As juniors get ready to take the SAT or ACT, and sophomores wonder what’s in store for next year, it’s worth taking a moment to dispel the most common rumors we hear about standardized tests. Don’t get caught doing what everybody else does – it could spell trouble for you! MYTH: You should take your tests more than once. No! Do you plan to take your driving test multiple times? Do you plan to get braces on your teeth two or three times? Take your testing seriously. Study, pra

In April, students and families wonder how to choose among several colleges that offered admission. The “where do I go” question can be agonizing (in a good way). Try simplifying your decision-making process with two inquiries. What is the structure of the curriculum? For the vast majority of students – and this likely means YOU – a great university will have more academic resources than you can exhaust and more academic rigor than you can imagine. The best question to ask is

The Truth about Recommendation Letters | Selective College Consulting

Many colleges use interviews as components of their admissions process. Yet with so much emphasis on the importance of “the essay,” the so-called experts and the internet seldom pay much attention to college interviews. Although there are countless books on how to write essays, a recent internet search revealed only one book devoted to college interviews. However, interviews can prove even more important than essays. I am personally aware of multiple cases where great intervi

Here are five nuggets of advice for students who are heading off to college for the first time. These come from personal experience. 1. College is entirely different from the life you have always known. Don't kid yourself: high school has prepared you somewhat (but not that much) for the rigors of the college classroom, but it did NOT prepare you for the college environment. Perhaps the biggest struggle is time management. You haven't had this kind of unscheduled time before.

There is a lot of misinformation about how the most highly-selective colleges evaluate potential students. Colleges select applicants by one of two basic methods. State and local universities use a “simple” method, focusing on SAT (or ACT) scores and grades. Although applicants are required to write essays, those with high scores are often selected without intense scrutiny of their essays. Particularly for in-state applicants, it’s purely a numbers game. The most selective c