Panel of Experts

On behalf of all of us at ePrep, I would like to wish all ePrep visitors a happy holiday season. I will be in Maine skiing with my family until Sunday, December 30th. If you have a question about SAT preparation or college admissions, just leave a comment on one of the posts and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Remember, now is a great time for sophomores and juniors to start building their vocabularies. A trial version of ePrep’s WordSmith vocabulary builder is free. It has four levels of words, the first being “the words you’ll need for success in high school.” It’s a good place to get started.

Peace,
Karl

When interpreting PSAT scores, sophomores should focus more on percentiles than scaled (20-80) scores. In other words, if you are happy with your percentile rankings, keep up the good work. On the other hand, if you are not happy with your percentile rankings, you should begin preparing for the SAT now.

In the days to come, I will post some thoughts on how to begin preparing. (Don’t worry, there’s nothing to stress out about. There are, however, some simple things you can start doing now to make the SAT seem easier when you take it junior year.)

The Associated Press reported today that a survey conducted at St. Lawrence University in New York shows that students who don’t subject themselves to sleep depriving all-night study sessions may end up with better overall GPA’s. (more…)

After graduating from college back in 1990, I spent a few months in Germany playing soccer and working part-time in my uncle’s bakery. It was a great time to be in Germany. The Berlin Wall was coming down and Germany’s national soccer team won the coveted FIFA World Cup. Anyway, my uncle is one of the nicest and most generous people I have ever met. That’s why I was surprised to learn that he made his own employees pay full price for baked goods from his own store . . . even the goods that were left unsold at the close of business. (more…)

If you’re not completely happy with your PSAT scores, don’t panic . . . but don’t procrastinate either. There are simple things you can start doing right now that will get you ready to crush the SAT on March 1st. Here’s my advice on how to prepare effectively:

First: Start building (more…)

Colby College’s website posted some sound advice regarding their application package. Here is an excerpt of the article Behind the Decision — What Not To Write.

1. Respect the word/character limits for the written responses. We have a lot to read and while we’re truly interested in your ideas, please stick to the prescribed space.

2. Be yourself. Don’t try to write what you think we want to read. The essay is our way of seeing your personality; we’re interested in who you actually are, as opposed to who you think we want you to be. (more…)

Within the next ten days, juniors will be getting their 2007 PSAT scores back. Some students and their parents will be sorely disappointed. Trust me; it happens every year. They will be completely dumbfounded. How can a student with a GPA (grade point average) above 3.5, score below the 70th percentile on the PSAT? It just doesn’t make sense.

Parent Response Options: (1) my child is simply not a good standardized test-taker, and there is nothing we can do about it; (2) the SAT is a flawed test, and my child is perfect; once colleges discover these truths, they will disregard his/her scores completely; (3) my child should definitely take the ACT; I heard that it’s easier and that it doesn’t require preparation; (4) preparing for the SAT the “right” way will be challenging, but ulitmately rewarding.

My thoughts on the parent response options above are briefly as follows: (more…)

I came across this article and found it intriguing… I’d never heard of the swimming requirement as my school – San Diego State University – did not have this requirement. Imagine having to show that you can swim in order to graduate? I wondered why such a requirement was ever even implemented. (more…)