LEONARD ANDREW CONSULTING - College Prep and Athletic Recruiting Blog

What Happens to 529 Plans if College Eventually Becomes Free?

1/13/2021

529 plans are certainly a fantastic option in the effort to save for college!

Even if each state is able to enact a free college program of sorts, you can still put your 529 plan to work as 'free college' would presumably cover tuition and fees. Items like room and board, food, textbooks, etc. would not be covered and that is where the 529 plan would come in.

Any money not utilized from the 529 plan could be put towards graduate school and certificate programs, or even transferred to a family member for their use!

Questions on the financial aspect of college? On the admissions process? Don't hesitate to contact us!

College Essay Trends (In the Age of the Pandemic)

1/3/2021

Essay Trend #1: Look at silver linings! While it is certainly fine to write about the pandemic in your college essay, we stress to our students to not make it the core of the work. The trend is to instead leverage the virus to lead into something else that a student has learned, tried, experienced, or attempted during this time. Being authentic, being real, and being uncommon will stand out -- we have all dealt with the pandemic in our own ways, what is your story? What impacted you? Are you closer to family? Did you learn to cook? There are positives, lessons learned, and silver linings built into the fabrics of our lives here in 2020 -- elaborate on those!

Essay Trend #2: Focus on storytelling more than ever. With limited resume-boosters – like community service, clubs, or even athletics - admissions counselors are left with less in getting a sense of a student’s character. The essay becomes one of the few vehicles which enable the candidate to connect on a more personal level. Students should aim to focus on a story or personal anecdote that is not only meaningful to them, but can be meaningful – and pull at the heart-strings – to the reader. Students who really pull back the curtain on who they are, showing personality and character, will allow the admissions team great insight into their core, and how they’d fit in the school community.

Essay Trend #3: Focus forward. Students should not just repeat and recycle what is already showcases on their transcripts and in the other parts of the application (like the activities list). Inform the school of not just what you’re looking for in a school but let them know of your goals and dreams and how college will be the vehicle to get them to where they want to be. In addition, you’ll certainly be adding to the campus, community, and atmosphere, so depict how you’ll do that! How will you be as a roommate, classmate, teammate, friend, and citizen? Be authentic, real, and explain how you will leave your mark on the college in the years to come.

Questions on your essay? On your college applications? Do not hesitate to contact us!

Look to Your Community in Your Scholarship Search!

12/28/2020

A tip that we urge students to utilize when looking to obtain scholarship monies: Stay local and community-based!

Your town and neighbors want to see their own succeed – students will find a number of local opportunities via small businesses, community clubs, and town organizations. We find that the odds of winning community scholarships is elevated as there is a smaller pool of students applying for them.

Questions on scholarships? On college prep? Don't hesitate to contact us today by clicking here.

LAC Partners with Juno!

12/13/2020

We are happy to announce a partnership with Juno (formerly LeverEdge), an awesome organization that uses the power of group buying to help families get lower interest rates on new student loans and student loan refinancing.

The initiative was started by a group of millennials who realized young people were drowning in student debt and wanted to do something about it. They realized that if they got a bunch of people together, they could use the power of group buying (similar to a Groupon or Hotels.com) to negotiate a better deal for everyone.

A free resource, Juno gives power back to borrowers and allows people to take ownership of their financial future.

Check it out and get started by clicking here!

Questions? Contact us today -- click here!

Troubleshooting Remote Learning

12/1/2020

While the hybrid model of learning in these days of the pandemic is intended to maximize safety and educational effectiveness, we've had a number of parents speak with us about technology challenges -- while nothing is ever without wrinkles, even with robust planning schools are having significant tech troubles. Everything from systems shutting down, to audio/video issues, to user error (either teacher-side or student-side) - at no fault of anyone's and we are all in this same new boat together - is causing increasing levels of stress and anxiety from parents. Is my student progressing properly? Is my student engaged? Is this to be a pandemic-slide (much like a 'summer slide')?

The domino effect that then occurs is two-fold:
(1) teachers have an increased workload in troubleshooting technical difficulties, planning for both in-person and online lessons, as well as communicating more often with families.
(2) parents - whether working remotely at home, or now once again commuting - have that cloud of confusion and frustration hang over them in their working hours: Is my child on the correct pace for this academic year?

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to the LAC team! Experts in the remote learning world, we are readily available to provide guidance, troubleshooting, and academic support!

LAC to Collaborate with Golden Spiral Prep

11/24/2020

LAC is looking forward to collaborating with Golden Spiral Prep!

Marie Bercik and GSP offer expert online tutoring for the SAT, ACT, K-12 Math, and more! We know that this connection will allow our students to improve their math skills, feel more comfortable, and discover new levels of success with their academics!

