Congratulations to Brandon N. for his acceptance to Tulane University and Illinois Institute of Technology. We are very proud of Brandon and continue to wait for more great news. As more students are hearing back from their schools, we encourage our students to keep up with their school grades, extracurricular activities, scholarships and their applications. For more information, contact us.
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This week, Lee Academia's team gathered data from 2002-2013 and created this graph on the left. We can see the increased interest in U.S Colleges/Universities as more and more International students apply and seek LAEC's High School/College/Graduate School Counseling. Lee Academia limits the number of students we work with, as we dedicate our expertise and professionalism in helping each and every one of our clients. In 2012-2013, we see a tremendous increase in our International Students (especially from China) applying to U.S. Colleges seeking our help during the Spring and early Summer term, thus limiting our availability for American students. Here are sample services that we helped our International Students with:
With the big day arriving soon, students are also going to anticipate their standardized test score report to arrive when they finish. And lucky for them, instead of waiting for the hard paper copy of the score report to arrive, scores are available online.
SAT Superscore Now, let’s assume that on the SAT, you received a 560 in Critical Reading, a 740 in Mathematics, and a 630 in Writing. Your overall score would be an 1930 (out of 2400). Students might compare their score to the scores of admitted college applicants. This measure is somewhat helpful in determining what their scores mean, but what students really want to look at are their percentile ranks. While our imaginary scores would place you above 78 percent of the students in the country for your reading score, above 96 percent of students for math, and above 82 percent of students in writing. Note that although you have a separate score reported for your essay (on a scale of 1-12), that score is already part of the complex calculation used to arrive at the 600. You will also see a writing subscore for the multiple choice questions (on a scale of 20-80). The score between 200 and 800 is what matters. Keep in mind that your scores are estimates. And the many versions of the SAT all have the same level of difficulty among all the various questions; the SAT writers are only human. This is part of the reason that some colleges superscore the SAT. Many students take the SAT multiple times. We recommend that students take the SAT no more than two times. There are variations in the test content, thus the second time a student takes the SAT, he might do worse in reading but much better in math. And it would not be fair if your higher reading score from the first test was disregarded. So, some schools will look at all of the test scores you submit and use the highest score you achieved in each section. For example, they may take your reading score from your first test and your math and writing scores from your second test and then combine them to give you your highest score possible out of 2400. The College Board publishes data that tells us whether the schools we are interested in superscore or only look at the scores from the last time you took the test. If you have ever wondered how applicants at Ivy League schools seem to have near perfect SAT scores, this is how. Few applicants attending the elite institutions scored a perfect 2400 in a single attempt. ACT Superscore If students took the ACT, the percentile-based interpretation of their scores makes more sense than does the numbers-based interpretation. In terms of percentiles, if scores are 82% in English, 75% in Math, 85% in Reading, and 90% in Science. Again, that’s the percentage of students across the country that you performed better than. The composite score is the average of those four subscores. If you took the optional essay, a separate English score is also reported (on a scale of 1 – 36) that combines the multiple-choice writing with the essay score, but the composite score uses only the multiple choice subscore. Similar to the SAT, there is some variation across the ACT tests (with some being noticeably harder than others). Again, this is why the percentiles matter more than the raw score. The difference between the tests, though, is that superscoring is not widely practiced with the ACT. ACT recommends that colleges use a single highest composite score for their admissions criteria and many schools abide by this recommendation. The ACT content is presented in a more straightforward way, which allows students to easily assess their errors, practice, and improve their scores, thus taking the ACT after studying is beneficial. SAT and ACT Tutoring If you are considering hiring an expert SAT tutor or ACT tutor to help your child prepare for the SAT or ACT, Lee Academia can help. Please call us at 646.266.6084, so we can begin to develop a personalized SAT tutoring and/or ACT tutoring program for your child. Now that you have your grades, test scores, activity lists and interests, where should you consider applying? We will help you find a set of schools that meet your needs. We are problem solvers and can find great options for any student, no matter what the circumstance.
Think you can’t afford college? Worried that test scores or grades don’t reflect actual abilities? Want to apply to the most elite institutions? Interested in special career paths? We can find the solution that works for you. Call us now to schedule a consultation and let us help you find best-fit colleges for you! Yes, we know the 2014-2015 Common Application will not officially be live until August 1st, however, as we have been telling our students, the essay prompts this year have not changed from last year's application.
