Author: njohnson

Test Prep: How Soon is Too Soon?

Posted by: admin on April 5th, 2024

We get tons of questions from sophomores about when to start preparing for the SAT or ACT. Most years, we advise students to hold off on any test prep until sophomore year is in the books. Why? Well, the number one indicator related to college options is grades, so taking care of grades and coursework […]

6 Tools of Curiosity

Posted by: admin on April 3rd, 2024

A very useful skill for all of us to possess is the ability to direct our curiosity. To many of us, curiosity often appears as a spontaneous miracle: a spark that ignites, seemingly from far beyond our control, and then sweeps us away. Perhaps someone with knowledge and charisma can catch our interest in a […]

Making Sense of Your Early Applications to College: Accepted, Not Accepted, Deferred? 

Posted by: Kim on December 19th, 2023

Early Decision 1 and Early Action notifications will arrive soon—and will be ongoing through the month of December/January, so it’s best to prepare yourself for possible outcomes. Keep in mind that there are many factors that go into how colleges make decisions about individual applicants, many of which are far beyond the applicant’s control. However, […]

Digital vs. Paper SAT: What you need to know

Posted by: Kim on December 4th, 2023

Goodbye, Scantron sheets and #2 pencils. Hello, test-taking tablets, adaptive testing, and graphing calculators. After nearly a century as a paper-and-pencil test, the SAT is going digital in March 2024.  The Core Differences: Headline-grabbing changes include testing on a computer, different tests for different students, and the most celebrated of changes – its shorter length. Thank you! More subtle […]

Do Senior Year Grades Matter?

Posted by: admin on November 28th, 2023

No matter how often we get this question, we are still perplexed. We think, “Of course they matter!” Still, it’s not unusual for an aggressively hard-working, disciplined senior to be looking for the light at the end of the tunnel after years of grinding out assignments, never missing soccer practice, all while leading the debate […]

How much do SAT/ACT scores matter for my college application?

Posted by: Kim on October 9th, 2023

In a test-optional environment, many families are unsure how much weight is given to test scores during the admissions process. Questions such as: should I, as a parent, encourage my student to pursue testing or, if my student is testing but isn’t getting the results they were hoping for, should they continue with further testing […]