Looks like we made it!

 In the coming week, the vast majority of college admission decisions for the Class of 2014 will finally be revealed. In fact, most schools released decisions by the end of last week (though you wouldn't know it from Naviance - I'm looking at you 50% of the class who has indicated the decisions are unknown!). So now the tables are turned and students who only weeks ago were crossing their fingers trying to look as admit-able as possible are now being courted by colleges who are now the ones with their fingers crossed.

Every year, I republish this piece about gifts and challenges. I'm not going to copy and paste it again, but I encourage everyone to click on the link to read it.

My biggest piece of advice for the month of April is to do a full comparison of ALL college admission decisions. Too often, I see students get into their 'top choice' and automatically decide to enroll. They do this without comparing the financial aid packages and this can be a mistake with pretty serious consequences. I can't take your top choice away from you. That comes from deep in your gut. But, is your top choice really $15,000 a year better than your other choices? Is it really $60,000 better (because that is 4 x $15,000 and also happens to be more than what your starting salary will probably be)? Taking out loans is serious business. Having parents considering liquidating their 401k or retirement funds is even more serious business (spoiler alert - this is a terrible idea - just ask the WSJ). It might take time to come to terms with enrolling at a school that wasn't your dream school. But, it might take longer to come to terms with the consequences of making this decision without considering all financial and emotional ramifications.

I also want to take a moment to recognize all the great news that students have been getting. It isn't all about paying for college or coping with disappointment. It is also about screaming from the rooftops when you get in and you are pumped about it. :)

Thanks Rhodes!

This morning I had the pleasure of attending a breakfast hosted by Rhodes College. I'm happy to report that the more I learn about Rhodes, the better it sounds. Rhodes is a small liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee. (Hey you, over there, the one slowly moving away because I started talking about a college you haven't heard of in the middle of the country. Stay where you are and keep reading). My favorite things about Rhodes include:

1) It has a student run honor code. In the same vein as places like Davidson and Haverford, honesty is taken seriously. Trust is valued. This morning I learned that only 18 colleges in the country can make this claim and in a world where every glossy brochure from every 'good school' looks the same, this sets Rhodes apart.

2) It is a part of the Colleges That Change Lives book. If you've met with me, you probably know that I love CTCL schools. I love their mission. I love their commitment to learning and education. I love that they usually value what students contribute over what their numbers say. Read the chapter on Rhodes and THEN we can talk about if you still want to sneak out of the room.

3) They take demonstrated interest seriously. On paper, the acceptance rate at Rhodes might make it seem like it is a school that any qualified ElRo student would get into. But don't plan on using Rhodes as a backup if you haven't taken the time to seriously consider the school. Rhodes values when students visit campus, take advantage of the opportunity to interview, or attend regional receptions. When you pass up the opportunity to do this, they notice. I wish more schools would pay more attention to this. I think it might help reduce the college lists that are 15 or 20 applications deep with students putting down a million schools they aren't actually interested in. What would the college admission landscape look like if student only actually submitted applications to schools they were seriously considering?

4) With a major in Neuroscience, they prove that liberal arts colleges are not just the right fit for English and History majors. Too many people assume that a person who is 'pre-med' or wants to study science has to go to a huge flagship university. This is not true!

5) Students from all different income brackets are awarded financial aid, including both need based and merit based aid. This school year, the average aid package to students from homes making more than $150,000 was about $28,000. This brings the cost down to the range that a SUNY might cost.

Thanks for breakfast today Rhodes! If you are reading this, check it out!

More March Madness Fun!

Has their ever been a more fun idea than this WSJ listing of 'teams' of alumni from each of the 64 schools in the bracket?! I do take a little issue in the inclusion of people who didn't actually graduate, but I do still appreciate this unique take on comparing the schools. Enjoy!

Tourney Time!

