 Are you the parent of a high school student wondering how you can keep them on track for college during the COVID-19 pandemic? Though there's been much discussion about how students have had to adapt to quarantine and school closings, the unique challenges faced by high-school Juniors and Seniors haven't gotten as much attention. So how can these students continue to prepare for college during these difficult times? At Mighty B Learning, our college prep tutoring team has been working hard to help students just like yours stay on track for college despite the uncertainty of the pandemic. While this includes adapting our regular services (like test prep tutoring and one-on-one SAT tutoring) to meet pandemic safety guidelines, it also means finding ways for students and their families to stay on track for college through new habits. By making some or all of these changes to your teen's routine, you can ensure that they are remaining focused. With your support, they can overcome the pandemic's obstacles and continue working towards a brighter future for themselves. Here are our top suggestions to help your student stay prepped for college. 1. Use A Planner Your teen is used to a rigid schedule at school — they know where they need to be, when, and how long. It's easy to remember because every student is on a similar schedule themselves. So chances are, they don't need to use a planner at school. At home, however, it's a different story. If your student is still remote learning, they must learn how to best manage their free time to ensure they meet their goals without burning out. A planner does this by creating accountability and committing everything to paper. Students can easily let things slip when they're doing everything from home, but there's no excuse with a planner. 2. Explore Extracurricular Activities While solid grades may be the best way to impress college admission counselors, students with a history of participating in extracurricular activities have an additional advantage over those that don't. Colleges are always looking for students who happily get involved in their communities and are eager to learn new skills. Unfortunately, however, the pandemic has eliminated many of the options traditionally offered by schools, like sports and clubs. A student willing to search for themselves will find opportunities outside of school to get involved, and they can be just as valuable. The availability of such activities will vary depending on your location, but there's no shortage of volunteer opportunities that will look good on a college application. If you're having trouble finding activities locally, you may be able to find communities online to fill the same role. 3. Utilize Online Tutoring Remote learning doesn't mitigate the need for individual, personalized attention for some students. However, whether providing SAT tutoring, ACT tutoring, GRE tutoring, or help with specific subjects, private tutoring helps students achieve more in many ways. Best of all, you can do tutoring entirely online. Online tutoring services from Mighty B Learning cater to your student's individual needs through patience, understanding, and familiarity. Once they begin working with your student, one of our tutors can provide homework help online and build study strategies so they can learn and retain more. Tutors also act as another layer of accountability during a time when your student may not be able to attend school. 4. Build A Healthy Learning Environment Working from home provides many distractions for students. With remote learning depending on a computer and internet access, it can be tempting to open a new browser tab and skim social media for a few minutes. Then a few minutes becomes a few more minutes, and before long hours are lost. Some distractions are inevitable, but you and your student can do your best to eliminate as many as possible to help keep them focused. Consider the room where they are learning in, for example. If it's their bedroom, all their favorite devices are within arm's reach and could make for an easy distraction. An easy way to limit distractions is by having your teen do all of their school activities—including remote learning—in another room of your home. Make sure it's still comfortable and quiet with fewer opportunities for them to get sidetracked. Doing so ensures they will get the most out of their learning time. 5. Take Time To Relax A college-bound student will be busier in their last two years of high school than at any previous point in their education. Their workload grows but the amount of time available to them doesn't. They may have to push themselves to meet all their deadlines, but make sure that they make time for themselves. Relaxation is beneficial to brain functions related to learning, like memory and comprehension, but it's also needed to maintain drive and energy. Though it may be tempting to cram now when students are spending so much time at home, doing so can negatively affect mental health. Instead, encourage breaks and engage in relaxing activities to keep your teen grounded and balanced. How To Set Your Student Up For Success We know how hard it is for families to prepare their students for the college application process. Trying to help your student with their academics all the while reading up on and preparing for college applications can be a challenge. We're here to help make sure you can focus on the admissions while we focus on academics. At Mighty B Learning, we can help your student prepare for their admissions journey through our comprehensive tutoring services. Not only are our services highly personalized, but we offer real solutions for individual students’ academic success. Contact us today, and let’s talk about how we can set your student up to live out their dreams at their dream school.
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 Your student is ready to take the ACT or SAT according to their high school. However, college applications have one or both as a requirement for entrance. So, how does a student determine whether to take the ACT or the SAT?
