Too Late! (Rant)

GavinR

GavinR

Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2023
Messages
11
Hey all, this my little rant about slacking, I don't have any questions, just need to get some things off my chest.

I'm a Junior, and was planning on taking the ACT in December. However, I slacked off, I never really studied, plus I had a lot of other stuff going on when school started, (that's just an excuse) and now the deadline is passed to register for the December ACT unless I pay the late fee. Now, instead of paying 60 bucks for a test, I have to pay like 100, and I haven't really studied or prepared. So I don't think I'll waste my money. But that also means that I won't have any test score to submit to the academy when it comes time to apply for summer seminar. I didn't even take the PSAT. I should have. But I was more focused on soccer, wrestling, AP classes, student council, my clubs, piano competitions, and girls to care about the ACT. I know the Academy says it doesn't matter if you went to summer seminar or not, but I still wanted that experience. My parents say I've stretched myself too thin. They don't want me to do anything military related, or even go to a good college for that matter. (they want me to be a musician) They always say "when I went to high school, I did XC my senior year, took 1 AP class, and I turned out fine!" I guess I just have a different viewpoint than them. But anyways, I need to prove them wrong. I know I can do this, so I'm gonna study whenever I can for the ACT, take it in January, and go from there.

If you read this far, thanks for listening. If you have any advice or words of wisdom I receive them with thanks. Have a good day.
 
GavinR said:
Hey all, this my little rant about slacking, I don't have any questions, just need to get some things off my chest.

I'm a Junior, and was planning on taking the ACT in December. However, I slacked off, I never really studied, plus I had a lot of other stuff going on when school started, (that's just an excuse) and now the deadline is passed to register for the December ACT unless I pay the late fee. Now, instead of paying 60 bucks for a test, I have to pay like 100, and I haven't really studied or prepared. So I don't think I'll waste my money. But that also means that I won't have any test score to submit to the academy when it comes time to apply for summer seminar. I didn't even take the PSAT. I should have. But I was more focused on soccer, wrestling, AP classes, student council, my clubs, piano competitions, and girls to care about the ACT. I know the Academy says it doesn't matter if you went to summer seminar or not, but I still wanted that experience. My parents say I've stretched myself too thin. They don't want me to do anything military related, or even go to a good college for that matter. (they want me to be a musician) They always say "when I went to high school, I did XC my senior year, took 1 AP class, and I turned out fine!" I guess I just have a different viewpoint than them. But anyways, I need to prove them wrong. I know I can do this, so I'm gonna study whenever I can for the ACT, take it in January, and go from there.

If you read this far, thanks for listening. If you have any advice or words of wisdom I receive them with thanks. Have a good day.
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... so what's the overall objective (s)??

- hip-hop artist
- USNA
- Door dash driver
- USMA
 
You got this! Bravo for sharing your challenges with procrastination and priorities. Success is discipline on your bad days. Take the SAT and the ACT as many times as possible. Do what's best for you, but it will take hard work and focus!
 
I am very impressed with your work ethic and motivation, especially considering that you are doing it all by yourself without your parents telling you what to do or doing it for you. Just keep going step by step and day by day and persevering toward your goal. Nobody else is perfect either. Don’t look back, but just keep looking forward and trying your best to get better every day. That is all any of us can do.
 
... ok, pay the late fee and take the exam... send scores to USAFA. Retake in one month after reviewing all missed problems.
*** Rhetorical question: How bad do you want this?
{My answers only, mine Alone. If I want this, then I'd go for it with a sense of urgency. If no, I'll maintain my sorry a$$ of a lame life}
 
GavinR said:
Hey all, this my little rant about slacking, I don't have any questions, just need to get some things off my chest.

I'm a Junior, and was planning on taking the ACT in December. However, I slacked off, I never really studied, plus I had a lot of other stuff going on when school started, (that's just an excuse) and now the deadline is passed to register for the December ACT unless I pay the late fee. Now, instead of paying 60 bucks for a test, I have to pay like 100, and I haven't really studied or prepared. So I don't think I'll waste my money. But that also means that I won't have any test score to submit to the academy when it comes time to apply for summer seminar. I didn't even take the PSAT. I should have. But I was more focused on soccer, wrestling, AP classes, student council, my clubs, piano competitions, and girls to care about the ACT. I know the Academy says it doesn't matter if you went to summer seminar or not, but I still wanted that experience. My parents say I've stretched myself too thin. They don't want me to do anything military related, or even go to a good college for that matter. (they want me to be a musician) They always say "when I went to high school, I did XC my senior year, took 1 AP class, and I turned out fine!" I guess I just have a different viewpoint than them. But anyways, I need to prove them wrong. I know I can do this, so I'm gonna study whenever I can for the ACT, take it in January, and go from there.

If you read this far, thanks for listening. If you have any advice or words of wisdom I receive them with thanks. Have a good day.
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It's never too late when it comes to your application and standardized test, trust me I know from experience. Good luck and keep up the hustle.
 