March is one of my favorite times of the year because it combines two things I love: watching sports and colleges. The NCAA basketball tournament is exciting to watch AND is a great way to explore little known colleges that people might not know about. This year's swath of teams include many options that I would love for more ElRo students to explore. Tune in to the games, but it wouldn't hurt to also fire up Naviance during the commercial breaks to find out more about the schools behind the teams. A few of my personal favorites from each branch of the bracket include:

Creighton University- A few full disclosures: I automatically gravitate toward Jesuit schools. I just do. They are awesome. It also just so happens that my former colleague is now director of Admission, so I can't not give a huge shout out to this great school. Not convinced? read this article to see why I think it is such a cool place. In all seriousness though, if New York City students could wrap their head around leaving the Northeast, I think Creighton would be on many many college lists. It is a top regional university and has the potential to offer meaningful merit scholarships to talented students. Open your mind and give it a try. It is the school pictured above.

University of Texas at Austin -- Austin has already been in the limelight a lot recently with SXSW, but I can't overlook this great flagship university. Many students rule out a place like Texas because they fear it will be too conservative or too far away. I would contend that particularly in a place like Austin, viewpoints from the more liberal side of the aisle would be far from the minority. Of the four schools I'm highlighting here, UT-Austin might be the toughest admission wise (as a public school in a huge state there are lots of seats to fill but lots of applicants to fill them.). Also, be aware this is one of a handful of schools that really truly does mean it when they say deadline. Your entire application must be completed and processed by the deadline or you will not be considered. This is not the kind of place to consider at the last minute.

University of Cincinnati - We do have a student from ElRo already at University of Cincinnati, but I think we could have more. They have a huge co-op education program (think hands on experience as opposed to sitting in a lecture hall) and are in proximity to a major Midwestern city. This is also the alma mater of NYC transplant Sarah Jessica Parker. It has a lot of similarities to schools like Syracuse. Granted, it is a 10 hour drive from New York City, but it is only a 2 hour direct flight so don't rule it out too early!

University of Kansas - Do you see my trend here with schools in the middle of the country? :) Before you get all Dorothy and plead with me that there is "no place like home," hear me out. Kansas is the oldest college in the plains and that brings with it some gorgeous architecture that you might be more accustomed to here on the East Coast. It has many of the same great things going for it as Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana (huge public colleges oozing with school spirit) and boasts one of the best Honors programs in the country http://www.honors.ku.edu/ 

Michigan State is my pick to win it all.

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College Board Live Stream

(Advanced apology SSL- Sorry So Long!)

Earlier today I watched the live stream (from SXSW, who knew the College Board was so hip?) of the College Board's David Coleman delivering updates on the future of the redesigned SAT. Just because I can't resist, let's get it out there that I already have a pretty sour taste in my mouth from Mr. Coleman's NACAC session and sadly the 70 minute live stream had some of the similar flaws of taking waaaaay longer than necessary to explain things. I much prefer cutting to the chase and eliminating the Robin William's iPad commercial brand of flowery language and rhetoric. But here is what I gleaned from the speech:

The College Board feels that standardized tests (they specifically cited BOTH the ACT and SAT, more on this later) are too disconnected from high school work. The redesigned SAT is aiming to make the exam more closely aligned to what is done both in the classroom and the real world. One of the first topics of the speech also had to do with the research that shows a large number of high performing low income students never apply to selective colleges. This concept boggles my mind (and the minds of my colleagues at NACAC) as I truly have a hard time believing there are kids out there scoring 2100 on the SAT who don't realize they have potential to be admitted to selective colleges, but perhaps we are biased because we work in schools that send us to NACAC. Either way, the College Board has it in their heads that they can unlock these opportunities for these students by mailing them college application fee waivers. Again, I'm boggled by this as virtually EVERY college allows any student who is verified as being low income to apply for free. My sense is if a student is earning a 2100 on the SAT they can also read the instructions on the Common App clearly enough to understand that they qualify to have the application fee waived. But, again, Coleman is convinced otherwise. In fact he got applause for this 'effort.' Seems like the far greater kind gesture would be for the College Board to waive fees for sending score reports or fees for the CSS Profiles, but as luck would have it, these things that are actual barriers don't seem to be in the mix for consideration.