All colleges accept both tests across the United States, and parents who are concerned if Ivy League schools frown on a student taking the ACT instead of the SAT can put their worry to rest. Ivy League schools officially accept both tests equally and won’t favor one over the other. So, which test should your student take? To answer that question, we need to understand each test to determine which one will best suit your student. ACT vs. SAT The ACT and the SAT are similar tests, but some differences can help your student decide which one to take, if only taking one. It all comes down to what your student’s strengths and weaknesses are. ACT has an entire science section — the SAT doesn’t. The SAT science questions are sprinkled randomly throughout other sections. So, if your student likes science, they might consider taking the ACT instead. The SAT, however, offers more time per question than the ACT does. Students can use a calculator on all math questions in the ACT’s math section, whereas they’re not permitted to use a calculator in the subsection on the SAT. If they’re a whiz at math, the SAT may be the way to go. Speaking of math, both tests favor algebra, but 12-15% of ACT’s math is geometry, whereas the SAT’s geometry questions account for less than 10%. Talk to your student and carefully consider those elements, and weigh their strengths and weaknesses in consideration of the mathematical section of both tests. If they’re good at algebra, they’ll likely do well on the SAT. If they have an aptitude for geometry, then they might want to consider taking the ACT. The ACT doesn’t give students any formulas, so test-takers have to memorize them beforehand. The SAT has a diagram of formulas before the two math subsections. The math score on the SAT accounts for half of the student’s total score — something to think about if math is a subject your student thrives in. If students are good in English, they might sway more to taking the ACT over the SAT, but the SAT could be their best option if they’re strong in mathematics. If you’re still wondering if your student should take the ACT or the SAT, the answer is simple. Many students are taking both tests, but if your student doesn’t want to take that route, we suggest taking a practice test of each one and then deciding what best suits them. This route allows you and your student to get a real-time understanding of how the tests are structured and which allow your student to shine. This also allows your student the opportunity to prepare and brush up on the skills they may need some extra practice in. How Will My Student Prep For The SAT / ACT? Online tutoring is a great way to fast-track a student’s success in achieving high scores on the SAT or ACT. We at Mighty B Learning provide test prep tutoring for the SAT and ACT, which will help students boost their confidence and scores. We guarantee it! From day one, we work efficiently with students through a detailed process to help prepare them for the test. Our approach is transparent, so there’s no confusion. Then, the student will take a placement test to give us an idea of what level they’re at — their strengths and weaknesses. We have professional tutors who offer tailored one-on-one lessons for each student. Our tutors enjoy mentoring and are mindful of each individual student’s needs and learning abilities. Everyone learns differently, and that’s why we’re not a one size fits all type of tutoring company. Instead, we customize our lessons specifically to the student’s needs and help them gain knowledge and confidence, so when the day comes to take their test, they’ll be ready to reap the rewards from all of their hard work. If the student can only meet one of our tutors on a Saturday, no worries! Our schedule is flexible. We have online Saturday tutoring to meet their needs. We love to help motivate and empower students by setting goals and checking off each one as they complete them because that way, they get to see their achievements and get excited about them (and we do too). We make their experience fun by knowing their hobbies and interests and keeping them engaged while learning their lessons and preparing for the SAT or ACT, so they’re not bored, frustrated, or confused. Let Our Tutors at Mighty B Learning Help Your Student Ace the Exams! We offer several tutoring packages, and each one can be modified to their specific needs. For example, if they only have thirty minutes to meet with their tutor because of a busy schedule, that’s okay. Our tutors are flexible and can accommodate busy schedules — because it’s not about us, it’s about our students and giving them the tools and knowledge to succeed in scoring high marks on the ACT or SAT. Are you ready to help your student succeed? Get started by contacting us to learn more about how we can make it happen.  Going to high school means your student will be able to make more and more choices than ever before about what classes to take and, by extension, what their future path looks like. While it might feel like your student is far too young to begin thinking about college and beyond, research suggests that students should start preparing for that journey no later than middle school. Preparing your middle schooler to enter high school is no easy feat. Not only do you need to ensure they’re selecting classes that best suit their career goals, but you need to ensure that they’re able to handle independent learning. You might find that your student isn’t completely sold on a career path just yet, so how do you know what classes your child should take? It all can feel overwhelming at times, and without guidance can be a confusing journey for you and your student. To give your student the best shot of success, there are a few things you can do to ensure they’re going to thrive. Ensure They’re Ready To Study AloneDuring elementary and middle school, students receive much more guided learning approaches. As parents, you are more likely to show them how a math problem is solved or explain an answer about a historical situation rather than encouraging your student to research for themselves. During high school, students need to take on more challenges when it comes to independent learning. Because of this, parents should take a step back and encourage students to handle homework and assignments independently. However, this doesn’t mean that you leave your student to their own devices while doing homework. One idea is to hold daily check-in meetings with your student