Civics End Of Course Exam Study Guide: Fill & Download for Free

how to crack ssc cgl 2017 by self study .SSC every year announces CGL (combined graduate level) exam to fill various seats in government departments. Every year students prepare for SSC CGL exam without coaching or self study. From every corner of the country several students fill the form for the relevant posts.It has been a Deadlock that you cannot crack an entrance exam without going to so called “Coaching Centres” and spending large amount money and time on it. But gone are the days when you had to depend on a person to guide you to reach your goal. Our generation is far more furnished with knowledge and talent. We can do anything on our own. So forget about those fancy Coaching Centres, believe in yourself and start preparing with us that too “FREE OF COST”Now the Question arises: How to Get Started SSC CGL Preparation?First thing that aspirants have to do is to go thoroughly through the examination syllabus. It will give you a wise perception of the paper that you are appearing for and to decide study plan for the exam. Because only after knowing the entire syllabus, you will look for SSC CGL book or study material for SSC CGL.Here, we are discussing about the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam. So let’s have a look on the New Syllabus and Pattern of Tier 1Fundamentally SSC combines of 4 subjectsGeneral EnglishGeneral AwarenessQuantitative AptitudeReasoningCHANGES IN SSC CGL PATTERN:Now SSC will conduct both Tier -I and Tier II exam in online mode.Introduce a descriptive paper of 100 marks within 60 minutes in pen and paper mode.Reduce the time limit for examination of Tier -I from 120 minutes to 75 minutes.Tier II will remain same.No Sectional Cut off.Analyze and make study planMake study plan After getting all the details about the Exam, you should analyze the topics in which you are strong or weak. The topics in which you are weak, needs more attention and time for preparation.We will help you with section wise preparation strategy and study plan with important points and topics, to make your preparations easy.Reasoning Ability:Reasoning is generally a scoring subject as it takes only thinking ability of a candidate. If the candidate is able to apply it, he can easily score well in this section. Unlike numerical skill in reasoning section you don’t have to learn some formula and solve question by applying that formula. You just have to be very careful while answering these questions. This section tests the judgment and other skills related to presence of mind and analytical ability of a candidate.The most important topics to look out for from this section are: Analogy, Classification, Series problems, Ranking, Sitting Arrangements, Syllogism, Coding-Decoding, Statement and Conclusions, Directions, Blood Relations, Data sufficiency, Assumptions and Direction Sense Test. Questions from paper cutting and folding and mirror images are also asked.Tips: –No exact formulas are there to solve the questions; all you need to do is, solve them with patience with logical thinking.1. Practice daily.2. Simply use your common sense to solve the puzzles.3. Make your own formulas to solve questions.4. While answering the questions related to statement and assumptions, try to solve them imagining yourself as a mature person.Suggested Books –You can also take the help of these books because these books can change your way of thinking.Analytical Reasoning (M K Pandey)Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning (R S Aggarwal)Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning Hindi (Kiran Publication)A New Approach to Reasoning Verbal & Non-Verbal English (B S Sijwali, Indu Sijwali)Logical & Analytical Reasoning – English (A K Gupta)If you follow above tips and strategies, you will surely be able to score well inReasoning Section of SSC CGL 2016 Exam easily.English Language:The English language section is the most scoring section in your paper. This section is not only important but also very difficult for aspirants to crack.But from an exam point of view, if you spend time consistently, you can perform well in it in relatively less time as compared to Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning sections.The number of questions from each topic and their difficulty level has remained similar over the years. As you know this subject contains 25 questions –Topics to give more focus on are:Sentence Improvementreading comprehensionSpotting ErrorsSynonym/Antonymone-word substitutionIdioms/PhrasesSpelling MistakesFill in the blankTips: –1. You should work on improving your Grammar Part, as the paper is all based on English Grammar.2. You should practice reading a lot.3. Make reading your Daily habit.4. Read newspapers, magazines, good articles on daily basis.5. Apart from reading, you have to solve mock test papers.Suggested BooksQuick learning Objective General English by RS Aggarwal & Vikas AggarwalPerfect Competitive English by V. K. SinhaCompetitive General English by Kiran PrakshanObjective General English by S P BakshiWord Power Made Easy by Norman LewisGeneral Awareness:General Awareness for SSC CGL 2016 is the most important section in the SSC CGL Exam. The SSC CGL GK section is also very lengthy in which if you prepare well, will result in good score consuming lesser time. You may get confusing options to select the correct answers. You have to answer confidently. Make sure you answer only when you are 100% sure, as chances of negative marking is more in this