“I wanted to improve my score and see how much better I can do after a class,” Jae Rhee, a junior at Newton South High School said.

An SAT score od just one small part of an application, but it’s big when it comes to getting into state schools. It’s sometimes among the first things admissions officials check out.

“For them to, based on one number, be completely omitted from the list of possibilities, I can see why that would increase anxiety,” said Christopher Jacobs of the Princeton Review.

You can see why the $1,000 price tag for the class gets easier to swallow, as students and parents scramble for ways to stick out.

“It’s the idea that you have to get into the right college, start your life, then jump into the right job,” said Alexandra Koch, a junior at Newton South.

Koch says she’s been worried about college since she was in 7th grade. It is a reality for lots of students.

“My feeling has always been, start early, it reduces the stress,” says Deirdre Guenther of the Compass Group .

Since navigating the application process can get confusing, a new cottage industry has sprung up – the independent college counselor. For around $6,000 or $7,000, Deirdre Guenther will work with a student, starting early in high school. She’ll keep them organized, on-task, and focused on finding the right school.

“Their college advisor is really their head coach, and their parents should be on the sidelines, cheering for them. And I am their independent, or their private coach, refining their techniques,” Guenther says.

Half the battle is being smart about which schools you apply to.

“Students really need to think about who they are and what they’re looking for, and not worry about that bumper sticker on the back of their parents’ car,” says Kelly Walter, who has been reading college applications for 30 years.

Now, as Boston University’s admissions director, she sees some students trying too hard to create the perfect profile.

“I think so often students are wrapped up in trying to present themselves in a way almost to market themselves. This becomes a PR project for many students,” Walter says.

The race to join clubs, be a varsity athlete, volunteer, travel, save the world – it can all be too much. What does Boston University care most about? Your academic record, including your senior year grades.

“There are certainly a lot of resources available to students and most of those resources are for free,” Walter says.

In the end, it has no doubt become more competitive to get into college, but as with so much else, planning makes the difference.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/special_reports/college_be_prepared_get_accepted_092709

http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=100&DateTime=9%2F1%2F2009+8%3A26%3A34+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=100&playclip=True&RefPage

By Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY

Average national SAT scores for the high school class of 2009 dropped two points compared with last year, a report out Tuesday says. And while the population of test takers was the most diverse ever, average scores vary widely by race and ethnicity.  On one end, students who identified themselves as Asian, Asian-American or Pacific Islander posted a 13-point gain. On the other end, students who identified themselves as Puerto Rican posted a 9-point drop in average scores.

“We are tremendously encouraged by the increasing diversity,” said College Board president Gaston Caperton. “More than ever, the SAT reflects the diversity of students in our nation’s classrooms.”

But Bob Schaeffer, spokesman for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a critic of standardized tests, says what stands out to him “is widening gaps of all sorts — race, gender and income — at a time when the nation is spending billions of dollars allegedly trying to close those gaps. The promise of No Child Left Behind and of many high-stakes state testing programs is that testing is going to improve educational quality. That’s not what the data show.”

The differences in total SAT scores by ethnicity was most extreme between Asian students (1623 out of 2400) and black students (1276, a four-point drop). Puerto Rican students averaged 1345. The national average was 1509. Top score is 800 in each of the three SAT sections.

Total scores also dropped two points on average for white students (1581) and Mexican and Mexican American students (1362), and increased two points for American Indian or Alaskan natives (1448).

Disparities in scores by gender and income also widened.

•Average scores dropped 5 points for females and 2 points for males. While females represent more than half (53.5%) of test takers, their total average score (1496) is 27 points below that of males (1523).

•The highest average score of all (1702, up 26 points) was posted by students who said their families earned more than $200,000 a year. Students whose reported family income was less than $20,000 a year averaged 1321, up 1 point.

The report’s analysis notes that students who had completed a core curriculum, taken their school’s most rigorous courses and familiarized themselves with the test were among the strongest performers.

For example, students who took an Advanced Placement or honors math course scored on average 79 points above the national average math score. And students who had previously taken the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scored 121 points higher on average than those who did not take the test.

“The SAT directly reflects what students have learned in school and how they use that knowledge,” said senior vice president Laurence Bunin. “That’s why the latest research continues to validate that the SAT, when combined with high school grades, is the best predictor of college success.”

Transcript:

…taken over the past two years coupled with the steady rise of college tuition, the finances of funding higher education have come under pressure, leading some to question the value of where that degree comes from. our intern, tom nunlist reports. there’s no doubt that attending a prestigious school is well prestigious. but with big names come big price tags. rob franek, author of the Princeton Review’s best 367 schools, says the iv league may not be the best way to go for everyone. franek there is a right school for everybody or not better schools, as long as you are able to learn and grow etc. the 2009 edition of the Princeton Review best 367 schools ranks colleges in 62 lists based on 120,000 interviews with students across america. some of it’s findings may be a little bit surprising.university of florida was ranked as having the best career services department, pomona college in california has the best classroom experience. other rankings are less surprising: brigham young university in utah was listed as most sober. franek not a believer in big name schools only the big leagues still have big payoffs, provided you can make it in. according to payscale. the average starting salaries for iv league undergraduates is $60,000/year. liberal arts and state schools lag behind with an average of $45,000/year. however, that doesn’t mean smaller, schools won’t give you your money’s worth. devry president in the past 34 years, with close to a quarter of a million graduates, 90% of those graduates seeking our assistance were employed within six months. about 40% of our students come to us as college transfers so when they come to devry they are already passionate about getting in, getting out, and getting to work and with a thousand dollar tuition difference, devry may be a solid option over harvard. but regardless of alma mater, some employers suggest that what you do with yourself at school is the key fbi what we are really looking for is some good, solid experience after you graduate, it’s more important what you have done with your degree than where you got it from. rob franek echoes that statement. franek (there is name recognition, but a good employer will look at other things)…

