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All high school students have to go through the SAT test. If you are hoping to go to Harvard, you will need to get a pretty high score.

In this article, I will tell you about two very important points regarding SAT advice and preparation.

First: Where schools like Stanford are concerned, what is considered an acceptable SAT score?

Additionally, it is easy to be puzzled about the best way to get ready for the SAT. Surely you want to prepare in the most efficient way without spending money needlessly.

1. Clearly you will want to get a high score, but exactly what does this mean?

I always recommend an SAT score of 2100. Try to get 700 on each section in order to be considered acceptable to an Ivy League school. If you get less than 700 on anything, it will bring your application into question.

As an admissions officer, I can tell you that we almost always accept students who have a score of 2100 or more. The only time we would not is if there are serious academic weaknesses. For example, very weak transcripts might cause us to reject an applicant with a high SAT score.

2. Keep track of your improvement. If you score badly the first time you take the test, take it again. Keep a record of your scores, and be sure to strive for improvement each time you retake the test.

Click here for more SAT test taking advice!

3. Realize that admissions officers favor the SAT over the ACT.

ACT is a better test than SAT in a lot of ways. It is an extremely challenging test. Be that as it may, when the admissions office is comparing two very similar candidates the test taken will make a difference. If one has taken SAT and the other has taken ACT, the student who has take the SAT will be preferred.

As you prepare, you should keep your focus on two priorities: Early start and sample tests.

1. While you are still in 7th grade, take the SAT for the Duke TIP. Be sure you take the PSAT at least one time before taking the NMSQT. By doing this, you can practice without taking a chance.

2. Be careful of becoming involved in prep programs and SAT courses that make exaggerated claims. When I was in high school, I took the Kaplan course. I really only remember some very creative flashcards that helped improve my vocabulary by a little bit. My parents paid $1000 for that program. My advice to you is to sit in on a few sample courses before you make a commitment to any.

3. Haunt your local bookstore to get copies of all the tests. Take as many sample tests as you can. You can get them all, from Princeton review to Barron’s, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. Taking sample tests will make a big difference to your score. The more comfortable you are with answering the types of questions asked on the test, the better your score will be.

Click here to learn how high school extracurricular activities are graded in admissions!

If you are hoping to be able to express yourself completely on the Common App, you will probably be disappointed. It is a limited document that provides a small amount of space for answers and information. Additionally, you may submit supplemental materials, and two essays. One of your essays should be specific to school. The other one can be generic.

By following these Five Essential Tips, you will be able to produce an essay that will greatly enhance your chance of admittance in a top school.

1. Paint a clear picture of yourself. Tell about your personality and accomplishments. This is much more effective than telling a good story.

An applicant may submit a very wonderful essay recounting childhood experiences and family tales; however, this sort of essay does not tell the examiner the two things that are necessary in determining whether or not to admit an applicant.

-The essay should tell about the applicant’s accomplishments. -The essay should give a clear, well-rounded picture of the applicant’s personality.

For these reasons, the applicant was put on the wait list. Of course, the essay was not the sole reason for this decision, but it was one of the reasons.

Click here for more Ivy League admissions advice

2. Blow your own horn!

Many overachievers tend to be overly modest. Even though, they have had tremendous accomplishments, they tend to soft-pedal them. They say things like:

“Of course, there are lots of applicants who are more deserving of Harvard placement than I.”

Or

“Being accepted to Stanford will be the luckiest day of my life! I know there are others who have worked just as hard to earn it.”

Don’t say that kind of thing.

Naturally, you don’t want to be full of yourself and lord your accomplishments over others, but be equally careful not to be too modest. You have accomplished a great deal, or you wouldn’t be applying to a prestigious school. Make the most of your accomplishments. Be proud of the prizes you have won and the goals you have achieved. Put your best foot forward.

Click here to learn how to transfer to Stanford

3. Make it personal.

Sharing appropriate anecdotes about your life is very effective and memorable. The essay about the family that adopted dogs is a case in point. Even though it didn’t help that applicant, I still remember it. If you share stories of your life in a way that showcases your personality and your accomplishments, it will go a long way toward getting your application accepted.

4. Talk about your achievements. Don’t point out your shortcomings.

The only exception to this is if you failed at something several times but kept trying until you succeeded spectacularly. If your failure caused you to try harder and prevail, include it. If not, leave it out.

Your childhood accomplishments, while charming, are not pertinent to your essay unless they led to further accomplishments in your high school career. If winning a prize for the best science project in 6th grade led you to enter and win a national competition later on, be sure to point it out. If not, omit it.

5. Don’t mention people you know at the school unless it is important to the story you are telling.

Many times I have read essays with this kind of statement prominently displayed:

“I know Fred Smith, who is a freshman here at Harvard. He is a very dedicated student, whom I deeply admire. That is why I am most interested in attending Harvard.”

If you happen to know the name of one of a professor or well-known alumnus, it is not helpful to insert it in your essay.

If you need to mention a person’s name because it is necessary to the sense of the story you are telling, do so. Otherwise, it is best to avoid it.

All high school students are familiar with Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Some students we are addressing are international students (click here for more information). Others are involved in IB programs. However, most students we are addressing will take AP classes and tests.

Here are some helpful hints to keep in mind about AP tests:

1) Take lots of AP classes. The more the better. It looks good on your transcript, and it tells prospective colleges you have high academic ability.

2) Begin taking your AP tests right away. They aren’t that difficult, and it’s good to get them under your belt.

3) Only take a few AP tests. You only need a representation of your ability and a few high scores. You don’t have to have perfect scores for Harvard admittance. For GPA, SAT and AP scores, you just have to pass a certain level.

