The youngArts Program has extended their registration deadline until October 16. Follow the link below to register.http://www.youngarts.org/Students/How%20to%20Register/
Oct 13 09
Being Prepared on SAT and PSAT Test Day
Being prepared feels good
With the SAT and PSAT around the corner, we wanted to share some important tips with you, so you feel mentally prepared and ready to go on testing day.On the night before the test, you should gather everything you will need, so you don’t have to be scrambling in the morning to find something. Here’s a checklist:
- Your admission ticket
- A valid form of photo identification
- Several #2 pencils (with good erasers, of course)
- A calculator with fresh batteries (for the SAT only)
- Directions to the testing center
- A watch to pace yourself
- A high-energy snack (e.g., granola bars)
And here are some important tips to follow on test day that will help you stay focused:
Dress in Layers - The climate in test centers can vary from sauna-like to frigid. Be prepared for both extremes and everything in-between. Choose your outfit the night before, so you don’t have to think about it on test day.
Eat Breakfast – As the most important meal of the day, breakfast cannot be skipped, especially on test day! Without having some fuel in your system, you simply will not have the same concentration levels that you would with breakfast. You wouldn’t try and drive an empty car to school, would you?
Don’t Spend Too Much Time on One Question - If a question is confusing or too time-consuming, don’t waste any more time on it. Instead, just move on and you can go back to hard questions if you have time at the end of a section.
Adopt a “Success” Attitude – Stay positive and confident! Your attitude and outlook are crucial to your test-day performance.
From your coaches at Elite College Coaching, we wish you all the best on test day!
Oct 7 09
Communication Breakdown?
Let us do the talking. We can help you to craft a dynamic application, choose the ideal college, pick the perfect essay topic and ace the admissions interview. Reserve your spot now and receive 50% off any Senior Package. …Offer expires Tuesday, October 20, 2009. Spots are limited for each package.
Oct 6 09
Cheaper to go to Harvard?
Private universities with big endowments such as Harvard, Princeton and Yale have revamped their financial aid policies. The result? Depending on your family income, it may be cheaper to go to an Ivy than your local state school.
At Harvard, students from families that make up to $60,000 will not have to contribute anything to the cost of attending college. Families with yearly incomes from $60,000 to $120,000 will be asked to contribute on a sliding scale from 10% (at $120,000) down to 0% (at $60,000). Families with incomes between $120,000 and $180,000 will be asked to pay a maximum of 10% of their incomes towards college. This is a significant difference – under the old policy, if your family made $120,000, you would have to pay almost $20,000 a child per year. Now, you would pay $12,000. They have also replaced loans with grants and no longer look to home equity as part of your contribution.
Other elite colleges are jumping on the bandwagon. Check out this article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/151695
Oct 6 09
Write Winning Essays
It’s application season! And that means essays. And more essays. And still more revisions of those essays. As I wade through all the paper, there is one thing that I see over and over and over. Weak, badly-crafted, soft opening sentences that fall flat. Sentences like, “I truly believe that college will provide me a lot of opportunities to grow as a student.” or “Selecting a university or a college is one of the most important decisions a high school student will make in his or her life.”
YAWN. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but just think about your audience for a minute. Your reader is an overworked admissions officer who will spend a maximum of 25 minutes on your file – and that is only if it is good! Your essay has to jump out and grab your reader. Make them *want* to read more! Excite them in some way. How? Its all in the lead.
As any good journalist knows, a strong lead is vital. You could use a “shock” lead. For example, “The evidence is irrefutable. I have been collecting it for 17 years, and I can tell you, ladies and gentlemen, with utter conviction, that George Olson was Santa Claus.”
Or a “why” lead (make your readers ask why?) – “Contrary to what you might think, drinking tea is a complex and politically-charged activity.”
Or an anecdote lead (tell a snippet of a story) – “For the last six days, I have sailed with my family across the wide blue pacific. Destination? The Fijian Islands.”
Whatever you do, please really focus on your opening sentences. Craft a lead that will make you stand out from the pack!
Looking for some information on the the state of the economy, international issues and business? Take a look at these 50 free lectures given by Ivy League professors. http://www.onlineclasses.org/2009/09/30/50-free-ivy-league-lectures-on-the-economy/
Oct 1 09
Do you need motivation?
For those students who need a little motivation, check out William Kamkwamba – a teenager that built electric windmills out of junk, bringing electricity and running water to his village. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8257153.stm. Now that’s a good extracurricular activity!
Jul 30 09
YIKES! It’s the Evil SAT!!!
High school students across the country are preparing themselves for the fall round of standardized testing. Whether you are taking the PSAT, SAT or the ACT, the key to scoring well on these tests is practice. Practice, practice and more practice.
