A-List Education

College Admissions 101 FREE Seminar by Kobrick College Consulting

alist — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:45:04 +0000

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:

THE JERICHO LIBRARY	THE BRYANT LIBRARY, ROSLYN
1 Merry Lane, Jericho	2 Paper Mill Road, Roslyn
Wednesday, May 30, 2012	Wednesday, June 6, 2012
7:00 – 8:30 pm	7:00 – 8:30pm

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

We encourage you to take advantage of Felice’s expertise, and attend a free seminar to get invaluable information that will come in hand when your students are applying to college.Felice is also offering college applicants and their families a free consultation! For more information on the above-mentioned college admission seminars or to set up a consultation, contact Felice directly:

Call: (516) 587-0600

Email: kobrickconsult@aol.com

10 Things to Think About Before the May SAT

alist — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:52:01 +0000

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:

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.
Make sure your calculator has batteries. A calculator without batteries is like a car without an engine—not terribly useful.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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!

A-List Education Professional Development: Life-Saving Solutions for the SAT & ACT

alist — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:25:24 +0000

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

If you answered “all of the above” you are absolutely correct! However, you’re in luck because A-List Education provides schools with life-saving solutions for the SAT and ACT! A-List will train your staff to teach SAT/ACT preparation courses, and to deliver test prep curriculum aligned with Common Core standards. We offer:

Professional Development/Teacher Training
Student and Teacher Materials
Test Grading Services
Course Support
Curriculum Planning

Did you know…
The average national score improvement from PSAT to SAT is 55 points. Since 2010, students who completed an A-List SAT program taught by school faculty had an average total score improvement of 155 points! 86% of parents surveyed nationwide would enroll their children in an SAT/ACT course if it were offered during or after school and taught by school faculty.

Interested in bringing A-List SAT and ACT professional development to your school? Contact us now to get started!

“Our daughters were accepted into their top choice colleges and my wife and I give full credit to A-List…The significant improvements in their SAT scores and the fact that we, as parents, were able to provide that opportunity for them is precisely why there is a need for the type of program you have developed to be made available to every child regardless of income. This is why I have brought A-List into school districts I have been fortunate enough to lead: to train our teachers and provide the support necessary to improve our students’ scores.”

-Dr. James Montesano, Father and Nyack Schools Superintendent

College Admissions Trends from College Advisor, Michael Binder

alist — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 22:19:43 +0000

Check out some thoughts from A-List partner and College Admissions Advisor, Michael Binder of Your College Navigator, LLC:

College acceptance notifications started arriving last week and will continue to over the next several days. This year, several trends established during previous years are continuing:

A steady rise in the number of applicants: even though the number of US college students applying to college has dipped slightly from previous years, the number of applications continues to rise. This increase is due primarily to two factors. First, students continue to apply to an increased number of colleges. A major contributor to this increase is the ease with which students can complete the Common Application. Additionally, many colleges are accepting an increased number of international students. This helps improve the diversity at the campus and more importantly, attracts students who typically pay full fare. Since the number of colleges is not increasing and since colleges are not getting any larger, something has to give. What gives is the acceptance rate, which once again is down at many top colleges.

An increased use of waitlists: with more applicants, an increased number of students will be put on a waitlist. Colleges are looking to make sure they fill their freshman class. Since students are applied to an increased number of colleges, many colleges now face additional uncertainty. To protect themselves, colleges have grown the size of their waitlists. In fact, at least two of the top 20 colleges in the country routinely put more students on their waitlist than the number of students accepted.

A growing significance of the college essay: with “fit” playing an increasing importance in the acceptance game, colleges are putting an increased emphasis on essay(s). Your essays must “bring to life” who you are in the mind of the admissions counselors. The essay can communicate who you are and what is important to you in ways that your grades and test scores cannot. When a particular college requires more than one essay, each of your essays must weave together into a cohesive whole. In effect, you are telling the college, through all of your essays, this is who I am.

An increased importance of the “interest factor”: I am not talking about telling the college that you wanted to attend since you were in 2nd grade. I am talking about showing genuine interest in learning more about the college. For instance, if the college is within a 4-hour drive, did you visit the campus? Did you meet with an admissions counselor when they visited your high school, at a college fair or a regional road show? Did you meet with a professor or a coach? How about an alumnus? Many colleges are paying increased attention to your interest in attending their college. They want to feel reasonably comfortable that if they extend an offer to their institution that you will attend.

With a deeper understanding of these factors, you will be better positioned to develop your college admissions game plan.

A-List Education Featured on South East Education Network (SEEN) Magazine

alist — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:27:16 +0000

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!

Scott Farber Featured on NY Nightly News

alist — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:40:05 +0000

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 Featured in Scholastic Administrator: Aligning SAT/ACT Professional Development with Common Core Standards

alist — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:23:50 +0000

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!)

College Admissions: What to Look for When Considering a College

alist — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:07:47 +0000

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.

College Admission

alist — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:12:50 +0000

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…

College Admissions Advice from the Experts: Get Into Your Dream College

alist — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:53:18 +0000

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!