As the summer turns in to fall and the school year takes hold, high school students all over the world become immersed in the complex ritual that is the college application. This task may seem like an unbearably daunting one and the defining moment for the rest of your life (it certainly did for me). However, like the beginning of any grand odyssey it begins with just a few, simple steps. The first of these is learning what your options are. In other words, what colleges are out there and what do they have to offer?
The best place to find this out is from someone who knows about the college or university firsthand. Luckily for those in the Newport-Mesa area, over 200 colleges are sending representatives to the College Fair at the OC Fairgrounds Building 10 tonight, Wednesday, October 8th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. More College Fair info
Meeting with a representative to find out more about a college is a great way to narrow down your options and figure out which campuses are worth visiting in person. This college fair is also the perfect opportunity to find out about all of the different programs that a school offers. While you might have your heart set on a particular major or career now, it never hurts to make sure that a potential alma mater also has other programs that you are interested in. After all, if you are anything like me you want to not only get a good academic education but also meet interesting people along the way.
If you are still feeling overwhelmed about the application process, there is no need to fear. Here at Study Hut we have years of experience with college applications and can help you break down your odyssey in to a few, simple steps. Follow this link to find out more about how Study Hut can help you get in to college: https://studyhut.wpengine.com/packages/college-apps/
With summer underway and the Independence Day holiday weekend behind us, our enrichment programs at Study Hut are in full force, and learning is back on the agenda.
Tonight we begin our ACT small-group course, which runs Monday and Wednesday evenings for the remainder of summer. Our SAT small-group course also begins tomorrow evening, and runs through the rest of summer on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Students are excited to learn concepts that they either missed in high school or have not yet learned, and they are even more eager to go over their practice tests and learn time management and question prioritization strategies for both the ACT and SAT. Students in previous classes at Study Hut Tutoring have learned all about the tremendous benefits of having an ACT tutor or an SAT tutor in their corner.
Whether a student needs help with SAT math, critical reading, writing, or some combination of these, having a top Study Hut tutor has shown to make a huge difference in students’ scores. Our small group ACT and SAT classes have helped to earn students an average of over 200 points of improvement from their original scores, and many students improve 300 or more points.
At the Hut, we strongly suggest making a game-plan early so as to ensure that your son or daughter has the maximum amount of time to make the gains that he or she desires. The test preparation process is, after all, about opening as many doors as possible, both for college and for opportunities beyond.
If your son or daughter has not yet taken a practice SAT or ACT, now is the time to see where you stand. We offer free full-length SAT and ACT diagnostic tests, and we also provide free consultations to parents and students after the test so that you can fully understand your results. Please email info@studyhut.com today to sign up at any of our beach-front locations.
As your junior year winds down, it’s time to start coming up with the list of colleges that you will be applying to. Maybe you’ve had a dream school in mind since you were a little kid, or maybe you haven’t even started thinking about it, but you’ll need to come up with a mix of reach schools, safety schools, and a few in the middle of the road. There are around 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, so trying to narrow them down can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula for choosing your mixture of schools, but here are some criteria you can use to find schools that would be a good fit for you.
Kind of college- Are you looking for a two year or four year school? Public or private?
Location- Do you want to be able to do your laundry and eat dinner at home, or only fly home for winter break from a whole new environment?
Size/Setting- How do you feel about being at a school where everyone knows your name? Or would you rather find your niche in a large, diverse student population?
Life Outside the Classroom- Do you see yourself in a fraternity or sorority? How important is school spirit to you? Do you want to be able to go to “the big game” every weekend? What about volunteering, or an active student government? What kind of balance are you looking for between being academically challenged and having a fun-filled social life?
Major- If you’re not sure what you want to do with the rest of your life, or want a lot of variety before you work on a major, don’t worry! That’s totally normal. If you want a specialized degree, such as engineering, it’s important to find schools that have the right program for you.
Cost- This is one of the most important factors in choosing a college. Talk with your parents about college costs, look into applying for financial aid, and research different scholarships.
