Educational consultants are valuable guides, offering personalized advice for both parents and students. By understanding each client’s unique educational goals, consultants distill the deluge of internet-available information and wide-ranging “advice” from other parents (both IRL and virtually) into practical recommendations. Then families can make informed choices that contribute to their children’s success. Moreover, life rarely…
When calm, one can concentrate. And, when concentrated, one knows instantaneously how to react appropriately in any situation, including during a standardized test like the SAT or ACT. Upon examination, what many students term “test anxiety” is a lack of concentration, which is more complicated to address than a 6-8 week cram course called, “Test…
Most aspiring college applicants (and their families) are aware that they’ll report extracurricular activities in their applications, yet few may understand the significance of their efforts. With their extracurricular commitments, students can showcase their interests, while also contributing to their communities. Since college admissions officers don’t set specific requirements about the number or type of…
Often, when asked, “Why do you want to attend college?” high schoolers reply, “To get a good paying job”, and implied in their statement, “to figure out who I am” (which typically emerges in subsequent interviews) while their parents nod and smile in agreement. So, I reflected on the change in view which also often…
Is an Ivy League education worth the nearly $90,000 per year cost of attendance, which includes tuition, room & board, fees, average estimates for books, personal expenses + transportation? The following is the current estimated cost of attendance at all eight Ivy League institutions: As inflation erodes the average middle class standard of living, while…
While college admissions officers don’t diminish a student’s evaluation for having taken the SAT or ACT multiple times, students would be prudent to pause and reflect before taking either test more than three times each. To make a more informed choice, students can: Also, if students have purchased the score reporting services, like “Requesting a…
Sorting a potential college list into “Reach”, “Target”, and “Safety”, as an indicator of the likeliness of an acceptance, sets a dangerous precedent. The applicant essentially imagines themselves at the whims of the admissions officer, devoid of agency, a poverty-like mindset, begging for the charity of an acceptance letter. Applicants seek seeming validation of their…
In the perceived race for college admissions, savvy students and their families often seek any advantage to be admitted. As a high school sophomore shared recently, “If every kid looks the same, how do you distinguish yourself?” And, as the extracurricular resume is one place where students can demonstrate their uniqueness (since the academic requirements…
Often, students and parents believe being ranked #1 or in the top 5% of a high school class is a guarantee of a college acceptance. In reality, class ranking is but one factoid which may or may not even be reported in the college application. The University of California (UC) and the California State University…
By W. Livingston Larned Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper in the library, a stifling wave…
High school students throughout the US are likely spending the weekend, cramming the most amount of information possible in their memory banks, before Advanced Placement (AP) exams start on May 1, 2023. In their anxiety, many mistake the highest score as strengthening their applications for college. SPOILER ALERT: College admissions officers don’t consider AP exam…
Choosing a college is a culmination of a childhood, marking the gateway to adulthood. Thus, Moms, Dads, and teens (and sometimes also stepparents) enter a complex series of negotiations—varying from dialogue to bickering to bargaining to ultimatums—requiring skilled diplomacy, often objective mediation to broker a consensus. Many families are also contending with potentially competing interests…
In the continuing cultural shift where an SAT or ACT score is no longer required as part of a college application, many families remain skeptical about just how “optional” is test optional admissions. Many believe that submitting an SAT or ACT score will be an “edge” in the race for a seemingly elusive acceptance letter,…
Starting in Spring 2024, the SAT will be given in digital format only. Thus, those in the Classes of 2025 and 2026 who intend to take the SAT will need to prepare accordingly. For the Class of 2025, current high school Sophomores, can either take the SAT on paper this Fall 2023 (the last dates…
Now, at the mid-school year point, many families worry that a student’s fall term grades were less than expected, many concerned about a dwindling college admissions opportunities. Seeking to bridge the gap between what happened and expectations, families can rush implementation of a solution, typically hiring a tutor, without understanding what is breaking in the…