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Here’s some information on how to get into top colleges and universities. Top Test Prep’s admissions experts can help you if you’re applying to college and need college admissions counseling.
Here’s some information on how to get into top colleges. This video explains how one student got into his top college after applying with Top Test Prep’s help.
Top Test Prep’s team helps students with their SAT prep, ACT prep and admissions counseling programs. Call (800) 501-Prep for more information on our college admissions programs.
Here’s our new tutoring and admissions expert, overview video. We hope our family, friends and fans enjoy!
Written by Admissions Expert, Ross Blankenship
Founder of Top Test Prep
With a faltering public education system, plagued by lowered budgets and a host of other issues, many parents are turning to prep schools and private schools to get their children a solid education that prepares them for college and beyond.
A prep school is usually a private school and many times they are boarding schools as well. If you are one of those who choose the route of college prep for their children, rather than leaving them to the realm of a failing school system, choosing the right school is the key to your child’s future.
In this guide, we’ll use the words Prep Schools and Private Schools interchangeably, as most prep schools are private schools and vice versa.
With that, we have put together this guide of the top 10 considerations when choosing a prep school. It is not necessarily that any private school won’t provide a better academic experience for your child, most private schools far surpass their public counterparts; moreover it’s that choosing the right school will help your child through college and beyond. Students and parents should be ultra-selective when choosing these schools.
10 CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHOOSING A PRIVATE SCHOOL
When choosing a prep school you should visit every school that you have on your list. As you visit each school you should answer the following questions.
1. Does the location work for your family? – Obviously you want to send your child to a school that is located conveniently for your family. You wouldn’t want to send them to a boarding school across the country, for example, if you weren’t prepared to pay for flights home a few times each year.
2. Does your child agree with the choice of schools? – You child should be involved in the choice of schools. Failing to involve your son or daughter may mean lower grades when they are resentful for being there in the first place.
3. What are your child’s future plans? – Many students don’t know what they plan to do beyond high school, for those that do however, that possible future can help you to choose a school that will fit well with their future educational requirements.
4. Does the educational program fit your needs? – Many prep schools have a specific educational focus. What is that focus, and does it fit with what you want for your child? You don’t want to send your child to an art’s-specific school for example, if they intend to work in science in the future.
5. How does the school rate compared to similar schools? – A simple Google search for prep school rankings will turn up hundreds of pages devoted to comparing the academic achievements of all of the different prep schools across the country. Top Test Prep provides an annual ranking of the best prep schools in the country. You can contact Top Test Prep to find out more (see contact below).
6. What values does the school instill? – Many prep schools are focused on one set of moral, ethical, or religious values. Do those values fit you and your family?
7. Does the academy assist students in learning the moral and ethical requirements of the school? – If the school has a specific focus, do they work to teach their values to their students? For example, does the catholic academy make time to teach Catholicism?
8. What are the rules for contacting your child? – If the school has rules about contacting home, be sure that those rules fit with you and your child. A school that only allows weekly phone calls, for example, won’t work well if you plan to talk to your child every night.
9. How much does the school cost? – Although it shouldn’t be the only consideration, obviously cost is a factor. If you can’t afford the school, do they offer scholarships or financial aid?
10. What other activities does the school offer? – You also want to look at the extracurricular activities that the school offers. Do their sports, work, and other programs fit with your child’s passions and interests?
A prep school can help your child to get the best education possible. By simply taking the time to consider which school to choose carefully, you will be helping your child to create the best future possible as they move into college and then beyond their school years. However, just as private schools are selective in their admissions processes – from test prep and full-length applications- as a parent you too should be just as selective in your selection of the best private school.
Ross Blankenship is an admissions expert and the Founder of Top Test Prep. As an admissions expert, he helps families and students get into top private schools, colleges and graduate schools.
For more information on private school admissions counseling or for help with SSAT Prep, HSPT Prep or ISEE Prep, contact Top Test Prep today at (800) 501-Prep.
We’ve told you to take your scholarship essays seriously. So where and how do you begin? Here are some helpful questions to get you started:
What attributes do you wish to convey?
