Subject Test Prep & Lakhani Scholars Applications
March 3, 2019
Dear friends,
I open this month’s letter with a request: help us spread the word about Lakhani Scholars, our fully funded $10,000 scholarship of coaching services awarded to high achieving, low income high school sophomores. Lakhani Scholars is central to our mission to give back to those who would not normally be able to afford our guidance; you can help by encouraging strong candidates to apply, and by notifying those in your networks who work with high achieving low income students of this opportunity. Applications are due April 1st.
Meanwhile, our ongoing students continue to pour in hard work and garner tremendous results. This month we’ve congratulated students admitted to University of Chicago, Vassar, and Stanford Law School, on the heels of students admitted early to Stanford, Yale, Cornell, Georgetown, and other great places; we’ve seen hard working juniors register SAT increases north of 400 points; college students have secured exciting internships and jobs, while younger students eagerly await decisions from boarding and independent schools. Despite selectivity hitting new records, we continue to feel the utmost enthusiasm for our students awaiting college admissions decisions in the coming weeks.
For those who are in the thick of responsibilities, we are cheering you on. APs and Subject Tests are just around the corner, and though summer seems far away, planning for intensive SAT or ACT work when school is not in session is a pillar to the successes we coach: SAT increases as large as 600 points and ACT increases as large as 12 points. Summer is a smart time for admissions preparation across the board—to notch final gains on LSAT, GMAT, or GRE ahead of grad school applications, and certainly to put in the time on SSATs or ISEEs for families preparing to apply to independent schools this fall. Every student’s ambitions are unique—feel free to contact us to schedule a more personalized discussion.
Hafeez Lakhani
Lakhani Scholars: Spread the Word!
We are proud to announce that applications for our annual scholarship, Lakhani Scholars, are now open. Lakhani Scholars is a selective scholarship awarding $10,000 of our services to high-achieving, low income sophomores. Students selected for Lakhani Scholars will receive 35 hours of coaching during their sophomore, junior, and senior years including High School Career Coaching, College Admissions Coaching, and elite SAT/ACT Coaching, completely free of charge. The 3-year scholarship is designed to unlock our Scholars’ full potential by helping them craft a fulfilling high school career and achieve success in competitive college admissions.
Help us spread the word! We are seeking the most talented students who demonstrate financial need. If you know of any individuals or networks who may benefit from Lakhani Scholars, feel free to share with them the links below. We welcome applications from students residing anywhere in the USA, including from DACA or undocumented students.
Any questions about the scholarship can be directed here. You can also read more about our first scholarship winner, Lisa David, pictured above, who is already on her way towards building a competitive candidacy for elite, private colleges.
The deadline for applications to Lakhani Scholars is April 1st, 2019.
Resources:
High School Juniors: T-minus 8 Months
We are just under eight months to November 1, which is when the vast majority of our students submit their first applications to college. As so many of you already have preparations well under way, this is plenty of time. A few priorities to be sure to plan for:
1) Subject Tests: May 4 and June 1 are prime dates for Subject Tests. Given these tests most resemble final exams, wise to take them when you’re approaching the end of a course. Studying for an AP or IB exam? In many cases this studying overlaps quite well with Subject Tests.
“Recommended but not required”: This is the tricky language students interested in the most competitive colleges have to decipher regarding Subject Tests. Our stance is, if you are interested in a college whose acceptance rate is under 15%, it is wise to set yourself apart at every turn, including by showing excellence on Subject Tests. These also nicely “signal” your most sincere academic interests, alongside a score that reflects your commitment to that subject.
“But they are hard..”: Current students will attest that I love to tell the story of the young man who raised a 430 diagnostic in Math 2 to a perfect 800. That young man is at Dartmouth now. Sure, the gain took a remarkable effort—but it is clear evidence of how “studyable” Subject Tests are.
Contact us to discuss whether Subject Tests are right for you, and if so, to set out a plan for careful preparation.
2) Summer planning: Our most successful rising seniors will take advantage of summer in three ways:
“Icing on the cake” testing: Some of you will be done with testing by the time summer begins. Congrats. Others will want just one more sitting to add a handful of points. As such, plan wisely for ACT dates on July 13 and September 14, and for SAT dates on August 24 and October 5. Contact us to learn more about our expert coaches. Every summer, our most senior instructors get fully booked, so wise to plan ahead.
