SAT/ACT

By Dr. Wayne Adams

FALL EXAM DATES: SAT: August 27, October 1, November 5, December 3; ACT: September 10, October 22, December 10.

Summer vacation went by too fast! Now that school has restarted (or is about to), everyone gets to refocus and get ready for the fall.

For Seniors, it’s a combination of doing well academically, activities, and preparing the best college applications. From my prior articles, you know that more and more and more colleges are admitting up to half their classes or more with early admissions and the chances of admissions are about three times higher than with applying at the normal time. Check out these dates and requirements on the college websites, or call the admissions office. If your SAT and/or ACT scores are not where you want for admissions and Bright Futures, give me a call.

For Juniors, it’s the middle-distance lap in high school balancing academics and activities with doing well on the PSAT in October and building a resume for college applications. If you are aiming high, for a “top 25 school”, know that the best way to really “stand out” is to build a distinctive strength, to become outstanding in some field that you enjoy. There is a myth around that colleges are looking for “well rounded” students. Top colleges want “lopsided” students, those who have something outstanding (other than grades and SAT/ACT scores) and can change the world. They equate “well-rounded” with mediocre!

For Sophomores, it’s the next lap in a longer-distance run with academics, activities, and longer term planning for college applications. On occasion, schools will give an SAT or an ACT exam for “placement”, which means determining which academic level courses a student can take. If you are aiming high for colleges it is not too early to start preparing for the SAT and/or ACT exams.

I continue to innovate with new approaches to all areas of exam prep. The most recent is for SAT and ACT math. Our proprietary guide gives step-by-step examples of how to do about 95% of the types of math questions on these exams. Now, I have a special “review test” for each to see how well these techniques are remembered. My students say this really helps them focus and retain. One student just went from a 540 on the SAT math to a 730. Another student jumped eight points on their ACT score. For students that are very weak in math on either exam, I also have just developed a new course that quickly fills in the gaps and builds a much more solid foundation for increasing scores.

My guide Achieve and Maintain Your Peak Mental Performance Zone On The SAT, ACT, And In Life has proven to be very helpful to all students in handling “test anxiety”, maintaining focus, and re-establishing control during these exams.

As you know, my goal for my students and their families is that they have their best possible futures – which includes doing their best on the SAT and ACT Exams. This is part of the college admissions counseling and planning we do during our course and with your receiving books and guides I have written about college application essays, negotiating with colleges, and getting off to the best start as a new freshman at a college or university. If You Would Like To Talk More With Dr. Adams About Your Student … Please contact him at 727-253-0639 or send an email to wwa0811@ mykolab.com.

Dr. Wayne Adams is one of the leading SAT and ACT tutors in the country. His students normally improve 200 – 300 points on the Writing, Reading, and Math, and 4 – 7 points on the ACT composite. They have been admitted to 5 OF THE “Topo 5”, 9 of the “Top 10”, and 19 of the “Top 25” universities, and many more schools in Florida and around the country. These schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, U Chicago, Duke, U Penn, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Notre Dame, Emory, UC Berkley, UCLA, USC, UNC (Chapel Hill), University of Virginia, NYU, Northeastern (Boston), Boston College, Georgia Tech, Air Force – Naval - Merchant Marine Service Academies, Penn State, Purdue, Ohio 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. He has also tutored three juniors who became national merit finalists with their scores on the PSAT. He is a former Dean of a Graduate School of Business and Full Professor, and began college teaching at the University of Maryland. He has degrees and advanced studies at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Columbia International, and Luther Rice.

humble beginning, their commitment to their customers remains as strong as ever. With multiple fivestar online reviews, read what just a few of their many recently satisfied customers had to say about their experience with CMK Construction:

What a difference a project manager makes!

