Why getting ahead makes sense!

College is increasingly more competitive. Average scores, GPAs, and the high school resume gets increasingly more detailed each year. At the same time, students are working hard to stand out amongst their peers by juggling staggeringly large amounts of extracurriculars, sports, and volunteer work.

So what’s a high school student to do? Is it worth the rat race or are there easier ways to stand out? It’s really difficult to navigate the process without becoming overwhelmed, but Brains and Brawn is here to help. A point that we really work to drive home here is that the average high school student only spends 38 minutes with their high school counselors across all 4 years of school! Most of that is during their senior year, and most students we speak with in their first three years of high school don’t know their counselor’s names. We bridge that gap by giving your child the attention they need, so reach out today.

With every student taking the SAT or ACT, it may seem difficult to differentiate yourself from other high school students that perform well on these tests. Many years, the median SAT/ACT scores at the Ivy League universities are perfect scores. So how does a strong score help? It’s really not saying much to do well on these tests. However, one thing that we recommend for students looking to stand out is to consider SAT subject tests. While only a small percentage of schools require these, they are a great way to exemplify stellar academic performance.

SAT subject tests are a bit unknown to the average high school student and parent. Since they’re not required, and are intimidating, most students don’t take them at all. However, they are made by the same group that creates the SAT, PSAT, and AP exams! That means that the material has a surprising amount of overlap with regular AP courses. Since most high school students are taking at least 1 AP course on their way to college, they can easily prepare for both their AP exam and an SAT subject test in the same subject concurrently. Showing a strong score on one of these subject tests is a phenomenal way to stand out without doing too much extra work.

AP exams happen in the spring at the end of the semester. Students spend their entire academic year prepping for these difficult exams, so they often have a good idea of how they will perform on these tests. Intuitively, if a student struggles to perform well in the regular AP course, they will most likely see similar struggles in the end of year test. However, strength in a subject relates to strength in the final exam, and also to performing well on the SAT subject test corresponding to that particular AP test. Save time and knock out a rare test that will help you stand out without putting in too much work! If you’re looking to supplement your studying for these tests, connect with a top 1% scoring tutor at BrainsandBrawnllc.com today!

-Mark Wilson, Director of Curriculum Development & Design