College Admission COVID update January 2021 and beyond

Thank you all so much for joining. I am super excited. My name is Shellee Howard and I am the founder and owner of CollegeReady. Our goal is for our students to know how to get into the best colleges for their fit being academic, socially, and financially. We really do focus on all three and it's important that the fit is there so the student has the full benefit of their experience. So thank you so much for joining today, and I'm super excited. Obviously there's some big news in college admission, as there has been in the last couple of years. I love what I do. CollegeReady has been around for 12 years, and there has been a lot of changes. So I'm going to do, um, some updates on what was announced yesterday, and then I'm going to do some more updates on the state of college admissions, and then I'm going to answer questions. And then if you stay on, um, I'm going to share with you how to avoid being overwhelmed for yourself and for your student and how to process all of this information. So thank you for joining, and let's go ahead and get started. If you have any questions at all, I'm happy to answer them. So the thing that's on most people's mind— or my phone's been blowing up today— is College Board announced yesterday that there's two big new testing situations that are very important for people to understand. So if you, um, have these on top of your mind, I'm going to answer them first, and therefore you can let them go. You absolutely can just relax and know that I've taken care of those, and I'm going to give you all the information you need. So, top of mind, in case you haven't heard, yesterday the College Board made two big announcements. The world of college admissions is changed forever. Students in the USA will no longer have the opportunity to take the SAT Subject Tests and the SAT Essay Writing Section will also be discontinued. This is big news. Um, for some students they might not know this, but for other students who are competing for some really important college admissions top-tier schools, this is a big change for us. So I want to make sure that I touch this even though it may not be fully for everyone. Um, I am mindful that I want you all to understand that these little changes equate all the way through the college admissions process. So with that said, let me go ahead and explain. If you guys can mute yourself, I'm going to read some really important details and I want to make sure that you can jot them down. Then I'll open it up for question. So for The first thing is, at one point, over 60 selective colleges and universities required the SAT Subject Tests. By early 2020, only MIT, Caltech, and Harvey Mudd were left. Within a span of weeks in February and March, these three schools also dropped the requirement. I want you to listen to the wording "requirement" and "optional." So schools that used to require it went optional. There was still a place for students to put that score, and if you're competing at a very high-level school with similar GPAs and community service and leadership and extracurricular, you need every opportunity to set yourself apart. So with that said, you'll understand how important these tests were and how that change is going to affect every single student. So there were 20 subject tests in 5 different areas, and this was a great opportunity for students to show their area of just being outstanding. It was a great opportunity. So how are students going to, to do it now? And that's what I'm going to share with you today. So these colleges would use them for placement purposes. Students would be able to potentially opt out of taking a language or a higher level class based on their test score. So now that they're officially retired in the U.S.— remember, I have international students, so be careful— international students still get these, U.S. students do not. I think that's really important. Students with an existing SAT Subject Test registration will be able to shift to an SAT registration. So in other words, if a student was signed up for 3 SAT Subject Tests and they no longer are going to be required for college admission, they will let you keep your spot for a regular SAT test, which as you know, getting those spots. So that's really important news. The SAT essay will also be phased out starting in June. So any US student, this is super important. Now, what about for our international students? The May and June 2021 subject tests still remain in place. So you may be asking, what does all this mean? And let me just kind of give you my take on it. So after doing this as my 12th year, I've seen the pros and the cons. I've seen students who've used them to their benefit to get tons of awesome grants and money out of it, and I've seen other students stress out to the point it took them to tears. As every student is different, this test was meant for some and not for all. So So who wins? For the majority of students, the SAT Subject Tests caused some stress, but especially during the pandemic when they could not get these test dates. Additionally, students taking AP classes saw these tests as being redundant. So eliminating Subject Tests, if you ask a student, they're going to be like, woo, no more tests, this is fantastic. For those who are competing amongst the best of the best top-tier schools, they're going to be concerned how they're now going to stand out. So now, who loses? Homeschool students. I have a lot of homeschoolers that I work with. International students. This is really going to be tough for them. U.S. students wanting to study