Score At The Top Blog

In the very midst of focused preparation for college entrance testing (ACT and SAT), it’s rather easy for student (and anxious parent) to lose sight of a bigger picture.
 
We have in mind the benefits that accrue from guided, methodical practice for the big tests. What are these benefits? They’re wrapped up in our three-word title. First, effective test prep produces an effective, active reader. That’s a student who’s engaged in such a way as to maximize retention.
 
One natural outcome of active reading is stimulation of thought – of thoughtfulness and connection making, two essential components of learning. In the stressful environment of testing, there’s hardly anything more important than the ability to weigh, measure, and consider cause and effect of ideas. Think.

Topics: Test Scores, ACT/SAT, Test-Prep

Well, no. We lied: There is no magic formula for writing the perfect college application essay.

The essays in “Essays That Worked for College Applications” (subtitled “50 Essays that Helped Students Get into the Nation’s Top Colleges”) vary wildly and include “think pieces,” multiple-panel cartoons, poems, and short plays, among others. There is no prototypical essay because there is no prototypical admissions officer: they’re human beings, just like you and I are, and they have differing tastes, just like you and I do.

Topics: Essays, College Admission

Your academic record, especially the rigor of the courses you took, and your SAT/ACT scores are still the door-openers for college admissions, and if you’re looking for acceptance at a college that admits most applicants, those measures may be enough. But if you want to be considered for admission to more selective schools, those measures aren’t nearly enough, and here’s why: You have real competition – lots of other students who want to attend those same selective schools – and their academic record and SAT/ACT scores are likely to be comparable to yours, if not better. Otherwise, those students wouldn’t be your competition, would they?

Topics: College Admission, College Application

Not all applications for Florida universities are created equal. There are important differences and knowing them can save you time, effort and frustration in the application process. 

Topics: AP Exams, Test Scores, College Admission, College Application, College Planning

When does less than $6,000 equal nearly $150,000? That’s an uncommon equation –even for the diehard lottery player. But for a college-bound student and his family, such “winning” odds are quite possible!

Topics: College Admission, Tutoring, College Counseling

With three decades of educational guidance, Score At The Top has had thousands of success stories. Each month we choose one story to share in hopes that it will inspire others. 

Topics: Special Needs, Tutoring

We coddle our toddlers, dreaming big dreams for their future: health, academic excellence, outstanding athletics, sharpness, endowed with common sense, and so on and so forth. Reality usually delivers a different picture, one we customarily learn to live with. Fast forward to middle school, and to more specific dreams that both student and parent may share about the future – dreams that require foresight and advocacy. 

Topics: College Admission, Common Application, College Application, College Planning

With three decades of educational guidance, Score At The Top has thousands of success stories. Each month we choose one story to share with the hope that it will inspire others.

Topics: College Admission, College Counseling, College Planning

The backdrop for summer vacation life is, for most students, missing one overwhelming element: school. Lots has been written and spoken about the pro’s and con’s of boxing away academic discipline in favor of “the beach” (an all-encompassing metaphor for the two and half straight months enjoyed outside any classroom).

Topics: ACT/SAT, Test-Prep, Summer School, College Planning

The question: “When should I start taking the SAT and ACT?” The anwer: “Early.” If you’re a sophomore who has completed Algebra 2, then the June ACT and August SAT are good targets dates.

How often should you take the test? Probably no more than three times.

While sophomores could consider the June SAT date, still available for late registrants, let’s backtrack: we have two good reasons for suggesting a delay in taking the June test.

Topics: College Admission, ACT/SAT, Test-Prep, sophomores