Good Grades, “Bad Test Taker”

Live SAT/ACT Q&A Session Tonight If I had a nickel for every time a parent expressed frustration that her high gpa kiddo just couldn’t seem to break out of the Land of Mediocre Standardized Test Scores…I’d still be writing these messages. What are the most common reasons for the High GPA-Low SAT/ACT phenomenon?  Here’s a…

Common Application Essay Prompts for Class of 2022

Hot off the presses… The essay prompts for the 2021-22 Common Application (for the Class of 2022) are as follows, as announced on the Common Application blog: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then…

Frustrating College Negotiation

Although I humbly think of myself as a college negotiation master of the universe, occasionally the opposite conclusion gets shoved in my pie hole, like a warning to not believe my own press. Last year, one of my favorite clients got into Cornell (off the wait list) and Johns Hopkins, which was awesome because she deserved…

The Truth Behind the College Board’s Announcement

Test Prep Classes | Financial Aid Changes In case you missed it in the middle of all the inaugural hoopla, last week the College Board folks magnanimously canceled the writing section on the SAT, and did away with SAT subject tests. Did they do so out of the goodness of their hearts?  More importantly, what does…