FREE webinar for parents, 4/27: Intro to SSAT, ISEE, SHSAT, TACHS, COOP testing


The Brown University Club in New York is proud to present a Zoom webinar for parents:

“Getting a Handle on Testing for Middle and High School Admissions”

Tuesday, April 27, 7-8 pm  via Zoom

In this illustrated presentation geared to parents, master test prep tutor Karen Berlin Ishii will explain the key differences between the most popular private school entrance exams, as well as the latest on the SHSAT, NYC’s specialized high school exam. She’ll share the low-down on test prep resources, managing test anxiety, how and when to get your child started on test prep, and of course, tips and techniques to avoid those trick answer choices!

This event is FREE and open to the public.

Register HERE

Karen Berlin Ishii, a Brown alumna with over 20 years’ test prep teaching experience, specializes in individualized prep for the ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, SAT, ACT and other admissions exams. She has taught for The Princeton Review and headed Boston Academic Tutors, creating courses for The British School in Boston, among others. She edits Barron’s prep books for the ISEE and SSAT and is a faculty member at Summer@Brown, where she conducts SAT and ACT prep workshops. karenberlinishii.com

4 STEPS TO BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE LIST

Your college list is critical, because having the right one for YOU will determine whether you’ll have suitable options come spring of senior year. The wrong college list can greatly affect your admissions outcome, no matter how well you craft your applications. Here are key points to crafting a college list that is realistic, well-balanced, and filled with schools where you’d be happy to attend.

1) Compile your personal college selection criteria: distance from home, setting (urban, suburban, small town, rural), size, Greek life (yay or nay), coed vs. single sex, religious affiliation, diversity, academic offerings, academic rigor, campus’ vibe, student to faculty ratio, graduation rate, public vs. private, campus or none, activities in your interest areas, cost, and testing policies.

2) Explore colleges that fit most of your criteria. Visit these schools before finalizing your list –or visit comparable types of colleges to determine which criteria matter most to you. If you can’t visit, try virtual campus tours, exploring each college’s website, including departmental pages. Peruse college guidebooks, and talk with current students and alumni via social media platforms. For each college, collect and organize information for each of your selection criteria, and note pros/cons, making it clearer which are best fits.

3) Assess your odds of admission to each school. Investigate the academic requirements for admission and where your profile fits in each school’s acceptance pool. Evaluating your odds must also including examining the acceptance rate at each college. Then categorize each college as a Reach, Match, or Safety school in relation to you. Reach schools are ones that are not as likely for you, though not out of the question, either. Your overall academic stats are below those of the majority of accepted students at these schools and it would take something compelling on your application to override those odds. Reaches are possibilities to shoot for, but cannot be counted on. And for colleges that accept less than 20% of applicants, “reach” applies to all applicants, so recognize that even highly qualified students may be denied.

Match/Target schools are those that are in your “ballpark,” ones where you have a reasonable chance acceptance based on your stats falling solidly in range. Matches are where most students land.

Safety/Likely schools are those for which your profile is above the majority of enrolled students and don’t have a very low acceptance rate. Your safety schools are still very good schools and are “safe” only in terms of your chances. Everyone needs safety schools, and they ought to be ones you’d be happy to attend. Put two sure bet schools on the list to ensure a choice, just in case your reach or match schools don’t come through.

4) Compile a balanced final college list: about 40% Reaches, 40% Matches, and 20% Safeties. This often means 4-6 Reaches, 4-6 Matches/Targets, and 2 Safeties/Likelies, for a final total of 10 to 14 schools. Applying to more than 14 could be too many, given the efforts demanded for effective applications. Too few applications and you could be shut out!

Once you have finalized your carefully curated college list, you’ll have a solid foundation for embarking on the application process, allowing you to attend a school that is right for you.

This guest post was written by Susan Taub, ED.M., an independent college counselor based near New York City. For nearly 20 years, Susan has counseled students in the US and internationally, drawing on her experience of 40 years in a wide range of education roles. Susan received a BA from Tufts University and an Ed.M. from Harvard. Susan advises students starting as early as ninth grade, and has particular expertise in very selective college admissions and specialized performing arts degree programs. Learn more at college-wise.com.

