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The Insider: Your Expert Guide to College Admissions -
College Entrance Exams

The SAT Adversity Score: A Revolutionary Tool or Another College Board Band-Aid?

standardized testing

Perhaps you’ve heard the news that the SAT will give students a new “adversity score” that will share more about their social and economic background with colleges? If not, you must not work in college admissions, college counseling, or a high school setting, be a teenager, have a teenager, know a teenager, or know someone with a teenager. The news exploded with so much force on Thursday as to almost—almost—eclipse the big bang of #OperationVarsityBlues.

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May 21, 2019by Elizabeth Heaton
College Entrance Exams

SAT Makes Waves with New “Adversity Score” Option

SAT adversity score

The College Board made headlines this week with its new adversity score, which will be utilized by 150 colleges and universities this fall. The score will be calculated based on factors like neighborhood crime and poverty rates, parental income and education levels, as well as the curriculum and socioeconomics of the student’s high school. Given the current climate of college admissions thanks to high-profile legal cases like the Operation Varsity Blues scandal and the Students for Fair Admission v Harvard lawsuit, it’s unsurprising this news has been met with a wide variety of very strong opinions.

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May 17, 2019by Emily Toffelmire
College Entrance Exams

[Video] What Type of SAT Test Prep is Best?

Think you’re either a good test-taker or you’re not? Wrong! While some students show a natural aptitude for standardized tests, it’s been documented time and time again that studying for the SAT or ACT does, in fact, improve scores. It follows that, if you intend to take the SAT or ACT this spring or summer, you should be preparing for that test now, or very shortly. But with the volumes of books, online tutorials, classes, and private tutoring available, it can be difficult to figure what kind of test prep is best. Enter former Tufts University and Regis College admissions officer, Kerrin Lyons.

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March 12, 2019by Kerrin Lyons
College Entrance Exams

[Video] ACT vs. SAT–What’s the Difference?

Your high school counselor is encouraging you to take the SAT. But your neighbor (whose son got into Harvard, by the way…) says the ACT is the way to go. So, what’s the real deal? Which test do colleges really prefer? Find out in the latest installment of our video series, We Can Explain.

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November 29, 2018by Christine Kenyon
College Admissions Consulting

Preparing for the SAT and ACT, Supplemental Essays, and Merit Aid Policies and Practices

preparing for the SAT

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, guest host Sally Ganga covers a range of topics that will appeal to high school students and parents at different stages of the college search. She begins with a discussion about exactly when to prepare for and take standardized testing and the what, when, where, and why of college supplemental essays. She wraps up the show with a continuation of last week’s conversation about how financial aid awards differ among colleges, this time focusing on merit aid policies and practices.

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August 15, 2018by College Coach
College Admissions Consulting

Choosing College Courses, SAT Subject Tests, and Financial Aid at the Ivies

how financial aid works

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Sally Ganga unpacks how to pick courses for your first semester of college, everything you need to know about SAT Subject Tests, and financial aid at the Ivies.

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July 25, 2018by Lauren Randle
College Admissions Consulting

College Visits, Repaying Loans with Tax Refunds, and Standardized Testing Conversion Charts

college visits

On the latest episode of Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, host Elizabeth Heaton welcomes guests to talk about standardized testing conversion charts, using tax refunds for student loan repayments, and strategies for visiting colleges. Listen to the complete show on the VoiceAmerica network or by searching for Getting In: A College Coach Conversation wherever you get your podcasts.

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March 7, 2018by Kristine Sawicki
College Entrance Exams

[Video] What is a Good Score on the SAT?

What is a good SAT score?  It’s a simple question, right? The answer, however, is anything but simple, and depends, according to former Reed College admissions officer Abigail Anderson, on the colleges to which you’re applying. An off-the-charts test score at one school may be only middle-of-the-road at another. In this installment of the College Coach video series, Ask the College Admissions Expert, Abigail explains how to determine what a good SAT score is at the colleges on your list.

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February 20, 2018by Abigail Anderson
College Entrance Exams

[Video] What Is the Difference Between the ACT and the SAT?

The college application process is fraught with stressful decisions to make: what colleges to apply to, whether to apply early, what essay topic to choose, and, of course, which standardized test to take. While any college that requires standardized testing will accept either SAT or ACT scores, the two tests have a number of differences that students and parents should consider when deciding which test to pursue.

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January 9, 2018by Lauren Randle
College Admissions Consulting

Is it Okay to Drop an Activity Junior Year?

As the first quarter of the academic year wraps up and sophomores settle into their new position of being old enough to know college is coming sooner rather than later, but young enough to still be able to make some educated decisions, here are some common questions to consider.

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December 29, 2017by Kara Courtois
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