Tutoring | Appeal Your Financial Aid

Yesterday morning, on our weekly show College Coffee Talk, I covered the story about Harvard and CalTech ending their experiments with allowing students not to submit their SAT or ACT.  I suggested (for the umpteenth time) that this seems to be part of a slow trend for Ivy and other elite colleges -- and less elite --see College of The Ozarks a/k/a Hard Work U (go Bobcats!).

Today Cornell University said See ya, wouldn't want to be ya, to test-optional policies, citing familiar reasons for reinstating testing requirements:

They're helpful predictors of academic performance in college. 

Another interesting bit of information:  42% of students who submitted scores were admitted. Yes, I understand that students with stronger scores tended to submit them, but still.

I don't know if you're a betting man or woman, but were I placing a wager, I would bet big that this trend is picking up steam.  Which means...

Tutoring | Webinar

It seems like more colleges abandon their test-optional policies every week.  Last week it was Harvard and CalTech.  I believe we're still in the beginning stages of a standardized testing comeback.

Why?  Mostly because rampant grade inflation makes it super hard for admissions officers to gauge the college readiness of applicants. When everyone has a 94 average, how to you separate the wheat from the chaff?  

A full discussion of that topic would take too long, but it appears that that the (new, digital) SAT and ACT are back to help resolve that issue.    

The SAT changed formats earlier this year, switching from paper to digital.  Reviews were mixed, to put it mildly, making it more confusing for students wondering which one to prep for, and take, in order to boost their chances of getting accepted to the colleges they want to attend...

...and clean up with fat, juicy scholarships :)

That's why, tonight,...

Tutoring | Webinar

So there have been two official brand new, digital SAT exams already and the reviews are, ahem, "mixed." 

But here's the thing...

That makes it a wee bit harder to figure out whether the SAT or ACT is The One.  Especially in the new era of test-optional policies, which are still with us, but appear to be waning.

That's why, tomorrow night, we're running an SAT and ACT preview class, walking you through each and every section, to help you determine "Which Test is Best?"   We'll help you figure out which one is right for you (your kiddo) if:

• You're a fast test taker

• You're a slow-to-medium test taker

• You're "bad at math"

• You're good at math

• You "hate science"

• You have high grades but you're a "bad standardized test taker"

Wait!  There's more...

• Tips to overcome test anxiety

• Hidden, score-killing "landmines" lurking in the SAT and ACT for hapless, unsuspecting test takers

• Grammar section tips

• More -...

Manhasset Library Workshop

Announcement for local parents of college bound teens:

I'm doing a free college planning "secrets" workshop  tonight at the Manhasset Public Library, 7pm, and I just learned that they have 20 empty seats with your name on them!

That's sorta kinda what we found out, last minute.  Point is, if you have any of the following questions, and you're free at 7pm tonight, we would love you to stop by:

• Admissions "Secrets": The truth about what it takes to get into a competitive college today (including non politically correct, but true, factors)
• The FAFSApocalypse: What the bejeezus is happening the the FAFSA (financial aid app) and how is it impacting college-bound families today
• Financial Aid Loopholes: How can Long Island families cut colleges costs -- by 56% or more -- even if they believe that there's no way on God's green Earth that they can qualify for anything...so that they can comfortably afford tuition for all of their kids...

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:

*Feedback on the first digital SAT

*Financial Aid:  when your story doesn't fit in the boxes of the FAFSA

*Bombshell reasons disclosed for the FAFSA disaster

*More, including your questions!

This is a great way to get your college admissions and financial aid questions answered  -- tune in for some free college coaching!

TUNE IN

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)

- Pearl and Andy Lockwood

Yesterday I swapped a few texts with a mom, a successful architect, about signing up her son for our upcoming SAT prep class (starts tonight).  

She was a repeat client, which isn't unusual for a business like ours. What was unusual, however, was the story of her older daughter, Mary.

When Mary enrolled in her prep class with our head tutor, Marissa, hopes were pretty low.   She was a little down and out, having taken the ACT four times, failing to hit the score the rowing coach said she needed to be recruited to her top choice college.

The more she tried, the worse things got.  Marissa and I figured that Mary was suffering from a classic case of Test Anxiety, but the weird thing was that Mary was a competitive athlete, used to performing under pressure.

I personally thought Mary should have opted for 1:1 tutoring to focus on her specific issues, instead of taking a full-blown, basic review, but I kept my thoughts to myself.

Weeks...