SAT vs. ACT: What’s the Difference?

Standardized testing is a way for colleges to compare students across the country on the same scale. High schools vary by curriculum, grading scales, and methodology, so GPA is not as level a playing field as a third party assessment. By issuing the same test to all students, no matter the district, state, or region, colleges can better select students for admission

The SAT – created and run by the non-profit College Board – is a standardized test that scores high school students on mathematic and critical reading skills. Within the last several years, a writing portion has been added. Students have 25 minutes to formulate an essay on a prompt provided in the section. The essay is scored on a scale of 1 to 6 and is graded by two readers. Before this addition, the test was all multiple choice, aside from a math problems calculated within the test packet. However, because essay writing is a significant component of college, this written portion gives colleges a bit more insight into a student’s ability and possible performance if admitted.

The ACT is run by ACT, Inc. and is a competitor to the SAT. Historically, the ACT is not taken by as many students or as broadly nationwide as the SAT, but in recent years this has changed. It seems more and more students are taking the ACT and the SAT or just the ACT alone. The ACT has four distinct areas – English, mathematics, reading and science – and an optional writing section, recently added like the SAT’s. The ACT questions are considered by many to be slightly easier than the SAT but need to be completed in a shorter amount of time. Thus, it all evens out.

Colleges accept scores from both tests. In many cases, which test to take is determined by where a student live and/or wants to attend college. The SAT is popular on the East and West coasts while the ACT dominates the central portion of the country. Both require several hours of your Saturday morning. Depending on the colleges you’re looking to apply to, it might be best to consult the admissions department to see if there is a preference or to at least obtain the school’s score ranges. 

For more information and guidance, please visit  barronstestprep.com.

** This is a sponsored guest post.

Nate Silver & the Rise of Data Scientists

Statistician and New York Times blogger Nate Silver made a name for himself between the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections through his unique algorithms and numbers crunching that enabled him to accurately predict election results in all fifty states. Such success also enriched Silver even more as his fascinating data-crunching book The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail, But Some Don't shot to the top of Amazon's sales list shortly after President Obama won re-election. The rise of people like Nate Silver and Big Data in general has led to the creation - or at least prominence - of a "new" and lucrative career - Data Scientist. To meet the demand for all these new numbers crunchers, Wired magazine reports on a degree program in data science. Thus, for all those Nate Silver wannabes out there, a degree as a data scientist from the University of California - Berkeley is waiting for the "bargain" price of $60 grand. Just crunch those numbers.

Content Curation, The Long Tail, & the Economics of Abundance

The rise of technology culture and the internet economy changed everything we know about classic rules of supply and demand. And that is nowhere more true than with digital products and digital marketing that changed the way products could be accessed and consumed. Ultimately, the future of commerce is very much connected to the idea of "selling less of more." The concept is the heart of an essay and now an engaging book called The Long Tail by Chris Anderson, who is the editor of Wired, and the visionary behind the ever-popular TEDTalks.

In studying the way companies like Apple - with applications such as iTunes - Amazon changed the accessibility of products and what could and would come to market, Anderson explains that a lack of scarcity and the economics of abundance have allowed new niche markets to flourish in ways they never could outside of a digital world. When physical stores stock their shelves, they must consider the probability of sales in choosing which products are valuable enough to be given shelf space. That reality doesn't exist for songs on iTunes or books in an Amazon warehouse - or as digital files for the Kindle - meaning the companies could stock an infinite - and increasingly smaller - supply of niche products. These small numbers of product actually represent "the long [thin] tail" on a sales curve. And it means nothing is ever so insignificant that it's unmarketable.

The concept of the economics of abundance mean that normal supply/demand rules don't apply, and that enables more niche markets to emerge and thrive. Thus, even an obscure blog for some fringe product can exist and thrive if people can access it. These niche markets are relevant to the concepts of Mavens described by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point. When I first read Gladwell's book, I thought of the obscure bloggers who collected information and dispensed to a public that - because of digital accessibility - would always find their source. The issue of abundance is also significant in the work of Daniel Pink whose book A Whole New Mind argued that the rise of abundance and the lack of scarcity in markets has increased the need for right-brain thinking because vendors need to appeal more to consumers for even the most basic and useful items.