So, rising seniors, what are you waiting for? Students can (and should!) get started on their essays now. Common Application Prompts Do you (the student) need help writing an essay that will improve your admissions odds? Contact us today! We will guide you through everything you need to know about writing a great college application essay. Writing a Compelling College Essay in 1-Day! Our 1-day course (5 hours, with 30 minute break included) will include:
Student Name, High School, Home Address, Phone Number, Email Address Credit Card Number (MC or Visa) Name on Card Expiration Date Early Registration (register before August 1 at 7pm EST): only $450 Regular Registration (begins August 2): $550 *Online courses are available, as well. Contact us for more details. Questions? Call 646.266.6084 The cost of a college education is one of the second largest financial investment next to purchasing a home. Currently, many private tuitions range between $180,000 and $250,000, and state governments have been decreasing their funding. Your financial decisions will benefit from our professional guidance.
As many students choose a college without adequate investigation and research regarding what the college has to offer them, research shows that one out of three college students leave or transfer to another college and five out of ten students require five or more years to earn a degree. Our objective assessment of the student’s needs at Lee Academia help us to use current research beyond website information to find the right “student-college fit”. Many colleges have become more selective and Lee Academia's College Consultants understand what is needed for top students to gain admissions. However, finding the right college for the average or learning differences students is just as important. Many less competitive colleges have higher drop out rates and lower graduation rates, therefore it is essential we carefully place average students in appropriate educational settings. High school counselors – both in public and private institutions – are so overwhelmed with student caseloads, federally mandated paperwork for special needs students, dealing with disciplinary situations, and scheduling courses. There is little time left for quality personal contact between counselor and the student applying to college. Guidance counselors will write a letter of recommendation, assemble a transcript, and include a student profile in the college packet – nothing more. For more information and to contact us for a consultation: click here. As the end of May approaches, final exams are coming to an end. With no school conflicts, the summer is the perfect opportunity and time to start working on your college applications!
The early action or early decision admission rates for students who apply are 3-4 times higher than those who apply regular decision. So why not be one of those students who begin working on their applications over the summer? They often find that their early start pays off when admissions decisions are made. Lee Academia Educational Consulting offers a wide-range of summer SAT/ACT courses, both in person and live online. We are experienced in college admissions and can help you get an early jump-start on your college application process. So contact us now and begin the process. Today is the deadline for first-year candidates to choose among their offers of admissions, financial aid and scholarships. Congratulations to all college-bound students and hopefully, you all deposited on time.
Remember: While some colleges may offer an extension of the May 1 deadline, students need to call and/or email their admission counselor, and state the reason for the indecision, and many schools do not grant extensions. Deposits are not refundable after May 1. Also, after going through all the years of planning, researching, arguing, traveling, debating, analyzing, comparing, writing, thinking, fretting, and finishing strong, do not forget that getting accepted in to the college is FAR less important than staying in and successfully completing college. As always, we welcome your comments and questions. Feel free to email us or call us at 646-266-6084. Join us on Facebook and Twitter. Last week, Ms. Stephenie, our college consultant brought 14 high school students around the Columbia University undergraduate campus at Morningside on 116th Street, Manhattan, for a tour. They were told the superstitious stories about the Alma Mater and the students rushed to find the owl to determine who would become the incoming class' Valedictorian. Stories about the Tunnel and Manhattan Project were told as the students walked around and had a firsthand look at the academic classrooms. The infamous Havemeyer classroom where most filming take place was visited, as well as Dodge Fitness Center. Students had the opportunity to ask informal questions and to see a typical Columbia day in progress with many undergraduate and graduate students walking around campus, sitting at the Low steps, and playing soccer at the South Lawn.
After lunch at Columbia's popular cafe, the students toured the Butler Library and had the opportunity to visit the Stacks, observe the old card catalogs, and see hundreds of books that dated back to the early 1900s. The tour concluded at Columbia's Bookstore, where students had the opportunity to rest and buy Columbia logo clothing. For more information about future tours and the opportunity to have Ms. Stephenie provide you with a fun unofficial Columbia University tour, contact us. Lee Academia's very own Ms. Stephenie Lee will be providing "One to One Counseling" at New York City's National College Fair this Sunday, April 6th, 2014 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Come stop by the counseling area in the middle of the fair.
The goal of the short counseling center will be to provide individual assistance to parents and students who visit the fair. We will not provide in-depth college counseling. Ms. Stephenie will share 2-3 key strategies for each individual during the brief counseling session, so be sure to stop by. If interested for a discounted college planning package or test prep package, please contact us for more information. Lee Academia will offer a special price to the students who visit the College Fair. We hope to hear from you soon. |
Stephenie Lee
Stephenie, having been a tutor/instructor/mentor since 1996, discovered her passion and founded Lee Academia Educational Consulting, LLC. after she left the dental and medical field. She loves teaching/mentoring and counseling her students. Her passion lies in educating others and helping them pursue their educational path. Today, certified in College Counseling and with more than 10 years of experience, Stephenie and her team continues to blog about current updated educational news and events. Archives
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