Q: Hey! I just wanted to start off by saying I love your youtube channel and videos!

What is your advice for someone who tends to be very socially awkward? I commuted my first year to college for financial reasons, but this Fall I will be a sophomore and living on campus! My first year of college was very stressful, since my life pretty much consisted of being in class during the day and heading to work straight from class at night. I have always been quiet and shy throughout my grade school years, but I come to the conclusion that that's just how I am, and I am okay with that. I'm okay with being on the quiet side, but people always try to make me more talkative, and that just stresses me out even more haha. People always say that "they are going to break me out of my shell!" or say "you seem interesting, why don't you talk more?". I really do appreciate that people want to get to know me, but  I overthink everything and am not exactly sure who I am so I don't know how to introduce myself. I have a few close friends, but after high school graduation we all went to different colleges and kind of went our separate ways. I guess I just feel lost at the moment. I majored in biology my first year, but found it too stressful and unenjoyable, so I'm going undecided until I figure out what I want to do. 

      I'm just naturally a more quiet and conserved person, and I'm okay with that. I don't drink or smoke, and have never really been into partying. I'm not against it or anything, and will probably try new things this year but I'm afraid that I will still be seen as "that quiet girl". I love trying new things and doing anything outside; riding, running, hiking, rock climbing, biking, road trips, just exploring. I also love music and am happy listening to just about anything.

Thank you if you find time to read this! Sorry its so long!

-an ilovemagichorse subscriber (:

A: Hey! Aw, so sweet of you - thank you so much! 
Well, I know so many people who feel the same way you do and to be honest, I was this way all through grade school. I was uncomfortable with it and constantly wishing I was more outgoing so I'd try to push myself outside of my comfort zone but, that does no one any good trying to put on a face of someone you're not. 
It sounds like you've actually got it more figured out than most people! You've accepted that you're a more reserved person ad for that, people gravitate towards you. I know you feel like you're lost but quite honestly I can bet you that not one person you'll meet knows who they are yet and you're already ahead of the game just by the fact that you know who you're comfortable with being right now and what you know intuitively does and doesn't make you happy. For me I've found that by surrounding myself with people who aren't constantly trying to make me feel (like you said) "come out of my shell" or making me feel like I should be a certain way, I tend to gravitate towards people who are slightly reserved themselves and who are able to quietly enjoy my company doing something we share interest in. It really takes the pressure off and I've found that I even feel more outgoing when I'm around others who happen to be introverts too. That's a natural, no-pressure way of letting you be you and could even be creating a more outgoing you in the process because you'll be feeling comfortable with exactly how you are w/out being compromised by other people's projections of you (specially those that make you feel like you're not socially capable because that's just not true) Maybe look for people this year in college who share the same interests as you. It could take a little bit of pushing yourself to make the effort, but when you involve yourself in things you love to you, you could take along a like-minded person who is able to enjoy your subtle company when rock-climbing or exploring or hiking or listening to music together. I made the choice as well to not drink or smoke and honestly, I get a lot of respect for it! There's nothing wrong with not participating in liquid confidence trips - so, go us! Haha
Everything comes together at some point; You'll find people you don't feel awkward around and that are ok with you being as reserved as you want to be AND as long as you continue what you're doing by following your intuition as far as your studies, etc goes... it'll all work out! I can vouch for this. ; )

You're absolutely on the right track girl! You've got your head on straight and that's absolutely wonderful. Best of luck! You'll do just fine :)

Q: Hi Natalie! First off let me just start off by saying you are a huge inspiration to me! Your videos are so original and creative; you never cease to amaze me with your eye for a shot and scenery! Might I also say you a very pretty and I was wondering what you might consist in your diet or how often you exercise (or maybe how you exercise)? Sorry for such an odd question, but I have been trying to get into shape and have been trying to get as much information as I can to really get where I want to be.