to ensure they’re meeting benchmark goals with their homework and that things are being turned in on time. You can also write out an example study flashcard for your student to use an example to create more of their own. Encourage Note TakingMany students are underprepared to take notes during high school. While, for the most part, optional during middle school, a high schooler needs to be able to take detailed notes that they can use to study from later. You can provide your student with examples of what good notes look like, but it’s hard for your student to take notes if their current classroom setup isn’t conducive for it. Try encouraging your student to take notes while watching TV shows or when attending religious services. By doing this, your student develops note-taking skills while doing something that’s already part of their routine, thus, making note-taking a habit, too. By taking good, concise notes, your student will be able to recognize areas that they struggle in on their own. They can refer back to in-class lectures and identify difficult areas. Rather than saying “math is hard,” your student can explain that one type of geometry problem is complex. Identifying their problem areas is crucial for them to develop before entering high school, and note-taking helps. Let Your Student Make Choices While your student is still in middle school, involve your student in the decision-making process on their class choices. While you may not feel ready to let them handle class selection entirely, letting them have some freedom to select classes is one way to prepare them for the sudden independence they have in high school. Not only is it an excellent way to let your student have some choice, but it can also allow your student to explore areas they may be interested in during high school and beyond. Testing classes in high school and college can often leave students feeling like they’ve wasted a semester’s worth of lessons. Strengthen WeaknessesMiddle school is the perfect time to get your student caught up on the subject areas they may have fallen behind on and get them prepared for the more complex versions of those subjects offered in high school. Rather than allowing your student to continue to struggle, early intervention can help get your student back on track and even excelling in previously-difficult subjects.
One way you can do this is by enrolling your student in tutoring services. We at Mighty B Learning can help you and your student set an individualized learning plan that meets every need of your young learner. Not only that, we can offer meeting times as short as 30 minutes to fit in any busy schedule your student has, either remotely or in person. We understand that you and your student have busy schedules and that schoolwork, while important, needs to fit into your day. We’re here to ensure tutoring is never a burden on your child or you. Reach out to us today and let us help you get your student the help they need in problematic areas.  Does the thought of teaching your student math give you chills? We all remember those sleepless nights with our parents scolding us for messing up on a math problem. You might even assume that your student will end up just like you--hating math. Children aren’t born with an inherent hatred of math, though. In fact, they do math all the time in their head, just not in the formalized way we see on paper or the chalkboard. Encouraging them to continue using those habits helps them develop critical thinking skills, but how can you encourage children to love math when you aren’t the greatest at it, yourself? There are a few tips and tricks you can utilize to impress upon your student that math is worth the struggle. Not only that, if you can convince your student to love math, you can open new career paths for them down the line and maybe even help them develop skills far faster than their peers. Don’t Make Math A ChoreWhile it may seem natural to want to reward your student for their hard work in math, it can actually be detrimental to their enjoyment of it. Think about it like this: When your child does a chore, you reward them. If you reward your child, say with a piece of chocolate--for instance--every time they finish a math assignment, you have now told your child that math is something they need to work through unwillingly to get a reward. Math becomes a means to an end and isn’t enjoyable anymore. The accomplishment of overcoming the challenge must be portrayed as a reward in- and of-itself in a way that builds your child’s confidence and reinforces their effort directly. Stay CalmMath can be quite challenging, even for working parents. Your child will know if you doubt your own math skills. Think about how excited you were when you sat down to read with your child in their early years. Your child picks up on your enthusiasm and confidence and associates positive emotions with that experience. If you sit down to help with math and are stoic, unsure of yourself, and lack enthusiasm, your student naturally won’t want to participate. They’ll see math as something boring and, worse, as something you don’t want to enjoy with them. Bringing enthusiasm and confidence into sessions with your student will encourage them to enjoy the material. If you don’t know the answer to a question, embrace that shortcoming and research the formula or method to better demonstrate overcoming obstacles with education and practice. These elements go a long way in teaching your student that educational challenges are surmountable. Make Math A Toy Children often learn to love something by first toying with it--whether that be a block, a bicycle, or a concept. Toys like puzzles and building blocks help children understand concepts of structure and order in ways that are unassuming and fun. Rather than simply being a way to fill time for a child, puzzles and building blocks encourage children to think logically and develop some of the crucial skills needed for mathematics. Make learning fun. Allow imagination to play a role in learning mathematics and don’t be afraid to incorporate games that utilize math into your student’s learning routine. Explore The Real WorldAnother way to make math fun for your student is to bring them out into the real world and show them what math tells us about the world around us. Show your student a fence and look at how all the triangles fit together into one large shape. Use the design of a bridge to explain the concept of weight distribution and structural