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:

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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...

This year, Ivy League schools chose April 6th 2021 as the date they announce their regular decision acceptances, otherwise known as Ivy Day. (Turn on the waterworks 'cuz here comes a flood of tears.) An average of 90%  to 97% of applicants will be rejected. Even fewer this year than last due to many students taking a gap year in 2020 due to covid restrictions. But here's the truth.:

It doesn't matter, not one iota, where the degree comes from.

We've been fed a lie and a lot of marketing hype. And I can prove it.

It may seem strange for someone in my position to dismiss Ivy schools, after all didn't we have a huge scandal with parents, teachers, and counselors cheating to get their kids into these "top-twenty" schools? So it must be important, right?

First, let me assure you, I've done the research. Those who know me, know that I will research to the death, to be absolutely certain, before I state anything. The research, and not just mine (Google Dale &...

College seniors have their hands full before graduation, and they may miss some important career-prep activities. Here is a last-minute checklist of things to do before graduation and begin their job search. All of these are also for college summer internship employment as well.

It's never too late to begin looking for internship or post graduate employment. However, many employers begin posting applications for both as early as the August of college senior year. So don't wait. Start now!

___ Line up references (professors, internship managers,
supervisors, etc.) 

visiting career services,

___Clean up all social media pages

A parent asked a lot of questions surrounding the concept of attending community college.:

-Pros/Cons of attending community college or a smaller, local university for first two years of studies with goal of obtaining Bachelor’s from a larger University.

-Is the savings and small step into college life beneficial?

-Is it harder to get accepted to a 4-year college with a two year transfer plan?

-Does the student apply for their dream college now and let admissions know they plan on the first two years elsewhere or does student apply after first two years are underway?

-Is this generally frowned upon or welcomed by admissions?

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As you can see there are a lot of very good questions here. Here's my take on it.

Most kids regardless of age have been educating ‘online’ since March of last year. Are they falling behind? A recent study showed that your kids may have already lost 30%-50% of what they learned last year due to struggling with online learning and disruptions. This includes college students as well especially freshmen who even without all this COVID and online learning were already having to adjust to college life, rigorous schoolwork, and living away from home, then lets add the pandemic isolation, stress, and overwhelm. Parents should be concerned whether your kids are in middle school or college.

Prep Expert is offering academic success coaching from middle school through college students.

Go to this link and click the ‘MENTORING’ tab at the top of the page, then select the age group of your child for details specific to your family.

https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1534521&u=2570158&m=97094&urllink=&afftrack=

They are...

Does your teen have no freaking idea of what they want to do after high school?

I had this question recently. It reminded me of the look of shear terror in my son's eyes when it was time to decide on a college major. You see, most teens think they are making a lifetime decision at the ripe old age of 17 or 18. Not so. And if we explain it to them it will take a lot of the stress off of making the decision.

When I saw the expression on my son's face, I immediately said to him, "Get in the car, we're going out for coffee." On the drive to IHOPS, it was late at night, I asked my son if he knew all the jobs and employers his dad had worked for since the age of 20. Of course he didn't. (Most kids and teens pay no attention to that. They have a roof over their head and food to eat. They're good to go.) I told my son all the lateral moves within companies and the different companies his dad had worked for. "You won't be sitting in a cubicle for 40 years. Most employers will see the good...