Years ago, I started The Learning Consultants.  We were focused on tutoring and test prep. When we tutored, it became apparent that many parents also wanted “study skills” imparted. I also realized that motivation was even more important. Making boring school work engaging “School is so boring.”  I hear this all the time from our […]

Test Scores and Merit Aid For College If you are figuring out how to pay for college, you likely have been bombarded with challenging news.  Here’s some good news: you might have a weapon at your disposal: test scores. College admission season always brings wonderful news to The Learning Consultants.  Students we have worked with […]

During our first SAT class, I looked out the window.  I saw a new student, Jeff, pick up a Learning Consultants sign that had fallen on the ground outside our Old Saybrook office.  He put it back in place. He didn’t know anyone was watching. He simply did it because it was the right thing […]

When I started providing college counseling fifteen years ago, I would sometimes suggest “gap years.” Most of my Connecticut suburban clients in the land of steady habits nixed any further discussion. There was a middle uptick in interest in the late 2010s and then a significant increase in interest during the Covid years. Gap year […]

Most Connecticut teens are growing up in an environment of material abundance. They have little idea that your investments have been flat and that you are struggling to save enough for college. They remain rich in their world of videogames, I-phones, and social media. Much of your children’s “stuff” seemed to magically appear.  The best […]

Spring is approaching.  For most, this is great news. For parents of Connecticut juniors who have been urging their children to “start looking at colleges” and begin SAT (or ACT) prep, the time is NOW.  I am fully aware of the battles that parents have to make – and choose – with their teens. But […]

Imagine that your new job required you to become fluent in a new foreign language in 6 months. Someone might suggest: use DuoLingo. Have you ever used DuoLingo?  It’s great. Have you become fluent in a foreign language through DuoLingo?  Become proficient? Conversational? Or have you just learned a few words and perhaps enough to […]

“Is this really a big deal?” I answer this somewhat rhetorical question in our SAT-ACT Mastery Seminar when addressing the significance of the college process.  Yes. I explain and then relay that I was one of those semi-rebellious teens who did not automatically follow my parent’s directives. I needed to know “why”. “College” is a […]

“What happens when an entire generation does not grow up?”  This was the hyperbolic title of a recent article in the Wall Street Journal.  But there is some – perhaps a lot of truth – to the notion that failing to launch has become commonplace. “It’s up to Max.” So said two nice parents from […]

“A 95 GPA is too low for the colleges you are applying to… ” The mom of a student at a top public school in Shoreline, CT relayed her conversation from an off the record conversation she had with a friend who is a college admissions official. The parent had been counting on test-optional colleges […]

“My son is struggling…” Donna noted in almost hushed tones as if she was conveying a secret. I assured her that I hear variations of her story every day. My first book was on the subject. I might write a follow-up. Our work is focused on elevating students both psychologically (Motivation) and technically (study skills) […]

Since starting The Learning Consultants in 2002, I have preached that our work is not simply about helping students ace exams and get into college. We are helping our students develop work character. This crucial, often overlooked, aspect of education shapes a student’s future success far beyond the classroom, influencing their career trajectory and overall […]

Penny-wise and pound foolish. This goes through my mind a lot when providing college counseling or when discussing college counseling with parents in general. This is the “life-fork” in the road for their children. This is a “big-deal.” The transition to adulthood might be the most distinct predictor of young adulthood success beyond any measure. […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

Every year, I work with seniors who are scrambling either in the summer or the fall to raise their SAT scores. At that point, they know where they want to apply.  They realize that whatever nonsense they were told regarding the SAT’s lack of importance… was nonsense, at least for colleges that are of interest […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

The tests are the most fair part of the application. This seems to be an unpopular opinion to express until people are asked “which part of the process is fair?” The student’s race/ethnicity? The state from which the student applies? The legacy or VIP connection? A test certainly seems more fair. Athletics? Well, that’s contributing […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

