PSAT - IS THE PSAT A GOOD PREDICTOR OF WHAT A STUDENT WILL MAKE ON THE ACTUAL SAT I?

PSAT - IS THE PSAT A GOOD PREDICTOR OF WHAT A STUDENT WILL MAKE ON THE ACTUAL SAT I? SOME OF THIS WAS SAID IN ANOTHER POST, BUT I AM GLAD TO REPEAT IT HERE. NOT AT ALL! WARNING HERE. BIG WARNING. I HAVE SEEN THE MOST INCREDIBLE FLUCTUATIONS IN SCORES ON THE PSAT VS. THE REAL SAT I. THE PSAT IS A SHORTER, SMALLER TEST THAN THE ACTUAL SAT I. THE SAT I IS ALMOST TWICE AS LONG AS THE PSAT. FURTHERMORE, THE PSAT IS A TEST BED WHERE THE COLLEGE BOARD TESTS CERTAIN QUESTIONS TO SEE IF THEY WILL BE USE ON FUTURE SAT'S (SO CONSEQUENTLY YOU CAN ACTUALLY HAVE HARDER QUESTIONS ON A PSAT THAN ON THE REAL SAT SOMETIMES). SO, WHAT THE PSAT IS BEST FOR IS TO SEE IF YOU DID REALLY BAD OR REALLY GOOD. IF YOU DID REALLY POORLY, YOU KNOW YOU MAY NEED SOME OUTSIDE HELP OR TUTORING FOR THE REAL SAT. IF YOU DID REALLY WELL THEN YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT. I WOULD SAY AS A JUNIOR, ANY SCORE ON THE MATH AND VERBAL OF AROUND 50 OR HIGHER IS GREAT! THE FURTHER BELOW 50 YOU GO THE MORE YOU MAY NEED TUTORING. ALSO, I USE THE PSAT TO LOOK FOR PATTERNS IN THE QUESTIONS THAT STUDENT'S MAY BE MISSING. OTHERWISE, THE PSAT IS JUST A HUGE MONEY MAKER FOR THE COLLEGE BOARD. I HAVE SEEN MANY CASES WHERE A STUDENT DID WELL ON THE PSAT BUT DID NOT DO WELL ON THE SAT I AND VICE VERSA SO THEY IS A LOT LESS CORRELATION BETWEEN THESE TWO TESTS THAN ONE WOULD THINK, ESPECIALLY FOR FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORES! MY GOD, SOPHOMORE AND ESPECIALLY FRESHMAN YEAR IS WAY TOO YOUNG TO BE GIVING THESE TESTS TOO!

MEDICATION - SHOULD I TAKE MY MEDICATION ON THE DAY OF THE ACT OR SAT?

MEDICATION - SHOULD I TAKE MY MEDICATION ON THE DAY OF THE ACT OR SAT? YES ABSOLUTELY BUT ONLY TAKE IT AS DIRECTED. DO NOT CHANGE THE PRESCRIPTION DOSAGE YOURSELF EVER!! IT IS DANGEROUS TO DO THAT. DO NOT EVER CHANGE THE WAY THE DOCTOR HAS PRESCRIBED YOUR ADD MEDICATION IN ANY WAY UNLESS YOU CONSULT WITH THE DOCTOR FIRST. ALSO, DO NOT START TAKING ANY NEW MEDICATION ON THE DAY OF THE ACT OR SAT. I HAVE SEEN DISASTROUS RESULTS WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED. SO ON THE DAY OF THE ACTUAL TEST JUST TAKE ANY MEDICATION FOR YOUR LEARNING ISSUES, ETC. THE NORMAL WAY YOU HAVE BEEN TAKING THEM ALL ALONG UNLESS YOU HAVE CONSULTED WITH THE DOCTOR ABOUT ANY CHANGES. I HAVE HEARD OF STUDENTS SUDDENLY TAKE TWICE THEIR RITALIN DOSE THE DAY OF THE ACT OR SAT IN HOPES THAT THEY WOULD DO EVEN BETTER. NOT SO! THEY DID WORSE AND OR GOT VERY SICK. NEVER CHANGE YOUR DOSAGE OF MEDICATION IN ANY WAY UNLESS YOU CONSULT YOUR PARENTS AND THE DOCTOR.

SAT I - ARE COLLEGES USING THE 2400 SCALE?

SAT I - ARE COLLEGES USING THE 2400 SCALE? NO, MOST COLLEGES ARE STILL USING THE OLD 1600 SCORING SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT USING THE WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS!! VERY SELECTIVE COLLEGES MAY BE USING THE WRITING SECTION (SUCH AS YALE, HARVARD, MIT, ETC.). AGAIN, ALWAYS CHECK WITH THE PARTICULAR SCHOOLS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN.

ACT - HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED OUTSIDE HELP IN PREPARING FOR THE ACT?

ACT - HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED OUTSIDE HELP IN PREPARING FOR THE ACT? SOME SCHOOLS GIVE THE PLAN TEST WHICH IS THE PRE ACT TEST. IF YOUR COMPOSITE SCORE IS BELOW 22 I WOULD SAY YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET SOME OUTSIDE HELP. IF ANY OF YOUR SECTION SCORES ARE BELOW 22 YOU MIGHT NEED SOME HELP IN THOSE AREAS FOR SURE. IF YOUR SCHOOL DOES NOT GIVE THE PLAN TEST YOU WILL NEED TO EITHER TAKE A PRACTICE ACT YOURSELF (YOU CAN SEE THE BOOKS I RECOMMEND FOR ACT STUDYING ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE BLOG UNDER THE APPROPRIATE SECTION TITLE). ALSO SOME TUTORING SERVICES WILL OFFER A PRACTICE ACT THAT YOU CAN COME IN AND TAKE AND GET AN EVALUATION.

SAT I - ARE COLLEGES USING THE WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS?

SAT I - ARE COLLEGES USING THE WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS? GOOD NEWS HERE. MOST COLLEGES ARE NOT USING THE WRITING SECTION FOR ADMISSIONS. SO BASICALLY MOST COLLEGES ARE STILL USING THE OLD 1600 SCALE WHICH IS YOUR MATH PLUS YOUR VERBAL SCORE. ONLY THE MOST HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES ARE USING THE 2400 SCALE (MATH + READING + WRITING). OF COURSE CHECK WITH YOUR PARTICULAR SCHOOLS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TO BE SURE. THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS THOUGH. WHEN TUTORING STUDENTS I RARELY IF EVER HAVE TO TUTOR THE WRITING. I THINK MOST COLLEGES WERE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE NEW SAT I WHEN THEY ADDED THE WRITING SECTION BECAUSE STUDENT'S SCORES STARTED TO COME DOWN VS. THE OLD SAT I AND THE COLLEGE BOARD PROMISED THE COLLEGES THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN.

SAT I - HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED SOME OUTSIDE HELP FOR THE SAT I?

SAT I - HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED SOME OUTSIDE HELP FOR THE SAT I? THIS IS A VERY PRACTICAL QUESTION. AS STATED IN ANOTHER POST, I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU GET BELOW A 40 IN EITHER THE MATH OR THE VERBAL SECTIONS ON YOUR SOPHOMORE OR ESPECIALLY YOUR JUNIOR YEAR PSAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CONSIDER GETTING SOME OUTSIDE HELP. MANY TUTORING SERVICES WILL LET YOU COME IN AND TAKE A PRACTICE SAT I AND SEE WHAT YOU GET. THEY WILL ADVISE YOU ON YOUR NEEDS. OF COURSE, IT'S BEST IF YOU KNOW WHAT COLLEGES YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN BUT WHO KNOWS THAT WHEN YOUR A JUNIOR OR SOPHOMORE? REMEMBER, A SCORE OF 1100 OR ABOVE ON THE SAT I WILL GET YOU IN A LOT OF GOOD COLLEGES (ASSUMING YOU HAVE GOOD GRADES - PLEASE SEE POST ON WHAT IS A GOOD SAT I SCORE). IDEALLY ITS BEST TO SHOOT FOR A 1200 (MATH + VERBAL SCORE).

SAT - HOW COME SOME KIDS DO WELL ON THE SAT WITHOUT TUTORING?

SAT - HOW COME SOME KIDS DO WELL ON THE SAT WITHOUT TUTORING? WELL SOME STUDENTS JUST SEEM TO HAVE A NATURAL ABILITY IN THAT AREA. OTHERS HAVE THINKING PROCESSES THAT ARE SIMILIAR TO THE ONES USED BY THE TEST MAKERS. SOME STUDENTS JUST INTUITIVELY KNOW HOW TO HANDLE TEST QUESTOINS. IT REALLY DOES NOT MATTER TOO MUCH WHY A STUDENT DOES NOT NEED HELP. WHAT YOU NEED TO BE MORE INTERESTED IN IS DO YOU NEED HELP AND IF YOU DO WHERE AND WHEN TO GET IT. YOUR PSAT SCORE CAN HELP DETERMINE IF YOU NEED TUTORING. I WOULD SAY THAT ON YOUR JUNIOR YEAR PSAT IF YOUR SCORES IN THE READING AND THE MATH ARE BELOW 40 YOU MAY NEED SOME OUTSIDE HELP IN PREPARING FOR THE SAT I. YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE AN SAT I AND SEE HOW YOU DO, BUT IF YOU DO IT THAT WAY YOU ARE PROBABLY WAITING TOO LATE. ITS BEST TO GET HELP SUMMER BEFORE YOUR JUNIOR YEAR (THAT WOULD BE AN IDEAL TIME). THE NEXT BEST TIME WOULD BE SUMMER BEFORE YOUR SENIOR YEAR.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AMONG TEENAGERS - WHAT DOES A PARENT DO IF THAT IS SUSPECTED?

SOME WEBSITES ON DRUG ABUSE IN TEENAGERS:

http://www.focusas.com/SubstanceAbuse.html

http://teendrugabuse.us/

http://parentingteens.about.com/od/teendruguse/

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/teens/Teens_and_Substance_Abuse.htm

WEBSITES FOR HELP GROUPS FOR ADDICTS, ALCOHOLICS, AND FAMILIES THEREOF:
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/ (ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS)

http://www.na.org/ (NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS)

http://www.al-anonfamilygroups.org/meetings/meeting.html (ALANON - FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF ALCOHOLICS)

http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/ (ALATEEN IS FOR TEENAGERS!)

http://nar-anon.org/index.html (NARANON IS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS OF ADDICTS)

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE AMONG TEENAGERS - ONE OF THE FIRST SYMPTOMS OF DRUG AND OR ALCOHOL ABUSE IS NOT DOING WELL IN SCHOOL. OF COURSE THERE ARE ALSO DOZENS OF OTHER SYMPTOMS THAT CAN HELP YOU IDENTIFY DRUG OR ALCOHOL ABUSE. IT IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE MAJOR REASONS STUDENTS DROP OUT OF SCHOOL. WHAT DOES A PARENT DO IF THAT IS SUSPECTED? AGAIN I AM NOT A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, BUT I HAVE RUN INTO SEVERAL CLIENTS OVER THE YEARS WHOM I SUSPECTED OF DRUG ABUSE AND IT WAS LATER CONFIRMED (THESE STUDENTS WENT TO DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND CAME OUT WONDERFULLY). THIS IS A VERY SENSITIVE ISSUE, AND AS A TUTOR I WOULD NEVER FEEL COMFORTABLE SUGGESTING TO A PARENT THAT THEIR STUDENT IS ABUSING DRUGS UNLESS I WAS ALMOST 100% SURE. TOO MANY PARENTS WOULD TAKE THIS AS AN INSULT. DRUG ABUSE IN THE UNITED STATES IS A GIVEN, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNGER POPULATIONS. IN FACT, I BELIEVE IT IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH. THIS IS A COMPLEX ISSUE AND THIS SITE IS NOT FOR THAT. HOWEVER, SUFFICE TO SAY THAT IF YOU AS A PARENT ARE NOTICING A DECLINE IN YOUR CHILD'S GRADES DO NOT RULE OUT DRUG ABUSE. THERE ARE DEFINITE SIGNS OF DRUG ABUSE. MARIJUANA IS NOT AT ALL HARMLESS. IT IS A DEADLY, ILLEGAL DRUG THAT IS ALWAYS A GATEWAY DRUG TO WORSE DRUGS. I WOULD INCLUDE ALCOHOL ABUSE UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF DRUG ABUSE.

SO IF YOU IN ANYWAY SUSPECT DRUG/ALCOHOL ABUSE THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO. YOU CAN GET A URINE TEST. HOWEVER, URINE TESTS ARE VERY POOR AT DETECTING ALCOHOL USE AND THEY CAN BE DEFEATED. THE BEST TEST TO USE IS A HAIR TEST. THIS IS SOMETHING QUITE NEW. YOU CAN GO TO ANY LOCAL PHARMACY AND PURCHASE A HAIR DRUG TEST KIT. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS COLLECT A SAMPLE OF THE SUSPECT'S HAIR (YOU CAN GET THIS FROM THEIR COMB) AND MAIL IT IN. HAIR TESTS CANNOT BE FOOLED EASILY AT ALL AND THEY GO BACK 6 MONTHS IN TIME!! THIS IS GREAT. THEY WILL GIVE YOU A DETAILED PICTURE OF ANY DRUG USE GOING BACK 6 MONTHS! THERE ARE MANY THINGS ONE CAN DO TO GET HELP. ALMOST EVERY COMMUNITY IN THE USA HAS SOME TYPE OF DRUG TREATMENT ABILITY. IF YOU FIND THAT YOUR CHILD HAS USED DRUGS YOU CAN ALWAYS TRY AND HANDLE IT ALONE. I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE IS A VERY COMPLEX PHENOMENON. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST GET PROFESSIONAL HELP. YOU CAN GO TO A COUNSELOR OR PSYCHOLOGIST OR PSYCHIATRIST WHO SPECIALIZES IN THIS AND GET HELP THROUGH THEM. YOU CAN ALSO GO TO ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (AA) OR NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS (NA). THEY HAVE PROGRAMS FOR THE USER AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS (ALANON OR NORANON ARE FOR FAMILY MEMBERS.

BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT IF YOU SUSPECT ALCOHOL OR DRUG ABUSE IN THE SLIGHTEST MANNER DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! AT LEAST CHECK THEM WITH A HAIR TEST (YOU CAN DO THIS WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE SO IF YOUR WRONG NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!). YOU WILL BE TERRIBLY SORRY LATER ON IF YOU WERE RIGHT BUT DID NOTHING ABOUT IT EARLY. CATCHING THIS PROBLEM EARLY IS A KEY INGREDIENT IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM! PLEASE GET YOUR EGO'S OUT OF THE WAY. SAVE YOUR CHILD. ALSO CHECK THE ABOVE WEBSITE FOR SYMPTOMS OF DRUG OR ALCOHOL ABUSE.

DEPRESSION - WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF DEPRESSION IN STUDENTS?

HERE IS A GREAT WEBSITE ON DEPRESSION IN TEENAGERS:

http://www.aspeneducationgroup.com/depression/?gclid=CI7Fz-KMppACFRE_OAodACUEgA

OR

http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/teens.htm

DEPRESSION - WHAT ARE SOME SIGNS OF DEPRESSION IN STUDENTS? MAKE NO MISTAKE HERE, I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND AM NO EXPERT ON DEPRESSION. I AM JUST SHARING SOME INFORMATION THAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM TUTORING OVER 26 YEARS. I HAVE SEEN MANY STUDENTS OVER THOSE YEARS WHO WERE DIAGNOSED WITH DEPRESSION, RECEIVED APPROPRIATE TREATMENT, AND STARTED TO DO MUCH BETTER. DEPRESSION CAN OCCUR ALONE OR WITH OTHER LEARNING ISSUES.

SOME SIGNS OF DEPRESSION WOULD BE:

WHEN YOU'RE DEPRESSED..
*You feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away.
*You feel guilty for no real reason; you feel like you're no good; you've lost your confidence.
*Life seems meaningless or like nothing good is ever going to happen again.
*You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems like you have no feelings.
*You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like-- like music, sports, being with friends, going out-- and you want to be left alone most of the time.
*It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's hard to concentrate.
*You get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper; you overreact.
*Your sleep pattern changes; you start sleeping a lot more or you have trouble falling asleep at night. Or you wake up really early most mornings and can't get back to sleep.
*Your eating habits change; you've lost your appetite or you eat a lot more.
*You feel restless and tired most of the time.
*You think about death, or feel like you're dying, or have thoughts about committing

THERE ARE MANY OTHER SIGNS TO LOOK FOR. THE ABOVE LIST WAS TAKEN FROM WWW.PSYCHOLOGYINFO.COM

SOME THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MYSELF AS SIGNS OF DEPRESSION WOULD BE:

*NOT BEING ABLE TO THINK CLEARLY

*NOT BEING ABLE TO FOCUS ANYMORE

*DROPPING GRADES

*LOTS OF FIGHTING AND ARGUING WITH FAMILY MEMBERS

*BOREDOM

*LACK OF PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL EVENTS

*CHANGE IN FRIENDS OR FEWER FRIENDS

*LACK OF COMMUNICATION (QUIET/WITHDRAWN/SOLITUDE)

THERE ARE MANY OF THESE. THE POINT IS THAT DEPRESSION CAUSES HUGE PROBLEMS. IT CAN EVEN RESULT IN SUICIDE. IF YOU EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST SUSPECT DEPRESSION, GET TO A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. DEPRESSION CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY TREATED. IT IS A MAJOR REASON WHY STUDENT'S DO NOT PERFORM WELL IN SCHOOL. DEPRESSION CAN ALSO BE CAUSED FOR BRIEF PERIODS OF TIME BY EVENTS IN A CHILD'S LIFE SUCH AS DEATH OF A LOVED ONE, BREAKING UP WITH A GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND, MOVING CITIES, SWITCHING SCHOOLS, ETC. SO BOTTOM LINE, TAKE YOUR CHILD TO A DOCTOR, PSYCHIATRIST, OR COUNSELOR IF YOU SUSPECT DEPRESSION. EVEN IF YOU JUST THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG, IT CANNOT AT ALL HURT TO TAKE THEM TO MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL!

DEPRESSION - AFFECT OF DEPRESSION ON GRADES AND ABILITIES

DEPRESSION - AFFECT OF DEPRESSION ON GRADES AND ABILITIES. THIS IS A TOPIC I FEEL COMPELLED TO ADDRESS. DEPRESSION AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE IS ON THE RISE. IN FACT, IT IS AT EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS. I HAVE SEEN STUDENT'S WITH SEVERE DEPRESSION PROBLEMS WHOSE GRADES WERE SEVERELY AFFECTED. THERE ARE MANY FINE MEDICATIONS OUT THERE FOR DEPRESSION. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SIGNS OF TEENAGE DEPRESSION - I WILL ADDRESS THAT IN THE NEXT POST. FOR NOW, IF YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IS PLUMMETTING BE AWARE THAT IT COULD BE THE RESULT OF DEPRESSION. IF YOU SUSPECT THIS, YOU CAN BRING THIS UP WITH YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR, A PSYCHIATRIST, OR A GOOD COUNSELOR. A DEPRESSION PROBLEM CAN BE EASILY SOLVED. SOMETIMES DEPRESSION OCCURS CONCURRENTLY WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES. THAT IS COMMON. FOR NOW KNOW THAT DEPRESSION CAN ABSOLUTELY AFFECT A CHILD'S PERFORMANCE AND GRADES IN SCHOOL. IN FACT, IT CAN AFFECT ADVERSELY ALL ASPECTS OF ONE'S LIFE. IF DEPRESSION RUNS IN YOUR FAMILY, YOUR CHILD IS LIKELY TO INHERIT IT.

ADD MEDICATION - WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?

ADD MEDICATION - WHAT IS YOUR OPINION? THIS IS A VERY SENSITIVE ISSUE. I MUST REPORT THAT I HAVE SEEN DRAMATIC CASES OF INCREDIBLE IMPROVEMENT WITH STUDENT'S TAKING THE APPROPRIATE MEDICATIONS. IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR CHILD OF ADD OR YOUR CHILD IS HAVING SCHOOL PROBLEMS THAT HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO ANY HELP SUCH AS BUT NOT LIMITED TO OUTSIDE TUTORING, ETC. GET THEM TESTED. AN EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC TEST WILL SOMETIMES REVEAL THE NECESSITY FOR MEDICATION. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN AlSO DISCUSS WITH THE TESTER, THE NEED OR LACK THEREOF FOR MEDICATION USE. REMEMBER THOUGH, ONLY A DOCTOR CAN PRESCRIBE MEDICATIONS. NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST. THE PSYCHOLOGIST CAN CERTAINLY HELP YOU DETERMINE IF YOUR CHILD WOULD BENEFIT FROM MEDICATIONS. I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS WHO WERE ON MEDICATION OR EITHER BEGAN TAKING THE MEDICATION DURING TUTORING. I HAVE SEEN INCREDIBLE IMPROVEMENT WHEN THE CHILD GENUINELY NEEDED THE MEDICATION, AND THE CHILD WAS GIVEN THE APPROPRIATE MEDICATION. THERE ARE LITERALLY DOZENS OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF ADD/ADHD MEDICATIONS OUT THERE SO GETTING THE BEST ONE FOR YOUR CHILD IS IMPERATIVE. IF THE FIRST ONE DOES NOT WORK WELL, THEN TRY ANOTHER. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. NOW I WOULD ADD THAT MEDICATION WITHOUT BEHAVIORAL CHANGES SUCH AS STUDY SKILLS IMPROVEMENT, ETC. IS NOT VERY POTENT. ONCE THE STUDENT GETS A MEDICATION THAT HELPS THEM PAY ATTENTION BETTER, THEY STILL MAY NEED TUTORING TO REPAIR THEIR STUDY METHODS OR WHAT I CALL ACADEMICALLY RETRAIN THEM.

THUS OVERALL YES MEDICATION IS VERY HELPFUL WHEN USED IN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCE AND USING THE RIGHT MEDICATIONS. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE TELLING A PARENT THAT THEY SHOULD DO THIS FOR THE LONG RUN. LONG TERM USE OF THESE POWERFUL MEDICATIONS (MOST ADD MEDICATION IS SCHEDULE II) CANNOT BE VERY GOOD FOR A CHILD'S HEALTH. THEY SHOULD BE USED ONLY WHEN NEEDED. WHEN THE CHILD IS OFF SCHOOL IN THE SUMMER THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE NEEDED. ALSO USING THE SMALLEST DOSE OF THE MEDICATION TO GET THE DESIRED RESULT IS ALWAYS BEST. MOST DOCTORS UNDERSTAND THIS. BOTTOM LINE IS THAT ADD/ADHD MEDICATIONS ARE ACADEMIC CAREER SAVERS. THEY ARE A PROVEN TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN HELP YOUR CHILD.

PSAT - SHOULD MY CHILD EVEN STUDY FOR THE PSAT?

PSAT - SHOULD MY CHILD EVEN STUDY FOR THE PSAT? IT WOULD NOT AT ALL HURT TO STUDY FOR THE PSAT, BUT I WOULD NOT MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT. MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF THE SAT NOT THE PSAT!

PSAT - WHAT IS THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP?

PSAT - WHAT IS THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP? THIS IS A SCHOLARSHIP THAT IS GIVEN TO THE VERY, VERY TOP PERFORMERS ON THE PSAT.

HERE IS THEIR WEBSITE:

http://www.nationalmerit.org/nmsp.php

HERE IS A QUOTE FROM THEIR WEBSITE WHICH I THINK SUMMARIZES THE INFORMATION WELL:
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)–a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.4 million entrants each year–and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements.Of the 1.4 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores (critical reading + mathematics + writing skills scores) qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program. In April following the fall test administration, high-scoring participants from every state are invited to name two colleges or universities to which they would like to be referred by NMSC. In September, these high scorers are notified through their schools that they have qualified as either a Commended Student or Semifinalist.
Commended Students
In late September, more than two-thirds or about 34,000 of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT® receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. Commended Students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states. Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship® awards, some of these students do become candidates for Special Scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.
Semifinalists
In early September, about 16,000 students, or approximately one-third of the 50,000 high scorers, are notified that they have qualified as Semifinalists. To ensure that academically able young people from all parts of the United States are included in this talent pool, Semifinalists are designated on a state representational basis. They are the highest scoring entrants in each state. NMSC provides scholarship application materials to Semifinalists through their high schools. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must advance to Finalist standing in the competition by meeting high academic standards and all other requirements explained in the materials provided to each Semifinalist. Click here to learn about requirements for becoming a Finalist in the 2008 National Merit® Scholarship Program. (Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or above is required.)
Finalists
In February, some 15,000 Semifinalists are notified by mail at their home addresses that they have advanced to Finalist standing. High school principals are notified and provided with a certificate to present to each Finalist.
Winner Selection
All winners of Merit Scholarship® awards (Merit Scholar® designees) are chosen from the Finalist group, based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments–without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate–the Finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the Finalist's own essay.
Types of Merit Scholarship® Awards
Beginning in March and continuing to mid-June, NMSC notifies approximately 8,200 Finalists at their home addresses that they have been selected to receive a Merit Scholarship® award. Merit Scholarship awards are of three types:
National Merit® $2500 Scholarships Every Finalist competes for these single payment scholarships, which are awarded on a state representational basis. Winners are selected without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans.
Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awardsCorporate sponsors designate their awards for children of their employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for Finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.
College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awardsOfficials of each sponsor college select winners of their awards from Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC by the published deadlines that the sponsor college or university is their first choice. These awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study. The published deadlines for reporting a sponsor college as first choice can be viewed on page 3 of the leaflet Requirements and Instructions for Semifinalists in the 2008 National Merit® Scholarship Program. (Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or above is required.)
Merit Scholarship awards are supported by some 500 independent sponsors and by NMSC's own funds. Sponsor organizations include corporations and businesses, company foundations, professional associations, and colleges and universities.
Special Scholarships
Every year, some 1,500 National Merit® Program participants, who are outstanding but not Finalists, are awarded Special Scholarships provided by corporations and business organizations for students who meet the sponsor's criteria. To be considered for a Special Scholarship, students must meet the sponsor's criteria and entry requirements of the National Merit Scholarship Program. They also must submit an entry form to the sponsor organization. Subsequently, NMSC contacts a pool of high-scoring candidates through their respective high schools. These students and their school officials submit detailed scholarship applications. A committee of NMSC professional staff evaluates information about candidates' abilities, skills, and accomplishments and chooses winners of the sponsor's Special Scholarships. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.
A list of corporate organizations that sponsor Merit Scholarship® awards and/or Special Scholarships is given in the PSAT/NMSQT® Official Student Guide.

