Sophomore To-Do: Step 2--Make a Test Prep Plan!

Once you decide which test makes the most sense for you, you need to decide how you will prepare.  While test prep is not "rocket science," it does require familiarizing yourself with the test, doing lots of practice problems, and reviewing areas of weakness.  There are three main options when it comes to test prep: (1) self-study, (2) group classes, and (3) individual tutoring.

Self study. Some students have success by preparing for the exam on their own with a test-prep book or computer program.  Some of my students’ favorite options include:  The Official SAT Study Guide with DVD from College Board and The Real ACT Prep Guide.  While there are many options out there, I strongly recommend purchasing a book published by the test makers (College Board and ACT) as opposed to a third-party provider.

Group classes. Most students, however, (even those with the best intentions) do not have the discipline to work through the test-prep books on their own and need more structure.  Social students often do particularly well with a test-prep class, especially if they are able to take that class with several of their friends. Investigate options at your high school, local colleges, and test prep companies such as KapTest, Princeton Review, or Revolution Prep.

Individual tutoring. Many students are so busy and stressed with their high school courses and activities, that individual tutoring is more effective.  Individual tutoring can be self-scheduled and can hone in on the student's area of weakness.  While an English teacher can certainly oversee practice problems, try to find someone who has had a fair amount of experience working specifically with these tests.  The tests are not just about knowing the content, they are also about understanding the test.  A tutor experienced in that particular test will be able to help the student with both content and test  strategy.  Ask your guidance counselor for recommendations, talk to older students who have been through the process, and research online.  The key to making individual tutoring work is the fit; if the student does not like and respect the tutor, this option does not work.

The student's personality, time constraints, and family budget are all critical to finding the best test prep option.  Solicit input from the student and make a plan.  It is not so important which option you decide on, but rather the fact that you choose one option and follow through with it (and most importantly: don't wait until senior year)!

Sophomore To-Do List: Figure out Which Test (ACT vs SAT) Better Suits your Strengths!

While for most students the junior year is the critical year for standardized testing, sophomore year is the time to start planning and make a standardized testing schedule.  Each individual is unique and requires a different plan of action to be successful when it comes to testing. 

While each year there are more and more colleges joining the Test Optional Club (see www.fairtest.org), the majority of students will need the SAT or the ACT to apply to their list of potential schools. Traditionally, the SAT had been favored by East Coast schools and the ACT aimed at Midwestern students, but today THERE IS NO SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY THAT WILL NOT ACCEPT EITHER THE SAT OR ACT!  Therefore students should determine which test best suits their strengths and then focus their efforts on doing the best possible job on that one test.  Spending time prepping for two tests limits the amount of time a student can focus on either one thereby hurting his or her potential performance on both exams. 

Step 1:  Figure out which test, the SAT or ACT, better suits your strengths.  Twenty-five percent of students favor the SAT, twenty-five percent favor the ACT, and fifty-percent show no preference. If students have taken the PSAT and the PLAN (a pre-ACT exam) as a sophomore, it is possible to compare the scores on the two tests and figure out which one is preferable.  If the student did not have the opportunity to take these tests, however, then the thoughts below may be helpful in determining which test will be a better fit.  If the student and family is eager to take a more scientific approach to determining which test is best, there is the option to take Princeton Review's free SAT and ACT Tests and see where the student scores better.  Both are offered in person and online (see www.princetonreview.com).

In general.  The ACT is more straightforward, is based more on school curricula, and attempts to measure mastery of key concepts.  The SAT, on the other hand, tends to be a bit trickier and tests more general reasoning skills. In addition, many test prep tutors report that the ACT is more test-prep friendly.  Very bright underachievers often do better on the SAT while extremely conscientious students tend to favor the ACT.  In general, boys do better on the SAT, girls better on the ACT. 

Random Guessing. The ACT does not penalize for wrong answers (thus students should be advised to take a stab at all questions), whereas the SAT subtracts a fraction of a point for wrong answers requiring some strategy on the part of the student for when to guess versus leave an answer blank.

