Author Archive: James Maroney

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Take our proprietary one-hour SAT diagnostic test, and in just one hour have an estimate of your SAT score, that our studies have shown is over 90% accurate.  Not only will you know your score, but you will have a road map that shows you how to improve your score.  You can use this to set up a self-study program, to utilize our self-guided program, or to determine if a class or private tutoring might be right for you.  All of the problems come with video explanations to help you learn new strategies for approaching the test.

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First Choice Re-Opening Procedures:

We have given careful thought to our reopening procedures, in order to keep both our students and tutors safe. We will likely need to update this as we learn more. We plan on resuming private tutoring in the office on June 29. We do not feel that we will be able to provide adequate social distancing for the group classes, so the group classes will remain online via zoom for the summer of 2020. Below are some of the steps we plan on taking to ensure safety:

• Students who would like private tutoring, have the option of either online tutoring or coming to the office.  There will be a plexi-glass barrier between the student and the tutor.  Tutors and students are required to wear Facemasks in the office.  
• The desk, plex-glass shield, and contact surfaces (door knobs) will be cleaned with either Lysol Wipes or Clorox wipes (or a [...]

High school seniors everywhere are making decisions now about what the fall of 2020 will look like for them. For some, taking a gap year is a strong possibility. When it comes to gap years, there are a few different things that students should think about. And while the decision to take a gap year is most pressing for graduating students, the question has some impacts for students who are still in high school as well. As with most things related to the college process, being prepared and being informed will help you stay ahead of the curve.

Check the Policies

Many schools see the benefit of gap years. For some schools, there is a standardized process for requesting a gap year while others will require that students present their case. For most schools, students must first be accepted and put down a deposit before applying for a gap year. However, not all schools accept [...]

The spring SATs were cancelled, and the spring ACTs were rescheduled. This means that college application requirements are under revision at many schools across the country.

In the wake of COVID-19, many schools are strongly considering various forms of going ‘test-optional’. Some schools are making changes for the foreseeable future. Others are limiting their new requirements to only the next season or two of applications. The University of California system was one of the first to announce their plans to suspend the ACT/SAT requirement for applicants in the fall of 2020. Though some have emphasized that the change is only for one year, others point out that schools who have implemented test-optional plans in the past have never gone back. Of course, the pandemic situation is relevant here. The statistics may not be as relevant as they seem at first. This past week, both Cornell and Harvard announced their plans for standardized [...]

Presentation Slides

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