General Education Advice

“I am shocked to find out gambling is going on.”  Perhaps only fans of Casablanca will get the reference.  But much like the audience laughter stemming from Renault’s pretend surprise that corruption occurred, my reaction to the college admissions scandal was anything but a surprise. That we have inequality, that we have corruption, that we have […]

“What is a good SAT score?” I have been asked this question thousands of times. “Where do you want to go to college?” That would be my most common response. “The SATs are relevant in a practical sense for one single reason: college admission. A good score helps you gain admission to the colleges that […]

Spring is approaching.  After another long Connecticut winter, many of my students are eager for spring.  But junior year is unforgiving for those serious about the college process. For parents of Connecticut juniors who have been urging their children to “start looking at colleges” and begin SAT (or ACT) prep, the time is NOW.  I […]

I sometimes laugh – more often with late academically blooming boys – about their “saving it up” for when it mattered. That’s the best spin we can put on the first part of their high school careers.   But I then tell them that they must work as hard as possible during junior year. If you are […]

Our SAT prep, both in class and in our seminars, differs in many ways from those run by franchises such as Kaplan and Princeton Review.  One of the bigger ways relates to the psychological shifting that occurs through my mini-lectures. Explaining the Growth versus the Fixed Mindset in the context of test prep has been one […]

My next book is on the college to career transition.  The thesis posits that many parents are the main career guides for their children (like it or not) and thus they need to be well versed in how the New World of Work operates. Moreover, they need to understand the college to career connection in […]

“He has a 96 average, nothing special.   It’s not like he’s over 100.”  That is word for word quote from a parent at one of our local Shoreline, CT schools.  It wasn’t too long ago that a 96 average would put someone squarely in the top 10% of a class and possibly on higher end […]

“I had her do the SAT problem of the day and she took the in-school class taught by her teachers.” a parent said about her daughter, a junior at Daniel Hand High School in Madison. “I’m really surprised that she did so poorly.” Let me clear: doing the SAT problem of the day is better […]

Talking about college with teen children is as much fun as talking about going to the dentist with young children.  “College” is the least favorite topic for many teens.  Parents, similarly, don’t enjoy discussing but know they must. And that’s true.  College is a turning point in life.  I tell parents: “Imagine if you knew […]