Ellen Andersen

Ellen is a guest blogger for College Raptor. She is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa. She holds a BA in English with Creative Writing and Psychology. Her current focus is applying to the Fulbright Scholar program.
Essay word counts matter with college essays
tips tools & advice

How to Stick to Essay Word Counts

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
Essay word counts and page limits matter a lot in the collegiate world. Almost every written assignment—whether it’s for a class, scholarship, or college admissions essay—will have some limitation. You need to be able to work within those limitations. Precision and conciseness are valuable skills exemplified by sticking to word counts. With that in mind, …
college comparisons

5 Colleges with Beautiful Gardens

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
Whether the weather seems like it or not (looking at you, Midwest), spring is upon us: Greenery is popping out of the ground; trees have new budding leaves; campus gardens are becoming the places to be once again. Here are just a few (of the many) colleges with gorgeous campus gardens. Georgia Southern University – …
ACT & SAT

What to Avoid in the ACT Reading Section

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
Everyone gets a little jittery before a big test, but that’s totally normal! What’s important to remember is all the practicing and studying you’ve been doing, especially for something like the ACT. The ACT tests your skills, so here are some common mistakes to avoid when taking the reading section. Reading too fast. When you …
Avoid these mistakes on the ACT writing section
ACT & SAT

ACT Prep: What to Avoid on the Writing Section

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
Ah, the “optional” writing test on the ACT. 40 minutes of attempting to write a cohesive essay after every teacher you’ve ever had has said, “You can’t write a good essay overnight.” It’s difficult, true, but your essay doesn’t have to be the best you’ve ever written. Here are some mistakes you’ll want to avoid …
An excited person wearing a red sweater and standing against a blue background.
scholarships

5 Exciting Scholarship Contests

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
It’s amazing how many ways you can turn your passions and hobbies into scholarship money for college. Here are five exciting scholarship contests! Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Award: Varies Deadline: TBD for 2021 (Opens September 2020) The Scholastic Art & Writing competition covers a large variety of creative works. In fact, students can compete …
ACT & SAT

SAT Section Advice: Reading

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
While the SAT creators say that the new test has the same amount of words as the old, outside analysts argue that the context of those words has changed. Some math problems have more reading than the old ones. The reading passages have increased in length, and there is much more focus on gaining information …
Two students holding video game controllers.
scholarships

5 Scholarships for Gamers

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on August 30, 2023
In between school and other responsibilities, do you spend a lot of your time gaming? Or perhaps you’re pursuing a career in game development, art, design, programming, or something related? There are actually several scholarships available to students who consider themselves “gamers!” Keep reading to find out about four right off the bat, plus get …
The first ACT was rolled out in 1959.
ACT & SAT

What Did the First ACT Test Look Like?

By Ellen AndersenLast updated on December 22, 2022
As far as standardized tests go, nothing much has changed about the ACT since its conception. The test has always been composed of four sections. The sections when the test first rolled out in 1959 were English, mathematics, social studies, and natural science. The ACT has always been an achievement test—a study of what you …

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