SAT AND US UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS

SAT/ACT preparation should start 3-6 months before a first exam. Of course students who spend upwards of 12 months on diluted preparation will realize their full potential on the exams.

You only need the SAT or the ACT, though you can try both. Some schools like NYU, though a decided minority, are letting students apply without SAT/ACT scores.

There are differences in the duration and number of questions in each section. The ACT has a scientific reasoning section that is tested sporadically in both the English and Math SAT sections. The essays are very different - the ACT is argumentative while the SAT is explicative. We offer a first SAT and ACT mock free at ITS Central’s Exam Center.

This depends on the schools which you apply to. Generally, more selective schools are more likely to have SAT II requirements (2 or 3 tests).

US admissions counselling is an easy way to benefit from the expertise of those who have went through dozens of application cycles. Assembling the best possible applications is a highly involved process of building an overarching narrative through which the admissions committee can have a palpable sense of who the student is and what s/he cares about. Many US universities sort through tens or hundreds of thousands of applications each year and they are not easily fooled. Students who have invested in self-discovery and self-expression not only put forward a strong argument for admission, but also orient themselves confidently towards their futures.

We work with students up to four years before application deadlines - the majority of students start about a year before applications are due. In the earlier years, we are mostly focused on extending students academic curiosities beyond the classroom and into the world at large. In the last two years, there is more specific emphasis on activities, classes, and student writing. Naturally the last year, and particularly the last four months, are an exhausting process of writing and rewriting.

The major components of our US application service are broken down below:

Counselors monitor student grades to stay abreast of student performance. If a student needs a subject teacher, we provide only teachers who are currently teaching in secondary schools, graduates of the subject they teach, and/or IB examiners.

Students need to stay active and engaged in their community, but not in menial positions of mere participation. We help students find activities that might precipitate meaningful experiences.

This is the most bespoke aspect of our service. A student who follows an academic or artistic curiosity towards hard-earned knowledge can become an irresistible university candidate.

For students interested in arts, counsellors provide a sounding board for investing meaning into practice, technique, and execution.

This often coincides with a student’s foray deeper into their true passions and subsequent rationale for going to university. The intended course of study dictates the ideal palette of university applications.

Helping students get the most out of their relationships with mentors and teachers who might be targets for letters of recommendation.

The process of writing is not one of recording and observing. It is instead one of discovery, a continual and iterative process that elicits insights unique to each student. This is the most essential aspect of the entire application process. We like to see students spend at least 10 months focusing intensively on their self-awareness and self-expression.

Many parents are going through the process for the first (and sometimes) only time. Work with those who have gone through dozens of application cycles with students of all variety of background and interest.

This plays only a minor role in the US undergraduate admissions systems. However, we prepare our students for the semi-informal chats that us Americans love to have.