Taking the SAT, ACT, or PSAT is a nerve racking experience. I froze up my first time taking the ACT and didn’t finish the math section. I knew how to do it; it was just new and scary. It would have been awesome if I had been able to take a practice test beforehand. That way I would have known what to expect, how to pace myself, and known where to spend most of my time, based on my strengths and weaknesses.

Evidently the people at the Princeton Review have heard several people share my same concern. They have declared March 20, 2010 as National Testing Day they are offering a free full-length, SAT, ACT, or PSAT practice test to anyone who signs up.

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Just because students attended low-scoring elementary schools in Chicago doesn’t mean they can’t succeed in high school. Thanks to the No Child Left Behind Law, four selective-enrollment high schools in Chicago are accepting 100 top students from these low-scoring schools. These high schools are some of “the highest-scoring and most sought-after high schools in Chicago,” according to the Chicago Sun Times.

For students who now get to attend these schools, it is the opportunity of a lifetime. These college prep schools will offer the students more chances to succeed and improve their chances of attending college.

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When I filled out my college application form, the worst part was the essay. I struggled with it for days: “Tell us about yourself. What’s your typical day like? What are your interests? Who are you, really?”

Eek! 

How can I fully describe myself in 500 words? How can my dynamic personality pop off a page that only has black ink on it? That’s quite a challenge, if you ask me.

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The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA attempted to answer the question – Who are today’s first-year college students?

The institute surveyed  220,000 first-year students who graduated from high school in 2009 and now attend 1,555 four-year colleges.

According to StudentAid.com, here are 20 interesting factoids that cast a glimpse into the average American college student’s academic experience.

 1.   Percentage accepted by their No. 1 college: 79 percent.
 2.   Percentage attending their No. 1 choice: 61 percent.
 3.   Percentage who applied to four or fewer colleges: 67 percent.

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Guest blogger, Chris Birk, a principal at SuretyBonds.com, is a former newspaper and magazine writer and college professor. His work has appeared in more than two dozen newspapers and magazines, including the Chicago Sun-Times, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Insurance Journal.

Students preparing for a post-secondary education or career have a lengthy checklist to pore over before making a decision. Amid the excitement, students and parents can easily forget to take a long look at the background and financial standing of a potential school. And that can wind up costing them thousands in lost tuition dollars.

In the last few months, several private vocational and technical schools have closed suddenly, taking millions in pre-paid tuition costs with them. Most states have minimal safeguards in place, but the reality is that many consumers will struggle to recover their money.

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 Grockit is an online test prep and collaborative learning tool that allows students to practice tests in the three ways they naturally study – alone, with peers, and with experts. This guest blog was written by Jordan Schonig, a writer for Grockit.

It’s the ultimate showdown between the frightening acronyms: SAT or ACT? Which test should you take? On which test will you score better? You may and should have a lot of questions like these as standardized testing seasons rolls around.

First, find out which tests are accepted at the schools you’re applying to. You will rarely find a school that only accepts the ACT; the SAT is still the more standard of the two, and nearly all colleges accept it. Most colleges on the east and west coasts still require the SAT, though the acceptance of the ACT is steadily increasing.

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With the clock ticking before SAT exam time, Grockit, an online test prep and collaborative learning tool, is offering a free SAT prep program.

Tutorathon can help you boost your SAT-taking confidence in the following ways:

·         Improve your score by practicing questions with experts
·         Put your mind at ease with tips and strategies for success

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For students at YES Prep School, it’s deadline day – the day when college admission applications are due for most local colleges. Students at YES Prep have been frantically preparing for this day for years. They have spent endless hours studying, written numerous practice essays, and completed many college applications.

They were definitely well-prepared, which is the entire goal of a prep school, right? Prep schools are pretty common in most upper-class communities. But in inner cities, these prestigious schools are not so easy to come by. Unless you live in Houston, Texas. Read the rest of this entry »

Guest blogger Vivian Kerr has been teaching and tutoring standardized tests since 2005. She has taught throughout the greater Los Angeles area and is a proud member of the Grockit team. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California and has studied abroad in London.

Applying to college can be a daunting process, but it is also an incredibly exciting time.

Attending university is an experience that will shape the rest of your life so it’s important to put some serious thought and consideration into your application choices.

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EduInReview.com, guest blogger Kristin Davie is a recent Marist College graduate.  She maintains her own blog, Cap And Gown Countdown, where she offers job search tips and tricks for college students and unemployed professionals.

In high school, students are encouraged to become well-rounded individuals in the hope of securing that coveted college acceptance letter. It’s a lesson that everyone should be sure to pack along with those photos from prom and Bob Marley poster. After all, college is a new chapter filled with blank pages, and future employers will want to know what you choose to fill them with (and no, your favorite shot glass doesn’t count). 

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