing, Agathon, if wisdom were the sort of thing that flows from the fuller of us into the emptier, just by our touching one another, as the water in wine cups flows through a wool thread from the fuller to the emptier..." -- Socrates, in Plato's SymposiumBut the human mind is not a cup of wine. If you want to acquire knowledge -- any knowledge -- you must do the thinking. Always. Good tutors are good for two reasons:They encourage you to think.They show you the shortest path.If you know that you'll have trouble making yourself do the thinking required to study for this test (outlined below) it's worth looking into a tutor. But find one who will inspire (or scare) you enough that you'll actually do the work they assign.Your tutor also needs to understand the path your thinking should take, so they can guide your efforts. How do you know when a tutor actually knows what they're talking about? One good indicator is that whenever you ask "Why?" they have a good answer. And they really care to tell you. An even better indicator is this: You actually get better at the test. Which is why any tutor who is not having you take real practice tests to see whether your score is increasing may not be a good tutor. (Or at least, if they are, you can't be sure.)Which leads me to my next point...Mistake 3 - Not taking enough real practice tests.If you were supposed to play in a big basketball game by which people were going judge you in a way that affects your whole future, would you:Do nothing and hope you'll be naturally awesome?Congratulations! You're like 80% of students!!Read lots and lots of books about basketball?Go get one of those "SAT tricks" books on Amazon.Shoot for hours on the nerf goal hanging on your closet door?Do practice questions online or in books.Get onto a real basketball court with real people and play?Take real, official, SAT practice tests starting now.Why's taking official SAT practice tests so much better than anything else?1. Real tests help you learn by doing.A lot of what's hard about the SAT is getting used to the test structure -- the length, the timing, the number of sections, how the different question types work. For example, I've seen students who could ace sections when they took them individually, but not when they had to do 9 in a row. (This shows they need to practice endurance). Or students who would always get much better on the second half of the test. (This shows that they need a quick "warm-up" pre-test.) You can't really discover these and many other very important things without doing full tests, in one sitting, timing each section, ideally on Saturday morning (please don't shoot! -- I'm just the messenger.) Aside from these structural points, there's also the fact that the SAT is a very logically consistent test. They have extremely strict standards regarding how they ask questions, what type of readings there are, what the answer choices are like -- and honestly no one I've ever seen is all that good at imitating this. (To go back to basketball -- using Barron's is like playing on a court with weird out of bounds lines an an 11 ft rim.) Getting a feel for the real test is invaluable.Here is the $15 book with 10 official tests:The Official SAT Study Guide Second Edition: The College Board: 9780874478525: Amazon.com: BooksAnd then there's a few more free ones online:Free Official SAT and ACT Practice TestsAnd if you run out of those, you can get 10 more official tests for $75:The Official SAT Online Course2. Real tests help you identify opportunities.The questions you miss on the SAT practice tests are gold. They are the only places where you have an opportunity to gain points. And that's what you want right?! So don't be afraid of or frustrated by missed questions. Treat them as the vital "hints" to the concrete ways that you can actually improve. More on this in the next part.3. Real tests help you measure what's working.If you've been studying math concepts or trying a new reading method (I'll mention examples below), how do you know if it's working? You know when your score gets better.4. It helps you build comfort and confidence.A surprising amount of your performance on the actual test comes from feeling a Zen-like confidence and control on test day. There's simply no better way to get to there than to have gotten your goal score many times in "real" conditions... and to know what you're doing while you do it. You get to this by practicing in an intentional, consistent, and organized way.Mistake 4 - Spending effort on the wrong things.The top few things students worry about/work on for the SAT are:The EssayVocabulary flashcardsObscure math rules (like 45-45-90 triangles)Now, there are some points to be gained in these areas. Sometimes. But that's just it -- is it where you have the most points to gain?? That's what it's all about; and that's why taking real SAT tests to figure out the places where you are missing the most questions is important.Good students treat every question they miss on a practice test as a mystery to be solved -- they want to take time to look back and understand why they missed it. And once they do understand, to remember it and try to carry that learning forward to future tests.Good tutors go further and by helping students meaningfully prioritize the areas where they should be studying. For example, I coded all the existing real SAT tests into a database and figured out what every single question was testing so that I could say things like "45-45-90 triangles are worth 1.3 points per test whereas subject-verb agreements are worth 29.1." (These