Also keep in the back of your mind that Summer Seminar is a great experience but absolutely not a guarantee or a requirement for admission. My oldest DS was not selected for SS and my youngest didn't even apply for it and yet there they are together at USAFA. Some of their friends that went to SS know of many who were in their class there and didn't get offers of appointment. Focus on your goal, put in the effort to get the ACT done so you at least have a baseline and good luck with whatever comes next for you.
 
If you can afford it, I’d pay the late fee and take the test. First of all, you might do better than you think without studying. None of my kids did any kind of organized prep and all did well. Plus, if you do need to forge a score improvement plan, it’d be good to have a baseline score to understand what you’re working with. Finally, even without prep, my experience with my three kids is that you do better on a second test naturally. It helps to have experience in the test-taking environment. You have a better understanding of how to use your time and possibly feel less nervous on the 2nd try. My USCGA son went from a 1340 SAT on his first outing to a 1430 on the 2nd test doing pretty much nothing in between study-wise. My other two kids had score bumps too. Just my two cents. Good luck to you!
 
GavinR said:
Hey all, this my little rant about slacking, I don't have any questions, just need to get some things off my chest.

I'm a Junior, and was planning on taking the ACT in December. However, I slacked off, I never really studied, plus I had a lot of other stuff going on when school started, (that's just an excuse) and now the deadline is passed to register for the December ACT unless I pay the late fee. Now, instead of paying 60 bucks for a test, I have to pay like 100, and I haven't really studied or prepared. So I don't think I'll waste my money. But that also means that I won't have any test score to submit to the academy when it comes time to apply for summer seminar. I didn't even take the PSAT. I should have. But I was more focused on soccer, wrestling, AP classes, student council, my clubs, piano competitions, and girls to care about the ACT. I know the Academy says it doesn't matter if you went to summer seminar or not, but I still wanted that experience. My parents say I've stretched myself too thin. They don't want me to do anything military related, or even go to a good college for that matter. (they want me to be a musician) They always say "when I went to high school, I did XC my senior year, took 1 AP class, and I turned out fine!" I guess I just have a different viewpoint than them. But anyways, I need to prove them wrong. I know I can do this, so I'm gonna study whenever I can for the ACT, take it in January, and go from there.

If you read this far, thanks for listening. If you have any advice or words of wisdom I receive them with thanks. Have a good day.
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I am going to say, I took my first and last ACT in July before my senior year. I did not have any PSAT score in for summer programs, but got into SLE and NASS. Then I got an LOA for Navy. You will be fine, put forth your best app.

Do take the ACT soon though.
 
If you know a cadet, most of us can host visitors and give you kind of a brief overview(and in my opinion, better) summary of what cadet daily life and opportunities look like. If you are looking to talk to someone more specifically, send me a pm.
 
Just want to add another "vote" for taking the ACT anyway if you can afford the late fee. It's worth it to take it to get some practice, and so you have a baseline ACT score. You might be better at the SAT but you'd need to take both to know.

And you said you don't have time to study, but based on your activities list, I'd bet you are the kind of person that if you buckled down and studied just a few hours, you'd make a lot of progress. The only "studying" I did was between my first and second SATs, and all I did was look at the types of problems I missed, find practice problems similar, and do as many as I could. I then just took a few (probably something like 3, it wasn't many) practice tests. That raised my score over 100 on both math and verbal on the SAT.

My point is 1. Taking it to get experience is worth it 2. You can study a lot more than you might think in the time you have

Also - keep going after what YOU want. My parents weren't supportive of my military path either, but years later they have come around and are glad I didn't listen to them then. That said, be sure your activities are all QUALITY activities. It is possible to stretch yourself too thin - and standardized test scores are a huge portion of the application. It's a tough call when you love all your activities, but if things are slipping, you can either cut back, or take a look at why they are slipping/where you have room to do better and fix it. You got this!
 
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Agree with the take it if you can afford it. One note...next ACT is in February. Go ahead and register now....it's open. Will give you a stake in the ground to aim at...and they do fill up.

Good luck!!!
 
Not sure why you are concerned about paying the late fee for the ACT? Have you seen the cost of attending Summer Seminar (not including Air Fare if you need it)?
 
ChaggyC17 said:
Not sure why you are concerned about paying the late fee for the ACT? Have you seen the cost of attending Summer Seminar (not including Air Fare if you need it)?
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Well there is no rush for him to test ACT, in my opinion. I took it after coming back from SLE and NASS.
 
cczjz said:
Well there is no rush for him to test ACT, in my opinion. I took it after coming back from SLE and NASS.
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Your opinion is noted and it might work or be right for you.
However, most people with years of experience in SA or other elite university admissions recommend a first test no later than fall of junior year or even better, spring of Sophomore year.
 
OldRetSWO said:
Your opinion is noted and it might work or be right for you.
However, most people with years of experience in SA or other elite university admissions recommend a first test no later than fall of junior year or even better, spring of Sophomore year.
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Sorry, I was replying the the quote above on paying for late fees for ACT. I was just saying he has time and paying the late fee is not necessary.

I agree that standardized testing should be taken sooner rather than later. I tried taking my standardized tests before my junior year, it did not work out well, so I waited until the start of my senior year. To each their own.
 
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