June 2010

Make the Most of Your Summer

Summer break is almost here and though your plans may include vacations and lounging in the sun, you shouldn't completely forget about school. Make sure you use some of your free time to prepare for the college search and admissions process. To help you make the most of the summer, here are 5 simple activities you can incorporate into your time off:

1. Visit colleges
Summer can be a great time to visit colleges, especially those that are out of state. You’ll have time to visit both the campus and the surrounding city or town to determine if you’d like to live there for the next few years. See if you can incorporate two or three tours into your existing vacation plans, or find a school close by and make a nice weekend trip out of it with your parents. Just be sure to check with the admissions office to find out when summer tours are offered.

2. Volunteer
Grades and test scores aren’t the only thing that admissions officers find important. Spend some time this summer volunteering for one of your favorite causes. Not only will you be making a difference for something that is important to you, you’ll be enhancing your college application. Visit idealist.org and volunteermatch.org to find volunteer opportunities in your area.

3. Review your test prep options
Summer is an ideal time for test prep, whether you are taking a test for the first time or just want to review material to retake a test. There are a number of options available to you, from classroom programs to One-on-One In-Home tutoring. Without your normal load of class work, you have more time to focus on test preparation.

4. Plan your activities for the coming school year
Being fully prepared can help to avoid unnecessary stress and problems. Decide now which extracurricular sports and clubs you would like to participate in next fall. For example, if you would like to run track, stay active during the summer to keep your stamina up for when the season starts.

5. Keep reading
Whether you are at the beach, lying by the pool, or traveling, there is plenty of time to enjoy a good story. Most schools require some form of summer reading, which shouldn’t be viewed as a wasteful assignment. Reading can help boost your grades and test scores by building vocabulary and improving reading comprehension. Articles from periodicals like Time Magazine and The New Yorker are also helpful to read because they most resemble passages on tests like the SAT.

Congrats, Grads!
Best wishes on an exciting new chapter!

Summit sends our best wishes to soon-to-be college freshmen! We sent out our annual appeal to graduating seniors a few weeks ago to ask where they’re going this coming year. The response was overwhelming! Thank you for all the emails and “thank-yous.” Everyone who responded was entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa Gift card. Hopefully our winner, Holly J. of Hingham, can put it to good use when she starts Gettysburg College in the fall! Here are some of the other schools our students are attending:

Congratulations, and best of luck!

"Joshua was personable, reliable, professional, sincerely interested, challenging, articulate, friendly and a good role model. We hope that he can work with our other daughter, who will be a junior next year." -Carol H., Summit Parent

Get to Know Summit:
Elly Loeser

Every month we shine the spotlight on one of our expert One-on-One, In-Home Tutors or Classroom Program Teachers. This month we spoke with Massachusetts area tutor, Elly Loeser. Elly is one of our most requested tutors whose students call her "terrific!" She is "a wonderful, caring tutor" with a "kind, thoughtful manner."

How Long have you been with Summit? 

Since July of 2005.

What do you do outside of Summit?

I have an organizing business, doing home and office organizing. After 20 years in computer education, I left my corporate life for my own businesses, combining  tutoring and organizing.

Which subjects do you teach?

I’m all over the map, doing math and verbal tutoring for all our standardized tests (SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT, and ISEE). I also tutor for the  math and literature SAT subject tests.

What kind of teacher are you? 

I like to encourage students and leave them with an experience of success. I believe in building self-confidence, and I use a lot of humor in my interactions with students. Students who need some nurturing usually respond well to me, as do those who fear math.

What was your favorite subject in school?

I love Algebra, because each new problem is a puzzle: how to go about taking these pieces apart and putting them back together in a new and simplified way. I tell my students that I love Algebra, and most just think I’m nuts.

Where did you go to college, and what did you study?

At the University of Pennsylvania I studied both education and psychology. I truly like working with teens who are learning. I love watching them consider a new idea or tackle and conquer a new problem.

What is your favorite book?

Just one? Oh my. The first book I fell in love with was The Once and Future King by T.H. White. I’m still captivated by magic: anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or the entire Harry Potter series.

What do you love most about tutoring for Summit?

Working with students one-on-one is the BEST educational experience. For the tutor, it has all the joys of teaching without any of the classroom distractions. For the student it has one person dedicated to answering all his or her questions.

What advice do you have for any families considering tutoring?

Tutoring for any particular test is a financial and time investment that deserves an equal commitment. The 90 minute tutoring session is just one part; students need to follow up with practice problems and practice tests to reinforce what we cover. The most successful student is the most committed, does homework, and takes advantage of Summit’s mock tests. Be realistic; if your son or daughter is over-committed, then start earlier, make time over the summer, or replace one activity for one semester with test prep. If we work for it, we can have anything we want; we just can’t have everything we want.

What have you learned from your students?

Some wicked good slang, how to text, and how to tell when they’ve reached information overload.

Elly has helped countless students maximize their scoring potential, but she is only one of our expert tutors. Call us today at 1-800-MYTUTOR (800-698-8867) to speak with a Program Director to learn more about our One-on-One, In-Home Tutoring and Classroom Programs in your area.

FREE Practice Tests

Summit Practice Tests offer students a great opportunity to take a standardized test under simulated proctored and timed conditions. These practice tests are a free service we offer as part of Summit's commitment to helping students maximize their test preparation. Students will receive a diagnostic analysis of their results in the mail.

Saturday, July 10, 2010
Tests Offered: PSAT, SAT, or ACT
Time: 9am-1pm
Locations: Brandeis University

Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tests Offered: SAT or ACT
Time: 9am-1pm
Locations: Brandeis University or Hingham High School

Space is limited, so make sure to register soon!

Call 1-800-MYTUTOR (800-698-8867) or click here to register.

SAT Word of the Month

precocious: (adj) brilliant or expert at an early age (precociousness n, precocity n)---Related Words: deft, proficient, adroit

June 2010, VOL. 8, ED. 6
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