are actual figures.) Knowing this, which topic do you think you should master??But, perhaps the most impactful thing you can learn and practice for the SAT is the right methods. These are not concepts like area of a circle, but strategies that apply to all concepts. You want to have a way you do every question type, so that you are in control of the test (rather than the test controlling you). Some examples:On Reading, you don't need to read the passage first (or at least not thoroughly). Let the questions guide you to what you need to look for.On Math, whenever the answers are in letters, use an example number for the letter in the answer and work out the problem in numbers.On Writing, for the "Error ID questions", only choose something as an error if you can fix it yourself.On the Essay, always use your first or second sentence to give legitimate credit to the opposite view before stating your own view.This is one rule per section and there are really only 2-3 more per. But, again, to do more good than harm they need to be explained fully than this space allows.[Note: I would publish my "point values" for each concept as well as my particular test methods, but it would just make this "How do I study?" post way too long. But if you ask as a different thread like "What things do I need to know on the SAT?" @me here or on Twitter @timreillys, I will try to address it if enough people want it.]Mistake 5 - Underestimating importance of "Test Day".I have to squeeze this in because if you don't take it into consideration it can overshadow all the other things you do right.The performance of the human mind is a very, very delicate thing. Think about how you can forget how say words if you are thrown into a public speech. For a period of time, your brain forgets the simplest tasks. Or think about how sharp you can be when you're breaking down the actions of your boyfriend or girlfriend in an argument -- it's like you have Sherlock Holmes's brain for a little bit.The point is, lots of things -- physical and emotional -- affect how we think. On test day, you need to organize yourself so that you are in the most optimum state possible. Here's some advice:Get into a testing center that is comfortable (which means signing up early). If at all possible, use a test center you've used in the past!Eat and drink in whatever way is the best version of your "normal" schedule (ideally, you'll be doing this before practice tests too). For example, if you normally have caffeine, do that same amount; if not, don't. If you normally feel best after eating toast, do that. If not, etc...Obviously, sleep enough so that you are refreshed. You don't need to get "extra" sleep. You just need to get enough sleep.(Do I even need to say don't go to a party the night before?)Do some real "practice questions" on the way to and even at the test center. I recommend a few questions of every type + brainstorming an essay. Why? You don't want the first math question you see to be on the test itself; ditto on essay prompt, reading passage, etc.Don't worry about the people around you at the test center. There will be attractive people; intimidating people; weird people; friends. Just realize: you're not there to get a date, look cool, or meet new people. You're there to get into college. Get in the zone. (And realize that no one there will ever remember they saw you, so don't worry about them noticing you with your SAT booklet in the corner.)Conclusion - An example study schedule.Above has been mostly principles -- I need to set these out because if your mind is not right on these points, almost nothing you do will be as effective as it should be.In terms of actual scheduling, I can provide a simple, high-level outline:Sat morn: Take a full timed test (3.5 hrs)Sunday: Learn why you missed what you missed (1-3 hrs)Mo - Th: Practice on the weaknesses you ID'd (0.5 hrs/day)Repeat this every week until you are getting the scores you want or until your scores have "maxed out" (stopped getting better for 3+ straight weeks.)This is what you should be doing even if you have a tutor. (Remember, tutors don't save you from core work -- they make you more effective at the work you do.) If your tutor doesn't use a framework like this, have them read this article. If they still don't use a framework like, hire another tutor. (I'm serious.) Where a tutor will be most helpful is in the second two points on the above schedule: helping you learn why you missed what you missed and helping you develop practice strategies and concepts. Knowing this, your "tutor" really can be anyone who's willing to help you and did well on this test themself -- a friend who scored a 2300 or a smart college student. Just have them read this and they'll "get it."In terms of overall time you'll need: Most students working with a good tutor will "max out" their scores at ~6 weeks. Without a good tutor, it could be a similar timeline (if you're effective at working on your own) or as much 10-12 weeks. So start now! Even doing this for a little bit can help a ton -- I tend to see the biggest gains come at Week 3-4. So as long as you have a few weeks, this is worth your time.If this seems like an insane amount of work on top of everything else you have to do, I remind you of the point made in the Prelude: The SAT has 100x more impact on your college application than any single school test you'll ever take. So if you studied pretty hard for that Chem final, you can justify studying much harder for the SAT.And if you follow this basic path, I promise your efforts will be worth it.

