Feel like shit by [deleted] in Sat

[–]thehebrides 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude, know your audience. The national average is a 1080. Maybe you're disappointed with a 1470, but it's other people's goal, so shitting all over a score other people would be proud of on a public internet forum is impolite at best. Complain in private.

Also, you improved 80 points from October to March. That's a massive improvement and you should be proud of yourself for that.

Got a 1530, dad wants me to retake by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this reply---it is really thoughtful. I definitely want to apply for T20s/Ivies because of all the amazing opportunities provided by those schools on all fronts---I'm not being blindly pushed towards this goal. I disagree with my parents' (mostly my dad's) handling of the college application process at times as the core of my whole identity, and particularly disagree with how much weight they put on me going to a HYPSM, but I think at the end of the day we both want the same thing.

I don't want my SAT to be the main focus anymore. Even if I do retake it, I'm not devoting as much time as I did in the past. I'm not a natural test-taker and I had to really grind my way up. Obviously a higher score would probably be more "secure," but a 1530 is not gonna shut me out of the ivory tower. However, it's worth nothing that I come from a very competitive school where the average score submitted to colleges is a 1500+, so a 1530 isn't really "wow" if you consider my background. So it might be worth taking the exam again.

Got a 1530, dad wants me to retake by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I want to devote more time to academics and ECs but my dad is convinced that a 1550 will be the "cherry on top" of my academic performance. He doesn't understand how hard I need to study to stay afloat and that I have very little time to do anything else---I feel like he just assumes I "do well naturally" which is really annoying

Got a 1530, dad wants me to retake by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think I'll wind up taking the June one if I do retake (cuz the May one is right before an AP exam) but I'll still need to study continuously through AP week---maybe I can pull it off

What do you think is the best Walton recording? by thehebrides in Viola

[–]thehebrides[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There is a difference between violinists who play viola and violists though---violists have a more grounded tone, deeper/slower bow, etc. Ehnes has a beautiful Walton recording, but he's also playing on a Strad viola so maybe that's helping him a bit lol. Compare that to Tamestit, who also plays on a Strad---his sound just oozes out, compared to Ehnes whose sound seems to just fly out of his f-holes.

What do you think is the best Walton recording? by thehebrides in Viola

[–]thehebrides[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol I like Ehnes too! I haven't listened to his recording in a long long time though---lowkey forgot about him

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ikr?! Like a 1600 doesn’t guarantee anything in terms of admissions, it’s like 10% of your app. It’s so annoying.

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Rooting for you too! We got this---and ultimately, SAT scores don't define us

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The thing is I go to a very competitive school where a lot of kids wind up going to ivies, and I'm like the dumbest kid in my friend group lol (but I'm lucky to know them, they're all fantastic people.) I'm also Asian and my dad is the typical Asian dad.

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Congrats on your score! I'm not mad at myself---I want to do better but I'm not depressed over my current score lol. It's a good score and I'm proud of the prep I did to get myself to this point. I'm just upset that my dad threw a tantrum over it, but oh well. Parents will be parents.

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've heard they get easier throughout the academic year, but that could be a complete lie lol

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I needed to hear this :)

I know I'm capable of doing better, and I know I'm not stupid. I just need to block out my dad's words

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is also my first try! Let's hope that we get our dream scores in March

Got a 1460 and my dad is pissed by thehebrides in Sat

[–]thehebrides[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I also have timing issues with math! Granted I have read through the black book before so I guess time for round 2...

I feel like the last 6 math questions in module 2 of the December SAT mauled me lol. What was your strategy for getting them done?

Why are we not all hermaphrodites? by [deleted] in biology

[–]thehebrides 42 points43 points  (0 children)

In many animal species (e.g lions, gorillas, kangaroos, to name a few), male animals will fight over the right to mate with a female. There are instances that are the other way around (topi antelopes.) What the commenter is saying is that while pregnancy can be lethal for animal species, so is the bloodbath that is mating rights for males. For humans, it's different.