Did you take an SAT or ACT prep course in high school? Do you think it helped? A new report says probably not … at least not as much as you’d like to think.

Tamara Keith from American Public Media reports that preparing for the SAT is a good idea, but you’d probably get the same benefit from a $30 at-home study guide as a multi-thousand dollar test-prep course.

David Hawkins from The National Association of College Admissions Counseling says “There needs to be a buyer-beware notice for students and families who are thinking about commercial test preparation.” The group pulled together a report that says the average score increase as a result of prep courses is only 30 points. Out of 2,400.

Hmm … while that might be enough to make or break an Ivy League acceptance for a few people, it’s probably not worth it to the rest of us.

Whether you took an SAT prep course or not, what if your score didn’t turn out quite as high as you’d like? Don’t worry! Standardized tests aren’t for everyone – we know that.

Not all schools require an ACT/SAT score for admission. Schools that don’t often offer a more targeted education, building practical skills rather than general knowledge. Career colleges and technical schools around the country realize that your priorities are different – that test scores don’t matter to you as much as starting a stable career.

Any college student can tell you that iPods took over most college campuses soon after they were introduced. Walking across campus, if students aren’t on their cell phone, they are probably listening to music on some variety of Apple’s iPod. But recently, colleges have started embracing the trend and attempting to use it for academic purposes.

“When they aren’t dancing, those familiar iPod silhouettes are probably hunkered down in the classroom, where the devices have become a common learning tool.

More than 70 million iPods have been sold since they were introduced by Apple more than five years ago. Now, with the MP3 player’s foothold in academia, universities and companies are quickly expanding the amount of study materials students can use with them. Read the rest of this entry »

The following story about transitioning from high school to college was provided by Brian Quick.

The reason most students attend college is to get a degree. Beyond that, they want to expand their knowledge, they want to learn, and they want to belong. To that end, there are 10 things college students should do to get the most out of their college experiences.

10. Try not to take on too much responsibility. Now, this doesn

There has been a lot of talk lately about the growing crisis of education for male students. According to a University of Michigan study, the number of boys who said they didn’t like school rose 71 percent between 1980 and 2001. This discontent with education has spilled onto college campuses where male students are only 44 percent of the college population, down from 58 percent thirty years ago.

Newsweek ran a story highlighting the problem in its Jan. 30, 2006 issue. While the story introduced some to the challenges of educating boys, it only reiterated what many high school counselors, administrators and teachers already know to be true. And it has caused many to take action.

“Helping underperforming boys has become our core mission,” said Gates Foundation Education Director, Jim Shelton.
Read the rest of this entry »

With the beginning of school comes homework. And, in many cases, more of it than in the past. High school students are signing up for advanced placement, IB and college-credit courses through dual enrollment at record numbers. Knowing where to go to get homework help is a necessity.

Many online services provide homework helping in everything from math and physics to health and English. While the majority of these services are free, some do charge for answers. Others offer free help, but none of them will do the homework assignment for you. Instead, they point you in the right direction to find the answer, or help explain assignments so that you grasp the concepts.
Read the rest of this entry »

Beyond entrance exams and admissions essays, every college student is expected
to occasionally wield the mighty pen for a paper of some fashion. No matter
what your major is, dreaded term papers and e-mails to professors and classmates
loom ahead. Writing skills can be the gateway to better grades and greater
academic achievement. Any author, from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. to Diane McKinney-Whetstone,
can polish his or her writing by practicing these seven easy tips:

1. Read, and read a lot. The more you read, the more
your parameters will expand. No matter what interests you – whether
it’s history, sci-fi or adventure – reading will subject
you to different writing styles, expanding your vocabulary and your familiarity
with grammar and punctuation. Don’t limit yourself to books -
magazines also are quick and informative reads.

2. Be yourself. Write what you know. You can write
more intelligently on familiar subjects. Sure, more research can be done,
but don’t start with a foreign topic. On a similar note: avoid
unfamiliar words. If you use fancy language that’s not “you,” it
shows. Big words do not equal intelligence. Be cautious when using your
thesaurus!

3. Practice, practice, practice! Go beyond writing
for school assignments. Write in a journal daily. Write short stories
or poetry. No matter what you write, as long as you are putting pen to
paper (or fingers to keys), it will only help you grow.

4. Create an outline. Outlines are extremely helpful
when writing because they will help you stay on topic. It’s
tempting to branch off into new information as you write, but you should
keep your reader in mind at all times -
you don’t want to
confuse them. Creating an outline will facilitate organization and cut
your writing time down dramatically.

5. Learn proper grammar. Grammar is often overlooked
these days. As you read more, you will become more familiar with grammatical
principles. Learn how to diagram a sentence. This will make you very
conscious of the different parts of speech and how they relate to each
other.

6. Revise your own work. You are your own worst critic,
which will show as you edit your work. Many students write without editing
or even rereading their papers. This can be a fatal error – spell/grammar
check WILL NOT catch everything. Guaranteed. Ask friends to read over
your work, too. Someone else’s revisions can help just as much,
if not more, than your own.

7. Review your past work. Take an hour every month
to go back through what you’ve done in the past. See what you did
and analyze how you might write it differently now. You’ll be able
to see your growth, and you can give yourself a pat on the back for a
job well done.