As junior year comes to a close, high school students tend to feel overwhelmed by the college planning process. To utilize your time wisely over April vacation week, try to get ahead on your research and prepare your next steps for summer break. Come senior year, you will be thanking yourself for starting early. Here are some tips on how to use your time efficiently over April vacation: Prepare a challenging schedule for senior year.…
If your child is thinking about taking the ACT, there are a few basics you should both know before they sit down on test day with their number two pencils. The ACT is a standardized test used as a college entrance exam to measure student achievement (i.e., what they have learned in school). It includes 215 multiple-choice questions and is divided into five sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing test. The test…
If you are unsatisfied with your SAT scores, you should try taking the ACT. There are some fundamental differences between the SAT and the ACT. The SAT tests aptitude, measuring a student’s verbal abilities and reasoning skills, whereas the ACT tests achievement, measuring what a student has acquired in school. The ACT’s content is broader than the SAT; it consists of 5 sections including English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test. The SAT…
Scores for the March 8th SAT test are scheduled to come back on March 27th. If you are unsatisfied with your performance, there are opportunities on May 3rd and June 7th to take the test again. This is helpful for students who may have struggled with certain sections of the SAT and want to improve their scores. Listed below are some tips on what to do before taking the test again, and reasons for why…
Emily Newhook is an outreach coordinator for the MHA degree program from The George Washington University, MHA@GW. Outside of work, she enjoys writing, film studies and powerlifting. Follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyNewhook and Google+. Dos and Don’ts of College Essay Writing In competitive admissions pools, where thousands of applicants have strong academic credentials and a laundry list of extracurricular activities, well-written personal essays can mean the difference between getting accepted, waitlisted or outright rejected. Your…
Optional essay, no penalties for wrong answers, and more targeted math concepts. This is the new SAT. College Board officials announced big changes to the SAT college entrance exam this past Wednesday. The new test, which will be administered in 2016, is said to be a better representation of what students learn in high school and the tools they need to succeed in college and afterward. College Board President David Coleman says that these revisions…
Summer learning loss, also known as the “Summer Slide,” refers to the loss of academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer months. If your child is not intellectually engaged during out-of-school time, their performance in school will suffer when they return in the fall. Over summer vacation, students on average lose approximately two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills. Factual or procedural knowledge is where most students fall behind, studies…
Start researching schools you’re interested in If you already have a list of schools generated, that’s great. If not, you should begin working on that immediately. Once you have your list, start asking more specific questions, such as: What is the student-to-teacher ratio of the university’s introductory level courses? At the end of their freshman year, how many students transfer or drop out? What is the quality of the professors (prior work experience, availability to…
Information for ACT 2014 Spring Tests The next ACT scheduled for this spring is April 12th. The registration deadline is March 7th. A late fee is required if you register anytime between March 8th–21st. A later test date in the spring is scheduled for June 14th. You must register by May 9th. A late fee is required if you register anytime between May 10th–23rd. It’s important that you sign up as soon as possible, because…
The next test scheduled for the spring is March 8th and it is strictly SAT (no Subject Tests). The regular registration deadline has passed, but you can still sign up by mail by February 21st. The deadline for registrations made online or by phone is February 24th. A late fee applies for all late registrations. Later test dates in the spring include both SAT and Subject Tests. The deadline to sign up for the May…
