At our last monthly tutor meeting, we spent some time brainstorming ways to inspire kids who have become stressed out, burned out, or outright fed up with the college application process. And let’s face it – that’s most high school juniors and seniors. The process is invasive – the Common App asks every question short of a toothpaste brand preference – and it’s demoralizing. With acceptance rates for some schools in the low single digits, it’s easy for kids to feel as though nothing short of a moon landing or cure for cancer will be enough to set them apart.

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As a parent, there are many ways you can support and encourage your child through the test prep process. Here are my top five:

1) Set concrete goals and create a detailed action plan
2) Visit colleges early in the process
3) Do the research
4) Drill vocabulary words
5) Discuss motivation

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Appelrouth Tutoring Services is holding a FREE Everything College Admissions seminar for parents and students in the Atlanta area and would like to personally invite you and your students to attend.

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A college admissions committee spends on average 7 minutes with each application. Will your child stand out?

On Wednesday, November 17, Jed Appelrouth, MS, NCC and Steven Goodman, MS, JD and will be meeting to discuss the ins and outs of college admissions. You can attend the event in-person or watch it live online:

Attend Webinar Attend In-Person

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High school juniors and their parents should check out at least one of the Probe College Fairs in and around Atlanta this month. For a complete listing, go to http://www.gaprobe.org.

• Dunwoody High School 9/16 at 3:00 p.m.
• Cobb South (Marietta High School) 9/16 at 6:30 p.m.
• Forsyth County (Cumming Fairgrounds) 9/21 at 8:30 a.m.
• Atlanta (Northlake Mall) 9/21 at 5:30 p.m.
• Gwinnett County (Gwinnett Center) 9/22 at 6:00 p.m.
• Cobb North (Town Center at Cobb) 9/28 at 6:00 p.m.
• Atlanta North (North Point Mall) 9/29 at 6:00 p.m.

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Updated: Last week the AJC reported that the State Board of Education voted to use $1.1 million of the $400 million Race to the Top funds to pay for ALL 10th grade PSATs.

Updated: Last night I heard from DeKalb county teacher that the Race to the Top funds would be used to pay for PSATs. My Google search didn’t yield any new info, but if you know something I don’t, please share in the comments.

In May, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that budget cuts would limit public schools’ funding for the PSAT for sophomores.

Georgia had been paying for all 10th-graders to take the PSAT and for students to take two AP exams, but now will pay those costs only for students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches. The PSAT costs $13; each AP exam is $86.

Why does this matter to students? Well, studies have shown that repeated exposure to a test has a definite impact on students’ performance. The more a student practices a test the more comfortable he will be when he takes it for real Junior year. Not only is the PSAT good practice for the SAT, but a high score on it might lead to full scholarships at a number of colleges and universities.

Former State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox has long been a vocal supporter of the PSAT program, confident in its power to help students perform well on the SAT. It will be interesting to see how students continue to perform on the SAT, especially with the news that Georgia scores have already fallen.

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. ”

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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…)

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.