Tip #7. Meet With The Counselor

Whether you're just beginning the college admissions process or far along and just fine-tuning your college application list, scheduling time to speak with your school's college counselor is invaluable! Your counselor has information about admission tests, college preparation, and upcoming college information events, which will all be of great benefit.
We've outlined 20 questions you should be ready to ask your Guidance Counselor:

1. What courses do I need to take to be ready for college?


2. How should I plan my schedule so I'll complete them?


3. Which elective courses do you recommend?


4. Which AP courses should I consider taking?


5. When is the PSAT/NMSQT going to be given?


6. How should I study for the SAT, and and is it given at this high school or do I need to go somewhere nearby?


7. Do you have any college planning sessions scheduled?


8. Do you have college handbooks or other guides that I can browse or borrow?


9. What activities can I do at home and over the summer to get ready for college?


10. What kinds of grades do different colleges require?


11. Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?


12. What colleges do other kids from our school go to?


13. What are the requirements or standards for the honor society?


14. Can you put me in touch with recent grads who are going to the colleges on my wish list?


15. Do you have any information to help me start exploring careers?


16. If my colleges need a recommendation from you, how can I help you know me better so it can be more personal?


17. Are there any special scholarships or awards that I should know about now, so I can work toward them?


18. Is my transcript as complete as I think it should be?


19. What forms do I use to apply for financial aid and where can I find them online?


20. How does our school's test scores and reputation compare to others?

The college admissions process can feel overwhelming, but remember to reach out the the support systems around you to take advantage of their experience with the process as well as their numerous resources.

Tip #8. Score Choice

SAT Score Choice is a new option offered by the SAT allowing student the option to choose which scores to send to colleges, after seeing the scores themselves first. If students decided NOT to use Score Choice, all scores are sent to the colleges selected at registration immediately.

What does this mean?

Does Score Choice affect how many scores I send or receive?

Any or all of your scores can be sent to a college on a single report. It does not cost more to send multiple test scores, or all of them. If you choose not to use Score Choice, all of your scores will be sent automatically in each score report

Should Score Choice influence how many times I take the SAT?

No. While you may see a small score increase if you take the test a second time, there is no evidence to suggest that taking the SAT more than twice is beneficial to your score. Remember: Score Choice allows you to choose your scores only by test date, not by test section.

Why should I use my registration score reports if I can't see my scores?

Using the registration score reports ensures that the test scores are sent to colleges at the earliest possible moment. Colleges use standardized test scores for admissions as well as scholarship awards, course placement, or selection to a specific program or major.

Bottom Line: Score Choice is a significant change in score reporting for the SAT because it means students generally have greater control of who sees their scores. It does not however, change the need to maximize each test date as a scoring opportunity.

Make every test take be a test worthy of submitting to schools!

Tip #9. Tackling Anxiety

The college admissions process can really be a time of anxiousness--the high stakes of college entrance exams a major contributor! Here are some test tips that are certain to help ease nerves, raise those SAT and ACT scores, and set your student up to succeed!

• Start Studying early: Help your child set up a study schedule months in advance to allow leisurely preparation and eliminate the need for cramming.



• Encourage effort: College entrance exams will have a big influence on a student's college admissions. Be honest with your student that it is an important test and that they need to take it seriously, try their best, relax and remain calm.



• Take practice tests: Taking multiple practice tests will make students feel more comfortable with the testing experience and remove much of the mystery involved with college entrance exams.



• Get a good night's sleep: Studies have found that stress is elevated by fatigue. Be sure that your student has plenty of uninterrupted sleep a few days prior to the test day.



• Eat a healthy breakfast: The SAT and ACT are generally offered in the morning, so having a good, healthy breakfast will keep them energized for a long day, and allow them to stay focused and alert.



• Come early and prepared: Make sure your child is at the test site early and has all of the appropriate testing supplies. Being late or missing materials will cause stress they do NOT need.



• Stay calm: This can be a very nerve-racking time for students. Remind them that testing is only one piece of the admissions puzzle and reassure them of your confidence and pride in all they have accomplished!

The SAT is Coming. Top 10 Tips

We have started a "Count Down of Top 10 Test Prep Tips" as an e mail series to our families. I thought it would be nice to post them here as well! My next 10 posts will be counting down those tips over the next several weeks. Remember, the SAT is a bit early this year (October 1), so prep classes need to start sooner than in years past.

There's been much debate regarding the validity of SAT and ACT scores as "fair" or "accurate" predictors of future college success. However, no debate exists regarding their impact on a student's ability to be accepted to the college of their choice.

Pretend you are a college admissions specialist. You've not met the student, all you have is the below information. Which student would you accept?

As you can see, it can become very subjective comparing students in most areas of their application, but the test scores speak loudly, clearly, and require no clarification or explanation.

Test scores are important...very important. Many factors such as GPA, admissions essay, extracurricular activities, etc) will be considered by college admission departments, but SAT and ACT scores factor in largely in part because they are objective and serve as an easy point of comparison for colleges viewing many applications.

Students should use the SAT and ACT tests as an opportunity to set themselves apart from other students. It's an opportunity! Take it!

Is Your Child Learning this Summer?

As an educator, I'm completely baffled by the fact that we allow (and encourage!) our students in the United States to take two to three months off of learning over the summer. First (and probably most importantly) is the amount of learning loss that occurs when students do not actively engage in learning activities.

On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency over the summer.* When you consider that students are only in school for 9 months, that's almost one-third of that learning time! So when students go back to school in the fall, the start of the school year is spent on review. How much time of that 9 months is used to recover the average 2.6 months of learning loss?

The second thing I wonder about is what expectation we are setting for life. How many jobs are there that take the summer off? If we consider that school is a child's job, then shouldn't we be setting the expectation that your job is year round? Parents should start early instilling a realistic work ethic in kids. Not that I believe there should be no break from work, by all means, we all need time for recreation! But entertainment and recreation should not take the place of learning for kids. We all need balance!

There are ways to have fun while you learn--learning SHOULD be fun! Summer is a great time to learn those math facts. Make a game out it by using playing cards and seeing who can add up two cards the fastest.

Start a neighborhood book club and read a book with a movie tie in. When everyone has finished the book, have a movie day as a reward and watch the movie version of the book. Have a discussion group about the similarities and differences between the movie and the book.

Keep a summer journal ('cause you know there will be a back-to-school writing assignment on "What I did this Summer"!) of activities that you do. Bottom line is, SUMMER BREAK SHOULD NOT BE A BREAK FROM LEARNING!

*Cooper, 1996