Category: College Admissions

Greetings Students and Parents,

This newsletter is being sent to all high school juniors who have participated in a Sandweiss Test Prep class or lesson. We want to help you get the most out of your junior year and stay on track for college.
Here are a couple important and/or interesting topics for you to consider.

Testing

 

Many of you are planning to take the ACT or SAT in the next few months. With all the pressure to perform you may be looking for some fool-proof test taking hints or tips. Don’t be too eager believe everything you hear though. Take the article below, for example.

 

The Huffington Post – Research Debunks Common Standardized Test Taking Strategies

It is true that some test taking strategies are simply not helpful, like choosing C if you’re unsure of the answer. But unlike the author of this article, we’re less eager to dismiss strategies like underlining and taking notes. A lot of students have trouble concentrating on the reading passages. Underlining or taking notes forces them to engage. It is beneficial for holding their attention and provides a visual reference when they are answering the questions. We also recommend summarizing to identify key points and the author’s purpose or tone. This is a strategy many students find helpful.

 

The article also addresses the fact that test takers are often reluctant to go back and check their answers. This is something you will learn with practice, but it really depends on the type of question. It is important to notice the patterns. If your first instinct is typically correct on vocabulary questions, for example, then you should trust the answer choice that feels right to you. But if your first answer choice on questions requiring you to identify the main topic or purpose of a reading passage often turns out to be incorrect, then don’t be afraid to go back and consider changing your answer on that type of question.

 

There is a lot of debate around effective test taking strategies. Students are looking for miracle solutions that will improve their scores without much effort, but as this article correctly states, the best, most proven strategy is practice. Taking practice tests and reviewing those tests is the best way to implement what you learn in your tutoring session or in your class lessons. It may take some time, but it is probably the only thing that works well for every student.

For more advice see: Timing Tips for the ACT and SAT from The New York Times.

 

The Washington Post – College Board markets midweek SAT testing to schools

Last year more US students took the ACT than the SAT for the first time in history. We like to advocate the ACT as an equal alternative to the SAT, so this is good news for us.

 

The College Board, on the other hand, is understandably not enthused to hear that the ACT is now more popular than its test. Fewer SAT test takers means less money. The College Board has started to push mid-week SAT testing in schools (the SAT and ACT had previously only been administered on Saturdays). Not only that, but the SAT is being offered at a discounted rate or even for free in some areas. The College Board wants the SAT name to be synonymous with college-readiness, especially in the untapped lower income, lower achieving areas (a market where the ACT has been especially successful).

 

How does this all affect you and your family? Well, more competition between the SAT and ACT could be good for test-takers, if it leads to better tests, lower fees, and more exam dates.

 

Choosing a College

 

Juniors, just in case you didn’t already have enough on your plates this year with getting impressive grades, becoming more involved in your extracurricular activities, taking the ACT or SAT, SAT Subject Tests and AP Exams, it’s also time to start seriously thinking about where you want to go to college.

 

You should emphasize finding the right fit above all else. As Frank Bruni says in his op-ed piece for The New York Times, “How to Choose a College”,

 

“[I worry about] secondary-school students who […] possess the economic and intellectual good fortune — and the hard-won transcripts — to entertain a wealth of alternatives, because I think we let them get too distracted by rankings, ratings, brands. We don’t point them toward assessments and dynamics that are arguably more meaningful.”

 

Keep this in mind when navigating through college guides and college matching websites. Just because a school has a strong “brand name”  doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right choice for you.

 

If you’re ready to do some research, read the following article that is packed with some awesome links, advice and other resources:

Sevens Steps to Putting Together a Great College List

 

If you put together a solid college list now, you should be able to visit some of your favorites during Spring Break. Related reading: Juniors: Start your Planning for College Visits.

 

Also, check out the White House College Scorecard.