internationally. It gives them an uneven playing field. And students in schools that don't have an extensive AP curriculum will be left with a void. College Board suggests that these students take their AP exams. However, AP exams are administered in students' schools during a school day. So what happens if your student is not taking regular school? What are they going to do then? Well, we're encouraging our students to still send in test scores if they have them, still take the test if they can. And as long as there's a box that says SAT Subject 2 test and you have a great score, put it in there. It's a box that's going to show your greatness. Now, the other big announcement. Students can still take the SAT with the essay through June 2021, and then it's gone in the US. So who wins? The SAT essay has a lot of problems everybody can point to. Many colleges did not find the essay scores to be very useful. So in reality, Nobody's going to be too disappointed. I know when I ask my students to take these essays, because, you know, in a world of optional, who is it really optional for? The kids who want to go to college, or the kids that want to do the least that they can to apply? So I've always told our students, optional is not optional unless you don't want to go there. So with that said, who wins? The SAT essay had a lot of problems, but who, who loses? The elimination of the SAT essay hurts those students who are good technical writers, right? Taking the SAT essay in a controlled environment where there can be no cheating, no supplementing, no essay editor, no— that gave them a competitive edge. So those really good essay writers are going to have a little bit more challenge because now their college application essay is going to be compared against other people who are using technical editors and who are having a lot more assistance. So what's next? The College Board is refocusing and they're going to put a lot of their attention into the SAT, the PSAT, and the AP tests. AP will still become super important. They're not going away, but they are talking about doing it a little bit differently, shifting to a digital model. So once again, we're starting to see what the pandemic has done to college admissions. And as we look at it, what does this mean for the ACT? You, you may have a student who's like, well, I really don't care because I'm an essay— or I'm an ACT kid. Well, usually when one goes, the other one starts to travel that way as well. So as of right now, the ACT has not made comment. They are still doing the essay as part of the test, and we are just going to have to wait and see how the essay— or the ACT reacts. So some students may think this is huge, and some students may not care at all, or some may be really happy. It's 1, 2, or 3 more tests they don't have to take. In a world where standing out and being unique is important, I thought we should start there. The other thing about testing that I wanna make sure all of you on this call understand is it really is the easiest way for your student to get recognized and stand out for financial opportunities. So far for the class of 2021, college-ready students have earned $3.7 million in free money they will not have to pay back. That is huge. And that is because our students plan and strategize and use everything to their ability to make a difference. It's kind of like a business, right? Somebody brings you a big resume and you pay them really well. Somebody brings you a little resume and they get minimum wage. Same type of thing in the college admissions world. Big resumes earn big money. We'll go into that in a little bit. So as you think about the details, and then I'm going to wrap this up and get into other questions. Students who are currently registered or plan to register for an upcoming SAT with Essay will still be able to through June 2021. If you are registered and want your money back, it is supposed to come to you. They don't tell us when, but it is. So just know that they realize that people are going to want their money back, so that is, that is to come. Now here's questions that I've been receiving all day yesterday and today. You can find SAT test dates on the College Board website. They're updated, the best place to look. They even have free college, um, test prep. It's called Khan Academy. And for students who want to get a jump on it, maybe you have a younger student who's just really moving ahead, go have them go to College Board and start doing this free online test prep. Some students really love it. Registration for fall 2021 and spring '22 will open June 2021. Now students outside the US can still take the SAT Subject Tests in May or June. Definitely sign— excellent. And if you no longer want to take them, don't take them. I get a lot of calls about that. Do I have to take them? No, you don't have to take them. So international students, yes you do, because it's a completely different world. And I'm happy to answer your questions about that. So without further ado, I could go on that all day long. There is one other set of big news, and that is the UC, that would be our University of California school system, has announced that they are doing a personal insight question plagiarism check. Okay, so for all of you parents out there or students who are like, well, what if people kind of fudge or expand or maybe not tell the whole truth? How will they ever know? And I hope it's not one of you because you don't want to get caught doing that. But as of January Students are being questioned. What's happened is they've put together a plagiarism software program, and if they think for any