“Yes. Despite what we say on tours and in our published material.” “A lot.” “For suburban Connecticut students like your base… huge.” These are the three off-the-record comments I received from friendly acquaintances and one relative in admissions offices. The follow-up elaboration: “We have a hard time deciphering grades.” “So many kids have A averages.” […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

A highly sophisticated high school student had studied Naviance findings at his school.  Naviance is a software program that can show which past students gained admission from past years of a particular school and the student’s GPA and test scores (if submitted.) He was a math guy and interested enough that he went through the […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

Kaylie and Samantha: To SAT or not…. Kaylie and Samantha were two of my students (none of the names I use are ever student real names) from the 2022 cycle.  They had nearly identical PSAT scores (1100 and 1120)and attended the same Shoreline high school.   They both were delighted to hear about SAT optionality.   Kaylie […]

The Advantages of Using the SAT for College Admissions For decades, the SAT has been a cornerstone of college admissions in the United States, helping students showcase their academic abilities to institutions nationwide. Despite recent debates about standardized testing, the SAT remains a powerful tool for students aiming to stand out in the competitive college […]

A while ago, I started a subsidiary: College Counseling Connecticut.  Then college counseling became such a core pat of The Learning Consultants that I blended the two companies.  The former allowed for deep research into how to help students gain admission. This facet has remained a core component of our help. See the latest edition […]

Malcolm Gladwell: Small Area Variation– Your Environment Matters Enormously I’m reading Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book: Revenge of the Tipping Point.  He discusses small area variation: how the environment dramatically influences people.  Doctors in Buffalo will follow medical procedures that are different from the medical procedures followed by those in Boulder. (If curious, Canada influences Buffalo). Gladwell […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

AI is coming…! This is no hype.  I’m not sure how I feel about its implications.  But I have always embraced new technology for its (1) potential to do good and (2) its inevitability. Regarding the former, I know….. Everyone who has seen countless sci-fi. movies regarding the perils of AI “come alive” will point […]

The work world is not kind to 18-22 year olds. Unless they have a distinct plan. Which most don’t. Despite my work, I have never been a college-only advocate. Years before it became fashionable to suggest the trades or the military or other alternatives to college, I would suggest these paths to parents who found […]

Here’s the good news: Doing well on the SAT can only help gain admission and earn scholarship money. Doing poorly… doesn’t hurt that much for many colleges.  There might be a presumption that the student didn’t do well.  Grades will be scrutinized, which is a problem in the era of grade inflation. But a poor […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

Perfectionism can be both a gift and a burden. While the drive to excel often pushes people to achieve, it can also paralyze them, leading to procrastination, self-doubt, and fear of failure. For one young woman I worked with, this inner struggle made every step of her academic and professional journey more challenging than it […]

A Rocky Start in High School I first met Max when he was in high school in Old Lyme, Connecticut. A bright student with potential, Max’s main obstacle was his lack of discipline. Poor study habits and a general disinterest in structured learning left him floundering academically. Recognizing his need for support, Max’s parents enrolled […]

A big box arrived.  It was not from Amazon but instead was perfectly gift-wrapped with a literal bow on top.  The note read: “Lifetime Achievement Award.”  The box was filled with goodies that only someone who knew my idiosyncratic preferences would know. It was from Liz’s kind parents. I feel young. Really young.  But when […]

The 1990s/2000s seemed a lot easier than today’s world.  Since becoming an educational consultant, I have witnessed the toll that mass confusion has taken on caring parents. As the world of education and work grows increasingly chaotic, many parents of high school students are feeling overwhelmed. Traditional paths that once guaranteed stability—such as pursuing a […]

Sarah, a bright, ambitious high school senior who felt stuck when it came to choosing a college major. She excelled in many areas—her teachers praised her for her leadership skills, her friends admired her creativity, and her family noted her love for helping others. But when it came time to narrow her career options, Sarah […]