SO LETS SEE 8250 FINALISTS OUT OF 1.4 MILLION STUDENTS. HMMM. THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 33 STUDENTS OUT OF EVERY 5,600 STUDENTS OR ROUGHLY 5 STUDENTS OUT OF EVERY 1000. PRETTY SMALL ODDS. SOME HIGH SCHOOLS WILL HAVE NO FINALISTS, OTHERS MAY HAVE ONE AND OTHERS MAY HAVE SEVERAL. BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT IT IS VERY HARD TO GET. MOST STUDENTS WHO WANT TO GET IT USE IT ONLY FOR BRAGGING RIGHTS AND ARE NOT FROM FAMILIES WHO TRULY NEED THE MONEY. SUPER BOTTOM LINE IS YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF GETTING AN AWESOME SCORE ON YOUR REAL SAT AND USING ANY TUTORING MONEY FOR TUTORING OF THE REAL SAT. DOING GOOD ON THE REAL SAT I CAN GET YOU INTO AN AWESOME COLLEGE AND GET YOU A LOT OF SCHOLARSHIP MONEY.

PSAT - HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PSAT?

PSAT - HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PSAT? HOW ABOUT LITTLE OR NOT AT ALL. LET'S FACE IT FOLKS, COLLEGES DO NOT DO NOT USE PSAT SCORES IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS. THEY USE REAL SAT SCORES. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. IN MY OPINION, THE ONLY GOOD THING THAT THE PSAT IS USED FOR IS IF YOU GET A REALLY, REALLY POOR SCORE YOU KNOW THAT YOU MAY NEED TO GET SOME OUTSIDE HELP SUCH AS TUTORING. YES OF COURSE THERE IS THE NATIONAL MERIT DEAL. THAT APPLIES TO A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION THOUGH SO YOU SHOULD NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT. EVEN IF YOU DO GET THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP YOU STILL MUST TAKE THE SAT AND PERFORM WELL ON IT! PSAT HAS NO BEARING ON COLLEGE APPLICATIONS.

PSAT - SHOULD I TAKE MY PSAT EXTENDED TIME?

PSAT - SHOULD I TAKE MY PSAT EXTENDED TIME? YES ABSOLUTELY IF YOU HAVE THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION PLEASE TAKE YOUR PSAT WITH THE RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF EXTRA TIME. YOU SHOULD MODEL YOUR PSAT AS CLOSELY AS YOU CAN TO THE REAL SAT. IT JUST MAKES GOOD SENSE, AND YOUR SCORE WILL HAVE MUCH MORE MEANING TO YOU. NOT ALL SCHOOLS WILL ALLOW YOU TO TAKE A PSAT WITH EXTENDED TIME EVEN IF YOU HAVE THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION. DON'T ASK ME WHY. JUST FIND OUT WHAT YOUR SCHOOL DOES AND IF YOU DO HAVE THE OPTION DO TAKE IT WITH THE PROPER AMOUNT OF EXTENDED TIME AND OR ANY OTHER ACCOMODATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED TO YOU.

PSAT - MY PSAT SCORE IS NOT AS GOOD AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE?

I HAVE HEARD THIS LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF TIMES. I CAN ANSWER THIS EASILY. THE PSAT IS JUST THAT - A PRE SAT. IT HAS QUESTIONS ON IT THAT THEY ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH OR TESTING. THEY MAY OR MAY NOT USE THESE QUESTIONS ON A REAL SAT. I MYSELF HAVE REWORKED DOZENS OF PAST REAL PSAT'S AND I CAN CERTAINLY SAY THAT ON SOME OF THE PSAT'S THAT I REDID MYSELF, I ENCOUNTERED SOME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT QUESTIONS ON THEM THAT WERE AS HARD OR HARDER THAN QUESTIONS ONE WOULD FIND ON THE REAL SAT. THE PLAN TEST OR PRE ACT TEST IS A MUCH EASIER TEST. IT IS TRULY A PRE ACT TEST. I THINK THE PSAT HAS VERY MUCH BECOME A MONEY MAKING DEVICE FOR THE SAT. THEY ARE NOW GIVING IT TO FRESHMAN, SOPHOMORES, AND JUNIORS AT SOME SCHOOLS. ISN'T THAT OVERKILL? YES IT IS. I WOULD SAY THAT FOR OVER 50% OF THE STUDENTS THAT TAKE THE PSAT THERE IS LITTLE OR NO CORRELATION VS. THE REAL SAT. ALSO THE YOUNGER YOU TAKE THE PSAT, THE HARDER IT IS GOING TO APPEAR. FURTHERMORE, MANY STUDENTS KNOW THAT THE PSAT IS NOT WORTH A THING SO THEY AUTOMATICALLY DO NOT TRY THEIR BEST NO MATTER WHAT THEY MAY CLAIM. SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT YOUR PSAT SCORE. COLLEGES RARELY IF EVER SEE THE PSAT! IN FACT, I HAVE YET TO SEE A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PACKET THAT ASKS YOU WHAT YOU MADE ON YOUR PSAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY JUST WANT THE REAL SCORE ON YOUR SAT.

EXTENDED TIME FOR ACT/SAT - I HAVE BEEN DENIED ENTIRELY AND DESPERATELY NEED EXTRA TIME

EXTENDED TIME FOR ACT/SAT - I HAVE BEEN DENIED ENTIRELY AND DESPERATELY NEED EXTRA TIME. I MAY HAVE PARTIALLY ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE IN ANOTHER POST BUT I HAVE DECIDED TO GIVE IT ITS VERY OWN POST DUE TO ITS IMPORTANCE. THERE ARE MANY REASONS THE ACT OR SAT WILL CITE IF THEY DENY YOU EXTENDED TIME. HISTORICALLY, THE ACT IS MUCH HARDER TO GET EXTENDED TIME THAN THE SAT. FOR BOTH THE ACT AND THE SAT IT IS BEST IF YOU HAVE BEEN TESTED SEVERAL YEARS PRIOR TO APPLYING FOR THE EXTENDED TIME, AND IT IS ALSO BEST IF YOU HAVE BEEN USING EXTENDED TIME AT YOUR SCHOOL. OK IF YOU HAVE YOUR INITIAL REQUEST DENIED FOR EXTENDED TIME YOU CAN APPLY FOR IT AGAIN. NOW WHEN YOU APPLY AGAIN YOU FIRST NEED TO FIND OUT WHY THEY DENIED YOUR REQUEST THE FIRST TIME. WAS IT BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT DOCUMENTATION? SOME EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTICIANS WRITE VERY BRIEF REPORTS (NOT GOOD) AND SOME WRITE FAR BETTER REPORTS THAT HAVE A LOT OF SUBSTANTIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDENT IN THEM. THE BETTER THE EDUCATIONAL REPORT, THE MORE LIKELY YOU WILL OBTAIN EXTENDED TIME. WHEN YOU REAPPLY FOR EXTENDED TIME - AND I RECOMMEND ABSOLUTELY ALWAYS THAT YOU REAPPLY SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE IT CANNOT HURT YOU - ALWAYS PROVIDE SOMETHING EXTRA THAN THE PREVIOUS TIME. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO IS GET THE EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTICIAN TO ADD A LETTER WITH YOUR REQUEST EXPLAINING IN FURTHER DETAIL WHY YOU SHOULD GET EXTRA TIME. THEY SHOULD ALSO ATTTEMPT TO PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF ACTUAL DIAGNOSIS. HAVING AN ACTUAL DIAGNOSIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO GETTING EXTENDED TIME. FURTHERMORE, YOU YOURSELF CAN WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER STATING THAT IF YOU DO NOT GET EXTRA TIME THAT THEY ARE DENYING YOU ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION (WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING IF YOU REALLY NEED THE TIME). THIS WILL USUALLY GET THEIR ATTENTION. YOU CAN ALSO HAVE YOUR TUTOR WRITE A DETAILED LETTER TO THEM ON HIS OR HER PROFESSIONAL LETTERHEAD. YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR CAN ALSO ADD A LETTER. DON'T GIVE UP! THE MORE YOU BOTHER THEM AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT GETTING THE EXTRA TIME THE MORE LIKELY YOU CAN GET IT.

PRIVATE GRADE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS - ADMISSIONS PROCESS

PRIVATE GRADE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS - ADMISSIONS PROCESS. THE PROCESS FOR APPLYING TO PRIVATE GRADE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES IS VERY SIMILIAR TO THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS BUT FAR LESS COMPLEX. HOWEVER, IN SOME US CITIES IT CAN BE QUITE COMPETITIVE TO GET YOUR CHILD INTO A PRIVATE SCHOOL. SOME CITIES HAVE A DEARTH OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS! FOR INSTANCE, IN DALLAS TEXAS, UP UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, THERE WERE VERY FEW PRIVATE GRADE SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS! THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW IN DALLAS IS VERY MUCH IMPROVED WITH THE OPENING OF THE NEW CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN PLANO (JOHN PAUL II) AND ALSO OTHER SCHOOLS SUCH AS PARISH SCHOOL. SO AT THE MOMENT IT IS EASIER TO GET YOUR CHILD INTO A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN DALLAS THAN IT WAS EVER BEFORE. IF YOU LIVE IN A MAJOR US CITY, WHAT YOU CAN DO IS GOTO THE YELLOW PAGES AND CHECK UNDER PRIVATE SCHOOLS OR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. YOU CAN AT LEAST GET A FEW NAMES FROM THERE. THERE ARE ALSO MANY SOURCES ONLINE THAT CAN HELP YOU LEARN THE NAMES OF GOOD PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN YOUR AREA. AGAIN THIS SITE IS MAINLY DEVOTED TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS BUT AT THE MOMENT I WILL BE ADDING SOME INFORMATION ON PRIVATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS ALSO.

MOST PRIVATE SCHOOLS HAVE AN ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT. THEY WILL USUALLY REQUIRE A STUDENT TO TAKE ONE OF THE SEVERAL PRIVATE SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMS SUCH AS THE ISEE OR THE SSAT. THERE IS A LOT OF TUTORING AVAILABLE FOR THE ISEE AND SSAT. THE ISEE, THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAM, IS PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR EXAM FOR PRIVATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS. TUTORING CAN GREATLY HELP A STUDENT WITH THIS TEST. I DO TUTOR IT AND HAVE SO FOR OVER 2 DECADES. THE ISEE IS A VERY DIFFICULT EXAM. THAT IS ONE REASON THAT TUTORING CAN HELP SO MUCH HERE. I WOULD SAY THE ISEE IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE ACT/SAT ON AN AGE COMPARISON BASIS. ANY PRIVATE SCHOOOL YOU APPLY TO WILL WANT YOUR GRADES FROM THE MOST RECENT SCHOOL YOU HAVE ATTENDED. THEY MAY ALSO HAVE AN INTERVIEW REQUIRED AND THEY USUALLY HAVE THEIR VERY OWN APPLICATION YOU THE PARENT MUST FILL OUT. ONCE AGAIN THIS IS ANOTHER SUBJECT ENTIRELY. I AM CONSIDERING ADDING PRIVATE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS INFORMATION TO THIS BLOG OR CREATING ANOTHER ONE FOR IT ALONE. AT THE MOMENT, I WILL ADD SOME INFORMATION TO THIS SITE ON THE TOPIC OF ADMISSIONS TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

TUTORING - HOW TO SELECT THE BEST SERVICE IN MY AREA?

TUTORING - HOW TO SELECT THE BEST SERVICE IN MY AREA? I HAVE BEEN ASKED THIS MANY TIMES. I WOULD SAY THE BEST GROUP TUTORING SERVICES WOULD BE KAPLAN OR PRINCETON REVIEW. THEY ALLOW YOU TO RETURN FREE IF YOUR SCORE DOES NOT GO UP (OF COURSE THAT DOESN'T SAY MUCH BECAUSE IF THEY DID NOT IMPROVE YOUR SCORE IN THE FIRST PLACE THAT DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR THE FUTURE). GROUP TUTORING FOR THE ACT AND THE SAT NEVER IS AS SUCCESSFUL AS INDIVIDUAL, PRIVATE TUTORING. ALSO ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE A GROUP TUTORING SERVICE IF THE INDIVIDUAL HAS ANY LD ISSUES. I MEAN IT. YOU WILL WASTE A LOT OF MONEY AND GET NOTHING DONE. FOR THE MONEY, GROUP TUTORING IS VERY EXPENSIVE COMPARED TO PRIVATE TUTORING. I WOULD ALWAYS GO WITH A PRIVATE TUTOR IF YOU CAN. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LOCATE A GOOD TUTOR? AND BELIEVE ME, THERE ARE SOME VERY GOOD TUTORS AND SOME VERY BAD ONES. THE BEST WAY TO FIND A GOOD ONE WOULD BE WORD OF MOUTH. ASK YOUR FRIENDS, SCHOOL COUNSELOR, ETC. SCHOOL COUNSELOR USUALLY KNOWS WHO IS GOOD AND WHO IS NOT. ALSO IF YOU FIND A TUTOR YOU WANT TO HIRE, ASK THEM TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCES. I HAVE MYSELF OVER 400 LETTERS OF REFERENCE ON FILE. THEY ARE FROM 400 PAST SATISFIED CLIENTS WHO WILL VOUCH FOR ME THAT I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING AND CAN DO IT WELL. IF WORST COMES TO WORST, YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK IN THE YELLOW PAGES! LOOK UNDER TUTORING.

WHEN STUDYING FOR THE ACT AND SAT WHY USE ONLY PREVIOUS (REAL) TESTS?