reason that you have not written it yourself, you will be contacted by the UC schools for verification. If you do not respond in a certain amount of time You will automatically be withdrawn. So please, parents, students, anybody listening to this, check your email. I've had students who they just say, I get so much junk mail, I don't want to worry about it. This is critical. You will not get any other notification. The email you use to apply to the UC schools is how you will be notified. And if you are notified, you better have those awards, those certificates, those whatever you put in there at hand, ready to show that you did not plagiarize. Okay, so all of that is really important news. Don't mean to concern you, but I want you to have the latest. Now let's talk about college admission and the hot topic. So we went from the, um, College Blues scandal, and then all the colleges were really stressed out about being scrutinized. And then we went directly into the pandemic and this whole testing craziness. And then we went high school online. Oh my goodness, could it be any more frustrating or overwhelming for our students? Then on top of it, families can't get a hold of the high school counselor. They're struggling to get information. Please share this with your family and friends. I want them to know I am offering a free 1-hour strategy session, not a sales session, but a strategy session to help you navigate your student's path. All you have to do is reach out. There's no need to be overwhelmed. So college admissions, how many of you think that college admissions numbers have gone down? And how many think they've gone up? I ask this question all the time because depending on how closely you follow it, it may be a very interesting way to consider. So college admission and why it may seem so confusing. I don't think colleges want it like that. I truly don't. I think that there's so much information and so much bad information. So really important to think about as you decide what you're going to listen to and what you're going to follow. So with that in mind, the best thing I can tell you is the California state schools, or all state schools, admission is down. Okay, so if you have a student who is thinking about a state school, they have a much better chance than ever before. All right, that is good news for them. Now, on the other hand, if you have a student who wants to go to University of California school, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, They had more applications than ever. So if you're one of them, that may be a bit frustrating. And they thought more students would defer, which means they got in but they're going to take a gap year or leave of absence, than actually did. So what does that mean for our juniors and our sophomores and our freshmen? Wow, it's like this whole new world. So what does it mean? It means that your student needs to be very strategic about how they are going to stand out. What does that feel like for them? They need to understand what they're passionate about. Number one, if I had to break it down into what is important, colleges want them to know what are their gifts and their talents. If your student does not have a clue and they cannot write down 10 things they're passionate about, then please call me and I will give you fun, fun things to do with them to help you help them. Our students do what's called a passion project. And this is why our students are having such great success this year is because this passion project is not about getting into college. I want to make that very, very clear because it has so much more potential. The reality is a passion project helps the student figure out what are my gifts and my talents and how can I use them and how will it serve me in my future. So let me give you an example. A student says to me, I have a passion for fashion. And you're like going, oh no, what am I going to do with that? Well, our student decided that she also wanted to change the way little girls were treated in third world countries. She had a really big global vision of equality. And so what she did is she got her friends together and she shared her vision and they decided to take and get gently used pillowcases and turn them into pretty little dresses and send them to third world country little girls. Probably the only firsthand dress they will receive. And it went global. So it started out where they first had to teach themselves how to sew because there's, there's no more home ec in high school anymore or in middle school. So after they taught themselves to sew based on YouTube, then they had to decide, okay, How are we going to do all of this? What are the logistics? Well, guess what? The one who loves social media stepped up. Hey, I want to market. The one who loved— I want to collect the money to be able to buy the stuff. There is your finance person. The one who had this vision of how big it could be. There is your entrepreneur. So all of a sudden they stepped into this world where it didn't matter that they didn't know what they were doing. They figured out who they are and what their natural gift was, and they got to try it out without hurting anybody, but honestly giving of themselves to somebody. It took the focus off of me and it put it on we to help them. So, this organization was called Dress of Hope. It's still going today. It's been passed down from generation to generation of students. And it started with one vision of a girl who wanted to give a pretty little dress to another little girl, which may not be a big deal to a lot of people, right? It may be like, oh, big deal. But