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A Change is Gonna
Come
By: Tonya Dancer
The College Board, makers
of the SAT, will be changing
the SAT in the spring of
2016. The changes are significantly different and some
current juniors are not happy
with the change at all. Some
think it is unfair.
After
speaking with an 11th grader
about the upcoming changes
her response was utter shock.
She stated, “It is so messed
up! I’m done. It is so not
fair. It is a good idea but it
should have taken place now
because this test is so stressful on us.” On the other
hand those who will be taking the SAT in 2016 feel a
bit of relief. Ninth graders
believe that it will benefit
them more especially if they
are weak in writing.
What exactly is the big deal?
Students are no longer
penalized for wrong
answers
Essay is optional
Administration is in
print or digital format
Calculators are not permitted for all the math
sections
Reading and writing
portions are combined.
Scoring is from 2400 to
1600.
A bit of caution, colleges can
still require that you take the
writing portion.
All I can say is
good luck to you future collegiate students. I’m glad
I’m not in your shoes.
If you want to learn more
about the SAT changes visit
www.nytimes.com/2014/03/
06/education/major-changesin-sat-announced-by-collegeboard.html
SAT Prep
By: Leojay Arbillo
Summer is approaching. At this
time, students are either close to taking
their final SAT or are beginning to prepare for this important test. There are
many SAT prep programs both in and
out of Houston. Some of these SAT
preps are even FREE, although, a little
investment into some programs won’t
hurt.
The SAT is one of the many factors
that colleges look at on an application.
According to Colin Gruewald, the Kaplan
test prep director, “Scores have tremendous impact on getting into the school of
choice, but also may determine the ability to get financial aid and scholarships.”
Other factors that colleges take into account are the applicant’s essay, their
grades (GPA, rank, etc.), extracurricular
activities, and of course, teacher recommendations. However, the SAT is still an
extremely important part of an application. Colleges receive the SAT reports of
a student and usually take the highest
scores from that student. Some colleges
even combine students’ best sections
from any of the SAT reports to form
their highest score possible. And yes,
most colleges do look and receive all of
a students SAT reports. But that doesn’t
necessarily have to be the downside.
Taking the SAT multiple times and improving the score each time can show a
college admissions officer that the applicant is dedicated.
It is wise to invest in an SAT program or private tutoring. According to
an article on chron.com (Houston
Chronicle), “With the test-preparation
courses available and the variety of
study methods, student planning to
achieve their best SAT and ACT scores
have hope- and an advantage.” There
are many programs/classes that are
offered within Houston. In fact, some
are offered nationwide.
These programs make studying for the
SAT easier, especially the private
tutoring options.
Continued on page 9
Fun in the Sun
By: Leyla Tulumovic
If swimming is on the agenda, try
Schlitterbahn, Palm Beach, and
SplashTown. Schlitterbahn is a water
park in Galveston that has a bunch of
water slides and a pool. The entry fee
for children is $38.99 and for adults it is
$48.99. It’s a little costly but it’s an allday pass so it’s definitly worth it. Palm
Beach is in Moody Gardens which is
right next to Schlitterbahn. Visitors of
all ages are welcome but it’s more of a
children’s place. The children’s tickets
are $17.95 and the adult tickets are
$23.95. This the perfect place for kids
to swim in the lazy river and have a
blast on the mini water slides. There’s
also a Jacuzzi for the adults. SplashTown is located in North Houston. The
admission tickets are $30.99 for children and $33.99 for adults. Everyone
will have loads of fun on amazing rides
like the Tornado and the Ripqurl!
Riding rides without water is al-
ways fun too! Pleasure Pier, Kemah
Boardwalk, and Six Flags are all fun
places to go. Pleasure Pier is along Galveston’s sea wall. The all-day ride
passes are $19.99 for children (under
48”) and $26.99 for adults (48” and up).
Rides like the Iron Shark Rollercoaster
and Pirates Plunge will blow your mind
away. Definitely something you’ll want
to ride more than just once. Kemah
Boardwalk is just as fun as Pleasure
Pier but it has a lot of great restaurants
on the boardwalk. There’s no entry fee
but the all-day ride pass is $17.99 for
children and $21.99 for adults. There
are many other things on the boardwalk
like the Boardwalk Beast, Stingray Reef,
and Midway Games. Six Flags has a lot
of amazing but terrifying rollercoasters
and rides. Children tickets are $51.99
and adult tickets are $64.99. There are
always discounts so make sure to check
online! Continued on page 9