What does this mean for content curators? Well, in terms of collecting content and information, web creators and curators need simply makes themselves available for accessing their materials. Thus, the more a curator collects and distributes, the better off he is.

Nike Goes Barefoot Running

Nike is undoubtedly the running shoe behemoth, and it has been since the 1970s when Phil Knight hooked up with the running coaches at the University of Oregon and Stanford and began peddling more structurally padded shoes. The effect was the launch of a new industry and fitness craze, as jogging entered the lexicon, and Nike shoes became the apparel of choice. In recent years, elite running has steered away from the mainstream companies, and pure runners have gravitated toward shoes with less obvious structure and a style that mimics the foot in its natural form. With it came the rise of the barefoot running craze, greatly influenced by Chris McDougal's excellent sociological work Born to Run, which gave rise to barefoot-running "shoes" like the Vibram Five Fingers.

Now, Nike is playing catch up.

The release of the new Nike Free Hyperfeel Flyknit is certainly a hype-worthy story, as it is an incredibly paired down running shoe crafted from a single piece of fabric.  The story has been profiled by both Wired Magazine and the Daily Beast, and each comments on the attempt by Nike to remain relevant in a world that may be moving away from Nike's MO of padding and supporting the foot as much as possible. Kyle Vanhemert takes particular notice of Nike's efforts commenting on how Nike Jumps into Barefoot Running. Vanhemert  sees this shoe as the new direction of Nike, and it's likely that may be true if the shoe company hopes to stay relevant. In a slightly more entertaining expose of the Nike Empire, Winston Ross reports for The Daily Beast on a revered trip Inside Nike Headquarters. The story of Uncle Phil and his company's attempt to deal with the pendulum swings between shoes offering more and less support subtly mocks the hallowed ground in Eugene, even as he offers a compelling account of the roll-out of Nike's new shoes.

As far as the actual feel and performance of the shoe, it is said to be somewhat like "wearing a sock," clearly an indication of the single fabric construction and connection to barefoot running. At $160 a pair, this is not a shoe for the casual runner, and it may not be for everyone. Certainly, there is no reason to believe this shoe is a necessary purchase for someone who wants to revert to less structure and more natural and barefoot-style running. In fact, it's not a stretch to say that anyone in nearly any shoe can "run barefoot while wearing shoes."  In reality, barefoot running is all about the gait and not really at all about the shoes.  The key is to run, as if sprinting - or as McDougal says, "like you would if you had to chase a toddler into the street while in bare feet." Basically, natural runners land on the balls of their feet, not the heels.  The heel strike - and the potential damage and wear/tear - results from the more padded shoes of the past thirty years that allowed runners to land on their heels. That's not what a runner should do.

And, if a runner wants a bit of protection - especially for street or trail running - the thin barefoot-like shoe doesn't have to be Nike. For as Vanhemert implies, Nike is sort of late to this game. Companies like Merrel have provided barefoot shoes for years. Newton is another great low-structure shoe company and Adidas has some great styles as well.

Schools Raise Money Selling Useful Products, Not Candy

The start of school is just around the corner, and with that comes school and club fundraising which has kids knocking on your door and meeting you by the supermarket to know if you want to buy some candy to support poms or basketball or theater or lacrosse or speech and debate or ... whatever.  However, some schools are breaking free from the standard candy sales - a good move in this fitness-lacking country - and instead offering products everyone can use. For example, Beth Harpaz of AP reports on a school selling trash bags as a fundraiser instead of candy. She also spotlights many alternatives to the standard candy sales that have plagued communities for decades.

Chevrolet "He's Strong" Commercial is "Strong" by Will Hoge

If you caught the end of the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night, you may have been captivated by the extended Chevy commercial video that blended images of men being "strong" with lyrics of the same idea. Well, if you're wondering, the song is "Strong" and it's by country singer Will Hoge.  The commercial was a good 2-3 minutes long, and the moving images and poignant lyrics pulled at heart strings of American families, singing the praises of hard-working family men who are twenty year straight get to work on time ... a love one woman for all his life ... a shirt off his back give you his last dime ... [and] strong. 

