Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Fwd: Resources and Help for the ACT


Sydney Ethridge
SEHS Counselor
2362 Long Creek Rd
Meridian, MS 39301
601-483-5501 (Office)
601-483-6347 (Fax)


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Anh Nguyen <anguyen18@lauderdale.k12.ms.us>
Date: Tue, Jun 9, 2020 at 1:56 PM
Subject: Resources and Help for the ACT
To: Russell Keene <rkeene@lauderdale.k12.ms.us>
Cc: Niyah Troup <ntroup30@lauderdale.k12.ms.us>


This is an email intended for the student body of Southeast regarding ACT resources and possible help from Niyah Troup and I, Anh Mi Nguyen.

Hello beautiful people of SEHS,

TL;DR: We have a lot of free ACT resources, so please use them. There's a Zoom link at the end if you have any questions. If you're interested in arts or STEM, please read the highlighted section.

I hope that you are having a wonderful summer relaxing in your bed, scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, or your social media of choice. I am too enjoying my time consuming countless YouTube videos and way too much desserts. Nevertheless, we must brace ourselves for our futures.

If you plan to attend a university or college, you will likely need to take the infamous ACT test. A good score on this test can both increase your chances for admission into colleges and help you get that good good scholarship money.

If you do not know what it is, the ACT is a timed college admission test comprising four sections.
  • English: 75 questions for 45 minutes
  • Math: 60 questions for 60 minutes
  • Reading: 40 questions for 35 minutes
  • Science: 40 questions for 35 minutes
I encourage you to sign up at https://www.act.org and find out more about the test if you have not already. Some of you may qualify for a waiver, and juniors  can take a free test in February on the school campus.

There are many resources to help you prepare for the ACT, and many of them cost way too much money (I personally spent $400 on an unhelpful program and at least $100 more on books). As your fellow students who have taken and retaken the test, Niyah Troup and I want to reach out and share the free resources we found helpful.


In the dropbox are
  • The Red Book: a book that the ACT company published with 5 official tests
  • The Black Book: a book that goes along with the Red Book and explains questions and answers in deeper details
  • The Complete Guide to ACT English by Erica Meltzer: I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to improve their English section score as this helped me went from 27 to 35.
  • The Complete Guide to ACT Reading by Erica Meltzer: I recommend this book and the Black Book for the reading section. They helped me improve from 24 to 35 even though English is not my first language.
  • For The Love of ACT Science by Michael Cerro: I highly recommend that you read through this book to improve your Science scores. I found it very helpful and went from 25 to 36 using it.
Sadly, I do not have any specific book for the math section, but I've read many positive feedbacks about College Panda's Advanced ACT Math and For the Love of ACT Math if you want a book for that section. 

I suggest that you read through the English, Reading, and Science books to increase your scores. Practice tests are also an integral part of achieving a higher score, and you should definitely review what you did wrong after each test. Please take these tests timed since the fast pace is a problem for most students. If you find a full 2 hours and 55 minutes test too long, I'd suggest splitting the test in halves and taking it over 2 days.

I know that these may look like lengthy, tedious tasks, and, truthfully, they are. However, they can help make the difference between getting full rides to in-state schools and rejection letters. Please spend your time during this summer productively and consider utilizing these resources.

I want you all to know that Niyah and I are both here to help you with the ACT and PSAT. Please feel free to email me at <anguyen18@lauderdale.k12.ms.us> and Niyah at <ntroup30@lauderdale.k12.ms.us> for any question or explanation about the tests. If you don't like the formalness of emails, you can also text me at 601-701-1570 (please don't doxx me, I beg you). We will try to get back to you in a timely manner. This process may be intimating, but please know that there is no stupid question. We probably had the same questions that you may have, and we want to offer insights or support that make your journey easier.

I apologize for the long email, and thank you if you made it this far! 

Lastly, I'm going to advertise for the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS) and Mississippi School for the Arts (MSA). These are both magnet, residential high schools specialized in their respective fields, and they accept applications from sophomores. If you are interested or know anyone that is interested in arts or STEM, please check out their websites. Niyah and I are both students at MSMS from Southeast, and we want more Southeast students to have the amazing opportunities that we have been given. Please feel free to reach out to either of us for more information about MSMS!

We are holding a Zoom meeting to answer any questions that you may have about the ACT or MSMS. I recommend that you take a practice test beforehand, so we can help you review any mistake.

Topic: ACT Help Meeting
Time: Jun 15, 2020 05:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
 
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 827 7032 3275
Password: THICC36

Good luck on your journey to acquire that thicc 36!

p.s. The ACT is a very specific test that measures very specific test taking skills, and it does not reflect your intelligence. It simply quantifies how good you are at taking it. This can easily be improved with practice tests and strategies, so please don't feel bad because of your score.


Anh Mi Nguyen and Niyah Troup
Your senior and grand senior in an alternate universe
Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science Class of 2020 & 2021


Disclaimer: The foregoing electronic message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended only for the use of the intended recipient named above. This communication may contain material protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If you are not the intended recipient, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you received this electronic message in error, please notify us immediately at 601-693-1683, at the Lauderdale County School District Central Office. 

Disclaimer: The foregoing electronic message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended only for the use of the intended recipient named above. This communication may contain material protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If you are not the intended recipient, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you received this electronic message in error, please notify us immediately at 601-693-1683, at the Lauderdale County School District Central Office. 

Disclaimer: The foregoing electronic message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended only for the use of the intended recipient named above. This communication may contain material protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If you are not the intended recipient, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you received this electronic message in error, please notify us immediately at 601-693-1683, at the Lauderdale County School District Central Office. 
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