Start preparing now. It’s smart to be thinking about this now as opposed to a year or two into college - by then it can be too late to get on trackThe biggest thing you can do to help yourself - and sorry for the obvious statement - is to do what you need to in order to get great grades and gain entry to an excellent college.Don’t defeat yourself out of the gate just because Harvard isn’t in the cards for you. If you’re smart and determined, there are many, many schools you can start out at and still achieve your goals.Here are some of them. Remember that it’s a myth that Wall Street recruits only from the Ivy League. In fact, they want to find bright prospects from everywhere.Begin cultivating your interest in markets, companies, finance and the like NOWHow to do that? Start by reading. This is a good reading list to get you going.Begin paying attention to daily events in markets and with companies. Start with signing up (for free) for the excellent Morning Brew. Try Axios Markets also. A Wall Street Journal subscription is a fine thing, but it’s not inexpensive and may not be the best way to ease yourself inTry following some stocks. Do yourself a favor and be a little original, though. (i.e., pick some that others won’t. Avoid the usual suspects like Apple, Facebook, Amazon etc)What does ‘following a stock’ mean? It means paying attention to what its price does in the market day to day, and researching any notable moves (daily move of 3% or more, let’s say).Learn some basic accounting. Not only does this represent foundational knowledge if you’re going to work as a banker, you might find you hate it - in which case you might want to think a little further about your career plan.Armed with some basic accounting knowledge, you can supplement what you’re doing in no. 8 above by actually looking at the company’s financial statements. For publicly traded companies, these are considered a matter of public record and are easily accessible.Leverage your friends and family network as early as possible to gain some exposure to relevant firms. It will be difficult to get anywhere with the biggest firms until you’re a little further along, but even with the smaller firms you’ll be putting down valuable markets on your CV/resumeIn outlining this playbook, of sorts, I didn’t really address the question of timeline, which is what you asked about in your question.In short, all the items I mentioned above are things you should start doing today. Understand that the recruiting timetable for Wall Street firms gets underway in earnest in your sophomore year in college. By the start of sophomore year you need to make sure you have a CV that is ready for prime time.The reason for this timeline is that Wall Street firms rely heavily on summer internship programs as recruiting vehicles, especially for the most elite jobs. The internships that matter take place between junior and senior year. Those are the ones that firms use to decide who they are going to make full-time offers to. So it’s imperative to get into that (internship) funnel at the right time. Applications for those can open as early as fall or spring of sophomore year (i.e., up to 18 months before the actual internship program itself begins).Don’t miss the boat.

For the process at IIM Nagpur, there are two words – Streamlined & Effortless.In the unprecedented time of the year 2020, when every form of activity, whether it was business, schools, colleges, closed down in one go and when it came to college campuses, as the session came to close for the year 2019-20, everyone was planning to sit it out and wait. But, as the events unfolded in mid-year, colleges started to scramble to find a solution, and the schedules and timelines set by institutions, including IIMs for beginning the process of group discussions and personal interviews, started to seem next to impossible to be completed, let alone be completed on time.Shift to Online Platform:I had applied for IIM Nagpur and submitted my statement of purpose, and was eagerly waiting for the interview date and venue. But around mid-march, the imposition of country-wide lockdown stalled everything.IIM Nagpur’s administration, through their student representatives ‘now my seniors 😊’ quickly judging the panic and speculation every applicant must have had, started to address it through all available platforms (Pagalguy, Facebook, etc.).The administration made sure that regular updates were sent to all the aspirants. And analyzing the situation, proactively shifted the whole process to the online platform where students can get real-time updates on the process.Personal Interview:The administration sent out a meticulous mail, with each step elaborated on how to set up and proceed for the online interview using zoom. The date and time were specified, and I had set up everything ready to face my first IIM interview ever, 10 minutes into the interview electricity cut-off. I was disconnected and disheartened; I switched to the stand-by network with my heart pounding out of my chest with images of 4 year-long dream to reach an IIM washing away.But, as I reconnected in the next few minutes, I saw the panelists waiting for me to reconnect, and judging by my pale face consoled me to calm down and start again. (‘Additional remark – this happened once more in another 10 mins’).The panelists taught me the first lesson of management even before starting my journey at IIM Nagpur that no matter how critical the situation is, how high the stakes are, have patience and composure, and you will sail through.