One thing that Coleman did highlight though, that I do agree with, is the push by the College Board to address the inequities for underrepresented groups in math and science exams. Are you sitting down? Last year there were 8 states in the U.S. that had not a single black student sit for the Computer Science AP. Granted, that AP is a more obscure one, but zero test takers? The funnel is blocked and it does need help in being opened. Girls aren't in much of a better situation, with only 20% of Computer Science AP test takers identifying as female. As a country, we can do better.

Another thing I agree with: it was very clear from this speech that the College Board is on a mission to obliterate the test prep industry as we know it. Or at the very least cut it off at the knees. There were multiple pointed comments addressing what the College Board views as predatory practices of these companies that lead to a perception that achievement on the test is linked with the ability to complete hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of prep. This leads to the first actual substantive announcement of the stream: starting now the College Board is teaming up with Khan Academy to offer transparent and clear online test prep for all. This is the first partnership the College Board has had with an outside organization ever. In addition, prior to the redesign, Khan Academy will be offering free online prep for the current SAT. The Khan Academy partnership is going to be more than just videos and descriptions of how to answer problems. There is also going to be adaptive software and dashboards for teachers and parents. Let me also say, Sal Khan should have been the one delivering this entire address. He is a MUCH better public speaker and sounds so much less condescending than Mr. Coleman who may or may not have gone to the Marco Rubio school of public speaking, complete with mini-water bottle gulps. (#sorry).  Visit www.khanacademy.org/sat for more information.

Next announcement: The College Board, in partnership with The Atlantic, will now be sponsoring a prize for top high school analytic writers. Wish we were given more info about this, but sounds innovative and interesting.

The redesigned SAT (set to be released in time for students that are currently in 9th grade) is going to be more focused, more clear, and more open. Everything on the exam will relate back to real life. Starting April 16th the College Board will publish sample questions and information about the new SAT at www.deliveringopportunity.org.

So let's talk details. The new test will have 3 sections: evidence based reading/writing, an essay, and math. The evidence based reading/writing section will ask students to go beyond just picking an answer but to explain where they got the evidence for that answer. There will also be science and history documents that ask students to analyze data. (Is someone flexing their muscles to go nose to nose with the ACT?) There will be no more sentence completions. Instead, students will analyze sequences of paragraphs and edit passages. Coleman and the College Board want to eliminate the idea of flashcards for vocabulary for the SAT. Instead, there will be a new type of focus on "powerful words" like 'synthesis' that have multiple meanings and applications. The essay portion of the SAT will now be optional. (ACT muscle flex number 2, for those out there counting). This new essay will have a universal prompt that is made available to test takers before the test. This advance prompt will then be applied to source material that is provided on the day of the test that asks students to use evidence from the document to answer the prompt. Sounds to me like an offshoot-hybrid of a "Document Based Question" that students are already familiar with. Last comes the math section. The focus here will be on problem solving, data analysis, mastery of linear equations, and the 'passport to advanced mathematics.' The goal will no longer be to trick the test taker. Plus, get this, there are now going to be some portions of the SAT where you cannot use a calculator. Non calculator portions will aim to "access ideas." It will be interesting to see the sample questions for this portion. Finally, there will be a change for the scoring of the new SAT. Can you guess what it is? I'll give you a hint, my ACT muscle is getting tired. The SAT will no longer penalize for wrong answers.

It will be interesting to see how (or if) these changes affect the landscape of college admissions. No mention was given to if the test length will change or if any administration changes will occur. (Full disclosure, my stream did go in an out occasionally and I did have three students stop in my office with questions while I was listening so if I these things were addressed and I missed them, mea culpa). There was also zero mention of fees for the new SAT. For a company so committed to helping low income students, they have some seriously questionable practices when it comes to fees. They offer these pointless college application waivers, but still charge students to send scores and use the CSS profile? They are committed to having more students take the AP exams, but conveniently forget to mention what a profit driver those tests are and how fewer and fewer colleges are actually accepting the exams for credit.

