With National Test Scores Falling, Here’s How Your Student Can Build Academic Preparedness
As we’ve noted before, test scores are falling at the local, state, and national level. More concerning than lower test scores is that education experts can’t pinpoint a singular cause that explains the worsening academic performance. While states and local school districts are taking steps towards addressing the problem, it will likely be years if […]
Communicating with College Admissions Officers: the Why and the How
The college admissions process is daunting and filled with uncertainty. Communicating with college admissions officers can go a long way toward alleviating that uncertainty. Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind when doing so. The Why One of the primary reasons to contact a school’s admissions team is to request specific information […]
SAT Scores Keep Falling in Houston ISD, Underscoring the Importance of Test Prep
As colleges and universities continue to reinstate standardized testing admissions processes, the Houston Independent School District has seen SAT participation rates return to pre-COVID levels, but average test scores have continued to slip over the course of 2024. The Houston Chronicle reported that the average composite score fell 9 points to 929 from 2023 to […]
It’s the Final Countdown: Here’s What Your Student Should Be Doing to Prep for Semester Finals
They’re almost here: in six short weeks, finals are upon us. We all know that finals have a tendency to sneak up on us. It might seem a little aggressive to start “studying” with weeks to go, but putting in a little extra work over the coming weeks can wind up making finals a breeze – […]
When Students Equate Self-Worth with Academic Achievement, Their Mental Health Suffers—Here’s What Parents Can Do
Students’ tendency to correlate self-worth with achievement—be it academic, athletic, or otherwise—is by now well-documented. This pressure, unsurprisingly, can also negatively impact child-parent relations. Conditional Regard: The Opposite of Unconditional Love One Baylor University study conducted in 2021 found that more than half of the 500 students surveyed believed their parents’ love for them fluctuates […]
Shifting Attitudes to Superscoring in University Admissions and What It Means for Your Student
If you have a student who’s studying for the SAT, you’ve likely heard the word “superscore” thrown around at some point. But what is it? In short, superscoring is a way college admissions offices calculate the score that appears on your student’s application. Here’s an example: your student gets a 640 on the Math section […]
How Competitive Test Scores Can Unlock College Scholarship Opportunities
At The Enrichery, we always encourage students to submit test scores as a part of their admissions materials—especially if those scores are competitive. Even at test-optional schools, we’ve seen time and again that submitting test scores significantly increases a student’s chance of getting admitted to a university across all levels of selectivity. There is, however, […]
What Is a School Profile? (And Why You Should Look at the One for Your Student’s School)
As we often note here, college admissions are becoming increasingly competitive, leaving many students and their parents to seek anything that can give them an admissions advantage. That often means improving high school GPA, completing rigorous ACT or SAT test prep to boost test scores, writing compelling college admissions essays, and participating in extracurricular activities […]
Caffeine and Teens: What Every Parent Should Know
Caffeine has fueled students’ academic careers for decades, but these days, the endless cycle of trendy energy drinks and the influx of flavored coffees and teas that appeal to young tastes have made the stimulant seemingly impossible to avoid. Though today’s teens are consuming less soda compared to ten years ago, caffeine intake as a […]
Top 10 Things Juniors Should Be Doing to Prepare for the College Admissions Process
I’m not sure it’s possible to take all of the stress and anxiety out of the college admissions process, but I do know the secret for minimizing it: planning ahead. You might be sending out your applications senior year, but the preparation should begin long before that. Make the process as low-stress as possible by […]