What Marie brings to the LAC Network:
15+ years of proven success working with Kaplan, The Princeton Review, and Manhattan Prep
BA in English Literature from Georgetown University
MA in Math Education from Teachers College, Columbia University
She will design different programs to fit each student's unique learning style, and we're so lucky to have her!

For more information on GSP, click here.
To connect with the LAC Team, click here.

Can You Superscore The SSAT?

11/9/2020

The SSAT/SAO organization itself actually doesn't allow for super scoring -- via their platform students and families can only send complete score reports.

Super scoring is reviewed and allowed on a school by school basis. Schools - though not all - will do a 'super score-esqe' task, utilizing the high scoring sections from multiple tests. Especially given the pandemic, we would want to contact each school's admissions office separately to inquire as to if they will be super scoring this year.

That said, we always work with our students to show tests (ie. two or three attempts) regardless. Showing the work enables a truer 'snapshot' of the student's work...and allows the schools to super score if able. Showing the effort, and improvement (fingers crossed), is always valuable for schools to see!

Questions on the SSAT? On boarding school admissions? Do not hesitate to contact us!

Notes on the Letters of Recommendation

11/1/2020

As a student applying to college, you'll have plenty of information and data to provide to potential suiters - test scores, transcripts, and essays. In addition, you'll have letters of recommendation which are very important as they allow someone to advocate for you instead the data depicting who you may be. These letters provide the admissions committee with a sense of your character, your personality, your development, and even your goals and aspirations.

Definitely select a set of teachers or counselors who know not only know you well, but who you have a good relationship with. (*Keep in mind that this does not always mean the course that you have the best grade in! You may have an A in a class, but a minimal relationship with the teacher. Instead, you may have a B+ in a class but a tremendous repour with your teacher who sees your work ethic, personality, and growth).

To guide you in requesting letters of recommendation from your teachers and the school, we've created this template for your use.  Review and make any changes you'd like to make it more personal for you.  You'll see where we've indicated to add in the name of the teacher, his/her course, as well as the acknowledgement of what you got out of the course.

Subject: Letter of Recommendation Request

Dear LAST NAME,

I hope this message finds you well!

I have really enjoyed and benefited from the CLASS NAME that I took with you GIVE DATE/TIMELINE. The course and your teachings pushed my *creativity/development/interest in said subject*.

Looking ahead to my future, I plan to apply to COLLEGE (state one or two of the schools you're considering, or the area you hope to be in).  I have started the process and am doing my research as well as reviewing the application requirements.

Of course, part of the application requirements for these schools is to have a letter of recommendation from a teacher -- I was hoping that you might know me well enough and have a high enough regard for my abilities to write a recommendation for me!

Please let me know if you are comfortable endorsing me to these colleges and universities. I would be so thankful if you would! If you have any questions or would want further information from me which will help you to write your recommendation, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thank you so very much for all you have done for me and for taking the time to review this request.
Sincerely,

Name
Email/Contact Info

Questions on the letter of recommendation? On the college admissions process? Do not hesitate to contact us by clicking here.

High School Students: Create a Great Resume with Resume Builder!

10/8/2020

As a high school student (or as a college student) you may find yourself having to create a resume but then wondering: What should go on it? But what if I have limited work experience? How do I organize it?

With potentially little work or 'real life' experience, it can be difficult to know how to organize your resume or even what to include. Be sure to focus on your education first and foremost, as well as any volunteer, part-time and extracurricular experience -- from there you'll be able to develop a great resume that will stand out to an employer.

The overall employment rate for high school graduates is expected to grow by 5% from 2016 to 2026, so you'll have to have something generated for yourself. The best part? Once you have a great resume started, you'll always be able to add onto it as you gain valuable connections and experience!

For more detailed tips and guidance on writing a high school resume, check out our friends at ResumeBuilder.com! This site is the premier resource for job seekers. Their goal is to help you beat the other candidates by providing you with the information, machine learning tools, and guides you need to build the best resume possible. The Resume Builder team believes that landing a job and building the perfect resume should be simple. and that a poorly written resume should be the last reason for not getting the job that you want.

Get started by checking out their 'High School Resume Examples' by clicking here.

Adding your experience and knowledge to your college application? Need guidance? Don't hesitate to contact the LAC team today by clicking here.

Learning Pods by LAC!

10/4/2020

As we head further into the the school year, the LAC team has collaborated with families across the Connecticut shoreline to create learning pods!

We currently work with groups of students in elementary, middle and high school! From day-to-day needs, to enrichment projects, to the review and guidance for their core classes of math, science, language arts, and social studies, we have education professionals by their side to teach, supplement, and advocate for them!

Especially in this time of the pandemic, when many are apprehensive about education, we want to help students and their families with in-person (or remote) academic support, tutoring, guidance, and more -- whatever the newly formatted school day may throw at them!

If this interests you and your family, let us know by sending an email to info@leonardandrew.com -- we'd love to schedule a phone call so that we can answer any particular questions you have!