At the end, there was also a promotional video designed to inspire and empower the viewers. It didn't have much substance but the one thing I found particularly interesting about it was that it featured the President of Franklin & Marshall. Why is that so interesting, you might ask? Oh maybe because of all the schools out there to shill for the College Board I find it interesting that they went with the president of a testing optional school. Does this mean F&M is on the road to changing their tune about their test flexibility? Was this intended as an olive branch to show how the College Board really is evolving? Time will tell.

Centers of Influence Conference - US Naval Academy

On Wednesday night I returned to New York City (ahead of the snowstorm!) from the Centers of Influence Conference at the United States Naval Academy. Unfortunately, the conference was cut a little short due to weather--- and some counselors are now not leaving Annapolis until Sunday!-- but the time we spent there was certainly long enough to better understand the mission, unique collegiate experience, and tradition behind this truly remarkable institution.

First, let's be clear-- what is the Naval Academy? The Naval Academy is a military service college where students go through a highly selective admissions process based on meeting academic, physical, and medical criteria in order to attend. This leadership development college is designed to train officers for the Navy and Marine corps and is tuition free with the understanding that all graduates will serve their nation for at least five years after graduation. This is NOT the same as enlisting directly in the military, as graduates work diligently to earn a bachelor's degree during their four years at the Naval Academy. In fact, the Naval Academy has the #1 graduation rate in the country for schools who have both over 50% of their class graduating in the STEM fields and over 100 graduates a year. #2 is MIT. Unlike the other military service academies, half of the faculty at the USNA are civilian professors. After the five years of service is completed, some graduates continue on for a career with the military. Others rejoin the civilian workforce and pursue careers doing things like becoming lawyers, engineers, or working in the corporate technology sector.

The midshipmen on campus have a very very unique college experience, and it certainly isn't for everyone. There is mandatory Physical Training for all for two hours a day. There is no drinking on campus. Plebes (the Naval Academy's term for freshman) have strict curfews and limits on leaving campus. Meals are served family style in an extraordinarily efficient way where all 4400 midshipmen are in and out of the chow hall in 20 minutes (I ate with them, let me be clear, most of the eating was completed in about 10 minutes). All midshipmen are in uniform at all times. People looking to wear flannel pajama bottoms to class need not apply. Virtually every minute of every day is mapped out for all midshipmen, with class, meals, PT (Physical Training) fitting into a neatly organized grid. This allows midshipmen to maximize each hour of each day, showing them just how much they can accomplish in 24 hours. The curriculum is also full of preset requirements for all students, regardless of major, in things like naval science, chemistry, and calculus. All majors offered are based on the needs of the Navy. By law, at least 65% of the class must be majoring in a STEM field but liberal arts majors like Political Science, History, and Foreign Language also exist.

New initiatives at the Naval Academy include a new major in Cyber Security -- unique compared to other cyber security programs at other universities because it focuses on not just keeping data safe but also how to break into systems (this is, after all, training for the military where this type of skill could be of use to the US Government). In the past 10 years, there has also been an increased push to allow students to study abroad. Because of the nature of the training and the requirement that all midshipmen graduate in exactly 4 years, international study used to be off limits. But new programs now allow students to study at other Naval Academies across the globe, building partnerships and allies with mutually beneficial results.There is also a strong desire to increase the number of female midshipmen from the current level of 22% to a higher level of 30%.

Another attribute of the Naval Academy is the athletic teams. There are 33 varsity sports at the Naval Academy and Division I athletics is a major draw. If you've ever seen an Army-Navy game on TV, you know that school spirit and support of athletics is a keystone feature of the Naval Academy.