we have pictures of when Doctors With Borders handed these little girls their very first dress and tears coming down their eyes and hugging it. And it made these young girls feel like they had a global vision. They impacted the world. Their essays got them so much attention that they got into all of their dream schools. So then you think of, OK, well, what if my child doesn't have that? What do I do? Well, I came across a young man. I guess it's been 3 years ago now. And we started talking about his passions. And he goes, you know what? I'm not very passionate and I don't really like people. And I'm like, OK, this is going to be fun. And what we did is we talked it through and I said, what did it— what do you enjoy? And he says, well, I like Comic-Con. And I'm like, I'm not sure what that is. So I Google Comic-Con and I figure it out. And I'm like, so what do you like about it? And he goes, oh, he gets really excited. He's like, we dress up and we go to this place, San Diego. I said, but I don't understand, what, what do you really enjoy? And he goes, oh, I love to go on to eBay, and then I go on eBay and I buy the Comic-Con stuff and I collect it, and I have this huge wall of all this. And I'm like, well, what if you went on eBay and bought gently used and you fixed it up and then you sold it and you donated your proceeds to the nonprofit of your choice. And he gets so excited and he's like, that's amazing, I would love to do that. And I said, listen, some people write a check to their favorite nonprofit. That's still community service. Some people like to serve in person. This young man still has the number one eBay Comic-Con store. And he got a full ride to Chapman. So thinking about a passion project is not just what do colleges want. It is what does my student have to offer and how can they share it? The other important pieces for quiet leaders or introverts, this is genius. Because they don't want to be ASB president. They don't want to be captain of their whatever team. That is not what's comfortable for them. But with a passion to create change, these introverts find a voice to lead others to create change. So number one, if I can share with you today How do I set my student up for success? Help them to find their passion. Help them to nurture what their gift and talent is. Help them to see the people in need. People are in more need than they've ever been before. And if they start to take the focus off of them and how they can help somebody else, their life doesn't look so bad anymore. When they're at home and they're sad and they're depressed, I get it. The pandemic is not a fun place to be. But if they can take the focus and put it on somebody who maybe has it worse or something that they can impact, they stop focusing on the negative and they stop focusing on what they can do. I've honestly seen it turn lives around. I had an amazing, or I still have an amazing student. She has a 5.0 GPA. She has a perfect 36 ACT. She can write her own ticket, but she was so painfully shy. She's just an academic, sweet, sweet young lady. And it wasn't until her senior year and the pandemic hit and she found her voice. She formed a wonderful nonprofit and it is called COVID-19 Passion Project. She has taken it global. She has expanded. She has led. Her essay would blow your mind. You would think like, here is this amazing leader and she is a different person because of it. So, when you think of how to turn lemons into lemonade, a passion project can get your student there. So please, if you have any questions, I've led hundreds of them. I love them. It's one of my favorite parts of what I do. It's really what sets your student apart because there is a Common App essay question that says, tell me about a time you did something for somebody else that did not benefit yourself. Guess what? That's service. So if we know that that question's been there for the last 7 years, it's probably going to stick around. And now there's a question that says, what did you do during COVID If a student says, I stayed at home and played video games and I was miserable, I don't believe that's going to help their chances of getting into college. But if they said, I used COVID as the gift of time, I was so busy prior to COVID doing this and that and this and that, I got really focused on my studies. And I created a passion project. This is some amazing things that you can do with your student. So I have to move on to the next subject, but hopefully you can see my passion for the passion project. The next question I get is college tours. So How do we even know where to start? All the time I get that question. And before the pandemic, I would say, you know, if your family vacation is in Boston, go and take a tour of Harvard or MIT or just a fun college tour so your youngster could be like, whoa, this is so amazing. I don't know, some may say it's like dangling the carrot in front of the the rabbit, I call it showing them why they're working so hard. If I ask a student, why do you get straight A's? And they say, because my parent makes me. At what point will that stop happening? Versus if they say, I really want to go to college because I saw when I went blah, blah, blah. Now with the pandemic, what we're doing with our students is we're connecting them with our past clients. So if I have a student at Columbia and I have a student who would love to know what Columbia is all like, I'm putting together an introduction and a phone call. They can have this real lifetime— or text if they're more comfortable, I get it— but they can have this conversation back and forth with a student who's