strength. Use your imagination and make it a point to look for the mathematical elements that you take for granted in everyday life so that you can share these tidbits with your student. Another fun way to help build these skills is through games you likely already have in your home. Board games are a great way to embrace math, as the majority of them utilize math to calculate victory points, count coins or tokens, and roll dice. Familiarize Yourself With StandardsThe requirements for your child’s education change every year, and knowing what it is your student will be learning this year in school is one way you can prepare yourself for whatever material is about to be thrown your way. By knowing what’s in the pipeline, you can prepare yourself to help with homework and, by extension, remain calm while going over assignments and preparing for tests. You can even work with your student to expose them to material early and prepare them for what’s to come. However, knowing all of these standards can be tricky for you, especially if you’re busy with work. Learning an entirely new set of standards on top of the ones you use daily in the office can be a chore. That’s where we at Mighty B Learning comes in. Give Your Student The Edge Mighty B Learning provides expert private tutoring and test prep services. Whether your child is struggling with their grades or they are an exceptional student, we're here to help.
Our test prep services include the SAT and the ACT as well as the PSAT, SSAT and ISEE. We also provide AP Test Prep services in areas like AP Physics, AP Literature, AP Calculus, and more. At Mighty B Learning, we not only hire licensed teachers who excel in mathematics, but educators who know how to bring out the best in your student. We believe that every student can learn and we pride ourselves on finding the way each student learns. Let us help your child earn their success and impart the skills they need to succeed.  Students who are getting ready to take the ACT face extraordinary challenges. Not only have they had many of their social activities cut or reduced thanks to the pandemic, but they’re also finding themselves feeling underprepared for their futures. Earlier in the academic year, ACT had announced that there would be significant changes to the 2021 examinations to accommodate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the first day of winter examinations in February, ACT announced that it would rescind all of the changes it had initially proposed for the 2021 examination season. One of these changes for the winter examinations was the use of online tests instead of pencil-and-paper examinations. The ACT rescind of 2020 means that many students prepared for situations they wouldn’t see on the examination. Students may have planned back in September to take the exam at home and are now finding they must report to a testing center for this examination. Not only do these changing policies leave families and educators confused, but they can also leave your student feeling lost and confused when preparing for this critical examination. What Is The ACT? The ACT is the American College Testing exam. Many colleges and universities use it to assess student readiness for university work. Most students take this exam twice — once in the winter of their junior year of high school and their senior year’s fall semester. These test results can help students gain admission to highly competitive colleges and help secure scholarship money for students to reduce the cost of university attendance. What Does “Normal Testing” Look Like? The typical ACT is relatively straightforward. All students are tested with multiple-choice examinations in mathematics, reading, English, and science and are given the option to take a writing test. Scores range from 1-36, with the national test average hovering around 20.6. The more competitive the college, the higher score asked of students; for example, the average ACT score of a student admitted to Harvard is 34. These examinations usually take place either at an off-site testing center or at your student’s school. There are strict guidelines of what’s allowed in the testing room, including limitations on cell phones and backpacks brought into the test site. What Was Going To Change in 2020?Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was to be an option for students to take the winter 2021 exam at home. When the ACT announced this change in September, there was little information about what the take-home examination would look like. However, many thought that there would be some opportunity for online and remote examinations for 2021. This would allow students who were uncomfortable with in-person testing and needed the option to take the test virtually from home. The ACT notes that some of the changes planned to take effect in winter 2021 will begin to affect future semesters. While remote testing may not be an option right now, it will likely be offered to students in future testing seasons. Also, the ACT plans on offering ways for students to retake only specific portions of their ACT to improve scores. For example, suppose a student scores exceptionally well in English but poorly in math. In that case, there may be opportunities for students to retake only the math portion of the exam in the future without possibly affecting their high English marks. What Will My Student’s Testing Process Look Like? Because of COVID-19, your student’s examination will look slightly different than in years past. Students must wear masks that comply with CDC guidelines, and the ACT ensures that all testing sites are clean and sanitary for students taking the test. Also, there is a process for students to report if they’ve contracted COVID-19 within 14 days after taking the examination so proper contact tracing can occur. Students who discover they’ve contracted the virus before their ACT can reschedule their test at no cost and with no penalty, making it as easy as possible for students to both be safe and take the exam. Even if a student feels unwell on the exam day, students can reschedule after the exam with no penalty and no charge. How Should My Student Prepare?Despite the shifting policies around how your student will be tested, one guarantee is that your student should absolutely be taking the ACT. While the confusion over the details of the actual examination can cause you and your student stress, we at Mighty B Learning can help make the actual exam a piece of cake.
