The Associated Press reported yesterday that ACT, Inc. released a report indicating that across the country this year’s Spring ACT scores fell from those in 2009. ”Last spring’s high-school seniors averaged a composite score of 21.0 on the test’s scale of 1 to 36, down slightly from 21.1 last year and the lowest score of the last five years. ”
You can lead a horse to water, but how can you get it to study its SAT vocabulary? This is the challenge that test-prep coaches have dealt with for years. How do we motivate others? Specifically, how do we influence and motivate teenagers?
Two friends of mine in the world of Educational Consulting recently published a book which is completely aligned with my philosophy of writing college essays. Evan Forster and David Thomas, educational consultants in Manhattan, wrote The MBA Reality Check: Make the School You Want, Want You. This book focuses on applying to MBA programs, but all of its lessons are applicable to students applying to college. (read more…)
U.S. News & World Report released their college ranking list today. It should come as no surprise that the Top 3 National Schools are Harvard, Princeton and Yale, in descending order. I imagine Harvard is the only school on that short list who is not disappointed with its position. (read more…)
The required PSAT score to be recognized as a National Merit Semifinalist varies from state to state every year. This year, the states with the highest cutoff score of 221 were Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington, DC. The state with the lowest cutoff score was Wyoming with 201. Georgia’s cutoff score was 214.
Did your dorm have a heated pool or maid service? Mine didn’t. Then again, I didn’t pay anywhere near $10,000 a semester for room and board. I can’t say the same for many students attending colleges and university’s this fall. NPR’s Planet Money has an interesting article comparing the most expensive college dorms in the country. Maybe this is the reason college loan debt has surpassed credit card debit in America.
The $2,500 the National Merit Scholarship Corporation awards National Merit scholars is no small amount of money. However, compared to the rising tuition, fees and book costs of most colleges and universities, it can seem like a drop in the bucket. Yes, there are additional corporate sponsorships and even school scholarships National Merit scholars qualify for, but some of these are for less than $1000 and some are one-time only gifts. So the question becomes, should students study hard for what most people consider just a preliminary SAT?
Almost all college-bound sophomores and juniors will take a PSAT. The PSAT is the test that qualifies students for a National Merit Scholarship, and it is also considered a preliminary SAT. Many students who take the PSAT do so to get an idea of what taking the SAT is like. And, since the SAT is a very popular test here on the East Coast, it makes sense to get as much practice in as you can. However, the ACT is gaining speed, and, more importantly EVERY college that requires admissions exams in the United States accepts either the SAT or the ACT. Equally. No difference. Love ‘em both. (read more…)
There has been a lot of hubbub over Georgia’s HOPE scholarship. On Monday, the state’s House and Senate Higher Education committees held the first of possibly many hearings to discuss a funding shortfall. According to Georgia Student Finance Commission President Tim Connell, HOPE is projected to lose $243 million during the 2011 fiscal year. The shortfall is expected to exceed $300 million for 2012′s fiscal year. Commission officials cite rising tuition and enrollment as responsible for HOPE scholarship exceeding the Georgia Lottery’s annual contributions.