So, how does one get selected to attend the Naval Academy? Let me just say, it isn't easy. Each year approximately 18,000 students apply for one of the 1,200 spots in the entering class. In order to be qualified to be considered there are MANY steps. For more information about the steps you can visit http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/. Essentially students must follow steps to solicit a nomination, usually through their congressman. In addition to seeking a nomination, students must fill out an application, complete a physical fitness evaluation, and have a medical evaluation completed by a US medical review board doctor. For your reference, about 90% of midshipmen were varsity athletes in high school. On a student panel we listened to, two of the four midshipmen panelists were valedictorian of their high school class. The average SAT score of admitted students is a 1313 on the first two sections. Things like strong moral character are essential. Applicants must also submit a letter of recommendation from their high school English teacher and Math teacher, no other subjects are allowed. Once a student gets a nomination, they are then eligible to receive an appointment to the Naval Academy, aka getting in. Applicants are strongly encouraged to start this process as early as possible, as competition increases as the year goes on. Unlike a traditional college application that might be due January 1, if you submit your initial Naval Academy application that late in the cycle your chances of admission go from slim to none.

There are multiple pathways to being appointed to the Naval Academy. The majority arrive through the process listed above. But a few hundred midshipmen per year arrive after completing a PG year at the Naval Academy Prep School or a similarly affiliated foundation school around the country. Then there are also appointments given to individuals identified from the enlisted ranks who show the potential to be future leaders in the Navy or Marines.

The physical plant of the Annapolis campus is truly gorgeous. The dormitory, Bancroft Hall, is hands down the most gorgeous, regal, and impressive dorm I've seen (first picture above. Yes, that is a DORM). All midshipman live here, making it the second largest dorm in the world. The campus is also full of traditions, perhaps the most infamous being the Herndon climb at the end of Plebe year where the class is faced with swapping out a Plebe hat for a Naval cover on the top of the obelisk monument, which has, for good measure, been covered in grease. Check out 'Herndon Climb' on youtube to see some examples.

Another of my favorite details on campus were the stained glass in the chapel. Each window had a corresponding maritime biblical verse. And did I mention the glasswork is Tiffany? Interestingly, the Naval Academy also has a Hillel and students of all faith backgrounds are welcome.

Easily the best part of the visit though was getting to see Second Class Jacky Chow, ElRo class of 2010! As fate would have it, my escort to lunch in the chow hall was in the very same Company as Jacky! Can you believe it??! It really was fate that out of 4400 midshipmen, the one that I connected with would know Jacky, let alone be in his Company. Jacky will graduate next year and I know I speak for the entire ElRo community when I say how proud we are of him and his service to our country. (*author's note*, the USNA COI conference had us running on a schedule similar to that of a midshipmen. Our agenda started between 6:30 and 6:45 am each day with our 'mid morning break' coming at 9:30 am. I was very tired in this pic!)

Overall, it takes a very specific combination of leadership, scholarship, and a desire to serve to be a good fit for the Naval Academy. There are some enormous benefits -- like the free tuition, stipend, and guaranteed job for the first five years after graduation. There are also enormous challenges -- did I mention the 2 hours a day of required working out? I didn't mention Plebe summer, but google it. There is also an extremely high level of mental toughness required, especially for young people just out of high school. The sense that students feel lucky to attend though is palpable. You don't get the sense that many people come to the Naval Academy as their second choice option. I'm honored to have been selected to attend the COI conference and feel much better equipped to guide students interested in pursuing this option. 

GO NAVY! 

Book Review: The Perfect Score Project

Late last fall, I got an advance copy of The Perfect Score Project, by Debbie Stier, in the mail. I don't get a ton of free time in this job, but I left the book on my desk to read during my free moments, and I just finished reading.

The premise of the book is that the author took a one year journey to take seven administrations of the SAT on a quest to earn a perfect 2400 (with a 12 on the essay). This experiment overlapped with her high school son's own college application journey. Her year of prep ended right as his real college admission testing cycle began.

I won't ruin the book's ending for you by revealing if she does or doesn't get the perfect score, but I will share my thoughts on the premise and information within these pages.