College Prep and Admissions During the Pandemic

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with noted college admissions expert Debra Felix about issues in college prep and admissions during this unprecedented public health crisis. Here are her responses to my questions:

1. What do you see as some of the big changes in college admissions for 2021 due to the global pandemic?

I foresee the biggest changes to be the following:

a. Most applicants will not be able to take the SAT or ACT before they apply to college for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle, and most colleges will declare themselves “test optional” as a result. Furthermore, many students will be applying with pass/fail grades for the latter half of their junior year of high school.  This will make it more difficult for applicants to demonstrate their academic potential, but it will still be imperative for them to do so.

b. Most applicants will not be able to visit colleges, take on-campus tours, or visit classes during the fall of 2020, and possibly longer.  In addition, colleges are changing dramatically due to the pandemic. This will make it more difficult for students to figure out which colleges will be a good fit for them, and to show their demonstrated interest for the ones they like.

Because applicants will be submitting applications this year containing limited grades, scores, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated interest, admissions committees will have to evaluate applications differently.  Therefore, applicants will need to undertake a different application strategy in order to be admitted through this new evaluation process.

The implications of these and other changes are enormous and complicated and will affect each applicant differently, making it more important than ever to seek out all the best advice you can get in order to maximize your outcomes in the admission process.   

2. The Common App has added a COVID-19 question to the application. Do you have any strategic advice for students in approaching this question? 

Yes.  Only answer this question at length if the pandemic has affected you in a unique and significant way.  If both parents lost their jobs, you started working as a “shopper” to deliver groceries to high risk neighbors, and then your family had to move in with your grandfather in another state when your grandmother died from COVID-19, that would be unique and significant impact.

Admissions officers will not want to read hundreds of essays from students about how their favorite extracurricular activity was cancelled this spring or summer and how difficult it was to take classes online.  If you think the impact of COVID-19 on you was roughly at the same level as the impact on the vast majority of your peers across the country, just say so briefly.

3. With many colleges offering test optional admissions due to difficulties in testing this year, what would you advise students who might not be able to achieve optimum results due to disruptions in testing?

It will be critical to find other ways to demonstrate your academic level and potential to the admissions committee.  Ace your classes this fall.  Pick the right teachers to write your recommendations and prepare them appropriately to write great ones.  Write superb essays. Selecting the right topics and shaping the essays for maximum impact is critical. Get professional help with all of this if you can.  Speak to college representatives by phone or Zoom so they can witness your personality, hear how articulate you are and see how you think.

4. How can students grow their extracurricular and summer enrichment experiences with so many offerings closed to them this year?

First of all, take the time to mourn the cancellation of the summer activities you were looking forward to.  It is disappointing, maddening, and unfair that they have been taken away from you.  Scream, cry, or whatever you need to do to put that disappointment behind you.  Then, try to move forward.

Be creative in finding things you CAN do.  Research colleges, research things you have always wanted to know more about or you’ve always wanted to learn how to do.  Create something.  Make art or music.  Write.  Plan something you can implement when things open up more.

Admissions officers will be impressed by the applicants who pursue an area of interest, who initiate something, and who don’t just develop themselves, but also contribute positively to the lives of others.  Do something that will give you a great answer to the interview question, “Tell me about a time when you had a positive impact on someone else.”

5. What would you advise students who are considering a gap year rather than matriculate in an uncertain situation? 

Start college, unless you have a far better option for next year.  Even if you were seriously considering taking a gap year before the pandemic occurred, consider starting college instead. This is a terrible time to take a gap year.

Your fall college experience might not be ideal or what you had envisioned a year ago, but it will be fine and you will come out of it that much closer to having a college degree.  Exceptions: If you need to help your family in some way this year with elder care, child care, income to pay bills, etc., then taking a gap year is completely justified.

Finally, you might consider asking for a gap semester and then start college in January.  This might go more smoothly for students who will be attending a large university.

6. How has the pandemic affected how students make their college list when visiting remote colleges may be impossible and staying closer to home might be a new consideration?

Whether a student chooses to go away for college or stay closer to home is a complicated and personal decision.  At the moment, it doesn’t look like many colleges will be open to visitors in the fall, so students will not be able to tour colleges anywhere, near or far.

I find that my clients are leaning on me more heavily right now than in the past to help them pick the colleges at which they might thrive.  I know the colleges; I have been studying them and visiting them for decades.  So, I hope students are open to a wide variety of locations and schools and are getting advice from a professional about what colleges are really like at the core rather than relying on rankings or the college’s subjective website, marketing materials, and admissions staff (including students who work for the admissions office).

I have always encouraged my clients to connect with current students or recent alumni at the colleges on their list, and I provide them with questions that elicit more important and honest information about each school. These days, due to the rapid changes occurring on every college campus, I am encouraging clients to prioritize talking to current students over recent alumni since recent alumni won’t be able to tell them what life is like at the school now, let alone what it will be like next year.

