HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD YOU TAKE THE SAT/ACT?

Many students, and their parents too, sweat bullets over the SAT/ACT scores. The first question out of their mouths once they see the results is “Should I take the test again?” This question is even asked by students are who are “overjoyed” with their scores. The anxiety over test scores then begs the question of how many times should you take these tests?RELAX.

Standardized tests have a way of creating havoc on students psyche. Students and their families are lead to believe that these scores are the all important decision factor into deciding weather or not a school accepts you. Students are always left questioning “I wonder if it could be higher?”

At some point students have to look at the "law of diminishing returns" and question weather there are better places you can spend your holiday or summer vacation over preparing to take the SAT or ACT yet again a third, fourth or fifth time just to gain a few points.

Students need to question if they should take both tests in hopes that one will produce better results. Many times, school will accept both SAT and ACT tests, so if you feel you are not doing well on one test, move to the other as each of the tests are based on different philosophies. If you want to repeat the test, then here are some questions you need to ask yourself.

AM I HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS ON MY SAT/ACT TEST? IF SO, YOU’RE DONE!
If you are happy with your score, end the process on a high note, and accept for what it is because there are a lot of things you can do with your time than to prepare yet again for another hit at the SAT/ACT exam. Schools are looking for students who have an out of academic life.  Don't sweat the "WHAT IFs!"

AM I FEELING OPTIMISTIC ON REPEATING THE TEST, OR BEATEN DOWN?
Some students want to take the test again. They feel that they can do better. If you feel you have the upper hand and want to show what you can do, go for it! If you're feeling defeated, but want another try, TRY! If you are just burned out, forget it. If you're feeling discouraged about doing a repeat, you've done your best and spent your time preparing and now just wish it was “just over”, quit! You have done your best and you should now close that chapter and do something else that will bring you pleasure.

SHOULD I TALK TO MY PREP TUTOR OR CLASS INSTRUCTOR?
Of course! Good instructors should be able to tell you whether or not you have a good chance of improving your scores. If you have a private tutor, perhaps they can focus on the problem areas to bring up the scores, but if it is just to raise a score by 20 points, don’t bother!

WILL THE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY I WANT TO GO TO ALLOW ME TO REPORT ONLY MY HIGHEST SCORES?
Review in the Admissions Section of the College's Website. See if they will accept your best scores from different sitting.  Based on what you learn, you can then decide if taking the test again is necessary. Many colleges allow you to report your highest math, critical reading and writing scores from different sittings, so you might want to repeat it.

SHOULD I TAKE A TEST AGAIN BASED ON THE “AVERAGE SCORES” OF THE COLLEGE(S) THAT INTEREST ME?
Schools like to quote a “HIGH” average score as a marketing tool that score might be higher than yours, however, that isn't necessarily a good reason to take the test again. Wasting time to study yet again for a standardized test takes time away from things that you could be enjoying and bringing to the table at the school you are looking at.

Test scores are never the most important factor in the admissions decision, so don't make it your most important activity.  Focus on YOU.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS OFFICERS' TWEETS FALL ON DEAF EARS

With a recession recovery that is not bouncing back too fast, it is interesting to see how colleges and Universities are using technology to attract students, or hoping to attract students. This is an article worth reading.


Admission Officials' Tweets Fall on Deaf Ears

By Kelly Truong

Colleges are ramping up efforts to connect with prospective students through Twitter—but students aren’t interested, a new study says.

Evidence has shown that teenagers rely on college visits and Web sites to learn about colleges, rather than social-media outlets. When it comes to Twitter, students are barely on the site at all, let alone for college research purposes.

Abe Gruber, director of marketing at Bloomfield College, found in a recent study that while 40 percent of college admissions offices are active on Twitter, only 15 percent of prospective students expressed interest using in Twitter to learn about colleges.

Mr. Gruber surveyed 200 prospective freshmen and 70 admissions offices in his study, which is not available online. He presented his findings at the Hobsons Connect U conference this week in Minneapolis.

“Twitter scores high for the admissions officers, but not for students,” said Mr. Gruber.

He calls this disparity “the Twitter anomaly.” Most high-school students are not active on Twitter, he says, but college admissions officers typically fall into the 30-to-40 age demographic that Twitter attracts.

“They just hear this as a buzz word,” said Mr. Gruber. “They keep hearing more and more and thinking it’s the next big thing, when their prospective students aren’t really as involved as they think they are.”

According to the study, Twitter is the second most popular form of social media used by college admissions offices (trailing Facebook by 28 percentage points). Twitter is the most up-and-coming form of social media used by colleges, with 35 percent of admissions officials planning to start accounts in the next year.

Rebecca Whitehead, assistant director of campus visits and engagements at Winthrop University, maintains the admissions office’s Twitter account, which currently has 373 followers. She says she uses it largely to connect with other higher-education professionals, to find out about upcoming events or research.

