The Ultimate Summer Checklist for High School Students

Once you enter high school, you should spend each summer adding something to your college resume. This means that, instead of lounging around for three months, you need to have something impressive and productive lined up for the summer before it even starts.

In addition to your big summer tasks, each summer brings about different priorities and tasks that you need to complete in order to be ready for your college applications and college itself. For a detailed list of everything you need to accomplish during your high school summers, read on.

The Summer Before Class 9

Realistically, it is unlikely that you are going to be able to do anything too impressive for your college applications at this stage simply because you’re too young. Thus, this summer is all about getting ready for high school and making sure that you start the next four years off on the right foot. Here are the things you should be sure to do:

• Acquaint yourself with your high school, specifically how the classrooms are laid out, so that you won’t be lost on the first day.
• Make sure that you’re ready for high school by buying all your school supplies, figuring out transportation, buying your textbooks, finalizing your class schedule, and working out all other logistics.
• Create a four-year plan of the classes you intend to take throughout high school.  
• Make a list of which clubs and activities you may want to pursue during high school.
• If you can, try and do some community service work or attend an academic program.

Ideally, you should use these few months before starting high school to get your feet wet, so to speak, and bonus points if it is something you can put on your college resume or even use in college applications down the line.

The Summer Before Class 10

You may not be old enough to get a job or a fancy internship just yet, so try and procure a summer activity that will both impress colleges and be feasible at your age. These include:

• Taking on an impactful community service project
• Shadowing someone in a career that interests you. Even if it is just for a week or two, the experience could prove to be invaluable.
• Attending a pre-college summer program at a university you really want to attend in a field you think you may want to pursue.

Now may also be a good time to start thinking about your college list and doing a few college visits. You have some time before you need to finalize the list, though, so don’t make this your first priority.

The Summer Before Class 11

This is a huge transitional summer. Here are a few things you should consider doing:

• Again, working in a lab or hospital that takes high school students/volunteers is a great way to gain real-world business skills while making a difference.
• Taking on a big personal project like starting your own business or writing/publishing a novel.
• Taking on a research project that helps showcase your academic interests in a more tangible and applied way

This is also the time when you should start thinking about taking the SAT and ACT, as you will need one of those exams to apply to college. The earlier you start studying for each, the better off your score will be. So maybe take some time this summer to decide whether the SAT or the ACT is right for you, and start studying!

You should also start doing college visits more frequently and start writing out an official college list. You don’t need to narrow it down just yet, but you do need to start thinking about where you might want to go to college and what you may want to study. 

The Summer Before Class 12 

This is a pivotal summer for your college admissions success. Simply put, this is your last chance to do something impressive and get all of your things ready to apply to college. These are the must-do’s for the summer before senior year:

• Gather all of the information you’ll need for your college applications, including your test scores, your extracurricular profile, your community service work, and you work experience.
• Secure a copy of your latest marks, and class rank so that you can refer to it when you’re filling out your college applications.
• Take on a project that will really set you apart from other applicants on your college applications. This could be an internship at a company that takes high school interns, creating your own business or startup, etc. 
• Finalize your college list. This is an ideal time to figure out which colleges you are going to be applying to and getting everything in order for application season.
• If you’re still trying to take the SAT or ACT to get a higher score, focus on studying for those exams. You’re running out of chances to improve your score!

For More Information

Need some help figuring out your summer activities? Check out our summer sub blog

Impressing Colleges With Extracurriculars

Most high school students are under the impression that good grades will get them into college, and in part, they’re right. For many of the top colleges, good grades are almost prerequisites for acceptance in that almost all accepted students will have them. However, colleges are not just looking for students who excel academically. They are looking for well-rounded students who also excel in extracurricular activities.

The extracurriculars that you participate in outside of school hours give colleges an idea of what you’re interested in, what your skills are, and what your character is like. There aren’t specific extracurricular activities that colleges value over the others. As long as you ware pursuing things you are passionate about and can prove that you have challenged yourself and succeeded outside of the classroom, that’s fine.

It’s up to you to find whichever extracurriculars spark your interest and will impress colleges. To help you narrow down your extracurricular choices to the best ones you want to pursue, here are some aspects for you to consider. For help on choosing the best extracurriculars for your high school career and college applications, read on.

Quality over Quantity

Many high school students fall into the trap of thinking that, in order to impress colleges, they need to participate in as many extracurriculars as possible. In fact, this is not the best strategy. Many college admissions officers have said that they would rather students choose a few extracurriculars that they truly enjoy and focus on making a real impact in those instead of joining a large number of extracurriculars and not doing anything meaningful in them.

Thus, when you’re choosing your extracurriculars, don’t choose the ones with the least time commitment, and don’t try and join as many clubs and organizations as you can. Join those extracurriculars that you genuinely enjoy and see yourself making a lasting impact with.

Passion vs. Impression

Some clubs like Key Club, National Honor Society, and others have a reputation for being great clubs to have on your college application. While they may look good on a college resume, does that mean you have to join them? Absolutely not!