We offer individualized tutoring services designed to prepare your student for whatever examinations they’re about to face. Let us take some uneasiness out of this testing season and ensure your student is hitting every ACT readiness benchmark. Contact us today to see how we can prepare your student with the tutoring and confidence they need approaching their upcoming ACT.  Testing season is upon us, and it’s never been more stressful for graduating seniors. Not only do students have to manage their classes in primarily remote settings, but they also need to prepare for their SAT and ACTs from afar as well. How are students supposed to balance the stress of standardized tests while also preparing for their advanced placement examinations? This year, due to concerns brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, AP tests could be either in person or online. The decision of how to hold AP tests is entirely up to your district and your school, which means their test may look very different from a peer’s exam who attends another school. With all of the struggles seniors are facing while preparing for their AP examinations, there are a few things you should keep in mind as a parent to ensure your student is ready for academic success. What Is AP?Advanced Placement is a program run by the college board, the governing body that also oversees the SAT examination. AP classes are designed to prepare high school students to enter a college setting and make them competitive students for selective colleges. In many cases, AP classes allow students to test out of some college requirements or receive college credits for work done during high school. To have AP classes counted by a college or university, the student needs to achieve a specific score on the end-of-program exam. What Did The Test Look Like In 2020?Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 winter examinations were held entirely virtually. There was some debate in the early days of the pandemic that schools should cancel the AP exams, and to determine the logistics of the 2020 exam, the college board surveyed students. These students, who were slated to take the AP exams that semester, responded in massive numbers that they wanted to take the AP test even if offered slightly differently than in years past. While this might surprise parents, it shows that the AP test does service many students’ needs. High-achieving students are often competing for very few spots at highly-selective colleges and universities, and AP exam scores can be a factor that sets them apart from their peers. As a result of students’ desire to take their exams, the 2020 examinations were presented in a virtual setting. Many understood this would be adopted in the winter 2021 tests as well. Still, as mentioned earlier, it is now entirely up to your student’s school as to whether or not the exam would be offered in person or virtually. This decision in 2020 was met with quite a bit of pushback. Due to limited time for students to prepare for a virtual exam and the fact that there were issues regarding accessibility to devices and the internet, some parents sued the college board for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This lawsuit was thrown out as “baseless,” though it likely is one of many contributing factors to the decision to allow schools to make decisions on exam formats this year. What Changes Will Happen in 2021?Even though testing could be either in person or virtual, there are a few standardized changes that came to AP tests this year. First, there are more testing dates than ever before, with these dates spread over a month’s time. Not only does this best encourage social distancing at larger in-person testing sites, but it also provides opportunities for students who happened to be COVID-19 positive during one test date to take the test at a later date. Many students have noticed that a change already happening in the lead-up to the 2021 exam is that they feel inundated with higher levels of homework than ever before. Teachers are finding less and less in-class time available to teach content, leaving students to do a lot of work independently. Finally, students may need to prepare to take their exams in less-than-ideal situations. For example, if a student is high-risk for COVID-19 and their school requests that the exam is held in person, students may be even more uncomfortable and nervous about taking the exam than in a typical year. How Should My Student Prepare? Given that many students currently feel lost trying to prepare for their AP tests, your student may find that they need some additional help in reaching their own goals.
