​[This is part one of a two part series on college applications.]
Despite the disruptions going on right now, one thing remains certain: College Applications are due soon. For all our seniors preparing to embark on this journey, and anyone else interested in higher learning, we offer the first entry in a two-part guide to applying for college. This entry focuses on how to decide where and how to apply, while the second will deal with the more practical steps of applying.
Part One: Decide Where You Want to Apply
The United States alone boasts over 4000 colleges and universities, but most students only have the time and money to apply to ten or so. Whittling down the options seems a daunting task. Luckily, many great resources can help you make an ideal list of colleges for application. We most enthusiastically recommend the website Cappex; through your free account, Cappex helps you identify realistic target schools based on your grades and scores, connect you to interested programs, and locate scholarships and other sources of funding for your academic future. We strongly suggest you sign-up for this or a similar service, but for now we will detail some of the major themes you should consider when helping your student select where to send applications.

1. Take into account your student's SAT/ACT scores and GPA. Although many other factors affect college admissions, grades and test scores still strongly impact your competitiveness. They provide admissions offices the most direct method of comparing your strengths to those of the average student accepted in previous years. By factoring in your student's GPA and standardized test results, you can sort colleges into three broad categories. We recommend applying to a few schools from each group.
   1. Safety Schools. Safety schools offer the most reliable chance of acceptance based on your student's academic record. While safety schools might not represent your student's first pick, smart applicants keep a few such backups on their list just in case their ideal options do not come through. Having an offer from a safety school, even if it falls short of your student's dream program, provides them options and perhaps even leverage if the admission comes with a scholarship. Furthermore, what appears a safety school at first blush may end up the perfect fit for your young scholar. We recommend you apply to two or three safety schools.
   2. Target Schools. Target schools offer a reasonable chance of acceptance but will require more competitive scores and grades than do safety schools. These schools also often take into account factors besides GPA and test scores, such as extracurricular activities, admission essays, and student hardship. The bulk of your applications, perhaps five or six, should go to target schools.
   3. Reach Schools. Representing the highest-ranked universities, prestigious reach schools exercise the most selective standards. To even merit consideration, your student will need to strengthen all aspects of their application, and even then some factors - such as enrollment rates based on limited budgets - remain well outside their control. Applying to two or three reach school encourages your student to think big and get excited about college, and with hard work and a little luck they just might find themselves on their way to a dream program next fall!
2. Consider which type of college your student may prefer. Colleges vary widely in academic focus, campus life, and financial structure. Before your students makes their list of ideal schools, they should consider the different types of institutions they can choose from.
   1. Private Schools. Private schools tend to cost more in tuition, as they receive less or no state funding and often attract faculty who command greater salaries. That being said, these schools represent some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, and may facilitate a more scholarly-focused environment than schools where campus life features more partying, Greek life, or nationally-known athletics (although some private schools feature all these in abundance).
   2. Public Schools. Public colleges and universities tend to cost less, as tax dollars and often athletic program revenue fray the cost of faculty and facilities. Many of these institutions stand toe-to-toe in scholarship with the elite Ivy League schools, but others appear less erudite than their private counterparts, in name if not in reality.
   3. Liberal Arts Schools versus Research Schools. Most colleges and universities offer liberal arts educations, meaning they focus on providing their graduates with a broad range of classes across the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. This education broadens students' minds, encourages a spirit of life-long learning, and can provide your student a general sense of being able to learn and contribute regardless of the company they keep. Research schools on the other hand, while still offering some general education courses, tend to focus more on preparing their students for very specific professional careers, emphasizing the students' majors more than more liberal arts colleges do.
   4. Two-Year versus Four-Year Colleges. Some students may wish to begin their college careers by earning an Associate's degree at a junior college or perhaps a satellite campus for a larger state school. They can then transfer to a four-year college or university to finish their degree. This allows students to pay less in tuition and perhaps live closer to home in their first several semesters while still having from the name of the better-known four-year school they finish at on their actual Bachelor's degree. Other students may wish to benefit from a larger, four-year school's resources from the very beginning, investing in campus connections as a Freshman that grow through their Senior year.