When you’re choosing your extracurriculars, keep in mind that colleges care more about what you did in those extracurriculars and what impact you had than just joining a club because it looks good on your resume. Also, don’t be scared of being involved in an lesser known or more obscure activity because you feel like the college won’t know what it is. You’ll have an opportunity on your college application to explain, and you may even stand out in the admissions process for having a unique experience.

The bottom line is to delve into something you are truly passionate about because that’s what is going to stand out to colleges. You’ll probably find that you’re motivated to make an impact in those extracurriculars anyway.

Leadership and Impact

Colleges love to see that you were able to take on a leadership role in your extracurriculars. It shows that you were invested in the activity, took on some responsibility, and had a real role in making that activity what it was. After all, those with leadership roles tend to have the biggest authority to make an impact.

So, when you’re narrowing down your extracurricular activities, give some thought to the activities that will give you the best chance of a leadership role down the line. Here are some ways for you to build your leadership skills so that you can eventually get that coveted position:

• Increase Your Participation in the Organization: A great way to show an organization that you have the dedication to assume a leadership role is to become deeply involved with the organization. Try and participate in as many projects and deliverables as you can, and be sure to show your enthusiasm for the work that you are doing.
• Lead a Project Within the Club: Before you try and assume a large leadership position, you should get some experience running things in the club. If you can get permission from the current leadership in the organization, try to propose and run a project, fundraiser, or other event. You’ll learn the ins and outs of the organization and get some great experience for your college resume!
• Get to Know the Other Members of the Organization/Club: Any activity is more enjoyable when you do it with people you like being around. Try and get to know as many people as you can in the clubs that you’re in. Not only will you have a better time in the organization and thus be more motivated to make a difference, but you will also be increasing your popularity in the organizations in case leadership positions are decided by popular vote.

Commitment and Time Management

While time commitment shouldn’t be the first thing you take into consideration when choosing extracurriculars, it should definitely be in the back of your mind as you’re deciding how many extracurriculars to participate in.  Some extracurriculars require more of a time commitment than others, and sometimes, one extracurricular can take up so much of your time that you end up neglecting other extracurriculars or being unable to participate in other activities at all.

You should be aware of both the amount of time that each extracurricular is going to require and set some realistic expectations about how much time you are willing to dedicate during a week to extracurricular activities. You want to put in enough time to your extracurriculars to make an impact, but you don’t want to have to neglect your schoolwork or worse, your health.

Are PSAT Scores Related to SAT Scores?

If you are in high school preparing to take the SAT, looking at PSAT scores may be a source of encouragement or of concern. You may be wondering: Does getting a good score on the PSAT mean I will get a good score on the SAT? The answer is it depends on a few different factors. Keep reading to find out why your PSAT score does not necessarily mean you will receive a similar score on the SAT, and why studying is the only way to guarantee a strong performance.

What Is the PSAT? Is It the Same as the SAT?

The PSAT and the SAT are two standardized tests taken by high school students and administered by the College Board. The PSAT is two hours and 45 minutes long. The SAT takes three hours, along with an optional additional fifty minute essay section. PSAT stands for Preliminary SAT, so it can be viewed as a practice SAT.

In terms of content, the PSAT and SAT cover basically the same subject areas. The PSAT has three sections: reading, writing and language, and math. The SAT has these same three sections, but also offers the optional essay to demonstrate your writing abilities. 

Essentially the PSAT is a little bit shorter, has no essay, and will not be sent to colleges as a part of your application, while your SAT scores are.

How Does It Relate to the SAT?

For most students, the PSAT is a good projection of how you will generally do on the SAT. While it is certainly not exact, it can give you a ballpark range of where you would be if you were taking the SAT.  However, it is a less accurate predictor of SAT performance the earlier you take it, so there is a higher likelihood of your performance changing, since you will have learned more material in the meantime.

How Might Your Scores Change?

Your PSAT score might be lower than your SAT score because you are younger when you take the PSAT than the SAT, although certain material may be easier to recall because you may be taking classes that cover the material around that time. Then again, that could also happen on the SAT. Be sure to compare your knowledge base (what you know, what classes you are taking, what classes and materials you have yet to take and learn, and so on) with the subject matter covered by both tests so that you still know what you already knew well already, along with what you need to review and study.

On the flip side, the PSAT is generally considered to be slightly easier than the SAT, so your score may be a little bit higher than it is on the SAT. This may be because you feel less stressed about the PSAT, or you may find the content easier or more familiar. Additionally, unlike the SAT, there is no essay on the PSAT, which can reduce stress for some students.

But in the end, what really matters is that you prepare well for the tests. Just because you score well on the PSAT does not mean you will on the SAT, just as a low PSAT score does not necessarily mean a low SAT score. 

The Take-Away

The PSAT is not necessarily the best indicator of what your final score will be because there is always room for improvement or regression, depending on whether you study to maintain a high score or improve a low one. Still, the PSAT can be useful as a benchmark to find out where you are. If you know what you are good at and what you can improve (which will be included in the score reports), you can design a study schedule that will finesse your strengths and lead to great performance on the SAT.

Ultimately, your score can change drastically from the PSAT to the SAT. If you did not originally get the score you hoped for, don’t worry. Study up! And, if you already did, study some more! The PSAT can be a useful guide and test-run, but it is not the SAT that you will be sending to colleges. For that, you must also prepare.