Carole P. 5 months ago

“What a difference a project manager makes! After a slow and stressful start… Everything went smoothly after the project manager, Collin, took over my shower remodel. He was knowledgeable about construction, so he was able to make suggestions to improve the project. He communicated daily and kept me informed about what to expect. All crew members were professional and considerate. Everyone was on time. This includes the demo crew, plumber, and Joey, who framed, installed the Schluter system, and tiled it. Communication and responsiveness from Collin and the crew turned an initial stressful situation into a positive experience. The result was a beautiful shower.”

Master Bathroom Remodel

Bill H. 7 months ago

“I recently got my master bathroom remodeled by CMK Construction. I am very happy with their work, and they made the entire process go very smoothly. From my initial meeting with Kelly for a quote, which was by far the best quote out of three companies, while using the best quality material, to my meeting with Jessica to pick out all the materials, where she understood my taste and offered her ideas, to my meeting with Anthony, the project manager, who was my point of contact throughout the entire project and kept me informed every step of the way, everyone knew exactly what I wanted before construction began. The construction crew, Joe and Scott, did an amazing job, and I was very happy with how the bathroom turned out. It looks absolutely beautiful. Even with a couple of minor issues noticed after completion, CMK manager, Dylan, sent the electrician and the guys back to take care of them. They did not finish until I was completely satisfied. Dylan and Anthony made sure that everything that I wanted to take care of was finished in a timely manner. I plan to have CMK remodel my other

two bathrooms in the near future. I would highly recommend CMK to my friends and family for their home improvement needs. Thank you to everyone at CMK Construction.”

If you visit their website https://www. cmkconstructioninc.com/ or Facebook page, there are many more similar reviews to choose from.

“Products are a big part of our customer experience,” Manny said, stressing the quality of the products CMK installs during their remodeling projects. “We are the bath and kitchen remodeling experts,” he noted, explaining that doing the same thing over and overdevelops and installation expertise. Their product choices also reflect CMK’s focus on quality. One of their bathroom providers, Schluter, like several of their other vendors, even provides a lifetime warranty.

The ’customer experience’ Manny noted begins with your initial phone call. Unlike other contractors, following an initial, no-cost consultation visit from an experienced installation expert, a project specialist, to determine the cost of your project during an in-house consultation. Then design experts at their 4000 square foot showroom feature hundreds of products and accessories to customize and enhance your remodel project to your perfection.

All materials, ordered and received in their special warehouse, are delivered to your job site, ready for installation by the experienced CMK team, overseen by a project manager, explicitly assigned for your remodel. Your satisfaction is their goal!

Caveat Emptor. Buyer beware. Not all remodeling contractors are the same, and Manny offers several suggestions to potential buyers:

Research the company and the products they will use. Are they quality products, or more inferior ones? Do they offer a warranty on those products? Is the company large enough to get your remodeling completed promptly? In our Covid era, workers are in short supply. Are they licensed, bonded, and insured?

When looking for a remodeling expert, you owe it to yourself to choose the best, CMK Construction, voted the Best of the Best by the Tampa Bay Times, ‘Triple A’ rated by the Better Business Bureau, and recipient of multiple awards for quality and service.

Call or come by today for all your bath and kitchen remodeling needs. You’ll be so glad you did!

CMK Construction, 13329 W. Hillsborough Ave, Unit 104. Call 727800-1644 for a FREE, noobligation consultation for your remodeling project.

In 2011, she founded Expressions Family and Cosmetic Dentistry with only two employees. Six years later, the practice’s popularity outgrew its initial location, forcing them to move to a more prominent location by Eastlake High School.

“The community has truly blessed us. We were surprised yet extremely pleased to have grown so much in such a short amount of time. The hometown atmosphere is one of the reasons why I love practicing here.”

Her dental office on Ridgeline Blvd has expanded to thirteen employees, and in 2018 they added Dr. Goodwin as an associate dentist.

“Dr. Goodwin has been a blessing and incredible asset to our office. She does the same dentistry but focuses on dental implants, while I concentrate on sleep apnea and airway obstruction dentistry. I work Monday through Thursday, and she works Tuesday through Friday. Having an associate dentist allows us to keep our practice open longer to serve our patients better.”

