Test Preparation

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Four Tips For High School Juniors

High School Juniors! The time is here. As you watch your friends in the senior class find out where they are going in the fall, I hope you are already planning out what you need to do over the next year to get your college process moving.

If you haven’t, here are four things you should be focused on right now:

1. Standardized testing – Both the SAT and ACT have test dates coming up later this spring. The SAT will be offered on May 5th and June 2nd while the ACT will be offered on April 14th and June 9th. Keep in mind that you need to register online for both and the deadlines are typically one month prior to the test date. If you’re not sure which test you want to take – or which one you might do better at, now is the time to take some practice tests.

2. Talk about money – despite the fact that most people hate to talk about money, if you haven’t already talked about cost, now is the time to do it. The average four year cost for public schools is over $60,000. For private schools, it’s nearly $150,000. Knowing what you can afford now will save you a lot of time, stress and heartache when you start building your college list and visiting campuses. Keep in mind that paying for a college is very much like paying for a car – very rarely do you pay the sticker price.

3. Campus visits –Even if you don’t know where you want to apply to yet, you are fortunate to have so many schools within driving distance right here in Connecticut. Want to get a feel for a large, research university? Go visit UConn. Think you might have what it takes to get into and make it at an Ivy League school? Schedule an information session and tour at Yale. Want to see what a highly selective, liberal arts college might offer you? You can visit Wesleyan or Connecticut College. A private, comprehensive university? The University of New Haven is your destination. A regional, state university? Central, Eastern, Southern or Western would fit the bill. I think you see where I’m going with this.

Visiting schools is one of the best ways to figure out how you feel about a school before investing your time in applying. Just be mindful of when schools are on spring break. While some may still offer tours, do you really want to see an empty campus?

4. Senior year courses – planning for next year’s courses should be happening soon and if you read my blog post from last week, you will know that colleges are looking at your senior year course load and grades. AP and honors courses are great ways to demonstrate your academic abilities. Scores of three or higher on the AP test (for very competitive schools, you will need a four or higher in most cases), can earn you college credit.

Another great way to show off your academic skills and earn some credit in the process is to take UConn Early College Education courses, otherwise known as ECE courses. The ECE program allows motivated high school students to take UConn courses at their high schools for both high school and college credit. For example, students at Cheshire High School can elect to take Child Development & Human Growth and British literature in addition to several AP courses.

Considering there are so many steps to finding the right college for you, getting started early can help ease the stress and anxiety of the process.

If you have any thoughts or perspective on things juniors should be doing now to help get their college search moving along, please use the comment section below.

You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

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Eric Feb 19, 2012 2 Comments
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Talkin’ About The SAT

Juniors, if you’re thinking about taking the March SAT, the registration deadline is February 10th which is less than a week away. Hopefully you have been putting in some time on test preparation. If you haven’t, here are some resources I would recommend.

First, check out Debbie Stier’s website, Perfect Score Project. In an effort to connect with her son as he was preparing for the SAT, Debbie decided to roll up her sleeves and take the test herself. Debbie’s website offers great tips, suggestions for test preparation on a budget and, for the motivated and organized, a year-long test preparation timeline.

Another website for test preparation that I really like is PWN the SAT. Created by Mike McClenathan, the site is full of tips, free diagnostic tests, and an extensive Q& A section. Oh yeah, Mike scored a perfect 2400 on his SAT! He knows what he’s talking about.

The Khan Academy, which is a great resource for visual learners, offers an extensive video library covering nearly 3,000 academic topics. Their test preparation library shows you how to work through question on the math section in the College Board’s Official SAT Study Guide. Whether you have the eight-test edition or the ten-test one, you can watch a video on how to solve each problem.

If you’re like me and standardized testing is your nemesis, check out Fair Test – the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. They maintain a list of over 800 colleges and universities who do not require the SAT or the ACT for admission. For some schools, you may need to submit AP, IB or SAT Subject Test scores for admission while for others you may ultimately need SAT scores for course placement. In the end, these schools have decided to place a greater emphasis on your transcript, essay, recommendations, and an interview. A lot of these schools have gone test-optional to level the playing field and to increase diversity on their campuses.

There’s something to like about that.

If you have any questions about test preparation and planning or would like to share any stories or experiences you’ve had with the SAT or ACT, please use the comment section below.

You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

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Eric Feb 05, 2012 No Comments
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Making The Most of New Year’s Resolutions!

Happy New Year! And, what comes with the New Year? Resolutions, of course! You know, those promises we all tend to make and hardly ever keep. I don’t make them anymore because I find that I hardly ever follow through.  For me, the essential problem with resolutions is I tend to make them too big, too gray, and too immeasurable. I’m going to work out more, or read more, or call more – good intentions all around, but very hard to follow through with once the day-to-day craziness of life takes over again on January 2nd. Now, if I were to say my resolution is to lose 15 pounds, then I can at least measure that. I can set the goal, work out a couple times a week, make better food choices and celebrate my progress when I step on the scale each morning. Of course, that celebration only comes if I follow through.

I want you to think about your college process in the same way. Think about measurable goals that you can follow through on. Instead of saying, “I’m going to visit all the schools on my college list in the spring,” say, “I’m going to visit four schools from my college list in March.” Instead of saying, “I’m going to get better grades in the second half of the school year,” say, “I’m going to invest four hours every week in studying, working on homework and school-related projects”. Instead of saying, “I’m going to spend a lot of time preparing for the SAT,” say, “I’m going to take four practice tests to prepare for the SAT.” Each of these is measurable and doable if you follow through.

So, go ahead and make your resolutions. Celebrate the arrival of the New Year and look forward to what good things may come your way. Just take a moment to think about what it is you want to accomplish first. Then, set the bar high and go out and work your tail off to reach it. You will be so glad you did.

Happy New Year to you and yours! May the New Year bring health, happiness and good news to you and your families!

I invite you to post any comments or questions below. You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

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Eric Dec 29, 2011 No Comments
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Do Your Best And Forget The Rest!

The other day, Lynn Field wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Post that had a really great message. She talked about the irony of December holiday celebrations while, at the same time, high school seniors are being subjected to incredible amounts of stress and anxiety due to an increasingly complex and competitive college admissions process. She closed out her article saying, “As educators, parents, psychologists and counselors, we need to encourage teenagers to do their best for themselves — and often this can mean setting their sights on a good-enough school. The fact of the matter is, no matter what school you attend, you can get the education you desire.”

It is this message that I hope a lot of you will take to heart. A great college education is so much more about what you put into it, than it is about where you got to school. If you are fortunate enough to get into a highly selective school, then good for you! I hope you will make the most of the opportunity by networking with faculty, staff and other students. I hope you will work hard in your courses and challenge yourself to be excellent at what you do. I hope you will complete an internship or a co-op, study abroad, volunteer your time or get involved in a club or organization that it is tied to your passions. At the same time, if you go to your state’s flagship public institution, a regional state university or even the local community college, I hope you will still do the same things.

You see, it’s about the collective experiences you have during your time in college. If you choose to just go through the motions and “receive” your education, your experience will leave a lot to be desired. However, if you really buy into the opportunities around you, engage with the people you meet and go and “earn” your education, you will be so much better for it.

As you continue to work through the college admissions process, do your best and forget the rest. Find the school that is the right fit for you and invest 100% of yourself into the experience.

I invite you to post any comments or questions below. You can also email me directly at eric@doblercollegeconsulting.com.

Eric Dobler is the president and founder of Dobler College Consulting. Follow him on Twitter.

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Eric Dec 18, 2011 No Comments