Still need help with test standardized tests? Check out out SAT Prep section or come have a chat with us!

6 Things You Can Do Today To Improve Your SAT/ACT Score

As you start studying for and taking the SAT or ACT, you may find yourself in one of two situations: Either you’ve taken the SAT or ACT before and didn’t get as high of a score as you were aiming for or you’re taking practice tests before your SAT and you aren’t seeing any score improvement from those.

In both cases, you may be feeling frustrated and hopeless, thinking that you’ve tried everything and nothing seems to be working. Rest assured, however, that not all hope is lost. We at Edbrand have made a detailed list of some study strategies you can try today to improve your SAT or ACT score. Read through it and see if there’s a strategy you haven’t tried yet!

1. Identify Your Deficiencies

Reviewing all the concepts and doing all the practice problems you can find may be an inefficient use of your study time, especially after you’ve been doing that for a while. A better way to help your SAT score is to target your review of concepts and practice questions towards those that you struggle with the most.

You can identify these deficiencies by going back through your completed practice exams/questions and analyzing the questions that you got wrong. More often than not, you’ll find that one or two specific subjects, concepts, or type of questions accounted for most of your missed points.

2. Create A Study Plan

Once you’ve identified your deficiencies and know what topics to focus on, bring out a calendar and plan out what day and time in the next few weeks/months you are going to review and what concepts you are going to review. To be thorough, you can also decide what materials you are going to use to review each concept.

While you’re making your test prep plan, make sure you work in some time to do some practice problems. It’s important to not just review the material for the SAT/ACT on a conceptual level but to also apply it in the way that you will be expected to on the exam. If you can master the practice questions, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to master the concepts on the exam.

3. Widen Your Breadth of Study Materials

Until this point, you may have been relying on a test prep book, an online app, or your old class notes to study for this exam. While this method may be working for you and you may be understanding the material that is right in front of you, you may be missing some of the key material that will be covered on the exam. One test prep resource may not cover every concept, vocab, or type of question that’ll be on the real SAT/ACT.

Thus, in order to increase your score, you may want to seek out some new study materials. Here are some of the materials that are available to you:

• SAT/ACT Prep Apps: These apps can be accessed wherever you are, making it easy to study for the SAT/ACT no matter where you are. If you don’t know which apps to download, try consulting The Best Apps to Organize Your College Planning.
• Test Prep Books: Even if you’ve already bought one, it might be worth trying a different brand to see different test strategies and ways of approaching each testable concept. You may even want to consider purchasing or borrowing a book of just practice questions to get some more practice in.
• Flash Cards: There are various flashcards you can purchase at your local bookstore to help you with concepts like vocabulary words or important mathematical formulas that won’t be given to you on the formula sheet. You can even make the flashcards yourself. Making the flashcards could even serve as an extra review of the concepts! 

4. Know The Test

It may be worth spending a few hours to go over the structure of the test, the types of questions that are going to be asked, what the graders are looking for in the essay, and overall figuring out how you can use the test to your advantage. By knowing how CollegeBoard and the ACT organization structure and approach their exam, you can start to see the test from their perspective and come up with some test-taking strategies that will increase your score.

For example, the SAT questions (with the exception of Critical Reading) are arranged in ascending order of difficulty. Thus, you shouldn’t spend a lot of time on the questions at the beginning and to save your time for the trickier questions at the end. This strategy will help you finish the exam and answer every question with the highest possible accuracy.

As another example, the ACT will reward you with one point for a right answer on their multiple choice section, but they will not deduct any points for a wrong answer. Thus, it is beneficial, on the ACT, to answer every single question, regardless of whether you are confident in that answer or not. After all, you have a 25% chance of getting it right.

5. Be Disciplined

Even if you’ve set aside enough study time during the past few weeks/months, you haven’t been as efficient with your studying as you may have led yourself to believe. If you’ve found yourself on your phone or laptop, checking social media, talking with friends or family, or do anything other than studying for your exam during your allotted study time, you probably haven’t done as much studying as you think you have.

Remember that, while you’re studying, all distractions should be far away from you. That means that the phone should be off, the laptop should be put away, and you should be studying in a quiet space away from others. As long as you focus on studying during your study time, you’ll be able to retain and recall the material better on the actual exam.

For more information on testing check out pages from the SAT and ACT Test prep Sub-blogs!

4 Reasons to Prioritize Health and Fitness in High School

Health and fitness is an important and beneficial interest to pursue at any age, but it can be particularly helpful to build dedication in these areas during your years as a high schooler. These pursuits include everything from exercising regularly and eating nutritiously to educating yourself about how to get the most from your body and staying on top of your own preventative health care.

Sometimes, when you’re busy, your own personal wellbeing and self-care can be shoved aside in favor of studying or student council. But taking care of yourself and building healthy habits as a high school student is important for you both right now and further down the line. Even if you don’t consider yourself a jock, prioritizing your dedication to health and fitness as a high school student has long-reaching benefits that extend far beyond your physical fitness. To learn about five of them, keep reading.

