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Re: Why We Admire Zelensky

Sat, 07 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This is the letter I submitted to The New York Times’ student letter writing competition. Although my letter was not selected, I still like what I wrote and am publishing it here¹. It is a response to an opinion piece titled: Why We Admire Zelensky.

To the Editor:

I cannot stop from wondering, “Is this real life?” After watching the first episode of Servant of the People, both the name of Zelensky’s political party and TV show he starred as president, my eyes were opened to the striking similarities between the show and reality. His character and he were elected for the same reason: “to bring professional, decent people to power.” As an outsider, Zelensky’s story sounds like a fairytale, but it is not. This is real life.

As I, along with the rest of the world, hold my breath as we watch Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unfold, I have trouble accepting real life. My generation does not know what to expect. We are the oldest alive to have never experienced widespread global conflict. We did not live through the Cold War like my parents; we never grew up during World War II like my grandparents; and we never saw the end of World War I like my great grandparents. We fear what might happen with more direct foreign involvement in this conflict. Despite the imminent threat of death, Zelensky and the Ukrainians’ resilience gives me hope that democracy and freedom can prevail.

One of the many benefits of having your own website :) ↩︎

How to Study for the SAT

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

When I first started studying for the SAT, I felt lost. I didn’t know what books I should be purchasing, which practice tests I should taking, or how much I should be studying. I thought it would be helpful for me (a high school Junior) to document my SAT studying techniques—even if it will only be helpful for my sister, who will be taking the SAT in the next couple of years (as long as it is still a relevant metric). By no means am I saying my method will work for you or that it is the best way to study for the SAT, but it could be of use to some, since it helped me gain 250+ points from my first practice test in August 2021 (85^th percentile) to the December 2021 SAT (99^th percentile). I don’t say this to gloat, but to add credibility to this approach.

In my mind, there are three stages to studying for the SAT. If you want to score above 1500, you’ll need to get to stage 3, since your margin of error is slim.

Of note, it’s notoriously difficult to improve the Evidence-Based Reading section. You really just need to read actual books to do well, though the methodology described below can help—just to a lesser extent than the other three sections. I rekindled my love for reading¹ during “lockdown” in 2020, so the Evidence-Based Reading started out as my strongest section; however, it turned out to be my weakest section on my December 2021 SAT, since my score in that section improved the least.

Stage 1: Understanding the Content

The first thing I did was make sure I knew how to solve every problem. It’s hard to practice when you don’t know how to get the right answer. Initially, I took a practice test and then went through each problem individually, marking each answer as correct or incorrect. On incorrectly marked questions, I checked to see if I knew how to get the correct answer. If I didn’t, I would (re)learn the material by watching videos I found on the internet². After this, I grinded out 1,762 free practice problems on Khan Academy. During this stage, I would recommend doing a full practice test³ on the weekends (at least one every other week, though once a week is better). Completing practice tests in full improves your concentration and allows you to become more familiar with the testing format.

You know you’re past stage 1 when you feel stupid every time you get a problem wrong because you know why the right answer is right.

SAT Books

I bought the book my tutor recommended (more on tutors below), but didn’t find it to be too helpful. It is possible that I could have gained more from my SAT book had I spent more time with it. My book—like most, if not all SAT books—was so long that I was honestly overwhelmed by it. Outside of completing a few assigned problems from my tutor, I only used my book to do extra practice tests after I ran out of the tests provided for free by College Board. I’m inclined to believe that purchasing an SAT book is not necessary, but by all means, buy the one that someone you trust recommends. Maybe it will be exactly what you need.

SAT Prep Courses

While I didn’t take an SAT prep course, I think it could be a great option for some people. If you have trouble with self-discipline and focus, an SAT prep course would probably be helpful. If practicing on your own isn’t difficult, the cost of an SAT prep course likely does not justify its high price tag.

Stage 2: Familiarity With the Test Format

After doing many practice problems, I noticed patterns in the types of questions covered on the SAT. Upon seeing a question, I immediately knew the type of answer choices that would be available since I had done many similar practice problems, just with different “variables.”