Debra Felix is a former Director of Admissions at Columbia University and has been a professional educational consultant for over 30 years.  She has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, FNN, CNBC, U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post, among others.  Her clients come from all over the world, and are typically admitted to their first choice college. For more info:  www.felixeducationalconsulting.com

ACT and SAT Test Prep During the Pandemic (and beyond) – free Webinar May 16

High school students studying for AP exams, SAT Subject Tests and the SAT and ACT have had their studies upended, as tests have been rescheduled –then cancelled – and even the College Board and ACT have not figured out upcoming test dates or formats. High school juniors have been particularly affected, while sophomores who are taking AP courses and planning their SAT and ACT studies are also wondering what comes next and how to prepare for it

Karen Berlin Ishii, a master tutor for the SAT and ACT, will update parents with the latest on the tests and give parents advice on scheduling and creating timetables for prep, with tips and resources for their students to help them adjust to this year’s unprecedented changes.

A Brown alumna with over 20 years’ teaching experience, Karen specializes in individualized prep for the ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, SAT, ACT and other admissions exams. She has taught for The Princeton Review and headed Boston Academic Tutors, creating courses for The British School in Boston, among others. She edits Barron’s prep books for the ISEE, SSAT, ACT and GRE and is a faculty member at Summer@Brown, where she conducts SAT and ACT workshops. karenberlinishii.com

WHEN:  Saturday, May 16

WHERE: via Zoom

HOW: Registration is free and open to all HERE.

 

 

 

Navigating the College Admissions Process

An experts’ panel plus workshops for parents and teens

The Cornell Club
6 East 44th Street
New York, NY 10017

Saturday, March 7, 2020
9:30 am – 2:30 pm

College admissions has changed dramatically in recent years. No longer is the “well-rounded” student assured their top choice. Testing has also evolved, with changes in the SAT and ACT, while college costs spiral upwards. How can families best help their children make the right fit?

The Cornell Club is proud to present a special program for alumni and families featuring a stellar panel of experts in the college admissions process who will demystify these issues in presentations and Q&A.

This is a terrific opportunity to get answers to your questions from a range of top advisors in college prep and admissions. Attendees are invited to tailor the day to suit their schedules and interests with a panel discussion followed by lunch and two optional workshops:

“Getting a Handle on the SAT and ACT”                                                        Presentation and Q&A led by Karen Berlin Ishii

“Tips and Pitfalls in the Common Application”                                            Presentation workshop led by Andrea van Niekerk

Event schedule:

9:30-10:00am:  Registration and coffee/light breakfast
10:00-12 noon:  Panel presentation
12:00 noon:  Lunch Buffet
12:30-1:30pm:  Workshop: Getting a Handle on the SAT and ACT
1:30-2:30pm:  Workshop: Tips and Pitfalls in the Common Application

Participants include:

Andrea van Niekerk is a College Admissions Consultant with College Goals. Andrea was formerly Associate Director of Admission at Brown University for many years and also served as academic advisor to freshman and sophomore students. www.collegegoals.com

 

Laura Clark is long time director of college counseling at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She previously worked at Princeton University, in admissions for four years and teaching freshman writing in the English department. www.ecfs.org

 

Benjamin Bingman-Tennant is the National Director of Programs for A Better Chance, a national organization dedicated to creating educational opportunity and developing leaders among young people of color throughout the country. www.abetterchance.org

 

Karen Berlin Ishii, a graduate of Brown University, is a college test preparation tutor of over 20 years’ experience. Karen also lectures on SAT/ACT prep for Brown University’s Admission Workshops series at Summer@Brown. www.karenberlinishii.com

 

Cost: $40 individual, or $60 for up to three family members.
– Registration includes all presentations, continental breakfast and luncheon buffets.
– Registrants may attend any or all of the presentations offered.

Register by contacting Kerry Strassel:                 K.Strassel@cornellclubnyc.com or phone 212.692.1386.

How to Start SAT Prep in 8th-10th Grade

Whenever students take the PSATs – whether it’s PSAT 8/9 taken as early as fall of 8th grade, or the traditional PSAT/NMSQT taken in October of junior year – the scores and tests are posted on the student’s College Board account within two months of the test. That’s a great study tool for the next step – the SATs. Or the ACTs. I strongly recommend all students review their PSAT results, going over the questions they got wrong using the online tools, redoing them and then looking at the correct answers and explanations. It’s good to do that before too much time goes by so it is still instructive and students remembers more of what they were thinking when they did the test originally.

Eighth grade and freshman year are early for formal test prep: Students have not yet been taught all of the math skills tested, particularly for the ACT. In reading and writing, the difficulty of the test passages and vocabulary is high for younger students. Nevertheless, students can and should begin to build skills specific to the tests. 

