SAT AND ACT IMPROVEMENT: FALL OUTLOOKS Dr. Wayne Adams FALL EXAM DATES: SAT: October 2, December 4; PSAT October 13; ACT: September 11, October 23, December 11. Now that school has started and most schedules have settled down, we can all take a long breath and think about fall planning. Seniors and their parents are thinking about applying to colleges, the SAT and/or the ACT Exam, FASFA forms, Bright Futures, and other scholarships … on top of all the academics and activities that constantly demand attention. The “gorilla in Florida” is the UF deadline. According to the UF website, applications are due on November 1st, and any received after November 16 are accepted on a space-available basis, which is extremely limited. Most other schools are fine with a January 1st application and standard exam scores following soon behind. For those wanting to apply for early option or early decision, most of these programs are fine with exam scores coming in late November through December – but make sure to check the dates with your target schools to be absolutely sure. More important, with most schools your percentage of acceptances from Early Acceptance or Early Decision are roughly three times the rate of acceptances from the regular application dates. Juniors and Sophomores are simply looking forward to successfully completing their fall term, and doing their best on the PSAT coming in mid-October. Many are already preparing for the full exams, which gives them more time to prepare and experience the exams. On occasion, I have tutored seventh graders for the SAT and ACT, and it is becoming more common for me to start with ninth or tenth
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graders as well. When I am asked, “Wayne, what do you do?” most expect the answer, “I am a tutor.” Instead, my answer is, “I help my students have their best possible futures which includes doing their best on the SAT and/or ACT Exam.” This is why each of my students/parents receives a copy of two guides that I have written. The first is Negotiating with Colleges, which has saved many families from $1,000 to $10,000 a year in college costs. The second is How to Write College Application Essays that Colleges will Love, with 104 pages including how to write great essays and over 40 examples with my comments and explanations. My new guide Achieve and Maintain Your PEAK MENTAL PERFORMANCE ZONE on the SAT and ACT including HOW TO WIN OVER PERFORMANCE ANXIETY has proven to be very helpful for my students to do their best on these exams. Also, I help with college application information, ideas about possible schools, coaching for students in how to study most effectively, and special negotiating points. Many Florida parents and students are very surprised to
learn that it can easily cost less to attend a top university than a Florida public university. The reason is because top academic schools have large endowments, and adopted generous grant and assistance policies several years ago to help their students graduate “debt free” if possible, and make awards on a “net cost” basis that includes room and board. For example, if your student is admitted to Harvard and the family makes $75,001 - $110,000 a year, the net cost is $15,553 a year according to collegescorecard.com. That is often less than the net cost for UF on a 100% Bright Futures scholarship because students at UF must pay full room and board which can easily run more than the Harvard net cost. At Yale, the net cost is $11,492; Princeton, $16,989; Stanford, $10,631; U Chicago, $17,929; and MIT $14,381. If You Would Like To Talk More About How I Can Help You, please contact me at 727-253-0639 or at wwa0811@ mykolab.com. Dr. Wayne Adams is one of the leading SAT and ACT tutors in the country. His students normally improve 200 – 350 points on the Writing, Reading,
Writing and Essay, and Math, and 4 – 7 points on the ACT composite. They have been admitted to eight of the top ten universities in the country, seventeen of the top twentyfive, and many schools in Florida. These schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, U Chicago, Duke, U Penn, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Notre Dame, Emory, UC Berkley, UCLA, USC, UNC (Chapel Hill), NYU, Northeastern (Boston), Boston College, Georgia Tech, Air Force and Merchant Marine Service Academies, Penn State, LSU, Auburn, UF, U Miami, FSU, USF, UCF, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, New College of Florida, Stetson, and Julliard – Manhattan - New England - and Berkley Conservatories of Music. Many have received academic, athletic, or music scholarships. This year, he also tutored three juniors who scored at the national merit finalist/semi-finalist levels on the most recent PSAT. He is a former Dean of a Graduate School of Business and Full Professor, and began college teaching at the University of Maryland in 1968. He has degrees and advanced studies at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Columbia International, and Luther Rice.
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