Confessions of a College Advisor
Good morning!
We're hitting the airwaves this morning -- 10:00am EST -- for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!
Here's what's on tap for today:
Confessions of a College Advisor -- "eavesdrop" on a conversation I had with a class of 2026 prospective client this weekend. It was going along swimmingly...until it didn't.
Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)
- Andy Lockwood
How to Make Your Common App Uncommonly Great
For 2026 families:
You're invited to a brand new webinar tomorrow night, How to Make Your Common Application Uncommonly Great.
August 1 marked the release of this year's "refreshed" Common App...
...but what I do not find refreshing are all of the god-awful admission-crushing mistakes that kids make each year, often egged on by Reddit, Tik Tok, other know-it-all parents or misguided, hapless guidance counselors.
Applying to college today is about how you market yourself, it's not a meritocracy.
How good is your guidance counselor at marketing?
I'll answer that one for you: about as competent as your average DMV employee.
I've been called a marketing consultant trapped in a college advisor's body. Yeah, I know how creepy that is, but it's accurate.
I'm always thinking in New York Post-style headlines. I can't help it, it's just the way I'm wired.
Here's what I told a prospective client yesterday: "You're not Madeline, random kid applying to colleges versus 50,000 ident...
Common Common App MIstakes
The may have escaped your attention somehow with all the news about tariffs and controversial ads for jeans, but yesterday the new Common Application -- with a "refreshed" look and feel! -- became available.
Sadly, each year, college applicants commit numerous errors. Some of these unforced errors are more significant than others.
I want to highlight a short, non-comprehensive list, to help if you have a class of 2026 kiddo about to tackle his or her college applications.
- Completing last year's application. A bunch of kids have "already filled out" the Common App in school, during 11th grade. But that was last year's application. All of their information will not port over to this year's, the correct one for students headed to college in August 2026.
- Unbalanced list. Too many "reach" or highly rejective colleges, not enough safeties and target schools.
- Blowing deadlines. The Common App has a built in application tracker doohickey so that you never miss deadlines or get b ...
5 Big, Yet Awful, Essay Mistakes
College Essay/Activities Workshop
Did you hear about the Long Island kid who had a 30M business, a straight A average and 34 on his ACT...
...But failed to get into 80% of his colleges?
That was a head scratcher for a lot of folks. I me-self was slightly curious.
Then I saw his essay.
(He posted it on X/Twitter, it wasn't buried like the Epstein files.)
Before I tell you what I think about the essay, permit me to make a few comments:
It's never ONE THING that gets a kid into, or keeps him out of, his top choice colleges.
Second, the essay is important, but perhaps not as critical as you might think. My best guess is that it accounts for about 10, maybe 15% tops, of the application.
It's just that that 10% becomes more important if your kid is one of the on-the-fence applicants.
Now, brace yourself for my professional, insightful analysis of this kid's essay:
SUCKY.
Really, it was SO BAD.
Pretentious, lacking insight and, sadly, obviously co-authored (best case sc...
NY Financial Aid Changes
Good morning!
As I write this, Pearl is on the phone with a reporter, talking about the new financial aid rules for New York residents, among other topics (both NY and non NY-related).
Join is in a few minutes,-- 10:00am EST -- for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!
Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)
- Andy Lockwood
$125 Off Summer Promo
GM, two quickies for you today!
First, to celebrate the amazing, 17 to 31 (and counting) success of one of our ACT prep students, we're running an unprecedented $125 off instant "scholarship" (discount) for our upcoming SAT and ACT Prep courses!
Details (and a recording of our case study) are here on this page. (SAT prep starts tomorrow July 15, it's recorded and guaranteed.)
Announcement Deux:
Pearl and I are going live for our weekly show/podcast, College Coffee Talk, at 10AM.
Today's topics:
"Inside Baseball" look at the three biggest essay mistakes, based on yesterday's College Application Edge Bootcamp; and
Behind the scenes of a financial aid appeal.
Here's where to join us at 10am EST, recorded if you can't make it.
That's all I got, over and out!
-Andy
- Andy Lockwood
P.S. You can also listen to our show on our podcast, The College Application Edge.
You should definitely like and subscribe, because, apparently, we're the number 2 or 5 ...
11 ACT Point Increase Guaranteed!
OK, fine, there's no such thing as a score boost guarantee.
If you see or hear one, you should run -- not walk -- away as quickly as if you were offered a ticket to the new Superman movie (SO BAD).
But there is a "secret sauce" to crushing the SAT and ACT. Spoiler alert, it involves doing the W-O-R-K.
The way we tutor kids, it also involves:
*Content - the bare-bones, FOCUSED amount necessary to conquer the tests. We don't teach the whole semester of content like your math teacher who tutors on the side, and wants to go over the entire year of Algebra II in order for you to get six questions right. That's a big waste of time.
Our motto: "Highest scores, least amount of time."
*Strategy - including which questions to answer when, now much time to spend on them, when to make an educated guess, process of elimination
*"Tricks" - meaning the tricks and traps that lay waiting for hapless victims on the exams, created by sneaky, diabolical exam writers
*Time management - a su...
ACT Makeover Cheat Sheet
The SAT and ACT are becoming more important to college admissions officers with each passing day, thanks mostly to RAMPANT grade inflation throughout the US of A.
One local, rigorous high school had 9 valedictorians this year.
The good news is that this is down from 15 in 2023. (Wish I was joking.)
Although the pendulum is swinging back to the SAT and ACT as the preferred predictors of collegiate academic performance, several questions remain for college-bound teens. Among them:
Which Test is Best?
Colleges accept both. Higher scores mean greater odds of acceptance, and winning fat, juicy scholarships.
Some kids do much better on one versus the other. But it's time consuming and stressful to prep for each.
Plus, the ACT recently changed formats, which complicates matters. But we can help...
Tonight, we're hosting an up-to-date rundown on the pros and cons, similarities and differences of the SAT and ACT, so that you can help your child determ...
SAT v New ACT - Which Test is Best?
The ACT just changed formats, but the big question is, Should your child take it or the SAT?
Other questions you may have or should have:
*Which test is best for strong math students?
*What's the deal with the mislabled Science Section?
*Which test is best for slow test takers?
Our head tutor Marissa U is doing a short presentation to help you figure out Which Test is Best for your child, by running a brand new SAT vs New ACT preview class.
You'll get a chance to hear her thoughts, plus ask your own SAT v ACT questions in the live Q&A.
It's tomorrow, Wednesday June 25th and you flat out can't miss it if your kiddo is about to grapple with the SAT or ACT!
Here's where to get all class details:
See you in class!
- Andy "Feeling Testy" Lockwood
Have You Heard About the New ACT?
So we're still digesting the "soft rollout" of the newly refurbished ACT, and have some updated thoughts to share about the changed timing, whether the science section is really optional, the experimental questions, more.
It's not clear whether this version of the ACT is better than the old one.
Breaking News
I interrupt this email to share the following excitiing announcement...
Our head tutor Marissa U is doing a short presentation to help you figure out Which Test is Best for your child, by running a brand spanking new SAT vs New ACT preview class.
It's this coming Wednesday June 25th and you won't want to miss it if you have a happy young standardized test taker about to grapple with the SAT or ACT!
Run don't walk!
Here's where to get all details:
See you in class!
- Andy "Test Not Optional" Lockwood