section. Follow the tips given below to prepare GK for SSC CGL.Tips: –1. Make it a habit to know what is happening in the world around you.2. Solve previous year papers.3. Stay updated with the daily news events and current affairs.4. Grab the complete knowledge of all the fields given below:HistoryGeographyPolityEconomicsGeneral ScienceSuggested Books :Lucent’s general knowledgeStudy Material of Grade UpNote: This section acquires more importance because this is the only section which can be attempted quickly i.e. in 12-15 minutes and at the same time, decent marks can be scored in this section if prepared well.Quantitative Ability:The questions in this section are designed to test the ability of appropriate use of numbers and number sense of the candidates. The scope of quantitative ability is clearly defined and is limited to class 10th level mathematics. All you need to do is attempt the questions with good accuracy. The level of this section is expected to be of moderate.The section consists of questions from topics like ratio and proportion, profit and loss, time, distance and work, average, alligation, elementary mensuration, algebra, trigonometry, geometry etc.Tips: –1. You should practice all variety of questions.2. Learn more tables. It will help you in solving questions with a good speed.3. While preparing, use short tricks to solve the questions.Suggested Books. Let’s look at some of these best aptitude books.Quantum CAT by Sarvesh VermaHow to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT by Arun SharmaQuicker Mathematics by M. Tyra“Platform Series” by Rukmini PublicationsK. Tyra for Quantitative AptitudeChapter-wise Quantitative Aptitude by Kiran PublicationsTime ManagementTime Management of your study plan is very important. Time management strategy is also required in taking exams and which section should be given how much time slot. These things are important to prepare for the exams and crack it with better score. You will find aspirants saying that they could not complete the test on time or wasted more time on one section and could not attempt the other. Hence, i find it the important part to figure out which sections are important and scoring.Few points have collected and which may help you to make your plan:Study daily at least 6-8 hours, if starting from the scratch and not doing any other work. If working, devote 2-3 hours daily with half an hour on each section.Make a Study plan that will finish your syllabus.Figure out your weak and strong sections or topics and work on that.Figure out which sections require how much time slot in the exam from the total time of 120 minutes.All questions in the exam is not possible to attempt. Hence, need to know how much questions you are doing in 120 minutes of each sections and not wasting time on one section and leaving the other.Revise what you have studiedRevision If you are done with your preparation, then it’s just not all enough. You have to do revision of all the topics you have studied. Usually students don’t get much time to revise, but this is the big mistake that usually students make. So for this, when you make study plan do the following things: –Write down the important things that you need to revise, once you are done.Write important short tricks and formulas.Write the important events you should remember.If you are reaching near your examination date, you need to revise every topic and again read and practice the weak zone to counter it. Now, you no need to practice more and more new questions or read questions. You have to do is just read the concepts again and practice the Marked questionsNow as we are over with the discussion over the section wise preparation and book reference, please keep one thing in mind that we have suggested you important topics according to previous year exam papers and the experience of students who have cracked the exams.preparation tips and strategy for SSC CGLPREPARATION STRATEGIES AND BOOKS for SSC CGL-There are lots of books in book stores for SSC. They all claim that after reading those books,you will clear the exam easily. I don’t know the veracity of their claim. But I want to tell that When I had started my preparation, I have no one to guide me about books and strategies. So, I bought almost every book. I have 4 to 5 math books of different publication. But after reading those books partly, I realized that which one is good book and which one is not upto the mark of SSC. And then I started my preparation from the best book. Books may differ from person to person. May be “Jo book maine padha hai,dusra banda jiska selection hua hai,ho sakta hai ki wo ye book na padha hoga”. But I have started my preparation from zero level. So, I think that the books which I am going to tell here will be beneficial for all.For Mathematics-Objective Mathematics by MAHESH MISHRA(Sumitra Publication).