Franklin Yard Q+A: Kian Dierks

Kian Dierks, future Princeton University student and nationally-ranked fencer, sits down for a Q+A with Sam Bellows, his tutor at Franklin Yard.

How’s it going man? It’s been a while.

Everything’s been really good.

So the last time we spoke, you had been accepted to Princeton. But then you got into Stanford, which sort of threw a curveball into everything. How did it all go down?

[Laughs] Yeah, I don't know. I got into Princeton early so I withdrew a bunch of my applications. The only ones I didn’t withdraw were the schools I'd actually consider going to over Princeton over.

So I was at my friend's house. I checked my phone and I see an email from Stanford. And my friend’s going, “you have to open it, you have to open it.” And I'm like “no, I’m not going to open it here.” But I ended up opening it and I got in. It was a crazy feeling. Unexpected, and super exciting. I was sort of aware that it could have been a slight possibility, just because I got an interview and Stanford usually doesn't interview kids in the Bay Area, just because there’re so many applicants in the Bay Area. So that got me a little curious when that happened.

In the end, it was a really hard call. But Princeton had been my first choice from the start, and that’s where I ended up committing.

That’s incredible. And how has fencing been going since I last saw you?

It's been going pretty good. I've been fencing better. I've had opportunities to do events that I wasn't qualified for last year. Like, I got to do the Pan American Games, which is really cool. I also did a senior World Cup. That was awesome because it was the last Olympic qualifying event, so I got to experience the highest level there is to the sport, basically. A senior-level World Cup means no age limit, just the best people in the world. And that was a pretty awesome experience.

So lets go back to the whole ACT process. When we started, the math section was always the main sticking point. And you obviously got there in the end. What were some of the most important pieces of that process, in your mind?

Yeah, great question. I feel like a lot of it was just learning to trust myself, because at some point I had basically seen every kind of problem that I could possible face on the test. But it wasn’t really until I kind of learned to trust my training that I started performing really well. On the ACT, you know, you don't have a lot of time to work or to be nervous. Everything moves fast. So you need to have trust in your preparation.

It’s true, like you said, that in the Math section you can sort of theoretically prepare for every question type, every concept. But in the Science section, which was also a bit of a struggle, you can’t quite prepare in the same way. So what got you over the hurdle?

With Science, I would just try to treat it like a passage in the Reading section. And I guess I really didn't get hung up on the fancy science words that they’re using. I'm not really a science guy, so I didn't necessarily understand them. So as soon as I tried to detach myself from understanding those terms, and allowed myself to just see the connections within the passage, it definitely helped a lot. And I feel like that's really how they trick you, because in the Science section there’s hardly any real science. They're not gonna quiz you on, like, the steps of photosynthesis.

I want to go back to the mental or psychological challenges of these tests. It’s very easy, of course, to get psyched out on test day. How did you get into the right mental state?

I would definitely say, first off, sleep is so important. I didn’t get the sleep I needed for the first test, and it showed. I would also say that I did the exact same things leading up to the test that I would do for a [fencing] tournament]: I would eat the same food. I would go to bed at the same time. I would set my alarm for the same time. That's how I kind of put myself “in the zone”, mentally. I guess that's not great advice for like an average person who doesn't have that sort experience, but that’s just how I did it.

With all this stuff, there’s this balance between understanding the importance of the score and, on the other hand, being able to just…let go. So I would think: “you have a chance to do great at this and you prepared well, and the only way to put it all together is to just focus question by question.” And remember that it’s just the ACT. It’s not the end all, be all.

Amazing advice. I love that.

Ok, final question: what are you planning on studying at Princeton?

I'm definitely going to major in English and Literature. That was always the plan. I take mostly literature courses at my school—the teachers are really good. I'm also taking a cool philosophy class right now.

I mean, I feel like if your strengths are in English and reading, and that’s what you enjoy, then forcing yourself to major in computer science or whatever, just because everyone is doing it, isn’t a great idea.

I could not agree more.

Alright, Kian. It’s awesome to catch up and I’m so happy and proud that everything went so well in the end. Much deserved.

Thank you. I also want to say that you made this a lot easier. I truly enjoyed working with you, and you just made it all less scary.

I try [laughs]! That means a lot. It was really fun, and so satisfying in the end.

It was a privilege to work with Kian, and we’re incredibly proud of his accomplishments. If your child needs support on the SAT or ACT, please reach out for your free consultation.