SAT Blog

SAT WORD OF THE DAY – ABATE

abate – (v) (of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread.

定義 : 减輕

synonyms – subside, die down/away/out, drop off/away, decrease, diminish, moderate, decline, fade, dwindle, slacken, recede, cool off, tail off, peter out, taper off, wane, ebb, relent, desist, weaken, become weaker, come to an end.

 

 

 

 

*note: all definitions, synonyms or otherwise provided for the aforementioned words were found on google’s definition engine or another online dictionary of reputable quality.  These words and their meanings were solely provided for reference and as supplements to any efforts in learning about the words.  All learning from the terms should be verified by the user to validate the authenticity or use in one’s particular purposes.  

 

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SAT WORD OF THE DAY – COMPLACENCY

complacency – (n) a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.

定義 : 滿足

synonyms – smugness, self-satisfaction, self-approval, self-approbation, self-admiration, self-congratulation, self-regard, gloating, triumph, pride, satisfaction, contentment.

 

 

 

*note: all definitions, synonyms or otherwise provided for the aforementioned words were found on google’s definition engine or another online dictionary of reputable quality.  These words and their meanings were solely provided for reference and as supplements to any efforts in learning about the words.  All learning from the terms should be verified by the user to validate the authenticity or use in one’s particular purposes.  

 

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Few Seats Available for the June 2015 SAT in Hong Kong

For our valued customers, here’s a quick reminder to register right away!

If you’ve visited the college board’s website recently, you’ll see13 or 14 pages of:

Sort by: Sort Results byTest Center Name | Sort Results byAddress | Sort Results byAvailability

Test Center Location Search Results
Test Center Name Address Availability Choose a Test Center
ASIA WORLD – EXPO — ZONE B HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, HONG KONG, HONG KONG Not administering this test
ASIA WORLD EXPO – ZONE A HONG KONG INTL AIRPORT, HONG KONG, HONG KONG Not administering this test
ASIA WORLD EXPO–ZONE IA HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, HONG KONG, HONG KONG Not administering this test
ASIA WORLD EXPO–ZONE IB HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, HONG KONG, HONG KONG Not administering this test
ASIA WORLD EXPO–ZONE IC HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, HONG KONG, HONG KONG Not administering this test

Or “unavailable” seats.

However, if you want to take advantage of this last SAT test date for the 2015 school year, you only have the following locations remaining:

REMAINING TEST LOCATIONS FOR THE JUNE 2015 SAT

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The New 2015 (-2016) Common Application Essay Questions (Prompts) have been released

writing-an-essayAs we’ve preached many times, this is one skill you can start with when you’re very young.  You aren’t limited to 25 minutes to write your essay.  You could literally fine tune this essay for years especially given they announce their topics like this.  As a result, we wanted to make sure you have them as soon as we found out.

2015-2016 Common App Essay Topics

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?

4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

If you need help with your writing skills, please visit our SAT/Test Prep center in Causeway Bay and talk to our many award winning writing instructors who can help you advance your skills to help you obtain admissions to top Universities like Harvard, Yale, Stanford or Berkeley.  

Do the prompts look familiar?  They should.  The italicized words are what changed even though the paraphrasing of the questions is quite similar.  Check out last year’s topics:

2014-2015 Common Application Essay Topics

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Harvard Admissions Announcements (2015) for Class of 2019

Harvard_Wreath_Logo_1.svgHarvard Admissions Rate for 2019 Announced

The Ivy Leagues admissions announcments news has been released as we mentioned earlier today shortly after 5p EST in the United States.

And the most elite of elite colleges at least in terms of perception have announced their Class of 2019 Results:

Havard University accepts 1990 out of 37,307 applicants for their next prestigious class of freshmen.

The Top Ivy League University gets more competitive now boasting a 5.33% admissions rate.

However, this doesn’t compete with the 2019 Class of Stanford which tops the rate at 5.05% this year.

Regardless, it appears as if this year (2015) for the class of 2019 was a very competitive year with many of the other Ivy Leagues also announcing a more competitive rate.  Columbia became more competitive this past year along with Princeton, Brown, and Dartmouth.  The 3 other Ivy League Institutions (UPenn, Yale & Cornell) though either stayed the same or saw an increase in their rates.

What does it take to get into Harvard?

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Stanford Admission Rate More Competitive – 2015 (for Class of 2019)

stanford universityTop Colleges Admissions Rates Fierce

If Stanford is any indication of how the responses will be for the Ivy League, we might have fewer happy families in a couple of days.

In 2014, the Class of 2018 was the most competitive in the University’s history offering only 5.07% of the students who applied admissions to the West Coast institution of higher education.  The school beat out Harvard by close to a full percentage point at 5.9%.

Stanford accepted 748 students in December through the Office of Undergraduate Admission’s restrictive early action program and extended offers to 1,390 more applicants on March 28 (out of the 38,828 students who applied).

This year, Stanford offered admissions to 6 more students than the prior year (2144 vs. 2138), but there were 42,487 applicants (320 students more than a year earlier).  The admissions rate has been on a steady decline for at least 4 years: “The university admitted 5.7 percent of applicants in 2013 and 6.6 percent in 2012.”

As a result, Stanford’s Class of 2019 has a record setting 5.05% admissions rate vs. the year earlier at 5.07%.

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Harvard and Ivy League Decisions Date

Application DecisionsWhen do Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell, Brown & Dartmouth tell their Regular Decision Candidates if they’re Accepted?

We’ve been getting this question quite a bit lately and the answer is:

March 31, 2015, Tuesday, at 5pm Eastern Standard Time or shortly thereafter.

Good luck to all of our students!

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Another Perfect 2400 – On a Vacation?

perfect SAT score from alabamaInstead of resting and relaxing on the beaches of Cancún at one of Mexico’s premiere resort destinations last December, Indian Springs School boarding student Joon Soo Sea had other plans, thanks to his parents.

“My family was there on vacation,” the 16-year-old student from Daegu, South Korea, recalled. “They said it was a family vacation and ‘You have to come over, too.’ And I was, like, sweet, but they said, ‘No, you have to take the SAT.'”

For more…click here.

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SAT WORD OF THE DAY – CENSURE

censure – (v) express severe disapproval of (someone or something), especially in a formal statement.

定義 : 指責

2nd definition – (n) the formail expression of severe disapproval.

synonyms – condemnation, criticism, attack, abuse, revilement, reprimand, rebuke, admonition, reproof, reproval, upbraiding, castigation, berating, denunciation, disapproval, reproach, scolding, chiding, reprehension, obloguy, vituperation.

 

 

 

 

 

*note: all definitions, synonyms or otherwise provided for the aforementioned words were found on google’s definition engine or another online dictionary of reputable quality.  These words and their meanings were solely provided for reference and as supplements to any efforts in learning about the words.  All learning from the terms should be verified by the user to validate the authenticity or use in one’s particular purposes.  

 

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