Benjamin Said:

I am very nervous, worried and confused, please help!?

We Answered:

In my humble opinion, you are already smarter than 95 per cent of the country, as you know enough to communicate in two languages. Please take my advice with a grain of salt, and just consider it as a possible solution. You are 17. How horrible would it be if you got a part time job and hired a tutor to help you with english, the SAT test, and college applications for one year. Then when you have a solid grasp on things, take the test, go to the college and get along with your life. My eldest son went into the Army reserve right out of high school and then later entered college. He is doing very well now.
What ever you decide, I wish you all the luck in the world.

Miguel Said:

What is the dumbest move Knicks (my team) did this decade ?

We Answered:

I agree with all of your statements but don't forget some dumb trades by Isiah such as trade Ariza,Frye etc

Alan Said:

Worried about my sat scores!?

We Answered:

Congratulations on your IB diploma! I did that myself (at a US school) so I know from experience how rigorous and difficult that is. Well done.

Colleges, including Rice, will definitely appreciate an IB diploma and all of your work in the arts and MUN. You do not have to play sports to get into college in the US! From your description, in fact, you have a strong application. And being from Venezuela may help your application, because that's rather unique. You clearly write well in English, which is a big plus.

Your SAT scores don't sound like they represent your abilities. Some of that is to be expected from a student for whom English is a second language (especially in the writing section), but I also think you can improve your scores, and your application as a whole, with a bit of work.

Here is what I would recommend:

1) Contact Rice and ask them to send you an application. You can request these online now, but it's not a bad idea to call them and introduce yourself over the phone and ask any questions you might have while you're asking for an application. Be sure to tell them that Rice is your dream school! Also, ask them -- or look up -- their median SAT scores for accepted students.

2) Once you get the application, read it and start planning your whole application, including your essay. Your SAT is only one part of your application, and it's not necessarily the most important one.

3) Purchase the Official SAT Study Guide (a blue/green book). It has 10 practice SAT tests written by the test-makers, so it's the official source of practice questions and should always be your first choice for practice tests.

4) Also purchase a study book like those from Kaplan or the Princeton Review. Both are very good, and both will help you with strategies for each section. I agree, the math questions on the SAT are nothing like the IB math SL/HL, but all that means is that you have to learn the tricks for this new test. And you can get tips on the reading and writing sections as well that will help you earn precious extra points.

5) Find out whether you have to take the TOEFL as well. That's the Test Of English as a Foreign Language, and when I was applying to colleges, all students from non-English-speaking countries had to take it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me using the last of the links below. I'm happy to give further advice to a fellow IB graduate!