[Don’t buy the tricky mathematics by MAHESH MISHRA because it is not possible to learn every trick. Conceptual clarity is necessary which u will find in Objective Mathematics by MAHESH MISHRA.](This book comes in Hindi)Advanced Mathematics (Lucent Publication)[Try to learn every concept and theorem first and then start solving questions.] May be Some questions will not be solved. Skip those questions. Solve every previous question given at the end of chapter.There are also lot of good Advanced mathematics books but I have prepared from this book only. This book is good . JLot of persons suggest to read ‘QUANTUM CAT’ written by Survesh Kumar Gupta. That book is awesome. But that book is made for CAT only. So the questions are very vast. So, better to skip this book. You can read the theorem and concept of Geometry and Mensuration from this book if u have this book otherwise the above mentioned book is enough.FOR ENGLISH-SSC ENGLISH(MB BOOKS PUBLICATION) BY Ajay Kumar Singh[This book is just awesome. The study material given in this book is very concise but it is best.] But yes,there are some errors in this book. But still this book is best.Read everything from this book. There are about 116 sets(previously asked questions). Complete each and every set voraciously. That means that solve one or two sets every day from the book and then analyze it fully. For example,common error mai answer and explanation ki help se dekho ki kaun sa part error tha ..reason kya tha uska.. Learn by rote every synonym and antonym asked in the sets. Also learn the Word Meaning given at the end of each set to improve your vocabulary and for SSC and try to use those words in your daily life so that those words will be in your mind forever. Ish book ka ek ek chiz padh dale…Whatever I am saying ,It is my real experience.. So do try it..With the help of reading newspaper and with this book , I was able to score 170 marks out of 200 marks in English. So, believe me and go ahead.If you are able to complete the above mentioned book fully then you can try ‘OBJECTIVE GENERAL ENGLISH’ by R.S. AGARWAL also. But first complete the above mentioned SSC ENGLISH BOOK.The most important thing to improve your English is to read english newspaper daily for 1 hour. Any English newspaper will do a lot. Initially Hindi medium student will not be able to understand the newspaper. But don’t lose your courage. Jo v samajh aata h,utna hi samjho.. But do read newspaper daily. Gradually you will see that you are able to understand English newspaper. Daily matlab har din padhna hai..Koi bahana nahi chalega.. Within 2-3 months of continuous study of newspaper, your English will improve a lot.. Reading newspaper will help you inCOMPREHENSION,CLOSE TEST,PARA JUMBLE,SENTENCE IMPROVEMENT ETC. I have seen people that 5-6 din newspaper padhe,kuch samajh nahi aaya to chhor dete h padhna.. Aishe nahi chalega.. Atleast 2 to 3 months chahiye.. So read newspaper daily specially for hindi medium students.How to prepare for REASONING-This is the easiest section of SSC CGL. NO NEED TO BUY BOOK FOR REASONING. Just practice it from Kiran Sets. That’s it.. After practicing 20 to 30 sets, You can easily score 45 to 48 out of 50 in exam.How to prepare for GENERAL KNOWLEDGE-Lucent General Knowledge(available in Hindi and English both)I was very dull in General Knowledge. When I had given SSC CGL 2013 Exam which was cancelled, I had got Minus 1 (-1) marks in GS section. So, You can imagine what my GS section would be at that time. Then one of my friends suggested to read Lucent. When I started lucent, I was learning everything by rote. That means mai pura ek ek chiz ratta mar raha tha.. Usse problem ye hua ki 1 se 2 page ratta marne mai mujhe 3 se 4 ghante (hours) lag jate the..thode din bad mai wo v bhul jata tha..then again my friend suggested me to Just read this book daily again and again..Usne bola “ratta mat mar.Kewal book ko har din padho.matlab ki agar mai aj 3 se 4 page padha to phir kal v ussi 3 se 4 page padhna hoga aur phir tisre din agla 4 se 5 page padhna hoga..phir one week bad sara ko repeat karna hoga.. (He said ,”don’t try to learn it by rote Just read the book again and again. Like if u r reading page no. 1 to 4 today,then revise this again next day,and after that next day read page no.5 to 8 and then again revise it next day and so on.. After one or two week,revise from page no.1). Actually whatever he said is on the basis of the research done by scientist which says that if one study like this,then whatever he read ,will be in mind for a long time. Then I did the same and I saw the improvement in me. This method worked very well and mujhe sara history ,civics etc. ish book se pura yaad ho gaya tha.. You will not believe but I want to share that I had scored -1 in GS section in 2013 CGL but due to this method, I scored 28 marks out of 50 in CGL in 2014. Now You can realize that I am not a unique guy. I am just a simple guy like you.. So,adopt this method and read this book. But you will have to study GS section every day..If you have time, then you can also read NCERT BOOKS of Social Science and Science FROM CLASS 6 TO 10. If you are able to complete these books then I want to tell You will surely get very good marks in GS Section. But If you have lack of time then Lucent General Knowledge will help you a lot. But NCERT books are best.5.FOR PRACTICE SETS-I have seen people vociferously saying “Mujhe paramount ki Practise sets dilwa do“ . I am not saying that Practice sets of Paramount is bad. It is a good set book. And their test series is also very good. But I want to tell that If you don’t have practice set of PARAMOUNT or You have not their test series, then It’s not a problem. I and my friends have not practiced from Paramount.For Practicing Modal Questions, You can buy “SSC CGL PRACTICE SETS OF KIRAN PUBLICATION, DELHI” . It is also a very good set book. At the beginning of preparation, I used to think,”Practice sets se kya hoga”. But gradually I realized that this is the one thing which will ultimately take you near to your success in SSC. Because when you start solving questions sets, then your speed ,accuracy will improve. It will also help you better for preparing each section of the exam. But the