College Corner
We found 42 articles
All over the globe, there is always that point at the end of the semester when high school students gear up for dreaded finals. While students’ academic habits are hugely diverse, there are certain things that every student can do to work towards success on end-of-semester exams.
As we wind down the academic year and start looking toward summer, most of us experienced academic tutors working in New York and Boston are working with two sets of students – those who have put in months of work in preparing for their upcoming AP and SAT subject tests and those who are just beginning to think about working with a private SAT ...
Let's talk about the PSAT. For many students, the PSAT is the first exam in a long chain of standardized tests. Some high school sophomores start preparing for the PSAT in the summer because it gives students a chance to get ahead without the distractions of high school academics. Overview of the PSAT 1. Test Format
Thinking ahead to test day is important. From the moment you wake up in the morning, your actions should all be designed to optimize your test taking experience – any academic tutor will tell you that what you do before entering the testing room will impact your test performance.
Taking SAT subject tests (and doing well) is a great way to strengthen your college application because these tests can highlight your academic interests and demonstrate your skill in a given discipline.
At this point in the spring, we’re only about one month away from the May AP tests, and as a veteran academic tutor in New York City, this is the time of year when I push all of my students in high school to take full-length practice AP exams. Regardless of the subject – be it AP World History, AP Biology, or even AP Japanese Language and Culture ...
…pacing! It is so crucial to have a careful, measured plan of attack as a part of any standardized test prep regime. But as a veteran AP tutor for high school students across New York, I can tell you that the key to success lies almost entirely in sticking to a well-organized, personally-tailored study schedule. Cambridge Coaching does a great job ...
Thinking about what to prioritize in your MBA Application? As a business school admissions consultant, GMAT tutor and current business school student, I know that various components of your application are parts of a larger narrative. Your goal as an applicant is to construct a narrative that paints you as ambitious, intellectually curious, ...
The spring can be a hectic time for high school sophomores or juniors. As an academic tutor, I have witnessed my students juggling several responsibilities from rigorous academic coursework, to extracurricular activities, to volunteer work, to jobs...to standardized test preparation.
Practice does not make perfect, Perfect practice makes perfect Whether you are working with an academic tutor, seeking homework help or preparing for a standardized test, the following blog on "deliberate practice" may inform your study skills.
Now that the standardized tests are increasingly adding writing section to the exam, some students may feel nervous at the thoughts of writing a complete essay in 25 minutes! As you complete your standardized test preparation, you've probably noticed that timing/pacing/strategy are key to every section of the test. Essays are no different.
I’ve found that my students in New York City, whether they’re studying for history tests in high school, for AP history exams, or just generally trying to learn new ways of holding onto information, find history to be one of the most difficult subjects to prepare for. Studying for history tests can be intimidating just because there’s often so ...
For students starting to think about (or in the midst of!) the college application process, it’s helpful to be aware of all the possible components of a strong college application, as well as how to best leverage the high school years towards your candidacy.
When reading any kind of assigned text – be it a nineteenth-century English novel, an American history book, a collection of letters, or anything at all that’s been deemed required reading for class – one of the biggest temptations that all my tutorial students in New York City face is to skim. Most students think that if they’re just not that ...
First of all, like most things there is not a one size fits all answer. Therefore, my general answer is that while I don’t recommend cramming given good planning and ample time to prepare, if you or your child have waited until the last minute or have just become aware of the importance of an exam such as the SAT or ACT, then by all means CRAM!
For many students who struggle with ADHD, the onset of rigorous high school academics and standardized test preparation can feel more challenging. The thing is, this moment is an chance for all students to reset academically and re-assess what kinds of study skills work best.
With regular decision applications in for most college-bound seniors, congratulations on completing the college admissions process! The waiting period begins, interspersed with alumni and on-campus college interviews. Remember that the college interview is as much an opportunity for the school to learn about you as it is for you to learn about the ...
As an academic tutor, I have helped countless students make the most of their classes and stay on top of a busy schedule. After a long break with no coursework, job, academic meetings or extracurricular activities, getting back into school mode can take some time. These 5 tips will improve your study skills and keep you feeling grounded:
As someone who has worked with numerous students on standardized test preparation and supported college coursework as an academic tutor, I know that the week after finals period brings major relief. So, congratulations! You’ve made it!