Elevating one’s character story: By now, you hopefully have an idea of your contribution to the dinner table conversation, but this summer is your chance to take it to the next level. We’re always fans of independent work: contributing to independent research, coding an app, elevating your level of responsibility in whatever pursuit you’ve been cultivating over many months. Every story is unique. Contact us if you’d like to discuss how you might put an exclamation point on your most sincere interests.
Early drafts of college essays: Hemingway famously said that every writer should burn his first novel. We understand this to mean that we must forge past first drafts to get to the really good stuff. Our Overall Narrative curriculum—how we help students identify the “he’s the one who…” that a great college essay will tell—centers on the adage that “writing is re-writing”. Our most successful students set a soft deadline of September 1 to have college essay drafts at 90%, and to reach such a goal, wise to set aside 3 to 4 weeks of summer to focus on college essays. Contact us to discuss booking one of our expert college essay coaches.
Resources:
Redbook: Here's How to Help Your Kid Rock the SAT and ACT
NYT: How to Write a Good College Essay
Sophomores: Halfway Point of High School
I love asking sophomores who will soon be juniors: do you realize that you’re at the halfway point of high school? Half the story is written, and indeed over this next year and half, you’ll continue to cultivate a fulfilling high school career while, one step at a time, you tackle various college responsibilities. It is wise, then, to have a customized timeline in place—one of the most important takeaways from our famous goal-setting meeting—for when you’ll plan to work on various tasks, to avoid ever feeling overwhelmed.
Summer planning: summer for rising juniors is crucial, with two important areas of focus.
SAT/ACT intensive: Every year I see that students who are able to forge the most significant SAT/ACT increases are those who are able to dedicate intensive time to skills growth over summer. Our students know the analogy: SAT and ACT are skills based tests, not so different than building a skill like tennis. Can I study all night tonight and be a great tennis player tomorrow? No way. But if I put in 50 to 100 hours of preparation over summer, when school is not competing for my attention, I can grow my skills tremendously. Contact us to discuss booking one of our expert coaches. Again, our most senior instructors get fully booked every summer so wise to plan ahead.
Defining one’s character story: I always say that through sophomore year, I’m a big fan of “breadth”. I love to see a student investing herself in a variety of interests, through school and independently. Then, the summer before junior year, I love to see a student begin to focus on “depth”. Sophomores—soon to be rising juniors—this is your summer. Begin to think about the character pursuits that have most mattered to you, and ask yourself how you might achieve that next level of depth. Contact us if you’d like to hear examples of how we’ve helped other students cultivate exciting new layers to their characters stories.
Resources:
Redbook: Here's How to Help Your Kid Rock the SAT and ACT
NYT: Considering College? Maybe You Should Invest in a Coach
Boarding School and Independent School
These applications can be due anywhere from November 1 to February 15. As with any process, wise to not jumble responsibilities all at once. The most successful candidates take care of SSAT or ISEE improvement over summer, then approach coaching for personal statements, applications, and interviews in the fall. Contact us to discuss a school list and a plan of action.
Resources:
NYT: Considering College? Maybe You Should Invest in a Coach
Graduate School Candidates: Know Your Timeline
Law School: Rolling applications often open in early to mid September. If you are thinking about applying this fall, you should be unfolding your plan of study for LSAT or GRE right from now, to leave 1-2 months for work on your personal statements. Contact us for guidance on deciding between LSAT and GRE, and to book one of our expert coaches to help you reach your desired scores.
Business School: First round applications are due in early September, so a plan of action needs to be in place from now to reach GMAT or GRE goals through focused coaching, and to then formulate an appropriate school list and excavate intriguing personal statements for applications. Contact us to assist you with this process.
Medical School: AMCAS applications for following year admissions open in early May. If your MCAT journey is still in progress, feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help you reach your goal scores.
Other Graduate Study: As with any admissions goal, it’s wise to get testing out of the way before finalizing a program list, making note of deadlines, and working on personal statements and other components such as recommendation requests. Contact us to create a customized plan to reach your desired program.