The best New Year's resolution for the college-bound

The best New Year's resolution!Are you slowly emerging from holiday fun--or fog? Wrapping your mind around beginning a new semester? A new year?This is traditionally a moment to pause and look ahead. What are your hopes, your dreams? What's the single most important thing you, a teenager can do--today!--to make your hopes and dreams come true?Put yourself to the test!Don't just sit there! If you think you have what it takes to power up and make a difference in the world, put yourself to the test!What test? Whatever test will be required of you to move ahead toward university! You have a little time before school starts up again. Take a practice test today!How often should you take a practice test? Click on the image or the link above for advice from a student who really, really wanted to get into Brown.Athena AdvisesTo reach your dreams, you need to get strong. Mental muscle is developed the same way as physical muscle: train!If you're aiming at the best universities in the UK, you may need to take the Cambridge Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA).Are you planning to study law in the UK? The Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT) is probably in your future.Is a US college or university your dream? Try both the SAT and ACT tests, to see which seems more congenial. Some students do markedly better on one or the other other of these tests. Find out now, so that you can direct your efforts in the right direction!Think you're too young for all that? Take the PSAT!But think twice, because you can take the SAT at any age. Sixth- through eighth-graders can present SAT scores to qualify for programs for gifted and talented students. Of course, a student's age is taken into consideration in evaluating scores.SAT Subject Tests are another option you can discuss with your guidance counselor.Athena Mentor strongly recommends taking a practice test at home, rather than taking a real test "just for practice." That way, your practice score remains confidential. Talk to your guidance counselor or Athena Mentor about when to take an official test.Hint: the answer is "sooner than you think." So get off to a good start in the new year: take a practice test today. You can find practice material on the internet.Wishing you a strong start in the new year,Dr. Marlena CorcoranFounder and CEOAuthor of Year by Year to College, on amazon.com, amazon.de and many national amazon sitesP.S. The good news is that you do get better with practice. Listen to the teenager in the video!