We are pleased to announce that we are now offering GRE tutoring to clients in the greater Columbus, Ohio area and in the greater Indianapolis, Indiana area. Several of our newly hired tutors scored exceptionally well on the GRE, and are available to tutor students applying to graduate school. GRE tutoring is currently offered at $80 per hour with an associate tutor. Please fill out our registration form to get started:
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What should students do to prepare for the new PSAT?
1. Read widely and deeply. Students should read texts from a variety of content areas, from world literature to natural science, to become familiar with the types of materials they will encounter. The PSAT reading will not be difficult for most students to finish, so they should focus on learning to read well rather than read quickly.
2. Learn grammar fundamentals. Many students have not had thorough training in grammar. The new PSAT will expect students to thoroughly understand proper punctuation, parallelism, subject-verb agreement, and a host of other topics. Since grammar is often not taught in depth at many schools, students may want to review independently.
3. Brush up on algebra and statistics. There is very little geometry and trigonometry on the new PSAT. If someone is trying to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship, they will want to study geometry so they can be prepared for the handful of questions that will arise. If someone has more moderate goals, they can emphasize algebraic and statistical fundamentals.
I recently had a meeting with a friend of mine who works in college admissions counseling. He shared that it has never been more important to consider doing Early Admission to universities. I asked him to estimate just how significant a difference it might make, and he said that a student who has a 32 ACT, 4.0 GPA and good extracurricular activities applying to a school like Northwestern would have about a 50% chance of admission with Early Decision, but only a 10-20% chance of admission with regular decision.
Why do colleges like Early Decision? Here are two ideas:
1. It enables them to have students apply who do not need financial assistance. A student who would need to weigh competing financial aid offers from universities would not be able to limit herself to Early Decision.
2. It allows them to reject far more students in the regular application pool. Since they will have about half of their classes set early, colleges will be able to be more selective in the regular pool because they will not need to worry about filling up their class spots. More selectivity=higher rankings and more prestige.
The downside, of course, of early decision is that you will be committing to attending that school should you be accepted. That means even if the financial aid they offer you isn’t enough, or will put you greatly in debt you’re legally obligated to attend. You must pull your applications from other schools.
What does this mean for you? If you are considering a top-tier school, consider before applying early. Think very carefully, about which college to which you will apply. You need to consider how risky you are comfortable being. If you apply to a school like Harvard or Yale early and get rejected, then you may not have as solid a chance at schools like University of Chicago, Duke or Northwestern in the regular decision pool. It may be in your interest to apply early to the school where you have the most realistic chance of being admitted. Quite a bit to consider. I look forward to your comments and questions.
Many ambitious students find that the courses they would like to take are simply not offered in their high schools. Fortunately, many states allows high school students to do post-secondary enrollment at a variety of institutions. Why is this beneficial?
1. Post-secondary coursework will easily transfer to college. You will have minimal worries about whether a school will accept a certain AP or IB score. If a school sees that you have completed a rigorous college course in a subject, such as calculus, physics or chemistry, they will likely give you credit for it.
2. It saves money. Post-secondary coursework is just like high school coursework in that it is free! If you can complete a year or two of college when it is free to do so, why not make it happen?
3. It will look good on your college applications. Taking rigorous college courses will demonstrate to universities that you are absolutely prepared for college work. You might also be able to get a letter of recommendation from a well-known professor.
4. It can be a great opportunity for home-schooled students to demonstrate college competency. Check with your local schools to ask about funding for home-schooled students.
With college costs rising higher than the rate of inflation, please take advantage of this program!