SAT & ACT Improvement

By Dr. Wayne Adams

Spring and Summer Exam Dates: SAT: June 5th, August 28th; ACT: June 12th and July 17th.

As most of you know, my aim in our classes is to help my students and their families have the best possible futures, including doing their best on the SAT and ACT Exams. This is why I include five of my special books/guides in the courses: How to Achieve and Maintain your Peak Mental Performance on the SAT, ACT, and Life’s Exams; How to Write College Admission Essays Colleges Will Love (including 40 sample essays); Negotiating with Colleges (that has helped my families save $1,000 to $10,000 a year in college costs); How to Survive and Thrive as a Freshman at a Secular University; and Dream Colleges and Universities: The Top 25, 5 More, and Top 5 in Florida.

During my many years of tutoring, I have talked with admissions officers at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, University of Florida, FSU, and many other schools. One of my questions was always, “What makes the difference in admitting new freshmen?”

The answers were surprisingly similar. The first three were class standing, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores. Then the officers went on to explain that for most applicants, these three were very similar because students tend to self-select out if they were not in the needed ranges.

The fourth is the quality and originality of the college application essays. This is the first time an admission officer learns something about the student and their ability to think, organize, write, and create something special that will grab attention. The standard, “academic” essays don’t cut it.

The fifth is a big differentiator! Is this student “lopsided”?

By this, I mean have they shown a special skill, interest, passion that has enabled them to really stand out much higher than their peers. For example, one student from Russia who went to Yale with our daughter came from an average “American school” in Russia, had mediocre SAT scores, and would not have been admitted … EXCEPT … he had created a computer algorithm at age sixteen and sold it to a large, international corporation for over $1 million US. This student would be admitted anywhere he applied because he was outstandingly “lopsided”!

I am happy to provide college admission counseling and help as part of my courses that many others charge thousands of dollars. This is part of my commitment to my students and their families.

As we look towards the summer

Rising seniors are looking to achieve scores so they will not have to take the exams during their senior year. Rising juniors like to prepare for exams when they do not have the pressures of regular high school work as well. Rising sophomores like to get an idea of what lies ahead, and to start preparing. If You Would Like To Talk More About Your Student … Please contact me at 727-253-0639 or send me an e mail 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 8 of the top 10 universities in the country, 18 of the top 25, 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, Naval - Air Force - 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.