We offer more than just test prep. We can be your partner through all aspects of your decision making process

Let us give you some free, low-hassle advice. If you have a quick comment or question about your college application process just post it on the Sandweiss Test Prep Facebook page and we’ll respond ASAP.
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Has your family visited a college recently? Help us build a dynamic, social database where students can interact, share stories and give each other tips, recommendations or warnings about different colleges.
Do you have feedback on this newsletter? Please let us know if you’d like to be taken off the mailing list, or if you have any other feedback.
Susie Coffaro

Lee Bierer at The Charlotte Observer offers these tips for a successful college interview:

Do your homework. Demonstrate how well you know the college. Research the website thoroughly, including possible majors of interest, study abroad programs, extracurricular activities, etc.

Be yourself, but don’t be shy. Allow your personality to shine, but if you are a natural introvert, use this as an exercise to try coming out of your shell.

Make it a conversation and not an interrogation. Change up the pace and rhythm of your responses. The more you can make it a two-way street discussion with questions for the interviewer, the better off you’ll be.

Share new information, but not too much information. Don’t restate your application, don’t blame teachers and don’t talk about boyfriends/girlfriends or conflicts with your parents.

Don’t sound rehearsed. You want your responses to be fresh and not sound as if you’re reading off a teleprompter.

Come prepared with questions. You can count on the interviewer leaving time for your questions. Make sure your questions are ones that can’t be answered on the college website.

Dress for success. Use your common sense. Boys don’t need to wear a suit, but everyone should look neat and professional.

Remember the basics. Arrive early, bring a copy of your resume, thank the interviewer and go it alone. Parents should not be seen or heard from in alumni interviews.

Be prepared for a variety of questions. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes alumni want to “test” applicants and will ask questions such as “If you were a color, which one would you be and why?” Practice thinking on your feet in a mock-interview with your parents.

Stay in touch. Be sure to send a thank you note. Handwritten and delivered via postal mail is the best, but email will suffice.

 

 

One answer is simpler than you might think: demonstrate your love of learning. Colleges are, after all, academic institutions, and want students who will engage intellectually with the resources at hand.

The key to this is the key to most things in life: passion. Colleges don’t want to see that you’ve joined every club and organization your high school offers; they want to see evidence of your passion for a couple of things. Colleges want to enrich you, but they also want you to enrich them, and people with passion are driven to include others in the pursuit of that passion.

In essence: Find something you love to do, and do it.

 

You’ve got a few months off which means, yes, more work. But trust us, you want to do it now before the chaos of senior year takes over your life.

Here are six tips from the NYT’s Choice blog for working on your college essay over the summer:

1. Clear your head. Find some solitude and have a good think.

2. Ask yourself exploratory questions in order to find your essay topic. E.g. What has been the hardest thing I have ever had to face? What is the reason I wake up in the morning? etc.

3. Write it down. Wherever you go, carry a pen and paper in case inspiration strikes.

4. Learn how to tell a story. Your essay should be a story rather than a dry explanation–you want to keep those admissions counselors engaged.

5. Chill. This is summer, remember, so put down the laptop and go outside for a few hours.

6. Own your essay. Don’t let anyone else write it for you; colleges want to hear yourvoice. If you think of your essay as a means of self-expression, you might even have some fun.

And the best piece of college essay-related advice your faithful blogger has: Don’t start by trying to answer their question, whatever it is. Start by figuring out what you want to tell colleges about yourself–then, adapt it to the specific prompt. Good luck, and happy writing! (If you’re in the Seattle area and need help, check us out!)

Lawmakers say they’ve agreed on the broad strokes of a higher-education bill that would give Washington’s five public universities and The Evergreen State College authority to set in-state undergraduate tuition for the next four years.

This will mean a tuition hike of about 13 to 16 percent to make up for cuts in higher-ed funding, but also a sharp increase in the percentage of families who will qualify for financial assistance.

So what will this mean for students and their families? For those earning less than about $97,500 a year, it’s good news. Students who pay full tuition are the ones who will make up for the tuition increases.

The bill will also set UW’s in-state freshman enrollment at a minimum of 4,000 students,

Over at the New York Times’ college admissions blog “The Choice,” the deans of admission at Penn and Michigan reveal how they consider test scores on a college application.