One of the toughest study skills to develop at any point of your education -- whether it’s high school, college, or in grad school -- is effective note taking. And the students I tutor in history in New York City rarely realize off the bat that different subjects require different note taking methods. So the following is a rubric that I ask all my ...
As a veteran tutor for test prep in New York, one of the biggest problems students have – whether it’s for PSAT, SAT, or GRE – is in increasing their vocabulary. When you do it right, this knowledge can help with every single section of the verbal and critical reading components of these tests. But when left to the last minute, students are very ...
Today, I wanted to give you a primer on everything ACT. At the least I want you to leave knowledgeable about the structure, content and scoring of this former ‘test of the Midwest’ so you can make the most of your ACT preparation. The ACT has four mandatory sections and one optional section. The four mandatory sections are English, Mathematics, ...
What is metacognition you may say (unless you have been exposed to the growing literature and popularity of this word in recent years)? Metacognition, at its most basic can be described as knowing how you think.
Common to all good language tutors is a lifelong passion for language instruction and dedication to making language learning possible and enjoyable for students of all types. But there are also four other key attributes that you should pursue when hiring a lanaguage tutor. Whether you are studying for a standardized test, preparing for an overseas ...
Exactly a week ago millions of sophomore and juniors took the PSAT. The College Board and The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) administer this test. Juniors who score above a certain percentile are eligible for applying to the National Merit Scholarship Application Program. While only the top couple percent are eligible for the ...
Let’s say that you’re a junior or senior in college, and you’ve pretty much decided that you’re heading to graduate school for chemistry after you finish your studies.That means it’s time to consider where to apply and what your application package will look like. In contrast to applying to colleges, applications for graduate schools are much more ...
As language teachers, we know that students of foreign languages often have disparate needs. Before you sign up for a language class, be sure to familiarize yourself with the methology that works for your learning style and that correlates to your linguistic goal. Some students seek to learn a new language for the pure fun of it, some look to ...
Need writing help? It’s midterm season, so I am here with tips about writing exam essays.
“Should I take the ACT or SAT?” is a question that many high schoolers from coast to coast find themselves asking each year. Several years ago this may not have been the case depending upon where someone attended high school. Traditionally, students on the East and West Coasts primarily took the SAT, either because that is all they knew, they had ...
In New York, Boston and all over the globe, high school and college students are gearing up for dreaded mid-term exams. While students’ academic habits are hugely diverse, there are certain things that every student can do to effectively prepare for a test:
If you’re taking the SAT this fall, you are probably tired of hearing about test-taking strategy, sentence completions, grid-ins, analogies, geometry, and the never ending list of possible topics on the exam. Take and break from problem-solving and prepare yourself for the SAT by familiarizing yourself with the SAT’s history, trivia, what to ...
As you put together your college application, your goal is to show admissions officers why you are a stellar applicant - taking one or a few SAT Subject Tests (also known as SAT IIs) can do just that. Demonstrating intellectual breadth or intellectual depth can differentiate you from other high school seniors. Before you sign up for the 20 sat ...
If you’re a language student or interested in cultivating a new language for the sake of it (awesome!), then a great way to boost your learning is to work on reading comprehension in your target language. Take advantage of the multilingual resources at your fingertips. And I mean, quite literally, at your fingertips – the digital editions of ...
As the school year kicks into gear for all students from the middle school grades, through the high school years, into college and beyond, it’s time to get back into the academic groove. Any academic tutor will tell you that the key to academic success is to identify efficient study habits and technique that work for you. Most subjects – from the ...
As you get ready to move out of your parent’s house, into an unfamiliar dorm room, start classes and make new friends, you might be feeling slightly nervous. It’s normal. Keep in mind that in a month, you’ll ask yourself…“Why was I so nervous about starting college? This is WAY cooler than living at home!” In the meantime, if packing up your ...
In the Middle School Maze, we offer homework help tips and adacemic support strategies. When confronted with a large homework assignment, knowing where and how to begin can be a challenge, especially for middle school students. Today, we turn to note taking, the foundation of any strong essay or academic project. Find a quiet spot - say the ...