4) Taking too many AP tests can mess up your average. It is better to take a few tests and really concentrate on making the best scores possible than take a lot of tests and do well on some and not so well on others. Some schools, like Yale, prefer to see a good showing on a few attempts rather than a scattered showing on multiple attempts.

5) When you fill out your Common Application, be sure to note which AP tests you plan to take. Even though you have not yet taken a test, the fact that you plan on it looks good on your application. Many people are not aware of this little insider’s tip.

Click here to learn how to transfer into Harvard or Stanford

Remember these three tips: Take a lot of AP classes. Get your tests out of the way early. Go for a few high quality test results, rather than lots of mediocre test results. By using this strategy, you will do well.

Any college that is considering you will be impressed by high AP scores. Your high performance on these tests lets schools know that you can handle the demands of high-level college work. Ivy League want students who show academic excellence.

Click here to learn more about Ivy League AP test taking tips!

Now that the Kindle 2 is fascinating so many people, it is time to understand just why this makes the perfect gift for the ones in your life who are elderly or unable to move due to physical restrictions. The Kindle 2 has the read-to-me option. Everything that is on the screen, from the printed pages of the books you have selected, can and will be read out loud for those who need that option. It can be turned on and left that way for several people to hear and enjoy. Or, a simple addition of earplugs which can easily plugged in will allow the owner of the Kindle 2 enjoy it without disturbing anyone else.

With the Kindle 2 you no longer have to worry about hurting your eyes from extended reading on a computer type screen. The improved display screen of the Kindle 2 Ebook Reader has sixteen shades of gray which means you are looking at clear text and crisp images. This means you can expect it to read like a real paper.

After 10 minutes of non-use, the Kindle 2 will go into sleep mode. And speaking of the Kindle 2’s sleep mode, when it’s in sleep mode, there are some very nice screen savers shown. There is also a new Text-To-Speech feature that makes the Kindle 2 read every book, blog, or magazine and newspaper out loud to you.

Kindle 2 features include the retained WiFi support for direct ebook downloads, integrated stereo speakers, a small joystick (in replacement of the scroll-wheel on the 1st gen) and apparently cellphone compatibility to allow Kindle 2 titles to be made available on many mobile phones.

Home shows the content stored on your Kindle 2 as well as content archived at Amazon. And even more interesting is the fact that Amazon’s press release mentioned: Kindle 2 will also sync with a range of mobile devices in the future. The back of the Kindle 2 reminds me a lot of the back of an iPod or the 1st generation iPhone.

With its 16-level gray scale screen, the Kindle 2 packs one of the best e-Book reader displays we’ve seen, trumping the displays found on the original Kindle and on Sony’s PRS-700, both of which only handle 8 levels of gray scale. For connectivity, the Kindle 2 uses Amazon’s Whispernet data service for downloading content. At slightly more than a third of an inch thick, Kindle 2 is a lot thinner and a tad taller than the original.

Pricing and availability of the Kindle 2 will set you back US $359. Although the “text to speech” is computer generated, I was impressed by its natural flow and intonation on the Kindle 2. In addition to the memory, Kindle 2 has an improved display that reads like real paper, with 16 shades of gray, for clear text and crisp images. The Kindle 2 also turns pages 20% faster than the original.

With so many being sold, it is easy to see that these will become just as popular as iPods and Mp3 players. The Kindle 2 allows you to carry with you over 1,500 books at any given time.

Nowadays, there are more e-book reader devices on the market such as theSony Reader, Booken Cybook Ebook reader or Amazon Kindle 2. Both Amazon and Sony use proprietary formats so you can’t just go from one to the other for the Reader. Both Kindle 2 and Sony Reader offer a great readable screen and excellent battery life.

You will probably learn very quickly that you get what you pay for in life and that is no different when it comes to Kindle copycats.The Sony Ebook Reader is quickly making some friends but it is only because people are not looking deep enough into the product. For starters, the most obvious difference between the Kindle 2 Ebook Reader and the Sony Ebook Reader is that the Sony version is cheaper.

Amazon continues to lock down their format so that it can only be used on the Kindle, while Sony has subscribed to policy of more openness when it comes to what can be put on its reader. SONY tends to give little discount for the eBooks but Amazon caps all books at $9. Kindle 2 might be $100 more but buy 10 books and soon you will break even.

The Sony Ebook Reader has enough storage space to store 160 ebooks. This sounds great and all but the Kindle 2 can store over 1,500. This is an obvious difference between the two. Since the Sony Ebook Reader is not able to hold as many books, it is no wonder that it is maybe an inch or two smaller.

There are additional memory cards for the Sony Reader that you can pay for which will give you a little more storage space. But this is still nothing compared to the amount of books the Kindle 2 can hold. Another thing that should be taken into consideration between the two models is that both realize you will need to make use of an AC Charger.

The Kindle 2 includes that power adapter along with the USB cable, a quick start guide, and a rechargeable battery for the price of the unit. The Sony Ebook reader does not. They recommended that you buy the AC charger for an additional cost but all they include with their purchase price is a case to carry the reader in, a USB cable, and a quick start guide.

If you want to buy the AC adapter so that you can actually make use of your purchase then that will cost you another $29.99. So when it comes to purchasing an Ebook reader, wheather it is for yourself or for someone that you care about, you want to make sure that you are getting the most for your money.

These are not the times we should be casually spending our money with no regards to what we are actually getting. For something that will surely entertain and be worth the purchase, the Kindle 2 is the way to go.