method to solving sets is –FIRST, complete the chapters of Mathematics and make your concept clear.Also, complete self study sections(given at the beginning) of SSC ENGLISH BY MB BOOKS.Then start solving 1 practice set every day.After completing practice set, analyze it completely i.e. see the question in all the sections which you were not able to solve or find difficulty in solving. Write them down in separate note book. Also see the general knowledge section and see the explanation and remember them. Also, see common error, antonym synonym, Idioms and phrases, close test etc in English section. In short, to get the benefit of solving practice sets, It is mandatory to analyze set completely.If you have one or two friend and they are sincere in studies then you can solve Modal sets with them. It will make solving practice set enjoyable. Because solving Modal questions alone sometimes makes bore. But if you don’t have good friends I mean If you have those friends who just want having fun in life without thinking about their career and family, then it’s better to practice modal sets alone. I hope everyone is getting my point.DO’S AND DON’TS-BELOW MENTIONED THINGS SHOULD BE TAKEN IN CONSIDERATION IF YOU WANT TO CLEAR SSC IN FIRST ATTEMPT WITH VERY GOOD MARKS-I have seen people making Whatsapp Study group. First, I want to tell straight forward that Whatsapp se padhai nahi ho sakti. Many people may oppose my this advice. They will say or think that Whatsapp mai general studies ke bahut sare material mil jata hai padhne ko.. Some will say or think that Mathematics mai koi problem hai,wo solve ho jata hai and all that.. My friends used to make Whatsapp group and they used to send G.K. and other stuffs through Whatsapp. But I never joined any group. Because “Jitna time ap Whatsapp mai padhne mai doge,utna time mai ap General Knowledge ki book padh loge aur usse jyada sikh loge.” If even now someone doesn’t agree with me,then I can’t do anything in this regard. Do whatever you want to do. But according to me, Whatsapp se padhai nahi hogi ya agar hui bhi to bahut kam,time jyada waste hoga.Having Girlfriend in life I am not saying that Don’t make girlfriend or If you have girl friend or boy friend then break your relation. I am just saying that Just see that If you have girlfriend or boyfriend, then is it hampering your preparation for the exam? You have heard a idiom,” KUCH PANE KE LIYE,KUCH KHONA HOTA HAI”. I am not saying that apne gf/bf ko chhor do. I am saying that Give less time to your boyfriend/girlfriend and give more time to your studies. Because after getting job, You can enjoy your life with your love mates. But you fail to secure a job then everything will be destroyed. I have lots of friends in towns preparing for SSC/BANK, they used to talk to their girlfriend for 3 to 4 hours and thus wasting their time. Sometimes, due to a small dispute between him and her, He can’t concentrate in his studies. He is still struggling for the job. So, It’s better to decide first What you want in your life? Do you want happiness of your family or loved ones who are spending thousands of rupees for your study? Or Do you want to betray them ? In my opinion, if one have girlfriend or boyfriend,then he/she should be supportive. He or she should say ,”first make your life, take a government job and I am always with you J”. Because in today’s era, some people make girlfriend or boyfriend ,just for fun. They don’t think about their happiness. They just want to have fun. I hope you are getting my point. So, Please keep it in your mind. JDon’t be alcoholic. According to research done by various scientists,”Having alcohol on regular basis reduce concentration. It will also hamper your study.Don’t make lots of friends. I am not saying that don’t make friends. Make friends but don’t be indulge with them every time. Make limited friends who will help you in your studies. When aspirants study in hostels or taking room in rent, they make lots of friends. The problem is that When you study,they come to your room and you started talking to them. Sometimes,they will say “chalo yaar ghum kea ate hai” and you go with them. It can be a obstacle in your way to your dream job. If you have friends ,tell them straightly that this time is for your studies. And You can go with them in evening to make mind fresh.Do excerise on regular basis. I am not saying to go to gym and all. A simple walking in the morning or evening alone or with friends is enough to make your mind healthy . You can spend one to two hours in the evening with your friends but only one to two hours.People think that those who are selected in SSC/BANK, study 24×7 or for 10 to 12 hours a day. This is completely a myth. Selected students say like this just to impress others. But some students really study for 10 hours. But in my opinion, if you study for 3 to 4 hours a day with full concentration,then that time is enough to clear SSC/BANK within 6 months. But the time in which u study,should be only for study. It means that don’t use Whatsapp or facebook while studying. It reduces concentration. In short, If you study 3 to 4 hours daily on regular basis with solving practice sets for 2 hours and giving 1 hour to analyze set,then this (3+2+1=6 hours) is enough to clear the exam within less than 6 months. JMake separate id in Facebook. And Don’t make friends in that id. Just join some good groups of SSC like SSC NAUKRI, TARGET INTERVIEW GROUP,SSCTUBE etc. to get updates regarding exam date, preparation strategies and for tips. But again I want