Mind in Motion

I Thought My SAT Score Was Everything—It Wasn’t What I Learned About What Really Matters in College Applications For months, the SAT felt like my entire future. Every practice test, every score update, every silly mistake haunted me. I remember refreshing my College Board page like my life depended on it. When I finally got a score I was proud of, I thought — this is it. This will carry my application. Turns out, it didn’t work like that. The Score Didn’t Start Conversations — My Story Did When I started drafting my personal statement and talking to mentors, one thing became clear: colleges want people, not numbers. The SAT is just one piece. It doesn’t tell them what excites you, what keeps you up at night thinking, or how you’ve grown. That’s what essays, activities, and interviews are for. What surprised me the most was how much importance was placed on those things — on my ability to reflect, connect, and explain my “why.” A Great Score Helps — But It’s Not Magic Don’t get me wr...

Why I Regret Not Starting My Application Earlier (And How You Can Avoid the Same Mistake) Let’s be honest — when someone says “Start early!” about college applications, it sounds like one of those generic, overused pieces of advice. I heard it too… and ignored it. I thought I had time. I mean, how long could writing an essay or filling out forms really take? Spoiler: A lot longer than I expected. Here’s why I wish I had started earlier — and why you definitely should. It’s Not Just “One Essay” I used to think the college application was mostly one personal statement. Easy. Just write about yourself, edit it a couple of times, and done. Nope. It turned out I had to write: A main personal statement Multiple university-specific essays (sometimes 3-4 per college ) Short answers on my achievements, interests, goals A detailed activities list with impact summaries …and also coordinate my transcript, test scores, letters of recommendation, and financial forms Each part took time. Not becaus...

Why I Stopped Comparing My Application to Everyone Else’s When you’re applying to university, it feels like everyone around you is doing something incredible. One friend’s launching a startup, another has research experience, and someone else just got into three Ivy Leagues (somehow?). Meanwhile, you're sitting there wondering if your part-time tutoring or school project even counts for anything. I used to scroll through LinkedIn and Reddit threads, reading what “successful applicants” had done. I’d panic — I hadn’t published a paper, I hadn’t cured a disease, I didn’t even know how to network on LinkedIn properly. I started to think, “Maybe I’m not enough.” But over time, I realized something important: comparing yourself to others during the college application process is exhausting — and honestly, pointless. Everyone’s Story Is Different It took me a while to understand that applications are meant to reflect you — your journey, your growth, your interests. Not your cousin’s rob...

I Thought My Grades Were Everything — Until Uni Applications Changed That For the longest time, I thought I had it all figured out: get top grades, and the universities will come running. I pushed myself hard — late-night study sessions, endless practice tests, revising topics until they made sense in my sleep. It worked too. My marks were great. But when I actually started applying to universities, especially abroad, reality hit a little differently. Turns out, good grades are just the bare minimum . There's More to You Than Your Report Card The first time I opened up the Common App, I stared at the screen for way too long. “Tell us something meaningful about yourself.” Huh? No formula, no physics equation — just me and a blinking cursor. That’s when it sank in: this isn’t just about academics. It’s about you as a person. I started thinking — what do I do when I’m not studying? What matters to me? What’s a story that’s stuck with me? Those weren’t questions I had answers to righ...

Inside the ESAT: What I Learned Preparing for the Test No One Talks About When I first heard about the ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test), I thought— Wait, what even is that? Most people around me were focused on SATs, JEE, or A-levels. ESAT? Barely anyone had answers. But since I was applying to universities like NTU and HKUST, I realized I had no choice but to figure it out. So here’s the blog I wish I’d found back then. What Even Is the ESAT? The ESAT is a subject-based admissions test for international students applying to some top universities in Asia. Think of it like a mix between an entrance test and an academic filter—mainly for courses like engineering, science, and technology. Depending on where you apply, you're required to take 2–3 subjects. Most students choose combinations like Physics, Math, and Chemistry. I went for Physics and Math. My First Reaction: “Okay… this is not easy.” The first time I saw an ESAT sample question, I just stared at it for a w...

When Everyone Else Seems Ahead: Dealing with the Feeling of Falling Behind There’s this strange kind of panic that creeps in when you feel like everyone around you is moving faster. You overhear a classmate say they’ve finished revising the whole syllabus (twice), or someone casually mentions they’ve already applied to five colleges… and suddenly you feel like you’re standing still. Even if you were doing okay before, in that moment, it feels like you're behind. I’ve felt it too—more times than I’d like to admit. It’s Not a Race… But It Feels Like One Nobody says it out loud, but there’s this invisible competition at school. Who’s done more? Who’s more prepared? Who’s figured out their future? It’s exhausting. The worst part? Most of us are comparing ourselves based on what we think we know. We don’t see the full picture—we see someone’s highlights and compare them to our behind-the-scenes. And let’s be real: people don’t talk about what they’re struggling with. They talk about wh...

Why I Stopped Chasing Perfect Grades (And Finally Started Learning) In my life, I thought achieving perfect grades was the most significant thing to pursue. My entire existence revolved around it. A score of 93 meant that I was only getting a 93, and a 100 was the only possibility. I zealously compared myself against other students by benchmarking their scores. Even a single mark greater than mine. The race for validation was mentally draining. Eventually I started realizing, or perhaps hoping, asking myself. What was I achieving out of it in return how it this reward me in in the long run? Perfection Isn’t as Rewarding as It Looks Everyone aims for some milestones, myself included, strive for goals like getting one’s themselves in esteemed institutions and acquiring qualifications deemed as perks by society therefore career wise. but that is not what life is all about. What people overlook at the ledge added concern is the fact that such marks are merely focused onto memorizing concep...