“Doug no longer just moved up a whole grade level across the board.” “Jenny finally understands Algebra II.” “Maddie went up 220 points after working with you for 6 weeks and only 40 points after working on a Kaplan program for about 6 months.” These are excerpts from some of this week’s e-mails. Why does […]

In this case, I am not focused on reputation but rather location. When we first meet students for college counseling, I understandably field the desire for warmer weather coming from Connecticut students.  I get it. All things being equal, I, too, would choose warm weather.  But as I sometimes say – half-kiddingly – I would […]

“I hate math!” So said Maria, a bright 7th grader who flourished in reading and writing but in her words “felt stupid” in math. Maria – like many students – had not been grounded in the fundamentals. When she started working with The Learning Consultants, she had aspirations to attend either Choate or Hopkins, as […]

Over the years, The Learning Consultants, without any strategic decision to do so, became what might be the largest provider of SSAT services in Connecticut.  At one level, this makes sense.  The Learning Consultants has staffed itself with top-notch educators and parents considering the investment in private schools will find the best.  At another level, […]

Every generation looks with dismay at the next one.  I’ve made it a point not to fall into the same trap.  I am often the great defender of the young. But now the facts seem undeniable: young people are in crisis. They are not as happy and not as successful. The reasons are multifaceted, although […]

“Young adults in the United States experience anxiety and depression twice as frequently as teenagers, according to a new nationally representative survey by Making Caring Common, a project of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Thirty-six percent of young adults — ages 18 to 25 — reported anxiety, compared with 18 percent of younger teenagers […]

“Andrew just likes to meet with you.”  Allison, a mom from Old Lyme noted as she was explained as he had already finished high school but he wanted to meet before college started.  “He just wants to discuss a few things with you.  He’s probably nervous about moving away but feels weird talking to us […]

I have been preaching the benefits of career education for high school students for over a decade. High schools do not provide career exploration. Colleges – surprise – do very little other than offer classes in majors that could lead to careers. After the financial restructuring of last decade our career counseling services grew (and […]

If you are heading into senior year, you might not know where you will apply (we can help) or if you will take your SATs again (we can help) but… you do know that you will apply to college and, if you are, you will need to write a college essay. Here, we can help […]

Parents of soon to be high school juniors…. Junior year is brutal.  It is easily the most busy year of high school. In addition to the hardest classes and grades that really matter, the whole college process takes on a life of its own. Whatever you have heard about the optionality of the SAT, I […]

There are two programs: (1) small seminar and (2) individual coaching. And, in reality, a third since many – such as your friend – did both. The benefits of each: The small seminar is quite small so there is a lot of individual attention. It is also easily the most cost-effective way to start. If […]

Much like many, I would spend every last dollar on my children. This wonderful tendency has a cost. A big one. The retirement crisis – I prefer “financial freedom” – is real and getting bigger. To be clear, when I speak of children being financially independent that does not necessarily mean that they do not […]

Yes – hard to believe – but your child who was allowed to ride her bike past the neighborhood just a couple of years ago is embarking on her college journey. Most feel overwhelmed when they start too late in Junior year. Most feel under control when starting before Junior year. While I work with […]

“There is no more availability in Connecticut”.  I had just received the third message from a frantic parent. Having to drive to Rhode Island or Massachusetts before an SAT is no fun, particularly for a senior who had Boston College as his Early Decision hope and needed a higher SAT score in August (maybe October) […]

As summer begins, embrace the fact that we are heading back to normalcy… post Covid. This means that summer enrichment – a good thing, certainly better than video-game playing/Tik-tok watching – will include SAT Prep for those who are college bound. We work with students individually and in class format. Despite optionality at many colleges, […]

https://www.tutoringandtestmastery.com/test-prep-classes/test-prep-classes-shoreline-ct/  Test Prep Classes – Shoreline, CT. – The Learning Consultants The Learning Consultants is an elite tutoring and test prep service that offers the very best SAT and ACT prep classes in Connecticut. www.tutoringandtestmastery.com SAT Mastery Seminar Summer Class: July 13-August 10 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We […]