Ms. Whitehead anticipates that high-school students will eventually become more active on Twitter. For now, however, she agrees with Mr. Gruber’s findings, characterizing the account’s impact on students as “very low.”

“Right now, it’s a little difficult to engage with students,” she said. “So right now, we’re just trying to build a presence.”

PRINCETON REVIEW'S 2011 BEST 373 COLLEGES JUST HIT NEWSSTANDS!

The Princeton Review has just released their latest tally of the best 2011 U.S. schools in the county, ranking them in different categories such as financial aid, career services, campus beauty, top party schools, and food.

With a  four-year education at a college or university costing a family an average of $68,000 for a public school, and $142,000 for a private college or university, it is important that students and their families to take the time to find the right school.

In twenty years, the cost of a college education has risen annually 6% to 7%. The normal workers' salary increases 2% - 5% each year.  That said, colleges and universities are increasing at two to three times the rate of inflation, and students along with their parents need to figure out how to get the most bang for their buck out of these schools.

In today’s market, it is now “normal” for the cost of college to hit $200,000. In calculating the costs, The Princeton Review defines "average cost"  to include tuition, fees, and room & board  for one year.  On top of that figure you need add for books, flights to and from school, spending money, clothing, car expenses if you take a car to school, fraternity/sorority costs, and then multiple it by four years.

However, if a student chooses to live at home, it is possible that the cost of a college education may be less. By living at home it will cut costs, but at the same time it deprives a student of having the whole experience of a college or university when 85% of the experience is outside of the classroom.

While colleges continuing to rise, and  to be more expensive, it’s important for students and their families to do the research necessary, perhaps seeking out the aid of a college admissions consultant, and making sure that the right school for your student is made, and avoid costly mistakes. 

When families start to look at colleges and universities, a good source to start  with is FISKE. FISKE is a large book which list each college in the U.S. and gives the reader an overview of what each school is about. By periodically browsing a FISKE book, it will give students an idea of what they want and what they don't want, and prepare them for college fairs..

Public School and Independent College Admissions Counselors can also help families sort out the schools zeroing in on which schools offer the most and best of what you're looking for - and that goes for much more than just the quality of their education.

When readers review the Princeton Review,  remember this side note.....the schools that are listed today, may not be the schools that are listed next year. Students need to focus on what their needs are and what they are looking for.  If the school a student is looking at is not listed, it does not mean it that families should not continue to look at their choice schools.

The Princeton Review of 2011 is a compilation and writing based on a review on some 122,000 students about their schools.  Here is an excerpt from "The Best 373 Colleges, 2011 Edition" by Robert Franek and others.  Copyright © 2010 by The Princeton Review, Inc. Published by Random House, Inc.



Great Financial Aid

Based on students' ratings of their financial aid awards
1. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Needham MA)
2. Univ. of Virginia - Charlottesville
3. Princeton Univ. (Princeton NJ)
4. Harvard College (Cambridge MA)
5. Stanford Univ. (Palo Alto CA)
6. Yale Univ. (New Haven CT)
7. New College of Florida
8. Washington Univ. (St. Louis MO)
9. Pomona College (Claremont CA)
10. Rice Univ. (Houston TX)

Best Career Services

Based on students' ratings of their career/job services center
1. Northeastern Univ. (Boston)
2. Pennsylvania State Univ. (State College PA)
3. Yale Univ (New Haven CT)
4. Univ. of Florida (Gainesville)
5. Barnard College (New York NY)
6. Bentley Univ. (Waltham MA)
7. Claremont McKenna College (Claremont CA)
8. Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar, VA)
9. Rose-Hulman Inst. of Technology (Terre Haute IN)
10. Univ. of Texas at Austin

Most Beautiful Campus

Based on students' ratings of the beauty of their campus
1. Sewanee-The Univ. of the South (Sewanee TN)
2. Lewis & Clark College (Portland OR)
3. Colgate Univ. (Hamilton NY)
4. Univ. of San Diego (CA)
5. College of the Holy Cross (Worcester MA)
6. Sweet Briar College (Sweet Briar VA)
7. Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley MA)
8. Princeton Univ. (Princeton NJ)
9. Florida Southern College (Lakeland FL)
10. Vassar College (Poughkeepsie NY)


Top Party Schools

Based on students answers to survey questions concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and popularity of frats/sororities on campus.
1. Univ. of Georgia (Athens)
2. Ohio University (Athens)
3. Pennsylvania State Univ. (State College PA)
4. West Virginia Univ. (Morgantown)
5. Univ. of Mississippi
6. Univ. of Texas (Austin)
7. Univ. of Florida (Gainesville)
8. Univ. of California at Santa Barbara
9. Univ. of Iowa
10. DePauw Univ. (Greencastle IN)