WHEN STUDYING FOR THE ACT AND SAT WHY USE ONLY PREVIOUS TESTS? I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS. THE REASON WE STUDY PAST REAL TESTS AND WORK THOSE IS BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY SIMILIAR TO CURRENT TESTS THAT YOU MIGHT BE TAKING. THE ACT AND THE SAT I ARE WELL KNOWN FOR REPEATING MANY OF THE SAME ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND CERTAINLY QUESTION TYPES. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO STUDY A BOOK THAT HAS PRACTICE TESTS IN IT THAT ARE NOT ACTUALLY REAL?? REMEMBER, ONLY BOOKS LICENSED BY THE ACT OR SAT (COLLEGE BOARD) ARE GOING TO HAVE ACTUAL PAST REAL TESTS IN THEM. OTHER AUTHORS ARE NOT ALLOWED BY COPY RIGHT LAWS TO PUT ACTUAL PAST TESTS IN THEIR BOOKS. THUS, IF YOU STUDY ONE OF THESE OTHER BOOKS YOU WILL END UP WORKING PROBLEMS THAT MAY HAVE NEVER APPEARED OR NEVER WILL APPEAR ON A REAL TEST! WHAT A WASTE OF TIME! THERE ARE VERY FEW BOOKS THAT ARE SANCTIONED BY THE TEST MAKERS. YOU CAN FIND THEM ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY BLOG UNDER BOOKS THAT I RECOMMEND FOR STUDYING FOR THE ACT AND SAT. THE ONLY OTHER TEST BOOKS THAT ARE GOOD ARE GOING TO BE FROM KAPLAN OR THE PRINCETON REVIEW. BOTH KAPLAN AND THE PRINCETON REVIEW HAVE DONE A GREAT DEAL OF RESEARCH ON MAKING THEIR TEST BOOKLETS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. FIRST THOUGH I WOULD CHECK OUT THE BOOKS PUBLISHED BY THE COLLEGE BOARD (SAT) AND OR THE ACT. I CANNOT TRULY EMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS. SEVERAL DECADES AGO AT MY TUTORING BUSINESS I SWITCHED OVER MY COURSE BOOKS TO ONLY THE AUTHENTIC TEST MAKERS BOOKS. MY SCORES FROM MY TUTORING STUDENTS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED!!!! I MEAN DRAMATICALLY.

A LOT OF STUDENTS AT MY HIGH SCHOOL ARE APPLYING TO THE SAME COLLEGES

A LOT OF STUDENTS AT MY HIGH SCHOOL ARE APPLYING TO THE SAME COLLEGES. THIS IS A PROBLEM AT SOME SMALLER COLLEGES. SMALLER SCHOOLS OFTEN WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT HOW MANY STUDENTS AT A PARTICULAR HIGH SCHOOL ARE APPLYING TO THEIR COLLEGE, AND THEY MAY LIMIT ADMISSIONS DUE TO THIS. LARGER UNIVERSITIES DON'T SEEM TO CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT HOW MANY STUDENTS FROM WHAT SCHOOL ARE APPLYING. FOR INSTANCE, LET'S SAY COLLEGE X HAS 10 APPLICANTS FROM HIGH SCHOOL Y. THAT IS CONSIDERED A LOT OF APPLICANTS FROM THE SAME HIGH SCHOOL SO THEY WILL BE EVEN MORE SELECTIVE THAN NORMAL IN DETERMINING WHO GAINS ADMISSIONS TO THE COLLEGE FROM HIGH SCHOOL Y. YES YOUR RIGHT; THIS SEEMS VERY UNFAIR. I THINK IT IS ALSO. BUT REMEMBER THAT LARGER COLLEGES DON'T NORMALLY DO THIS. ITS ONLY THE SMALLER AND MORE SELECTIVE SCHOOLS THAT MAY DO THIS. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS EASY TO GAIN INFORMATION ABOUT SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT TOO MUCH. JUST DO YOUR BEST.

EXTENDED TIME - I HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED FOR 50% EXTENDED TIME BUT NEED MORE

EXTENDED TIME - I HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED FOR 50% EXTENDED TIME BUT NEED MORE. THIS CAN HAPPEN. USUALLY THE ACT AND OR THE SAT I WILL GIVE YOU THE SMALLEST AMOUNT OF EXTENDED TIME THEY THINK THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH EVEN IF YOUR DOCUMENTATION SAYS OTHERWISE. WHAT YOU CAN DO IS HAVE YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR WRITE THEM A LETTER EXPLAINING WHY YOU NEED MORE TIME. ALSO IT WOULD BE BEST TO INCLUDE A LETTER FROM YOUR TUTOR (IF YOU HAVE ONE) AND THE PERSON WHO DID YOU EDUCATIONAL TESTING. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO GUARANTEE THIS WILL WORK, BUT IT CANNOT HURT. EVEN IF THEY TURN YOU DOWN IT WOULD BE WORTH A SECOND OR THIRD TRY. I KNOW FROM PAST EXPERIENCE THAT BOTHERING THEM CAN HELP. FURTHERMORE, IF YOU MENTION THAT NOT GETTING ENOUGH TIME IS EQUIVALENT TO DENYING YOUR CHILD ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION THEY MAY LISTEN MORE. THEY ARE ALWAYS NERVOUS ABOUT ANY TYPE OF LEGAL LANGUAGE, BUT WHAT I SAID IS TRUE. IF YOU DON'T GET THE TIME YOU TRULY NEED, IT IS EQUIVALENT TO NARROWING YOU COLLEGE CHOICES BY QUITE SOME BIT!!

SHOULD I TAKE BOTH THE ACT AND THE SAT I FOR COLLEGE?

I HAVE SEEN A TREND RECENTLY WHICH WOULD DEFINITELY INDICATE TO ME THAT IT IS BETTER FOR A STUDENT TO TAKE BOTH THE SAT I AND THE ACT. THIS SEEMS TO LOOK BETTER TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PERSONS. BUT THIS ONLY LOOKS BETTER IF YOU CAN DO WELL ON BOTH TESTS. IT IS EXTREMELY HARD TO DO WELL ON BOTH TESTS!! THUS, FROM A PRACTICAL POINT OF VIEW DOES THE STUDENT HAVE ENOUGH TIME AND MONEY TO PURSUE STUDYING BOTH TESTS? SOMETIMES YES SOMETIMES NO. YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL THINGS. IF YOU CAN DO WELL ON ONE TEST YOU ARE STILL IN GOOD SHAPE. BUT FOR WHATEVER REASON, IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE BOTH TESTS AND DO WELL ON THOSE GO FOR IT! I HAVE SEEN LOTS OF EXCELLENT ADMISSION STORIES HAPPEN WHEN A STUDENT HAS TAKEN BOTH TESTS.

SAT I - HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE PER QUESTION ON THE SAT IN EACH CATEGORY?

IF YOU HAVE NORMAL TIME (NO EXTENDED TIME) THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ARE GENERALLY TRUE. ON ANY SAT I SECTION OF 20 MINUTES YOU ALMOST HAVE ONE MINUTE PER QUESTION BUT NOT QUITE. ON ANY SAT I SECTION OF 25 MINUTES AGAIN YOU ALMOST HAVE ONE MINUTE PER QUESTION BUT NOT QUITE. THE SAT I TIMING IS MUCH SIMPLER THAN THAT OF THE ACT. IF YOU HAVE 50% EXTENDED TIME, YOU HAVE ALMOST 1.5 MINUTES PER QUESTION FOR QUESTIONS COMING FROM THE 20 MINUTE SECTION OR THE 25 MINUTE SECTIONS. WITH DOUBLE TIME, ROUGHLY YOU ALMOST HAVE TWO MINUTES PER QUESTION ON QUESTIONS COMING FROM THE 20 OR 25 MINUTE SECTIONS. THIS APPLIES TO BOTH MATH AND VERBAL. REMEMBER THOUGH ON THE READING YOU MUST BUDGET IN TIME FOR THE ACTUAL READING OF THE PASSAGE. THE TIMING ON THE WRITING SECTION IS A LITTLE WORSE. YOU ONLY HAVE ABOUT 3/4 OF A MINUTE PER QUESTION (THAT IS AN APPROXIMATION). SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THE SAT I IS A LITTLE MORE FRIENDLY ON THE TIME ISSUE.

ACT TEST - HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE PER QUESTION IN EACH OF THE FOUR CATEGORIES?

GOOD QUESTIONS. HERE GOES. IF YOU HAVE NORMAL TIME ON THE ACT (NO EXTENDED TIME) THE FOLLOWING IS TRUE: MATH YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PER QUESTION, ENGLISH YOU HAVE ABOUT 36 SECONDS PER QUESTION, READING YOU HAVE ABOUT 53 SECONDS PER QUESTION, AND SCIENCE YOU HAVE 53 SECONDS PER QUESTION. NOTICE THAT THIS ASSESSMENT DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ANY TIME YOU HAVE FOR READING THE PASSAGE, ETC. READING AND SCIENCE WOULD BE TWO SECTIONS WHERE YOU WOULD FOR SURE HAVE TO BUDGET EXTRA TIME TO READ THE PASSAGES AND THE CHARTS AND THE DATA.

IF YOU HAVE 50% EXTENDED TIME THE FOLLOWING IS TRUE: MATH YOU HAVE 90 SECONDS PER QUESTION, ENGLISH YOU HAVE 54 SECONDS, READING YOU HAVE 80 SECONDS AND SCIENCE YOU HAVE 80 SECONDS. AGAIN, THIS EVALUATION DOES NOT INCLUDE EXTRA TIME NEEDED TO READ THE PASSAGE IN THE READING AND DO THE SAME IN THE SCIENCE.

IF YOU HAVE 100% EXTRA TIME THE FOLLOWING IS TRUE: MATH YOU HAVE 120 SECONDS FOR EACH QUESTION, ENGLISH YOU HAVE 72 SECONDS FOR EACH QUESTION, READING YOU HAVE 106 SECONDS PER QUESTION, AND SCIENCE YOU HAVE 106 SECONDS PER QUESTION. ONCE MORE, THIS EVALUATION DOES NOT INCLUDE THE EXTRA TIME NEEDED IN THE ENGLISH AND SCIENCE FOR READING THE PASSAGES AND THE CHARTS.

THE WORST SECTIONS ON THE ACT FOR TIME ARE THE READING AND SCIENCE. MANY GOOD STUDENTS RUN OUT OF TIME ON THOSE. SO BE MOST CAREFUL WHEN BUDGETTING YOUR TIME ON THOSE SECTIONS.

ACT GUESSING - SHOULD I LEAVE A QUESTION BLANK OR GUESS IT IF I DON'T KNOW IT?

ACT GUESSING - SHOULD I LEAVE A QUESTION BLANK OR GUESS IT IF I DON'T KNOW IT? THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. SINCE THERE IS NO GUESSING PENALTY ON THE ACT, YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY GUESS ANY QUESTION THAT YOU DON'T KNOW. DO NOT DO NOT LEAVE IT BLANK. YOU HAVE A 20-25% CHANCE OF GUESSING IT RIGHT DEPENDING UPON HOW MANY ANSWER CHOICES THERE ARE! THAT IS A GOOD PERCENTAGE! IF YOU RUN OUT OF TIME AND HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS LEFT JUST PICK ONE OF THE ANSWER CHOICES AND WRITE IT DOWN IN ALL THE BLANKS YOU HAVE LEFT. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE 6 QUESTIONS LEFT THAT YOU DID NOT GET TO, JUST PICK THE FIRST ANSWER FOR ALL OF THEM. THIS PROBABLY GIVES YOU THE BEST CHANCE OF GETTING AT LEAST SOMETHING CORRECT. YOU CAN DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR SCORE THIS WAY AS OPPOSED TO LEAVING A QUESTION BLANK ON THE ACT.

SAT GUESSING - SHOULD I GUESS OR LEAVE A QUESTION BLANK THAT I DON'T KNOW?

WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY IS SO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT IT COULD LITERALLY ADD OR TAKE AWAY AROUND 100 POINTS FROM YOU SAT SCORE. YES THAT IS RIGHT!! ON THE SAT I AND SAT II THERE IS A THING CALLED THE GUESSING PENALTY. WITHOUT GOING INTO GREAT MATHEMATICAL DELIBERATIONS, IT SUFFICES TO SAY THAT IF YOU ABSOLUTELY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION IT IS BEST TO LEAVE THAT QUESTION BLANK. LEAVING A QUESTION BLANK ON THE SAT CAN ALSO GIVE YOU EXTRA TIME TO WORK ON THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU CAN DO. THE SAT TAKES OFF 2.5 POINTS FOR EVERY QUESTION YOU GET WRONG. SO EVERY 4 QUESTIONS YOU MISS TOTALLY ERASES THE 10 POINTS YOU MAKE FROM GETTING A QUESTION RIGHT!! NOT GOOD. MOST STUDENTS ARE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW WHEN THEY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION. OBVIOUSLY THE VERBAL VOCABULARY IS A GREAT PLACE TO LEAVE SOMETHING BLANK IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE WORDS. I WOULD SAY TO TRY AND LEAVE NO MORE THAN 3 OR 4 BLANK PER SAT SECTION (MAYBE FROM 1 TO 5 IS FINE). DON'T DO MORE UNLESS YOU HAVE TO. THE MORE YOU LEAVE BLANK THE LESS CHANCE YOU HAVE OF EARNING MORE POINTS SO THERE IS A POINT OF DIMINISHING RETURNS ON LEAVING THINGS BLANK. DON'T LEAVE SOMETHING BLANK JUST BECAUSE YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO IT.

AS A TUTOR, WHAT IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS YOU SEE STUDENTS HAVING WHEN TAKING THE ACT OR SAT?