Here are 3 specific actions 8th -10th grade students can take to build a solid foundation for the SAT and ACT:

1) Add a daily regime of challenging periodical reading, starting with The New York Times or other sophisticated daily newspaper. (News aggregate newsletters are not recommended because it is important to build skills in sifting through the material and choosing for oneself.) 

– Read at least 10 minutes/day: short articles in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or Washington Post are ideal.

– Read a sampling of the top stories and at least read the headlines – especially in those topics that are more difficult, e.g. politics. 

– Then read whatever topic in the paper interests you and also the opinion pieces (editorials, reviews of movies, etc). Movie reviews can be fun and easy for students to relate to if they’ve seen the films. This type of writing is very helpful in building vocabulary and rhetorical skills and comprehension.

2) Start a formal regimen of vocabulary-building, 1-2 new words/day. Many students find the free Visual Vocab CORE app a great way to start! Other excellent vocabulary building tools include the Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop series and SAT-level word lists at Majortests.com.

3) Use official CollegeBoard practice PSATs to build math skills, tackling only those topics that are within range of subjects you’ve learned in school. Rather than tackling an entire timed section in Math, do individual problems, reviewing the answers and explanations afterwards. Advanced students may want to purchase PWN the SAT Math text to get a head start on test math – and take advantage of the challenging quizzes offered to textbook owners. 

When should students begin their test prep in earnest? Summer between sophomore and junior year is the best time to do a formal course or tutoring program, continuing at a lesser pace or with a break during junior year, depending on when tests are scheduled. That is the time, as well, to choose between SAT and ACT. Much earlier than that, students really haven’t studied enough of the material that is on the tests for the comparison to be valid.

NYC Secondary School Prep and Admissions Workshop is March 9

Special announcement for New York City families about to embark on the middle school and high school admissions process:

I am producing and participating in a terrific roundtable workshop – just for parents – on New York City public and private school admissions. I’ve produced similar events for The Brown Club in previously, and they are always extremely popular and helpful. This year, we are doing it in workshop format rather than panel discussion in order to really maximize attendees’ opportunities to interact directly with the experts.

Please share this event with friends who might be interested. It is open to the public but all tickets must be purchased in advance – and they are going fast!

The Brown University Club presents a workshop with school answers for families:
“Getting in! Solving the NYC Middle and High School Admissions Puzzle”

Parents of NYC students: Applying out? Confused about competitive middle school or high school admissions? Perplexed by public versus private school priorities? Mystified by the matrix of mandatory tests?

Then do not miss The Brown University Club’s terrific workshop on Saturday morning, March 9. Our experts will share their best tips and and answer your questions personally, on the spot. This is an extraordinary opportunity to tap a range of top expertise and plan ahead so your child makes the right school fit. Our experts include the director of admissions of a top independent school, the head of the Parents League of NY, a top admissions coach and former admissions director, a former top DOE official who now advises on admissions, and a test prep guru!

Get tickets HERE now: This roundtable participatory workshop will sell out fast!

No, ACT and SAT grammar is not dead

With the redesign of the SAT in 2015, many students rejoiced at the prospect of a revised Writing test: no more grammar, they thought! Actually, their celebration was premature. There still is plenty of grammar in the SAT Writing test – up to one-half of all the questions test grammar rules directly. The remaining half test usage, idioms, vocabulary in context, organization and understanding of the text. Similarly, the ACT English section – which has not changed in over 20 years – tests plenty of grammar, usage and punctuation. So strong grammar skills are still required.

The good news is that the grammar, usage, punctuation skills and knowledge tested on both these exams is quite circumscribed and thus predictable. Students who master this material can devote more of their time and focus to the content and context questions, which often require careful analysis – analysis that those caught up in grammar dithering don’t have time for.

For a fun introduction to some common grammar rules tested on both these exams, check out my Grammar Bloopers. I’ve collected over 30 grammar errors from popular publications (whose editors should know better!) and assorted advertisements (that get away with it because they can). Click through to the end or jump to Blooper answers and explanations at any point. 

Master these, and you’ll smile knowingly when you encounter one of your new grammar facts on the test. But be forewarned: you are likely to become of one of those who sees the grammar errors where others do not. Have you found some of your own? Great! Email the links to me and I’ll add them to the collection!

Reminders for the night before the ACT

OK, students is it – ACT this weekend. I know you may be nervous, but don’t be: If you are a junior, this is early in the game and you can consider this test a practice test. Seniors, you’ve probably got some “keeper” scores for your composite and Saturday’s test gives you a chance to raise one or more of them. For everyone, it’s just win-win.