A: Aw so lovely of you, thank you so much! 
Well, the most important thing in my book is clean eating. If you focus on what you're putting into your body to start out with, it'll be easy to see results both inside and out! I've struggled with everything surrounding health for the last couple of years and I'm honestly trying to figure everything out myself as well. 
BUT what's been making me feel the best I've ever felt is the whatever I'm doing right now;
 I eat all organically grown food, gluten-free and I'm mostly vegan when I can be (although I do eat fish so I get my omega-3s which are essential to include in your diet).
 Organic fruits, vegetables and some form of protein (usually fish) are my basic diet staples. 

As far as exercise goes, I do Pilates! I've been doing it for a year or so now and I absolutely love it. (Running is basically the bane of my existence so... that's when I found Pilates was my calling) I highly suggest trying it! I'm doing it as often as I have time for right now which is probably about 1-2x per week; but thats definitely enough to see results. Such a great workout - you get a decent amount of cardio in as well as amazing full body toning! 

Well good luck to you! Just remember that its definitely a process and as long as you stick to something long enough you will see results - its certainly not about torturing yourself, it's about doing what makes your body and mind feel good! 

Q: Hey Natalie! I love listening to the songs you used to make videos to, your videos inspire me so much as a rider. It's hard to explain but those songs kind of give me inspiration too, plus they're great songs - your music taste is amazing. Do you have any song recommendations?

A: Aw, thank you so much! I really appreciate that.
Ah I'm so in love with music... what would we do without it?! 
And I'd be happy to suggest a few things I've been listening to recently (even though some are throwbacks, had to bring them back at some point!) ; 

Alive - Empire of the Sun
October - The Helio Sequence
Love Me Again - John Newman 
I Am Not A Robot (Clock Opera Remix) - Marina and the Diamonds 
Terrible Love (Alternate Version) - The National
Graceless - The National
Sea of Love - The National
Master of None - Beach House
Better Times - Beach House
Summertime Sadness (Ryan Hemsworth Remix) - Lana Del Rey
Fires - Band of Skulls
When I'm Small - Phantogram
Dancing On My Own (Robyn Cover) - Real Magic
Gold - Wake Owl

A little bit of everything..! 
Thank you again :)

Q: Hey! Just wondering, what college are you going to next year? If you don't mind me asking:) 

A: Hey! I'm going to SCAD in Georgia for Film and Television! :) Never thought I'd be venturing out East (well South) from California to go to film school but... here I am! Haha

Q: Your way of looking at things and your way of thinking looks similar to mine! So happy that there are more people who think so much about there feelings and stuff. I'm going to college next year too! Haha for editing and for filming! Only thing is that I don't know if I passed my exams well.. I'm so scared right now, I already messed up my next year (kind of) because I started talking to a guy..he is going to that school too and I liked him (but didn't know him) and my friends said that I had to add him on fb and talk to him.. so I did.. but now he sees me as a girl who can't shut her mouth for 2 minutes and keeps asking questions.. and he probably comes into my new class and now I'm sooo scared! I feel so awkward.. :( At the same time I've been depressed and I was scared to leave the house because of what other people would think of me. Now I had my first job and they said I was nothing.. and that I couldn't do anything right. It just nocked me in the ground ones again. I'm not the most social person on the world and I'm trying so hard to talk to people I don't know. But when I do that I get a red face and I start shaking because it's a fear of me to talk to others I don't know. I understand now why life is so hard. I constantly want control but I can't have control all the time. I regret everything I do so hard that it keeps me awake every night...I don't know why I'm telling you all this stuff, but because of your description I got a feeling that you might understand everything I say.. I hope so and maybe you have some tips for me? Because I'm probably going to freak out next year if I'm going to college.. omgg LOL this is so long.. oops.. whahahaha sorry if it bores you :P I just had to get it of my chest.