Sleep apnea is a severe sleep disorder when your regular breathing is interrupted during sleep. Dr. McCaslin’s interest in sleep apnea began while training at her uncle’s practice.

“Dr. VonSick was at the forefront of bringing dental and sleep apnea medicine together, and he originally got me interested in this field. He talked to me about it as a mentor,” she said. “I went through numerous hours of continuing education and learned how to help patients by not just concentrating on their teeth, but helping them breathe better, allowing them to live healthier lives.”

Dr. McCaslin consults patients about symptoms like high blood pressure, headaches, shortness of breath, diabetes, depression, daytime sleepiness, acid reflux, snoring, and inability to lose weight. She looks at tonsils and adenoids and monitors airway obstruction issues.

“A lot of things in our bodies can be affected if we don’t get enough rejuvenation sleep. A dental device is a gold standard for mild to moderate sleep apnea. For severe sleep apnea, a CPAP is recommended. Unfortunately, there’s only a 45% compliance with the CPAP machine, so something is better than nothing for those who don’t want to wear one. The device we use provides an alternative.”

Instead of a CPAP, Dr. McCaslin opens the airway with a “bite guard.”

“It is an upper and lower device that brings the lower jaw slightly forward to open up the back of the throat, the airway, so people can breathe better while sleeping. As dentists, there are certain things we look at for possible airway obstruction when doing our initial patient’s exams or recare routine evaluations.”

The device is customfabricated and fitted for each patient. Some medical insurance carriers and Medicare cover oral appliances or have a benefit for the treatment of sleep apnea.

“Basically, in our daily practice, I put my dentistry hat on when talking about teeth and my medical hat on when talking about the airway.”

While the American Dental Association recommends a bi-annual visit to the dentist, Expressions Family and Cosmetic Dentistry offer individualized plans of treatment, completely customized to the patient.

“The frequency of visits usually depends on people’s genetics and bacteria in the mouth. We always set up our patients depending on their individual oral health plan.”

Not only do they provide cosmetic dental offerings of teeth cleaning, bridges, fillings, dentures, gum therapy, teeth whitening, and Invisalign invisible braces, but Dr. McCaslin and her team go a step beyond. They offer state-of-the-art, noninvasive technology for oral cancer screenings at low prices. Being a primarily digital office, they don’t provide temporary crowns but can make new crowns within two hours.

Having lost her mother and having a brother who is a survivor of oral cancer, Dr. McCaslin uses advanced screening technology for her patients. Sometimes oral cancer can be asymptomatic.

“We invested in the VELscope® fluorescent light for oral cancer screenings to illuminate abnormalities not visible to the naked eye. We give our patients an extra screening tool, especially

those in a high-risk population. We recommend all of our patients have a VELscope® exam at least once a year. The price is $19. We keep it low to offer the service to all of our patients.”

Dr. McCaslin said that what sets Expressions Family and Cosmetic Dentistry apart is her team and how they treat each patient. Whether a threeyear-old toddler to a teen in need of Invisalign or a busy working entrepreneur to their oldest patient of 97 years, premium care and generations of patients is the ultimate goal of the family practice.

“We treat our patients like family. We are not high-pressure salespeople. We educate and explain procedures to our patients, building value in what good dentistry will provide them. I think our patients appreciate that more than anything else. Our goal is to make everyone feel comfortable. Nobody loves the dentist, but we try to make a pleasant experience out of what most people think is unpleasant.”

Expressions Family and Cosmetic Dentistry is located at 3007 Ridgeline Blvd., Suite A, in Tarpon Springs. Hours of operation are Monday 9:00 – 2:00, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 8:00 – 5:00, and Friday 8:00 – 1:00. Extended hours by appointment. Visit mypalmharbordentist. com for more information and find out about CPAP alternatives at gotosleepdental.com.