College Myth busters – 3 Deadly Myths that will Ruin Your Chances at College
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Ever wonder what is a college myth? We love Mythbusters here at ReadyEdgeGo so we decided to put up the second edition of our very own version of it. Today we’ll talk about the 3 Huge myths that continue to exist no matter how many times they have been disproven.
Myths
College Myth #1: Taking weighted courses, like honors and AP’s, makes you look good for college.
The Truth. Earning A’s in courses makes you look good for college. Earning A’s in weighted coursework makes you look even better. But taking weighted courses – by itself – does not make you look good for college.
The Reality. Many students take weighted coursework because they heard it makes them look good. This is a college myth. However, many students who do this end up struggling in these weighted courses. Especially because they don’t care much for the course to begin with. And/or they lack the habits required to get A’s in these courses.
College Myth #2: It’s important to self-study for and take AP exams outside of what’s offered
The Truth. Self-studying for AP exams often makes you look bad rather than good. First off, colleges measure students’ coursework and performance based on the curriculum offered and the grades earned. Not the AP exam scores. Hence, self-studying for additional subjects is irrelevant because it isn’t the same as taking a class and earning semester grades in it. Secondly, self-studying for AP exams beyond what was offered is often viewed as manipulative, try-hard, and contrived. Looks like an in-genuine attempt to look good for college rather than a genuine attempt to learn. After, all, studying for an exam score isn’t the same as showing you genuinely wanted to learn about it.
The Reality. Most students who self-study don’t end up getting a 5. This is largely because they don’t have the time to adequately prepare amidst an already heavy course load and other commitments. This is a college myth. As a result, students often opt out of the test or get a 4 or less. Therefore, they don’t report it on their apps, since getting a 4 is equivalent to getting a B. For college admissions, that could hurt you rather than help you. Especially if the AP score has something to do with your major
The College Myth #3: Colleges require 2 SAT Subject Tests.
The Truth. SAT Subject Tests are no longer even being administered. This article was originally planned before the Subject Test hiatus. You can read about it more here.
We will update this article with more information as it becomes available from College Board.
Conclusion
We hope that this provides some valuable insight into how to release some of the college myths you may encounter. You may have while making your college application profile even stronger.
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