Those who know me view me as an incurable optimist and positive thinker. For me to sound an alarm… well… there really is a fire. I started noticing pre-Covid.  Students simply did not seem as well educated as in the past.  Our teaching staff at The Learning Consultants noticed as well. I am always mindful […]

My college counseling work has evolved since Covid. Parents in our area – the Connecticut shoreline and Fairfield County – are usually well educated.  So when I started college counseling in the 2000s, my work was often focused on guiding the student through the college counseling process, a reasonable amount of which the parents understood.  […]

Is your child a high school junior? What else can be done at this date to change your child’s chance of admission and your chance of securing merit aid? Do well on finals. “Deepen” your activities through leadership. Increase SATs. For most, that’s it. Yes, many schools are test-optional.  But I speak to college admissions […]

AI Generated Writing All Sounds the Same  Even the best AI writing tools are programmed by people other than you.  What’s more, AI-generated writing all sounds pretty much the same.  It can’t possibly reflect your unique voice.  No matter how “good” a piece of AI writing might be, it won’t help you stand out from […]

“Are they training to become professional athletes?” My European friend – who spends his summers in Old Saybrook – asked with genuine curiosity. We were discussing some of his other Shoreline, CT friends.  He was perplexed. “They spend their weekends driving to other states.  They must spend a fortune.” “I love sports. But he was […]

Our school systems are in trouble.  Deep trouble. The reasons are structural: the academic subjects – “why do we have to learn this?” – are increasingly anachronistic. This is from someone who enjoyed school and has enjoyed working with students to help them do better in school. the classroom structure – “I’m so bored” – […]

“College” as the predominant means for upward mobility and good life is having a bad moment.  Some part is fully deserved: the cost is out of control.  Other parts related to politics are really just same-same historically (take a look at the 60s -70s, related to Viet Nam and Civil Rights, the 80s related to […]

“They just want me to do my best.” I asked Ted, a sophomore at Valley Regional High School in Essex about his parents’ reaction to his mediocre grades. In the “old days” – which are not too distant, perhaps 20 years ago – parents pushed their children to excel. The backlash has been so fierce […]

Lack of college readiness I am an optimist, a positive thinker, and the furthest thing from an alarmist. But… I see something that reminds me of what I saw when I wrote my first book: Motivate Your Son. At the time – 2012 – I pointed out that teen boy lack of motivation was an […]

The first meeting is the big college kick-off(1) Intake regarding the student’s college desires as well as discussion regarding which factors typically matter to students. Here, many students do not really know how they would feel about factors such as the size and location of the school. I walk through the common factors that matter to students (location […]

We have a friend who works at UCLA.  She has a friend who works in admissions.  UCLA had nearly 150,000 applicants.   “Iny mini mini moe”.  That’s the unofficial response an admissions decision maker told our friend regarding how they choose who gets admitted. This DOES NOT HELP those from Connecticut, Dartmouth’s recent decision to bring […]

E-mail to learn more or to guided to register SAT Mastery Seminar – Saturdays, Jan, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17 (make-up class), 24, March 2, and  Sunday March 3 (Make-up class) Virtual 9-10:30 am – see Zoom link below In-person 10:30-12 noon, 121 Main Street, Third Floor, Old Saybrook – see location details below Maximum flexibility – […]

SAT Mastery Seminar – Saturdays, Jan, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17 (make-up class), 24, March 2, and  Sunday March 3 (Make-up class) Virtual 9-10:30 am  Students can attend either the virtual or in person class on any given weekend. Here’s the online link for registration: $395 https://www.tutoringandtestmastery.com/payments/   Payments – The Learning Consultants www.tutoringandtestmastery.com