First, let me start by saying that it is probably clear to anyone who knows me that I'm not a fan of the SAT (or really any standardized tests). I understand why these tests exist and I'm not saying there is no place for them in the college admission landscape, but I am wholeheartedly against the concept that there is an entire industry that revolves around the exam and that students (or in the case of the author, adults) devote months and years of their lives to prepare to fill in a bunch of bubbles. The money that is exchanged, the anxiety that is produced, the false sense of accomplishment/failure that is created boggles my mind. With that said, the book is not just a story about test prep. It is also a story about parenting, college anxiety, and honestly some pretty fun trivia about the SAT (I might not like the SAT, but I do love trivia).

Second, let me go on by saying that I'm super excited that Debbie's son wasn't a student at ElRo. (Sorry Debbie if you are reading this, which you probably are because you seem like the kind of person who sets up Google alerts, so Hi!). I'm not trying to be mean, I only say this because the stress over this project was palpable in the book. The vision of a kitchen with SAT prep tips taped to the cabinets might as well be ripped out of the pages of Dante's Inferno. That doesn't mean that I didn't find Debbie to be an endearing narrator (I did) or that I don't think she grew a lot from the project (she did), but I'm happy to have read about it in a book and not lived it in person. I do happen to know the counselors at her son's school and let me say, with full sincerity: bless them. It was clear though, through the neuroses, that Debbie really does love her kids and really did genuinely find joy in the project.

I highlighted many things in my copy of the book, but some of the most important were:

-- The Blue Book (The College Board's test prep book) is the gold standard of test prep materials. All of the best prep will be rooted in actual College Board materials. This is great advice and falls in line with my own personal corollary which is: the secret to great test prep isn't about the company you pick to tutor you, it is about the level of commitment, focus, and drive of the pupil. Year after year some of our best test takers at ElRo didn't have a tutor or magic class, they are bright students who study on their own because they love studying, not because their parents want them to. So if the raw material (the student) is good at self-study, the Blue Book might be all you need.

-- "For most people, 'I'm not good at math' means 'I haven't practiced.'" (page 170). Take it from me, a person who was a year behind in math in 4th grade and never really learned her multiplication tables/long division who ended up taking AP Calculus BC in 11th grade and then the even more advanced 'Math Topics' class in 12th. Math CAN be unlocked for anyone who is committed to practicing.

-- Test score gains come from deliberate practice and loving the test. Case in point for that second part about loving the test is that we once had a senior at ElRo who went from a 27 to a 32 on the ACT in 60 days. I asked him what happened after I saw his score, his answer: "I really loved the passages on each of the sections on that particular test, they just all had topics that interested me-- I didn't even feel like I was taking a test."

So, should you read the book? For parents (or students) that want to get familiar with the ins and outs of the test and will keep both feet on the ground when reading, knock yourself out. Buy it, read it, chuckle at some of the extreme lengths her obsession brings her to, take note of some of the really great advice (like picking a test center that uses full size desks and not chairs with a mini fold-down desk attached to one side). But, if you are already prone to Testing Robot Syndrome, proceed with caution. If you think test scores are the key to your child's (or your) happiness/success in getting into college, make sure you don't skim over the parts about the strain the project put on Debbie's relationship with her kids and ex-husband. The four years of high school go fast, both for parents and for students. Fixating on Kumon worksheets, and vocab words, weekly practice tests, and reaching a certain score on a test are only going to result in bonding and fond memories for a very small percentage of people. For the rest, admission testing obsessions will plant seeds of anger and resentment. It is not worth it.

In closing, I do feel a little bit bad for Debbie because the timing of this book will make portions of it relevant for a limited time only. The College Board is revamping the SAT once again so the version of the tests that she took will be extinct starting with the students that are currently in the 9th grade (unless they push back the release date again). But the underlying themes of the quest for a perfect score, the commentary on parent/child relationships, and basic tenets of test performance are timeless.

The Perfect Score Project will be published February 25th. To learn more about the book, the project, and the author, go to http://perfectscoreproject.com/.

Demystifying Standardized Testing 2014

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to attend 'Demystifying Standardized Testing' last night. I hope the information was useful toward better understanding college admission tests.