1. Exercising Benefits Mental Health

When you exercise, your body responds positively. Some of these responses are chemical in nature and others are behavioral. Either way, the evidence agrees overwhelmingly that regular physical exertion has positive effects on your mental health.

As you exercise, the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol decrease in your body. At the same time, exercise stimulates the creation of endorphins, which are natural mood boosters and painkillers.

Exercise also boosts your spirits in other ways. Regular physical exertion is associated with increased self-confidence, positive self-image, and an elevated sense of control over your life. You’re also more likely to feel invigorated or energized if you exercise regularly, and these feelings can spill over into other areas of your life. Your increased energy could help with studying, other extracurriculars, or simply enjoying time with friends. The emotional impacts of exercising regularly are overwhelmingly positive.

2. Regular Fitness Participation Can Help You to Meet New People

It can be difficult to branch out socially in high school once students have established their core groups of friends, but fitness can be a social activity that brings people together. Whether you are participating in team sports, individual sports, sports clubs, or fitness classes, or you just go to the gym regularly, you are bound to meet new people with whom you share a common interest. Over time, you’re bound to strike up conversations and build connections with people you’d otherwise never have met.

If you participate in fitness pursuits outside of your high school, you might even meet people from different schools or other age groups. Feeling like you are part of a community and have a group of supporters can be an invaluable investment in your own confidence, accountability, and well-being. Your dedication to health and fitness can help you to establish a solid support network. Some fitness programs, like Crossfit, are based largely in the sense of community developed by participating in them.

3. Health and Fitness Can Be a Valuable Extracurricular

One factor that admissions committees weigh when reviewing your college application is the commitment and dedication that you’ve exhibited through extracurricular activities. A passion for health and fitness is easily pursued as an extracurricular through a number of different avenues.

You might join a school sport, participate in or even start a club sport or fitness club, volunteer to teach healthy habits to elementary schoolers, or even get a job related to your passion, like a fitness class instructor or gym supervisor. Pursuing one or multiple extracurriculars related to your passion over an extended period will not only build your own knowledge and skills in the field, but also show colleges that you are capable of pursuing your interests seriously, sustaining your commitment over a prolonged period and perhaps even building to leadership roles.

Your pursuit of and dedication to health and fitness can thereby become an important extracurricular on your college applications, highlighting your initiative, commitment, and leadership skills.

4. Developing a Healthy Lifestyle is a Key Piece of Autonomy

While there are many skills and habits that you’ll need to develop during high school and college in order to establish your independence, living a healthy lifestyle is among the most important. The physical and mental benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle are numerous, and by establishing the foundation of this lifestyle while you’re still in high school, you set yourself up to continue it into college and beyond.

College can be a tempting time to develop unhealthy habits. For some students, it becomes a time of experimentation, testing their body’s limits and responses to unhealthy stimuli ranging from sleep deprivation and unhealthy eating to experimentation with alcohol and drug use. If you prioritize a healthy lifestyle as a high school student, you’re less likely to compromise these values in college.

Healthy living and personal fitness are valuable pursuits not only for your own physical well-being, but also for the number of non-physical benefits that they provide. Not only can these areas of interest lead to a serious professional field, but also they can provide mental health and social benefits as well. Prioritizing your pursuit of these and establishing the habits of a healthy lifestyle while still in high school can lead to success across many aspects of your life.

Have more questions about high school life? Read our blog

3 Ways to Help your Teen Manage High School Stress

High school is a challenging and demanding time, and your child will experience a fair amount of stress. However, you can be a support system for your student as he or she deals will these challenges. Read on for three strategies for making sure your child’s stress doesn’t get the best of her.

1. Promote Balance

If your child is taking on too much, he or she could be hurting herself and her mental health. Remind her about the dangers of overcommitting; not only can she become overly stressed, but her academic life could suffer if she doesn’t pay attention to her well-being. Make sure your child is taking time for her health and wellness.

2. Be Proactive About Your Child’s College Search

When your child is a freshman, start thinking about college selection research. It’s not too early to be thinking about what kind of college your child might want to attend in four years. As a tenth or eleventh grader, she should be researching colleges and formulating her college list. Developing a strategy early can reduce stress later on.

3. Take Advantage of Summer

Colleges want to see students being productive during summers. Discuss summer programs, jobs, volunteering, and other ideas for how your child can spend summers productively. Check out 3 things you should be doing this summer for more ideas. Start planning early in the year to avoid having to scramble at the last minute; many programs, for instance, require students to apply in the winter to consider applications

Final Thoughts

Be supportive and step in when your child seems overwhelmed. Even if your student doesn’t ask for help, make it clear that you're there to support and help her through any issues that arise. If the stress seems too difficult for you and your child to figure out together, consider other resources, such as your child’s guidance counselor or a mental health professional.

7 Things You Still Need To Do Even After You’ve Chosen Your College

You put in a lot of hard work over the past four years. You dedicated yourself to service projects and passionately pursued extracurriculars. You studied for standardized tests, and when you weren’t satisfied with your first scores, you prepped and prepped again. You completed your courses with diligence and took responsibility for your academic achievement, and it paid off.

You made it through college application season, and you’ve chosen the school that you’re going to attend. You’re nearing the finish line. You can finally breathe a sigh of relief, right?