-JillProductionZz

A:

You're too sweet! And don't even worry about it :) It's lovely to be able to relate to other people like this, so thank YOU for sharing!
I think that this time in our lives we are so susceptible to being other people's projections. We've hardly figured out who we are and who we want to be and people are already trying to tell us how to act, how to be, how to talk... etc. I used to feel (and sometimes still do) like I didn't have control over this either, but that's only bc I LET other people and what I think their opinions are determine how I act and how I think of myself... which leaves me only with insecurity (which as we both know is the worst feeling in the world! especially with college on the horizon) I know it's difficult to tell yourself "not to worry what others think" but I can assure you that as soon as you do and as soon as you begin to act truly as yourself and not how you THINK you should act based on others opinions... that not only will you like yourself more but others won't be able to assume control over you bc they'll appreciate that you're truly confident in who YOU are. This took me so long to learn but as I'm trying it more and more, I'm happier with myself and it seems like others judge me less and I judge myself less. Confidence is attractive to people, and girl you have every reason to be confident! As long as it's YOU that you're confident about (not someone fake that you feel you should be)
And the only reason why you're regretting things is bc you're not letting yourself do these things, you're letting who you think you should be do these things. I have trouble with acting like a chameleon myself, but like I said ... the more you spend time really trying to be yourself (even if this takes some time spent alone with yourself) the easier it will be. Andd the easier it will be to talk to people... and moreover.. go to college and feel GOOD! Ok enough of my blabber but I hope this helped just a little bit at least. Just know you're not alone! EVERYONE I can promise you, has gone through and dealt with this exact same thing. But in a couple of years you'll have wondered why you ever were worrying about this bc it'll be a thing of the past :) good luck girl!

Q: Hi Natalie,  Do you ever keep journals to write in? Not like a diary-a day to day basis thing- but a real journal, to write down thoughts, feelings, quotes, anything that really makes you feel like "you could read yourself like a book" kind of thing....
Just curious, since you're so excellent at writing descriptions!

Speaking of which, will you be making more videos soon?

It'd be awesome if you did videos to songs that no one (or not the majority of people I think) would know!

Songs by: Greg Laswell, Peter Bradley Adams, Ray LaMontagne, Matt Kearny, Trent Dabbs, Andrew Belle, Chad Sugg, etc.!   Thanks for answering if you have the time :)

-anon

A: Hi there :) I do, yes. In fact I have a ridiculous probably 5,000 pages or more on my computer from when I was 15 years old to now. I definitely would recommend to everyone to keep a journal. It's so interesting to look back, even a couple of years, and see how much your life, your mind, your perspective and just in general how you feel about everything has changed.
Thank you so much - I really appreciate that so much!
I'm working on one at the moment... I've been so busy with the end of senior year (Shouldn't be that way... right?!) that I've had only time enough to film and just minutes out of my day to edit. Soon though, soon! Half way done with this one.

Ooh thank you for the suggestions, I haven't heard of Trent Dabbs or Chad Sugg... about to check them out!

Thanks so much!

Q: Hi Natalie,
This is a bit personal, and I'm kind of scared to write about this, but here I go. I am almost 16 years old. I'm an introvert and very quiet. I love animals and inspirational music. But lately, I've felt like I get really annoyed quite easily, and then I'll be fine in a few minutes. Sometimes I feel like I'm faking "being happy" but others, not so much. In school sometimes I break down and cry. I just can't deal with the pressure of people around me and lately I've needed more and more distance from my best friend who I love tremendously. She's been my best friend for a long time and I've laughed with her more times than I can remember. I just feel bad when I keep my distance, and she's been hanging around with the "popular" kids, or so she calls them, and you know, she can hang around with whoever she wants, I realize that I'm not her only friend, but she's changed a lot from being around them. And not to say she can't make her own choices, because she can, I just feel like she's abandoning me and I don't know how to feel about it. I'm probably just over reacting, but still. Also, I have a foreign exchange student living with me for the moment at home and every little thing she does starts to bug me. It's horrible, because she's super nice, but it's just me. And I think that stress is overlapping with my school life. Basically, I'm afraid of being bipolar. More and more lately I've had to tell myself to calm down, and the only real way I can is by listening to music. Especially Peter Bradley Adams, I've just been able to calm down. I don't know what to do, because I feel like I'm just digging myself into a deeper hole for barely any big reason at all. I feel like other people would be able to react better than I am and I'm just scared. I've talked to one of my friends about this, and that helped, but she agrees with me that maybe I am bipolar. I don't want to go see a therapist or talk to my parents, because I don't want to cause any more stress. I just need some advice to be able to get through high school. I'm thinking that once I go to college and learn how to do something I want to do in life, and away from everything I have right now, life may be better and I may be able to be distant enough from all of it to really see that it wasn't all that bad. Do you have any advice for me Natalie?