been there, done that. Virtual tours are great, but even better is meet with a college local representative. So if you're in Georgia, meet with a UCLA local representative. They have them everywhere. So you don't need to necessarily live where the school is because the universities have what they call is a local representative. The other thing is let's use social media to our benefit. So there are TikTok, There are Pinterest, there are Twitter, there are Facebook, there are Instagram, there are YouTube. There is so much information out there that students want to share. Sign up for newsletters, uh, to the university, show interest, and that way the college will know that you're following them. There is such a thing as stated interest that is tracked. So the more you can show interest and the longevity— it's not very good if at the 10th hour, 11th hour, you sign up for the newsletter of a school that's never heard from you before, and you're like, but it's my best school. Well, is it? But if you follow them for years and years and years, they're going to think, wow, they've been, they've been wanting us for a long time. And remember, Colleges need you as much as you need them. So they want your attention. They want to feel wanted. And so the more you can show them that you have interest, the better. We will be out of this pandemic at some point, and we will be back doing college tours. That is inevitable. But until then, There are ways. Don't get stuck, but it's COVID and I can't do it. We are doing it. Our students are making progress. And as consultants, we've been to a majority of the schools. And so we can either share our pictures or bring it to life with just sharing our experience there. So please know there are still opportunities. OK, now I want to talk about what do colleges want for your classes. We are rounding the corner. To the second semester. And I know this is a hot topic. I'm meeting with all my students right now, even my 8th graders who are planning for their freshman year. This is a hot topic. Yes, we actually do start with 8th graders. Um, it may seem early to some of you, but to us, they haven't made a mistake. We are able to guide them, to nurture them, and to do this without stress or anxiety. We gently lay out the plan and then we drip the information versus when we get somebody their senior year and it's a fire hose. The information needs to be given. And so it just depends on when people find us. Could be their freshman year because colleges allow you to include the summer before your freshman year. A lot of people don't realize that. You cannot do— you cannot record anything prior to that. So everything your student did up until they promoted 8th grade does not count for college. But everything they do from the moment of promotion, including community service in that very non-busy, non-busy summer, that's where a lot of my students get ramped up on their community service and then they maintain it through the next few years and build it and grow it. To other schools, other students, other states. So this is a great way to make that happen. So as far as classes, keep in mind, you apply to college at the beginning of your senior year. So if you haven't taken the necessary classes to— that are required from the university before you apply, you may be in trouble. They may be willing to see it in your schedule that you are taking it, and that will, that will get you through. But it does matter. It does matter how many classes you take a semester. It does matter every class you take in what order. It even matters if you're at a parochial school and they require religion. Again, I'm not against it. I think it's, it's awesome if that's what your family wants. But just know that is going to go against your GPA because not everybody has to take religion, which is a non-academic course. ASB has the same problem. It's not an academic course. Marching band. So strategically know the difference between an academic course that is going to be considered for the right college you want to go to and a non-academic course. You take too many non-academic courses like teacher's assistant. Teachers love teacher's assistants. It does your student not one bit of good. So it actually can hurt their GPA because it's another non-academic class. So think about this. If you have the opportunity to build out a 4-year academic plan and you're just doing it, well, I think I'll take this because, you know, cooking class sounds fun, and then I'm going to take drawing And then I'm going to take band, and then I'm going to take ASB, and then I'm going to take soccer. And then all of the sudden, the, the schedule sounds really fun, but the GPA is going to suffer. And if your student wants to go to a top-tier school, they need to be in the top 5% of their class. So what does that mean? Their GPA matters. And if they don't want to be in a top-tier school, then That's a whole different strategy, and we do that as well. So as we think about what the academic plan looks or should look like, you want to make sure that all of their classes meet the university's requirements. If a student does not take enough English, enough math, enough language, they will not be able to qualify to even apply to the right university. So their academic 4-year plan is critical, and we do that with every student based on their strategy with a Plan A, the dream, a Plan B, the fit, and a Plan C, the online COVID plan. So we have— we are prepared for anything, and the nice part about that is if a student says, I want to be an engineer. I love math. I— this is what I want to do. I love Legos.

