College consultant and A-List partner, Felice Kobrick of Kobrick College Consulting is hosting two FREE Long Island seminars discussing everything you need to know about the college admissions process (and removing as much stress from it as possible!).

The seminars are being hosted at the following locations:

Topics to be covered include:

• How to create a balanced list of reach, target, and safety schools
• The difference between applying early decision, early action, rolling or general admission
• The Common Application and what makes a great essay
• Getting started on the FAFSA (financial aid) form
• What to look for on a college tour
• Summer options that can strengthen a student’s application
• The 10 biggest mistakes students make when applying to college

Call: (516) 587-0600

Email: kobrickconsult@aol.com

So, the May SAT is just a day away, but don’t freak out!  You have been preparing all along and should be ready. We just wanted to give you 10 easy things to think about between now and test time to ensure you’re good-to-go:

1. Print out your Admission Ticket now…not later. In case there is an issue with your printer, the computer, the ticket, you’ll want to find out sooner than later.
2. Make sure your calculator has batteries. A calculator without batteries is like a car without an engine—not terribly useful.
3. Don’t forget your pencils. The test sites do not always have extra pencils. That would be a shame to do all the preparation, be to the site on time, and not be able to take the test because you did not have a pencil.
4. Remember your watch. It is a timed test after all. You cannot always count on a room having a (working) clock or even that the proctor will announce the time remaining. Remove the risk and bring your own watch. Problem solved.
5. Get plenty of rest Friday night. Friday night is not the time for you to stay up late getting caught up on missed episodes of Jersey Shore.
6. Eat a good breakfast. This does not mean you should eat 51 eggs, which would be a record by the way. Save the adventurous eating for next weekend!
7. Bring a snack for the break. It is a long test, so you need to give yourself a little pick-me up at the break. Good snacks are apples; even candy bars will do—anything to get your heart pumping.
8. Dress in layers. As you may have noticed, it was 70 degrees in April. However, on Saturday morning it could be 30 degrees, or it could be raining, or it could 80 degrees. By dressing layers, you will be prepared no matter what weather is thrown at you. And, while you are it, lay out your clothes the night before—preventing any morning fashion catastrophe.
9. Spend some time reviewing all that you know and have learned so far. Now is not the time to try to learn new information. In these last few days, be sure to spend time to reinforce all of the information that you have been studying these past few months.
   -Math: Review Target Numbers, Guesstimate, RTFQ, Fool’s Gold, Plug in, Backsolve, Math Basics, Algebra, Geometry, and Functions
   -Reading: Review timing guidelines, vocabulary that you’ve already learned, Sentence Completion strategies, and strategies for critical reading
   -Writing: Review the major rules that you have covered (e.g., Subject/Verb, Pronoun, Parallelism, Dangling Modifiers, etc.)
   -Essay: Review the examples that you plan on using in your essay so that they will be ready to go on test day
10. Get there early! Saturday morning is not the time to be late. They are strict with the time. Once the test has started, they do NOT allow anyone to enter. If you are there early, the worst thing that can happen is that you spend some time thinking about how well you are doing to do.

You should take confidence that you have been diligently preparing and are ready for this test. Take a deep breath, do well, and then wait roughly 17-19 days for the scores.

GOOD LUCK!

Which of the following is true about SAT and ACT test preparation?

SAT and ACT test prep can…

• Create STRESS for students, parents, and counselors
• Improve odds of college admission
• Cost families thousands of dollars
• Earn students scholarships, grants, and financial aid
• Be aligned to Common Core curriculum
• ALL of the above

A-List Education founder and President, Scott Farber, was recently published in SEEN Magazine in the article entitled Uniting the Common Core, SAT and ACT: Empowering Student Success in High School and Beyond.  As national Common Core (CC) standards continue to take on more of an important role in school curriculum, and tests like the SAT and ACT remain a key factor in college admission, Scott discusses  a curriculum solution which can move the performance needle in both categories by utilizing the concepts and material tested by the SAT and ACT while fulfilling the anchor standards of the Common Core (CC) beginning in the 9^th grade.

