Preparing for the College Entrance Examination

    Preparing for college entrance examinations like the ACT and SAT is a good idea.  If you or your student struggles with tests, a test prep course can help him/her with test taking tips. Unfortunately test prep courses can be expensive and make all kinds of claims about their ability to improve your score.  Test prep courses is not the place to learn all new subjects but they can help you with test taking shortcuts and tricks to manage your test taking time.  

     Parents should check with their school or school district for free or discounted test prep course.  Do an Internet search for SAT or ACT test preparation courses. In Chicago the University of Chicago offers free test prep courses (see below for a link).  

     You can also try preparing for the test on your own.  If you do you must be dedicated and devote the time. You can visit CollegeBoard.com and download an actual SAT test to practice on. ACT also posts free practice questions for some of their test at Actstudent.org. Many high schools purchase test prep workbooks to loan to their students.

High School freshman its time to think about college.

For most people choosing a college to attend is complicated.  It gets even more complicated if you will be the first in your family to go to college. Unfortunately most high school students wait until their senior year, often their last semester in high school to prepare and apply for college.  But what you do and don't do starting in your freshman year classes has an impact on what colleges will accept you.    

First of all, select a high school that has a college counselor and visit your counselor in your freshman year.  Many high schools if they have college counselors do not require students to visit their college counselors until their junior year.  But there is a good reason to start planning early for college.  Most good colleges have specific admissions requirements, especially in the area of math, science and language.  If you wait until your senior year to check the entrance requirements for a college your interested in, you might discover that you do not have the required courses.  For example if you only take two years of math in high school but the college you want to go to requires four years of math, there is no way you will be able to make up the classes.  So what do you do?  Work with the college counselor or someone who has graduated from college to help you pick your classes.  Look up on the internet, some of the better four year colleges in your city and find out what are the admissions requirements for that college.  

Join a club, participate in sports or volunteer in your school or community.  As early as possible in your high school career do something that shows your leadership skills, your commitment to the community or your athletic ability.  Colleges are looking for people who are more than just good students.  They are looking for leaders, people with unique experiences and talents.  You never know you might get a scholarship for your talent. 

Take the ACT or SAT in your junior year of high school.  Many colleges have minimum ACT or SAT scores to get into their school.  If you wait to take the ACT or SAT in your senior year you may not have time to retake the test.  So meet with your college counselor in your junior year to find out when and where the ACT and SAT tests will be offered.  If you do poorly look for a tutor or test preparation course that specialize in the ACT and SAT.  The money you spend on tutors or a course is an investment.  The better score you get the better financial aid you will be offered.

Check for early college application deadlines in your junior year.  Some of the better schools require high school students to apply as early as your junior year or the first few months of your senior year.  You may be able to apply later and be selected by the college but you might not qualify for some college scholarships offered by the school.  College is expensive so don't miss any opportunity to get free money to help pay for school.

As a freshman high school student you might not be ready to think about college.  But if you really want to go to a good college you need to plan ahead.  You do not need to pick a college in your first year of high school but you do need to make sure you are doing everything now like taking the right classes, preparing for the ACT and SAT early, maintaining a good grade point average, doing extra activities that show your talents and know when you have to apply for college admissions can make a big diference. Your college decision is an important one—not one that you should make at the last minute or without careful thought.

Tutors are Coaches

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Many parents have their children involved in sports or learning how to play the piano, dancing. These activities are important for a child to grow up healthy and happy.  But many parents don't consider getting their child a tutor.  Parents have many reasons why not to get a tutor. But there a lot of advantages for getting a tutor.  Just like baseball players have pitching coaches to teach them and help them practice to be better pitchers, tutors are coaches that can help your child become better students. 

The best reason to get a tutor for your child is to help your child do better in school.  A tutor can help your child really understand the core subjects like reading, math and writing.  Tutors can help your child catch up if they are falling behind. And when your child has a good understanding of the basics, a tutor can help your child get ahead in school by reviewing subjects ahead of the class.  

Students can easily lose their self confidence if they fall behind in school.  Tutors can reduce the stress of school by patiently explaining the subject matter.  Seeing a tutor regularly even after your child catches up will improve your child's confidence when they are ahead of the rest of the class.  Your child gets one on one attention. This is one of the best reasons to get a tutor. Children who are falling behind or who are quiet can get lost in today's large classrooms. In a tutoring session, with just the tutor and maybe only a handful of other students your child can more easily asks questions. 

How much do tutors cost?

You need to consider a tutor an investment.  Consider how much a private high school or universities cost these days.  In Chicago private high schools can cost between $6,000 to $15,000 or more. Chicago has some very good enrollment and IB high schools that are free.  Those schools do a great job of preparing your kids for college with scholarship opportunities. but to get in those schools your child needs to do really well in school and on the enrollment tests. A tutor can give your son or daughter the extra help to do well on those tests and on their grades.  So what you spend on a tutor can be considered a cheap investment. So how much?  You can pay as little as $10 an hour, if the tutor is a licensed teacher you can expect to pay $15 to $35.60 per hour as a tutor

Where can I find a tutor?

Finding a tutor can be as easy as asking other parents for the name of the tutor they might be using.  You can ask a teacher or principle for ideas.  Another way is to advertise at your local university.  College students make good tutors and mentors.  You might even qualify for a free tutor.  Check the article about No Child Left Behind.

Try:

Wyzeant.com

Conclusion

Tutors are for everyone not just for students that struggle.  Get a tutor that is patient, will help your child not only catch up but race ahead.  

Read Every Day!

Probably the single most important skill you can teach your child is reading.  Children who read everyday will do better in school, score higher on the SATs, and do better in high school and college.  Children who grow up enjoying reading have greater opportunities in life.  The trick is read every day! Children should be read to from birth (some say before birth) until they can read on their own well. Then read with them.   

Unfortunately, there are too many things competing for kid's attention.  Movies, video games, television and instant messaging take away time from reading. The volume of outside activities can also reduce time for reading.  And there are children who live in families where there are no books or parents who do not like to read.   

Everyone knows that to be good at anything in life you have to do it repeatedly, over and over until it becomes a habit.  Athletes practice everyday and the real good athletes enjoy what they do and get even better.  The same thing is true with reading.  Parents need to set aside time every day, the same time everyday for reading.  The best time is before bedtime.  Set aside a half hour or hour every night before bed time to read.  Shut off the television, put away the game controllers, turn off the cellphone, get ready for bed and have you and your child read.  Parents should read aloud to their children for as long as you can.  And after your child reads on their own, parents need to read with their children.  They need to see you read, it shows children that reading is important.  

Find books they like to read.  Don't force them to read something they hate.  Reading should be fun (remember the great athletes enjoy what they are doing - your child will become a great reader if they love what they are reading).  Limit TV and Video game time to allow more time for reading.  Reading is the most important thing you can do as a family that will help your child succeed in life - so make it a fun priority in your every day life.

Why Education Real Simple?

As a parent,  understanding how education works can be confusing and stressful. There is no guidebook for parents that explains education in plain English. Education professionals use technical words and the choices make it hard for new parents, immigrant parents or even seasoned parents know what is the right thing to do. 

Education Real Simple is a place where complex education issues are explained in plain English and provide a place for parents and teachers to share ideas.