The official e-newsletter of The Equestrian College Advisor.

From the blog:

One of the things I really love about organized college tours (aside from the fact that visiting in a group is always more fun than visiting alone) is when they return me to a campus that I’ve already seen once or twice before and I’m able to learn something new about the school that I didn’t absorb the first time around. In the case of my second visit to Lynchburg College as part of the Virginia private colleges counselor tour, the clear difference on this visit was that I got to see it filled with students, as my first visit brought me to campus in the middle of summer break.  Read More

The latest updated on NCAA equestrian was published this week and it's very promising!

Check it out.

Whether in the saddle or out of it, bravery is learned - and it can be practiced too!

Read More

Making Sense of Your PSAT Score ReportIf you’re one of the thousands of students who sat for the PSAT in October, the results of your exam should arrive sometime in December or January. But what do all of the numbers, percentiles, and representative samples actually mean?Here’s a basic breakdown:

• The totals. Because the PSAT is essentially a practice SAT, you should examine your results from the various sections to determine where your strengths and weaknesses lie. To get an estimate of what your SAT score might be, multiple each section score by 10 (so a 68 becomes a 680 and so on). Go over your test booklet (or use the Quick Start web page) and try to figure out why you missed certain questions. Any and all information you can gather from your performance on the PSAT will help you move forward to the SAT as a junior.

• Low numbers. If your scores are lower than you’d hoped they would be, take heart – colleges never see them so low scores won’t count against you in the admission process. Low scores could mean a few things so work with a counselor or teacher to determine if you simply need traditional test preparation work (either online or with a tutor) or if you’re a candidate for extended testing time – or even if you’re simply a better fit for the ACT or a test optional school!

• AP potential. If you aren’t already taking AP courses at your high school, the PSAT can also serve as a predictor of your success on AP exams. (The College Board offers their Quick Start web page to help students more deeply interpret their score results; the AP prediction information is found here.)

• National Merit selection. If your scores on the PSAT are particularly high, you might achieve candidacy for National Merit recognition – a great honor and one that might be worth a lot of scholarship money down the road!

Finally, it’s important to know that studies have shown that students improve – on average – thirty-three percent between taking the PSAT and the SAT. That’s a substantial improvement in scores in just a few short months! So while your PSAT score is certainly an important part of your college planning process, it’s only a tiny piece of a much larger puzzle and in the end, it won’t make or break the strength of your college application. 

Share