For those of you who saw the recent NY Times article on The Misguided War on the SAT, you know…. Yes, the SAT does still matter and will matter even more as colleges come to grips with the fact that grade inflation has made the only other objective (or at least numerical) criteria for college admissions […]

Math has become more important than ever in relation to business and STEM fields. The world job market now mandates that we consider how our students are performing compared to students in all nations. Shoreline, Connecticut students, once among the strongest math students are floundering. I noticed the downward cycle even pre-Covid. Post Covid – […]

Test Prep Classes The big news: the SAT is now digital. Now to handle the confusing news: how much do the SATs matter? Less than before. But still a reasonable amount, particularly for any “typical” suburban kid from Shoreline, CT.Those from Old Lyme, East Lyme, Essex, Old Saybrook, Madison, Guilford, and other shoreline towns in […]

Julie Jargon has written a series of extraordinary articles on the challenges that are facing boys.  I have been working with tweens/teens/young men for the last 20 years.  My work in this area became more “national” – than simply Connecticut based – after my book on motivating boys came out in 2012. Ms. Jargon is […]

The Myth of the Unemployed College Grad The Atlantic article captures what I have told clients recently when their unmotivated child – usually boy – seems like a questionable bet for child. I understand the reluctance.  Shelling out a hundred thousand plus for the teen who seems more focused on video games and Tik-tok does not […]

In working with students through the year in our Shoreline, CT community, I know with certainty that math classes cause more concern than all others combined. Seeking help in math is not just about improving grades; it has broader implications for cognitive development, problem-solving skills, and future career opportunities. This article explores why getting help […]

Stress has increased in teens I recall walking into our Old Saybrook, CT or Madison, CT offices in the mid 2000s for our SAT classes. Joyful pandemonium.  Not because of SAT prep but because a bunch of teens were together without parental supervision.  Students from Shoreline, CT would meet each other or they would see […]

The Age of Constant Disruption The above link provides an easy to view sense of some of the issues that matter for parents who are trying to guide their children. Adapting Parental Guidance for the Evolving World of Work In an era where the landscape of work is rapidly changing, parents guiding their children towards […]

Of late, I have been working with an increasing number of former students in relation to career choice. We focus on this issue through our subsidiary Career Counseling Connecticut But happy to help all parents of students, particularly those who came to The Learning Consultants during their high school years. Over time, my mission has […]

I wrote Motivate Your Son in 2012.  I saw…. something… I did not want to sound alarmist but I was observing what I thought was a macro crisis: boys were floundering. My boy student-clients, mostly from the leafy suburbs of Madison and Guilford, at the time, were not thriving. I wondered how this would play out […]

James, a junior at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, thought he was not good at math.  So he didn’t try hard and since math has distinct answers, he often felt “stupid” (his word) when in math class. As I started working with James, I realized that he was not natively terrible in math.  He just never […]

“I get distracted.”  Chris, a sophomore at Valley Regional High School in Deep River,CT noted, as an explanation for why he “couldn’t study”. Chris’s mom had been an excellent student.  She did not understand that Chris’s natural way of studying was far different than hers.  Much like why great athletes are often not great coaches, […]

I spend some time working at The Brookings, the nation’s most well-known think tank.  As far as I could tell, the scholars working there were exceptional researchers who rarely spoke in hyperbole.  Their recent study, therefore, is particularly sobering. About a decade ago, I wrote Motivate Your Son.  I described the paths that I saw young […]

My youngest daughter wanted to become a teacher since she was age 5.  She headed to college believing that was her path.  During her senior year, she interned with the best teacher that I know – Jennifer Brodeur – from Old Saybrook.  She was also a natural.  She loves babysitting and teaches swim lessons.   I […]

Imagine you were a parent at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Explaining the practical world to your children would be a big problem.  Your world was changing and about to change in unprecedented ways.  How could you guide them?  You only knew about farming or other pre-Industrial occupations and pathways to financial independence. We […]