Once you’ve come up with a manageable list of schools, go on some campus visits to get a feel for the school’s unique vibe. Each school has its own “X-factor” where even if it sounds perfect on paper, it might not feel right in person, or you might fall in love with a school you didn’t think you would. To make your search easier, the College Board website has a school search, information about schools, and background on the application process. Visit https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/find-colleges/how-find-your-college-fit to start searching for the school that’s right for you!
With all of the questions surrounding the college application process, the Common Application is designed to alleviate confusion and help streamline the application process. With all of the follow up concerns we field at Study Hut about the Common App, it is clear that there is still plenty of confusion regarding how this process works.
The Common Application membership association is a non-profit organization that allows first-year and transfer students to apply to over 500 colleges and universities using one simple application. For nearly 35 years this organization has supported countless students in applying to a variety of schools including private, public, bi-coastal, Midwestern, and even international.
Applications are available in both online and print versions to member institutions that promote student access to education through using a well-rounded evaluation and selection process. With the help of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) students have been provided with reliable services that promote success in the college application process.
In more simple English, certain colleges and universities accept the common application in place of an application specifically to that particular school. This is advantageous to students; it allows students to fill out the common application, including the essay and short answer questions, and then select which schools to apply to. Any student or parent who has ever been through the arduous college application process knows how tedious it can be to fill out application information over and over and over. With the Common Application, students can apply to any participating school by simply clicking on that school and selecting it for application. Obviously, there is a cost for this, as there will be will all college applications, but it is no more costly than any other application. With the Common App, students can focus on making sure that their essays and responses are perfect, and then move on to focus on the bigger, more important question: what college do I want to attend?
Study Hut Tutoring is happy to help and assist with every student’s college essay from start to finish. College essays, or personal statements, are weighted heavily. Students who have recently graduated from Mira Costa High School, El Segundo High School, Redondo Union High School, Palos Verdes High School, and Peninsula High school received acceptance letters into their top choices after receiving one-on-one college essay help from Study Hut Tutoring.
We are professionals in this department– not only having earned acceptance into top tiered universities around the country ourselves, but we are trained by current officers that sit on the Boards of Admissions at schools like UCLA. All of our college essay specialists have had students who have successfully met their goals. When student’s show up unannounced several weeks after their last session, with their acceptance letters in hand, it tells us we’ve done a good job executing. The proof is in the pudding!
We know what universities are looking for, to say the least. We know that admissions officers are incredibly busy around this time of year. They are the gatekeepers to their prestigious universities. They are responsible for admitting and denying tens of thousands of applicants. Many admissions officers read the essay first, and then decide if the rest of the application fits with that persons credentials.
The first step to writing a strong college essay is the discovery process. We do this to avoid trite topics such as, “The reason I want to be a veterinarian is because when I was little my dog was hit by a car.” As true as that may be, universities have seen that formula played out thousands of times. We want to avoid, at all costs, an overdone essay.
Study Hut Tutoring would strongly recommend that a student spends 2 months perfecting the essay; whipping out a decent draft and having mom proof read it a week before the essay is due is probably not the best plan!
Getting into colleges and universities is becoming more and more difficult nowadays. The mean accepted GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and the number of extra-curriculars expected are becoming more difficult every year. Although all these elements are critical in one’s application, another important but often forgotten aspect is the personal statement. Not only can the Study Hut help you with your GPA and standardized test scores, but we’re also prepared to help you write the best possible personal statement you can. We tutors have been in your shoes before, we’ve all gone to college, and some are also in the process of applying to graduate schools. Needless to say, we’ve all written personal statements in one form or another, and know what colleges and universities are looking for in their candidates.
However, coming to the Study Hut for help on your personal statement does not mean we are going to write it for you. Rather, we are going to guide you as to the rules and tactics of writing a good personal statement, and give you the tools to make the perfect personal statement for yourself. A good personal statement has multiple aspects to it. It is both professionally written, but also genuine and personable. You are telling the admissions committee what makes you YOU, and why they should want YOU to study at and represent their institution in the future. All this may seem like a tall order for a one or two page statement about yourself, but with the right guidance, it’s very possible to do. So feel free to stop by the Hut at any step in your process, from planning your essay, to a final review before you submit it.
