Getting your kid ready for college can seem like an endless task. You have to worry about campus visits, SAT or ACT scores, AP classes and tests, extracurricular activities, financial aid, scholarships, applications, and grades.  Helping one son or daughter through this process can be exhausting. Helping multiple kids prepare for college at the same time can seem like a nightmare. You can breathe easy when you realize millions of…

For parents, involvement in their son or daughter’s college choice can be an emotionally exhausting tug of war between two extremes. Some parents stay out of the way, wanting their child to own the decision.  Other parents push their child towards a particular university, afraid their child will never find a good fit on his or her own. If you think of choosing a college as a skill set, it will…

Having a child who’s leaving for college is a time of mixed emotions for most parents. You’re proud but also worried if they’ll be okay away from home; you’re looking forward to having more time to yourself, but you’re also sad to see your pride and joy go. To help you through the process, I’ve compiled a list of things to consider and do as you get ready for the…

The college admissions process is incredibly stressful for students (as well as parents!). But, there are plenty of things you, as a parent, can do to make the process go smoothly, and boost your child’s chances of ending up at his or her dream school. A smart and savvy college admissions plan includes creating an effective system to keep track of admissions requirements and deadlines; doing research (both online and…

Asking for letters of recommendation from your teachers seems like a pretty simple and straightforward task—but there are plenty of things to keep in mind before you ask for letter of recommendation help. Be sure to keep in touch with your favorite teachers, and come application time, be sure to give them plenty of advance notice, and provide them with all the information and materials they need, to write you…

Need a letter of recommendation for your college applications? Not sure whom to ask, or how? No worries—getting a good letter of recommendation comes down to a few simple steps. For the best possible letter of recommendation, choose a teacher who knows you well and can write something positive about you, and give them all materials they need and plenty of time to write the letter. More advice for getting…

Your grades and standardized test scores are set by now, so the personal statement is your last chance to add something new to your college applications. An effective personal statement is well-written, avoids cliches, tells a story about you that shows the admissions committee who you are, and brags a little—but doesn’t show off. I’ve compiled a list of personal statement ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ to help you as you work your…

What’s the best Ivy League school? If you’re applying to a number of Ivies, and are trying to decide where to attend if you’re admitted, Prep Expert® can help. We’ve established our own Ivy League school rankings, based on factors including prestige and academic reputation, student outcomes, and campus quality of life. If, in the meantime, you want to learn more about our SAT prep or ACT prep courses, then…

Like many parents who took the SAT in the pre-Internet age, you might be asking yourself “does online test prep work?” Is your son or daughter really going to get the same experience and value online that he or she would one-on-one, in person, with a tutor, or in a test prep class? The short and sweet answer is: yes! We have seen consistently excellent results with online test prep,…

You’ve put in lots of work, but you’re not sure if all of your studying for the SAT is paying off. Many students ask themselves, “is my test prep working?” Well, there’s no need to worry—there are a few ways to check if your test prep is actually working. You can track your progress by taking plenty of timed practice tests under test-day conditions, then calculating your scores with each successive…