Seven Ways to Improve Your ACT Writing Score

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During my junior year of high school, I decided to dedicate my time to being a peer editor. My free periods consisted of revising papers, from youthful, optimistic 6th graders to second-semester seniors that were definitely sliding. One question that I was constantly asked across the board was: “How do I become a better writer?” The number of times this question was asked multiplied when the ACT scores came back and I did well on it. My usual response, even after the ACT,  was some sort of “I’m not sure it just comes naturally to me” or “Just a lot of hard work.” Those answers are slightly true, but not the whole truth. Becoming a better writer, in general, does take time and effort, but these tips below will help your writing process, and definitely your ACT writing score.

  • Read Your Own Work

This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but this is one of the most common mistakes I see in writing. I guarantee that there will be many mistakes: whether it will be spelling errors, punctuation oversight; or even just a sentence that made perfect sense in your head, but is confusing on paper. I understand that it can be very cringe-worthy to read through your work, but I promise it will improve your paper significantly.

  • Practice! Practice! Practice!

This is probably one of the easiest steps for the ACT audience, a.k.a. high schoolers. We are constantly writing for our English courses, and it is very clear that we improve over the years. If you cannot see a change in your writing from assigned papers, search for more prompts and write sample essays. Take about an hour each week, and write a paper with different types of prompts. Not only will this help your writing, but this will help your pacing skills, making you even more prepared for your test.

  • Don’t Make The Same Mistakes

   Not only is this a great life lesson, it is a fantastic writing skill. Think of all of the essays you have gotten back from teachers, what are your most common mistakes? For some people, it may be run-on sentences, comma splices, or general flow of words. Whatever you do, make an effort to change your habits, and don’t hold yourself back by not changing.

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  • Dilate Your Vocabulary

It is so important to stand out and use more than average words. Try taking everyday words like ‘good’ and replace it with ‘reputable.’ Try to eliminate casual words like ‘cool’ and the repetition of ‘like.’ I would suggest trying to incorporate a SAT/ACT word into your day (like Cher did in Clueless with ‘sporadically’) This will enhance your vocabulary and make all English assignments easier.

  • Go In With A Plan

Remember those brainstorming tools teachers would give you in elementary school to help organize your ideas when writing an essay? If not, here’s a nostalgic reminder:

This may seem like a childish idea, but it really does help with making sure you have a properly formatted essay with strong points. The ACT gives one prompt with 3 opinions and asks which one you side with. When I took the ACT, I was conflicted in choosing which opinion I delineated with the most; however it was clear when I was able to produce 3 strong points about one and became stumped with the other. If you do this step, I promise that your essay will be 10x easier to write, because it will basically be plugging in ideas and elaborating.  

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  • Use All of Your Allotted Time!!!

I cannot express how anxious I feel when I see fellow test takers finish essays in 20 minutes. There is no way to do all of the steps above in that short amount of time!! Even if you are not doing anything to your essay, you might think of a new idea, or correct an old idea written down. This will also help pacing issues if you have them. This was all of your ideas will have the time to develop and come out during the test, instead of later.

  • Have Fun!

Lastly, be creative! Writing is a beautiful way to express yourself and your opinions. This is the only creative outlet on standardized tests, and it should be utilized. Try not to stress too much about writing an essay, but still take it seriously. If you follow these steps and have some confidence, writing an ACT essay should be a breeze. 

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How I Spent My First Month of College at USC 

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1. Moving in and decorating my side of the dorm room

I really wanted to make my dorm as comfortable and reflective of my personality as possible so I went all out on my decorations.

Watch my College Dorm Haul here and Move In Day Vlog here.

2. Participating in Welcome Week activities

After moving in on August 15, freshman participated in a week of programs and activities to get accomidated to living at USC. The residents of Birnkrant Residential College went on a trip to a Los Angeles Angels baseball game to kick off the week.

Welcome week also included an activities fair, social events, and more fun things to fill our schedules.

3. Meeting the man in charge

USC president, Max Nikias, came by the honors residential college to take photos with us. 

4. Going to Santa Monica Beach...twice

One of my favorite places is the beach and me and a few girls on my floor took advantage of the beautiful Santa Monica. We sunbathed, ate cheeseburgers and shakes at Pier Burger, and went shopping.

5. Seeing amazing performers on campus

Visions and Voices is an on campus arts initiative that brings famous arts performers to campus. Events are free for all students. At their kick off events I was able to see Javon Johnson, a spoken word poet, and take pictures with him after the event.

6. Seeing Mike Will Made-It live right outside my dorm

Every year the USC concert committee throws a welcome back concert, free to all students. There was a surprise appearance from Jerimih and other collaboratives with Mike Will.

7. Attending events for organizations I care about

During the first month of college you spend A LOT of time going to club meetings and figuring out how you want to spend your time in college. Here I am pictured at a reception for the Black Alumni Association.

8. Attending the Kicks film screening before it released in theaters 

Kicks is a feature film that was just released in September 2016. It won awards at the TriBeCa Film Fest and other film festivals. I got to see the film before it hit theaters and have conversation with the director, Justin Tipping, and two actors from the film.

9. Purchasing a cruiser to get around campus 

A large portion of USC students use bikes, skateboards, penny boards, and long boards, to get around campus. I decided to join the bandwagon and get a bright yellow cruiser.

10. Attending my first game at the Colesium

We played the Utah Aggies and beat them big time! The game was at 11am so it was extremely hot in the stadium. However, fans, alumni, and students were still all around campus tailgating at 6AM. Tons of free food, souvenirs, and good times.

11. Listening to the Young Turks during their on campus live show

The Young Turks produce a show for Fusion based on political topics that Milleneals care about. They are currently traveling across the country visiting college campuses to see what issues students care about. Watch the show they recorded at USC Annenberg here and look for me in the audience!

12. Utilizing my unlimited dining hall swipes to eat icecream every single day without shame

There is no better way to finish the day off than with a cone! (Don't worry it is froyo.)

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS? CHECK OUT THE YGITW BOOK HERE!
LOOKING FOR A HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE INTERNSHIP? APPLY HERE!