to clear here that don’t waste too much time in Facebook. Just see the updates of the group which is helpful for your studies. And then just log out. Don’t give more than half hour in it.Many people think to commit suicide when they don’t clear the exam. I am requesting you all that Please never do this. I know you guys are listening sarcastic words from others when you are not clearing the exam. But never think to commit suicide. Life is precious. If a person don’t clear the exams then it doesnot mean that He can’t do anything in life. Government job is not everything. Give your best to achieve Government job. But if you don’t get a government job then You can do private jobs as well. I have seen people starting from very low position from private jobs and going to very high post with experience and with their hard work. So, never be sad. Just be positive and give your best.When I had started my preparation for SSC, I met some students who were extremely brilliant in some sections. Like I have met a student who had remembered more than 10,000 words from “OBJECTIVE GENERAL ENGLISH”. I also met a person who has completed General Knowledge by Lucent Publication completely by rote. That time I used to think that if these brilliant students are not able to clear SSC then How will I clear SSC ? But in due course, I realized that If one is brilliant in one section (say in ENGLISH) and he is weak in others sections, then it doesn’t mean that he will clear the exam. For clearing SSC,One should have command over each section viz. Reasoning, Mathematics, English. I will not say about General Knowledge section because ye almost sabki weakness hoti hai :p . even meri v ye weakness hai. So no need to bother about it. I am not trying to say that one should be brilliant in each section. I am just saying that one should have command over each section. I hope you all are getting my point.AT LAST, I want to tell you all that Just keep believe in yourself. There is no substitute for hard labour. Here hard labour doesn’t mean to study for 10 to 12 hours. Here hard labour means that one should study for 5 to 6 hours only with full dedication. Don’t listen to failure people who used to say that You can’t clear SSC/BANK. Just keep believe and I assure you that you will definitely clear the exam. And that will be the slap on the face of those failure people. I also want to make clear that “Kewal suggestion lene se kuch na hoga. Un suggestion ko adopt karna hoga aur apna best dena hoga.” I also used to give suggestions to my friends,they listen to me and they do whatever I say to them for one or two week and again they stop implementing those suggestions in their studies. For example, When I tell my friends to read English Newspaper daily then used to read it for 1 or 2 weeks and they started saying that there is no use of reading newspaper. I want to tell you all that 1 ya 2 week padhne se na hoga.. Study continuously for atleast 4 to 5 months then see the difference in you by yourself.

I applied to 19 schools (I considered an honors college as a separate one). Majority of them were in-state (NYC/Upstate area, Long Island), with 8 of the schools being out of state. I’ll include some of my stats as well as a short description of how they are presented the way they are, and what school I’ve decided on at the moment.BackgroundBlack/ First Generation College Student (both of my parents are from Trinidad and Tobago).Middle class family.My public high school is split into 3 communities, not actual schools. This was part of the plan when the school was first created, as it allowed for more student focus since they were put into 3 different communities. At graduation, we would have 3 salutatorians and 3 valedictorians.Class Rank: In my community, I rank 2 out of what I think is 85 students.Test ScoresSAT: 1190/1600 (640-EBRW/550-Math)21/24 on the essayACT: 25 (I didn’t report this score in any of my applications)AP English Language and Composition Exam: 3My school only offered a few AP classes, as the way they were ran made the material much simpler than it was supposed to be. I had only taken AP US History, Environmental Science, Psychology, and English Language. I was expecting to take English Literature and Statistics in my senior year, but before it started the two courses had been removed. This was the only course in which I passed the following exam for, everything else was a 2.Senior Year CoursesCalculus: this wasn’t an Honors or AP course, it was mainly a standard one.Senior EnglishRegents Chemistry (In NY, certain subjects have a test you take at the end of the school year called the Regents)Dual-enrollment classes at CUNY Queensborough Community College. For my senior year, I’ve taken a second level Psychology course known as “The Psychology of Adjustment”. I’ve taken my fourth course, overall, known as “Introduction to Criminal Justice.”Government: Our (high) school is run on a semester system. The first semester was dedicated to economics, and the second was dedicated to Civics.Participatory Budgeting and Justice: This was a special course, as I believe only 40 schools were selected to offer this course. The school received $2,000, and our principal matched that, so we had $4,000 to work with. Throughout the course, we learned about budgeting and government proceedings, as we had also worked to give a voice to school opinions and determine what they would like us to improve with the $4K. After conducting a survey vote, our school had spent the money on improvements on bathrooms (although I