The Price of College Tuition

Here are two ways to think about the price of college tuition:

1. Sticker price is the full price colleges list in their brochures and on their websites.

2. Net price is the price students actually pay. Net price accounts for the fact that many students receive grants or scholarships. So it can be considerably lower than sticker price.

Quick example. Say you go to a school where the sticker price is $25,000 a year. You get a $10,000-a-year grant. The net price for you — the part you have to pay for through loans, work and family contributions — is $15,000 a year.

Read more HERE.

Class of 2016 may be UNC’s smartest class ever

"From the class of 2016, 91.2 percent of students reported scoring 4.0 or higher on a weighted 4.0 grade point average scale, and the average SAT score was 1938 out of 2400...UNC’s class of 2017 might be slightly larger, but the admission rate will continue to drop further in the future."

NC State Freshmen Set SAT record; Class of 2016 is also smaller

"Of the 20,000-plus applications submitted to University Admissions, half were accepted. This year marks the first time in the University’s history the acceptance rate was so low. Out of the accepted applications, 4,316 freshmen enrolled. The class of 2016 represents 99 counties in North Carolina, 41 states and 20 foreign countries."

"For the first time in the University’s history, the incoming freshman class averaged more than 1200 on the critical reading and mathematics portions of the SAT. The class of 2016’s average score of 1219 represents a 28-point jump over the class of 2015’s average score of 1191."

"The class of 2016 boasts 206 valedictorians and 95 salutatorians. More than half of the incoming freshmen completed AP or IB courses in high school, averaging about 4.4 AP classes per student."

Click HERE to read the full article in NC State's student newspaper The Technician.

NC students hold steady on ACT college exam

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam held steady for North Carolina's high school seniors, but the results may be skewed by the fact that just one in five chose to take the test.

Read more HERE.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/22/2283858/nc-students-hold-steady-on-act.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

NC State Freshman Profile: Where do you fit in?

Many of our students express interest in NC State, which "continues to set new records year to year with the total number of applications received. Over 19,400 freshmen applications were received. After careful consideration, offers of admission were sent to approximately 10,000 students. Based on historical data, the expected class is 4,600."

Read the "Admissions Facts for First Year Students" at
http://admissions.ncsu.edu/how-apply/admission-profile/pdf/facts.pdf

Upcoming SAT Prep Opportunity

Using Your SAT Score Creatively

Rather than only using your score to get into a college, you can use it to save money. A number of private and college-specific scholarships are available for high, and even average, scorers.

Read more at the Debt-free Scholar Website: http://www.debtfreescholar.com/2009/03/using-your-sat-score-creatively/

Duke AHEC Health Careers Festival

On Saturday, September 8, 2012, on the campus of Duke University Medical Center, the Duke AHEC Program will host a 1/2 day of hands-on, high energy presentations designed to increase awareness of health and science career opportunities among middle & high school students as well as their parents. 

A sample of health care professions to be showcased:

• Veterinary Medicine;
• Speech Language Pathology;
• Medicine;
• Respiratory Therapy; and others!
  
  Parent sessions topics:  
• Health Careers:  Future Forecast!
• Panel on available Youth Enrichment Programs
• Applying for & Financing College
• Preparing your Son/Daughter for the SAT/ACT
• More information and a registration link can be accessed here:   http://dukeahec.mc.duke.edu/health/middle.html

How parents can help in admissions process

Many parents feel as if they’re walking a tightrope as they navigate their way through the college admissions process with their children.

How do you empower your kids to take on this new and exciting project and still make sure everything gets done? The college admissions process is chock full of details and deadlines: testing registration, transcript requests, campus visits, essay writing, letters of recommendation, transmitting test scores, etc. Many, if not most, 16- to 17-year-olds enter the process ill-equipped to juggle so many things simultaneously.

There are some areas where it’s OK for parents to get involved.

It’s just fine for parents to:

Help plan campus visits: Discuss the trip details, especially if it involves multiple colleges. Schedule the visits on the college websites and make flight and hotel arrangements as needed.

Discuss college fit: Help your children to understand the kind of college experience they’re looking for. Talk about size; distance from home; benefits and drawbacks to an urban, suburban and rural environment; their academic needs; fraternity-sorority life; sports atmosphere; and special opportunities such as undergraduate research opportunities, internships, study abroad, interdisciplinary majors, clubs and extracurricular activities.