Timing. Timing is more challenging on the ACT; students have four longer sections (Reading, Math, English, Science) that they work on one at a time.  The SAT, on the other hand, has 10 shorter sections mixed up.  Students do a little math, then a little reading, then a little writing, etc.  Slow processors tend to do better on the SAT; they can get get bogged down and run out of time more easily on the ACT.

Reading/English.  Good readers and students with strong vocabularies tend to do well on the SAT.

Math.  The math on the ACT is more advanced.  The ACT includes Algebra 2 and some Trigonometry, whereas the SAT focuses on Algebra 1, Geometry, and a little Algebra 2.  The math questions on the ACT progress from easy to difficult, whereas the SAT questions are all mixed up in terms of difficulty.  In addition, the SAT has a grid-in section where students have to come up with their own answer versus choosing among five multiple-choice options.

Science.  The ACT has a Science Reasoning section while the SAT does not.  While labeled as Science, this section is really more about reasoning (reading graphs, interpreting data) than real science.  Therefore, students who have not had strong science backgrounds can still excel if they read, comprehend, and reason well.

Writing.  Both tests offer a writing section, in which students must respond to a prompt and write an essay but this section is mandatory for the SAT and optional for the ACT.  The Writing section comes first on the SAT and comes last on the ACT.  In addition, the prompts differ somewhat on the two tests.  SAT test prompts tend to be more intellectual (i.e., is popular culture the strongest influence on a young person's identity? is money the key to a person's happiness?), while the ACT prompts seem to be more practical (i.e., should students be able to choose their reading materials for English class? should high school start times be moved back to better accommodate high school students' circadian rhythms?).  Because most selective colleges require the optional ACT writing section, the ACT will likely not allow students to avoid writing an essay.

If there isn’t a clear winner between the ACT and SAT for a student, don’t fret.  The important thing is not which test the student decides to take, but rather that he or she makes a decision to focus on one, putting his or her foot forward on that one exam.

Great Advice for Potential Student Athletes

By PurviS. Mody

from http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_22528286/college-admissions-student-athletes

Daily News columnist

Posted:   02/05/2013 08:48:47 PM PST

Updated:   02/05/2013 11:20:25 PM PST

In light of the recent Super Bowl, I thought this would be an opportune time to talk about athletics in the admissions process. If you are a student-athlete serious about playing a sport in college, this will help you to better understand how the admissions process for you will be different. There are currently three athletic divisions -- I, II and III. Each school falls under one of these divisions. Divisions I and II can offer athletic scholarships, while Division III cannot. This does not mean that you cannot get scholarship money if you decide to attend one these schools; it just means that the scholarship will not be designated as athletic.

As early as your sophomore year in high school, it is important to start gauging your ability. It is not enough for your mom to think you are a great player. Your ability has to be recognized through times, statistics, awards, etc. Have a very honest conversation with your coach about your talent and your prospects. Ask what you can do over the next two years to become the strongest athlete possible if that is something you are ready to commit to. This might include more practices, attending specific tournaments, or joining other teams -- all of this depends on which sport you play.

You should also ask which division of play your coach thinks you will be ready for when the time to get recruited and apply rolls around. Division I is typically the hardest and most competitive division. And don't be afraid to ask who he or she might know at the different colleges. That relationship can one day prove to be a great asset for you because college coaches will often rely on feedback from high school and club coaches about your athleticism and your personality.

Reach out to coaches early. If you are looking at Division I and II teams, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and be qualified as an amateur student-athlete. You can register as early as the first day of your junior year. Transcripts cannot be sent for verification, though, until you have completed your junior year (six semesters of coursework). Coaches cannot contact you via email until Sept. 1 of your junior year and by phone until July 1, but that does not mean you cannot reach out to them beforehand for all divisions.