At Mighty B Learning, we can help your student reach their highest potential on their AP tests and make it to their dream university. While this year may be throwing multiple curveballs at your student, we can help them practice their swing. MIghty B Learning offers personalized tutoring plans, and we make sure that your student won’t be stressed with lengthy meetings--we can even set meeting times as short as 30 minutes to fit into your student’s busy schedule. Reach out to us today to help your student succeed on this year’s overwhelming AP exams.  While the thought of tutoring might bring about ideas of your student working one-on-one in a classroom after school, the reality is that COVID-19 has impacted the ways that tutoring works across the globe. The demand for tutoring is higher than ever, as students began experiencing a widening learning gap, with many students falling behind significantly due to the emotional and environmental difficulties brought about by COVID-19. However, not all of these impacts are negative. As students struggle to meet the demands of remote learning, more and more families turn to virtual tutoring to ensure their students are remaining on track academically. This means that tutoring services had to respond to this demand for online tutoring: There is no way that a tutor can perfectly replicate the classroom experience online. This opportunity for innovation has led to significant breakthroughs in student tutoring. Not only has tutoring improved, but tutoring has adapted to be more responsive and customizable than ever, adjusting to the shifting needs of students learning remotely throughout the pandemic. What’s Changed With COVID-19?Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students experienced a setback in learning, especially during the early months of the transition to remote learning. Because this was the beginning of the pandemic in the United States, many students and families found they were unprepared to utilize and take advantage of virtual classrooms. For some students, this was an issue of access, as they had a hard time finding a reliable way to get online and to class. For other students, trying to focus in an online world while plagued by the distractions of everyday home life usually meant distraction and free time proved to be a challenge for parents and teachers alike. Tutoring services needed to change and adapt to fit the students’ needs. While the end of this phase of the pandemic may be on the horizon, recognizing the ways that COVID-19 has impacted tutoring services may prove to be a hint as to the future of one-on-one tutoring services. Tutoring Can Break BarriersTutoring services, especially when offered in virtual spaces, can be one critical way that the world of education can break down systematic barriers that keep students falling behind. For example, offering tutoring in a way that the student can access virtually while a parent works. Giving the student virtual access means that all students receive equal opportunity to learn. It does not matter if one student has a stay-at-home parent or a working parent. All students would have fair access to private tutoring. With tutoring services now gaining more reach, this means that students who desperately need tutoring to catch up with their peers or even to get ahead of the curve can obtain the services they need. Tutoring Actually WorksParents know that tutoring will help their students achieve better grades. With the COVID-19 pandemic setting millions of students behind in their educational journeys, families need to consider ways to get their children back on track. It might seem simple enough for the parent to step in and help teach missing information, but the level of in-depth tutoring knowledge and patience that requires is often exhausting and more frustrating than illuminating for both parent and student. For tutoring to work best, students need to be consistent. When in-person, this could be tough for families with multiple commitments. With many tutoring services being offered online, tutoring is more accessible than ever. Virtual Tutoring Works WondersWhile research on this topic is still in very early phases, studies have shown that virtual tutoring environments offer the same benefits as in-person ones. Studies are finding that the earlier a tutor can interact with a student in their academic journey, the better they will perform long-term. However, the benefits of virtual tutoring highlight the unfortunate fact that many students lack the technology to use online learning effectively. Many students who lack the socioeconomic privilege to participate fully in virtual learning fall behind, so while virtual tutoring is highly effective, it’s important to note the ways that virtual tutoring may not solve every educational crisis COVID-19 has brought about. We Have the Advantage!At Mighty B Learning, we understand that your student’s success is the most valuable thing. Established in 2009, Mighty B Learning is dedicated to our students and their parents. Our tutoring packages are tailored to how a student learns. We believe that every student can learn - they just need the right lesson plan in place. Mighty B believes there is no such thing as failure, only lessons to learn.
