I would like to briefly share my thoughts with you on guessing on the SAT math problems and geting you prepared for the SAT math prep. There are a lot of experts out there who say that if you can eliminate at least one wrong answer it is to your advantage to guess. I think that is pretty good advice but I have a different philosophy. My philosophy is when you think about SAT math questions it is black and white; there is a right answer and a wrong answer. (more…)

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College Admissions

Frames of Reference: It helps to keep in mind that the admissions process involves different frames of reference. There is the student’s frame of reference, the parent’s frame of reference, the high school’s frame of reference, and, of course, the frame of reference of each college to which the student applies.

Keep in mind that no two colleges will have identical applicant groups in a given year. Each will, therefore, review applications in the context of its respective applicant group, which by the way will invariably include many other well-qualified applicants. Furthermore, freshman class size differs from one college to another. In other words, there will be some factors affecting a college’s decision on your application over which you have absolutely no control and for which you should not feel responsible.

A Complex Matter: College admissions is a complex and complicated matter — as much for college admission officers as for aspiring applicants. And in more respects than you can now appreciate, it is complex and complicated because applicants, taken as a group, want it to be that way. Think about it: you could easily derive, based on your own preferences, a simple formula for (more…)

That harsh question is posed by a Massachusetts guidance counselor in response to the College Board’s recently announced deal with Citibank to promote their private student loans. This announcement comes on the heels of a report by the College Board in which some finacial aid experts called the rapid growth of students receiving “private” loans, which carry higher rates and stiffer repayment terms than government-backed loans, as “troubling”. The College Board, a non-profit organization that administers the SAT exam, has found itself in a tailspin this year after repeated blunders.

College Admissions: A Varied Field

As you begin your college search, understand from the outset that you are not going to find a single set of common answers to questions about how college admission works.

Some colleges place great weight on personal interviews. Others do not. Some colleges treat the SAT I score as a combined score. Others treat the subject scores (more…)

Well….sort of. We’ve realized there’s so much content on ePrep, that we decided to create a definitive guide to all the topics and posts we’ve published since launching this summer (you might also consider this a sitemap). If you’re short on time or not a fan of our “stream of consciousness” blogging, go right to our SAT tutoring and college planning guide to find your topic!

ePrep’s Guide to the SAT and College Planning

We do not intend to stress students out further about the importance of SAT tutoring and SAT and test results, but it’s worth noting that even beyond the score’s power to get you into (or out of) your college of choice, the SAT provides yet another digit that – right or wrong – defines your “perceived” intelligence. Joining IQ scores, GPAs, and which college you attended, SAT scores provide a quick proxy for aptitude that helps simplify what in fact are more complex decisions, including whether or not you should be hired by Google.

The College Essay

I just came across this WSJ.com article on the college essay. Thought it might be of interest to ePrep visitors. The WSJ writes:

College essays give students a chance to set themselves apart from thousands of other applicants. But where should students start when every word counts? The Wall Street Journal Online emailed admissions directors at three universities and asked for their take on college essays, including what role they play and how admissions committees go about reading all those essays. Brown University’s James Miller, Harvard College’s Marlyn McGrath Lewis and the University of Virginia’s John Blackburn gave us their answers.

There’s no shortage of news on the SAT test and college planning. The SAT continues to take a verbal beating from critics who think the ACT is a better admissions test. A New York State senator and longtime antagonist of the College Board used a legislative hearing on Tuesday to urge the SAT’s chief competitor, the ACT, “to be more active in the Northeast”. This follows the recent wave of colleges declaring the SAT an optional test for admission.

In other news, the New York Times reports on the trend of elite colleges jacking up their tuition while simultaneously offering more student financial aid. The report notes that many students and parents associate higher tuition costs with better academic credentials.

College McRankings

Don’t think of admission to a particular college or particular colleges as a trophy or prize to be won. You need to find a college that is a good fit for you, i.e., one that promises to challenge you, make you stretch, and allow you to grow, not one where you’ll have to study twenty-four hours a day just to keep up. Keep in mind that most college students are very happy with (more…)

The College Search

Conduct your college search with as open a mind as possible. Avoid thinking of colleges in terms of a few descriptive traits or adjectives. Remember, all colleges are complex, multifaceted institutions. For instance, it’s doubtful that very many students at any single college experience the place in precisely the same way on any given day, let alone during any given week, or month, or year. Indeed, that almost surely is not the case.

There aren’t any shortcuts to finding out about colleges, despite all of the guidebooks that purport to help you do so. Beginning in the spring of your junior year, (more…)