Improvement in stage 2 mainly comes from doing lots of practice tests. You don’t need to set aside 3 hours to complete a full practice test to improve in stage 2. Instead, do one section of a practice test each day. I’d still recommend doing a full practice test on the weekend. Khan Academy is great for stage 1, when you need to practice several of a certain type of problem to ensure you really know how to do it. However, in stage 2, when you know the material, doing a practice section is more helpful. It’s one thing to be able to solve a problem having done 5 very similar ones in a row; it’s a very different thing to get the question right in the format of an actual SAT.

You know you’re past stage 2 when you start reading a question and already know what College Board wants you to answer (make sure not to rush to the wrong conclusion!).

SAT Tutors

I found meeting with a tutor to be beneficial during stage 2. I met with my tutor three times (1 hour each time, totaling to 3 hours) and saw an increase of ~100 points on practice math sections. It was definitely time and money well spent. If you can, try learning new material on your own, instead of with a tutor, since your time with a tutor can be better spent elsewhere. My tutor showed how to avoid common mistakes, taught me that I should never feel ambivalent about any two answers, since there will only be one best answer, and gave me tips to better take advantage of the format of the SAT. I also learned how to solve math problems in new, faster ways that weren’t taught to me in school. These tips were not obvious to me on my own, but were extremely beneficial in helping me improve my SAT score.

Stage 3: Pacing

I got to stage 3 just a week or two before I took the December 2021 SAT.

When I first started taking practice tests, I could barely finish a section on time, but after enough practice, I had enough time to partially check my work a second time. At this point, I needed to pace myself and slow down. I found I scored better when I took my time when first answering questions, having just enough time to thoroughly check my work once than when I rushed through the test and had time to check my work twice. It was hard to convince myself to meticulously examine my work after having already done it once. To score in the 1500s, it is critical to check your work, since you can’t miss many questions.

If you get to the point where you need to slow down, there isn’t much else you can do to improve besides calming nerves and gaining confidence by doing well on additional practice tests.

Timing

I highly recommend taking the SAT in August of the start of your junior year. Because you have plenty of time before you need to submit an SAT score, you can use the August SAT as a super low pressure environment to understand what it feels like to take an SAT. Because this test date is several months earlier than the PSAT, the only opportunity to be selected as a National Merit Finalist, it may not be optimal to peak in August. Instead, try to peak when your school takes the PSAT and schedule an SAT close to that date.

The worst case scenario is really not that bad: you realize you need to study more, but at least you’ll be more prepared for your next test and for the PSAT, since you’re now more comfortable with the testing environment. The best case scenario is quite good: you don’t have to worry about the SAT anymore, since you’re happy with your score. Either way, there’s a positive outcome.

I also found it helpful to bring an analog watch with me to take the SAT. College Board doesn’t allow for any watches that make noise (basically all digital watches) or external timing devices⁴, so an analog watch is the only way to mange your time besides hoping there will be a visible clock. Not only did I have peace of mind knowing that I would certainly be able to keep track of time by bringing an analog watch, but I was able to use the watch as a countdown timer by setting it to count down to 12:00 for each section. For example, if a section was 25 minutes long, I would set the watch for 11:35 (make sure to count by 5’s so you don’t make a silly mistake and think you have more/less time than you actually have).

Closing

Good luck on your SAT! If you made it this far, you care enough about your SAT that I know you’ll study hard and do well.

Check out my reading log! ↩︎
I will note that I had already completed both Algebra II and Trigonometry before studying for the SAT. It will probably be harder to understand all content that could be on the SAT if you have not taken those classes. ↩︎
Take them on paper if you can. It is more similar to the actual SAT. Khan Academy provides free PDFs to print. When taking the test, you can’t search for a word or easily reference the text like you can online, but you can write on equations when doing math problems. ↩︎
See College Board’s SAT Test Day Checklist ↩︎

Fantasy Football

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000

I don’t watch football, I don’t follow football, and I don’t understand America’s infatuation with football. You might not think these characteristics describe someone who has played fantasy football for the past several years who has found success, playing in two championship games last year, but it’s true of me. A lack of passion for American football has never stopped me from falling in love with fantasy football. I love drafting players, managing my (albeit fake) teams, and pretending I played a part when one of my players has a big game.