- In order to answer this question, you should at the very least read a description of the award. Is the award intended to honor a certain person, and how is he or she described? This will give you an idea of the criteria on which your character will be judged.
- What are the main interests or goals of the organization offering the scholarship? How might you be expected to help achieve these goals? Present yourself as someone compatible with the organization’s mission.
- If you have questions regarding the scholarship, you can always call the organization. Committees want to help students create strong applications.
Do you need to do some research, or is the question more personal?
- Outside research can enrich your writing and strengthen its impact. You may be required to do research in order to answer the question – if, for example, you need to evaluate a policy and take a stance for or against it. If the question is personal, outside research may still be helpful for placing your circumstances in context. Maybe you want to explain just how crucial the lab research you’re conducting is to our understanding of the habits of howler monkeys.
Do you come across as human?
- If so, good! It’s alright – even beneficial – to reveal shortcomings, as long as you have some insight into them and can demonstrate that you’ll give a challenge everything you’ve got. Have a friend read your essay, and see what kind of picture of you it paints.
- Use specific details and examples to convey desired attributes. Don’t just say you work hard. Describe the steps you take to succeed, and how you manage to balance work with other demands.
Lastly, get feedback.
Top Test Prep offers admissions counseling that can help you hone your scholarship essays and grab an organization’s attention.
This article is on how to write scholarship essays. For more information on scholarship essays for applications, go to TopTestPrep.com.
1. Start researching now.
Don’t assume you’re ineligible for a scholarship without thoroughly researching what’s out there. Use the internet, see where your friends are applying, buy a scholarship guide at a bookstore, and ask your college counselor for suggestions. There are scholarships for everything, from tall brunette women to musical prodigies. Through diligent searching, you’ll discover you’re a candidate for more than a few.
2. Increase your chances.
If you start researching scholarships early, you may still have time in your educational career to become a good candidate. A scholarship might require that you’ve completed a certain project or spent time on an extracurricular interest by the application deadline. If you know in advance which scholarships interest you, you can work these things into your free time or your classes.
Another way to increase your odds of receiving scholarship money is to apply for scholarships with very specific candidate criteria, scholarships for which fewer people will be applying.
3. Consider schools that offer academic scholarships to attract students like you.
Review the schools’ websites to see what kinds of recruitment scholarships they offer. Schools will invest in high-caliber students in order to boost their rankings. Additionally, schools may use scholarship money to attract students from different geographical areas, students who can contribute to the school’s ethnic and cultural diversity, and students who are involved in less popular areas of study. Check to see whether these schools require supplemental materials or separate applications from students interested in scholarship money.
4. Take applications seriously.
Be sure to do everything a scholarship application asks of you. Approach your potential patrons with humility: they’re considering giving you money, after all. The application itself – and how well you’ve managed to follow the directions – will influence your eligibility.
5. Write a killer scholarship essay.
Approach scholarship essays with the same seriousness of purpose (and attendant anxiety) you reserve for admissions essays. Remember that the people bestowing scholarship money are interested in you as an individual. They want to sponsor candidates that they can easily picture profiting in specific ways from the education they’ll be helping to fund.
Top Test Prep offers admissions counseling that can help you manage your search for scholarships and financial aid.
This article is on getting scholarship money for colleges. To get help from college admissions experts, go to TopTestPrep.com.
If you need an admissions counselor to help with your applications, admissions essays, and strategies for applying to top schools, get more information here.
As students are going back to school now, it’s important to get started on the applications. Our admissions counselors are dedicated to improving applications, working with families, and developing plans for getting into top schools.
Call (800) 501-PREP today to get the help you need.
“Writing the Best Admissions Essays” was written by admissions expert and college consultant, Ross Blankenship. Ross is the President of TopTestPrep.com, which provides private tutoring and college admissions consulting to students and parents. If you’re applying to top schools, call (800) 501-PREP today.
I’d like to share with our readers tips to use for test prep, whether you’re taking the SAT exam, ACT exam or other standardized tests like the LSAT, GMAT, GRE or MCAT. Preparing for exams can be tedious, but with the right plan you can succeed.