One thing we, for some reason, always run out of time to cover is the fact that there ARE testing optional colleges where ACT and SAT scores are not required to be submitted in order to attend. These include highly selective schools like Bowdoin and Connecticut College, so if a student ends up not being satisfied with their test scores and feels that their transcript alone puts them in a better light, testing optional schools are always available to consider. For a full list of testing optional schools, go to www.fairtest.org.

But, if you are going to take and submit standardized tests, how does it work? I recommend students explore BOTH the SAT and the ACT. This comparison will allow you to discover if you are naturally more skilled on one exam. Then you should take that exam two times to maximize your score. Data indicates that taking the exam more than two times does not lead to a score increase.

A lot of energy is sometimes spent worrying about sending the scores and using score choice. Neither of these things is worth much time, in my opinion. Just send everything everywhere and your life will be easier. If you have an extreme outlier that you are able to suppress and it makes you feel better, go ahead and do that. But most of these schools have computer systems that automatically super score for the reader, so losing your mind deciding if it is ok for a school to see your 680 in math is a whole lot of stress for not a lot of gain.

All schools will welcome both the ACT and SAT, so it is in your best interest to take the exam that you can score highest on. For a comparison of the scores on these two tests, see this chart.

For more information about how the SAT and ACT differ, see this webpage.

There was also a question during the meeting that I spoke to the parent afterwards and got clarification that that I'd like to share here. The question that was intended to be asked was: in what range should a student be testing on the SAT I to be a viable candidate at colleges that require SAT Subject Tests. I would say that the best candidates at highly selective colleges have a 700 or above on each section of both the SAT and the Subject Tests. That is definitely just a ball park, so plenty of students are admitted with a 690 or a 650 or even less than that on one section, but the majority of admitted students will be starting with a 2000+ on the SAT. 

I'm excited for next Tuesday, when I will be having the Junior College Kick Off for 11th grade students on Tuesday afternoon. After that, junior meetings will begin and the Class of 2015 will be in the thick of it!

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Join me to Demystify Standardized Tests!

 
Tomorrow night (Thursday, January 23), ElRo will host our annual PTA meeting on the topic of standardized college admission tests. I strongly encourage all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade families to come learn more about this topic. It is, without a doubt, the topic that I get the most questions on throughout the year and this session is designed to give basic information about what the tests are, how they are used, how they are unique, and what the recommended timeline is for signing up for the exams. Kaplan will be joining us to present this information -- note this presentation is not specifically about Kaplan test prep, so if you want information about their methods or signing up for their services you will need to contact them separately.

The PTA meeting will begin at 6:00 with the standardized test presentation slated to follow (estimated start time 6:20).

I hope to see you there!

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The time to file the FAFSA is now

2014 is here and for seniors this means that you should be completing your FAFSA in order to be considered for Financial Aid. If you want to pay full sticker price for college, you can stop reading right now. If you don't, you need to use this month to be VERY thoughtful about meeting each and every deadline associated with financial aid at your colleges. Remember when I recommended applying to 10 schools or less? A reason why is that it is difficult to keep 12 or 15 or 18 financial aid policies straight. It is your responsibility to research and understand the financial aid requirements at the colleges where you applied. Don't be left in the future regretting that you didn't know the CSS was due or thinking the FAFSA deadline was the 15th when it was really the 1st.

Remember - NEVER pay a company hundreds or thousands of dollars to complete the FAFSA for you. And the real authentic FAFSA website ends in .gov not .com or .net. You should not use the FAFSA links that are ads at the top of your google search. Your personal financial information is required for this form, only complete it on a secure platform. This should go without saying, but I also do not recommend working on this via your phone, the small screen is not suited for this task.

The link below is posted on the government's website about common FAFSA mistakes - check it out and happy filing! They also mention that the IRS data retrieval tool will go live in early February. As a reminder, this is NOT the year to file an extension, get those 2013 tax returns completed as soon as you have all of the documents you need!

https://www.ed.gov/blog/2014/01/7-common-fafsa-mistakes/