Franklin Yard Q+A: Aubry Dowd
Aubry Dowd, Franklin Yard alum (and national Taekwondo star!), sits down for a Q+A with Sam Bellows, her tutor at Franklin Yard.
Okay, icebreaker. Favorite and least favorite animal?
My favorite is definitely dogs. My least favorite…oh god, my least favorite is probably piranhas.
They are definitely scary. Kind of cool, though. But pretty scary.
I would never want to come across them.
Agreed! Alright, so let’s talk tests. In the beginning of all of this, what was your PSAT? And ACT starting score?
My PSAT was an 1190. And my starting ACT score was a 26.
Right, and then what did you get up to?
A 32 on the ACT.
Awesome. I mean, that's the sort of improvement that a lot of people would want to get, obviously. What do you think were the some of the biggest factors that got you from point A to point B?
Well, I definitely think having a tutor was a huge help. It was really helpful to have someone holding me accountable, and also having the whole thing be so personalized. It wasn't just, like, a computer giving me advice or practice questions or whatever. I really had somebody that actually knew me as a person. And then you started to understand my thought process behind things, not just from that one day but from a whole history of working together. So I think it was helpful to have a tutor helping me through it all and being able to explain every question to me in detail and making sure that I understood it.
And then just having the motivation to get into a college and get a scholarship— that was another big factor because I knew I was working towards something.
And how do you feel like your understanding of the test changed from like the beginning to the end?
I definitely feel like you don't have to be a genius to get a high score. And the secret for me was really just kind of understanding how to take the test. And you don't need to know every single thing in the world to be able to get a good score.
Mmm interesting. When you talk about “understanding how to take the test,” what does that mean for you?
For me? I think I mean that there are, like, questions that fall under specific topics, right? And if you can kind of understand that aspect, the “what umbrella does it falls under?” aspect, then things start to click. If you can make those connections and recognized those patterns as you’re working through the test, I think it definitely helps.
That makes total sense. I like that. What about your mindset with all of this? When it comes down to the actual test, sometimes people freak out and let the stress get to them, which is understandable, but I feel like you didn't let the pressure get to you.
I mean, I definitely felt like I was surprised about how I reacted because in the past I was a pretty anxious test taker. I think what helped is that I realized that I could take it multiple times. And that was super comforting to me. And especially the super-scoring aspect of it, I realized that I didn’t have to ace the whole test—just doing really well in one or two sections would still help my super-score. I think just having that in mind was very helpful and calming for my anxiety.
What do you think people misunderstand about this whole process or about the tests themselves?
I think the thing I misunderstood is, like, anybody can do it. You really don't have to be a valedictorian to do a good job on the ACT. And if you're willing to put in the time and effort, all that practice, all the repetition, then you can do it. And I think like I didn't understand that in the beginning until I went through the process myself.
It was a privilege to work with Aubry, and we’re incredibly proud of her accomplishments. If your child needs support on the SAT or ACT, please reach out for your free consultation.