THIS STUDENT IS TO PERFECT AS SAT IS TO 2,400.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer WOODLAND HILLS - First there was Sputnik Sputnik: see satellite, artificial; space exploration. Sputnik Any of a series of Earth-orbiting spacecraft whose launching by the Soviet Union inaugurated the space age. , when the Russians ruled space. Now there's Yuliya Rebrova, the Russian-born empress of college entrance exams. The 16-year-old senior at Taft High School not only got a perfect score on her SAT test - a rare feat - but she also earned a perfect score on her ACT - an astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. intellectual achievement. ``I am very amazed - I didn't think I could do it,'' said Rebrova, an Encino resident, who said she awoke in a terrible mood before both exams last fall. ``(But) I'm not going to be very humble. I do consider myself really smart.'' Consider this: Fewer than 1 percent of the students who take the Scholastic Achievement Test or the American College American College is the name of:
Rebrova aced them both. She scored 2400 on the SAT, which includes a new essay component, and 36 on the ACT. Both exams measure a student's ability in math, reading and other subjects so colleges can compare new applicants. Of the 9,000 students who took the ACT test in California last September, Rebrova's was the only perfect tally. And of the 77,000 who took the test nationwide, she was one of only 11 to make no mistakes. ``Unbelievable, it really is,'' said Taft Principal Sharon Thomas, a teacher, counselor and administrator for more than 30 years. ``I don't think there's anyone in the state of California who has done this. ``She is a special student. And you know what? She's a sweetheart.'' Born in Moscow, Rebrova immigrated to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. with her family in 1994. Both parents are accountants. She attended public schools, mastering Russian, English and Spanish. At Taft, the sandy-haired whiz kid whiz kid n. Informal A young person who is exceptionally intelligent, innovatively clever, or precociously successful. [Alteration of Quiz Kid, a panelist on an early game show.] with pale blue Adj. 1. pale blue - of a light shade of blue light-blue chromatic - being or having or characterized by hue eyes joined the Academic Decathlon decathlon (dĭkăth`lŏn), in modern Olympic games, a contest for men held over two days and composed of 10 track-and-field events. team, which last year placed first in Los Angeles and fifth in the state. She's now taking five Advanced Placement classes. The secret to her success: Six hours of study after school each day. For pleasure, she reads everything, and is currently buried in a novel by Virginia Woolf Noun 1. Virginia Woolf - English author whose work used such techniques as stream of consciousness and the interior monologue; prominent member of the Bloomsbury Group (1882-1941) Adeline Virginia Stephen Woolf, Woolf and a volume on quantum physics. Rebrova has applied to all University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). campuses and a string of Ivy League schools, intending to study engineering and business, with an eye toward postgraduate business school. ``We came over, we had ambition,'' said the soft-spoken teen who expressed confidence in every subject but sports. ``I think we could live a better life here than in Russia - if I work hard. ``It would be nice to be a so-called 'titan of industry.''' Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Yuliya Rebrova, a senior at Taft High, aced her college entrance exams. (2) Taft High School student Yuliya Rebrova, 16, earned perfect scores on both the ACT and SAT this year. This student is to perfect as SAT is to 2400 Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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