Sorry to have written so much, you don't have to answer this is you don't want to/can't.

- M

A:
I think it's wonderful that you're able to recognize the fact that maybe, from a different perspective, what you're going through now really is just a fog of stress and hormones.
I too, and I can promise you that every other high school girl out there, goes through this exact phase. You're not alone lovely!
First, please don't label yourself Bipolar - that's definitely not one of your worries. Bipolarism is a disorder, often genetic. I went through a phase too where I could have sworn I had a problem that was above me, I was looking for anything to label myself with to make an excuse for feeling like this. Honestly though, as I've now made it through high school, I do realise it really is just every single stressful thing that is involved in growing up. It builds up and causes you to feel isolated, vulnerable, very insecure, moody (and cranky!) What's helped me cope is music as well. Try to find ways in which make you feel secure and grounded. Horses, music, books, hikes, drawing... anything you're into and like doing. Just involve yourself and distract yourself with something that makes you feel like YOU.
Often I found that the more I hung around people and stressed over my homework and pushed through everyday feeling like I was just stuck in this routine of stress, I would be absolutely overloaded by the end of the day and feel every single thing you described. But then, I would force myself to go out to the barn, put headphones in my ears and tune the world out for a little while. This does absolute WONDERS. It just lets you escape for a little while and reground yourself. Even if you can just sit in your room alone for 10 minutes a day and designate this time for you and immersing yourself in Peter Bradley Adams (whom because of your suggestion, I now really like! Thank you!)
It really does help and you'll find yourself better able to cope with everything else around you if you just give yourself a little time to "meditate" if you will.

It'll pass love! You're definitely not alone and you're most DEFINITELY not bipolar. ;)

Q: I find it great that your applying to Edinburgh! Its such an amazing place (its like my second home) and i highly recommend it! :D if i may ask.... you mentioned a horse accident in your newest video.. what happened? dont answer if you dont want to! x

A: I would so love to go! I've heard wonderful things about it. You're so lucky! Can I come visit?! Haha ;) And not a problem, basically; December 11th I was turning Magic out in the arena and he was particularly frisky feeling (don't blame him, it was freezing cold out!) and I took his halter off in the arena, he followed me to the edge of the arena not wanting to go anywhere so I simply flicked my hand at him to go on and he whipped around, began to run away and just as I was turning sideways to leave the arena I felt Magic's hoof slap me in the face, pretty much straight on and full force. Poor Magic felt SO badly - he was pacing around the arena and snorting at me so anxiously. I went to the ER with a split through lip (really, really gruesome) loose teeth, a bad concussion, and a completely bruised up face and black eye. 

It's supposed to take 6 months to heal completely, but it looks SO much better than expected in such a short time, thank goodness!

Q; I really like your music taste, what are your favorite songs at the moment? :)
-Anon

A: Well thank you! I like yours too ;) 
I'd have to say the ones I can't stop listening to at the moment (my favourites right now are all ones I've most likely recently added to my itunes) are...

