Hi, I'll be quicker than a squirrel after a double espresso.

Tonight, our head tutor Marissa and I are doing a short, live, "Town Hall" on the recent changes to the SAT and ACT, and what they mean for you and your kiddos.

The SAT and ACT matter much, much more than last year or the year before, so if you have an 11th or 10th grader, definitely do whatever it takes to tune in.  Here's the information you need:

SAT/ACT Town Hall

See you later!

- Andy "Townie" Lockwood

P.S. Feel free to pass this around to your friends like the latest flu (Influenza A or B),  norovirus or whatever. 

P.P.S. On the signup page, you can pre-submit your "burning question," in order to get it answered, live, tonight!

Two quickie college admissions and financial aid announcements for you:

We still have seats left at the Bryant Library (Roslyn) tonight, 6pm, for my presentation, How to Get The Edge in Admission to an Ivy League or Other Elite College...and win boatloads of scholarships.

As of yesterday, they told me 16 were signed up, and I believe the room holds 25.

More details are here (if the link doesn't work that means the room is full and registration closed out):

Bryant Library 1/16/25

Proclamation Two:

Our head tutor Marissa and I just agreed to do a short, live, "Town Hall" on the recent changes to the SAT and ACT, and what they mean for you and your kiddos.

It's Sunday at 7pm, online.   

The SAT and ACT matter waaaay more than last year or the year before, so if you have an 11th or 10th grader, definitely do whatever it takes to tune in.  Here's the information you need:

Sunday 1/19/25 SAT/ACT Town Hall

That's it - over and out!

- Andy "Back to Your Regular...

Tutoring | Student/Parent Loan Relief

There are a few reasons why a child can achieve a high GPA but you-know-what the bed on the SAT or ACT.

It could be test anxiety.

It could be lack of preparation.

It could be lack of PROPER preparation (we see this with high school teachers who tutor on the side. Frequently these teachers cover the semester's worth of content, instead of focusing on the material that's actually tested on the SAT and ACT).

Or, it could be the widespread phenomenon of grade inflation.  More than 92% of students in high school have A averages today.  Where are the C students of yesteryear?

(Answer: they have 84 averages now.)

Regardless of the answer, there is a small, growing movement away from test-optional college applications that started two years ago, initially by Ivy League and comparable colleges (like MIT), but slowly spreading to other competitive colleges.  

To be clee-ah, as we say up in Beantown, test-optional is not...

Tutoring | Student/Parent Loan Relief

Good morning!  We're delighted to start off 2025 with a banger of an offer for you, a big discount off our SAT and ACT Crusher small group tutoring classes:

125 bucks off, coupon code NEWYEAR.

Almost every one of our clients who got into Ivy and near-Ivy colleges submitted their scores, proffering evidence that "test-optional" is not everything that it was cracked up to be.

Ditto for merit scholarships: as these offers roll in, it's becoming clear as glass that colleges strongly prefer to see an SAT or ACT in order to be considered for merit-based aid.

That's why I've been beating the drum with this tri-part message for the last four years:

*Figure out Which Test Is Best

*Get that test score as high as humanly possible

*Decide on a school-by-school, case-by-case basis, in the context of the TOTALITY of the application, whether or not to submit that SAT or ACT score

Our ACT prep small group class starts...

In a few hours, our head tutor Marissa is conducting a live test prep strategies presentation, 5 Score-Killing SAT and ACT Prep Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. 

The next ACT registration deadline is in four days (for the exam on 11/22), and the one for the SAT is later this month (see below).

Our next (guaranteed) ACT prep course starts tomorrow. Marissa will be offering a special discount coupon code on tonight's free workshop!  

Here's where to sign up for tonight's class

Drop whatever you're doing if you have a young-un taking the SAT or ACT in the near future.  Don't miss this class, who cares about the polling data, anyway! 

I'm Andy Lockwood and i approve of this message, mostly.

Tutoring | Financial Aid Apps Prep

I want to tell you about our guaranteed SAT and ACT prep courses, but first, I'd like to address a commonly asked question:

Should My Kid Bother to Take the SAT or ACT?

Let me lay it out for you, because I seriously doubt you'll get this information from your guidance counselor or any other "expert."

60% of a college application is based on academic credentials:

*GPA

*Rigor of course load

*Standardized testing

(I'll cover the 40% some other time.)

If you take away one of the Big Three academic components, then the other two take on more weight.  Simple logic.

So my first point is that there's a difference between applying test-optional and GETTING ACCEPTED test-optional.  If your scores are too low to submit, AND your GPA and rigor is also lacking, you're not competitive and merely wasting your application fee.

What about the "High GPA, Bad Test Taker Phenomenon?"

Not that unusual, thanks in large part to rampant grade...

Tutoring | Financial Aid Consulting

Average ACT and SAT scores dropped in 2024 compared to 2023.  What does this mean for 11th grade and younger kids who are headed to college?

1.4 million kids took the ACT in 2024, the average score:  19.4, down from 19.5 in 2023.  Big whoop.

1.97 million kids took the SAT or PSAT in 2024, the average score:  1024, down from 1028 the previous year.  Big whoop number two.

The party line among test professionals is not that our kids are dumber, but that more kids are taking the tests.

My hunch is the opposite, lower scores are part of the overall decline in education, achievement and accountability that keeps me up at night.  A topic for another day, or never (publicly).

Let's turn to some specific advice for college-bound 11th graders and younger.

Prep hard and take the tests, either the SAT or ACT.  Start before you're "ready," so you don't run out of time.

Take a diagnostic exam first, to determine...

Hidey ho,

I'm thigh-deep reviewing applications for Class of 2025 college applicants, and one question keeps coming up:

Should I submit my SAT or ACT scores?

The answer is a school-by-school, case-by-case, "it depends" kind of answer.  Give me two minutes, and I'll show you exactly how to figure it out in this short video, using the University of South Carolina as an example (that you can follow for any test-optional college):

VIDEO:  To Submit or Not to Submit

Have a great rest of your weekend!

-Andy "2 Minute Drill" Lockwood

P.S.  Feel free to pass this along to anyone who could use this information.

The SAT and ACT have each changed formats recently, leaving many parents and kids wondering, "Which Test is Best...for me?"

We'll help you answer that question, tonight, in a free online class.

Topics to be covered:

• The new ACT Changes and how they affect your child
• Which test - SAT or ACT -- is best for strong math students?
• Which one is best for weaker math students?
• Which test is best for slow test takers?
• The "High GPA, Bad Test-Taker" phenomenon
• How to combat test anxiety

More, including your questions!

The whole kit and kaboodle will run 60 minutes or less.  If you're around tonight, it will definitely be worth your while to attend, so you can discover the key differences between the SAT and ACT...

...so that your kiddo can CRUSH the test, get into the college of their dreams and win tons of fat, juicy scholarships along the way!

Learn more...

See you in class!

- Andy Lockwood

P.S. Results not guaranteed. Batteries not included.  Some assembly required....

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:

*Blockbuster Changes to the ACT...and how they affect your child

*Notes From Yesterday's College Essay Bootcamp

*Student Loan Repayment Program Tomfoolery

Tune In!

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

- Andy Lockwood