Little Moments

Every moment shapes and alters your life. Prior to two weeks ago, I did not realize how everything can change in less than second, but it is all for a reason. Prior to two weeks ago, I was looking at universities in Texas. Prior to two weeks ago, I was preparing for one of the most important competitions in my riding career. Prior to two weeks ago, I was riding my horse four days a week. One second and everything shattered and reversed. That one moment when I was talking to my friend quickly turned upside down (literally). I was on the ground, and as of now I cannot ride on a college team, compete at Zones, or ride my horse. That little moment wiped me off my feet, but it is only a road bump in my life. It might have challenged me and stretched my limits, but it did not stop me. I plan to be back on my horse by the end of this week and will be going into maximum training to prepare for Zones, so I can ride on a collegiate equestrian team. Little moments lead us down paths that we cannot see, but the smaller paths always lead back to the main road. Enjoy the scenery while you wander and do not worry about the time. You will get there eventually when life is ready to fall into place.

The Renewed SAT

The SAT is the second most taken test in the nation, under the ACT... and that is the reason they are making changes. The economic success of an academic company should not be the only reason for modifying a standardized test. Are the improvements truly beneficial though? They want it to be more similar to the ACT, so they are making the writing optional. "Many never figured the score into the admission decision and looked at the actual essays only rarely." Are admission offices the only opinions that are honest? Even though their decisions are the ones that affect our futures, it is always helpful to get feedback on a student's writing from multiple people. Also, writing is a main focus in the business world. Professionals constantly send emails, create proposals, and talk (a verbal essay).  It will always stay a top priority to be able to communicate on paper, so taking it away is doing nothing but hurting the future generation. David Coleman, College Board president, insists too that wealthy students can more easily succeed on standardized tests because they can afford classes to learn tricks on how to quicker answer questions; however, this is not the case. Taking classes is not the only way to prepare oneself better. There are free websites, apps, and numerous books to aid in a student's success. It only takes effort and desire to do well on these national tests. Although there are positive alterations being made to the SAT such as choosing more commonly used vocabulary and adding a science passage in the reading, not all of their transformations will benefit the students.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/06/education/major-changes-in-sat-announced-by-college-board.html?_r=0