The Takeaway:

  • SAT and ACT scores aren’t everything, though they are important. Admissions counselors go over scores quickly, and there are no minimum cutoff points.
  • In order for your application to be competitive, you’ll want to aim for the scores of a college class’s middle 50 percent test range.
  • Academic grades are as, if not more important than test scores.

In a move opposite of trends on most other state school campuses, this year Washington State University will have 1,100 more in-state freshmen at its Pullman campus than last year, with an emphasis on bringing in Washington students.

Because of budget cuts, universities like UW have cut down on the number of in-state freshmen and increased tuition, but WSU is bucking the trend by actively recruiting within Washington high schools. There will be consequences, though–for the first time, some double dorm rooms will become triples, for example. The school is also hiring more tenure-track and part-time professors to accommodate the increased student population

Some of you who applied to college via early decision or action programs may currently be living in the purgatory known as “deferral.” When colleges can’t decide yet whether to accept or reject students, they defer them. What this basically means is that they’d like a little more information about them before making a final decision. Here’s how to help yourself on the journey to that decision:

1. Don’t freak out or slack off.

2. Contact admissions for information on how to boost your application.

3. Update your application with a recent grade report, as well as a cover letter stating your intention to attend if accepted.

4. Consider a campus visit.

5. Send another recommendation from someone who knows you well.

6. Try retaking the SAT or ACT if your scores may have been a barrier to your admission.

7. Work as hard as you can at academics.

8. Step up community or school involvement to show colleges that your commitment to service doesn’t end when your application is submitted.

9. Add any recent accomplishments to your mid-year report.

10. Get excited about the other schools you’ve applied to! Remain open-minded about the future.

December 2, 2011

How to Prepare for a College Admissions Interview

Filed under: College admissions — Sandweiss @ 9:01 pm

Lee Bierer at The Charlotte Observer offers these tips for a successful college interview:

Do your homework. Demonstrate how well you know the college. Research the website thoroughly, including possible majors of interest, study abroad programs, extracurricular activities, etc.

Be yourself, but don’t be shy. Allow your personality to shine, but if you are a natural introvert, use this as an exercise to try coming out of your shell.

Make it a conversation and not an interrogation. Change up the pace and rhythm of your responses. The more you can make it a two-way street discussion with questions for the interviewer, the better off you’ll be.

Share new information, but not too much information. Don’t restate your application, don’t blame teachers and don’t talk about boyfriends/girlfriends or conflicts with your parents.

Don’t sound rehearsed. You want your responses to be fresh and not sound as if you’re reading off a teleprompter.

Come prepared with questions. You can count on the interviewer leaving time for your questions. Make sure your questions are ones that can’t be answered on the college website.

Dress for success. Use your common sense. Boys don’t need to wear a suit, but everyone should look neat and professional.

Remember the basics. Arrive early, bring a copy of your resume, thank the interviewer and go it alone. Parents should not be seen or heard from in alumni interviews.

Be prepared for a variety of questions. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes alumni want to “test” applicants and will ask questions such as “If you were a color, which one would you be and why?” Practice thinking on your feet in a mock-interview with your parents.

Stay in touch. Be sure to send a thank you note. Handwritten and delivered via postal mail is the best, but email will suffice.

November 23, 2011

What You Don’t Learn in Law School: How to Be a Lawyer

Filed under: Uncategorized — Sandweiss @ 8:35 pm
The New York Times has an interesting article, to the effect that law school doesn’t prepare law students to be lawyers.

Law schools have long emphasized the theoretical over the useful, with classes that are often overstuffed with antiquated distinctions, like the variety of property law in post-feudal England … “The fundamental issue is that law schools are producing people who are not capable of being counselors,” says Jeffrey W. Carr, the general counsel of FMC Technologies, a Houston company that makes oil drilling equipment. “They are lawyers in the sense that they have law degrees, but they aren’t ready to be a provider of services.”

 

Because law schools don’t teach the ins and outs of lawyering, law firms have to train new associates on the client’s time. Clients have begun to complain about seeing the names of first- and second-year associates on their bills.
So what’s the final analysis? Law school grads “will need to know less about Contracts and more about contracts.” Change to law school curriculum will be slow, but it is inevitable.