Weekly Wisdom

Synopsis:
Importance of Reading. Articles about costs of college and student loans. Letters of recommendation from famous people. Activity sections on applications. Vocab words of the week. Hampshire College.

Introduction:
This week’s wisdom is about the importance of reading when it comes to standardized tests. We answer a question about getting letters of recommendation from influential people, and give tips about the activities section of the application. Our articles this week deal with finances, both in terms of costs of sending kids to school and student loans. Finally, we take a look at Hampshire College.

Weekly Wisdom

This week, we want to discuss the importance of reading. We see dozens of students on a weekly basis, and we see and hear progress reports from our tutors about dozens upon dozens more every day. One of the more consistent problems is the lack of understanding that our students have when it comes time to do the critical reading sections of the SAT, ACT, ISEE, you-name-it.
Now, we are mercenaries about these tests. We understand the techniques that best enable students to attack the problems presented and how to prepare them to do battle with the ETS, ERB, and ACT enemies. Leaving aside for a moment even the aesthetic and cultural rationales for reading, which are innumerable, let’s for a moment consider the narrowly focused goal of great scores on these standardized tests.
Goal #1: A decent vocabulary. Studying a vocabulary list, listening to vocabulary tapes, or looking at vocabulary flash cards does not ever take the place of a regular, disciplined reading regimen. Reading enables students to not only increase their working vocabulary, but to see and understand words in context. Too many of our students, for example, upon attempting a difficult logic question, will say to us, “I’m trying to rationalize the answer.” This sounds fine to them, given that the #1 dictionary definition of rationalize is “to think in a rational way”. However, as any neurotic will tell you, it is definition #3 (the one that students will not see when they study from a vocabulary list) that is the accepted usage of the word: “to devise self-satisfying but incorrect reasons for one’s behavior.”
Goal #2: A deeper understanding of what you read. Again, too many of our students will read three or four sentences of a critical reading passage, and come back to us with the question, “what was that about?” Through a good reading regimen (other than US Weekly, People, or Entertainment Weekly), teens are able to effectively read more difficult passages. It is only after they have mastered the rudimentary skills and understand the basics that they can start to eye the passages critically. How is someone ever supposed to answer the question, “How would the author of this passage respond to the following argument?” if they do not know what the author of the passage was talking about in the first place?
Goal #3: Back to the cultural and aesthetic reasons. Being a good reader helps students become good writers. As the SAT and ACT will soon include essay portions, writing for internet publication becomes more commonplace, and writing as a skill (hopefully) starts to become more valued, it is going to become more essential than ever that students communicate effectively in writing. Reading is the first step towards this goal. The pacing of sentences and paragraphs, creating tension by expanding a moment, collapsing time - these are things learned primarily through exposure.
The tests, at which we are expert, will soon demand this skill. Writing effective college essays will continue to demand it. And, eventually, success in the workplace and beyond will demand it. Reading often and effectively is the first step.
Starting soon, we are going to include links to a “recommended books” portion of our website where students and parents can go to see well-written books that have become popular with teens and links to places they can be purchased.

Upcoming Deadlines

• October 1st – last day to register for Nov 6th SAT & SAT II
• October 9th – SAT & SAT II !

Articles in the News

This week's articles have to do with some of the costs of financing a
child's education. A recent study claims that most states don't do enough
to make a college education affordable.

http://www.kypost.com/2004/09/15/report091504.html

Whether or not you should co-sign for a child's college loans is discussed at

http://www.detnews.com/2004/money/0409/27/b01-285245.htm

Ask The Experts

asktheexperts@thepreptalk.com

“Is it better to get letters of recommendation from people outside of school than from people inside of it? And what if I can get somebody really famous or influential to write me one?”

A: Well, the first part is an easy answer – usually the school will tell you on the application if they want the letters to come from a teacher, or just anybody who knows you. Often times, a school will ask for two letters from teachers, and then give you the opportunity to submit other letters from other people. These can be submitted, but do not overwhelm the admissions committee with ten letters of recommendation.
To answer the second part of the question - BE CAREFUL. Generally, letters from important people are impressive, but not if they are standard, generic letters. The person must actually know you and be able to say something about you as a person. A letter to USC Film School from Steven Spielberg is nice, to be sure, but not if his secretary wrote it in two minutes because her friend’s sister is your carpool driver’s mom. Be careful about trying to impress and ending up making yourself look foolish.

Application & Essay Tips

When you fill out your “activity list” on the applications, you will be filling in how many hours you do each activity per week. It’s not necessarily good, but if you exaggerate a little bit – so be it. But be careful! A lot of students will exaggerate to the point of impossibility! You can’t perform 175 hours per week of extracurricular and community service hours (24 * 7 = 168), so watch out! Keep your times true (or very close to true), and you will be fine.

Featured College

www.hampshire.edu

This week's college is Hampshire College in Amherst (the h is silent),
Massachusetts.
A small private college, with just over 1,200 undergraduates, Hampshire is
unique. Instead of a traditional major, students go through three
"Divisions" - Division 1 is a broadly-based combination of classes and
projects designed to impart a broad base of knowledge. Division 2 is more
focused in the student's chosen field of study, and Division 3 is generally
a major, personally-tailored project that marks the culmination of the
student's time at Hampshire.
This unusual arrangement, combined with a lack of grades and tests can make
for a somewhat disorienting situation. Some students don't enjoy the written
evaluations that substitute for grades, because they cite weaknesses as well
as strengths. But students who want grades can take courses at nearby
Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst and UMass - together the schools make up the
Massachusetts Five-College Consortium.
The social life at Hampshire is laid-back, with Amherst providing a
beautiful Western Massachusetts setting for recreation and relaxation. The
college is the site of two large events per year: Hampshire Halloween in
October and the Drag Ball in the spring. Although the college has a
well-deserved reputation for liberalism, the student body is diverse.
If you're interested in the freedom to choose your own education with
dedicated and caring professors in a unique assortment of unusual people,
Hampshire may be the place for you.

Vocab of The Week

Magnanimous: (adj) Courageously noble in mind and heart.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were asked why they gave the workmen who were customizing their New York apartment the day off. Mary-Kate responded, “I was feeling magnanimous. I also gave them my lunch.”

Vociferous: (adj) Making, given to, or marked by noisy and vehement outcry

Freddie Prinze, Jr. did not understand why Josh Hartnett kept on getting all of his movie roles, and pressed his agent vociferously for a reason.

Disparate: (adj) Fundamentally distinct or different in kind; entirely dissimilar

Though Siegfried and Roy came from disparate backgrounds, their shared love of animals brought them together.