 
Of course, if your student already has a firm idea of what discipline they want to study or career they wish to enter, a school's specific academic program and faculty may figure more prominently into application decisions than the type of school in question. By discussing your student's goals and applying them to the options described above, you can help your student balance financial, social, and professional considerations. For more information including lists of schools matching the different types, visit the Common App and Coalition App online.
 

1.  Type of Admissions. Many colleges offer different types of admissions. Being aware of these differences may help ease confusion as your student embarks on this already somewhat Byzantine process.
   1. Regular Admissions. For regular admission, the most common type, schools set a fixed deadline for the application that usually falls somewhere between November and January. Admissions offices review all such admissions, making decisions at the end of the period.  You will want this admission for schools not on the top of your list. Regular admissions receive no special treatment, being fairly judged among all applications.
   2. Rolling Admissions. Schools review the less common rolling admissions applications on a first come-first serve basis. Schools utilize a timeframe rather than a deadline, reviewing applications until they have filled all spots. If any of your target or reach schools offer rolling admissions, we recommend applying ASAP.
   3. Open Admissions. Mostly used by community colleges and online schools, open admissions allow students to apply at almost any time before classes start. Usually, if an applicant meets the basic requirements, they will receive admission to the program. Very little competition exists with open admissions schools.
   4. Early Decision. The most restrictive admissions type, early decision admissions set deadlines much earlier than other types do, usually no later than the beginning of November. These early deadlines guarantee that such candidates will receive consideration before regular admissions applications.  In many cases, early decision acceptance rates are also slightly higher. Beware, however: these applications represent a kind of contract. Students may only apply for one early decision admission across all their schools. If schools find that a student applied to multiple early decision admissions, they no longer consider said student's applications. Furthermore, if the school accepts a student through early decision, that student must commit to and attend the school. Early decision offers the best option for when you are absolutely certain the college is your top pick. Luckily, if your early admission application does not succeed, admissions officers place it into the regular admissions pool for a second chance.
   5. Early Action. Early actions admissions closely resemble early decision admissions except they do not include the commitment requirement. These programs still set deadlines earlier than regular admissions, again no later than November, and review early action applications before those for regular admissions. However, most early action admissions do require you to wait to hear back from them before committing to any other schools.

Follow this link for more information on these and other types of admissions, and watch this space for part two of our series on applying to college.
​

​Socializing plays an important role in healthy childhood development, but with many schools limiting or eliminating in-person instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic, students risk missing out on crucial interaction with teachers and peers. Add to this general social distancing guidelines and most kids will barely leave the house at all this fall. But never despair! You can help your kids socialize while protecting them from dangers both online and off. We present ten great ideas for your kids to socially engage while staying safe at home.