Fires - Band of Skulls
I Come Apart Feat. Florence Welch - A$AP Rocky
Burning Desire - Lana Del Rey 
The Only One - The Black Keys
Old Friend - Caveman
Do You Mind? - The Xx
These Days - The Black Keys
Treading Water - Alex Clare 


That's to name a few :) 

Q:
Hey do you have an instagram? I love your videos! :)
-Anon


A: I do, yes! It's natc1994. Thank you so much lovely! : )

Q: 

Hi Natalie,

I've been watching your videos since 2008 and you've inspired me SO much. I really enjoy the music you put in your videos, the songs are so inspirational. You've got me obssesed with Passion Pit,Bon Iver, Mumford & sons, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Greg Laswell. I was wondering if you knew more artists/bands like these with nice inspirational music(:

You've also made me want to start making videos, and I'm saving up for a camera, im too young for a job at the moment and want to get a decent camera for a decent price. I know the Canon Vixias are ranging from 200-400$ where i live and was wondering if you recommend that for a beginner, since you made some of your first videos with a vixia, and which one would be best (im willing to pay 400$ for now).

Thsnk you so much :)

-Anonymous

A: 

Aw! That makes me smile to hear. Thank you! 

-

I have a few people in mind for you to check out;  

Conner Youngblood (Gold, Warpath)

The Veils (Sit Down By the Fire)

Jack Penate (Pull My Heart Away)

KO KO (Float)

Bombay Bicycle Club (Pedestal, Ivy Gold)

Beach House (The Hours, Myth, 10 Mile Stereo)

The Perishers (Nothing Like You and I)

Two Door Cinema Club (Eat That Up its Good For You, Something Good Can Work)

The Middle East (Blood)

The Black Keys (The Only One)

Beirut (Elephant Gun, Mimizan, The Penalty)

Keane (Crystal Ball, Somewhere Only We Know)

The Killers (A White Demon Love Song, Miss Atomic Bomb)

The Temper Trap (Sweet Disposition, Love Lost, Fader)

Arcade Fire (We Used To Wait, Wasted Hours, Half Light II, Rebellion) 

Band of Horses (Our Swords, The Funeral)

Coconut Records (It's Not You It's Me)

Hope you liked at least a couple of those :) They're my favourites! 

-

As for cameras;

You can't go wrong with a Vixia! Best consumer HD video camera I've ever come across! If you're willing to spend up to $400, you've got the perfect budget for one of these. It's well worth the investment as well. 

I'd suggest checking out either of these: 

(Vixia HF M500 - the more $$ of the two as it's got more features)

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10051_301509_-1

(Vixia HF R30)

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10051_301502_-1

Both are full HD cameras and absolutely perfect for shooting video for YouTube! 

They're simple to use and really just professional. Such a deal for the price. (Haha don't I sound like a salesperson...!?)

You can always double check on Amazon to see if you can't find a better priced one. You may be able to find something much cheaper than the stock ones advertised on Canon's website. 

Best of luck! <3 And message me on YouTube (or through my email for this blog!) if you have any further questions :) 

Q: What happened to libbyhorseislove? Where did she go?

A: She quit YouTube a few years back as she lost interest in making videos. She's in college now, and still rides during her breaks! 

Q: Hi Natalie! I'd really love if you could give me some advice on a situation I'm in (this is SO long, I'm sorry). Basically, my best guy friend has a girlfriend, who treats him so badly. I really, really like him. He's been with this girl for almost 2 years. He knows how badly she treats him, and we were talking about it today over text and he said he's just going to ‘take it and keep going'. I just think it's ridiculous that he puts up with it. She lives about 3 hours away, though she is supposed to be moving in with him and his parents soon. (For some context, he is 19, I'm 17). 

We've been really close for about a year now, though we've been friends for more than 2 years. We work together, and every time we say hello or goodbye he always hugs me. If I ever leave without hugging him goodbye he will text me saying 'where was my hug?!' or something like that. He will always find an excuse to touch me.

Now, this is where it gets more complicated. One night a few weeks ago, we were driving around town (he lied to his girlfriend about where he was because she would kill him), and we ended up laying in his car in the middle of nowhere. Basically, we’re laying there with his hand on my ass up my dress, talking about things I certainly wouldn’t be happy knowing if I were his girlfriend – to put it that way. It would have gone further (not anything too far – he’s not like that), but I stopped him because I knew he would regret it. He’s such a good guy and he would never cheat on her, I think her crap just got too much for him. He apologized so much after, he felt so bad. I told him that I understand, because he wants to be with her. And he said yes. Then he asked me if I was ok, I lied.

