Many students dream of becoming a doctor. It's a noble profession, helping people and saving lives. While most students go down the traditional path of completing an undergraduate, taking the MCAT and then going on to medical school;  accelerated BS/MD programs are growing in popularity.

The SAT/ACT is a daunting eventuality for any university bound student. While some students have begun their college preparation even before getting to high school, other than keeping good grades, a standardized test is the first big step towards college admittance.

I hated the SAT. I still hate it. It doesn't really measure your intelligence, which is made up of so many different qualities. Intelligence isn't just a number--it's about how curious you are, how you progress, your ability to shift perspectives and take on problems. 

Exam period can be an extremely stressful time for students and AP exams are no exception. When stress gets the better of us, it can really affect performance. But how do you conquer test nerves? Below are some strategies to remain calm and put your best foot forward during the AP exam period.

Unlike the SAT or ACT exams, AP exams are offered only once a year, in May. This means that if you don’t do well, it’s not as simple to retake the exams, because you’ll need to wait until the next year. If you retake the exams, you also can’t control which AP scores the colleges see; they’ll automatically get all of them (including the bad ones that made you retake the exams in the first place).

Regardless of whether you’re pursuing a career in STEM, social sciences, or the arts it is important to continue your growth in literacy. In previous book club posts, we’ve talked about how reading can act as a calm space in the craziness of college preparation, as well as develop your writing and creative thinking skills. In addition to these outstanding literacy benefits, reading regularly can provide you with new experiences, perspectives, and life lessons that will help you become a more well-rounded student and individual. With that said, here are few reads to add to your spring reading list:

Demonstrated interest is when a student engages with a college to signal the student is serious about attending the college. Colleges care because students who show high levels of demonstrated interest are more likely to attend the college if accepted.

Summer break is an important opportunity for students to add credentials to their college application. Students can travel, do volunteer work, study for the SAT, or participate in academic summer programs. There are countless different summer programs out there but they are not all created equal.

1. Gain Some Perspective

The college admission process is a tough, grueling and competitive process. If you’ve been working your entire childhood and teenage years towards the lofty goal of attending Stanford or purchasing a Harvard sweatshirt, it can definitely feel soul crushing when you get rejected from your dream school(s). It’s important to arm yourself with stats - admissions rates, median scores and percentiles, etc - as well as some realistic inspiration.

Volunteering in your community is a great way to give back, learn new skills, establish a professional network, and demonstrate responsibility. It's also a way to further explore and test whether you want to pursue a career in areas that currently interest you. For students interested in the social sciences, there are several types of community service opportunities that you can explore. 

We already know that community service is an amazing way to show a commitment to giving back and making the world a better and brighter place. What you may be unsure of is how to integrate your interests with your volunteer work, so Empowerly is here to help. 

Many of the combined bachelors degree with medical programs (BS/MD or BA/MD) use a series of mini questions to screen applicants in their selection process. If you've reached this far, rest assured that you are a competitive applicant and have a good shot of being accepted into the program! But what can you expect to be asked and what is the format of the multi mini interview?

As I'm sure many of you have seen on the news, the shocking behavior of a group of parents and college coaches has rocked the world of college admissions. Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, as well as many other wealthy parents, have been accused of paying to falsify standardized test scores and college athlete profiles to get their children accepted to top universities. While several justice systems are currently working to appropriately indict these criminals, this is a heinous breach of trust for students everywhere who believe the college admissions process is fair and honest.

College admissions has recently been all over the news because of a terrible scandal that involved dozens of wealthy families illegally bolstering their children's applications to get them accepted into top universities.

So you got the internship you had your sights on! Congratulations, it's a great accomplishment and you can breath a sigh of relieve that you have your summer sorted. But there are some things you can do to prepare yourself between now and your start date, to make sure you get the most of your internship.