SOMEONE JUST EMAILED ME THIS QUESTION. GREAT QUESTION! ONE OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS IS THAT BOTH STUDENTS AND PARENTS SEEM TO EXPECT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SAT OR ACT TO COME IN A PREDICTABLE WAY. IT DOES NOT ALWAYS OCCUR LIKE THAT. I HAVE HAD MANY CASES WHERE A STUDENT MAY HAVE TAKEN THEIR FIRST EXAM AND HAD NOT MUCH IMPROVEMENT, THEN TAKEN ANOTHER ACT OR SAT JUST A MONTH LATER AND IMPROVED BY 200 POINTS OR MORE (SAT POINTS - SAME TYPE OF IMPROVEMENT FOR ACT POINTS). SAT AND ACT IMPROVEMENT IS NONLINEAR. IT CAN COME IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS. WE ARE DEALING WITH TEENAGERS HERE, NOT ROBOTS. HUMAN BEINGS ARE NEVER EASILY PREDICTABLE! YOU CAN HAVE INCREDIBLE IMPROVEMENT IN A SHORT TIME. SOMETIMES IMPROVEMENT DOES OCCUR IN A VERY PREDICTABLE MANNER - THAT IS GREAT BUT IT DOES NOT AT ALL ALWAYS HAPPEN LIKE THIS.

THE WORST PROBLEM I SEE WHEN STUDENTS TAKE THE ACT AND THE SAT IS NOT UNDERSTANDING THE GUESSING PENALTY ON BOTH TESTS. I WILL ADDRESS THIS IN THE NEXT POST.

SAT OR ACT TUTORING - IS LONG TERM TUTORING BETTER THAN SHORT TERM TUTORING?

THIS QUESTION IS OF TREMENDOUS IMPORTANCE. I CAN TELL YOU FROM YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THAT CLIENTS WHO BEGIN THE TUTORING EARLY DO MUCH BETTER THAN THOSE THAT START JUST WEEKS OR MONTHS BEFORE A TEST. IN OTHER WORDS, IT IS MUCH BETTER TO TUTOR ONCE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS RATHER THAN TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. MUCH BETTER! I THINK MAINLY IT HAS TO DO WITH THE INFORMATION GETTING INTO LONG TERM MEMORY WHEN THE TUTORING IS SPREAD OUT OVER LONGER AMOUNTS OF TIME. EVEN THOUGH THE SAME AMOUNT OF TUTORING HOURS IS USED, SPREADING OUT THE TUTORING OVER A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME SEEMS TO GIVE MUCH BETTER RESULTS. THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE ON THIS. I DO HAVE BETTER SUCCESS WITH LONGER TERM TUTORING THAN SHORTER TERM. HOWEVER, I DO HAVE GOOD SUCCESS WITH SHORTER TERM TUTORING ALSO. SHORTER TERM TUTORING IS JUST MORE STRESSFULL ON ALL PARTIES CONCERNED, AND IT TAKES TIME TO LEARN NEW SKILLS, NEW KNOWLEDGE, AND NEW STRATEGIES. IT TAKES TIME ALSO TO PRACTICE THESE NEW THINGS. BASICALLY PUT IT THIS WAY, WITH LONGER TERM TUTORING THE STUDENT HAS A BETTER CHANCE OF DOING WELL ON THEIR VERY FIRST TEST AND NOT HAVING TO TAKE IT AGAIN. OF COURSE I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAN PREVENT A STUDENT FROM STARTING TUTORING EARLY. THAT BEING SAID, JUST TRY YOUR BEST TO GET ANY HELP THAT YOU THINK YOU MIGHT NEED AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. I MEAN EVEN A YEAR BEFORE YOU TAKE THE ACTUAL EXAM MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA. REMEMBER, IT IS ALWAYS EASIER TO GET HELP EARLY BEFORE YOU ARE CLOSE TO THE EXAM. TUTORS CAN BECOME VERY CROWDED THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE EXAM.

COLLEGE ROOMATES - I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MINE

I KNOW THAT THIS CAN BE A VERY FRUSTRATING, PROBLEMATIC EVENT. NO ONE WANTS TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR FIRST ROOMATE, BUT THESE THINGS DO HAPPEN. EVEN THOUGH YOU FILLED OUT THAT EXTENSIVE FORM ON PICKING A GOOD ROOMATE, IT STILL MAY NOT ALWAYS WORK OUT RIGHT. THIS IS NOT AT ALL A BIG DEAL. IF WHEN YOU GET TO COLLEGE YOU FIND OUT FOR WHATEVER REASON THAT YOU DO NOT GET ALONG WELL WITH YOUR ROOMATE THEN YOU CAN EASILY APPLY FOR A CHANGE. I WOULD RECOMMEND APPROACHING THE RESIDENCE HALL ASSISTANT OR THE RESIDENCE HALL ADMINISTRATOR. EITHER ONE CAN HELP GIVE YOU FIRM, GOOD ADVICE ON HOW BEST TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. THIS TYPE OF THING HAPPENS ALL THE TIME! NO BIG DEAL. COLLEGES ARE USED TO DEALING WITH THESE TYPE OF THINGS ALL THE TIME.

FRATERNITY OR SORORITY - SHOULD I JOIN?

I GET ASKED THIS QUESTION BY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ALL THE TIME. THIS QUESTION IS NOT QUITE AS IMPORTANT AS IT WAS MANY YEARS AGO. "GOING GREEK" MEANS JOINING A LOCAL CHAPTER OF A FRATERNITY OR SORORITY AT A PARTICULAR COLLEGE. WHAT ARE THESE? WELL THEY ARE ON CAMPUS "CLUBS" THAT YOU CAN JOIN. THESE ARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE MAINLY SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES ON CAMPUS, BUT THEY ALSO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PHILANTHROPIC PURSUITS. EACH FRATERNITY OR SORORITY IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS NAMED BY A GREEK LETTER NAME. A CHAPTER MAY HAVE A LARGE HOUSE ON CAMPUS OR NEARBY WHERE STUDENTS CAN LIVE AND ATTEND COLLEGE. NOT ALL SCHOOLS HAVE THESE FRATERNITIES OR SORORITIES BUT THEY MAY HAVE SOME OTHER TYPE OF SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS. AT SOME SCHOOLS, FRATS AND SORORITIES ARE MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN AT OTHER SCHOOLS. AT SOME SCHOOLS, THEY MAY HAVE VERY LITTLE IMPORTANCE AT ALL. THE GREEK SYSTEM CAN PROVIDE A STUDENT WITH AN INSTANT SOCIAL FRAMEWORK IN WHICH TO MAKE MANY LIFELONG FRIENDS. THE GREEK SYSTEM IS AN ENTIRE "SOCIETY" IN AND OF ITSELF WITH EVEN ITS OWN VOCABULARY. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO INTO THAT HERE. MAINLY MY OBJECTIVE HERE IS FOR YOU TO BE AT LEAST SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT THE GREEK SYSTEM IS. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN AN INSTANT SOCIAL CLUB LIKE THIS, THEN PLEASE VISIT SOME OF THESE ON CAMPUS AND SEE IF YOU ARE FURTHER INTERESTED. SOMEONE IS CALLED AN "INDEPENDENT" IF THEY ARE NOT INVOLVED IN THE GREEK SYSTEM. THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS AND SOME DRAWBACKS TO JOINING THIS TYPE OF SYSTEM. YOU MUST BE YOUR OWN PERSON HERE AND MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS. JOINING A FRAT OR SORORITY CAN BE VERY TIME CONSUMING, LOTS OF PEER PRESSURE, EXCESSIVE PARTYING, LOTS OF OBLIGATIONS AND DUES, ETC. ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE ARE LOTS AND LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET PERSONS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX, ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES ON CAMPUS, CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT, ETC. YOU MUST AGAIN MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION. IT CAN BE DIFFICULT AT TIMES TO MAINTAIN A GOOD GPA WHILE BELONGING TO A FRATERNITY OR SORORITY. DO YOUR RESEARCH. OH ALSO A SORORITY IS THE WOMEN'S ORGANIZATION AND A FRATERNITY IS THE MALE ORGANIZATION. MANY SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES FORM ALLIANCES SO THAT THEIR MEMBERS CAN MORE EASILY SOCIALIZE WITH ONE ANOTHER. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IT CAREFULLY. IF YOU ARE EASILY TEMPTED TO WASTE YOUR TIME AND NOT STUDY PERHAPS THE GREEK SYSTEM MAY NOT BE FOR YOU AT LEAST INITIALLY. ANOTHER GOOD SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON THIS TOPIC MIGHT BE YOUR PARENTS, OR ANY OF YOUR TEACHERS WHO WERE GREEKS IN COLLEGE. PLEASE GET SOME ADVICE.

READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS - HOW DOES ONE IMPROVE THIS?

READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS APPEAR ON ALMOST EVERY SINGLE TYPE OF TESTING KNOWN. FROM GRADE SCHOOL ERB TESTS TO HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE. READING COMPREHENSION IS NOT AS MUCH OF A SKILL AS YOU WOULD THINK. RATHER, IT IS MORE LIKE A GAME. THE ANSWERS TO ANY READING COMPREHENSION QUESTION ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO BE IN THE PASSAGE. THATS RIGHT FOLKS. LEGALLY REQUIRED TO BE IN THE PASSAGE. THEY MUST BE. THAT DOES NOT AT ALL MEAN THAT THEY ARE EASY TO FIND! YOU MOST CERTAINLY CAN IMPROVE YOUR READING SKILLS BY PRACTICE. HOWEVER, PRACTICE + GOOD STRATEGY IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE. I HAVE MYSELF DEVELOPED A VERY SUCCINT STRATEGY TO HELP STUDENTS WITH READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS GET BETTER AT THIS. IT IS NOT NECESSARILY AN ACQUIRED ABILITY. IT IS MORE LIKE HOW WELL YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GAME CALLED READING COMPREHENSION. ALL THE GOOD TEST BOOKS ON THE MARKET I HAVE MENTIONED THUS FAR HAVE EXCELLENT PRACTICE TESTS IN THEM. THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT CAN BE PRACTICED AND IMPROVED UPON, NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE HAS ALREADY TOLD YOU.

SAT II SUBJECT TESTS - WHAT ARE THESE USED FOR??

THIS IS NOT GOOD NEWS. SINCE THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCENE IS BECOMING SO COMPETITIVE AND OVERCROWDED, MANY SCHOOLS ARE NOW USING THE SAT II TESTS AS A FURTHER TEST TO "WEED OUT" STUDENTS THEY DO NOT WANT. IN OTHER WORDS, SOME SCHOOLS ARE ACTUALLY ASKING STUDENTS TO TAKE THESE TESTS JUST AS AN ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENT. MEANING, IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT GOING HERE YOU MUST TAKE THIS EXTRA TEST TO PROVE IT! SOME SCHOOLS ARE SAYING THAT THEY ARE USING THESE TESTS NOT AS ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS, BUT AS "PLACEMENT" TESTS. EITHER WAY IT IS A HUGE HASSLE TO TAKE YET ANOTHER TEST TO GET INTO COLLEGE NO MATTER WHAT THE TESTS ARE USED FOR!! CHECK WITH THE PARTICULAR COLLEGES YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GOING TO. DO THIS ASAP BECAUSE YOU MUST KNOW IF THAT IS A REQUIREMENT OF GOING THERE. SOME COLLEGES ARE REQUIRING TWO TESTS AND SOME ARE REQUIRING THREE SUBJECT TESTS. SEE MY OTHER POSTS ON SAT II SUBJECT TESTS AND WHICH ONES ARE GOOD TO TAKE AND WHICH ONES SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

EXCELLENT SPORTS PLAYERS - HOW CAN THIS HELP GET INTO COLLEGE?

THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT QUESTION TO NAVIGATE. IF YOU ARE EXCELLENT AT A CERTAIN SPORT SUCH AS SOCCER, FOOTBALL, BASEBALL, ETC. AND YOU HAVE THE DEFINITE INTEREST OF A COLLEGE COACH THEN YOU ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET THAT COACH TO SUBMIT ANY GUARANTEES HE IS GIVING YOU IN WRITING. IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES, THE RULES HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY ON WHAT TYPES OF OFFERS COACHES AND COLLEGES CAN THROW AT STUDENTS. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF RESEARCHING THIS MORE CAREFULLY AND WILL HAVE ANY NEW INFORMATION POSTED IN UPCOMING POSTS. FOR NOW THOUGH, YES FOR SURE IF YOU EXCEL AT SOMETHING THIS CAN BE A HUGE ASSET FOR GETTING INTO COLLEGE. I HAVE SEEN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO GET GOOD SPORTS PLAYERS IN, I.E. THEY LOWERED THEIR SAT AND OTHER STANDARDS TREMENDOUSLY IN LIGHT OF A STUDENTS ABILITY AT A CERTAIN SPORT. THIS IS A SITUATION WHERE HIRING AN OUTSIDE PROFESSIONAL, SUCH AS A COLLEGE COUNSELOR, IS A VERY GOOD IDEA. I HAVE HAD MANY STUDENTS IN THE PAST WHO GOT INTO INCREDIBLE SCHOOLS WITH THEIR PARTICULAR SPORTS ABILITIES THAT THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER GOTTEN INTO OTHERWISE. SO BE CAREFUL AND CHECK OUT ANYTHING A PROSPECTIVE SCHOOL TELLS YOU WITH YOUR PARENTS AND YOUR HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR (AND ALSO YOUR COACH AT YOUR SCHOOL). THEIR ARE MANY SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE.

WHAT ARE THE DATES FOR THE SAT II SUBJECT TESTS?

