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Free
Parent/Student
Upcoming
Seminars
The Angular
Student:
How
to Use your Strengths to stand out in the College
Admissions Process.
The
college admissions process has become increasingly
competitive, however students who understand their
strengths and focus on colleges with the best fit
will have a clear advantage in the admission
process. Come to this
interactive seminar led by Lisa Bleich, President
of College Bound Mentor, LLC.
Thursday March 24, 7:30
pm
Register
by calling
(908)
322-5007, x204
in
person or email to: library@scotlib.org
1927
Bartle Avenue
http://www.scotlib.org
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LD EXPO
Edison Intermediate School
800 Rahway Avenue
Westfield
March 16th at 7 p.m.
Free Parent/Student Event
Lisa and Diane will be presenting on
the college search for students with learning
differences and ADHD.
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CBM
is Facebook friendly - become a fan and stay on
top of current trends as we post updates
regularly. |
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Check out our visit to Washington
University
in St. Louis!
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There has been a lot of press and hype
about two divergent, yet controversial schools
of thought about parenting and education.
The first is Battle Hymn of the Tiger
Mother by Amy Chua who
chronicles her very strict, (some would say too
strict) approach to parenting and pushing her
kids to achieve at all costs. The second
is the documentary Race to Nowhere that
focuses on the cost of pushing kids too far and
the toll it takes on students in hyper
competitive environments.
These
two pieces have gained so much attention because
everyone is trying to figure out the answer
to how do I (or my kids) compete in an
increasingly competitive marketplace while
keeping a balance in their
lives? If you read the book or
watch the film they share a similar message even
if they come at it from different approaches.
So here is the Balance Hymn of the CB
Mentor:
For
students planning their schedules the goal is to
create a schedule that will challenge,
but not overwhelm. To
challenge yourself in your areas of strength and
yes, take the honors or AP level if you can get
a B or better without throwing the rest of your
schedule off kilter. So how do you do
this? Below are some tips to help manage
the process.
Selecting
Classes for the Coming Year
- Identify your goals
for college. If you know that
you would like to be competitive for a highly
select college (those schools accepting fewer
than 50% of their applicants), then your
schedule should be the most challenging for
you.
If you do not care about attending a highly
select college, then you have more leeway in
selecting your classes.
- Push yourself beyond
your comfort zone in areas of
strength. Go through your current
classes and identify which subjects come most
easily to you. For those areas that come
easily for you, it is important to push yourself
further. If you are very strong in English
and foreign languages, then you should be taking
the highest level in those areas. If
you spend all of your time studying an Honors
Math class and are still barely getting a B,
then you should drop down to a lower
level. If, however, you are taking Honors
Math, Spanish, and English and working hard, but
not killing yourself, and getting a B or better,
then that is the correct level.
- Go for your
interests. Once you have
fulfilled all of your graduation requirements,
it is time to take classes that interest
you. So if you have a passion for science
and no interest in foreign languages, it may be
okay to double up on science senior year and not
take another year of foreign language. The
key is to substitute equally rigorous classes in
your
area of
interest.
- Know your
limitations. Some kids over shoot
what they can handle and that can end up just as
problematic. Most college students take
between four to five classes per semester.
So if you have four AP classes along with all
your other classes and activities, that may be
too much. Determine if you do better under
pressure with a lot going or if you get
overwhelmed. The most successful students
understand their strengths and weaknesses and
work with
them.
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Should I
take the SAT or the ACT with Writing?
Testing is a necessary evil for getting
into college. So the key is to find the
test that works best for you. Colleges
accept both the ACT with writing and the
SAT. So what's the difference? The
ACT tends to be more straight- forward and also
has a science section. The SAT tends to
ask trickier questions and students with a good
vocabulary can shine. Check out the link
to build your vocabulary while also feeding the
hungry. It's a fun way to learn new
words. Build your
Vocabulary
Preparing
for Standardized Tests
1) Know which test you
are going to take. Both tests are
equally accepted so if you can focus your energy
and time on the test that suits you best, you
are ahead of the game.
2) Decide if you do
better learning in a group class or
with
one on one tutoring. Both are
effective, but some kids do better in a one on
one setting.
3) Allow enough time
to prepare. Most people do better
when they have ample time to prepare.
Allow at least three to four months of
preparation before the test. As
sophomores, you can also spread it out over time
and do things like "SAT Question of the Day" or
other sites to help you break it down over a
longer period. However, some people only
do well with a deadline hanging over their
head. So get into a prep course and do the
homework each week. This will give you a
deadline each week and keep you on
track.
4)
Figure out if you need and are eligible for
extended time. I've had several
clients improve their scores by upwards of 300
points just by getting the proper documentation
to prove they need extended time. (See Diane's
info on how to do that
below)
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What's
the Deal with SAT Subject tests? Commonly
asked Questions and Answers
How do I know if I
need to take the SAT subject
tests?
"Do I have to take
the SAT Subject tests?" is a question I often
get asked and the answer is it depends.
The subject tests or SAT II's are required by
several select colleges and if you are applying
to certain select schools, then yes you need to
take them. Most schools require or
recommend two additional subject tests in
conjunction with the SAT I or the ACT with
writing. The best way to determine if and
how many subject tests are required or
recommended is to look on the college's website
under admission requirements. If your high
school subscribes to Naviance, you can also find
the information listed there. (For our clients,
we also included it in our supplemental
application information when we gave you your
notebooks.)
What
are the Subject Tests?
The subject
tests are offered in several areas included
Math, Language, History & Social Studies,
English, and Science. It's best to take
the Subject test in the spring after you have
completed a the subject, for example if you are
taking US AP History, take the subject test
around the same time you are preparing for the
AP exam. Take the Chemistry exam right
after you've finished a full year of the
course. Math 1 is best to take towards the
end of honors algebra 2 and when you still have
a good handle on geometry. For Math 2 you will
need to be almost done with trigonometry.
Also it is important to take a Math and Science
subject test if you plan on majoring in
engineering or something science or math
related.
How are they
used?
Subject tests are most
often used by colleges for placement
purposes. They also give the admissions
committee another point of reference to
determine your understanding of a given subject
and readiness for college.
Do I
have to study for them?
It's a good
idea to review a test before going in, however
if you take it in conjunction with an AP exam,
most students do not typically require
additional studying. If not, the studying
that you do will help you prepare for your
final, so either way it's a
plus.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES AND/OR
ADHD-TEST TAKING TIPS (Advice from
Diane)
Standardized
Testing
Allow enough time (4-6
weeks) to process the necessary paperwork when
applying for testing accommodations for the
College Board or the ACT. If you
will be applying for accommodations for the
PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject Test, or ACT you need to
do the following:
1. Go to the
College Board website and read through the
Student Eligibility
Form
http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/index.html
2.
View the ACT Policy for Documentation
http://www.act.org/aap/disab/policy.html
3.
Most high schools have someone in their Child
Study Team department or guidance who can fill
out the forms for you, so ask before you spend
time. They fill out hundreds of forms and
know exactly what to
do.
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If you haven't already,
please call to set up a meeting to discuss
classes for next year and debrief on college
visits.
Phone/Fax 908-789-8566
E-mail: Lisa @collegeboundmentor.com
www.collegeboundmentor.com
Copyright 2011 ©
College Bound Mentor, LLC. All Rights Reserved
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Sincerely,
Lisa,
DIane, and Beth
College Bound Mentor,
LLC
Lisa@collegeboundmentor.com
908-789-8566
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