This is intended to be a beginner’s guide to fantasy football, something a new manager can read so they aren’t embarrassed/taken advantage by their coworkers, family, or friends when added to their first fantasy football league. This guide includes the basic principles that I have been using to successfully play fantasy football.

I assume some general knowledge about American football and fantasy football, such as positions and fantasy football scoring, but nothing that the fantasy football Wikipedia page can’t provide. At a basic level, you assume the role of the General Manager of a National Football League (NFL) team, comprised of NFL players from different teams. You draft a team, pick starting lineups, and earn points based on each player’s performance, competing against other teams in your league.

Drafting

The draft is one of the most important parts of fantasy football, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend hours researching or making a complex plan to have a good draft.

When making picks, it is paramount to evaluate a player’s value compared to other players you could draft. The easiest way to do this is to compare a given player’s Average Draft Position (ADP) to the current pick. If a player has an ADP of 56, it means on average, they are selected with the 56th pick. If you have the 2nd pick, you probably shouldn’t pick a player with an ADP of 56 without good reason, since there should be more valuable players available. The player with an ADP of 56 should be available in later rounds.

You should be able see each player’s ADP while drafting, but rankings can easily be found online.

ADP is just a good rule of thumb to estimate a player’s value. If you think it should be different than ADP, use your own judgment.

There are a few common mistakes that beginner fantasy football managers make. The first is picking a quarterback too early. If you pick for value using ADP, you won’t run into this problem. Additionally, if your league has defenses and/or kickers, many new players try to go for the best kicker or best defense. These positions don’t really make a difference in the outcome of fantasy games, so don’t pick either of them outside of the last two rounds. These positions are easily replaceable and aren’t very reliable. Another common mistake made by new managers is picking too many players from their favorite team. While it’s fine to have a few players from your favorite team, if you have too many, when those players have a bye week, you won’t have many players to put in your lineup. Additionally, if that particular NFL team has a bad week, your fantasy team will suffer as well. For the same reason you diversify financial assets, you should diversify your players.

Watch mock drafts if you want to see how good drafters think about each pick. These can be found online.

In-season

If you want to win, you need to manage your team. The number one reason that any fantasy football manager performs poorly is not paying attention to their team. “Managing your team” means monitoring updates on your players so that you know if they’ll be playing this week. It’s hard to win if you have inactive players in your starting lineup.

Waiver wires

While it’s possible to get a great player in the later rounds of the draft, more often than not, you’ll be wanting to find replacements for these players. Luckily, there is something called the waiver wire that allows you to pick up players that no one else has on their team. Rules on how the waiver wire works varies from league to league, so ask your commissioner.

To pick up someone from the waiver wire, you need to drop someone on your team. You should do this if they sustain a season ending injury like an ACL tear. You can also drop a player if they’re severely underperforming their expectations and you can find someone better to add to your team. In both cases, check to see what fantasy experts say about the player. Sometimes they sustain a minor to mild injury that might have them out a few games, but are good enough to keep on your bench. Other times, players just have a bad game. Just because someone didn’t score very many points in your last matchup doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be on your team. Make sure that fantasy experts agree that a player should be dropped before you do so yourself.

Many fantasy football experts post lists of good waiver wire pickups. You should read about these players before your waiver wire closes. Every year, there are a few elite players that show up out of nowhere and are available for free on the waiver wire. You don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to get one of these players for free.

Trades

Only trade when necessary. Estimate if you will have a net gain in points if you make a trade. Some experienced managers like to prey on new mangers and try to take advantage of them by sending them unbalanced trades. Some leagues have voting systems that prevent unfair trades from happening, but you need to be able to determine if a trade is a good deal or not yourself.

Picking lineups

Believe it or not, there is some strategy in making the best lineup. If you are slated to win, put in players that are consistent. You don’t need risky players that might score you a lot of points. You need these types of players (often referred to as “boom or bust”) when you are supposed to lose by a lot. You can find out if a player is “boom or bust” by researching them online.

Appendix

You should now be prepared for a great fantasy season. If your season starts poorly, don’t give up. Even the best fantasy football managers have bad years. Unexpected things happen. The season is long and a lot changes in between the start and end of the season.