With big classes, it is easy for students to get lost. We provide the extra support your student needs to boost their confidence in any subject. Contact us today for your free consultation and review of our packages!  Did you know that your student's transcripts also contain information about student disciplinary records? A college transcript is a highly detailed report, detailing everything about your student, from class rank to grade trends, to SAT/ACT scores to GPA. In short, colleges have access to far more than your child's GPA when evaluating them as a candidate for their school. The better the college, the more scrutiny they will put on evaluating your child's transcripts. How do you best prepare your student and ensure their transcript will impress college admissions officers? Let’s take a look. What's The First Thing a College Notices?Usually, before your student's transcript makes it to a real person, it's scanned digitally for GPA and class rank. Many college admissions officers, especially at highly selective schools, don't give a second look to applications that fall below their university benchmarks. Colleges will look at your GPA, but it cannot be used by college admissions officers as a common data point when comparing student’s academic prowess due to different high schools having varying GPA scales. Standardized Exam ScoresAnother thing that your student's transcripts show is standardized test scores. There are multiple different standardized exams that your student could be required to take, and there are some exams that are optional depending on the state you live in. These scores allow colleges to compare students academically, as students get the same questions regardless of which school they attended. Since students are getting the same questions, your student needs to score highly on these standardized exams to be compared competitively against other students. To thrive in the admissions pool, students need to ensure that they prepare for and perform well on standardized tests. Grade Trends/PatternsOne thing many overlook is the concept of grade patterns. A student who started very strong in high school with all A's and B's and finished with quite a few poor marks will be evaluated differently than a student who struggled at the beginning of high school and finished out with nearly straight A's. These patterns matter and colleges notice. Suppose your student has a significant reason to have seen a grade drop, such as going through a medical condition that affected coursework. In that case, that should be noted somewhere on the student's application, so that's factored in along with grade patterns. Which Classes Your Student Took As a general rule, if your student takes (and does well in) more advanced classes, college admissions officers will be more interested. AP and IB courses will be seen as a bit more desirable to a college than general student body courses. However, it's hard for admissions officers to use this as a solid rule. Not all high schools offer AP or IB courses, which means many don't take course difficulty into as high an account as a family may think. While enrollment in these courses is sure to make your student stand out, it isn't the only way to ensure admission. Admissions officers will also only expect your student to excel within their school's offerings. They understand not all schools have AP or IB, and that's okay. Colleges don't penalize students for being unable to take advanced courses when they aren't offered. If your student's school offered advanced courses and your student didn't take them, that's another story and may be considered in admissions processes. They will, however, compare what your student took against course requirements and offerings. If your student took two years of a foreign language because that's all that was required, it would be seen differently than a student who took four years of a foreign language as a challenge. Where Your Student ExcelsAdmissions officers will see what subjects your student does the best in. If your student is applying for an engineering program and has aced all of their science and math courses but struggled in English, they may not consider the less-than-stellar English marks heavily. On the other hand, if you have a student applying for a history program who has routinely failed history courses, admissions officers will take that into account when considering admitting the student. Officers don't want to set students up to fail and may deny admission if they believe a student isn't going to thrive at their university. How To Set Your Student Up For SuccessWe know how hard it is for families to prepare for their students for the college application process. Trying to help your student with their academics all the while reading up on and preparing for college applications can be a challenge.
We're here to help make sure you can focus on the admissions while we focus on academics. At Mighty B Learning, we can help your student prepare for their admissions journey through our comprehensive tutoring services. Not only are our services highly personalized, but we offer real solutions for individual students’ academic success. Contact us today, and let’s talk about how we can set your student up to live out their dreams at their dream school.  Oprah Winfrey once said "Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom." A good education is the foundation of success. As a parent, you understand the importance of learning , and you do the best they can to ensure your child gets the best education possible. For students, tutoring can mean the difference between struggling with material all school year, or mastering it through creative problem solving and direct attention to their areas of opportunity. Not all students learn the same way, and that’s where expert tutors make all the difference. Typically, when we think of tutoring, we usually think of tutors helping students who struggle in school. But, what if we told you tutoring isn't only for those who struggle? What if tutoring benefits students who perform well in school and take AP classes as well? Well, it's true! Here is why tutoring helps all students, even those in AP classes. Why Tutoring HelpsTutoring is for all students, regardless of performance. Private tutoring for AP students has often been seen as a stopgap for the ACT and SAT. But as a former teacher once learned, these beliefs are far from true. In a D Magazine article written by Pamela Gywn Kripke, Kripke shared her eye-opening experience. She hired a tutor after trying to help her daughter with homework. Things weren't working out so she decided to get a tutor. Tutors were in high demand, and she wondered why. Then, she discovered something. Kripke found out that 64 percent of parents had private tutors or after-school coaching for high school students. The school district (with a highly respected high school) conducted a study, and the results were in favor of tutoring. So, Kripke was not alone. Tutoring gives students an extra advantage and helps them understand a subject even better than before. The interaction between a tutor and student benefits the student and gives them the confidence to keep doing well. But tutoring does not stop there. Not only does tutoring help a student understand a subject it can also prepare them for upcoming exams. Tutoring and Test PrepFor many students, college is the next step after high school. This means that when applying for college, students must take the ACT and SAT. The ACT and SAT are entrance exams that help students get into college. The higher your ACT or SAT score, the better chances you have of getting accepted into the school of your choice. Both exams are important, and they are quite challenging. It takes the right preparation to do well on these exams. While many typically think of tutoring in terms of courses, having a tutor helps during important exams. The ACT and SAT are no exception. Both exams are uniquely scored (1 to 36 for the ACT and 400-1600 for the SAT) and are different from what students are used to. Getting familiar with both exams helps students prepare for them. Students benefit from practice exams (like the PSAT) and tutoring that shows what to expect on the test. Preparing for the exams helps a student become more confident in taking the exam and better scores. ACT and SAT tutoring is a great resource for students heading to college. The world has changed since the pandemic, but online tutoring is more accessible than ever. There are online tutoring resources that parents and students can utilize to make sure students stay on the right path academically. What is Mighty B Learning and Why Should You Choose Us?Mighty B Learning provides expert private tutoring and test prep services. Whether your child is struggling with their grades or they are an exceptional student, we're here to help.