Build an athletic resume and make sure that someone is at your games, matches, meets or tournaments video-recording your play. This video can later be edited to show highlights of your strengths. When you reach out to a coach, express your interest in the school and the sport and attach your athletic resume. Indicate which events you plan to compete in for the near future, because this gives an indication of your level of play. If you don't hear back from a coach, do not get discouraged. Coaches are getting bombarded by emails, but they are reading them. They might ask you to complete a school-specific questionnaire, which you should do immediately. And as you get more accolades, send in an update. You can also ask your coach to reach out when it gets closer to the end of your junior year.

As important as it is to become the best athlete possible, you cannot sacrifice your academics. The NCAA has very strict rules about which courses you must complete and the minimum GPA. Yes, in some cases exceptional athletes will get accepted to a school with the minimum GPA, but for the most part coaches want to recruit those who can do as well in the classroom as they can on the field. Partly because you will need to maintain your academics in college in order to play, and before the coaches invest time and money into you, they want to know that you can handle the balance.

The most important thing is to start the process early. Get educated on what it means to be an athlete in college before you commit. And learn what the recruiting process will involve. Most of all, know that this is a big decision you are making, so talk it over with those who know you well before you dive in.

Changes to the Common Application, Part 2

The Common Application announces 2013-14 essay questions

• BY: NANCY GRIESEMER at Examiner.com  (I could not have said it any better!)

After “two years of discussion about the role writing plays in a holistic selection process” and considerable feedback from industry professionals, the Common Application (CA) Board of Directors today announced essay prompts for 2013-14.

And without further ado, here they are:

• Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
• Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
• Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
• Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
• Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

While the Board proposes to “revisit” the essay prompts each year, the 2013-14 questions aren’t particularly creative or groundbreaking. There are no questions about Waldo, John Stuart Mill, or St. Ignatius. And anyone concerned about the elimination of “Topic of your choice,” can heave a sigh of relief as the first question pretty much covers that territory.

But for next year’s college applicants, “failure” and not success is emphasized and the “transition” question will no doubt produce a boatload of Bar Mitzvah essays. The rest of the prompts are fairly standard and no more likely to result “thoughtful and creative expression” than the similarly generic questions used in previous years.

That’s not a criticism. It’s just what happens when a single application attempts to serve nearly 500 colleges and universities differing in mission, size, and priorities.

In addition to the prompts themselves, there is a little additional news regarding next year’s essay requirements. Yielding to pressure from counselors and colleges concerned about software changes in the new CA4 online application, the Board increased the “enforced” word limits from 500 to 650.

This concession is designed to quiet those who felt a little flexibility in word limits is a good thing. But make no mistake, 500 words is still the target limit.

Although the statement from the Board does not directly address the issue of document uploads, it’s assumed that the use of formatting (italics, underlining, or math symbols) will not be accommodated in any part of the online application—another possible blow to creativity or basic grammar (yes, the titles of works should be underlined or italicized).

And that’s just fine for the large state institutions to which the Common Application is successfully marketing its products. For them, the essay is not as important a part of the application process as scores and grades.

But for the core group of CA liberal arts colleges and others valuing creativity or the ability to think outside the box, the news is not as good. Although these schools will continue to ask more probing questions in their supplements, they will have to get used to generic-looking responses from students unable to distinguish themselves or their thoughts by formatting, font, or other creative approaches to the essay.

The next chapter in the CA4 story will evolve as the new application is revealed over the coming months. There’s still some hope that other recommendations will be implemented such as embedded links to online media or the ability to “tailor” recommendations for particular colleges.

Note that other application products, including the Universal College Application, already have these capabilities and have chosen to spend the extra money required to accommodate document uploads.

Common App member institutions are receiving a special introduction to the CA4 in May at the1st Annual Common Application Member Conference scheduled to take place at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center at the National Harbor. The rest of us have been promised webinars and PowerPoint presentations before CA4 launches August 1, 2013 and next year’s seniors are asked to “beta test” the new online form.