Well, yes and no. While the rigors of college applications and vying for a spot at your dream school are now behind you, (and you’ve most certainly earned a break), there are a few more important things to take care of before you post up on your beach chair and let the summer begin.

In this post we’ll outline ten things you need to do after you’ve chosen your college and before your arrival on campus in the fall. Some are absolute essentials, and others are just helpful recommendations, but all will ultimately make your transition to college smoother and more carefree. Keep reading to learn ten things you still need to take care of, even after you’ve chosen your college.

1. Send Your Decision and Enrollment Deposit by the Deadline

This might seem like a no-brainer, and it usually is, but can you imagine the heartbreak of losing your place at your dream school just because you forgot to send your college admissions acceptance and deposit back? Yeah, us neither. Do yourself a favor and make this a TOP priority. No procrastinating — do it as soon as you’re certain of your choice.

2. Decline Other Offers

While you aren’t technically required to formally decline an offer for college admission, it’s the right thing to do for a few different reasons.

First of all, the admissions committee took the time to review your application carefully and ultimately offered you a place at their school. It makes sense that you would give them the same courtesy of a few minutes of your time in return. Second, if you take the time to decline the offer, the school is able to more quickly offer your place to someone else, if they choose to do so. If the roles were reversed, and you were on the waitlist hoping to get a place at that school, you’d be grateful for timely students who formally declined their offers in advance. 

3. Review Financial Aid Packages and Formally Accept Ones to be Used

Some students may have several aid packages to choose from. If you’re reviewing financial aid options, generally you should accept scholarships and grants first, followed by work-study programs, and finally loans only if necessary.

But don’t accept anything until you’re certain that you understand it. Some scholarships come with strict rules, and certain grants turn into loans if you don’t meet your side of the bargain. Also, if you’ve been offered a loan that is bigger than what you’re likely to need, you should consider asking for only a portion of it. It’s never good to over-borrow.

Once you know what package you’ll be accepting, make sure to formalize it by letting the school know what aid you’re accepting. Sometimes you do so by entering the information into an online form; other times, you have to sign and return a letter. You may also need to sign a promissory note, which indicates that you will repay your loan.

No matter what your specific situation is, be sure that you understand your financial aid package and that you take the correct steps to formally accept it, if applicable. Your award letter will contain directions specific to your package.

4. Decide on Your Housing Arrangement

At some colleges, all freshmen are required to live on campus in assigned dormitories. If that’s the case at your school, your decision is already made for you. But if it’s not, you should consider where you are going to live next year.

While dorms might be an easy option, you should also consider the cost of room and board, the rules of dorm life, and the types of shared living spaces to which you’ll have access. Some students find it is more economical to live off-campus. Others simply prefer to be more independent. And still more are content to live in dorms. Research your options and make an informed decision.

5. Put Orientation on Your Calendar

At many colleges, orientation is required for new students, and even if it’s not mandatory, it is still very beneficial to attend. At orientation, you’ll learn the campus layout, gather information about campus services, get to know other incoming students, and sometimes even register for classes.

Keep in mind that if you are attending a school where course registration takes part during orientation, you should consider attending an orientation date on the earlier side to ensure that you can get into the classes you want to take. Many schools now offer parent orientations as well. Find out if this is an option at your school and make sure your parents know about it.

6. Check Out the Course Catalogue

Even if you don’t register for classes until orientation, it’s a good idea to do some thinking about what you’re interested in ahead of time. Pay particular attention to any programs or academic tracks with prescribed prerequisites. The earlier you can enroll in these prerequisites, the more options you’ll have later on.

Also, sometimes you can choose prerequisite classes that fill other requirements too. That way, even if you later decide that you don’t want to pursue premed classes, your introductory calculus class from freshman year might still fulfill the math graduation requirement. Beyond browsing course descriptions, also consider the course schedule. If you will be playing a sport or working an afternoon job, you’ll need to schedule classes to accommodate your commitments. Having some familiarity with the schedule before you register will make the process easier in the long run.

7. Send in Your Tuition Payments on Time

This is another one that seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a fairly integral part of the process. While it’s generally quite consistent that most schools require an enrollment deposit with your formal acceptance, the date that your first actual tuition payment is due will vary significantly from school to school. Be sure that you know this date and have the money liquidated and ready to be sent by the deadline.

Important Next Steps After Receiving a College Acceptance Letter

March is THE month for admissions decisions on regular decision applications. For all of you 12th graders who are waiting to hear back from colleges, your wait is over! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Decision time is upon you!

Just because you’ve been accepted into college, however, doesn’t mean your college admissions process is over. There are still a few final steps you need to complete to ensure that you will be attending the college of your choice next year. For a complete list of everything you need to do to secure your college future, read on.

Ask The Tough Questions

Now that you’ve gotten into a college, it’s time to think if what that college is offering really the best choice for you? Even if the college you were accepted to is your number one choice, you should really think hard about whether this is the college for you before you accept the offer.