Juniors (and seniors who think you might take the test one more time): you should bring a notepad and as soon as the test is over, instead of rushing out of the hall, stop and jot down whatever you remember RIGHT AWAY. Once you leave the room or the building, it will be much harder to recall. Note any math topics that were new or hard, science questions that were surprising, reading passages that were difficult due to topic or style and whatever else you can think of.

* Did you guess on a lot of questions in the Math? What kinds of math questions gave you trouble?
* Did you run out of time on the Reading or Science – and if so, on which passage?
* Can you recall any vocabulary words that you were unsure of?

On the way home, continue to try to recollect what you missed and JOT THEM DOWN. This will be a real help in guiding your study for the next test, should you choose to retake it.

Your checklist to get ready for exam day:
– Review your techniques and the test format overall, but stop studying for this test by Friday afternoon or early evening, at the latest. No cramming!
– Collect all your test day essentials by late afternoon on Friday:
– a half dozen sharpened #2 pencils
– fat eraser to cover the answers in Reading section!
– calculator with fresh batteries and some backup new ones for your pocket just in case
– tasty, energizing and filling snack and beverage (Energy drink or other caffeine-containing drink ONLY if you usually drink it for school or study. Don’t try anything new on your body for test day.)
– ticket for the test, ID
– wristwatch for pacing!
– Get a good night’s sleep!  <– This is the single most important thing you can do to raise your scores!
– Set a couple of alarm clocks so you can’t possibly oversleep and won’t have to worry about doing so.
– Make sure you confirm – by looking at your ticket – where you will be taking the test, know how to get there and allow enough time in order to get there a half hour EARLY. If you are hoping to get a seat standby, definitely be early so you can be first in line.

In the morning:
– Eat breakfast, then take a few minutes to do one easy problem in each section of the test from a textbook – even a problem you’ve already done is ok, just to warm up before you go.
– Dress in layers in case it is too warm/cool in the test center.
– Pack tic-tacs (take them out of the noisy plastic case, put directly into your pocket), chewing gum or other surreptitious snack that you can pop discretely when your attention flags.

At the test center:
– Try to get a seat that has a minimum of distractors around it (other students on all four sides, windows, fishtank, etc)
– Don’t let others distract you even during break time. They’ll all be talking about how some question was hard, or whatever. Ignore them! You will be in YOUR ZONE, focussing on eating your snack, and psyching yourself forward – not reliving the past!

Remind yourself: You did great work preparing for your test and you are going to be rewarded with great scores and soon enough you’ll get to choose your next adventure – your college! (And know that wherever you go to college, your dedication to preparing for this exam will serve you well.)

Good luck this weekend!

Don’t confuse SAT “Student Answer Service” with “Question and Answer Service”

Here’s a sample of QAS, showing Reading section results.

The College Board offers two different post-SAT services that have confusingly similar names but are very different in value. Everyone should order QAS, but most students should NOT order SAS.

For students in the US and Canada, Question and Answer Service (QAS) is offered in October, March and May. It costs $18 and may be ordered from the College Board website at the time of test registration or within five months after your test date. Internationally, it is only offered in May. Student Answer Service (SAS) is offered worldwide for every administration of the SAT that does not offer QAS.

Until recently, both of these services were on paper and took up to eight weeks after the exam to be sent to students, often too late to be used as a study tool for the next SAT. Now, most students access these digitally through their College Board accounts and they may appear as soon as SAT scores are available, just three weeks after the test.

What’s the big difference between QAS and SAS? Question and Answer Service (QAS) is a tremendous resource, giving students access through their College Board account to a computer-based version of the entire test they took, showing a hyperlinked answer key with their answer choices noted, the correct answers and difficulty levels, types of question for each – just like the online PSAT review (minus the answer explanations). Students can – and should!– go back into the test pages to rethink and redo those questions they got wrong. Then click on “View Answer” to see if they got it this time and analyze their errors. This is a fantastic tool to learn from your actual tests, instead of just being handed a number. The QAS is so useful, that I recommend students plan their test schedule to include QAS dates whenever possible.

sample QAS for a Math question

The Student Answer Service (SAS), on the other hand, is almost laughably useless. It gives you everything that the QAS supplies – except the test questions! That’s right: just answer letters marked correct or incorrect. The only reason to order this is if you have located a pirated copy of the test, in which case you could cobble together your own makeshift QAS from knowing which questions you got wrong based on the SAS. It would only make  sense to order this if you have found a copy of that test after the exam.

I’ll be posting follow-up articles on how to leverage your QAS to best advantage and use QAS dates to guide your testing schedule. Be sure you subscribe in order to be notified when those articles are posted.

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