Over 1000 Families Reading eBook – Your College Planning Survival Guide!

Ebook or paperback – which is your preference? More and more people are turning to electronic versions of books for their reading pleasure. This week over 1,000 people downloaded “Your College Planning Survival Guide: Smart Tips From Students, Parents, and Professionals Who Made It Through.” I hope they found it enlightening and useful. Reviews indicate the information offered in this guide equate to having a professional college counseling  consultant at your fingertips – it answers all your questions regards to college planning process.

Amazon ranks this Kindle eBook edition #1 in “Educational Reference” category for “High School” and “Parent Participation.” If you are one of the thousand plus readers, please offer a review on Amazon if you found it helpful and share your knowledge!

For those that still prefer holding a book in your hands, highlighting the important tips, and making notes to yourself in the margins, you will find this book is also available in paperback.  Happy Reading!

Link to Amazon books – click here! Also available in paperback!

What Types of Standardized Tests are Used in College Admissions?

Thinking ahead to standardized admissions testing for the college application? There are several types of standardized tests used for college admissions. Each one has a purpose and these tests give the college admissions representatives an idea of the student’s college readiness.  The admissions committee will often look at these scores in conjunction with the grade point average and rigor of courses taken by the student. The tests are the SAT, SAT Subject Test, ACT with Writing, TOEFL, and AP (Advanced Placement Tests). This link reveals an excellent comparison between the New SAT and the ACT – https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/inside-the-test/compare-new-sat-act.

SAT Reasoning Test is a standardize test which measures a student’s verbal and mathematical aptitude as well as writing skills. Score range is 600-2400.

SAT Subject Tests were developed by the College Board to measure the student’s knowledge or skills in a certain area such as math, history, physical science, literature, and foreign language.  These tests can be taken at any point in the student’s junior or senior year as long as they have completed the related course work in that subject area.

ACT with Writing is also taken nationally like the SAT. It focuses on English usage, mathematics usage, social science reading, and science reading. An optional writing section is recommended by most colleges. Score range is 1-36. Read more about other standardized tests used by college admissions office.

You Are Accepted to College…Now How Do You Decide Where To Go?

Congratulations, you have been accepted into your colleges, now how do you decide where to send your deposit? You are at a crossroad and choosing a college can be a difficult task. It’s time to make your well-researched and well-matched decision.

Here are common mistakes that are made when choosing a college:

  • Choosing a college because your high school sweetheart or best friend is going there.
  • Your parents are alumni and you want to please them, but will it be the right choice for you?
  • The website or brochure look great and you have not visited. Don’t just rely on online matching. When possible, check it out first hand.
  • Choosing a school solely on prestige and reputation. Look at fit, major, and opportunities while defining your criteria. See more reasons to choose or not choose a college.

Interested in Performing or Visual Arts? Find A College Fair Near You!

NACAC, the National Association of College Admissions Counseling noted, the Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) College Fairs are designed for students interested in pursuing undergraduate and graduate study in the areas of music, dance, theater, visual arts, graphic design, and other related disciplines. Held each fall and spring, attendees learn about educational opportunities, admission and financial aid, portfolio days, audition and entrance requirements, and much more by meeting with representatives from colleges, universities, conservatories, festivals and other educational institutions with specialized programs in the visual and performing arts.

For schedule and to register online click link – http://www.gotomypvafair.com/Registration/EventSelectForState?stateName=All Click here to see College Fair Schedule

Hyphenated and Slash Careers Lead to More Releases

Kate A. Kane wrote the article “Are You Hyphen-ated Enough?” back in 1996 but, I think this is still pertinent in 2020.  Bio-Informatic. Forensic-Auditor. Enviro-Psychologist. Students interested in a career may have interest in several majors. Can you combine your interest to have your dream job?  If you want your career to take off, make yourself a one-person, cross-functional team.” She wrote, “The job of the future is all about hyphenates — smart people who combine education, interests, and skills to become virtual one-person cross-functional teams. The world is no longer divided into specialists who know everything about something and generalists who know something about everything. Gaining an edge in the future depends on the ability to hone the hyphen — to creatively bundle (and re-bundle) skills and knowledge.”
Read more about Slash Careers – click here.

Find The Right College Fit

Even before you begin your college search, you need to think about what would make a college the right fit, the perfect match for you. Start by answering a few questions: Why would you continue an education?  Do you want to fulfill your dreams?  Have fun?  Meet new people and exercise your mind?  What about learning more about what you love to do and learning how to get paid doing it?   To do this, you need to understand your strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Think about your potential to succeed by reviewing your grade point average, standardized test scores and coursework, while verifying what the admissions requirements are to specific colleges.

 

 

 

 

 

The Importance of Vocabulary in College Test Prep

ScreenHunter_1479 Feb. 16 17.59A large vocabulary is essential for achieving high scores on ACT/SAT and other college tests. These tests have a vocabulary section, and various reading sections – all of which require vocabulary. The more words one knows, the easier it is to excel in these various areas.

Since the reading sections of these tests require time to read and analyze, the more words you know the faster you can read and grasp the issue. Therefore, you will not have to pause, and you will spend less time on these areas – time that you can then spend on other areas of the tests.

Finally, for the essay section of these tests, the larger your vocabulary the more impressive your essays will be! In addition, as Professor Charles Says, “Every word is an idea!” So, the larger your vocabulary, the more ideas you can include in the essays.

More important than any tests, “Education is a wealth which you can never lose.” These are words you will have for the rest of your life.

Check out links for free test prep: number2.com, ineedapencil, collegeboard.com, act.org, sparknotes test prep, grock it, and khanacacdemy.com.