Here are some things that you really need to consider before you make a final decision on whether you will attend the college you were accepted to:

• Finances: Can you and your family realistically afford this school? Are there financial aid options available to you if you attend this school?
• Location: Do you really want to live in ________ for the next four years?
• Campus: Do you get a good vibe or impression of the campus when you visit it? Do the buildings and the overall campus feel make you excited to go there?
• Friendships: Are you going to know anyone or have anyone to help you get settled if you go to this college, or are you going to have to start your social life over again?
• Career Prospects (*THIS ONE IS BIG*): Is this the best college to gain the skills that will help you pursue the career field you are interested in? Is the degree program that you would be entering into well-ranked?
• Immigration: Take into account the country its in and if immigration is favorable. If not, how will they help you getting opportunities in your home country. These are things we often forget to factor in but very important if you are an international student

Visit (or Revisit) The Campus

Oftentimes, if a student is struggling with the decision between two or more campuses, they do another round of campus tours to help bring them some clarity about which campus they should choose. Walking around a campus as an accepted student rather than just a prospective student forces one to look at a campus a lot more critically and notice new things that you like/dislike about the campus. Now, we know a lot of you are international students but hey this is a big investment into your future! Definitely find the time to Skype admissions, other international students, and faculty before you take the plunge.  

Many universities big and small have a designated day dedicated to incoming freshman. The college will usually have all sorts of fun activities planned and have a lot of opportunities for you to learn more about the academics, campus life, and other opportunities.

Try to go to these on-campus events if you can because they will be the easiest way for you to get the most information about your prospective life at that school in a relatively short amount of time. Keep in mind, however, that the entire point of these events will be to convince you to attend the university, so the information you get may be a tad biased

If You Feel That This Is The College For You, Accept The Offer

If you have revisited the campus, asked the tough questions, consulted with your friends and family about whether attending this college would be feasible, and you still think that this is the college for you, go ahead and accept the offer! You have officially succeeded in the college application process!

Make sure that you accept the offer by the decision deadline. For most universities, decision day is May 1st. Accepting sooner rather than later is usually preferred, but if you have to wait until closer to the deadline because you’re waiting to hear from another college, it won’t negatively impact your admissions decision at all.

Usually, the college will require you to submit a financial deposit along with your acceptance confirmation response. This won’t always be due at the same time as your acceptance confirmation, but you should do it as soon as possible to secure your spot at the university and ensure that you are officially enrolled.

It is important to note that your financial deposit is not the same as your tuition. Tuition is a separate, often much larger, fee that will be required a little bit closer to when you start college.

Also, if the university in question has offered you some sort of financial aid, you will likely have to send in a separate acceptance confirmation for your financial aid package. Be sure to check with the college’s financial aid office to make sure you’re completing all the necessary steps to receive your financial aid in the fall.

Decline All Other Offers

If you’re one of those lucky students who is considering multiple college offers, make sure you respond to every college that has accepted you. Once you’ve accepted a college, you need to individually reject each other offer that you were considering. It’s not enough to simply let the acceptance deadline pass.

If you don’t accept a college by the deadline, a college will likely rescind their offer of acceptance. While this won’t negatively affect your college prospects in any way, it goes against the common etiquette practices in college admissions.

Start Preparing For Your First Semester of College

You have gone through the wringer with college applications, but unfortunately, your work has just begun. Now, you have the fun task of uprooting yourself and moving to a college campus. With that comes many logistical complications that you need to work out well before your first semester. Here is a short list of some of the things you need to start thinking about sooner rather than later so that you’ll be ready for college:

• Attending your first college orientation
• Submitting all vaccinations and other necessary forms required by the university
• Signing up for your fall-semester classes
• Creating a four-year degree plan
• Finding Housing/Roommates

Congratulations once again. Read more about college life here!

8 Things Parents Need to Know About SAT and ACT Studying Prep

For many teens, the ACT or SAT tests are the first task they undertake that has the real potential to shape their future. While test scores are just one of many parts of the college admissions game, they are often an integral piece of the college applications that will shape your child’s path in higher education. For students who perform well on them, doors will open. And for others, sometimes doors will close.

We at Edbrand know how stressful this sounds, and while these tests are indeed important, don’t worry. Your teen doesn’t have to go through this stressful experience all by him or herself. There are many ways that you can help, and there are lots of opportunities to build a team of other supporters too. With some basic knowledge of the SAT and ACT studying preparation process, you can help to support and guide your child through this process too.

Here are nine things every parent should know about SAT and ACT prep work.

1. Your child needs to choose one test and focus on it.

It’s easy to assume that because there are two tests accepted by colleges and universities, your child should prepare for both and then submit whichever scores are best. We hear this a lot, but it’s not the best strategy.

Remember, preparing for the SAT or ACT is hard work and it exacts a toll in energy, time, and stress. Prepping for two separate tests when you intend to submit scores from only one of them is a waste. Instead, your child should choose which test to take early on, and focus his or her energy on preparing for that test alone.

2. There is no ‘better’ test, so choosing between the SAT and ACT is a personal choice with no one-size-fits-all answer.    

True, the SAT and ACT are very different tests. For starters, the ACT includes a science section, its essay portion is structured differently, and overall it requires students to move from one question to the next at a quicker pace. Meanwhile, the SAT has undergone recent changes, study materials are still being adapted for the latest version, and many commercially produced study guides are now out of date.

