The only thing more helpful than your teacher sharing the test questions one week before the exam would be your teacher sharing the questions to every upcoming exam at the beginning of the school year. Then you wouldn’t just know what to review; you’d know what to learn. You’d get it right the first time. It would be the most focused, helpful study guide you could imagine.
Colleges provide that information for potential applicants.
Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, if any colleges are currently on your radar screen, schools that you might consider applying to one day, why not visit the admissions sections of their websites now? Learn the requirements for a completed application. Check which standardized tests you’ll need to take. Review the information you’ll be asked to share on an application. Read the essay questions and imagine how you would respond if you were applying today.
Then ask yourself, “What can I do with that information today to make me a stronger applicant tomorrow?”
I’m not suggesting that you customize your entire high school career to fit the preferences of one college. But using their published admissions criteria like a study guide for a future exam can help you make informed decisions and avoid common mistakes. And best of all, you’ll be getting the very best information from the source, not secondhand admissions intelligence from friends or neighbors who “heard it” somewhere.
The admissions study guides are there just waiting to be used.