A shorter version of the commercial is in play now, with the one-minute version playing during the All-Star Game last night. This is some great marketing, to be sure, and it reminds me of the old "Like a Rock" video/commercials featuring the Chevy Silverado to the background of Bob Seger's song.  As a matter of fact, that commercial/song came out during the summer of my first job, working maintenance and "feeling strong" and somewhat like "a man." I was fifteen at the time. Perhaps, that's why they resonate with me so much. Sure, these commercials can seem a bit sappy - or even shallow when you realize they're just marketing a product.  But, I for one enjoyed the images and the song. Makes me proud to be a son, husband, and father. And, as I only ever buy American cars, it makes me proud to be an American, too.

The song and the music video/commercial certainly reflect all the sentiments that make so many country songs so memorable.  Of course, that may surprise many of Will Hoge's fans who don't necessarily consider him "country."  That's the sentiment of many who consider him a "country outsider."  But you can get a lot of country mileage out of singing about the common man, especially when you mention him as a loyal husband and father ... and one who has a truck. There is more to Will Hoge than just one song, but people often look to artists after a situation like this to keep producing the same type of song with the same type of feelings and melodies. And that would be wrong. Regardless, Will Hoge - who has seen some struggles and has never been a household name in fifteen years in the business - will continue to produce great music and "never give in."

Lyrics, compliments of OnlyLyrics

He's a twenty year straight get to work on time
He's a love one woman for all his life
He's a shirt off his back give you his last dime
He's strong

He's a need to move something you can use my truck
He's an overtime worker when the bills pile up
Everybody knows he aint just tough
He's strong ... Strong

He'll pick you up and won't let you down
Rock solid inside out
Somebody you can trust
Steady as the sun
Ain't nothing gonna knock him off the road he's rollin on
He's strong

It aint what he can carry what he can lift
It's a dirt road lesson talkin to his kids
Bout how to hold your ground and how to live
Strong ...He's strong

He'll pick you up and won't let you down
Rock solid inside out
Somebody you can trust
Steady as the sun
Ain't nothing gonna knock him off the road he's rollin on
He's strong

Strong, Like the river rollin
Strong, Gonna keep on going
Strong, When the road runs out
They gonna keep on talkin about
How he was strong ... Strong

He'll pick you up and won't let you down
Rock solid inside out
Somebody you can trust
Steady as the sun
Ain't nothing gonna knock him off the road he's rollin on
He's strong

Everybody knows he ain't just tough ... He's strong

Read more at http://www.onlylyrics.com/will-hoge-lyrics-1119313.php#XbA8CdtgZFPG4tef.99 

SupplySide is Irrelevant - It's Demand that Fuels the Economy

Featured on Salon.com in coordination with the Los Angeles Review of Books, Tom Streihorst presents an insightful and compelling description of the unique paradox of a more comfortable and advanced, yet precarious and stagnant, economy that exists today. We live in an era of such abundance, as well as the subsequent anxiety that pervades an economy so awash in supply that a lack of demand threatens to derail all but the wealthiest elite. A lot of great research and commentary in this piece.

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The Gates Foundation Education Reform Machine

Several years ago in an op-ed for the Washington Post, Bill Gates set a goal of 80% of high school graduates earning bachelor degrees by the year 2025. At the time, I was shocked at the absurdity of the goal from a business standpoint and I wondered, "Is Microsoft going to hire all these highly educated people?" Because the American economy which is supported by 30% of its adults with bachelor degrees certainly can't sustain that level of education with the commensurate salaries to justify it. It just seemed, from a businessman's point of view, to be a terribly poor decision, both inefficient and unnecessary. It just seemed so ... un-Bill Gates-like.