THE SAT II SUBJECT TEST DATES CAN ALL BE SEEN HERE:

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html

THE DATES THAT THE SAT II SUBJECT TEST IS GIVEN ARE:

OCTOBER 6, 2007

NOVEMBER 3, 2007

DECEMBER 1, 2007

JANUARY 26, 2008

MAY 3, 2007

JUNE 3, 2007

(NOTE ON MARCH 1, 2008 ONLY THE SAT I IS GIVEN)

PLEASE NOTE THESE TESTS HAVE VERY SPECIFIC REGISTRATION DEADLINES. ALL OF THAT INFORMATION CAN BE SEEN HERE:

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html

WHEN IS THE SAT I GIVEN THIS YEAR?

YOU CAN VIEW ALL DATES FOR THE SAT I AND THE SAT II AT THE FOLLOWING LINK:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html

BUT HERE ARE THE SAT I DATES FOR THIS YEAR AND NEXT:
OCTOBER 6, 2007
NOVEMBER 3, 2007
DECEMBER 1, 2007
JANUARY 26, 2008
MARCH 1, 2008
MAY 3, 2008
JUNE 7, 2008

PLEASE NOTE ALL OF THESE DATES HAVE SPECIFIC REGISTRATION DEAD LINES. YOU CAN VIEW ALL OF THAT AT THIS LINK:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html

WHEN IS THE ACT GIVEN THIS YEAR?

HERE ARE THE NEXT FEW ACT TEST DATES:

September 15, 2007
October 27, 2007
December 8, 2007
February 9, 2008
April 12, 2008
June 14, 2008

YOU CAN ALSO VIEW ALL THE DATES ONLINE FOR THE ACT AT THIS LINK:
http://www.actstudent.org/regist/currentdates.html

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ACT TEST DATES HAVE REGISTRATION DEAD LINES. YOU CAN VIEW THOSE AT THIS LINK:

http://www.actstudent.org/regist/currentdates.html

ACT AND SAT I ESSAY - WHAT IS A GOOD SCORE?

A GOOD SCORE ON THESE ESSAYS IS USUALLY 8-12. THE ESSAY IS GRADED BY TWO DIFFERENT READERS ON A SCALE FROM 1 TO 6. THESE TWO SCORES ARE COMBINED TO MAKE A FINAL SCORE OUT OF 12. OBVIOUSLY, THE HIGHER THE SCORE THE BETTER BUT I HAVE USUALLY NOT SEEN A SCORE OF 8-12 CAUSE ANYONE ANY PROBLEMS. THE GRADING RULES TO THE ESSAY ARE POSTED ON EACH WEBSITE. WWW.ACT.ORG FOR THE ACT, AND WWW.COLLEGEBOARD.COM FOR THE SAT I.

ACT AND SAT I ESSAY - TIPS

HERE ARE A FEW VERY CONCRETE TIPS ON THE ESSAY THAT APPEARS ON THE SAT I AND ON THE ACT WITH WRITING. REMEMBER, THIS IS NOT A SCHOOL ESSAY. THIS IS AN ESSAY ON A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR SPECIFIC THINGS. BOTH THE ACT (http://www.act.org/) AND THE SAT (http://www.collegeboard.org/) WILL TELL YOU ON THEIR WEBSITES EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR. HERE ARE SOME VERY GENERAL TIPS FROM ME:

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1. MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION! YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MANY STUDENTS DO NOT DO THIS. THEY ARE ONLY MAKING SURE THAT YOU CAN ANSWER A QUESTION AND PROVIDE A REASONABLE, ORGANIZED ESSAY TO RESPOND TO THE QUESTION.

2. MAKE SURE YOU USE THE INTRO/BODY/CONCLUSION ESSAY METHOD OR SOME OTHER ORGANIZED METHOD TO YOUR WRITING.

3. USE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT GRAMMAR DEVICES SUCH AS A SEMICOLON, A COLON, A COMPOUND SENTENCE, ETC.

4. PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF REFERENCE TO CURRENT EVENTS, A BOOK YOU READ, HISTORICAL REFERENCE, SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE, ETC. TO BACK UP ANY OF YOUR STATEMENTS.

5. INJECT A LITTLE HUMOR IF POSSIBLE.

6. DO NOT GO OVER THE LENGTH GIVEN!

7. WRITE NEATLY AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.

8. MAKE YOUR WRITING AS CLEAR, TO THE POINT, AND AS EASY TO READ AS IS POSSIBLE. THE EASIER IT IS TO READ USUALLY THE HIGHER THE SCORE.

9. TRY TO SPELL AS BEST YOU CAN ALTHOUGH YOU CAN STILL MAKE A PERFECT SCORE WITH SOME MISPELLINGS.

10. STEER AWAY FROM ANY CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS! STAY AWAY FROM TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING THAT IS POSSIBLY CONTROVERSIAL IN YOUR ESSAY. TOPICS SUCH AS POLITICS, DEMOCRATS ARE IDIOTS, ETC. ETC. WILL NOT BE EASILY TOLERATED. TALK ABOUT NEUTRAL TOPICS PLEASE.

THESE ARE ONLY A VERY FEW TIPS. I WILL BE POSTING A FULL POST ON THIS LATER. BUT BASICALLY, REMEMBER WHO YOUR AUDIENCE IS! SOME OLD RETIRED TEACHER (POSSIBLY) HAS TO SIT BACK AND READ THIS STUFF!!

ACT WITH WRITING - WHEN SHOULD I TAKE THE ACT WITH WRITING?

JUST TO BE SAFE, I WOULD ALWAYS TAKE THE ACT WITH WRITING. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ACT WITH WRITING AND THE ACT WITHOUT WRITING IS JUST ONE SINGLE ESSAY. SO, TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, TAKE THE ACT WITH WRITING. THAT WAY, YOU ARE SAFE TO APPLY TO ALL COLLEGES. IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO MISS APPLYING TO A COLLEGE BECAUSE YOU DID NOT WRITE A 30 MINUTE ESSAY! THE ESSAY IS VERY EASY. I WILL POST SOME GUIDELINES SHORTLY.

ESSAY ON THE ACT AND SAT - HOW IMPORTANT?

I GET ASKED THIS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY. THE ANSWER IS IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO A HIGHLY SELECTIVE SCHOOL (AND THOSE ARE FEW) THEN THE ESSAY IS SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT. FOR THE AVERAGE STUDENT APPLYING TO THE AVERAGE COLLEGE, THE ESSAYS ON THE ACT AND SAT ARE NOT VERY IMPORTANT. HOWEVER, SINCE IT REQUIRES SO LITTLE EFFORT TO DO WELL ON THESE ESSAYS (MOST HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE QUITE GOOD AT WRITING AN ESSAY) I HAVE MY STUDENTS DO ONE OR TWO FOR PRACTICE. IT DOES NOT HURT TO LOOK YOUR BEST WHEN YOU CAN. ON THE ACT, THE ESSAY SCORE IS POSTED IN A SEPARATE SECTION AND IT IS ALSO POSTED WITH A COMBINED ESSAY/WRITING SCORE. THE SAT I GIVES YOU ALSO THE SAME. YOU GET AN ESSAY SCORE (1 TO 12 POINTS 12 BEING THE BEST) THEN THEY ALSO POST A COMBINED ESSAY/WRITING SCORE. I WOULD SAY AT THIS TIME (NOVEMBER 2007), 98% OF THE COLLEGES IN THE NATION ARE NOT USING THE SAT I WRITING SECTION FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS. ONLY THE MOST SELECTIVE, LIKE THE IVY LEAGUES, SEEM TO BE USING THE SAT I WRITING SCORE. NOW AS FAR AS THE ACT GOES, YOU WOULD NEED TO CHECK WITH YOUR PARTICULAR COLLEGES. IT IS ALWAYS SAFER TO TAKE THE ACT WITH WRITING THAN WITHOUT. THE ACT WITH WRITING JUST HAS ONE SIMPLE ESSAY ADDED TO IT VS. THE REGULAR ACT.

WHAT IS A HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT?

YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT IS AN AUTHENTICATED RECORD OF ALL THE CLASSES YOU HAVE TAKEN IN HIGH SCHOOL AND THE GRADES THAT YOU MADE IN THEM. IT IS A LEGAL DOCUMENT THAT ONLY YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CAN PRODUCE, AND ONLY YOUR HIGH SCHOOL CAN SEND TO COLLEGES. EVERY SINGLE COLLEGE IS GOING TO REQUEST ONE OF THESE TRANSCRIPTS. THEY MUST BE SENT FROM YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING OFFICE. GO DOWN AND GET TO KNOW YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE ADMMISSIONS COUNSELOR. MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ALL THE CORRECT INFORMATION ON FILE FOR YOU. I HAVE SEEN MANY, MANY PROBLEMS GET AVERTED BY THE STUDENT GETTING INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS.

HOW DOES MY HIGH SCHOOL BECOME INVOVLED IN THE COLLEGE ADMISSION PROCESS?

THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION. YOUR HIGH SCHOOL IS VERY MUCH INVOLVED IN YOUR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS. THEY DO SEVERAL CRITICAL THINGS. THEY SEND YOUR LEGAL TRANSCRIPT (RECORD OF ALL YOUR HIGH SCHOOL GRADES AND SCORES) TO ALL THE COLLEGES YOU ARE APPLYING TO. COLLEGES MUST HAVE AN AUTHENTIC TRANSCRIPT ON FILE FROM YOUR HIGH SCHOOL BEFORE THEY EVER CONSIDER ADMISSIONS. YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING OFFICE WILL ALSO HELP ALL YOUR TEACHER RECOMMENDATION LETTERS GET TO THE RIGHT PLACE ON TIME. THIS IS CRUCIAL! MOST SCHOOLS WILL ASK FOR SEVERAL TEACHER RECOMMENDATION LETTERS. THESE CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOU! PICK TEACHERS THAT YOU KNOW LIKE YOU. THEY USUALLY WILL SPECIFY WHICH TEACHERS THAT THEY WANT LETTERS FROM - ONE MATH, ONE ENGLISH, AND ONE SCIENCE TEACHER ETC. SO YOU SHOULD BECOME A REGULAR FIXTURE IN YOUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING OFFICE. CHECK ON THEM. MAKE SURE THEY ARE SENDING OUT YOUR PAPERS ON TIME AND AT THE RIGHT DATES. BUG THEM! DON'T WORRY ABOUT BOTHERING THEM. THEY ARE THERE TO HELP YOU! MAKE FRIENDS WITH THEM. GET TO KNOW THEM AND THE PROCESS.

PCAT - WHAT TEST IS THIS FOR?

THE PCAT IS THE PHARMACY COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST.

***********************************************THE HOME WEB PAGE FOR THIS EXAM IS http://harcourtassessment.com/haiweb/Cultures/en-US/Harcourt/Community/PostSecondary/Products/pcat/pcathome.htm.

BASICALLY THIS EXAM IS FOR STUDENTS WHO WISH TO SPECIFICALLY ENTER A PHARMACY COLLEGE. THAT IS A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO BECOME A PHARMACIST AND ONLY A PHARMACIST. THE PCAT CAN BE TAKEN AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT. HERE IS A WEBSITE THAT HAS A LIST OF THE MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING THE PCAT WITH ANSWERS - VERY GOOD SITE!http://www.cop.ufl.edu/studaff/faq-p.htm

IF YOUR INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PHARMACIST - THAT IS A GREAT PROFESSION. THEY MAKE EXCELLENT MONEY AND YOU CAN EVEN OWN YOUR OWN PHARMACY.

LSAT - WHAT TEST IS THAT?

THE LSAT IS THE LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS TEST. IT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IN HIGH SCHOOL. IT IS NOT USED FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS. RATHER, IT IS USED FOR ADMISSIONS TO LAW SCHOOL AFTER YOU GRADUATE FROM A 4 YEAR COLLEGE PROGRAM. IN ORDER TO BECOME A LAWYER, YOU MUST ATTEND A LAW SCHOOL AND THEN PASS ANOTHER EXAM TO BE A REGISTERED LAWYER (CALLED THE BAR EXAM). LAW SCHOOL IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PROGRAM FROM A 4 YEAR COLLEGE. MOST COLLEGES HAVE THEIR OWN LAW SCHOOLS. FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING LAW SCHOOL YOU CAN SEE http://www.princetonreview.com/law/ (ONCE AGAIN THE PRINCETON REVIEW HAS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT THEY HAVE ASSIMILATED FOR THOSE OF YOU INTERESTED IN LAW SCHOOL).

PORTFOLIO - WHAT IS THAT AND HOW DOES IT FACTOR INTO AN ADMISSION?

A PORTFOLIO IS SOME TYPE OF WORK YOU MUST SUBMIT TO A PERFORMANCE BASED COLLEGE PROGRAM. ART SCHOOLS ALMOST ALWAYS REQUIRE A PORTFOLIO. FOR EXAMPLE, LETS SAY YOU ARE A GOOD DANCER AND YOU WANT TO APPLY TO A PROGRAM OF DANCE EDUCATION. AS PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS, YOU WILL USUALLY BE GIVEN A PERSONAL INTERVIEW WHERE YOU WILL BE ASKED TO SUBMIT YOUR PORTFOLIO - MEANING YOU SUBMIT OR SHOW OFF YOUR PARTICULAR TALENTS IN THE FORM OF A DEMONSTRATION. FOR EXAMPLE IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO FILM SCHOOL, THEY WOULD DEFINITELY WANT TO SEE SOME OF THE FILMS YOU HAVE MADE. MANY PROGRAMS HAVE SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AS TO WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO SUBMIT DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS. PERFORMANCE BASED COLLEGE PROGRAMS DO NOT LOOK AT TEST SCORES AND GRADES AS MUCH AS OTHER COLLEGES. THEY ARE OF COURSE MORE INTERESTED IN WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE GOOD AT YOUR PARTICULAR SKILL.

