Sandhya Nadkarni was at Costco’s when her son called her to give the news. A 1600 in his first attempt in SAT”s. "I was of course ecstatic” says the proud mother."He has done well for himself.Sunil and me have always supported him in whatever has interested him and he has always been a curious learner. Nikhil has always reminded us that of the 2.6 million who graduate every year, many of them have undergone tremendous hardship in life with plenty of challenges". Nikhil Nadkarni was also one of the four in Lexington High School who was nominated for the Presidential Honors scholar Program and was a semifinalist.

Sandeep Dilwali, Sahil’s dad says his son wanted to do well. "Sunita and me helped him to stay focused and channel his energy by encouraging him constantly. “We moved to the US from New Delhi only three years ago to Texas and everything was very different here. It is difficult in the beginning but the Texas Academy had some fine programs that helped. We have only recently moved to Lexington.

The two High school seniors aced their SAT’s with a few unwritten rules. Was it endless studies, tutorials sessions, cramming, study aids or sheer fate? You will be surprised! See what they have to say!

Sahil Dilwali

I am a recent graduate from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, where I completed my junior and senior years of high school, living in a dorm in the University of North Texas. I am new to the United States, having moved to Texas in May, 2000 from New Delhi, India. When I first heard about by SAT scores from my parents over the phone, I was a little surprised. I was expecting a good score, but a perfect score came as a surprise. I was happy, no doubt. I used vocabulary to study for the SATs. The math sections were easy for me, so I did not have to study much for them. The vocabulary was the only problem I had with the SATs. I used lists available on the Internet and in preparation books to make flashcards and memorized many words I never use. I started preparing seriously a few months before the tests, because of the proximity of the tests, chronologically, with my final exams. I used Kaplan and Barron's books. Vocabulary was my weakness. Other students may have other handicaps. I feel that to do well, one needs to overcome their handicaps and work hard for that. My inspiration has come mainly from my parents and my peers, many of whom are very talented and modest. Their accomplishments have been simply mind-blowing. Among my friends in Texas were a world-renown pianist and a martial arts champion, not to mention winners of several scholarships, including a few Goldwater scholars. I plan to attend Brown University in the Fall. I am not sure what I will study there, though engineering seems like a good career choice. My hobbies and interests include basketball, music, soccer, tennis and swimming.

Nikhil Nadkarni

I am a recent graduate of Lexington High School, Lexington, MA. I have lived in New England my entire life, and I am currently 18 years of age. My friends would describe me as helpful, funny, and generally nice to everyone around me. I was happy about achieving the score on my first try. I did not study daily, but took a practice test each weekend for about two months. In general, I banked on skills that I had learned my entire life as opposed to 'cramming' in the weeks previous to the test. Practice tests are key; they were more helpful to me than any other sort of 'study session.' For the SAT's, I was not motivated to get a 1600. Taking the test is something most high school students just have to do. I will attend MIT starting August 2003. My interests include baseball - I'm a diehard Red Sox fan - and I enjoy movies and film criticism.

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