SAT/ACT

I believe that the SAT/ACT or any standardized test cannot hope to gauge whether a student will preform well their first year of college.  Because I have only taken the SAT I will keep my discussion to that.  The SAT is a test and like any other test can be studied for.  I know of many friends who spend two years preparing for the SAT with review books, word a day programs and tutors.  They preformed phenomenally well on the test and went on to apply to reputable colleges with essays they spent a year working on.  However, their grades for much of high school were average and aside from the studying they did for the SAT they never really studied for their tests.  As a result many of them have had trouble their first year and have done poorly or in some cases transferred to easier colleges.  The SAT is not nearly as useful as high school records because consistency matters more then a single performance.  Students who show a willingness to study material and ask questions in class will most likely do far better of the course of a year then those who cram for a single test.  Another problem in the SAT is its use of sections.  Many colleges only look at the math and verbal sections and completely ignore the writing.  A poor performance in one of these categories can lead to a low score and writing which is so important in college is looked over because colleges have their own way they would like you to write.  Simply because you have a natural affinity for numbers could allow you to have a higher score even though you enter a major where very little math is required.  In addition a person can choose to retake the SAT as many times as they want and only their highest scores will be kept.  Scores a little lower then you expected them to be?  Study and take it again; and just to be sure ignore the other sections and focus your attention entirely on verbal.  while the idea of a single test that you cannot retake decides your future of college is equally idiotic the grade shopping prevents students from applying to a college that is appropriate for them and can lead to a poor performance.  The writing section of the SAT is also foolishly ignored.  Colleges instead draw upon high school grades and essays submitted to judge a applicants ability.  Unfortunately high school is much easier then college and you can hire tutors or consult teachers to improve you essay.  The essays that you are required to submit are often short so thousands of them can be more easily reviewed.  This is not the same expectation as in college where you are expected to write long essays.  School papers are also not up to the challenge of determining a students performance in the first year.  Papers in school often do not exceed a certain range and as a result when in college you can be surprised by new requirements of styles of writing.  Even to the Writing SAT cannot judge how a student will do on a paper that can take days or weeks to write but it can judge how well a student can think.  The SAT gives question and allows you to answer it in any way you see fit similarly to many midterms in college which is then ignored. In one of my classes last semester 40% of our grade came from our final which was a choice of questions based around American history.  This format was nearly the same as the SAT but a student who did poorly on the written section that was then ignored would very likely do poorly on it.  The SAT is a test that can gauge a students abilities but over the years has become easy to study and prepare for and as a result cannot be used to gauge a students performance in their first year of college.

Perfect day

For me a perfect day is somewhere between 60-40 degrees Fahrenheit.  I hate sweating so anything that is near body temperature is far to high.  I also want to be able to wear a tee shirt so the range of 60-40 allows you to play sports comfortably.  The humidity would of course be zero.  There would be the smallest possible breeze, no huge gusts or any other wind.  Wind is terrible for sports like tennis or frisbee and can make just walking a huge annoyance especially if you have to walk directly into it.  A small breeze just allows the air to move but does nothing else; hats should not go flying and the trees should be silent.  On my perfect day the sun is completely out.  The sun is always a good thing.  It leaves a warm feeling on your skin, brings out color in everything it's light touches and just makes you want to go outside.  My perfect day is always in Fall.  Spring the flowers are blooming and the bees are out and it always seems to rain, Summer is always hot and humid and Winter no one ever wants to go outside.  Fall is a time to take walks for fun and see the leaves change color.  Any perfect day should of course be on a Saturday.  Saturdays are free they don't have any work like the weekdays and there is no sense of dread that you get on a Sunday.  My perfect day would never have any scedule to it.  It could be in the city, on the beach, in the woods for all I care.  It would be a day entirely devoted to finding stuff to do rather then planning for it to happen.

sports

Professional athletes are way overpaid in my opinion.  I am by no means saying that what they can do is not remarkable or that it is not entertaining to watch them occasionally but I believe that they receive to much money for the risk they are subject to and the amount they contribute to society.

The first matter I would like to discuss is the risk that professional athletes are subject to.  While I cannot deny that football players and hockey players can be seriously hurt, but at the same time the risk they run is comparatively small compared to policemen, firefighters and military personnel.  Why we glorify athletes who break laws and hurt people while underpay police and others who will forever be beyond me.  Firefighters who risk their lives every time they are called for should be able to live their lives in comfort when they retire and military personnel should not fear losing their livelihood because they are injured protecting their country.

Another reason I believe that athletes are overpaid is because of their contributions to society.  I spent a year doing public service and in all my time working in a school I encountered professional athletes twice; once when reading a book to a second grader and again when a kid compared himself to Lebron James in the schoolyard.  I am not saying that athletes are not valuable role models for children.  Sports are a good way to stay fit, meet new people and just have fun.  I can recall many times while I was in school when other kids named athletes as their hero for their hard work and determination.  But why do we not also recognize other figures who have can serve as role models for children.  A single good teacher can change a child's outlook in school for a whole year and encourage them to continue their education. But while education is on the minds of America teachers still are paid less then what many deserve and many schools struggle with funding.  I would much rather children receive the education they deserve, because teachers are not afraid to enter the profession because of low pay or if they decide to cannot do their best due to lack of resources.

Professional athletes should be drawn to the sport because they love it, not because they are drawn to the money.  They should be paid based on the risk they are exposed to, the time they must commit to say at their level and yes for being the best there are at what they do.  But in comparison they are truly overpaid to others who are more important to our society.