HIGH SCHOOL - HOW MUCH DOES THE HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTEND FACTOR INTO A COLLEGE ADMISSIONS DECISION?

THIS IS A COMPLICATED ISSUE. I WOULD SAY THAT THE MORE SELECTIVE COLLEGES WILL PAY MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTEND. HOWEVER, MOST COLLEGES JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR THE RESOURCES TO INVENTORY EVERY SINGLE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM IN THE WORLD AND MAKE A DETERMINATION OF RANKING THEIR ACADEMICS AS ITS HARD TO DO. IF YOU ATTEND A VERY SELECTIVE, DIFFICULT TO GET INTO PRIVATE SCHOOL THAT HAS BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME CHANCES ARE COLLEGES WILL KNOW ABOUT IT AND THIS MAY FACTOR IN POSTIVELY FOR YOUR ADMISSIONS AT SOME SCHOOLS. THERE ARE ALSO SOME VERY WELL KNOWN LARGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY WITH EXCELLENT REPUTATIONS THAT COLLEGES KNOW ABOUT.

CLASS RANKING - WHICH COLLEGES USE THIS AND HOW DO THEY USE IT?

CLASS RANKINGS ARE LESS IMPORTANT AT A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY THAN A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY. FOR SOME REASON, THE BIGGER PUBLIC COLLEGES USE CLASS RANK IN DETERMINING ADMISSIONS. PRIVATE SCHOOLS DO NOT PAY AS MUCH ATTENTION TO CLASS RANK. THE BEST THING TO IS AGAIN CHECK WITH THE SCHOOLS YOU ARE APPLYING TO. SOME COLLEGES CLASS RANK WILL MEAN LITTLE OR NOTHING, SOME IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

GPA - WHAT IS A GOOD GPA FOR COLLEGE ADMISSION?

AGAIN LETS GET AWAY FROM USING WORDS SUCH AS "BAD" OR "GOOD". RATHER, WHAT GPA DO YOU NEED TO HAVE FOR THE COLLEGES THAT YOU ARE MOST INTERESTED IN? I WOULD SAY THAT ANYTHING OVER A 3.0 OR OVER 80% WOULD ENABLE YOU TO BE OF INTEREST TO MANY, MANY COLLEGES. OBVIOUSLY TRY AND KEEP THE HIGHEST GPA YOU CAN POSSIBLY OBTAIN. THEY DON'T JUST LOOK AT GPA. THEY LOOK AT MANY OTHER THINGS. YOU CAN MOST CERTAINLY GET INTO COLLEGE WITH A LOWER GPA. I HAVE KNOWN OF STUDENTS WHO GOT INTO COLLEGE WITH A GPA LOWER THAN 2.0! AGAIN, CHECK WITH THE PARTICULAR SCHOOLS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GOING TO!!

LD STUDENTS - THE ACT AND OR SAT TURNED ME DOWN FOR EXTENDED TIME

THIS UNFORTUNATELY CAN HAPPEN. THIS CAN HAPPEN IF YOUR TESTING IS VERY RECENT AND YOU HAVE NOT DEMONSTRATED OVER TIME THAT YOU HAVE AN ACTUAL LEARNING DIFFERENCE. ALSO IF YOU HAVE NOT SIGNED UP FOR THE LEARNING PROGRAM AT YOUR SCHOOL THEN YOU REALLY HAVE A POOR CHANCE OF BEING GRANTED EXTENDED TIME ON THE FIRST TRY. NOW THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS HERE. I HAVE NOTICED THAT BY REALLY BUGGING THE ACT OR SAT YOU CAN SOMETIMES GET GRANTED EXTENDED TIME. WHAT I MEAN IS THAT YOU SHOULD REAPPLY AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN. CALL THEM. BOMBARD THEM WITH DOCUMENTATION. GO BACK TO THE DIAGNOSTICIAN THAT INITIALLY TESTED YOU AND TELL THEM WHAT HAS HAPPENED. IF THEY HAVE NOT PROVIDED YOU WITH A SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS, THEN THEY REALLY SHOULD. THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF REASONS YOU CAN BE TURNED DOWN FOR EXTENDED TIME, BUT WITH PROPER DILIGENCE YOU MAY BE ABLE TO REVERSE THAT DECISION. NOT ALWAYS. ONE KEY THING TO TELL THE ACT OR SAT IS THAT BY TURNING YOUR STUDENT DOWN FOR EXTENDED TIME THEY ARE "DENYING YOU ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION". THAT PARTICULAR WORDING SOMETIMES WILL STRIKE FEAR INTO THEM BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU KNOW THE LAW. YOU MIGHT ALSO NEED TO HIRE A LAWYER WHO UNDERSTANDS FEDERAL DISABILITY LAWS. THE POINT IS THAT IF YOU REALLY NEED EXTENDED TIME YOU SHOULD HAVE IT.

LD STUDENTS - I HAVE A READER FOR AN ACCOMODATION?

ONE OF THE ACCOMODATIONS FOR A LEARNING DIFFERENCED STUDENT IS A READER. A STUDENT CAN HAVE A READER IF INDICATED BY THEIR DOCUMENTATION. YES SOME STUDENTS CAN GET A READER TO READ TO THEM PASSAGES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS THOUGH. I HAVE SEEN STUDENTS ACTUALLY DO WORSE WITH A READER THAN WITHOUT ONE! THE REASON IS THAT THERE IS QUITE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU READING A PASSAGE, UNDERLINING IMPORTANT ITEMS, ETC. VS. SOMEONE READING THINGS TO YOU. A BIG DIFFERENCE! SO BEWARE, IF YOU GET A READER YOU MIGHT WANT TO RUN SOME EXPERIMENTS AND SEE IF YOU DO BETTER ON THE ACT OR SAT WITH OR WITHOUT A READER.

TEST TROUBLES - I AM A REALLY GOOD STUDENT BUT EVEN WITH EXTENSIVE TUTORING I HAVE NEVER TESTED WELL

THIS DOES HAPPEN. I THINK MORE COLLEGES ARE REALIZING THAT THE SAT AND ACT (ESPECIALLY THE NEW SAT I) ARE NOT THE BEST PREDICTORS OF HOW SOMEONE WILL DO IN COLLEGE AND THAT MANY, MANY GOOD STUDENTS CAN BE POOR TEST TAKERS BUT EXCELLENT STUDENTS NONETHELESS. IF THIS IS THE CASE WITH YOU, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF LETTERS FROM TEACHERS, TUTORS, COUNSELORS, ETC. STATING THIS FACT ABOUT YOU THAT YOU HAVE TROUBLE WITH STANDARDIZED TESTING BUT YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT STUDENT NONETHELESS.

COLLEGE - HOW DOES A STUDENT EVEN BEGIN TO FIND OUT WHAT COLLEGES THEY WANT TO ATTEND?

OF COURSE THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT QUESTION FACING THE STUDENT OF TODAY. I AM NOT A COLLEGE COUNSELOR PER SE SO I DO NOT PRETEND TO KNOW THE BEST ADVICE IN THIS. BUT I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU HAVE THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES, IT IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA TO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL COLLEGE COUNSELOR. THEY ARE INCREDIBLY HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY IN A FAMILY WHERE BOTH PARENTS ARE WORKING. THERE ARE SO MANY COLLEGES OUT THERE THAT THE DECISION PROCESS HAS BECOME TERRIBLY ONEROUS.

HERE ARE A FEW BASIC QUESTIONS THAT A STUDENT MIGHT WANT TO USE TO NARROW DOWN THE SELECTION FIELD SOMEWHAT:

1) DO I WANT TO GO TO A BIG SCHOOL OR SMALL SCHOOL?

2) WHAT TYPE OF GEOGRAPHICAL REGION DO I WANT TO GOTO SCHOOL IN? DO I WANT COLD, HOT, BEACH, MOUNTAINS, ETC.

3) DO I WANT TO GO CLOSE TO HOME OR FAR AWAY FROM HOME?

4) DO I WANT TO GOTO SCHOOL IN A SMALL TOWN OR LARGE METROPOLITAN AREA?

5) DO I HAVE ANY IDEA OS OF YET AS TO WHAT I WANT TO STUDY? IF YOU DO GREAT, THAT CAN HELP YOU START DECIDING.

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THE FIRST THING YOU CAN DO ALONG WITH CONSIDERING THE QUESTIONS ABOVE IS GOTO A LOCAL BOOKSTORE OF 1/2 PRICE BOOKSTORE AND BUY YOURSELF ONE OF THE MANY BOOKS ON COLLEGES AND START READING IT. THERE ARE MANY EXCELLENT BOOKS OUT THERE! ONE OF MY FAVORITE IS LISTED ON THIS WEBSITE IS CALLED "COLLEGES THAT CHANGE LIVES" BY LOREN POPE. HE EVEN HAS HIS OWN WEBSITE (http://www.ctcl.com/). THIS IS A WONDERFUL WEBSITE WHICH HAS A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON THE COLLEGE SEARCH. LOREN POPE OFFERS INSIDE INFORMATION ABOUT SOME COLLEGES THAT NORMALLY ARE NOT HEARD OF OFTEN. WE USUALLY ONLY HEAR NAMES FROM SOME VERY SELECT AND FEW COLLEGES SUCH AS NOTRE DAMN, HARVARD, STANFORD, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, MIAMI, ETC. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES AND YOU ARE DOING YOURSELF GREAT HARM BY ONLY PAYING ATTENTION TO THE TOP NAMES IN COLLEGE. ITS JUST LIKE CARS. WE HEAR HOW WONDERFUL A JAGUAR OR MERCEDES IS, BUT THEY ARE BY NO MEANS THE ONLY CARS ON THE MARKET. SAME WITH COLLEGES. THERE ARE SOME EXCELLENT COLLEGE GEMS THAT ARE RARELY MENTIONED IN THE NEWS, ETC. THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. LOREN POPE'S BOOK DOES A GOOD JOB OF EXPOSING THE READER TO SOME INCREDIBLY GOOD COLLEGE VALUES THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT NORMALLY AWARE OF.

MEDICAL SCHOOL - HOW GENERALLY DOES THAT WORK?

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. GENERALLY SPEAKING YOU WILL NEED TO GRADUATE FROM A GOOD WELL KNOWN COLLEGE (MEDICAL SCHOOLS SEEM TO BE IN LOVE WITH VERY SELECTIVE COLLEGES AND VERY POPULAR COLLEGES) WITH A VERY RESPECTABLE GPA SUCH AS 3.5 OR HIGHER. THE HIGHER THE BETTER. YOU WILL ALSO BE REQUIRED TO TAKE THE MCAT OR MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST. THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT EXAM, BUT THERE ARE SOME EXCELLENT TUTORING SOURCES OUT THERE (AGAIN THE PRINCETON REVIEW IS PROBABLY THE BEST RESOURCE FOR THAT). MEDICAL COLLEGES ARE EXTREMELY STRICT IN THEIR ADMISSIONS POLICIES. THEY GO MAINLY STRAIGHT BY THE NUMBERS. THEY WANT THEIR INCOMING DOCTORS TO BE A SMART ON PAPER AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS SUCH A GOOD THING OR NOT, BUT THAT IS THE WAY IT IS. THE LOWER YOUR 4 YEAR GPA IN COLLEGE THE HIGHER YOU MUST MAKE ON THE MCAT TO GET INTO A MEDICAL SCHOOL. ALSO, MEDICAL SCHOOLS LIKE TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN LOTS OF PREMED COURSES IN COLLEGE. THE CLOSER YOUR MAJOR IS TO SOMETHING THAT IS USED IN MEDICAL SCIENCE THE BETTER. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BECOME A DOCTOR, MANY COLLEGES HAVE A PREMED PROGRAM.

GRADUATE SCHOOL - WHAT IS GRADUATE SCHOOL?

THIS IS NOT AT ALL A SILLY QUESTION AS SOME MIGHT THINK. THIS SIGHT IS INTENDED TO HELP EVERYONE EASILY LEARN THESE TYPE OF THINGS. IF YOU DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, YOU CANNOT LEARN. GRADUATE SCHOOL IS A SCHOOL THAT IS DESIGNED TO BE TAKEN AFTER 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE. IN A 4 YEAR COLLEGE YOU EARN WHAT IS CALLED A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. THEN IN A 2 OR 3 YEAR GRADUATE PROGRAM, ONE CAN EARN A MASTER'S DEGREE. THEN ANOTHER 2 YEARS OF GRADUATE SCHOOL ONE CAN EARN A PH.D. DEGREE OR DOCTOR'S DEGREE. NO, A PH.D. IS NOT A MEDICAL DEGREE - THAT IS AN MD. MEDICAL SCHOOL IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MATTER. WHAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE HERE? BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT A GRADUATE DEGREE OR A DOCTORATE DEGREE (PH.D) WILL GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO EARN LOTS MORE MONEY WHEN YOU GRADUATE, AND WILL OPEN UP MORE ADVANCED POSITIONS INSIDE OF THE CORPORATE WORLD. FOR EXAMPLE, WITH A GRADUATE DEGREE IN ENGINEERING ONE CAN EASILY OWN HIS OR HER OWN COMPANY AND MAKE A LOT MORE MONEY! ADVANCED DEGREES SUCH AS MASTER'S DEGREES OR PH.D DEGREES TEACH THE STUDENT ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD OF HIS OR HER CHOICE THEREBY GIVING YOU MANY MORE CHOICES WHEN YOU GRADUATE. SOME JOBS REQUIRE MASTER'S OR PH.D. DEGREES.

