College Summer Prep
July 18, 2023Get Smarter Prep

Summer College Prep

Summer College Prep! For many students summer means swimming pools, barbecues, camping trips, and general relaxation. For the class of 2024, however, summer is the ideal time to write essays and complete college applications.

Imagine, if you will, going back to high school in August. It’s your senior year. You’re the top dog on campus. It’s your last chance to participate in pep rallies, school plays, and high school sports teams. Your friends start to ask you where you’re going to school next year. Your teachers start to ask you where you’re going to school next year. You still don’t know where you want to apply. Your friends start to get acceptance letters. You start to freak out. Now, in addition to homework, tests, and all your extracurricular activities, you need to find time to complete your college applications.

Now imagine going back to school in August. It’s your senior year. You spent part of the summer deciding which schools would be a good fit for you next year. You honed your essay writing skills. When college applications were available on August 1st, you were ready to go. By the time school started, you were well on your way to completing your applications  Now with pep rallies, school plays, sports and volunteer work vying for your attention, you’re so glad that you have your college applications done  By the time winter break rolls around, you already know where you’re going to school next year. You no longer dread the question “where are you going to college?” because you know the answer.

Which student would you rather be?

Get Smarter Prep can help you navigate the college application process with ease. Learn what majors and careers are a good fit for you. Get help narrowing down your college list to the top schools that fit your personality. Learn to write a college essay that admissions officers won’t easily forget.

By starting early on your applications, you not only reduce your potential stress levels, but you also have a better shot at getting the money you need for the school you want. All financial aid has a deadline, and some aid is given on a first come, first served basis. Plus, a lot of scholarships require an essay submission, so it is beneficial for you to have an essay you can be proud of.

You can still hit the pool this summer, but don’t forget to take a break for your college applications!

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30 ACT Score
August 17, 2022Get Smarter Prep

The Infamous 30 ACT Composite Score

Everyone wants the infamous 30 ACT composite score. Why does every student desire a 30 on their ACT?  Just to say they have a 30? What does a 30 composite score actually get you?  More scholarships? Entry into a highly selective school? The ability to say you scored a 30?  Maybe.  Maybe a 30 composite score will get you all of those things, but let’s take a closer look to see if that score is the right score for you.

Did you know that the National average ACT score for college bound students is a 19.8? The average for the state of Kansas is 19.9 and the average score for the state of Alabama is a 18. Meanwhile, The District of Columbia averaged 26.9, keeping in mind the estimated percent of graduates tested was only 18%. We want state and national averages to be transparent because it’s important to understand how other high school students are scoring on their ACT test.

Average ACT Scores

Scholarships

So why does a 30 ACT score haunt high school students?  For most students, scholarship money is what drives a student to achieve the very best score they can. For example, The University of Alabama gives a break down of scholarships related to ACT/SAT scores, plus their GPA score. Students will be awarded $1,000 more if they score anywhere between 30-36 + a certain GPA. If you’ve taken the ACT 3x and can’t get past a 28 or 29, don’t worry about it. You’ll still get a great scholarship.

Make sure you at least have an outline of the types of colleges you would like to attend and then take those schools’ scholarship requirements into consideration. Most students would be shocked to realize the break usual isn’t at 30, but closer to 31, if not a 32 or higher.

College Entry

The same principal applies to college entry.  Highly selective schools typically don’t look for a standard of a 30 ACT (or it’s SAT equivalent). They look for higher scores starting at a 31 or 32, plus a fantastic GPA of around 3.75 or higher. For example, Vanderbilt University in Nashville typical accepts students scoring in the 33-35 range. The middle 50% of scorers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois is 33-35, similar to that of Duke University in Durham, NC. The bottom line is, do your research on the schools with which you’re truly interested and figure out if a 30 is sufficient or if you need to score even higher.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

It’s so important to set proper goals based on what you are interested in, your ability, and what is tangible for you. If you take a pretest and score a 17 composite score, a 30 is big stretch – to say the least! Do you have endless amounts of time to study? What about your class schedule in high school? You don’t want to fall behind on your regular classes to study hours and hours for the ACT.

Extracurricular Activities

Another factor to consider is all of your extracurricular activities. Studying for and taking the October ACT while you are in football or volleyball will be totally overwhelming. How full is your schedule this semester? Do you even have the time and energy to spend on achieving a 30? The ACT has several test dates from which to choose throughout the year; choose one that makes sense for you and your schedule.

Get Smarter Prep has different prep options for any type of student: from a small group course to semi-private and private tutoring. Select an option and test date that will set you up for success, not overwhelm you.  Setting a tangible goal score will the best way to assure success, whether it’s the infamous 30, a solid 26, or a Kansas average of 19.8. 

 

 

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SAT Test Dates '22-'23
August 10, 2022Get Smarter Prep

SAT Releases Test Dates ’22-’23

If you have your mind set on taking the SAT, CollegeBoard has released all the 2022-2023 test dates available to students. Registration is open for all students for the 2022 SAT dates and will be open for spring 2023 dates in the fall. Take a look at the test dates below and in particular the registration dates attached to those specific dates.