Your standardized test scores are very important in the college admissions process precisely because they are standardized. These scores allow admissions officers to make a quantitative comparison between two students from different schools that have taken similar courses and achieved similar grades.
While elite colleges look firstly at your grades and course schedule from high school, getting an outstanding score on the SAT (or ACT) is one of the best ways to increase your chances of acceptance at your dream schools. Colleges report their SAT ranges, and this is a factor in their ranking by the US News and World Report. Accordingly, colleges don’t want to pull down their averages by accepting a student that is well below their published range. There are always exceptions, but generally, unless you are an Olympic athlete or your parents have donated a building to the school, you are unlikely to get accepted with below-average scores.
That being said, no score, not even a 2400 on the SAT, guarantees your admission into an elite school. Harvard brags about the number of students with perfect SATs that they turn away each year!
Here are 5 things you can do to maximize your success with standardized tests!
1. Choose test dates that maximize your opportunities to retake the tests: Colleges generally look at the top scores on each section of the SAT I, each Subject test and each ACT composite. Superstar Students take the tests multiple times, and you want to leave enough time to study and retake the tests before the early application deadline. That means taking the SAT I early Junior Spring, so you can retake it later in the Spring, and then a last ditch-effort early in the fall of Senior year.
2. SAT Subject Tests:
The goal with SAT II Subject Test timing is to time the tests with course completions so as to take advantage of knowledge that is ‘fresh’ in your mind. Don’t wait until months have passed between the end of the course and the corresponding Subject test. Allow yourself enough time to take 6 or so Subject tests so you can put your best foot forward on your applications.
3. Prep Courses: It seems that prep courses are now standard fare when it comes to preparing for the SAT or ACT. This is for good reason: they provide structured study and teach students how to take the test. That being said, you do not need to take a prep course to do well, if you are disciplined about studying. There are many books and even a few video games that can be used by the self-starter to study. And obviously, practice tests are vital, whether or not you take a prep class.
4. Private Tutors:
Private tutors can be ideal for test prep, depending on the circumstances. Tutors can focus on student weaknesses and teach directly to an individual learning style. To maximize the benefit of a private tutor, make sure you tell them from the outset what your goal score is and your college goals. Also, make sure they are not just giving you practice tests and watching you take them – you can do that on your own time.5. Cram: In addition to daily preparing during the months before the test date, make sure you cram the day before the test. You need to pack as much vocab etc. into your short term memory as possible!
As always, We love to hear from you!
Keep the emails coming.
joanna@elitecollegecoaching.com
Jul 11 09
Maximize your Summer!
Summer is a great opportunity to spend time with family, go to the beach and just relax a little. But as your coach, let me advise you not to spend all day taking it easy. Superstar students know that summer is the best time to catapult yourself ahead in your college journey.
Seniors: You are in the home stretch! You will be applying to colleges in the fall and from your emails to me, I know that many of you are nervous about the competition, where to apply and your college essay. Don’t fret – just get started early! Come to one of our Application Academy workshops and we will guide you through every step of the process. Then you can relax and enjoy Senior year, knowing that you are WAY ahead of the game, with your college applications done!
Juniors: Hopefully, as you and your parents read this, you are engaged in a dynamic and interesting summer plan that will make you stand out to the Admissions Committee. If so, great! If, on the other hand, you find yourself without a plan; it is not too late to maximize your summer. DO SOMETHING. A job, an internship, volunteer work, an independent project. Check out my summer article in Atlantic Avenue Magazine HERE for more ideas.
Sophomores, Freshmen & Middle School: You should also be focusing on creating unique summers (see above). But this is also a time for you to work on your academic and standardized testing plan. Make sure you know which courses you are going to take each year, and when you are going to take the SATs. Timing is crucial, and I know from your emails, that there is a lot of confusion. Spend the time now to create a plan, so that you don’t miss out on rigorous classes, or that second chance to nail the SAT. Give us a call if you want to come in and talk about your plan.
As always, I love to hear from you!
Keep the emails coming.
joanna@elitecollegecoaching.com
May 17 09
Cheaper to go to Harvard?
Private universities with big endowments such as Harvard, Princeton and Yale have revamped their financial aid policies. The result? Depending on your family income, it may be cheaper to go to an Ivy than your local state school.
At Harvard, students from families that make up to $60,000 will not have to contribute anything to the cost of attending college. Families with yearly incomes from $60,000 to $120,000 will be asked to contribute on a sliding scale from 10% (at $120,000) down to 0% (at $60,000). Families with incomes between $120,000 and $180,000 will be asked to pay a maximum of 10% of their incomes towards college. This is a significant difference – under the old policy, if your family made $120,000, you would have to pay almost $20,000 a child per year. Now, you would pay $12,000. They have also replaced loans with grants and no longer look to home equity as part of your contribution.
Other elite colleges are jumping on the bandwagon. Check out this article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/151695