The SAT and ACT accomplish many of the goals of the Standards; they are designed to identify whether students are ready for college by testing them on the skills and knowledge they will need when they get there. The College Board and ACT, Inc. have published extensive studies demonstrating how the skills they test on college entrance exams align with the skills of the CC Standards. Bringing test prep and CC curriculum together can ultimately enhance student success.

> Read Scott’s full article on the SEEN website!

President and founder of A-List Education, Scott Farber, was recently featured on NBC’s NY Nightly News with Chuck Scarborough. Scott Farber offers his advice for the SAT/ACT prep and discusses A-List’s wide-ranging educational offerings. Watch the video below!

A-List Education and our SAT/ACT professional development program were recently featured in Scholastic’s Administrator magazine.  As Common Core curricula continues to grow in importance, A-List has developed materials that blend SAT/ACT content and strategies with common core standards. We’re looking to how ACT and SAT material align with the Standards and how they can be used in a classroom for that purpose.

> Read Scholastic Administrator’s article on the Common Core (A-List’s mention is on the end of page 48!)

Rankings by publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Petersons, Kiplinger, Forbes, and others in the business of ranking colleges have a certain value.  These lists are based on many factors such as acceptance rates, resources offered, graduation rates, student/professor ratios, and other notable features.  That said, no national ranking can tell you which college or university is best for you.  Your interests, personality, talents, and career goals should be a major factor in any decision.

There are many factors to examine when considering a college.  A few of these are outlined below:

• Strength in your area of interest – some students know which major they are interested in pursuing.  Others may only know which subjects they like the most.  You should determine how strong the college is in those subjects of interest to you.  There is a real difference between colleges in the number and backgrounds of professors, number and quality of course offerings, research opportunities, and internship possibilities, etc.  Know how strong the college is in your areas of interest.
• Teaching style – each college has its own teaching style.  What style is stressed by the colleges you are considering?  Some put an emphasis on writing, some participative learning, some collaborative learning.  Some are lecture oriented and others more small -class oriented.  In which teaching style will you thrive?
• Academic intensity – it is one thing to get into a college. It is another to do well while attending the college.  How many hours/week of academics are expected of students at the colleges you are considering?  You will be amazed at the different expectations among colleges.
• Student-body Personality – what does the college look for in a student?  Do they stress independent thinking or do they stress collaborative learning?  Do they look for students who are committed to community learning, well rounded students or talented in specific areas?  Learn what each college looks for and how well this matches your personality.
• Social Activity Drivers – what drives the social activity at the college?  At some colleges fraternities/sororities are the drivers; at others intramural sports play a big role.  At others, activity is centered around the big football or basketball game and at others, clubs or dorm life play a big role.  In which environment do you feel most comfortable?

These are just a few of the factors to consider.  There are many others.  Just make sure you know the college and how well the college fits you.  After all, you are about to spend four years of your life there.

If you’re applying to college or plan to apply to college in the near future, I’m sure you’ve started wondering what it takes to get into your top choice school. While the college admissions environment changes from year to year, depending on the scope and aptitude of the applicant pool, past admissions data does help to determine where you stand in terms of your GPA and SAT/ACT scores and gaining admission to a particular university. Read more…

Don’t just apply to your dream college–get into your dream college! A-List expert college adviser, Michael Binder, has some advice for college applicants:

For admission to college, it is conventional wisdom that you need to focus on your grades and your test scores. For more competitive colleges, these are certainly factors that get you considered, but only contribute to getting you admitted.

These competitive colleges look to “build” a class by adding individuals with a variety of skills, interests, and talents that will help further the college’s mission and enrich its campus.  It is critically important that you communicate the value you bring to each college of interest.

You communicate your value by showing each college:

• Why the college is right for you
  
• Why you are right for the college
  
• How you will take advantage of the college’s offerings and programs
  
• How you fit into the culture and personality of the college and student body
  
• What differentiates you from other students, with similar grades, interests and dreams
  
• How you will contribute to the campus community

Enterprising, determined students can exert enormous influence over admissions decisions. Junior year is the time to take the steps necessary to build your college admission foundation and to obtain the answers to these questions.

Are you taking these critical steps?

> Call A-List to get started with our expert college advisers!