Why is it our habit to dwell on what we don’t have or don’t know rather than what we do have and what we know to be true. We feed off the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s and bait our kids into feeling defeated before they even begin the process. Then the media drives the college admissions hype calling attention to all the factors that we can’t control like how a college ranks in selectivity, demographic needs, legacy, and so forth. Herein lies the very reason why this process becomes overwhelming and exhausting. So...I think the phrase someone used is “Stop the Madness! Let’s try a different approach or the preferred approach.

College essays are different than other essays your student has produced during their high school experience.

Collegeboard’s recent announcement regarding shelving SAT Subject Test and Essay on the SAT test has generated a lot of concern. These tests have long served a niche role in admissions as a way for students to amass extra credentials to show their prowess for ultracompetitive schools. For many years, Ivy League schools and others, including Georgetown University, have recommended, encouraged or accepted subject test scores in addition to the required scores from the main SAT or ACT.

Students getting ready to take the SAT, should be ready for a surprise section on the test day. Instead of a typical three hour 4-section test, they may be asked to take close to four hour test with the 5th section in there.

SAT, ACT test day checklist is created to make sure our students are ready to battle the tests. These are difficult tests, not only for what is on them but also for how long they are. From start to finish, students will end up spending close to 5hours at their test center. To stay mentally and physically focused for such a long day does require extra attention. Hence, what you do on the final day before the test and on the test day itself is extremely important, so please print out and read through the practical “checklist” below.

While SAT/ACT scores are by no means the determining factor in college admissions, they play a significant role. Most colleges strive to receive more applicants than their admitting batch of freshmen, so they begin by looking at course rigor, GPA and standardized test scores.

During these unprecedented times, we are using our core strength and expertise of delivering excellent individualized tutoring and extending it by creating instructor directed virtual classrooms.

January 2020 marks 10 years of being in business for us. At the time there was a vision: of a place that would provide highly individualized tutoring with the best educators we could find. A place where students could be nurtured, motivated and given the academic skills needed to be successful. In fulfilling that vision with all the goals, challenges and transitions, time has flown.

SAT Subject Tests are one hour long tests, used for college admissions purposes. There are about 24 different subject specific tests that are offered by Collegeboard. So how you decide ‘which ones are needed?’

ACT recently announced significant changes that will go in affect September 2020. These changes are in administering, super scoring recommendation and retesting that will impact those students taking ACT test Class of 2021 and beyond.

Sometimes when we are looking at the world through the lens of a camera, we capture an image that resonates on a deeper level.

Many seniors believe or are led to believe that getting their college application in first presents significant advantages, as this allows colleges to have more time to review their application.

The thought of meeting and sitting down to talk to an admissions office or school alumni about why you are interested in and believe you are a good fit for a particular school is daunting. How you respond and conduct yourself can be the determinant in whether or not you will be accepted. It can also be a factor in the school’s awarding you scholarship money.

When registering for the SAT/ACT, you should consider whether to choose the optional Essay or not. It’s a good idea to check the policies of the institutions you’re interested in to see if they require it for admission.

As part of registering for the SAT/ ACT test, Collegeboard and ACT allow you to be able to send your test scores directly to four colleges at no additional charge. Collegeboard even extends a nine-day grace period after the test day to send scores at no additional fee.

What you write and how it is written is based on who the audience is and what the objective of the writing sample is. A DVD instruction manual is written in a different style than a romance novel, which is nothing like an economics textbook. The guy setting up his DVD just wants to know how to complete each step as quickly as possible. The romance reader is looking to escape into a fantasy world.

Because college admissions are more competitive than ever, an accepted application often comes down to the details. For instance, high school transcripts are an excellent way for students to positively differentiate themselves from other applicants. But what exactly are colleges looking for in a transcript, other than good grades?

Given that most students take SAT and/or ACT more than once in order to get their optimal score, one of the most common questions that many students and parents have is which scores to share with colleges and how to do so. Collegeboard and ACT give students the flexibility to choose which scores (by test date for the SAT and ACT and by individual tests for the SAT Subject Tests™) to send to colleges. However, the main caveat is that this must be done in accordance with an institution’s stated score-use practice. This practice is known as Score Choice.

In the past couple of days there have been several announcements from Collegboard and ACT regarding their upcoming testing dates. We have recapped relevant headlines and come up with recommendations that we feel should serve our students. Since every student is different, these recommendations may need to be tailored to his/her situation.

Students who take the PSAT test in their Junior Year of high school are automatically entered for National Merit Scholarship competition.