TestMagic

SAT vocab today! Please read, learn, and subscribe. ❤️

CONSTITUENT: A fundamental element? 🏘️ The word CONSTITUENT is used in a variety of contexts, making it a vital addition to your SAT vocabulary. Let's learn more.

🎓🔥 Hot Take Alert: Grade Inflation! 🔥🎓

😱 Grade inflation - are we devaluing education or rescuing stressed-out students?

📉 Some say it's lowering the value of your hard-earned degree.
😌 Others think it's easing the pressure cooker of high-school life.

What's YOUR stance? Drop your thoughts below! ⬇️

So, what is grade inflation actually? And how is it harming your child's chances of getting into college?

Grade inflation is the current trend of increasing average grades over time without a corresponding increase in student achievement or learning.

Some consequences of grade inflation:

- Grades become less meaningful as indicators of student performance.
- It becomes harder to distinguish truly exceptional students from others with similar GPAs.
- Employers and graduate schools may find it more difficult to evaluate candidates.

In essence, grade inflation is like monetary inflation - just as a dollar buys less over time due to inflation, an A grade may represent less academic achievement than it did in the past.

New product: College Admissions Consulting 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/uc-application

New product: Writing 2.0 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/writing-course-middle-school

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗫-𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

While good grades, test scores, and extracurriculars are important, there's another key factor that impacts admissions decisions: institutional priorities.

While most of us believe that the 'best' applicants are chosen for college, the black box operating behind the scenes makes it impossible for outsiders to guess what makes an applicant appealing to a certain college.

Colleges have specific goals and directives from leadership on shaping each incoming class. These could include:

- 🌐 Enrolling more students from certain geographic regions
- ⚽ Recruiting athletes for specific sports
- 🎻 Admitting students with specialized talents, like in music or unusual hobbies, such as hot-air ballooning
- 🌍 Increasing racial, socioeconomic or international diversity
- 💼 Filling undersubscribed academic programs
- 🔑 Admitting legacies or potential donors

These behind-the-scenes priorities can sometimes result in seemingly qualified students being denied, while others get accepted. These choices are not a reflection of the applicant, but rather the college's needs for that particular year.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀

Institutional priorities are an X-factor you can't fully control. Focus on presenting an authentic profile highlighting your unique strengths and interests. With a balanced college list, you're likely to find a great fit aligned with your goals.

While the admissions process has become more complex, understanding these priorities can provide helpful context. As you apply, trust that you'll find the right college for you, one that appreciates your unique contributions and aspirations.

New product: 1-to-1 Private Tutoring 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/private-tutoring

New product: Writing 3.0 (High School) English course 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/writing-courses-high-school

New product: Feedback on Personal Statement/Personal Insight Questions 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/feedback-personal-statements

New product: Registration Fee (1x-per-family) 👉🏽👉🏽

Registration Fee (1x-per-family) One-time registration fee. Charged once per family, so please let us know the birth year of your youngest child.

New product: Student registration 👉🏽👉🏽

Student registration Add this item to your cart and check out. There you'll see options to enter the student's information. Note: When you get to the end, you may see a message that no payment is required. Can you please hit the 'Pay now' button anyway? (Otherwise, your info won't get submitted.)

New product: Online Reading Course with a Live Instructor 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/online-reading-course

If you're the parent of a high school senior, this applies to you!

The FAFSA Debacle (for parents of high school seniors)

Would you buy a new car before knowing its out-the-door price?

If you're a parent of a high school senior, this is for you! And if you're not, please forward this to someone who is, as it has important information affecting everyone weighing financial aid offers.

The FAFSA debacle

As many of you know, the Department of Education had planned to update, improve, and streamline the financial aid application process. However, the project suffered many setbacks and other problems that they could not fix in time for the current application cycle.

The rollout of the 2024 FAFSA has encountered significant technical glitches and delays, affecting approximately 30% of applications (about 2 million families!). These issues have led to delays in processing and reprocessing of forms.

