SAT Test & Christian Dior in Paris

Although I’m living abroad, junior year standardized testing has followed me across the Atlantic Ocean and has found me. What a bummer!

In September, I went to the College Board website to register for the French Subject SAT Test on November 4th. In Spain, there is one location where these tests are administered, the American School of Madrid, but it was full - no room for me. What a bummer! Now what? I looked at other possibilities and the closest location with availability was the American School of Paris. Hmmm, interesting. Not a bummer! I enrolled, took a few practice tests in my Barron’s prep book, and Thursday evening before the test, we flew to Paris. The test was scheduled for Saturday morning at 7:45am, so to be safe, we had to take Friday off from school and fly there Thursday.

Although most of Friday was dedicated to last minute studying, I took a break and went to the Christian Dior Exhibition, “Couturier du Rêve,” at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. Not only is Christian Dior my absolute favorite fashion designer of all time, but the exhibition was amazing. Hundreds and hundreds of beautiful dresses, organized by color and time period, filled room after room. I watched Italian artisans create the iconic Lady Dior hand bag right in front of me. And I was completely blown away with the final Versailles-eque room in which spectacular ball gowns were artistically displayed from floor to ceiling, culminating with an enchanting light show. I was in fashion heaven, all thanks to the SAT!

Once the test was over, the remainder of my time in Paris was spent hanging out with friends and indulging in delicious French food. I still have more standardized tests (ACT and AP) to take in the Spring, and this time I really need to register early to get a spot at the American School in Madrid, or maybe not!