While the SAT has by many counts built a bigger name simply by being associated with a host of other standardized tests from the College Board (PSAT, PSAT 8/9, etc.) and by having a century-old history, in 2011 the number of students taking the ACT exceeded the number taking the SAT for the first time, and it continues to gather a bit more momentum each year.

This is all to say, there is no one test that is better than the other. To choose which test is the best choice for him or her, your student will need to research the tests and should ideally take a practice test from each one to decide which feels more comfortable while also considering which yielded a higher score.

3. Encourage your child to set a realistic goal score.

It can be difficult to gauge an appropriate goal without any data, so your child should enlist all the help he or she can get when setting this goal. First, use the diagnostic test as a starting point. Consider what your child scored on this test, and encourage him or her to set a goal that represents significant improvement without overextension.

To get a better idea of an appropriate goal, consider talking to a guidance counselor, SAT tutor, or private college adviser such as us. Obviously, the lower the score, the more room there is for improvement, so a goal of improving up to 200 SAT or 5 ACT points can be feasible if the starting score is under about 1100 (SAT) or 22 (ACT). If the starting score is higher, the margin of improvement may be smaller, but it can still be significant.

When setting the goal score, also consider the range of scores accepted at target colleges. For safety schools, your teen’s goal score should fall above 75% of the range of acceptable scores. For target schools, it should fall at least around 50%, and for reach schools your teen should aim to fall above 25% of the admitted score range.

4. Even students who are ‘bad test-takers’ can do very well on the SAT or ACT with the right preparation.

Although your child may not excel on tests in school, or even on previously taken standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are a bit different. These tests don’t measure knowledge gained and don’t require the rote memorization that many other tests do. Instead, they focus on measuring critical thinking skills and how a student is able to apply their knowledge in unique or complex ways.

Because these tests are so different from the other tests that students typically take, there is really no such thing as a “bad test-taker” when it comes to the SAT or ACT. Instead, there are prepared test-takers and unprepared test-takers.

Learning how to perform well on the SAT or ACT is a skill in and of itself, and preparing specifically for these tests is important. Many smart, high-performing high school students will find that they do not perform as well as they expected simply because they took their performance for granted and did not prepare specifically for the test.

With the appropriate preparation and attention paid to SAT- or ACT-specific skills, all students can improve their test scores and be successful on these important assessments.

5. There is no one-size-fits-all preparation method.

Most of your child’s test preparation should focus on test-taking strategies. Of course, there will also be some content and core curriculum that needs brushing up on, but the majority of the work to prepare for the SAT or ACT is focused specifically on how to take these tests in a smart and focused way.

Different students will benefit from different test-taking strategies. Your child’s formative or diagnostic assessment will help to highlight areas in need of improvement. Rather than viewing these as academic areas of weakness, though, they should be thought of as unfamiliar question types or strategies.

It is possible for your child to tackle SAT or ACT prep on his or her own. To do this, start with a highly rated commercial study guide or use the free resources endorsed by the College Board and available through Khan Academy. By creating a thoughtful study timeline based on the materials available, your child will be able to learn strategies and content in a focused and timely manner.

Another option for test prep is a tutor or test prep service. Although these services generally cost more than simply buying a commercial study guide, they also provide more insider knowledge than can be provided in a book. Tutors and test prep services are intimately familiar with the test, and have tried and true strategies that they’ve developed with many students over an extended period of time.

Before committing to any paid service, be sure to ask about the specific costs associated with the service, the time commitment that will be required of your child, and the average test score increase that most clients experience.

6. Expect for your child to take the test more than once.    

Even if you begin test preparations well in advance of your child’s first test date, the vast majority of all students will take the ACT or SAT more than once. This is because the test-taking environment can be stressful and, despite thorough preparations, nothing can exactly recreate the actual test-day experience.

The first time your child takes the test, it should be thought of as a dry run. If your child happens to get the score he or she was looking for on the first try, that’s great! If not, remember that this first test helps to get your child more comfortable with the testing experience and gets first-test jitters out of the way. The next test will be a less stressful experience, and most students experience the greatest score improvements between their first and second test administration.

7. You know your child. Think about how you can support him or her best.

Different students need different kinds of support and thrive in different learning environments. For example, if you know that your child typically needs one-on-one support to focus and excel, a group test prep class is obviously not a good idea.

You should also keep in mind your child’s individual temperament. Is your child typically self-motivated and puts a lot of pressure on him or herself, or does your child often need external motivation to get started? Does your child get stressed out easily?

You are the parent, and you know your child best. Think about how to support him or her without adding any unnecessary stress, and be careful not to let your own anxiety or worry rub off on your teen.