don’t think that change could materialize since the COVID-19 pandemic closed down our schools).Student/Senior Government: This is both a class and a club, as once every week we meet up to discuss events that we can hold for the student body and what can be done for the seniors.Physical EducationExtracurricular ActivitiesNational Honor Society member since 10th GradeSchool Beautification Club co-founder: I founded this club along with 3 other NHS members. It mainly started off as cleaning up areas of the school and trying to promote a much cleaner environment, as I was hoping we could’ve done more than this. Unfortunately, it had to be halted given all that was occurring. I received the Leadership award along with my 3 other founders from our school’s NHS.Fencing: I only did this in the 11th grade and then the coach quit :/Church Lector: Every Saturday I would help out at mass by participating in the daily readings since the 10th Grade.Field Biology Internship: For 8 weeks, I participated in an internship at a nearby park and its nature center. I conducted some small research regarding the environment, where at the end of the internship we had to prepare a presentation on an environmental topic based on the research we conducted. My topic was simply about Climate Change.Student/Senior Government: see description under “Senior Courses” section.“Herstory”: This was a writing club headlined by my Sophomore and Junior Year English teacher. It was partnered with Adelphi University, as every week we would come together and collaborate. We would share pieces on topics ranging from mental health to loss of a loved one, as would provide positive feedback and suggestions on what can be done to improve it for the next time. In the end of each semester, the club would have a final reading where we all gather and share the culmination of our weeks work.Teaching Intern: This was part of another class I took in Junior Year, in which we were required to attend an internship with one of two neighboring elementary/middle schools. I was assigned to a first grade class, which grew very fond of me including the co-teachers for that course. I helped teach some lessons, ensured that the students were completing their work, and cleaned the classroom and organized files for the teachers (some of this may have sound mundane, but as the year progressed I helped along with other interns in decorating a hallway in preparation for some of the school’s bigger events).CollegeNow: This was the program that offered the dual-enrollment course(s) I had taken. We earned real college credit that can be applied towards the college that we go to (dependent on if the credit matches any course that we would have to take). I’ve done this since junior year.GPA: My school went by a 100 system, and the last I’ve checked, my cumulative GPA was a 97.36 weighted.Letters of Recommendation: I got one from the person who I always help every Saturday at church, the professor at my dual enrollment course(s) for psychology, my Chemistry teacher (who was also my Biology teacher sophomore year), my Spanish teacher (he had known me for the 3 years I was in his class), and my Algebra 2 teacher (we got close, and she liked me as a student throughout the year I was in her class). When I write this part of the answer, it did seem like a lot of letters to have.My common app essay was about my ability to succeed in a speech contest at elementary school despite having a speech disability, where I managed to grow into a succeeding person at high school. Felt a bit generic, but after getting it edited it seemed to be something much more deeper to me.Here are the college decisions. I applied to most of these for Regular DecisionAcceptedCUNY Hunter CollegeCUNY City CollegeCUNY Brooklyn CollegeAdelphi University: I was accepted to this school through an on-site admissions** program that my high school offered.Long Island University-Post : I was also accepted to this school through an on-site admissions program at my high school.SUNY Binghamton: This was considered to be one of the best SUNY schools out of those that were in the system.University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: I was a bit surprised to be accepted to this school. I applied here because I wanted to move to Minnesota in my adult life, or when my career began. This school felt like more of a target for me.Penn State-University Park: I liked this school as well, and was happy to be accepted. However, I don’t think I would attend this school given the lack of financial aid they provided me. :/Hofstra University: I was also accepted to the Honor College (which I don’t think I applied for). I got the Dean’s Scholarship, which was $26,000 per year. I don’t think I’ll attend this school either, given it’s short distance from where I live.