IMPORTANT | ACT/SAT TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR FALL 2021

Many colleges have changed or are in the process of changing their testing requirements for students entering in the Fall of 2021. Some are waiving ACT/SAT tests entirely, while others are "Test-Optional" or "Test-Flexible." 

You should check the websites (typically under Admissions/Prospective Students) of respective colleges of interest for specific testing requirements.

While not necessarily the gospel, here is a link to colleges that are...

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In case you were wondering what to do over Spring Break, we’ve come up with a definitive list of the “Top Ten” things high school students (particularly juniors) should be doing to prepare for the coming college application and admission season.

So, in between soaking up the sun on the beach, hitting the slopes, or sleeping until 2 PM, pick up the iPad or Android and have a go at one (and more) of these:

10. Search for “Best” Fit Colleges. [And if you do nothing else in this endeavor,...

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WELCOME TO NOVEMBER!

Almost time to stick that Thanksgiving turkey in the oven (and can that Christmas music be far behind?). [By all rights, if the heralding of Christmas (1 day) begins the day after Halloween, the festivities for Chanukah (8 days) should start right after Valentine's Day. Just sayin'... ] Anyway... Early Action. Early Action II (like hitting the snooze button?]. Regular Decision. Now is the time to put those finishing touches on the yet unsubmitted applications. Dot the i's. C...

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As college application deadlines loom on the horizon, here are a few pointers to help you complete the process. Remember, there's more to applying to college than simply clicking "Review and Submit" on Common App! Test Scores -- Nothwithstanding the unofficial reporting of test scores to colleges via Common App, prorietary applications, and SSAR (where required), the ONLY test scores considered for admission by colleges are the ones officially submitted via College Board (SAT, SAT II, AP) and ...

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Typically, when we mention "money" here at The College Whisperer™, we're talking scholarships -- free money for college. Where to search for it and how to get your hands on it. After all, financial freedom beats student debt every time!

Today, however, we are constrained to blog about the megabucks that is the world of college applications and admissions. A tale of collusion and conspiracy, piracy and profiteering, patting you on the back with one hand, while picking your pockets with the ot...
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Wow, another school year begins. [Where did the summer go?]

That means a full and hopefully rigorous courseload for high school seniors, aside from dealing with the trials and trbulations of the college application and admissions process.

Yes, senior year is a whole lot more than planning for prom and putting together that high school yearbook. After all, colleges to which you will apply shall see what courses you are taking, your mid-year grades, and the activities you're engaged in this year ...
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If there is a single question The College Whisperer™ is asked most about the college application process, it is, "Where do I begin?"

My typical response is, "At the beginning, of course!" ;-)

Seriously, though, getting started down that long and winding road to college admissions, as it is with many things in life, is often the most difficult part of the journey.

So, what will follow below is a basic (very basic, as in, just to give you a push) primer -- a "To Do" list, if you will -- to set y...
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They used to say, "there are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics..."

Today, the code words are Metrics and analytics.

You hear those words often these days. Well, you do, if you watch professional baseball games, or do almost any reading -- or browsing -- of how data-driven we have become in everything from "the shift" to deciding who gets in to college.

Yes, data. The stuff that pushes high stakes standardized test scores to the fore in the minds of the mindless, and takes the mana...
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I came across a website recently, by way of Twitter. Suffice it to say it was one of the many SAT preppies out there – an SAT Dude, in fact -- touting the benefits of preparing for the dreaded standardized test. In this instance, MATH. The tricks of the trade disclosed, so to speak.

The title to the particular post intrigued me, as did the post’s content. It was called, How To Solve “Shaded Region” Questions.

Finally. Someone who could show me just how to find the solution to those conf...

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Jump Start Your College Applications!

When: Wednesday, March 26, 2014,  7:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Where: Ethical Humanist Society -- Auditorium
             38 Old Country Road
             Garden City, New York 11530

Why: Because getting in to college has become more competitive than ever, and the application process increasingly complex. You need to be in the know and prepared to go!

College Connection, Official Sponsor of College Admission Success™, hosts a free College Planning Workshop. Open to stud...
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Here they come. Changes to the SAT. 