As a result, many families are receiving their financial aid offers later than usual, and many after the traditional May 1st decision deadline of many colleges.

In simple language: Many families make decisions about where to attend college based on the cost. This cost is frequently reduced based on the family's income, even if the family earns six figures. For example, in some cases, an in-state California student may study at a college in Boston because the Boston college offers more financial aid than the University of California does, resulting in a lower cost of attendance (CoA). However, some colleges have deadlines requiring families to commit to a specific college around May 1, and in some cases, some families have not received their financial aid offer yet.

This means that some families are feeling pressured to decide which college to attend without knowing the final cost of attendance.

What you can do: Request an extension

In short, if you're still waiting for your financial aid offer to come in, but you have decision deadlines coming up, you should ask the college to extend that deadline. Many colleges have extended their deadlines to May 15 or June 1.

If you've received an offer from a college that is maintaining their May 1 deadline, you 100% have the right to request an extension of that deadline, as is being recommended by many professional organizations, including National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), which most US colleges are members of.

Specific language you can use

Here is an example email that you might send to the admissions department in question:

Subject: Request for Extension of Decision Deadline

Dear [[Admissions Office/Admissions Officer's Name]],

My name is [[Your Name]], the [[guardian/caretaker/parent/mother/father]] of [[Applicant's Name]] who is applying to start as a first-year student in the fall of 2024.

I am writing to respectfully request an extension of the decision deadline for my college application.

Due to the widespread issues with the 2024 FAFSA rollout, including significant delays and technical problems, I have not yet received all of my financial aid offers.

In light of these nationwide complications and following guidance from organizations like the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), we are seeking additional time to make an informed decision regarding college enrollment.

Our family's information:

Applying as/for: [[first-year undergraduate/transfer]] [[Fall of 2024]] Last name of applicant:
First name of applicant:
Email of applicant:
Address:
Tel:
Current high school:

[[Applicant's Name]] is thrilled at the prospect of attending [[College Name]], as are we. However, we cannot ignore the financial realities of the four years of college, and we must wait to make an informed decision when the financial aid details are released to us.

Could you please let us know if it would be possible to extend the decision deadline under these circumstances?

Thank you very much for considering my request. I look forward to your response.

Best regards,

[[Your Name]] [[Your Contact Information]]

New product: Online SAT Course with a Live Instructor 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/online-sat-prep

New product: The UC App, from start to finish 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/uc-app

Most important SAT/ACT Vocab: VETERANS

Learn the meaning of VETERANS and appreciate their significance in society and history.

Test your understanding of this word:

veterans most nearly means

(A) experts
(B) students
(C) novices
(D) soldiers
(E) beginners

And one more:

Which of the following best exemplifies veterans?

(A) A group of new recruits training for the army.
(B) Experienced former soldiers sharing stories of their time in service.
(C) Young athletes playing their first professional game.
(D) Students attending school.
(E) Employees relaxing during their break.

Check back in the comments in 88 minutes for answers.

🎖️ SAT Word of the Day: VETERANS Honoring Experience and Service. Learn about this impactful word today!

🧠 Learn ALKALINE, an SAT vocabulary word. Discover its definition, pronunciation, examples, and test yourself with a mini-quiz.

New product: Homework Boost 👉🏽👉🏽 https://www.testmagic.com/products/homework-help

New product: HSPT Prep Course (Live) 👉🏽👉🏽

HSPT Prep Course (Live) HSPT Online prep course with a live teacher. Prep for the December 2022 HSPT!

New product: test product to add variants and whatnot 👉🏽👉🏽

test product to add variants and whatnot blah

And now Yale--test scores required for undergraduate applicants.

The twist? They will accept AP and IB test scores in addition to SAT and ACT!

https://news.yale.edu/2024/02/22/yale-announces-new-test-flexible-admissions-policy

I'm going to this, and please by all means, make fun of me for being a hair excited about it!