1. Video Calls. Socializing does not need to be in person. Video conferencing offers the easiest and most straightforward method for kids to socialize. FaceTime, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and similar services offer quick, remote connection to almost anyone. While we all miss in-person interactions, seeing and talking with friends provides socializing benefits even online. (Not to encourage helicopter parenting per se, but if you prefer more oversight regarding who your child video conferences with, Zoom provides options for hosts to record sessions for later replay.)
2. Games. While many associate online gaming with violent content and toxic culture, many excellent, family-friendly online games offer hours of socially-enriching and even educational content for students. Minecraft encourages creativity, imagination, and (for advanced players) coding logic. Link up with a friend and you have a trifecta of entertainment, intellectual stimulation, and socialization. Jackbox Games offers a large, growing collection of online multiplayer programs similar to traditional parlor games involving trivia, puzzles, and challenges. If one person buys a Jackbox game and plays it using Zoom’s screenshare function, a friend can join in using the smartphone app without having to buy the whole game. Want an experience as close to in-person as possible? Consider Tabletop Simulator, a PC program available through Steam that allows players to literally move virtual game pieces. (Or is it virtually move literal game pieces?) The program supports games ranging from traditional board games like Monopoly and checkers to complex tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Students will have to practice the same social skills and good sportsmanship they do at home, however, as in Tabletop Simulator one can literally flip the virtual table! (Or virtually flip the… never mind.)
3. Movies and TV Shows. Have a Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+ account? Your student can watch movies with their friends and distant family using the screenshare feature on Zoom or Google Hangouts. (If the video quality is poor, they can also play the movies on separate devices while still watching each other on Zoom or Hangouts. They just have to get good at hitting ‘play’ at the same time!) If you want to encourage more educational social time, you can steer your student towards one of the excellent nature documentary series on Netflix, such as Our Planet, or the musical historical drama Hamilton, currently streaming on Disney+. Such films and programs can provide your student and their friends enriching and relevant content to discuss in the absence of the usual classroom banter, and may spark a life-long interest in a new field.
4. Books. Similarly, book clubs can be a great way for kids to socialize and expand their intellectual and imaginative horizons. With libraries shut down, you might encourage your child to explore (with appropriate supervision) resources like Open Library or Project Gutenberg, perhaps challenging their friends to see who can find the coolest old book for a Zoom book club. You can also check to see if your local library has ebook offerings; many even provide access to free audiobooks.
5. Creative Collaboration. Teamwork makes the dream work, even if the dream team is social distancing. The internet provides myriads of resources for your student to create art, stories, games, and more with their friends. Zoom and Google Hangouts allow for document-sharing and a “white board” for typing or drawing on. You can also take advantage of a wide range of free, open-source creative programs. Musical kids can collaborate with their friends using music software like Audacity, taking turns recording their instrument of choice and hearing how they sound together. Sites like Code Share could facilitate your student coding a game with their friends, while joining forces using a video editor like Open Shot might kick off an Oscar-winning film career.  If William Shakespeare could write King Lear during a plague lockdown (probably), who knows what your budding artist and their friends might create?
6. Culinary Collaboration. Does your young foodie miss eating out with friends at restaurants? You can partly replace that feeling with the internet and a little ingenuity. Your student could plan a dinner date with a friend a week or so in advance, and then they could each order a special ingredient and have it shipped to the other. Perhaps your kid can share their favorite salsa, while their friend sends over a fancy ramen they have been wanting to try. They can prepare and eat the food over Zoom, enjoying each other’s reactions to the new gastronomical experience. For an even more memorable moment, your student and their friends might want to organize a “miracle berry” tasting event over Zoom. Miracle berries contain a chemical compound that temporarily makes acidic, sour, and bitter foods taste sweet, with pickles tasting like candy, lemons tasting like honey, and dark chocolate tasting like milk chocolate. Your crew can order the berry tablets over Amazon and taste the various foods together over video conference, reveling in each other’s amazed faces and pondering together the nature of the human sense of taste.
7. Citizen Science Projects. While your future Nobel prize-winning physicist might be missing their hands-on school lab this year, they can still find their place in the wider scientific community by submitting data for important scientific work. You can submit photos of plants and animals to study biodiversity, document light pollution in cities, or even help astronomers identify interstellar space dust in NASA photos. Learn more about taking part in some of these massive online collaborations at the National Geographic website, and teach your student that they will never be alone in the society of the curious.
8. Pen Pals. While it may seem a tad old school, prompting kids to write physical letters to each other is a creative method of encouraging both socialization and composition skills. Perhaps spice up the exercise by encouraging your student to create a secret code or cypher with their friend (building logical reasoning skills) or take up calligraphy (an old but elegant practice encouraging discipline and patience). Your child could also personalize their epistles with vanity stamps, supporting the postal service and possibly sparking an interest in philately!
9. Writing to Government Representatives. In a similar vein, students can write letters to their senators and congressional representatives at the state and federal letters or even to the President of the United States. This exercise helps students develop a sense of connection to the greater American community. Encourage this by telling them that representatives are much more likely to read handwritten letters than any other kind of communication. Often representatives will send a letter back, and, although it is often (though not always!) a form letter, this communication will likely increase your child’s sense of civic pride and responsibility. This practice may prove especially important for students who are frustrated by national events but feel voiceless being too young to vote. Follow this link to locate physical mailing addresses for your elected officials.
10. Join a Learning Pod with iLearn Academy. Not only can group learning improve standardized test scores, but it also provides a sense of academic community that your student may be missing this fall. iLearn Academy offers both in-person and online learning groups. We thoroughly sanitize our classrooms at our physical location in Glenview, IL after every session, with all participants required to wear masks and students spaced out with physical partitions. These classes are also small enough to limit risk of exposure, with just a few students at a time. Nevertheless, these sessions can provide real school socialization to tide our students over until in-person schooling is safe again. Similarly, our online platform allows students to see the teacher and each other’s faces without masks as they go over material together like they do in brick-and-mortar classrooms. While students use class time to go over homework and review test skills, they also get a chance to share things going on in their lives with peers as they do in school classrooms, providing an important social and emotional outlet in these strange, disruptive times.