We live in a relative bubble.  The Connecticut coast is mostly filled with upper-middle-class and affluent families.  Most came of age when upward mobility was common.  Most probably have done as well or better or at least pretty close to as well as their parents.   Most have not witnessed first hand downward mobility.  Downward mobility […]

Through the years of giving presentations to students along Shoreline, Connecticut, I often ask: “When do you become an adult in America?” “18” a few mumble. I then ask if they’ll still be living at home at 18 and continue with the obvious point that not much will really change in their lives on when […]

Throughout history, the normal transition to adulthood went something like this: Boys become men by becoming soldiers or starting full-time farming or manual labor or, if lucky, taking a bigger role in a family of merchants. Girls become women by marrying some older guy that they barely knew. What if you took a time machine […]

If you have a high school junior, the PSAT is coming up. A new test…. with new strategies. Contact us to learn more.

“I realized he thinks I’m stupid.” Joe, a sophomore from Old Lyme, CT said.  He had received a poor report card in 10th grade.  His Dad, following the current version of the good parent playbook, said “as long as you did your best.”  His Dad is a nice guy. Indeed, I probably would say the […]

Malcolm Gladwell’s books are great: The Tipping Point and Blink, put him on the map.   But The Outliers, is my favorite, particularly because he addresses the issue of education.   Post-pandemic, his advice matters more than ever since I can report anecdotally what all new research is confirming: our children’s education has been devastated since 2020. […]

Sign up The Digital PSAT/SAT is a game changer. Let’s hope your children will be ahead of the game!

“That was the best summer job ever!”  That may be the most common remark from parents… and some students… in relation to attending our Summer SAT Prep class. I routinely comment to Shoreline, CT Parents.  I have some good news, some bad news, and some good news whenever the subject of paying for college arises. […]

Summer is ideal for PSAT and SAT Prep. The test is going digital for those who will be juniors next year. As such, your children have an enormous opportunity to be on top of the new format. Here’s why this matters: I have been working with international students who had to take the digital test.  […]

The New SAT is here.  And while we have worked with several iterations of the SAT, most were not that different. This time… the changes really are different. Most significantly, the test will now be on a computer. This matters.  A lot. There will be certain strategies related to “computer adaptive testing” that only those […]

Summer is an optimal time for PSAT and SAT Training. Our summer course will be geared towards the new digital test. The SAT is a weapon in your college admissions arsenal.  Indeed, as I have described elsewhere, given grade inflation and demographic issues that hinder admissions chances for students from excellent Connecticut high schools, the […]

What did you do all weekend? I spent much of the last 4 days doing every College Board Digital SAT.  Or I should I say that I spent the time reviewing the more challenging parts of the test as I had already did a once through on the officially released tests. Good news: the test […]

In working with students the past 20 years, I have seen the gradual deterioration of the mental health of students.  It is not uncommon for a student to mention their psychological diagnosis during a tutoring session or for a parent to call with a description of the psychological challenges faced by their child. “Out of […]

We have been vigorously working with families throughout the Shoreline and Fairfield County in relation to college counseling. High school juniors – now is the time to dig in.  We can help. You’re at a critical point in your academic journey. The spring of junior year is an important time to start thinking about your […]

I’m not from Connecticut.  And I did not grow up near a beach. I note because those who are from Connecticut and grew up on the Shoreline or in Fairfield County may take the greatness of each for granted. Your kids are very lucky to have grown up in such an idyllic setting.  I note […]

While I’m sure as a caring person who worries about all those who struggle, I also know that all parents worry most – and should – about their own children. Nonetheless, if you care to do so, google “academic challenges for boys” or even scarier, “employment for young men” or perhaps scariest “men dropping out […]

If you have a son who needs greater motivation, you have found the right place to help him. There are few resources designed for the unusual area of motivation.  Our expertise is relatively unique.  Therapists help teen boys with mental illness.  This is highly needed. Those with diagnosable depression and severe anxiety should get professional […]