A New SAT Aims to Realign With Schoolwork

The Story Behind the SAT Overhaul

College President: SAT Is Part Hoax, Part Fraud

Once upon a time, College Board (the folks who stick a No. 2 pencil in one hand, and pick your pockets with the other) owned the field. Now, with market share down around 50%, they're looking to get back in the game.

Yes, it was all fun and games until the folks at College Board, The Once Great and Powerful, realized they weren't making qu...
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The college application and admissions process and the entire collegiate industrial complex? Not so much!



Going to college is a great experience. Shouldn't getting there be at least half as much fun?
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Plan. Prepare. Prevail!  

Before college applications, the Common App, CSS Profile, FAFSA, financial aid forms, and the whole college application and admissions process get to you, you need to get to us! 

Whether applying to college, paying for college, planning for college, or just thinking a...

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Maybe it's time to consider Test Optional Colleges! 
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Plan. Prepare. Prevail! 

When college applications, the Common App, CSS Profile, FAFSA, financial aid forms, and the whole college application and admissions process get to you, you need to get to us! 

Whether applying to college, paying for college, planning for college, or just thinking about college, contact us at COLLEGE CONNECTION, home of The College Whisperer™ and Official Sponsor of College Admission Success™...

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SAT  Test Dates Registration Deadline Late Reg Deadline Details DEC 7 Nov 8 Nov 25 Register Jan 25 Dec 27 Jan 14 Register

ACT Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Late Reg Deadline	Details
DEC 14	Nov 8	Nov 9-22	Register
FEB 8	Jan 10	Jan 11-24	Register

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As if the portended changes to the SAT were not enough for us to ponder, let alone digest, word from the once great test-master that the SAT Question of the Day will soon fall by the wayside. 

Much like the VCR and the landline, College Board, the arch nemesis of students and parents alike, will cease to send out SAT Question of the Day emails come month's end. Instead, they will rely upon Twitter (@SATQuestion) and a free mobile app.

Ahh, progress. . .

And so, as we tearfully say hasta la vista...
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The dates and registration deadlines for ACT and SAT have been released. Gone are the days of a summer SAT, and even the September SAT has fallen by the wayside. Pity the student who was hoping to have the SAT scores in time to apply for Early Action or Early Decision, which is typically mid-October to early November for most colleges. What were the folks at College Board thinking? [READ, The College Board Drops The Ball.]

Here are the ACT/SAT schedules. Take note and register early. Once spac...
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"At South Side Middle School in Rockville Centre, on Long Island, more than half of the eighth-grade class, 134 out of 260 students, opted out of the exams..." So reported The New York Times in an article on New York's standardized English Language Arts (ELA) exam for third and eighth graders. [Standardized Math exams are scheduled for next week.]

The protests, certainly not restricted to Rockville Centre, Long Island, or, for that matter, New York, are not so much aimed at the so-called Commo...
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There are many women The College Whisperer™ knows -- and many more he does not -- who are tough as nails. Smart. Courageous. Undaunted by the most pressing challenges of our times.

Take Linda Flanagan. Ms. Flanagan is a freelance writer (frequently, at The Huffington Post), researcher, and editor, specializing in national security issues. Most recently she was Executive Editor for the HELP Commission, a federal body mandated to produce recommendations to reform foreign assistance. Before tha...
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The news from College Board that they intend to "revamp" the SAT came as no surprise to The College Whisperer™.

After all, back in the day, SAT was the acronym for Scholastic ACHIEVEMENT Test, purporting to test what students had actually learned. It didn't.

As students, parents and college admissions committees began to figure out that Achievement was to the SAT as Water was to Oil, the less than venerable standardized test for college admission was "revamped," and, though it was still the ...
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If this had been an actual indicator of how well you'd do in college, rather than a money-grabbing raid on our collective bank accounts, signifying little more than grand theft corporate... If only...

Anyway, with the new year comes new registration dates, test dates, find out your scores dates, for the dreaded ACT and SAT. Open those study guides -- and your wallets...
...

Feb. 9	ACT	Jan. 11 (1/18 with late fee)	Feb. 25	Mar. 1
Mar. 9	SAT only	Feb. 8 (2/22 with late fee)	Mar. 28

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While most high school seniors are submitting FAFSA, and some are putting the finishing touches on the last of their college applications, high school juniors, waiting in the wings, are busy, er, ah, um, busy doing, hmmm... What exactly are high school juniors busy doing?