** On-site admissions is when an admissions counselor from a college visits your high school, reviews your application and then immediately tells you whether or not you have been accepted to said college.WaitlistedSUNY Stony Brook University: I was a little surprised to see that I was offered a spot on the wait list. I declined it however since I wasn’t too keen on attending this school. Plus I knew there were other applicants who wanted to go to this school more than I did.University of Michigan: This is my dream school! I knew it was a competitive school, but I fell in love with the atmosphere and the academics as well. I was also surprised to see that I was considered up to the point I got this decision, but upon reading the letter, I immediately accepted the offer. I’m still praying and hoping for good news from this school (l listed 4 majors for this school and attached 3 letters of rec. That probably could’ve been why I’m in this position as well).RejectedBowdoin College: I didn’t submit my test scores for this school since it was test optional. I thought my essays and some of my achievement would help in my application, but I guess not. I also had a slight feeling this would happen given the competition among the other applicants.Boston University: This one stung for a little bit. I first woke up on the Saturday that the decision was posted, checked my email and found that the decision was available. I logged into my portal only to see that I was rejected. I wouldn’t really mind going to this school since it’s pretty great academically and it’s in Boston, which is a pretty nice city. However I did see the average SAT range, and I didn’t think the academic rigor at my school would help given the caliber of this one.Yale University: I toured the campus and attended an info session the July before my senior year started. New Haven did have its sketchy parts and moments, but I fell in love with the campus and the vibe that the school exuded. I know my test score(s) weren’t exactly the best, nor the courses I had taken, but I still took a risk and applied. I completed the application a few days before it was due, and managed to get them edited, but when I revisit the supplements, it still felt a little bit mediocre to me.Columbia University: I couldn’t really tour this school, but I still applied regardless. I hadn’t really exposed myself to much classical material as I thought Columbia had expected, but I still provided lists of my interest in literature and entertainment. Again, a little bit stunned yet still had a strong expectation this would happen.Brandeis University: I was stunned by this one as well. I had help in the college application process by two people. One person is from a service known as UStrive and the other was a former student from my school who goes to this college. He checks up on me to see how I’m doing and helps guide me through anything I need to complete for the sake of the process. I even referenced him on my application when it asked for all the sources I learned about Brandeis from. I was on the phone with him when I was opening up the status update, but again as me and him were both stunned to see that I had been rejected. I didn’t submit my test scores as I instead used a graded paper from my Government class. I guess I underestimated how competitive this school was as well.New York University: I had originally expected this to happen to me, despite how well I crafted my application. I was a little bit down when viewing the decision, but it was a bit expected given that over 85,000 people applied here for the CO2024. Plus I’ve also heard that the financial aid NYU gives out isn’t really helpful, so to say. My parents also liked this school, since their medical school is free for any student that attends NYU. I toured the school in Junior Year and loved it especially since it was in the Greenwich Village area.CUNY Macaulay Honors College: I actually expected this to happen, but I only applied since I felt like it was worth a shot given my academic standing.CUNY Baruch: I didn’t have any strong feelings towards this school, and by the time I got a decision from them, I had already committed to another college.University of Michigan: *see the second update at the bottom of this post*As of now, I’m mainly looking towards committing to SUNY Binghamton, as it still provides a traditional college experience I’m looking for and has a pretty good value with it, that is unless Michigan accepts me (I’m hoping that they also provide some substantial financial aid despite my being an out-of-state student, if the acceptance happens).Reflecting on this process, I definitely would’ve changed some of the things I had done, starting with studying more for the benefit of improving my test scores. I also would’ve limited the amount of EC’s I had listed, since I probably should’ve kept only some of the ones that were the most meaningful to me or I dedicated the most time to. More time could’ve also been put into crafting my essay and writing supplements. I understand that the college I go to doesn’t define my worth or abilities as a person, even if an elitist part of me tells me otherwise. In the end, I still managed to make my parents proud, even despite the rejections from the schools that had plentiful resources and opportunities. Overall, the college application process was a pretty interesting time during my high school years, as it also had taught me more about myself in ways I wouldn’t have thought to look at.I had applied to most of these schools for Psychology, but I am now interested in studying Neuroscience for the Pre-Med track. I’m open to hearing any advice on how to adjust to the college life as a first-generation student, and if anyone is studying Neuroscience or is a Pre-Med student. I’m also open to hearing your opinion on how the major is and any study skills that might help. I’ll come back to this post later once I make my decision or if anything has changed before my final high school year ends.Last Note: I had contacted the admissions office and my regional counselor for Michigan about whether it’s acceptable to send a letter of continued interest, and they said no (I first asked the counselor via email, where he thanked me for the email and appreciates my interest