There’s no doubt that exams can be daunting. Some either go extremely well, or they’re something you vow to never speak of again. But what happens if you’re not a great test-taker, and exams determine whether or not you get into a college, or if you advance in your company?
Test taking isn’t for everyone. I personally am not the best test taker. I overthink every question, and recheck my responses over and over before turning in the exam. If you want me to write a paper, I could write you a novel and never once be afraid of the results of it.
If you’re nervous about your SAT or ACT scores not being up to par with the preferred results for the university you’re interested in, don’t get discouraged. A lot of universities prefer to have a certain test score range, but that doesn’t eliminate you right off the bat.
Have you taken the SAT a few times and your test scores are still a few points below the suggested range? I was definitely in the same boat. I took the SATs twice and still wasn’t pleased with my scores, but that didn’t stop me from getting into my dream school and holding a 3.7 total GPA as a junior.
These scores don’t have to define you and they only make up part of 1/3 of the evaluation. The greatest way to improve your chances of getting into a school as great as Penn State is to get as involved during your time inside and outside of your high school and do well in your high school classes. Test scores can only tell the admissions office so much about an applicant, but your personal essay, your high school GPA, whether or not you were in honors classes, and what kind of activities you were involved in are what really set you above the rest.
While the admissions decision is primarily an academic decision, the personal statement is really your opportunity to show why you want to be a Penn Stater. This is an optional part of the application, but you can really use this space to talk about adversity you’ve faced and overcome in your life, and tell the admissions office what makes you, you. I understand that writing another personal essay can be frustrating, but it is worth the effort.
By letting your true self, and your experiences shine through in your application, test scores won’t play as huge of a part in deciding whether or not you can come to the greatest school in the world!
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