8. How You Can Help

Developing study routines is something that you can certainly get involved with to help set your child on the path to success. This could take many forms, but here are some ideas to get you started:

• Create a quiet study space for your child. Stock the area with writing utensils, scrap paper, an appropriate calculator, and a dictionary or study guide.
• Institute a “Question of the Day” in your house. You can find practice SAT or ACT questions online or in study guides. Take care not to make this a competitive or anxiety-producing experience; instead, try to keep it fun and lighthearted. 
• Help with time management. High school students are busy. They often have an extensive schedule of extracurriculars following their full day at school. It can be hard to find consistent time to prepare for anything else. Help your child to review a calendar, come up with a weekly study time goal, and commit to specific study times during the week to ensure that he or she finds the time necessary.
• Help with stress management. Not only are high school students busy, they are also stretched thin, often to the point of stress. You can help by creating a calm and supportive environment at home. Try to be involved without meddling by letting your child know that you’re available for advice or simply to listen anytime.
• Help with logistics. Your child will need to register for the test, arrange transportation, and make sure that he or she has all the required tools packed and ready to go on test day. These are all things that you can help with. Review the SAT or ACT calendar to become familiar with registration deadlines and put them on your household calendar. Offer to drive your student to the exam, and make sure you know where it is and how you’ll get there. Help your child to review a test day checklist and make sure that everything is packed and ready to go the night before the test.    
• Finally, make sure your child knows that a test doesn’t define his or her worth. Yes, the SAT or ACT is probably the most important test he or she has taken, but ultimately it won’t change who your child is or what he or she’s capable of doing. Remind your child that although it’s a big one, the test is still just a test. There may be an eye roll in response, but don’t worry, we’re used to that.

If you still have questions about the SAT or ACT, come meet us!

Parents: How To Get Your Child To Take Academic Responsibility

As parents, you probably feel that your child is incredible. To you, they are intelligent, motivated, intellectual, creative, and everything that colleges would ever want in a student However, as brilliant as your child may be, you may recognize that they don’t always try their best when it comes to schoolwork.

It’s important that you as a parent note that this kind of apathetic behavior towards school work is perfectly normal. As the school year drones on and the spring semester gets well underway, students often lose interest in academics. It’s possible that they have been in the same classes for so many months that they may be getting bored of the subject. It’s also possible that they may not fully understand how much is riding on their academics from a college admissions perspective.

Either way, if you feel like your teenager is lacking academic responsibility or may be losing interest in school, here are some suggestions you can try to help get your child back on track.

Realize That Times Have Changed

Just because high school and college applications were a certain way when you were in high school doesn’t mean that that’s how they are now. With the advent of technology in private education schools and changing pedagogies, the likelihood of there being similarities between your high school experience and theirs is pretty slim.

Thus, when you’re talking to your child about schoolwork and assessing whether they’ve lost interest in academics, it’s important to not compare your high school career to theirs. You truly don’t know everything about what they’re going through, so the, “When I was your age, we did…” argument is truly irrelevant here.

Of course, you should try to give your child advice but only where you think you are qualified to give it. A good method is to not tell your teenager what you did when you were their age but instead tell them what you would do if you were in high school now. Finally, make sure that it is clear to your child that just because times have changed doesn’t mean that you are not still knowledgeable and capable of helping him/her.

Motivate

The fact of the matter is that you are your teenager’s parent, not a cool teacher or a counselor who your teen may feel comfortable sharing their struggles with. It’s important for you to try and break down that communication barrier by presenting yourself as someone who is here to help rather than rigid old Mom/Dad with impossibly high expectations.

A great way to try and break down that communication barrier to start by assuring your teen that it is okay for them to make mistakes as long as they learn from them and that you are always there to help them if they need it. You need to also stress that when he/she talks to you, they are in a no-judgment zone. Your only goal should be to help your teen, not criticize them. If your teen knows that you are serious about that, they will be more motivated to share their life with you.

Hopefully, by creating this safe environment for your child to talk, your child will be able to open up about his/her academic struggles. From there, you two can work together to find the root of the issue and start working to get your child back on track.

Encourage Asking For Help

It’s not that easy to get back on the right academic track by yourself, especially as a busy high school student with a host of other responsibilities that have nothing to do with academics. Thus, it is often necessary to bring in others to help fix an academic situation in need.

It is up to you, as the parent, to make sure your child has all of the tools that they need to succeed. Be sure to stress to your teen that you are there to help them succeed academically, whether it be helping them with their homework or getting them some school supplies to be more organized. You can also tell them that you’re more than willing to outsource the help to a professional like a near-peer mentor, counselor, or tutor who can better relate to them and understand their academic struggles.

If your teen knows that there are all of these resources at their disposal and tons of people who are rooting for him/her to succeed, they may start to get the sense that academics are important. It may even motivate them to start improving their grades on their own.

 Be Tolerant

Teens are often in an emotional state while they’re in high school, and can you blame them? The high school environment is not always kind, what with the prevalence of bullying, cliques, and other social pressures in many high schools. Try to put yourself in their shoes for a moment and understand what they might be going through emotionally. Their emotional state and their school environment all factor into their academic performance.

If you create an open, loving, and tolerant environment for your teen to share what their experiences in school are like and overall what is going on with them, your teen may be more open and honest with you. They may also respect you more and be more likely to take your advice on getting their academics back on track

The Takeaway

When it comes to eliciting change from your child, it’s important to create an open, non-judgmental conversation with the sole aim of helping your teen. Let them know that their problems are your problems and that you are only interested in their success. From there, you can foster a positive relationship that will lead to your teen’s academic improvement.

For other helpful advice for the parents of high school students, check out our parenting sub-blog!