It wasn’t until the last few days that I ever told him how I really feel about her, how badly she treats him. That’s when he said he’s just going to ‘take it’. Up until now I’d always pretend to be happy about him being with her, I was trying to be supportive. But he texted me saying he was having a bad day and I eventually got to the fact that it was because of her – that’s when I admitted that if I were him I wouldn’t be with her.

I’m sorry for how long this is thank you so much if you’re still reading. Basically, when she does move here we won’t talk other than at work because she won’t let him. I really, really care about him, and I’m sick of her treating him badly. I have always liked him, it’s always been him. I like him so much it hurts. I just don’t know what to do; I’d love your opinion?

A:  Hey there!
What makes this good news for you, is that it's obvious he has feelings for you. I think you can feel that the chemistry/tension between the two of you is pretty strong. If anything, I can assure you that he's on the fence about being with her. It seems like he's with her more over obligation due to the fact that she will be moving in with him than he is with her due to how good their relationship is.  How he acted with you in the car really makes me think he knows it won't last. He just feels like he should be with her. Sometimes it's easier to let something fall apart then to make the decision to force it apart in first place, isn't it? That's most likely the position he's in at the moment.
I admire you for being able to be so supportive for all the time they've been together. What's wonderful is that you two haven't done anything to really complicate things or to make the situation too sticky to get out of (ie cheating, etc)
I think all you can do now is be there for him and maintain the friendship that you two  do have. Once she moves in it'll be much more prevalent to him that he has to make a choice. Just think; if she moves in with him and they're spending all of their time together, he's WAY more likely to call it quits.
Distance has this strange way of keeping relationships (even tricky ones like theirs) together, only because it seems distance leaves room for the mind to ease up on things and make things much less of an immediate issue. I doubt that once they're under the same roof, he'll be able to just "take it" that easily.
 Just please don't be his "second choice." If he's on the fence between staying with her or being with you; I'd be really cautious. You don't want him breaking up with her so he can be with you (trust me, I've been in this very situation and it doesn't end well - there's far too many complications that go along with it. Things end how they begin. It's a vicious ) You deserve more than that! But, if he leaves her simply because he doesn't feel that way about her anymore and he's fed up... then you're in good shape. Still though, I'd wait it out before you two make more out of your relationship. For obvious reasons, it's good to give him some time to breathe and think for himself again (get out of that controlling girlfriend crap!) and wait for him to be ready for a relationship. For you to be his first choice.

Anyone would be able to tell that he has feelings for you. And I can tell you he definitely deserves a great, patient girl like you! Chances are, if he's already thought of giving up on her, he has. You can't un-think a thought, right?

Best of luck! Hang in there, be there for him and watch from a distance. It'll play out... and hopefully in your favour! <3

Q: If you don't mind answering, what film schools are you applying to?


A: Not at all! Lets see... top choice is definitely Emerson in Boston! Others are; SCAD, American, DePaul, Eckerd, Lynn, Edinburgh (in Scotland) and Oxford Brookes (In England)

Q: Describe what you see your life being like in 10 years? (Job, horse, location, family, etc)

A: I'm at a point where quite honestly, I don't even know what I want to do. Although, almost being 30 years old in 10 years (What?!) 

 I see myself surrounded by like-minded and wonderful people, making connections, working together to create things. I see myself doing what I love - whatever that may be when the time comes; Right now it looks like my place I'll find somewhere in the film industry. I see myself being proud of what I've done, and knowing that if I were to die right then and there, I'd have done enough. I'd have really lived. I see myself being driven. I see myself going to a coffee shop on a Sunday morning, starting the day off just right with that little bit of caffeine and time to relax, and then I'll go out into the city I'll live in and practice breathing. I see myself routinely visiting a barn, maybe the one I'll retire Magic at and riding. Not in an arena or anything, just... riding, outside away from the world and alone with my horse.  I'll travel. All over the world - mostly to warm places ;)

These are the little goals I'd like to meet, or even if they're not so little. It's the things like "I see myself famous" or just knowing your end goal is to be in the magazines, to be making big money, to be a top model, winning awards at the Oscars, etc... That bring you the trouble, the disappointment. It's the small goals that count for something. Its not having huge expectations. It's just being at peace with yourself and loving what you do and doing what you love. I think that one day, we'll all find this "happy medium" even if it comes in phases... That's just the phase I hope to be in in 10 years time. 