Of course, the nation had to listen - and even many applauded mindlessly - because the idea came from Bill Gates and his Gates Foundation, arguably the biggest behemoth in education reform by sheer vastness of resources and the ability to impose its will. When billions of dollars are on the table, people listen. Even when the direction proves to be misguided. Certainly, the Gates Foundation has had its share of mis-steps, precisely because it is dealing with a very un-business-like issue. The huge investment in smaller schools to improve results is one example. The aligning with controversial people like Michelle Rhee is another. Yet, I don't mean to dismiss or disparage Bill Gates or the Gates Foundation because I firmly believe in the goal they are after. And they are doing many things right. Supporting people like Sal Khan and the Khan Academy is one notable achievement that can't really be bad for education. However, the jury on Gates' positive versus negative impact is still out. This week, The Chronicle of Higher Education weighs in with a slew of commentary on the Gates Effect:

Marc Perry and others question the Gates Effect after the Foundation has spent nearly a quarter of a million dollars on education initiatives.  Notably, not all - or even many - in the education sector are singing the praises of the cash infusion "Some experts have complained that the Gates foundation approaches higher education as an engineering problem to be solved. Most important, some leaders and analysts are uneasy about the future that Gates is buying: a system of education designed for maximum measurability, delivered increasingly through technology, and—these critics say—narrowly focused on equipping students for short-term employability."  There is reason for concern, as education is simply not a business, and there are too many intangibles to turn it into a system of widgets and bean counting.  In another piece Katherine Mangan examines "How Gates Shapes State Education Policy," and this raises concerns about the democratic process to be sure. Certainly, there is no reason to completely dismiss Gates contributions, as the state doesn't have exemplary records on reform. And addressing the unacceptable rates of remediation for college students is a primary goal to say the least. The Chronicle also features an interesting info-graphic on the role Gates and his Foundation have played.  But where is this all really going, asks John Thelin. The Gates' certainly hope to see results for their investment and efforts, if not now then within fifty years of their deaths. So the pressure to produce is driven in a market way that again may compromise the education field. And its those potential costs - and collateral damage - that is the concern of Robin Rogers who worries about The Price of Philanthropy.

The reality is that Gates and the Gates Foundation are the premier force in education reform. So, they must be acknowledged. The Chronicle has done a nice job of continuing the conversation. And, for more critical analysis and links to studies on Gates' goals and success, check out Anthony Cody's insightful piece for EdWeek Mr. Gates Goes to College.

Colleges Offer More Career Prep - Less Liberal Arts

Is the time spent in college about broadening your horizons and developing a liberal arts education - or is it about getting a job? As the costs of college rise - and the job prospects for young Americans remain thin - prospective students and their parents are weighing more critically the luxury of liberal arts studies versus the acquisition of skills necessary to enter a career and earn a living. And this has raised concerns in some circles that the studying of the humanities is a luxury for wealthy kids, while the middle and working class need to forego the study of literature, philosophy, and music to pursue careers in technology, finance, and health care.

In response to the legitimate anxieties of the millenials and their parents, "colleges [are] offering more career prep." That's the analysis from AP writer Beth Harpaz who has discovered "instead of 'Follow Your Passion,' the mantra has become more like, 'we'll help you get a job.'" This is not a surprise to me, and I agree with the emphasis on job skills, even as I hope students can balance that pursuit with their desire to study interesting classes in the liberal arts. These days, numerous writers and consultants are urging students to avoid the follow your passion myth, and there is good reason behind such advice. "Passion," in all its innocuous excitement, leads very few people to careers in life. As a friend of mine has long noted, "We have lives, and we have jobs. Passion is for life, not work." Granted, some people - like me - are passionate about their work. Yet, more people would be better served developing skills and following their talents, rather than letting their passion lead the way. This is the message - Follow your passion and go broke - of Mike Rowe in one of my favorite TEDTalks:

Other great sources of information and advice on the passion versus skills debate are people like Daniel Pink, Cal Newport, and Daniel Coyle.  Newport's book So Good They Can't Ignore You encourages students to work hard at developing skills and talents in areas that interest them. By doing so, Newport believes, students will become highly skilled in jobs which will then become a passion for them.  Daniel Coyle makes the same argument in The Talent Code. And, these days technical skills are highly valued by nearly all companies, and it's important for all people to remain as current and trained in workplace technologies as they can. Chad Bailey offers this information for BusinessDaily on Tech Skills that Employers Want.