I—

whatever it is. But they have a math teacher that maybe they don't connect with, or maybe it's hard to take online, or maybe whatever it is. And all of a sudden they're like getting a B, getting a C, and then that whole dream of engineering just starts crumbling away. And that's their only plan. They will feel very defeated and they will feel like, well, forget it now, I can't do my plan, what's the point, I'm going to let my other grades suffer. And I've seen the spiral. So please know, having a 4-year plan with an A and a B and a C, super important for their success. That's why we love the youngers. We can establish that for them. So let's go down to test prep, test optional, test blind. This is a hot topic. I touched on it a little bit before, but I do want to give you some insight. Students, when I talk to my, my new potential clients and I ask them, do you know what this means? And they go, yes, I don't have to take a test, it's awesome, I can play video games much longer, it's working out for me great. And then I tell the parents, do you know what this means? And they go, well, he said, she said they don't need to take a test, so we're not worried about it. And then I tell them, well, think of it this way. If you were University A— I won't even give it a name— and I put in a box on my application that I got a 34 on my ACT, and your student didn't fill a number in the box because they didn't take a test, can you not see the number in the box? You can call it whatever you want. You can put whatever you want to label on it, but let's get real. You don't cover your eyes and you say, I'm going to take the one with the empty box because they're obviously a better candidate. No, you're going to do what's, uh, human, and you're going to think, well, here's proof that here's a student who has a test score that proves their GPA and proves all the other things. So How optional is it? I'm not here to provide more work, but I want you to go into it thinking from a college perspective like we do from a business perspective. Take the emotion away. Take the fact that your student hates to test prep. I have 4 kids, I get it. It is not something they raise their hand, yeah, please, that's what I want to do over the summer. No. But my 2 oldest will tell you time and time again It helped all the way through college. Every ounce of test prep helped with the MCAT, and now it's helping my daughter with the NCLEX. So testing is not about their IQ, it's about beating the test. And most of my straight-A students don't do as well, which is shocking to them because they take their time and they get the answer perfect, and they run out of time, and then they go A, B, A, B, A, B, A, B, C, A, B, C, and they're— it's a whole guessing game. They need to learn how to strategize and beat the test with time, with capacity, with the ability to prioritize. All of this needs to be a strategy. It's not just, do I take a test? It's, how do I put this whole thing together? Then to make it even more complex, some schools have what they call as superscores. A superscore is where you can take English from one test, math from another, and take the best scores and roll them together for one superscore. Well, what happens if your student takes the test one time and got an average score and somebody else took it 3 times and got a really good math once and a really good English? Do you see the point? Now they've taken these 3 tests and put it into the superscore. How will your student compete? Well, why doesn't anybody tell you this? I don't know. I have no idea, and I'm sorry, and it's a bit frustrating to have to be the one to tell a high school senior that only took the test once that there was another option. So how optional is test optional? Until they take the box off The application, there's no optional about it. The students need to prepare to be competitive. So we talked about a student's passion. Now let's talk about leadership. Hear this one all the time. We're in a pandemic. My, my student can't see their friends. How are they going to have leadership? Well, we have a list of over 100 different community service projects they can do from home while social distancing, while making an impact, while teaching leadership. Well, how come not anybody else has told my student about that? Well, either they haven't heard of us, they haven't had a strategy session because I tell all of my strategy sessions here, take this list, run with it. Our students are doing research projects. Our students are writing their own book. Our students are mentoring. Our students are leading other younger students. That they are doing regardless of the pandemic. Please don't let that be an excuse not to use this year to the best of their ability. It is going to be a tragedy when we get to the other side and this year, wherever that student is at, They say, but it was a pandemic. And the student next to them says, well, yeah, I was working with College Ready and we used it as the gift of time. It was awesome. I did so many things I never thought I could do. That's what you want to be thinking about. Try not to get caught up in the typical ASB president because that one is a little tougher in a pandemic. But there are a lot of other things that these kids can be doing. So please encourage them to lead. Extracurriculars. Of course, this is another pandemic issue. And there is some concern here. So I deal a lot with scholar athletes. And I played softball for the USA. I get it. These students have skill, they have passion for their sport, and they're frustrated. There's some sports that are playing and there's some sports that are not. And what do you do if your student wants to play your sport in college and they have no statistics because of the pandemic? What are you going to do? They have to have statistics. There are ways around it. Don't just assume that your school is not doing it, therefore every school is not doing it. Because there are a lot of schools that are still competing. There are a lot of clubs that are still competing. Remember club sports, that's a money generator. It's a business. I promise you there are plenty of club sports that would take your money and compete in a heartbeat. Keeping in mind, some people are more susceptible to COVID and they could be like, well, I, you know, I can't, uh, for whatever reason. I'm not, I'm not saying to put yourself at risk. But there are things you can do, such as track and field. You can still go out and work on your event. You can still track. I started with my 1-mile time at this. I now— my 1-mile time is at this. That is the kind of thing. I have students who are doing reels where they're actually having somebody take them out to their sport. Swimmers. They're doing their event, they're timing it, they're showing the stopwatch, they're creating these videos to prove that they are capable of playing in college. Don't get stuck with it's just COVID time. The last one is most generous colleges, and I saved this for last because this is my favorite. There are 11 universities that are completely free. I know you're going, well, how come I haven't heard about them? Well, I don't know, because they're out there. Students can work at them in lieu of tuition. They're not free for I don't want to do anything, I just want college for free, but they don't cost you money.