What other ways can kids socialize while staying safe and social distancing? Do you have any favorites? We would love to hear your opinions and experiences, as well as help you join an online or in-person learning pod. Please feel free to visit our website at www.ilearnacademy.net, call us at 847-834-0791, or post on our Facebook page. We hope everyone has had a great summer, and we look forward to helping all our students safely and effectively adjust to the new school year.

​With a new season of SAT/ACT testing and college applications, we wanted to address a common question: What is Superscoring?
To answer it directly, it's when colleges allow students to average their scores from multiple test attempts. Now this doesn’t mean you can mix and match between the SAT and ACT. Instead, if you take either the ACT or SAT test multiple times, you can mix and match sections to get your best average score.
Here's a hypothetical example: A student takes the SAT and gets a sub score of 500 on the Reading/Writing and 700 on Math. Their SAT score would be 1200. Not a bad score, but one that can be improved. Now, let's assume the next time the student takes the test, they  improve their Reading/Writing score. This time they get 700 on this section. But if they focused only on half the test, we assume their Math score dropped to 600. They still went up (1300), but it is a bummer that they did worse on a different section each time.
Here's where Superscoring comes into play. Colleges will look at both tests and take the best section scores of each. So, now the student has the 700 on Math from the first test, and the 700 on Reading/Writing from the second. A 1400 is better than either individual test and this can help you get into the more selective schools. This same process works for the four sections on the ACT as well (Reading, English, Math, and Science).  Unfortunately, at this time you need to take the full test to be able to Superscore, however, the ACT & SAT are evaluating whether or not to allow students to take only one section of the test in the future. Check out these additional Superscore FAQs from the ACT and SAT .

​Superscoring is a great feature that all students should keep in mind this fall. What’s the catch, though? Well, here are a few things to remember:

• This is not a universal practice for colleges to accept. Many colleges will Superscore both tests, while others will only do one or neither so it's important for you to check with your school of choice. For more information check out these links:

*For ACT:      https://blog.prepscholar.com/colleges-that-superscore-act-complete-list
*For SAT:    https://blog.prepscholar.com/which-colleges-superscore-the-sat

• You don’t get to choose what is evaluated by the college. While Superscoring is a combination of multiple tests, you must send the full test every time. So, colleges still see the lower scores even if they focus on the best average of scores. While there is no direct evidence colleges look negatively at taking the SAT/ACT many times, we recommend only sending in a maximum 3 tests to your prospective college.
• Studies have shown the negative impact on students in taking multiple tests; These tests take a lot of studying time away from regular school work, it makes a long test day, and creates nervous anticipation waiting for your scores. The best course of action? Have a well defined study program and plan on achieving your top score on the first time to avoid the stress.

Have other questions about Superscoring on the SAT/ACT? Are you interested in our ACT/SAT test prep program? Please call us at 1-847-834-0791.  We look forward to helping all our students safely and effectively adjust to the new school year.