GRE - WHAT TEST IS THIS?

THE GRE OR GRADUATE RECORD EXAM IS YET ANOTHER TEST USED TO GET INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL. THE GRE exam is primarily focused on testing abstract thinking skills in the areas of math, vocabulary, and analytical writing. The GRE is typically a computer-based exam that is administered by select qualified testing centers; however, paper-based exams are offered in areas of the world that lack the technological requirements. THE GRE IS SCORED ON AN 800 SCALE LIKE THE SAT. SEE THE WEBSITE BELOW FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. IT IS MUCH EASIER USUALLY TO GET INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL THAT COLLEGE IN THE FIRST PLACE. CHECK WITH THE PARTICULAR PROGRAM OR GRADUATE SCHOOL YOU WISH TO GOTO AND SEE WHICH EXAM THEY WANT YOU TAKE THE GRE OR THE GMAT. BOTH TESTS ARE NOW ADMINISTERED ON THE COMPUTER AND YOU CAN TAKE THE TEST MORE THAN ONCE.

THE GRE IS NOW A CAT TEST OR COMPUTER ADAPTIVE TEST. THAT MEANS IT IS GIVEN ENTIRELY ON THE COMPUTER. THERE ARE MANY THOUSANDS OF TESTING CENTERS WORLD WIDE THAT WILL ADMINISTER THE GRE CAT TEST. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COMPUTER GIVEN TEST AND A NORMAL TEST THAT IS GIVEN VIA PAPER AND PENCIL. WHEN STUDYING FOR A COMPUTER GIVEN EXAM, A STUDENT SHOULD WORK PROBLEMS OUT OF A NORMAL PAPER AND PENCIL TEST BOOK AND THEY SHOULD ALSO PRACTICE DOING PROBLEMS ON THE COMPUTER ALSO. MANY GOOD BOOKS OUT THERE PUBLISHED BY THE PRINCETON REVIEW, STANLEY KAPLAN, PERTERSONS, ETC. PUBLISH CD'S WITH THEIR BOOKS FOR STUDENTS TO PRACTICE WITH. THE BEST THING IS TO GET MATERIAL FROM THE ACTUAL TEST MAKER AND USE THAT FOR STUDYING PURPOSES. I DO TUTOR THIS EXAM.

GOTO WWW.ETS.ORG AND PICK THE GRE TEST FOR MORE INFORMATION.

GMAT - WHAT IS THIS TEST FOR?

THE GMAT OR GRADUATE MANAGEMENT APTITUDE TEST IS A TEST A STUDENT TAKES TO ENTER GRADUATE SCHOOL. GRADUATE SCHOOL IS AFTER 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE. IT IS A PLACE A STUDENT EARNS A MASTERS OR PHD DEGREE. A MASTERS OR PH.D DEGREE IS A VERY IMPORTANT THING TO EARN. IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GO TO GRADUATE SCHOOL, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO IT IMMEDIATELY AFTER COLLEGE. YOU CAN TAKE THE GMAT YOUR SENIOR YEAR IN COLLEGE. HERE IS A WEBSITE WITH SOME GREAT INFORMATION ON THE GMAT: http://www.mba.com/mba/TaketheGMAT

THE GMAT IS NOW A CAT TEST OR COMPUTER ADAPTIVE TEST. THAT MEANS IT IS GIVEN ENTIRELY ON THE COMPUTER. THERE ARE MANY THOUSANDS OF TESTING CENTERS WORLD WIDE THAT WILL ADMINISTER THE GMAT CAT TEST. THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COMPUTER GIVEN TEST AND A NORMAL TEST THAT IS GIVEN VIA PAPER AND PENCIL. WHEN STUDYING FOR A COMPUTER GIVEN EXAM, A STUDENT SHOULD WORK PROBLEMS OUT OF A NORMAL PAPER AND PENCIL TEST BOOK AND THEY SHOULD ALSO PRACTICE DOING PROBLEMS ON THE COMPUTER ALSO. MANY GOOD BOOKS OUT THERE PUBLISHED BY THE PRINCETON REVIEW, STANLEY KAPLAN, PERTERSONS, ETC. PUBLISH CD'S WITH THEIR BOOKS FOR STUDENTS TO PRACTICE WITH. THE BEST THING IS TO GET MATERIAL FROM THE ACTUAL TEST MAKER AND USE THAT FOR STUDYING PURPOSES. I DO TUTOR THIS EXAM.

LD STUDENTS - HOW DO THEY PROCTOR EXTENDED TIME TESTING? PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS

LD STUDENTS - HOW DO THEY PROCTOR EXTENDED TIME TESTING? WELL THIS IS THE CRUCIAL ISSUE. WHAT I HAVE SEEN IS THAT AT MOST TESTING CENTERS THEY PUT ALL THE LD STUDENTS IN A SEPARATE ROOM. THIS ROOM USUALLY ONLY CONTAINS LD STUDENTS AND HAS THEREFORE LESS STUDENTS THAN THE OTHER ROOMS. IT IS USUALLY QUIETER THAN OTHER ROOMS. THIS IS GOOD. HERE IS THE HITCH THOUGH; THE PROCTORS ARE USUALLY VERY ILL TRAINED TO HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS. THEY JUST GIVE YOU A BIG CHUNK OF TIME SOMETIMES AND YOU HAVE TO MANAGE HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPEND ON EACH SECTION! THAT IS BAD. MOST STUDENTS ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THAT. SO, YOU SHOULD FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH EXACTLY HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE FOR EACH SECTION BASED ON YOUR TESTING. PLEASE SEE MY OTHER POSTS THAT SPECIFICALLY TELL THIS (50% VS. 100% EXTENDED TIME). YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT A PROCTOR MIGHT DO OR NOT DO. SOME BETTER TESTING CENTERS TIME OUT EACH SECTION ACCORDINGLY. BUT I HAVE SEEN MANY, MANY HORROR STORIES WHERE THE STUDENT WAS REQUIRED TO KEEP THE INDIVIDUAL TIMES PER SECTIONS. THE PROCTOR JUST SUDDENLY SAID WERE DONE HAND IN YOUR TESTS OR YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES LEFT! SO KEEPING TIME ON THESE TESTS IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY. ALL THE STUDENTS THAT I TUTOR I SHOW THEM EXACTLY HOW TO KEEP THEIR OWN TIME. YOU CAN EVEN TAKE A STOPWATCH IN AS LONG AS IT MAKES NO NOISE AND USE IT FOR TIME KEEPING. I HAVE STOPWATCHES HERE THAT I SELL THAT I HAVE DISABLED THE NOISE MAKING DEVICE SO STUDENTS CAN USE THEM FOR TIME KEEPING.

LD STUDENTS - EXTENDED TIME TESTING FOR SAT II SUBJECT TESTS

LD STUDENTS - EXTENDED TIME TESTING FOR SAT II SUBJECT TESTS DOES EXIST! IT FOLLOWS EXACTLY THE SAME RULES AS THE 50% AND 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING. MOST SAT II SUBJECT TESTS ARE ONLY ONE HOUR SO WITH 50% EXTENDED TIME TESTING THE STUDENT WILL GET 90 MINUTES AND WITH 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING THE STUDENT WILL GET 2 HOURS.

LD STUDENTS - 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING FOR THE SAT I

100% EXTENDED TIME LOOKS LIKE THIS ON THE SAT I:

ANY 10 MINUTE SECTION BECOMES 20 MINUTES.
ANY 20 MINUTE SECTIONS BECOME 40 MINUTES.
ANY 25 MINUTE SECTIONS BECOME 50 MINUTS.

LD STUDENTS - 50% EXTENDED TIME FOR SAT I

THE 50% EXTENDED TIME TESTING FOR SAT I LOOKS LIKE THIS:

ANY 20 MINUTE SECTIONS NOW BECOME 30 MINUTE SECTIONS.

ANY 25 MINUTE SECTIONS NOW BECOME 37.5 MINUTE SECTIONS.

ANY 10 MINUTE SECTIONS NOW BECOME 15 MINUTE SECTIONS.

ALL VERBAL, WRITING, MATH, AND ESSAY SECTIONS ARE TIMED IN THE 10, 20, AND 25 MINUTE INCREMENTS.

LD STUIDENTS - MULTIPLE DAY TESTING FOR LD STUDENTS

SOMETIMES IF A STUDENT'S DOCUMENTATION WARRANTS IT, THE ACT AND OR SAT WILL ALLOW TESTING TO TAKE PLACE OVER MULTIPLE DAYS. THIS IS RARE, BUT IT HAPPENS. IT IS USUALLY ENTIRELY UP TO THEM. YOU REALLY SHOULD DEMAND MULTIPLE DAY TESTING IF YOUR STUDENT/CHILD GETS 100% EXTENDED TIME BECAUSE THAT IS AN EXTREMELY INCREDIBLY LONG AMOUNT OF TESTING TO TAKE IN ONE DAY. VERY FEW TEENAGERS IN MY EXPERIENCE HAVE ENOUGH STAMINA TO LAST 8 HOURS OR MORE IN ONE DAY!! SO PLEASE ASK ABOUT MULTIPLE DAY TESTING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING.

LD STUDENTS - 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING FOR THE ACT

HERE ARE THE TIMES ON THE ACT FOR 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING:

ENGLISH SECTION YOU NORMALLY HAVE 45 MINUTES YOU WILL GET 90 WITH 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING.

MATH SECTION YOU NORMALLY HAVE 60 MINUTES. YOU WILL NOW HAVE 120 MINUTES (2 HOURS).

READING SECTION YOU NORMALLY HAVE 35 MINUTES YOU WILL GET 70 MINUTES (ONE HOUR AND 10 MINUTES) WITH 100% EXTENDED TIME.

SCIENCE SECTION YOU NORMALLY ARE GIVEN 35 MINUTES. YOU WILL GET 70 MINUTES WITH 100% EXTENDED TIME.

ESSAY YOU WILL GET NORMALLY 30 MINUTES SO WITH 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING YOU WILL GET 60 MINUTES (ONE HOUR).

LD STUDENTS - 100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING

100% EXTENDED TIME TESTING IS AN ACCOMODATION GIVEN BY THE ACT AND SAT BUT RARELY. IT BASICALLY MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TWICE AS LONG TO TAKE YOUR TEST AS THE NORMAL TIME STATES. THIS IS VERY LONG, AND SOMETIMES THEY WILL ALLOW YOU TO TAKE THE TEST OVER MULTIPLE DAYS IF YOU GET THIS ACCOMODATION. THEIR DECISION DEPENDS ENTIRELY UPON THE STUDENT'S DOCUMENATION FROM THE EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTER AND OTHER PAPERWORK THAT WAS SENT IN. YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK FOR IT ALSO.

LD STUDENTS - 50% EXTENDED TESTING TIME FOR ACT

BELOW IS A TABLE OF WHAT YOU GET WITH 50% EXTENDED TIME ON ALL ACT SECTIONS:


ENGLISH IS NORMALLY 45 MINUTES BUT WITH EXTENDED TIME IT BECOMES 67.5 MINUTES OR 1 HOUR AND 7 AND ONE HALF MINUTES

MATH USUALLY IS 60 MINUTES BUTH WITH 50% EXTENDED TIME IT BECOMES 90 MINUTES

READING IS NORMALLY 35 MINUTES AND WITH 50% EXTENDED TIME IT BECOMES 52.5 MINUTES.

SCIENCE IS NORMALLY 35 MINUTES BUT WITH 50% EXTENDED TIME IT BECOMES 57.5 MINUTES

THE ESSAY IS NORMALLY 30 MINUTES BUT WITH 50% EXTENDED TIME THE ESSAY IS 45 MINUTES.

LD STUDENTS - EXTENDED TIME TESTING - WHAT DOES 50% EXTENDED TIME MEAN?

EXTENDED TIME TESTING - WHAT DOES 50% EXTENDED TIME MEAN? THIS MEANS THAT THE ACT OR SAT I HAS APPROVED EXTENDED TIME FOR YOUR STUDENT IN THE AMOUNT OF 50%. HOW YOU COMPUTE THAT IS THAT YOU WOULD MULTIPLY EACH SECTION'S NORMAL TIME BY A FACTOR OF 1.5. FOR EXAMPLE, LETS SAY YOU HAVE 60 MINUTES NORMALLY FOR THE ACT MATH SECTION. 60 X 1.5 = 90. SO WITH EXTENDED TIME YOUR STUDENT WOULD HAVE 90 MINUTES.

ACT AND SAT TESTING - I CANNOT AFFORD THE REGISTRATION FEE

BOTH TESTS OFFER A PLAN FOR PERSONS WHO CANNOT AFFORD THE REGISTRATION FEE. DON'T BE EMBARRASED. DON'T LET THIS STOP YOU FROM TAKING THE TEST AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN!

FOR THE ACT SEE

http://www.act.org/contacts/index.html#reg

OR CALL 319-337-1270

FOR THE SAT GOTO

http://www.collegeboard.com/html/communications000.html

OR CALL (888) CALL-4-AP or (609) 771-7300

I WOULD CALL THEIR MAIN NUMBERS AND TELL THEM YOU CANNOT AFFORD THE TEST FEE AND SEE WHERE THEY SEND YOU. YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO SOME READING ON THEIR WEBSITES BEFORE ACTUALLY CONTACTING THE NUMBERS. AN INFORMED STUDENT IS THE BEST STUDENT!