Don't buy into the "schools are test-optional" mantra and end up missing out on tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships.

#1 Less than 50% of colleges were test-optional for admissions. (Most still want them for scholarships. or for special groups.) 

#2 Within 3 years 90% will return to test-required. 

Will your teen be late to the party?

These exams are tied to BIG scholarships. My 2 kids won more than $50,000 in college and state scholarships where the ACT scores were a deciding factor. That's REAL money.

Taking the exams can also help your teen place out of introductory college classes in English and Math. That also saves money and time.

If you want comprehensive details on preparing for the ACT exam. Click here!

To Your Success,
Denise

P.S. Waiting until the middle of junior year to take these exams is one of the most ridiculous, self-serving pieces of advice that high school counselors give. If you want to why it’s a bad idea to wait, email me!...

This topic came up when one parent wanted to fund $1000 per month into their college kid's account.

What is an allowance? An allowance is an amount of money given on a regular basis. It may have rules or stipulations on under what circumstances it is received (for young children it may be for doing certain chores) or "just because we can" with no rules in place for how it must be spent.

Let's start with, Your college kid should not have time to fiddle around (even if it's in NYC) to spend that kind of cash every month. Unless they are getting an Underwater Basketweaving degree, they should be studying. Being a theater arts major shouldn't require attending expensive shows every month either.

If and how much to give your teen will depend on your circumstances. If all of your teen's bills are paid for, then an allowance might cover a tank of gas each month, car expenses such as oil changes and registration, and one decent meal at a restaurant. 

Eventually,...

I hear it often. Parents and teens believe they have to have something extraordinary to gain college acceptance or to win private scholarships.

We live in a small town.”

”Nothing significant has ever happened for a “story” that is good or bad.”

” I have read my teen’s essays and they seem good but nothing like the students that have life changing events.”

They don’t have anything special. They didn’t start a non profit foundation. They’re average. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. (Most of the time)

"My kid's essays don't stand out! What can I do?"

First, chill. Not everyone is going to have some earth-shattering global impact project or has survived a deadly disease. Yet a large percentage of teens get accepted to colleges and win scholarships every year .

Colleges and scholarship committees aren’t looking for spectacular. They’re looking for the “real you.” (Your teen).

What are...

Ok, so I may ruffle a few feathers here because I'm about to NOT be "Politically Correct." 

You've got college debt? PAY IT OFF! You signed on the dotted line. You were/are an adult. It's your responsibility. Period. You will never hear me say that anyone else should pay it, or that the federal government should "forgive" your loan. Man-up!

Now that that's out of the way, you didn't have a plan to pay it off, or life got in the way as it often does. Life happens to everyone. So how CAN you get that monkey off your back? Here are a few suggestions.:

Sacrifice some time for money. Instead of going home after work, get another part-time job or side gig. If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, a side gig can be anything.  Anything you do well you can teach others how to do for pay. Teach an educational subject, tutor, or teach guitar or piano lessons. Pet sitting is an easy gig for before and after your 8 to 5 job. Mow lawns, rake leaves or pull weeds....

What if your employer offered the benefit of free college tuition? (Good Idea or Bad Idea? What to look out for!)

I was recently asked to comment as a news source on this topic. 

From the employee, your adult child’s, perspective.:

Each year a few more employers join the ranks of others that offer tuition benefits to their employees.

Is it a good deal? 

-It could be a great idea! You’d have to live on another planet to not have heard of the rising cost of college tuition, so the thought of having someone else pay for it should make your ears perk up. For many this can be a great alternative to paying for college out of pocket.

What things should they know or ask? 

(A) Nothing in life is free, except your mother's love. Any company offering tuition incentives is going to want something in return. Usually, that means a commitment to working at the company for a certain number of years, or you’ll have to repay the cost that they incurred for your...

Your Teen has a Brand: Social Media Can Kill Your Teen’s Career & Future!

To parents of teens & college students, & those that teach & counsel them. If you haven’t had this discussion, & if you have, remind them again & again.

Every employer, scholarship agency & college is monitoring perspective student/intern's social media content. This before they hire you, and during employment as an adult! Creepy, I know. But hear me out.

Companies don’t want to be seen in a negative light. On your own time, you are still an employee: What you do, who you are, reflects on them.

Potential illegal activity should go without saying. But the following can and has been cause for dismissal.

Alcohol, holding a glass of wine, being drunk, get tagged in a post or photo you’re NOT EVEN IN, but now you are associated with the behavior.

Personal Faith
Racism
LGBT
Abortion
Gun rights

When your faith is strong, it’s likely you’ll post or...

Kim: "What about the National Society of High School Scholars? I was a part of the National Honor Society in public school, so I was super excited to get the invitation for NSHSS for my homeschooled daughter. My husband is unsure of it (its legitimacy and value) since it requires a $75 membership fee. I love the idea of her having a cord/stole to wear when she graduates, but don’t want to waste money and time on something not worth it."

My answer: 

HOW TO STUDY FOR THE PSAT EXAM:

Take the SAT exam practice tests. Study for the PSAT by using the same study materials and strategies as for the SAT. 

Use test-taking strategies, for example, do not leave any answer blank. To ensure this happens, when you near the last 5 minutes of any section, jump to the last question on that section and begin filling on bubbles on the answer sheet, stopping 3 or 4 from the one you left off from. What bubble to fill-in? One of the strategies is to DECIDE right now which bubble will be your, "I have no clue" answer bubble. (Choose bubble 1, 2, 3, or 4. Never the last, 5th bubble.) Since answers are mostly evenly distributed throughout the test, always choosing the (?) bubble ensures that you'll get 25% of those 'I have no clue' answers correct. 

Take the SAT practice tests under test-taking conditions--no distractions. No cell phone. No getting up from the cair except for ONE 5 minute break sometime in the middle.

After taking the...

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:

In the Junior year, the PSAT exam counts as a qualifying exam for the National Merit Scholarship. You are only competing against other juniors in YOUR state. 8000 first-place winners are chosen as National Merit Scholars and the scholarship for that can be anywhere from $2500 to $100,000 depending on the college you choose to attend. 

For Freshmen and Sophomores taking the PSAT for practice has been shown to increase the junior year scores by 15 points. So this is important.

If the parents work for any of the corporate sponsors there may be a scholarship available through the parent's employer for taking the exam and doing well. Generally, if this is the case, the corporation has an application that must be submitted MONTHS in advance of taking the exam, sometimes as early as winter of the sophomore year. Check the list:

 ...

I recently read an article in which the author opined that as a society we are much too grade-obsessed and that grades are not indicative of the real world. The author went on to say that the obsession with grades makes the transition to employment difficult. I disagree.

While grades may not be the best method of determining mastery of a subject, it is what we have today. High school grades, especially grades received in rigorous courses, colleges say are the best indicator of college success. In other words, if you can handle college-level work in high school you will likely pass and graduate from your 4-year college or university.

I will however caution parents and teens with regard to the number of rigorous courses taken in high school. It's unnecessary to take 15 AP courses to impress colleges admissions. For the vast majority of teens, taking an abundance of rigorous courses in high school will likely result in less time available to pursue extracurricular activities, community...