College Information Session

Please feel free to take a look at our presentation regarding preparing and navigating the college admissions process by clicking the link below. 

College Information Session Presentation

FREE PROGRAM

College Information Presentation

Sylvan knows that the admissions process can be very intimidating. With different tests, application options; not to mention financial aid, scholarships and plenty of deadlines, one can easily get overwhelmed. The FREE College Information Session will help you figure it all out and get your application process on track.

Braintree Public Library (Thayer Library)

Monday , May 3rd

6:00-7:30 pm

Act Now For Less Stress and More Success!

Tests, Tests and More Tests

I know it might seem that all you do these days is take tests. Tests in schools, tests to get into colleges, and now tests to try and earn college credit before you even arrive at your dream school. That’s right! This time of year ushers in a whole new set of standardized tests, the AP exams.

AP tests stand for Advanced Placement Tests and are usually taken after a year of high level rigorous course work. Regarded as college level classes, AP students are able to sign up and potentially test out of lower level college classes. With close to 30 different tests and more than 90% of four year colleges accepting AP scores, taking and scoring well on these tests can and will provide you more flexibility during your college years. Furthermore, doing well on a number of AP tests can even help reduce the number of semester you have to spend in school, which can save you not only time but money.

Even if you do not do so great on the tests, taking AP classes is a great way to stand out when your application is being reviewed. It shows that you are willing to challenge yourself and do college level work, as well as gain great study habits and tools to succeed in the real college world.

To see this years AP Bulletin click here.

For more general information about AP exams click here.

Spring College Fairs

While most college fairs take place early in the fall semester, spring fairs are a great opportunity to take some time and start your college search. Now if you go in with no idea about what to expect or what you are looking it can easily be a little overwhelming. Sometimes hundreds of colleges are present all vying for your attention. Talking to college representatives at these fairs can really help you learn about different schools and what they offer and can help you figure out what you think you might like out of a school.

The best way to make the most out of your college fair experience is to be prepared. Before you even leave your house there are a few things to think about: how far away from home you want to be, what time of environment do you like best, how large of a school are you interested in, and what you might possibly want to major in. Now this I’m not saying that you cannot change your criteria along the way, but by having a basic understanding of what you are looking for you can better spend your time at the fair. It does not make sense to spend time chit-chatting at a school that does not offer you’re major, is to far away, or does not offer the activities you are interested in. Instead you should want to use your time talking to schools you may potentially apply to later on.

Apart from knowing what you want it is a great idea to know some specifics you are interested in. It makes talking with representatives easier if you have some questions prepared.

Lastly, one of the best tips I ever got was to print mailing stickers (or something similar) with your contact information. Almost any school you talk to will want your contact information and having something pre-made will save you a lot of time and writers cramp.

For a list of college fair questions or other tips click here.

Choosing a Class Schedule

It is that time of year that I used to get really excited about…but maybe it is causing you a little bit of anxiety. Picking your class schedule for next semester can become a daunting task when you start to worry about what college admissions counselors are going to see later down the road. Hopefully common sense has kicked in and you have decided to take at least a few challenging classes.

If you go to a school that does not offer AP or honors classes, there is no need to panic. There are hundreds of students in your same boat, and admissions counselors know that. Some schools offer lots of advanced classes while some schools offer few to none. This does not mean you are at a disadvantage. Rather, colleges and universities work really hard to learn about each school an applicant is coming from. Whether it is APs or a really strong curriculum the college can usually figure it out.

At the same time, many students speak about hurting their gpa because of the number of honors classes they are taking. They suggest that it would be easy to get an A in a regular level class but that the B they earned in an honors or AP class represents a lot of hard work that they do not want to go unnoticed. Again, colleges and universities have been doing this long enough to figure this one out. A student who has a 4.0 gpa but has not taken any challenging classes most probably would not be considered to be as strong academically as a student with say a 3.5 gpa who has maxed out their curriculum.

So have no fear, when registering for your classes make sure you challenge yourself and you shall be dutifully rewarded come admissions season.