They—

it's not about loans and it's not about debt. So for somebody who said my family can't afford college, they're saying I can't afford free, or they just don't know about free. So that's number 1 myth I like to take off the table. Number 2 myth is a student and a family needs to have a discussion about what is the social fit, what is the academic fit, and what is the financial fit. Okay, so all, all 3 of those are important and they need to be prioritized. For some families, they'll write a big old check, just get them in, I don't care. For some families, they're like, even if they got in, I have no way to pay for it, not going to happen. And then there's those that are like, you know, I could afford it, but I would rather put a down payment on their home and have them not have to go into debt, but get it based on their merit. Well, all of those are correct. All of those are real situations. So you might ask yourself, well, how, how do I find this out? Well, you, you talk to somebody who has the knowledge. So after doing this 12 years, my son getting free Harvard education for 4 years, my daughter getting a free University of Alabama—Cal Baptist paid her $1,000 a month to attend there. It's happening all over. I mean, $3.7 million doesn't just happen by chance. We strategically help the students pick the best match college. They have some reach, some dream, they have some comfort, reality, and they have some safety because we never know how much we're willing to pay to go online. All of these are important. Then we have the last plan, and that's the transfer plan. I was talking to a family today whose student is not ready emotionally, socially to head off to college, a young graduate at 16. Their parents are like, there's no way. Well, then we put together a transfer plan where they can take college online, but make sure every single class will transfer to the school which they want to go to. Not all classes transfer to every school. You can waste a lot of time and money even if you put them at a community college. So for people who financially feel like that's my only option, they don't believe that there's free, or for people who are like socially my kid's not ready yet, or I, I'm a mommy and I'm not ready yet, whatever that is, Just know the transfer plan is just as critical to have a strategy as the one straight out of high school. Every time a student transfers from one university to the next, it costs them a year of time and $100,000. It's not a good financial plan at all. The return on investment goes from free community college to, oh my gosh, we just wasted a year of time. Now they, they don't even want to go to school because they got a job and then they bought a car and then they moved out and then they don't want to be poor. And 6% of students who started at community college get a 4-year degree. I'm not badmouthing it. I'm not saying it's not an option. But back in the day when I went, it was a viable plan. Now our state schools are so overcrowded They're capping— our local schools are capping 16 units a semester. If you do the math, they cannot get out in 4 years, and that's if everything goes well. For the kids who want to get out in 4 years, or the parents who are saying, I'm only paying for 4 years, those kids are motivated. They're going to the community college, they're filling up, they're the first to register, they're filling up the classes. And for those lackadaisical kids who are like, oh yeah, my parents said I have to come here if I want to live at their house for free, whatever it is, or whatever story they have, they're not as motivated. And so when they go to a class that's full, they say, oh, I guess I can't go, instead of staying there, talking to the teacher, taking notes, taking the test when it doesn't count, and begging the teacher to get in. That's called crashing a college class. That takes a special student. Not every student's going to do that. So with that, be very careful. Whatever plan you have for your student, all of them are good plans if they have a strategy. So if your teacher— if your teenager needs guidance, if they need help with their passion, if they need help with extracurricular leadership, whatever that is, please contact me. You can reach me on my cell phone at 949-235-7350 or just contact our website. I would love to help. It's not— for, for us, it's all about how do we help the student get the best start to their life. So I'm going to open it up to questions. I'm happy to take them. We have about 10 more minutes. If anybody wants to unmute or put something in the chat, I'm happy to answer them. I know I covered a lot of information. Any questions? Wow, that means all of your heads are spinning right now going, oh my gosh, how will I ever— Yeah, for you. Yes. Do you have regular workshops that you have on a monthly basis or so? Any other information Yeah, so I do. I— once a month I focus on a topic like extracurricular, and then that time, um, to work on extracurricular, or say it's a passion project. In reality, you can start a passion project, but it's more than a month, but at least it would get them started. So the answer to your question is yes, and we rotate them We don't do them all at the same time because I've had too many students who want to do multiple of them and then they can't decide. Yeah, good question. Great, thank you. You're welcome. Anybody else?