Our test prep services include the SAT and the ACT as well as the PSAT, SSAT and ISEE. We also provide AP Test Prep services in areas like AP Physics, AP Literature, AP Calculus, and more. At Mighty B Learning, we not only hire licensed teachers who excel in mathematics, but educators who know how to bring out the best in your student. We believe that every student can learn and we pride ourselves on finding the way each student learns. Let us help your child earn their success and impart the skills they need to succeed.  The Secondary School Admission Test, also known as the SSAT, is required by many independent schools around the world as one part of a student’s admission into the school. There are three versions of the test available: for students in 3rd or 4th grade (Elementary SSAT), students in 5th to 7th grades (Middle School SSAT), and students in 8th to 11th grade (Upper School SSAT). This test measures a student’s skills, instead of achievement. It is designed in this fashion to figure out mastery of a certain subject, rather than how far they’ve come with the subject. With the SSAT designed in this way, it keeps the test fair across each child’s individual background. Studying for this test will look different for each student. It is important to use these tips below to help them get well prepared for this test, which is one step in the entire process of applying to your decided school. Study for The Individual Learner The best way for your child to retain the material that will be on the test is to allow them to study in the best method that works for them. If your student is an auditory learner, have them read the material out loud, or you read it to them. If they learn best by writing, let them take notes on the topic. If they are a visual learner, give them time to read and look at the material. Give your child time to learn what will be on the test in the way that matches best for them. Every child learns differently and giving them the chance to discover what is best allows them to better retain the information and perform better on the test. This may also be a new lesson for them for future tests to learn any additional lessons in this way. Take More Time Where They're Weakest If your student doesn’t do as well in math, spend more time on the math portion of the test. If they are weaker with reading, focus on vocabulary and reading. Find out where your child may lack and give more attention to that subject. It may be a benefit to speak with their current teachers in that subject, or even go through their current textbooks again to help them learn items that will likely be on the exam. Having them relearn previous skills they aren’t as strong in will build their confidence for that portion of the test and they won’t look upon it quite so negatively. Creating confidence where they previously were weak will build their score and will build focus when they reach that part of the test. Find and Take a Practice Test or Two Practice tests for the SSAT can likely be found either in a study guide, or through an in-person or online tutor. By giving them these practice exams, your child will get an understanding of the type of material on the test, as well as the time they will have and how best they may need to study. Provide them with more than one test and allow them to see their progress as they continue to learn the material. It may be a good idea to have them take a practice test when they first start to study. This will show where they need to improve, and may even give them an opportunity to see which subject they may be lacking in, so they know what to focus on studying. Taking several exams will give them the chance to see patterns in the exam questions. Seeing these patterns gives your student the awareness to know when they may get tripped up on a question. Just Relax As it gets closer to the exam day, your child will, of course, get nervous and may overstudy or overthink the test and the material. If this is happening, give your student a day to focus on other things, or just the time to relax and step away from studying. This will allow the material to fully sink in, and gives your child a bit of time away to do what they want. It removes the pressure from them to focus on the need to be perfect.
The night before the test, give them a little time to rest and be comfortable. Make sure they’re eating well and staying hydrated and let them get plenty of rest. You want to be sure they are happy and rested before walking into the testing room and the exam begins. If your student is having a tough time with studying for the test, don’t panic. Mighty B Learning has SSAT tutoring to help your student study and gain confidence for the big exam. We have in-person and online tutors who can help with the entirety of the test material. Let us help your child earn their success and impart the skills they need to succeed. |
AuthorMy name is Bethany, and I am professional tutor backed by over 10 years of teaching and tutoring experience. I have worked for some of the top names in the tutoring industry, and now I am ready to pass my experience on to you. Archives
February 2021
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