Top Stone-cold Sober Schools

Based on students answers to survey questions concerning the use of alcohol and drugs, hours of study each day, and popularity of frats/sororities on campus.
1. Brigham Young University (Provo UT)
2. Wheaton College (IL)
3. U.S. Coast Guard Academy (New London CT)
4. U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs CO)
5. Wesleyan College (Macon GA)
6. College of the Ozarks (Point Lookout MO)
7. U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis MO)
8. U.S. Military Academy (West Point NY)
9. Calvin College (Grand Rapids MI)
10. Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula CA)

Best Campus Food:

Based on students' ratings of campus food
1 Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)
2 Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA)
3 James Madison Univ. (Harrisonburg VA)
4 Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL)
5 Cornell University ( Ithaca, NY )
6 St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN)
7 Univ. of Georgia (Athens, GA)
8 Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)
9 Univ. of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN)
10 Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

A WORD TO PARENTS AS THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SEASON QUICKLY APPEARS

As a parent, you want the best for your child. You want your child to do better perhaps than you did. You are nervous. You are excited. You are perhaps re-living your college experience all over again.

As a parent myself, I know how hard it is to balance our dreams for our precious children with the reality of where the world is today. That said, it is important to remember that your child’s school experience is not yours; it is theirs! It is their own journey and memories of elementary, middle and high school that only they alone can and must create, not yours. It does not mean they don’t love you.

The fact that we are just “parents” can be a real source of anxiety for a child. At the same time, parents want their children to love them, not hate them because the level of pressure on them is just too much for them at this point and time of their young lives. As parents, it is a difficult walk as you travel down that fine line between motivating them and over loading them

Parents many times approach their high school age students with plans of what THEY want for their students. I had the similar kind of ideas when my son was in High School. However, it is important to remember this “It’s your child’s life that is emerging, not yours.  You are living yours.   It is your child who needs to have his or her heart set on where they are applying to school, not you, the parent.” Read this sentence again, and take a moment to think about how you felt as a teenager when you parents probably did the same thing. All the parental wishing in the world will not help a kid get into Harvard, Stanford or UCLA, especially if it is not on their radar.

Students in the US today are confronted with an influx of foreign students, especially those from India, Japan, or China, or another Asian Countries. These students raise the bar on acceptances naturally as a result of their own individual cultural backgrounds.   These students have been brought up in a different way which lends to these students to be mentally and emotionally stronger than American peers because they have lived in one of the most competitive demographic areas of the world, and it is just part of who they are.

However, when college admission officers are building a freshman class, they are looking to build a diverse group of students into a class.  They want students who can blend and bring new ideas and concepts to their school, so they are not going to take just one type of student.  They want diversity.

Therefore, it is important for a child to do the best that they can, and important for parents to be supportive and help find the schools where their child can emotionally and intellectually grow. Sometimes you see a student who wanted a school so bad,  had it all, and should have been accepted and but wasn’t. It happens quite a bit, so you have to position yourselves for the "What IFs".

The goal of THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTANT is to position students to reach their potential; to look at each student attributes and match them with a school that will serve them well, not set them up for failure.

Our job, as consultants, is to be a neutral, non judging third party to maximize student’s grades, scores, academic effort and extras to be the best they can be before they ever get to the admissions application. As students prepare to apply to the schools of their choice, we assist them with narrowing down their selection to the schools which are the best match and at the top end of their range, allowing for the “what ifs”, not to mention  "we buffer the process".

The range that THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CONSULTANT works with is not necessarily determined by grades, scores, national prominence in academic areas, awards, etc…. The range is made up of a combination of a student’s academic background, schools they have attended likes and dislikes, interests, goals, etc. Once that is determined it is then processed them through a "blender like" technique to come up with a range. We know there is a college for every student; it is just about finding the “right one”. No matter when your child ranks, there is a school for everyone, even schools for those that deal with learning disabilities.

No matter how proud or optimistic a parent may be, both parents and students alike must understand that they are dealing with a system to which they have control over till all the applications are in. Once the applications are submitted and the mixtures are shaken out, it is anyone's guess. Admissions officers can never say what they will do till they see the applicant pool they receive each year.

Parents must accept the idea that as much as we would like to be,  and as often as we have been through out the life of our child, the key player(s),  we aren't anymore. Our job as parents is tapering down, and now the child is the key player. Focusing on the student is central to our process as it is their interests, passions, and goals we are trying to nurture.

Top Tier Schools now show tough odds of getting in. It’s not fair to a student to put pressure on them if they can not reach to and to set them up for failure. Students and Parents need to present themselves in the best light to a top tier school as best the can, keeping in mind that there are no guarantees, and sometimes the most you can do is hope.

So please, our word to parents is this, and we mean it from the heart. As you get nervous and excited as all parents do at this time in your life, simply revise the expectations you and your student have this year and fall in line keeping in mind your child’s natural tendencies and gifts. Failure to not do this is a recipe for disaster and will demoralized your son or daughter.