What do you suggest for students who are really counting on those, uh, subject tests to help them shine? You know, that's really where they felt was going to be their their way in, what can they do beyond having good grades and doing well on the AP test? What's something else that can help them do what those tests were going to do for them? Absolutely.

So I'm guessing, um, you have a student who's a good test taker. Yes, make that assumption. Okay, yes. So the fact that they are a good test taker They should plan on taking as many APs as they can, get a 3, 4, or 5 on at least 3 of them because, you know, they'll become an AP Scholar. And then if they get 4 of them, they're a National AP Scholar. So that, that can up-level them. And then on top of that, do something to show that they are highly intellectual by either working on a research project at a local university. Like, I have a student who's doing a research project at UCI because she got a perfect on her ACT, didn't know what else to do with herself. So now she's showing her intellect by going up to a college level. The other thing is help them to really show proof that they're more than just a test score. Have them use that time to— About them? To have them do something that is not just test-related. The other thing that I think is going to be more important, if a student did not take an AP class, say AP Biology, they couldn't fit it in their schedule, but they love the subject, so they self-studied they can still take the AP exam. They don't have to take the AP class. That will give them another opportunity to show, hey, I'm just an intellectual person. I self-taught and I took the test because I wanted to show you I'm an intellect.

And will that show— so my son is actually doing that— will that show on in his transcript that that's— that class isn't offered at his high school? School, but he took the test anyways. Will that be obvious? Yes. Okay, great.

Great. Absolutely obvious. And the other thing that's going to really set them apart is more than one language. Okay. If you have an intellect who— okay, they've done, I don't know, French. And, and, you know, they're like, well, I kind of see the value of taking Spanish now because I want to go into medicine and whatever it looks like. If there's a good reason to take another language, they want to do international relations or whatever it may be, that's another way to show intellect challenge.

Okay, great, great. I appreciate that. Thank you.

You're welcome. I love those questions. I think I have one in the chat. Okay. Are SAT and ACT tests being conducted right now? Yes. Oh my goodness, yes. And my students are taking them. So for all those people who say, but I've signed up and it's been canceled, you're signing up for the wrong test site. You're signing up in the wrong geography. Okay, a lot of students are taking tests and they're doing really, really well. So next question: do you have a recording of this session? Unfortunately, I am not recording this session. Um, it is such a fast-changing world that we live in that if I record it and send it out, by tomorrow there's going to be something else in my world that's probably going to contradict it. Like, I was just telling people, take the SAT Subject Test if you have a good test taker. So, um, Ms. Burke can appreciate that. Um, so it's tough. I'm happy to personally get on a call with you and share with your student what I, what I said. Um, but it is an ever-changing— um, SAT is still valid for class of 2023. The SAT is, is completely valid. It's the Subject 2 test and the essay that are no longer. The SAT and the ACT are critical, critical. Unless you can tell me that your student's going to apply to 12 schools that you absolutely know in 2023 is not going to make them— that not require the test. We can't do that. They're changing at the last minute, and all of these kids who thought that they didn't have to take it, and then they decide, well, you know, international students are not coming, so I'm going to apply to the Ivies. Well, 3 of the Ivies require it. Well, now you can't apply there because you don't have it. Expect to give it everything. Um, UCs don't, um, want it. Okay, so again, there's a place for it. It's how you interpret it. Until they take it off the application, they're not telling me that they don't want it. They're, they're saying it's optional. Okay, so for my students who are not good test takers, I'm going to tell you a little secret. We're not completing the test score section. We're going with the high GPA and we're leaving it blank because their test score— they have test anxiety or they're just not a good test taker. Or strategically at some schools not putting it because it's to their benefit. So it's a strategy. It's not all this or all that. It's what has your student got to bring to the table. If they're really good at test taking, oh yeah, they should be doing the testing. If they're really not and it's going to make their other grades suffer, probably not a good strategy for them. Those are great questions. I so appreciate them.

Anything else?

Okay, well, I can't believe that we went for an hour. So, um, I'm gonna leave you with that. If, um, you have any other questions, anything else feel free. I do a Facebook Live every Wednesday at 3 o'clock, and I'm interviewing high school therapists to help them get through the mental challenges of online school. I'm helping— I have test prep strategists come in and give their secrets of how to beat the test. So please follow me. I'm all about giving great free information. So thank you all so much and have a wonderful day. Bye for now.