Q: I love your videos and you give me more inspiration to pick up my computer and edit more. And to aslo pull out my camera and photograph my life haha. Just wondering what your plans are for riding these days?

A: Aw, this made me smile. Thank you! I've been taking lessons once a week for the last few months. But, hopefully soon enough as things have calmed down with school I'll be able to ride 2x a week. For now, my only plans are to keep taking lessons and get back in riding shape! Nothing drastic really - I may do a clinic or two but as far as showing goes, I don't think I'll be doing any. Its just nice to be back in the saddle :) Although it would be so lovely to ride somewhere where I can go out on the trails again, I really and truly miss that. 

Q: What lenses do you use with your Canon when you film videos?

A: I use the stock lens (18-55mm), my telephoto lens (55-250mm) and my macro lens (50mm 1.8)

Q:
How is your lip?

-Anonymous


A:
Much, much better thank you for asking! You can hardly tell apart from a slight botox-like left side haha! It healed so fast - really hard to believe it was only a month ago. 

Q: 

Hi Natalie! First, I just want to say I absolutely love your YouTube!(: And this advice blog/column is a terrific idea! I'm a junior in high school and I should probably already know about all of this stuff...but unfortunately I don't. My teachers/counselors haven't explained it very well. They basically gave us a sheet of paper saying do this and do that by this month. I need help with the whole SAT process, like registering. Do you have any tips on how to study for it? I'm mainly nervous about the math and essay portions. I just don't know what to do at all and I'm beyond stressed. /:

-Cindy

A: Hey Cindy! Aw thank you! I just went through this - and if it makes you feel any better, I only started the process the beginning of my senior year! It's not as stressful as they try to make it seem, I promise. I had a tutor for this 2x a week (both english and math) and basically they gave me tips to use on the SAT. 

• ALWAYS always skip questions you can't narrow down to less than two options - you're marked down a whole 1/4 of a point for wrong answers, and not marked down any points for skipped answers! 

• A great strategy for math on the SAT is plugging in numbers and answers (which means that you don't actually have to DO math when there's a missing variable, just plug in a multiple choice answer they've given you and plug it into your equation. For on questions with variables in the answers, you can come up wit your own numbers instead of dealing with all of the variables. - HUGE time savers!)

• For the Essay, your BIGGEST tool is an "idea bank." Write down categories for possible questions (Social Sciences, Arts and Lit, Popular Culture, The Sciences, Personal) and list under each topic, writing points and events that you could write an essay itself on. Wether it's current events, historical events or ones in your own life... make a list of them! 

• When you write your essay, the people actually grading them are looking for an essay structured as such; An intro including a thesis, Example 1, Reasoning (which includes why it was relevant and if it didnt happen, what would be different), Example 2, Reasoning, and then your Conclusion. 

•If you're worried about time on the essay  I suggest taking 4 minutes to outline, 20 minutes to write and 1 minute at the end to scan.

•I highly suggest buying the SAT book so you can take the practice tests, get familiar with the material, etc. 

• Practice questions are on collegeboard.com! That's where you sign up as well - I highly recommend taking those practice tests. 

I know it seems like loads of stress right now with pressure on grades, applying to colleges, SATs.. ETC. One year from now you're going to be taking deep, relaxed breaths and you'll be so proud of yourelf for getting through it all. It's SO worth all of the hard work. You'll get through it girl! And best of luck. Hope I was a bit of help to you - feel free to message me again if you have any further questions. 

-Natalie