SAT Test Dates '22-'23

Deciding Factors

There are several items to think about when deciding which test date is right for you including, your academic load, sports schedule, extra-curriculars, job schedule, etc. Only you can determine if you are able to handle adding test prep for eight+ weeks on top of your schedule.

Keep in mind, you and your tutor will meet once a week for an hour and a half, plus you will have about 2-3 hours of SAT homework to finish each week before your next tutoring session.

No matter which test date a student chooses, it’s important to prioritize those 8-10 weeks of test prep in order to put your best foot forward for the SAT. If you need help figuring out which test date is best for you and how best to prepare for the test, please reach out to us. Our SAT experts are here to help!

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Get Smarter Prep Partners with Tamara Day
November 17, 2021Get Smarter Prep

Get Smarter Prep Partners with Tamara Day

Get Smarter Prep today announced a new partnership with Tamara Day. This partnership will help local students and parents meet and exceed their goals for college by learning proper techniques and methods to study better, retain knowledge, and prepare for their future.

“We are thrilled to work with the Day family and help the boys reach their educational goals,” says Caleb Pierce, President at Get Smarter Prep. “The college prep process can be confusing for most families, and we are glad that our amazing team can be a reliable resource to families.”

“My husband and I work full time, and with four kids, our evenings were total chaos between homework, practices, and events. Homework was by far the most stressful part.,” says Tamara Day, Host of HGTV’s Bargain Mansions and Owner of Growing Days. “Get Smarter Prep has lifted that weight off of our shoulders. We know our boys are getting the guidance they need, and our world is peaceful again!”

By working with Tamara, we hope to help even more students reach their potential by understanding the college prep process and clearly identify steps they need to take in high school to make college preparation not only understandable, but more importantly, attainable.

About Get Smarter Prep:

At Get Smarter Prep, our goal is to customize students learning experiences to help them score better, and the techniques and methods we teach will help students going forward into college. Our tutors help build up confidence, beat test anxiety, and identify strengths & areas students want to improve.

About Tamara Day:

Designer Tamara Day is a purveyor of the glam and cozy. This busy wife and mother of four styles for the spirited home, mixing glam, comfort, and family. Tamara’s sense of style and eye for what works has created an insatiable demand for her interior design expertise, furniture and décor. On HGTV’s Bargain Mansions, Tamara and her crew transform big, old houses that she finds at bargain prices. Tamara also owns Growing Days, her interior design, furniture, décor and lifestyle business.

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ACT National Test Dates '21-'22
April 20, 2021Get Smarter Prep

ACT Releases National Test Dates for 2021-2022

If you’re thinking about taking the ACT this fall or really planning ahead and looking at next spring, preparing for the test just got easier for you. ACT.org just released their National Test Dates for the rest of 2021 and onto 2022. Keep in mind, students will have a registration deadline and photo upload deadline for each test date.

One thing to think about when looking at each ACT test date is your schedule. Is the test date you’ve chosen cohesive with your classes, homework load, extra-curricular activities, job, sports schedule, etc.? If it’s going to be a big struggle to fit in the ACT this semester, then take a look at another date and see if you are able to lighten your load before then.

Below, we’ve put together a chart for students to easily reference the dates and start preparing for their chosen ACT date.

ACT National Test Dates '21-'22

Get Smarter Prep is always available to help students prepare for the ACT, whether that means taking our ACT Prep Course, Semi-Private Tutoring or one-on-one Private Tutoring. If you have no clue as to what you would actually score on a real ACT, we offer Free Practice Tests every Saturday morning. You can sign up for a Practice Test Here. 

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Celebrates 15 Years
March 9, 2021Get Smarter Prep

Get Smarter Prep Celebrates 15 Years

Get Smarter Prep Celebrates 15 Years

Our 15th anniversary officially kicked off in March, and after all these years of helping students get the score they need for the school they want, things are only looking brighter at Get Smarter Prep. As we celebrate this milestone, we have sincere appreciation and profound thanks to everyone that made it possible.

First and foremost, we would like to thank our students, who we succeed with together; we’re also grateful to all of the parents, who support their students in helping them achieve their goals; and finally, we thank each of our tutors, who are the most dedicated and knowledgeable test prep instructors in the industry and who make Get Smarter Prep what it is today, and who continually put our students and their goals first.

“We are very fortunate to work with local students and their families to help navigate the college prep process over the past 15 years.  Seeing students succeed with their ACT/SAT goals or helping students along their path to college and beyond is what we are here for. It’s been incredibly rewarding helping students unlock a piece of the college preparation process alongside of them and for those students to discover, perhaps, a path that could never even been an option now presented to them!” stated Caleb Pierce, President of Get Smarter Prep.

Our goal moving forward is to remain focused on our students and their success, no matter if that is a 12-point ACT increase, 1-point increase, or helping students navigate the college prep process to be accepted into the college of their dreams. It’s been an incredible 15 years of tutoring students from all around the Kansas City metro and we look forward to offering more options for students than ever before.

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