Available at http://inquiry.princetonreview.com/ugrad/satparentchallenge, the SAT Parent Challenge features questions from each of the three sections of the exam: Critical Reading, Math, and Essay Writing. After completing the quiz, parents will receive their results from The Princeton Review, as well as examples of techniques that may have helped them correctly answer specific questions.

“Not only is today’s SAT much harder than it used to be, but many colleges and universities have increased their average score requirements for first-year students,” says Robert Franek, Vice President/Publisher at The Princeton Review. “There’s also a growing reliance on college entrance exams to determine eligibility for grants and scholarships due to the dramatic increase in requests for financial aid this year.

Given all of this, there’s no question that parents and students must take these tests seriously and really prepare for them.” Franek noted that according to The Princeton Review’s 2009 “College Hopes and Worries Survey,” when asked to gauge their stress level about the college application process, student respondents indicated higher levels than their parents. Additionally, stress levels were the highest since The Princeton Review began the survey in 2003. “Much of this stress can be eliminated if you understand that it’s not always about learning more — or even remembering what you’ve learned — but knowing how to approach a question on a standardized test.

Bottom line: the right attitude and preparation for taking these tests can be an extremely important influence and play a key role in helping a student achieve the college test score they need and deserve.” As added incentive, parents who take the SAT Parent Challenge between July 3 and August 31, 2009 will be automatically entered into the Parent Challenge Sweepstakes, with three first place winners receiving a Princeton Review SAT Classroom Preparatory Course, valued at over $1,000. About The Princeton Review The Princeton Review (Nasdaq: REVU) has been a pioneer and leader in helping students achieve their higher education goals for more than 25 years through college and graduate school test preparation and private tutoring. With more than 165 print and digital publications and a free website, www.PrincetonReview.com, the Company provides students and their parents with the resources to research, apply to, prepare for, and learn how to pay for higher education. The Princeton Review also partners with schools and guidance counselors throughout the U.S. to assist in college readiness, test preparation and career planning services, helping more students pursue postsecondary education. REVU-G SOURCE The Princeton Review Source

PR Newswire: Princeton Review Launches SAT Parent Challenge Posted on: Monday, 10 August 2009, 09:50 CDT NEW YORK, Aug. 10

Students in Hong Kong get a line of books, an online course, online tutoring, a seven-week classroom program with 30 hours of instruction, and in-person one-on-one and small group tutoring. Course price is $9,988.

Students may retake the GMAT course if they don’t have a score improvement.

Although GMAT instruction at Princeton Review hasn’t changed much in the past few years, Fulmer says the organization is constantly evaluating its courses. Students now receive homework assignments based on the areas in which they need the most improvement as determined by the results of their diagnostic test. Princeton Review is also starting to think about the changes coming to the GMAT in 2013. “Princeton Review is always abreast of changes,” says Fulmer. “Whatever comes down the road, we’ll be ready with the best possible test prep out there.”

Having a hand in all the standardized tests including the SAT, SAT Subject Tests, TOEFL, GRE,  SSAT etc. is an advantage because the exams often have similarities. Princeton Review has a separate team, he adds, that works on teaching only the GMAT. And it already offers GRE courses.

Joan Yee, the Princeton Review Hong Kongs Executive Director explains why further education is important during these difficult times. She describes why attaining a Masters degree is the solution.

香港Princeton Review 行政總監, Joan Yee, 講解持續學習在現時的困難時期的重要性. 她亦解釋取得碩士學位為什麼是解困方法之一.

香港Princeton Review 行政总监, Joan Yee, 讲解持续学习在现时的困难时期的重要性. 她亦解释取得硕士学位为什麽是解困方法之一.

If parents had to retake the SAT, how would they do?

You can get an inkling of how you might fare by taking a mini SAT that The Princeton Review devised as a challenge for parents.

Earlier this year, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal retook the real SAT 41 years after her original try. What she discovered should provide hope for all middle-aged parents whose smug teenagers think they are intellectually superior.

Sue Shellenbarger, a 57-year-old mom, bombed on her first practice SAT math test. She scored in the 430 to 490 range, which is significantly below average. But then Shellenbarger did what we badger our teenagers to do: she studied.

Ultimately, the journalist scored a perfect 800 on the critical reading section of the SAT and she pulled her SAT math score up to 600. The professional writer was surprised that she only earned a 10 out of a possible 12 points on the essay.

Mercifully, I don’t remember what my SAT scores were, but I do know that my only preparation — like so many other parents — was to sharpen some yellow pencils. But here’s good news if your teen wants to know what your SAT scores were: you can add points. For anyone who took the SAT prior to 1995, here are the guidelines for revising your SAT test scores to make them comparable to today’s results.

Now don’t you feel better?

Click here to know more!