College Bound
Jun 3, 2020
Is a College Essay Coach a Good Idea?
It depends. Ask yourself these questions to determine if your Personal Statement could use some expert guidance.
1. Can you find your voice, your story, on your own?
Short of the few highly selective colleges who will offer an interview, the personal statement is the only opportunity a student has to insert his or her voice into the application.
May 29, 2020
Application Roadmap: How to Beat the Deadlines
Follow LEAP’s step-by-step plan for stress-free, no parent nagging, college application completion.
-Get clarity on where to apply when you can’t visit colleges. -How to tackle the hardest part first…the essay. PLUS the *new* essay on COVID impact. -Learn which parts can (and should) be done prior to August 1st. -Determine which schools you can save money on application and ACT/SAT reporting fees.
May 15, 2020
PSAT & National Merit Qualification Basics
Stephanie Meyer Twilight author, M. Night Shyamalan movie director, Jeffrey Bezos CEO of Amazon.com, John Roberts Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, Bill Gates former Microsoft Chairman, Ben Bernanke Chairman of the US Federal Reserve have one thing in common. They were each National Merit Scholarship winners chosen from a pool of 15,000 National Merit Finalists. How did they get there?
May 14, 2020
Common App Essay Prompts, Class of 2021 + COVID Prompt
With so much disruption in the lives of students, as predicted, The Common App has announced an optional question in the “Additional Information” section for students to share, in 250 words or less (that’s not a lot, by the way), the effects of COVID19 on them. See the full explanation here.
May 12, 2020
Increase Grammar & Writing Skills
One of my favorite birthday cards was from my sister, Lora. A picture of two possible sisters on the front. MY sister asking me, “Where’s your birthday party at?” I reply, “Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.” I won’t spoil the slightly inappropriate inside lines, but it had me laughing.
May 1, 2020
Where LEAP Students are Admitted
A journey with over 4,000 possible destinations deserves a seasoned guide. That’s what we do at LEAP!
Here is where our students are admitted. The list is evidence that we work with a wide variety of students. We’re beyond proud of them!
Apr 17, 2020
Demonstrated Interest: Getting on the College’s Radar
It’s simple. Students who DEMONSTRATE INTEREST at colleges who track interest get admitted at higher rates.
Colleges want to increase their “yield”. Yield is the number of applicants who actually choose to attend a school where they are accepted. In recent years, while the number of applicants to colleges are up, yield is down.
Apr 8, 2020
What is Test Optional & Should You Submit Test Scores
Test optional has been around for a very long time, but is getting renewed attention in the wake of COVID-19 as some colleges have indicated a move to Test Optional for the class of 2021.
What is test optional? Test optional means allowing students to apply to a college with or without ACT/SAT scores; it’s left up to the student.
Mar 24, 2020
Where are My State ACT Scores?
All Ohio juniors take either the ACT or SAT at their high school in late winter just as many in other states also do. The majority of Ohio schools opted for the ACT in a pencil to paper format given on February 25th or March 10th in 2020; those taking the SAT or testing online have different dates. Students who’ve taken the ACT before on their own have noticed these states’ results are slower than national test date results to arrive.
Mar 11, 2020
What to do when colleges cancel your visit due to Coronavirus
Is Coronavirus sabotaging your plans for spring break college visits? Don’t despair! Here are action tips on how to navigate the college selection and be application ready with this extra free time you’ve suddenly found.
Mar 10, 2020
5 Steps for 10th Graders to Launch the College Search
While the junior year is known as the most challenging academically and the crucial year for the college-bound journey, it is wise to jump-start the process in the spring of 10th grade. Families are often surprised to learn or be reminded, that by the completion of the first semester sophomore year the GPA for college application has reached the halfway point.
Feb 18, 2020
Do I need SAT Subject Tests?
The lesser-known SAT Subject Tests have seen better days.
With the dropping of this testing requirement by Harvey Mudd College (a California engineering college) in February 2020, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) remains the only school requiring the tests for application, and they have indicated they are revisiting this requirement. MIT has dropped the SAT Subject Tests!!!