College entrance exams

Following up on my previous post about high school classes to prepare for college, here is some information about pre-college testing.  There are two different standardized tests that colleges use as part of their admissions decisions.  Fifteen years ago, some colleges and universities preferred the SATs, others preferred the ACTs, and some took either and/or both.  Apparently that has changed now.  At my first high school, enough students went to either school that we were encouraged to take both.  Here's what I know about these tests.

What should I study?

My aunt asked a question on Facebook that deserved a longer answer:

We recently had churh camp and while i was there talking to some of the kids,they had no idea what they would like to do in the future to support themselves. I mentioned that you were in the buusiness that had to do with the space station. Wow did their ears perk up.They had never even thought about it. They asked me to ask you what classes should they be taking in school to help them to get into this profession, or if you could recomend a link on the computer they could check it out.

What if you don't make it?

Except when you don't.

Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so

but, sadly, it's true

that Bang-ups

and Hang-ups

can happen to you.

(1)

I've been writing about the shuttle's impact on my life, about my journey to becoming an engineer, and about planning my studies.  Alas, I've gotten hung up on trying to write more about my adolescence, and specifically the parts related to space.  Does *anyone* ever have an easy adolescence?  I don't think I've heard of anyone who did.  But most of that isn't relevant.

One part, is.  See, all the time when I was trying to plan for my future, trying to build a secondary education on the primary foundation, the one question my Dad kept asking, over and over again, was "What if you don't make it?  What if you never become an astronaut?"