Read the entire article here.  

130-point Increase in SAT Scores via online class

From a student of our four-day webinar earlier this spring:

"I just wanted to let you know that i did improve on my SAT from a 1210 to 1340. Thank you for all your help. I also wanted to let you know that i got accepted and will be attending Western Carolina University. I am very excited."

Our real-time webinars that students take via the Internet DO WORK!
A+ can help YOU increase your scores, too.
www.aplushigherscores.com
sheba@aplushigherscores.com

Colleges Fight for Top Students

April is a harrowing month for admissions officers around the country. In the same way that college students wait through the winter to hear back from the schools they applied to, admissions officers wait through April to hear back from the students they admitted. Which students choose their school? Which students decided to go somewhere else?

Read the complete article HERE.

FREE--Summer Youth Business and Entrepreneurship Academy

The NCCU School of Business announces the 2012 Summer Youth Business and Entrepreneurship Academy scheduled from July 23 – August 3. The Academy is open to 20, high achieving rising 10^th and 11^th grade students, with a B average or higher, from Durham, N.C., and surrounding counties. Students will receive business training and exposure to higher education on the campus of NCCU, free of cost. For an application and more information, please visit http://www.nccu.edu/academics/sc/business/summer-academy.cfm.

Use Your SAT Score to Save Money

“I have taken the SAT . . . what’s next?” You can use your SAT score in a variety of ways. Rather than only using your score to get into a college, you can use it to save money. A number of private and college-specific scholarships are available for high, and even average, scorers.

Read more at http://www.debtfreescholar.com/2009/03/using-your-sat-score-creatively/

Your Testing Strategy

Follow the link http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/pdf/reference.pdf to help you quickly determine which test is best for you. If the scores are almost identical, choose the test you prefer. There are big differences in the content and the strategy.

If your school only provides the PSAT, then take a practice ACT on your own at www.number2.com or purchase a test prep book. It is very important that you simulate testing conditions when you take the tests at home. That means timing each section and taking the test in one sitting, not spread out over the weekend.

If you were not pleased with your practice tests and those scores don’t match up with the colleges where you’d like to apply, then it is probably a good idea to buckle down and do some test prep.

by Lee Bierer. Read more at http://www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com/2012/01/developing-your-testing-strategy/

Should You Take the SAT or the ACT?

The SAT may be a better test for you if:

1. You did great on the PSAT. The devil you know may be better than the devil you don't.

2. You have a killer vocabulary. You know "didactic," "sedulous" and other esoteric words (including esoteric) and want to use that comparative advantage.

3. You can ace grammar. In addition to the essay section, the Writing section of the SAT tests the deviation between standard written English and the way we actually speak the language.

The ACT may be a better test for you if:

1. You did great on the PLAN (the "PSAT" for the ACT) or had a PSAT or SAT score inconsistent with your academic performance in school.

2. Your vocabulary is not as strong as your reading. You read well and relatively quickly. Arguably, the ACT is a test that is three parts verbal — English, Reading and Science (the latter section requires no knowledge outside of what the test presents).

3. You are great at writing papers but haven't had formal grammar instruction.

Excerpted from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7535849
More information available

HS Juniors take SAT for FREE on March 6

Tomorrow, March 6, , for the first time ever, nearly all public and charter school 11th graders will be required to take the ACT ® college entrance exam. The ACT is a curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students' academic readiness for college. In December 2011, the State Board of Education approved the ACT to become a part of North Carolina’s new accountability model for high schools that will be implemented statewide in 2012-13.....

"Now every high school student in North Carolina will be able to take the test and receive an ACT score to include in their college applications at no cost for their families," Atkinson said. "This helps eliminate a barrier to higher education and will bring many students one step closer to earning their college degrees," Atkinson said.

Read more at http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/newsroom/news/2011-12/20120229-02

A+ Success Story 2012

A+ Success Stories are starting to arrive. Here's what on parent of an A+ Alum shared with us this week:

Sheba, Just to let you know Taylor was accepted for early admissions to NC State-College of Education... he was selected for 1 of only 160 spaces for incoming freshman this year in the College of Education. He also was accepted to Appalachian State, Early Admissions. I am sure your prep course gave him the confidence and skills needed to improve his SAT scores. This ultimately led to him achieving his goal of attending NCSU.