Chad May Be Out as the Next Food Network Star

This week on the Food Network's Next Food Network Star, the competent but continually uninspiring work of Chad Rosenthal finally caught up with him, and Chad was eliminated - he will not be** the Next Food Network Star. Chad's inability to really talk engagingly about any food - Bobby Flay's salmon masterpiece or Chad's very own barbecue poutine - led Alton, Bobby, and Giada to conclude Chad was never going to progress - he was never going to be the Next Food Network Star. For a man who has lived barbecue professionally for years - and who is seen saying in the trailers that he can "talk about food like nobody else" - Chad has surprisingly little to say.

Russel barely held on this week - and he will not be the Next Food Network Star either. However, it does appear that he is a slightly better - or at least more interesting and innovative - chef, and there is more potential for him to grow into a marketable personality. Barbecue is pretty generic and well served on the Food Network - cooking with the "Seven Culinary Sins" is something new. Candied bacon and horseradish ice cream are certainly worth taking a look at - though they may belong on Anthony Bourdain's show, as opposed to the Food Network.

Demaris continues to disappoint - though the judges have some sort of misplaced affection for her southern "charm." Though I would certainly not be tuning in to a Food Network Show to learn about green bean casserole - or really anything "southern" that Demaris offers. And I would hope that Demaris' piss-poor whiny attitude would count as a strike against her. That woman complains about every single challenge - it's never exciting for her, only a burden. That is just rather classless, and certainly not "Star" quality.

Rodney continues to be - in the words of Bobby Flay - "a disaster." While his food seems to always be tasty, how hard is it to screw up a mixed berry pie. The thing that bothers me is his absolutely sloppy presentation. His culinary skills and his finished products are always a mess, and I would be turned off as a judge just watching him work. On top of that, his presentations are always annoying and rather low class, and his personal appearance reminds me of the unkempt schlubbiness that was the trademark of the Pop-A-Waffle guys on the Great Food Truck Race. In my world, style counts ... and Rodney has very little.

Finally, both Stacy and Nikki were winners tonight, though it's obvious that Nikki was the top presenter. Bobby overpraised Stacy because of her story, overlooking the fact that she said very little about the actual food. And, the Meat-on-the-Side concept is a heck of a lot more interesting than a Vintage-Modern Kitchen. Though either of these ladies will be competent. The key word being competent - for there are no true stars among this incredibly weak field of food finalists.

** Chad's chance at redemption came in a competition with Lovely. And while Chad wasn't stellar, he - like all other redemption candidates - made a much more interesting dish than Lovely who simply "made a salad." That is not star quality, nor were any of her other dishes. However, Robert Irvine is going to make us wait until next week to see he comes back.  It better be Chad.

The Best Content Curation & Aggregation Sites

Content curation and aggregation is the foundation of much of the internet economy, with revenues generated by readership, links, and advertising. Clearly, Google's AdSense is the top of the game for this, but there are many other companies cashing in on pay-per-click revenue. But where is all this information coming from. As I noted in my earlier post Stephen Rosenbaum has aggregated an insightful analysis in  Curation Nation: How to Win in a World Where Consumers are Creators., and his textbook example of premier curation and aggregation is the Huffington Post, brainchild of media darling Arianna Huffington. Arianna is a great role model for aspiring internet-preneurs, and the story of HuffPo's success by Rosenbaum is worth reading.

So, who else does a great job of curation and aggregation? Here are a few examples of the sites I scan for engaging and informative collections of web buzz.  Consider checking out:

Slate Magazine

Salon

Mediaite

Yahoo News

Talking Points Memo

Real Clear Politics

Instapundit

Politico

And, of course, one of the originals that simply links ... and profits:

The Drudge Report

These are the sites that I check most regularly for news of "what's going on."