Should your children stay home and miss out on in-person instruction? Many parents, students, and teachers are on edge at the start of the school year amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Many fear the added exposure of mingling with dozens or potentially hundreds of students a day will not only risk their children's health, but other family members as well.  Adding to the stress, parents are concerned their children's education has already suffered from the digital learning experience and they are looking for solutions. An excellent alternative is to consider a small group "learning pod".  According to a recent study by the New York Times, the risks of exposure to the virus are significantly lower in a small group or "pod" while the student maintains a high quality, teacher-led education.
If you have attempted to form your own learning pod, you may find the task is overwhelming in trying to find a safe environment, research quality instructors, and gather the right mix of students in the same age group and skill sets as your own child.  Learning pods, also described on Facebook as microschools, homeschool pods or pandemic pods, are a great alternative if you follow the right guidelines and have the right resources.
iLearn Academy's Learning Pod.  We take the work out of finding tutors by hiring certified and highly experienced teachers, offer a very *safe and clean academic environment, and teach students with similar skills in a private or small group setting. Students can bring their laptops to our center during school hours led by an in-person teacher that will support students' learning while taking the school's online teaching so that the student remains focused and on-task. Another option is for students to come to our center afterschool and receive additional instruction or homework help in subjects such as math and English.  We can also offer test prep courses such as PSAT 8/9 and ACT/SAT.  Parents can bring a group of two to four students and we will differentiate our instruction based on each individual's skill. We can also offer an interactive and live online session with a more personalized lesson plan versus the school's online sessions. We will support students to master their learning with our experienced teachers and effective teaching methods.
If you decide to create your own learning pod, here are the top three crucial steps to consider:

1. Find Quality Instructors. One benefit of the at-school experience is the multitude of teachers that are available and disciplined in a specific subject, and experienced instructing at a particular grade level. Attempting to re-create the at-school experience is difficult: tutors may not have the broad skill sets to cover multiple subjects let alone follow a grade appropriate curriculum. It can also be time consuming and hard to find multiple teachers that can fit into your small group's schedule. In addition, parents often times lack the right assessment tools needed to confirm the teacher is doing a great job or meeting the minimum state standards. You might be able to follow the school's curriculum, though be cautious as the tutor has a tendency of using their own materials and will likely not have enough exposure to the school's materials to teach effectively. Nevertheless, below are a few questions you should ask the tutor in the interview process:

• Do they have a teaching certificate? How many years have they been teaching and at what age group?
• What materials do they use? Do they follow a curricula? Are they familiar with the minimum state learning standards for your child's grade level?
• How much do they charge? What is there availability?
• How do they measure progress and handle behavioral issues?

If you are able to locate the right teachers, check out the large amount of online materials that have been readily made available to teachers and students during the pandemic. One resource that is particularly helpful is EngageNY:  www.engageny.org/common-core-curriculum

2. Create a Safe, Centralized Location. Some families have opted to gather at a particular home or rotate from one home to the next. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), offers a helpful checklist for virtual or at home learning. This includes the usual advice on frequent hand washing, social distancing, and face masks in addition to guidelines on social-emotional wellbeing of group instruction. By keeping a centralized location, an academic environment can be created using a systematic approach to cleanliness and a consistency with group activities and exercise between lessons. Of course, someone needs to enforce each person attending the group will follow the safety guidelines.

3. Gather Similar Students. One of the bigger challenges facing small group learning pods is finding the right mix of students with the same skill sets. One of your child's peers may be very good in math but weak in English. Unless the teacher is adept at handling a wide range of skill sets, this may limit your son or daughter's ability to excel in a particular subject.
One of the most effective means of creating a learning pod is to join a local learning center that offers small group or in-person sessions. This alleviates the need to find and locate teachers as the centers have already vetted and trained the teachers. 

iLearn Academy offers small group or private instruction to support the local school 's online learning and helps students improve even further so that they may learn beyond their grade level skills. 

​Please give us a call today at 1-847-834-0791 to get started right away: Seats are limited.

*iLearn Academy requires everyone entering the building to have a daily temperature check, wear masks or shields, and we disinfect the rooms after every lesson. We also limit the total number of staff and students to 18 people in our 2,500 square foot facility at any given time so we can maintain proper social distancing.