A week ago, the folks at the Common Application announced that their essay prompts will be the same as last year's.

On a related note, Class of 2025 students will write the same crappy essays as last year's college applicants.   

One big error revolves around choice of prompt.   I'll share which one is the worst in a moment, but first let me give you a little overview if you're new to the wonderful world of college essays and applications.

The Common Application comes out August 1.  The overwhelming majority  of the colleges your son or daughter will apply to accept the Common App (Georgetown University is one notable exception that has its own application).

The Common App really isn't that big a deal.  A lot of it is rote - name, address, parent info, list of honors, etc. 

However, the areas that require thought and attention are 1. essay writing (the personal statement and supplemental essays) and 2. the Activities Section.

In my experience, the amount of time and emotional ene...

Good morning!

We're hitting the airwaves this morning -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our weekly live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!  

Here's what's on tap for today:

*Digital SAT thoughts and politically incorrect commentary

*Student Loan repayment relief case study

* College essay news

* More -- including your questions. We're live and chatting, this is a great way for you to get some free college coaching! 

Here's where to join us:

TUNE IN

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)

- Andy Lockwood

In response to my email predicting the slow demise of test-optional policies, I received a mini rant from a subscriber to my email list.   Her point, summarized:

* She was a great student herself back in the day

* She was not a great test taker though

* She was admitted to an elite school

* Ergo, standardized testing is ineffective at predicting academic success in college

My response:

"Back in the day" there wasn't as much grade inflation as there is in modern times.  Today, admissions officers can't rely on GPA they way they once could to predict how well a student will do in college, academically.

*I'm happy that she was admitted to the college where she apparently wanted to go.  But I'm curious why she has a chip on her shoulder big enough to spend her time emailing me.

*My email reported the news that Yale (joining Dartmouth, Georgetown, MIT, Georgia Tech, Purdue and others) announced they were tearing up their test-optional policies.  Not my opinions on test-optional poli...

Were I a betting man, I'd wager that more colleges will scrap their test optional policies in the coming year. 

Last week, Yale (joining Dartmouth, Georgetown, MIT, Georgia Tech, Purdue and others) announced they would now require standardized testing, because

     a. they're accurate predictors of how well a student will perform in college and

     b. SAT and ACT scores actually improve diversity, not reduce it.  

The SAT and ACT are more accurate predictors of college performance because grade inflation is rampant at most high schools.  This makes it harder for admissions officers to gauge how prepared a child is for college, academically speaking.

On the diversity front, the dean of admissions at Yale explained that underrepresented minorities and under-resourced students frequently chose not to submit their standardized test scores, which were commonly lower than the median of Yale's published range, but could have nonetheless signaled to admissions that they were gifted acade...

Good morning!

We're hitting the airwaves this morning -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!  

Here's what's on tap for today:

*The Mom Who Ripped Me a New One

*Test-Optional Updates

* Student Loan News

More, including your questions, free live, college coaching, whatever we have time for!

We're streaming on our Facebook page, here's where to join us:

TUNE IN

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it)

- Andy Lockwood

[BREAKING] - proponents for test-optional college admissions policies were dealt another blow yesterday.  Here's the latest news and what it could mean for you:

Here's where to watch this short report.

-Andy Lockwood

P.S.  I pretty much called this, last night on our SAT and ACT Town Hall presentation.  You can watch the recording here.

P.P.S.  Spoiler alert:  we thing the whole test-optional thing is overblown and misleading.  We're still offering 1:1 tutoring and small group tutoring classes.  Our ACT prep class starts next week, March 5.  Learn more here  - use the coupon code CRUSH2024 for 100 bucks off.

Top of the morning,

Quick reminder that we're doing a live, unscripted Q&A tonight on everything you need to know about the SAT and ACT, especially in the face of the confusion, half-truths and urban legends about the world of test-optional policies.

Wondering which test is best?  We'll help you figure that out tonight.

Wondering which test colleges prefer?  Ditto.

Other issues on tap include:

*Are high school teachers who moonlight as SAT or ACT tutors best suited to help you "crush" the test?

*Should you allow the College Board to send your SAT score to colleges, no charge?

*Do colleges see how many times your kiddo  took the SAT or ACT?

*Do colleges care how many times she took the SAT (or ACT)?

*How many times does he need to take the SAT or ACT?

Tonight, we will answer these and any of your "Burning Questions" about the SAT or ACT, when you join me and our head tutor, Marissa U, for our SAT and ACT Town Hall meeting.

You can pre-submit your questions  and get all the de...

The latest ACT scores have started coming out, and the Internet is abuzz with questions and comments like:

*Why was her score so low?  She's got a 94 average in school!

*Should we take the SAT instead?

*Which one do colleges want?

*Is there any point in taking the SAT or ACT?  Aren't colleges test optional these days?

*How many times does he need to take the SAT or ACT?

*Do colleges see how many times he took it (SAT or ACT)?

*Is it OK to sing a sad song with an upbeat tempo?

*Do colleges care how many times she took the SAT (or ACT)?

Just kidding about that second to last one, I wanted to check if you were reading all the way down there.

Tomorrow night, we will answer these and any of your "Burning Questions" about the SAT or ACT, or college admissions, scholarships, financial aid if you insist.  I'm hauling in our head tutor, Marissa U, for our first ever SAT and ACT Town Hall meeting.

You can pre-submit your questions ahead of time (as opposed to pre-submitting them after...

Good morning!

We're hitting the airwaves this morning -- 10:00am EST --  for College Coffee Talk, our live show about college admissions and financial aid news that you can use!  

Here's what's on tap for today:

*A long list of FAFSA problems

*Boston College Negotiation Case Study

*Your questions!

Join us on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/lockwoodcollegeprep, or click this big blue button:

TUNE IN

Grab a cup of joe and we'll see you at 10am EST (recorded if you can't make it).  This is a great opportunity for Q&A, live, free college coaching, anything goes!

- Andy "Java Jive" Lockwood