in the school). I simply ask, if you’ve been waitlisted, how was your experience? Did the school accept you off of it? If not, what school do/did you go to?UPDATE: I apologize for being extremely late on not updating this post at an earlier time, but here I am now. I’ve committed to Binghamton University! I still haven’t heard anything from U of Michigan, but I feel that I’d be better off going to Binghamton for the time being since I’m already deep in the process of preparing to start the Fall 2020 term.SECOND UPDATE: Again, apologies for not being timely on updating this post. On July 24, I got an email from U of Michigan in which I had been rejected (or in other words, am unable to attend the school since all of the remaining spots had been filled up). U of M did say that I am welcome to apply as a transfer student, preferably when I am a rising junior. For now, I’ll enjoy my first two years at Binghamton (planning to major in Neuroscience for Pre-Med) and decide where I’ll go from there. I look forward to starting my time at college.THIRD UPDATE: I’ve finished my first semester at Binghamton. Overall, it was a rather interesting experience transitioning from high school to college. I’ve learned how to properly manage the classes I’m taking (Rate My Professor helps), and next semester I intend to develop a stronger work ethic, and a more rigid study routine and schedule. I did manage to pass all my classes, but I know I can do much better in the coming months and years.

When I studied high school in Vietnam, I attended a more specialized elite school where the students have to sit difficult exams to get into different specializations. If you get into a math class, you’ll spend more time doing math and the natural sciences. If you get into an English class, you’ll spend more time learning English, etc. I quite enjoyed that system as I didn’t have to spend too much time on subjects I wasn’t terribly interested in. However, the curriculum was still very heavy with 13 subjects (including your specialization, 6 other important subjects required for the graduation exams and the rest frivolous).I’d propose cutting back even further the academic content, letting students drop out of subjects they don’t intend to pursue and increasing the practical content. The world is changing fast, teaching kids to memorize and regurgitate facts is far less important than teaching them how to think.What I’d like to see added:Critical thinking, logic and philosophy: how to research and assess the soundness of information sources, identify potential biases and caveats, how to avoid common logical fallacies.The scientific methodStatistics: the book How to Lie with Statistics should be required reading.Civic study, the basics of how voting and government workHow to live: a practical guide for adult life, including:Financial management: how to manage a budget, how to avoid and pay back debt etc.Food, nutrition and basic cooking skillsHow to manage stress, friendships and relationshipsSex educationInternet literacy and how to use social media safelyAlain de Botton, a British philosopher, says the following about tertiary education, which can apply to high school as well:It is a basic tenet of contemporary scholarship that no academic should connect works of culture to individual sorrows. It remains shocking to ask what "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" might usefully teach us about love or to read the novels of Henry James as if they might contain instructive parables. When confronted by those who demand that a university education should be relevant and useful, that it should offer advice on how to choose a career or survive the end of a marriage, how to contain sexual impulses or cope with the news of a medical death sentence, the guardians of culture become disdainful. They prefer students who are mature, independent, temperamentally able to live with questions rather than answers, and ready to put aside their own needs for the sake of years of disinterested study. The modern university has precious little interest in teaching us any emotional or ethical life skills: how to love our neighbors, clear human confusion, diminish human misery and "leave the world better and happier than we found it."He proposes a new model of education which he simply calls the School of Life where this disconnect between academic and practical study is bridged:On the menu of our school, you won't find subjects like philosophy, French and history. You'll find courses in marriage, child-rearing, choosing a career, changing the world and death. Along the way, our students encounter many of the books and ideas that traditional universities serve up, but they seldom get bored—and often come away with a different take on the world.The School of Life draws upon the same rich catalog of culture treated by its traditional counterparts; we study novels, histories, plays and paintings. But we teach this material with a view to illuminating students' lives rather than merely prodding them toward academic goals. "Anna Karenina" and "Madame Bovary" are assigned in a course on understanding the tensions of marriage instead of in one focused on narrative trends in 19th-century fiction. Epicurus and Plato appear in the syllabus for a course about wisdom rather than in a survey of Hellenistic philosophy.This requires a drastic change in education philosophy and a societal willingness to invest in training good teachers and give them the autonomy to teach without constant administrative and parental pressure.