A+ and BeGlobal are offering virtual SAT Prep Classes this month!

Heels for Success and A+ Test Prep

Heels for Success is a one-day summer program to help academically-talented, rising sophomores and juniors prepare for college. Over the course of the day, students will learn techniques for approaching the SAT, explore the Carolina campus and its wide-ranging academic opportunities, as well as learn how to manage the college application process. Students will also get the chance to connect with other outstanding students from across the country.There is no cost to the student for this program beyond the cost associated with transportation to the event.

Learn more about this program: http://www.admissions.unc.edu/Event/heelsforsuccess/

Common Core State Standards and DPS

Durham Public Schools administrators are recommending a phase-in of Common Core State Standards high school math courses, school board members were told last week.

The Common Core curriculum was adopted by the state Board of Education in 2010, replacing standards that the state adopted in 2003 and 2009; the latter set was never implemented. Implementation of the national Common Core standards – 45 states and the District of Columbia have so far joined in – is tied heavily to federal Race to the Top funds, of which DPS was awarded about $3.6 million.

Read more: The Herald-Sun - Schools to phase in Common Core math
By Melody Guyton Butts, mbutts@heraldsun.com; 419-6684

PSAT and ACT PLAN: What Those Pre-Tests Mean

Most school systems around the country have their students participate in a “pre-test,” before sitting for either the SAT or ACT, which most colleges require. The ACT PLAN is offered to high school sophomores and the PSAT is administered in October to juniors. What do the scores mean? The ACT PLAN tests students in four areas: English, mathematics, reading and science. TThe PLAN takes almost two hours (115 minutes) to complete, has 145 questions and scores are between 1 (low) and 32 (high). The PSAT has three sections: math, critical reading and writing. The test takes just over 2 hours (130 minutes), with 125 questions and scores are reported on a scale of 20 (low) to 80 (high). Average scores for an 11th-grader will be approximately 49 in math, 48 in critical reading and 46 in writing. Add a zero at the end (52 becomes 520), and you can then compare your score with the SAT scores listed in college guidebooks. You should receive your original test booklet and a score report sheet that will show you the question number, the correct response, your answer and the level of difficulty of each question.

by Lee Bierer. Read more at: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/24/2953019/what-those-pre-test-scores-mean.html#storylink=cpy

A+ Partners with nonprofit organization beGlobal

Local nonprofit organization beGlobal, founded by an Edgecombe County native in 2007, is offering high school students affordable test preparation courses to increase their ability to perform well on college entrance exams. The facilitator for the course is Sheba Lowe of A+ Test Preparation whose services have received raving reviews from previous students. The college entrance exam course will include intensive instruction for the SAT and ACT, study guides and testing strategies, essay writing assistance and vocabulary development. Operating on a virtual cloud and in satellite locations in Edgecombe, Nash, Pitt and Wilson counties, these courses will be available to all even if the students do not have personal access to the Internet.

Read more at http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/community/roll-call/prep-course-registration-includes-ipad2-raffle-beglobal-884035

Bill Would Make NC 11th-graders Take National Test

The House Education Committee agreed Tuesday to legislation requiring North
Carolina's roughly 100,000 11th graders to take for free the ACT national
college entrance exam starting next school year if state funds — possibly several million dollars — are available.

Students also would take ACT pretests in eighth and 10th grades to help determine if they are on track to be prepared to attend a university or community college. The results would be used by teachers to diagnose shortcomings in student performance in areas such as English, reading,
science and math.

Read more at this link: http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/node/432955

NC's New Testing Requirement:: ACT & PLAN

The NC Department of Public Instruction is requiring all student in 11th grade to take the ACT, starring with the first administration statewide on March 6, 2012. Grade 10 students must take PLAN, an assessment of reading, science, math, and English, beginning December 2011.

Although DPI is using the ACT as part of the new accountability model as the state transitions into using Common Core (Academic) Standards, ACT scores can also be used by students for college admissions.

A+ Test Prep is partnering with several community groups this spring to help students prepare for these tests. How can we be of service to you?

Follow this link for more information about DPI, ACT, & PLAN.