How the Tutor Connection Pays Off

Parents wonder not “if,” but “when” to hire an SAT tutor for their future collegian. Seventh grade may be too soon and rising August senior very likely too late.

But when’s the sweet spot? While SAT prep books such as those produced by College Board deserve a look-see early, comfort level dictates the best time. A knowledgeable SAT tutor should be chosen about the same time as a knowledgeable doctor, before a minor setback turns into a real problem.

It's important to vet test prep tutors. Keep an eye on the strategic Big Picture. Make certain you see evidence of their flexibility ... how their methods can focus and re-focus to help your student improve in areas over an extended testing period.

Many tutors offer practice tests, but does yours consistently monitor testing progress, help uncover the best test fit by analyzing practice tests and session results -- changing course if necessary?

Acing the SAT can require memorizing hundreds of math and grammar rules, learning dozens of test-taking strategies, and acquiring a thorough understanding of the test format.  After all of this preparation and pressure, your teenager is supposed to, somehow, sleep soundly enough to arrive bright-eyed and well-rested on the big day. 

Fortunately, your student doesn't have to travel this road alone.  Professional help makes a world of difference.  All students can benefit from the help of an SAT tutor, from test-taking veterans looking to perfect their score, to overwhelmed students looking to manage test-related anxiety, to anybody looking to raise their score a few points to get into that dream school. 

Tutors are the personal trainers of academia. They provide a structure within which students may address areas of weakness and build upon preexisting strengths.  Tutors challenge students to examine not only what questions were missed but why.  They explain the test structure and provide useful strategies, helping students to work and study smarter, not just harder.  Tutors are the guides, arming students with clarity as they wind through the confusing labyrinth of standardized testing. 

Most importantly, personalized 1:1 work will identify areas of improvement and through regular workbook sessions and homework almost always raise the SAT score in a highly competitive arena where 40 points means the cutoff between reach and safe school. Rising juniors should be building out a timeline based on their chosen test date. Rising seniors should consider a final test this fall if they seek to improve components for superscores at top-tier universities. Then, they should facilitate a workable date deadline for admission pools they are considering.

But there is no student in this year's graduating class who cannot benefit from a dedicated mentor offering strategic assistance, powerful motivation, confidence building, and a way to address subject area weaknesses. When it’s time to research your greatest ally--the experienced, knowledgeable tutor--Valle Educational Consultants is ready to help.

^{--MIKE RYAN}

Make Every Summer Day Count

Take a deep breath….let it out slowly.

Again.

Again.

It’s high summer, and you have plenty of work to do to make senior year and your college future come together. Might as well start with some simple relaxation exercises for when those many deadlines begin kicking in.

1.     Now that you are refreshed, think about your goals and plans for the future. What are your talents? What areas stoke your curiosity? Ask teachers, counselors and family members who know you well about what they think about your strengths. Make a list to which you can refer; this can help when refining your application choices.

2.     How do you want to use your talents toward a meaningful life and career? By adding activities and internships in areas of interest you can sample some possibilities while expanding your college resume and LinkedIn profile.

3.     Hopefully, you brainstormed your college app essays at the end of junior English class. Please don’t think that it is “good Enough.” Instead, remember that essay can very well be the tiebreaker among tens of thousands of other applicant essays. Draft/redraft, recruit parents/teachers/editors to read and provide feedback until you are absolutely certain your essay stands out and will so impress your college essay reader s/he becomes your advocate for admission.

4.     Remember all the online research and campus visits. They probably have blended in together. Review all your notes and get serious about refining your final list of colleges. Your list of “musts” and “would likes” should help lock down what draws you to each college. Talk to parents, siblings and other relatives about why your choices are solid and be sure to mention a few of the “passes” in case someone wants to make a case for them. Write down all the finalists and find the common threads and significant differences. Ranking them in order is a good way to expose the greatest draw for you. You will need this understanding to support content shared in essays and should tie in to what is shared in interviews.

5.     Consider yourself as a brand. What separates you from your peers? A valuable tool for college aspirants is ZeeMee, which touts its ability to frame a student’s “story over scores.” The app allows you to create, update, and finalize your personal profile “brand.” Then you can connect your personal ZeeMee link to high school guidance counselors, teachers who are writing recommendation letters, and prospective colleges.

6.     Next up, make sure you create application accounts for Common App, Coalition App, or individual school apps--depending on your specific plan for submissions. You should not let this slide far into August. Understand the requirements, gather and organize supporting documentation, and develop a firm timeline to complete all necessary tasks. It is crucial to develop a carefully crafted message that you can apply to each app, essay, and interview so each college recognizes you as a valuable addition to its community.

7.     Hopefully you have a planner to schedule tasks efficiently:

--Update resume as colleges may allow upload to an application.

--Take time to evaluate extracurriculars and rank them by importance.

--Calculate hours per week and year. Extracurricular hours go on Common and other apps.

--Select and send scores to app colleges.

--Request recommendation letters. If already under way, circle-back with those teachers to make sure all is on time.

--If retesting in the fall, register for test dates. Be sure to include this future test date on applications, where applicable.

--If planning additional campus visits, schedule them ASAP. Fall dates fill up FAST as it’s a popular time for both high school juniors and seniors.

Got all that? Time for those deep breathing exercises discussed at the beginning of the blog. You’ve got this!

^{--MIKE RYAN}