Ten Test Prep Tips to Help Improve Your Test Scores:
(1) Practice sections: Always take practice sections and exams under “testing conditions.” Testing conditions refers to taking an exam during the same time and general day you are scheduled for the actual exam (e.g. Saturdays at 9am)
(2) The back of the book: Do not simply look to the back of the book for answers. This causes you to rely on the book and others’ knowledge more than your own. Always try the problems first and then rely on the back of the book to “check” your answer.
(3) Manage your time wisely. One of the most important things to do before you begin studying for tests is to set out a proper study schedule. At a minimum, you should devote between 2 to 3 hours per day in preparing for exams. Make it your part-time job. Choose only one or two test prep books and go to work.
(4) Get help when necessary. In most cases, students only get once chance to take a major test like the PSAT, SAT, ACT or other grad level exams like the GRE and LSAT. So why not consider a private tutor? At the very least look into it. Beyond providing you direction, a private tutor may go a long way in helping you prepare for these exams. For example, Top Test Prep’s tutors all have scored in the top 99th percentile and are double-screened to ensure they are able to successfully tutor students.
(5) Speed exam taking: If the student has difficulties with time or time pressures, have the student take the sections under faster time settings. For example, have the student take what would normally be a 30 minute section, in 15 minutes instead. Like running with weights attached to your ankles, this will make the tests and each sections faster for the student.
(6) Math Problems: The method is more important than the result. If a student cannot explain how he or she got to the correct answer, they won’t be able to do it correctly on their own exam. Like any mathematical proof, you want to make sure you have every step down perfectly. Every student must be able to explain their methods.
(7) Verbal Problems: One method that has worked for Top Test Prep is to have every student read the verbal passages out loud before answering the questions. Most test prep companies recommend reading the questions first, and then skimming the content. During your tutoring sessions, we want the students to hear what the author is writing and then to explain the passage’s main point to the tutor. If a student can explain what an author intended to write, he or she will know the answers before they get to the questions. If a student can come up with his or her own title to the passage, they become more involved and will understand the questions better. Essentially, make the student the author of the passage.
(8) On test day: The Five P’s of Test Prep are simple: Proper preparation prevents poor performance. Make sure every student has everything they need on test day: All #2 pencils, calculators, and their admissions ticket. Being prepared will prevent nervousness and overall anxiety. Students are encouraged to have some caffeine, but not too much – however much they are comfortable with drinking.
(9) Expect the Unexpected. When test day arrives, you must expect that you will see questions with which you are unfamiliar. In the event you don’t know the answer, make sure to eliminate as many problems that are not logical or those which have no basis for even being an answer choice. This takes practice. However, it’s important not to just guess if you have a chance of losing points.
(10) Don’t Panic. No matter what your score is, keep in mind that you can take an exam again. You can take many exams again without being penalized – several admissions offices will look to your highest score regardless of any previous exam results.
This article was written by Ross Blankenship, an admissions consultant and President of TopTestPrep.com, which provides private tutoring and admissions consulting to students around the world. Call (800) 501-PREP to get help with private tutoring and admissions consulting.
Our admissions consulting offers students and parents the opportunity to get an inside view at top schools. If you’re applying to prep schools, colleges or graduate schools, take a moment to visit our admissions consultants.
We offer admissions consulting for students which includes the following services:
* Personalized educational consulting
* Custom academic reports and admissions probabilities
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* Admissions essays (unlimited)
* Designing summer activities / internships / jobs
* Private Tutoring (when necessary)
* Curriculum counseling
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* Custom academic reports and admissions probabilities
* Completion of admissions application (up to 10)
* Admissions essays
* Course advising
* Personalized educational consulting
* Custom academic reports and admissions probabilities
* Completion of admissions application (up to 5)
* Admissions essays
* Course advising
* Quality research and editing
* Excellent Admissions Feedback
* Essay Help within 24 Hours
* Professional Admissions Guidance
So take a moment today and find out more on our elite admissions consulting.