Dollars to doughnuts (who says that anymore?), while juniors -- and the parents of same -- may have much on their respective plates, preparing for the madness of college applications and admissions (and we mean seriously prep...
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A new year brings renewed opportunity to test your mettle -- as well as your aptitude -- on the ACT and/or SAT.

Which test to take? Our advice, to the lovelorn, forlorn and test worn: Take the SAT and the ACT once. Then, repeat the test on which you fared better.

That said, here are some upcoming dates to remember --

SAT Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Late Registration Deadline	Details
JAN 26	Dec 28	Jan 11	Register Here
MAR 9	Feb 8	Feb 22	Register Here

...

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M.S. of Rockville Centre, NY writes:

While my high school GPA (96.40) is indicative of the work I'm capable of doing, my SAT scores (1490 combined), on the other hand, are not. What do you think about applying to colleges that are SAT/ACT optional? Will opting not to report my scores be considered suspect, hurting my chances of getting in?

The College Whisperer™ replies:

When a college says, "Test Optional," we'd like to think they actually mean it! No looking askance. No raised eyebrows. No ...
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SAT Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Late Registration Deadline	Details
OCT 6	September 7	September 21	Register Here
NOV 3	October 4	October 19	Register Here

ACT Test Dates	Registration Deadline	Late Registration Deadline	Details
OCT 27	September 21	September 22 - October 5	Register Here
DEC 8	November 2	November 3 - November 16	Register Here

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Every year, Fortune Magazine compiles a list of The 100 Best Companies to Work For. Considered in the mix, among other attributes, are best benefits, perks, health care, job security and management-employee relations. [And it should come as no surprise -- as it is no coincidence -- that the best companies to work for are, more often than not, the most profitable companies, given that a happy, satisfied employee is typically a productive and loyal employee!]

So it naturally flows, if there are ...
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Ever notice how every company, from the largest corporation in America to the smallest Mom and Pop store on Main Street, has relinquished control of their telephone to the relentlessly annoying and endlessly mind-boggling automated answering systems?

"For billing, press 6." "To check the status of your order, press 7." "For repairs and technical support, press 9."

Assuming you have figured out the correct menu item (which, by the way, has never really changed), you are, more often than not, no ...
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*It's actually more difficult!

Rocket Science. More appropriately, aerospace engineering. The time-honored term used to describe a task or idea as being easy as compared to rocket science, which is perceived as a very difficult field. Usually used as a statement such as "It's not rocket science!"

So, why even attempt to make a connection between, say, the science of putting a man on the moon and the college application and admissions process?

Let's put it this way. The former deals with the desi...
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As the frenzy to file college applications before deadline (be it Early Decision, Early Action or Regular Decision) heightens, that finger drawers perilously close to the dreaded "submit" button.

With the Common App serving as the very foundation of your foray into college admissiondom, you scrutinize every word, each digit, all the dotted "i"s and crossed "t"s. You pore over your personal statement, short answers and supplemental essays, making sure they give voice to the very essence of hear...
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We've said it before. A multi-billion dollar cottage industry, built upon the foundation of standardizing achievement and aptitude, demonstrating neither. A rite of passage dreaded by generations of students, frowned upon by parents, and increasingly mistrusted by college admissions officers. An angst-driven, anxiety producing, stress inducing pressure cooker that elevates "teaching to the test" to the next level of absurdity.

Of course, we couldn't have said it better than Newsday, in an arti...
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M.B. of West Hempstead, NY, by way of Binghamton University, writes:

I'm preparing to take the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) on Monday, On a practice test, the antonym of the word, carom, was called for. Carom. Please tell me there's an antonym for this word that a soon-to-be college grad might know?

The College Whisperer responds:

Carom? Sounds like something Captain Kirk would say in a low budget version of Star Trek. "Mr. Spock, you have the carom!"

Carom (krm), defined by Webster's as (1) A coll...
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E.L. of Searingtown, NY writes:

HELP! I am about to take the SAT and the ACT for the second time this fall, and need guidance and advice to raise my score, significantly. Have gone the test-prep class route before, with limited success. Can you recommend an individual tutor to assist on both substance and technique?

The College Whisperer responds:

No question, you need a competitive edge when applying to colleges these days. The same holds true when preparing for the SAT, ACT and SAT Subject Tes...
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