I have spent the last few weeks immersed in the digital SAT. Good news – it’s easier.  Way easier! Way shorter! Way more user-friendly! I was stunned as I was going through the math.  Is this really an SAT question? I was also perplexed by the “reading and writing” section in that there are no […]

For someone my age, I embrace technology.  Indeed, I’m an optimist by nature and, while recognizing the dangers of AI, I am also eager to use its possibilities to help others. Strangely enough, one of my first quotes in national media was “Human energy is irreplaceable.” I made the comment in relation to what was […]

Through the years of working with students along Connecticut’s shoreline, I have become known for test prep work.  This led to an enormous number of clients who I -and the great team of The Learning Consultants – have helped prepare for high stakes exams.  In high school, nothing is more high stakes than finals.  Given […]

A decade ago, I wrote Motivate Your Son.  At the time, I wrote it based on what I was observing.  The Learning Consultants worked with an equal number of boys and girls.  But in our Student Mastery program – designed to train students on how to be good students – “motivation”, as opposed to study skills […]

The Learning Consultants has been working with students throughout Connecticut since 2002. We have witnessed general declines in education but parents who were concerned about education would supplement their children’s education to catch-up. The pandemic, however, has created the most dramatic effects we have ever seen, particularly in math. Loss of Learning: The pandemic has […]

Yes, the SAT is optional for admission at many colleges. But yes, it still matters.  And for some of you, it will matter a lot. The SAT is a wonderful weapon in your arsenal for  pretty much any student from the Connecticut suburbs Admission and merit aid are the two areas where the SATs will […]

SAT Mastery Seminar – In Person: $595 Saturdays, January 21-March 4 9am-12 noon–  Virtual SAT Mastery Seminar: $395 Sundays, January 22-March 5 9:30-11 am. To register: https://www.tutoringandtestmastery.com/test-prep-classes/test-prep-classes-shoreline-ct/ Test Prep Classes – Shoreline, CT. – The Learning Consultants Super flexibility: We are happy to discuss your unique child, contact 860 510-0410 or e-mail dcapuano@learningconsultantsgroup.com Every student […]

Parents understandably wonder if I work with: (1) those who have not gone to college or (2) started but stopped college and are (2a) either unsure whether they will return to college or (2b) know they will not go back to college or (2c) would go back to college or further non-traditional training but only after sorting out […]

Inside the new middle school math crisis The Pandemic is over…. I think! I have seen first hand the education disaster that has unfolded during the pandemic. There are plenty of students who have been affected but no where more than in math education. Most of the students that our team has worked with during […]

Shoreline, CT residents: SAT Mastery Seminar – In Person: $595 – Old Saybrook Saturdays, January 21-March 4 9am-12 noon–  Virtual SAT Mastery Seminar: $395 Sundays, January 22-March 5 9:30-11 am. To register:  https://www.tutoringandtestmastery.com/test-prep-classes/test-prep-classes-shoreline-ct/ Test Prep Classes – Shoreline, CT. – The Learning Consultants Super flexibility: We are happy to discuss your unique child, contact 860 […]

I have been running The Learning Consultants since the start of the century.  Most of my work has been with Connecticut families along the Shoreline and increasingly with those in Fairfield County.  During the 2000s, my work consisted primarily of helping students get ready for college.  Academic tutoring (our Student Mastery program), test prep (our […]

The Learning Consultants has been helping children deal with their emotional well being for many years. Early on, I wrote that our mission was “to help children reach their potential.”  I left out “academic” potential purposely.  I would elaborate that I wanted to help our children-clients reach their human potential.  If pressed further, I would […]

As we have been immersed in college counseling the last few years, we have also been immersed in helping students transfer colleges.  Several factors have radically increased the desire for freshman (and some sophomores) to either transfer or explore transferring. 1.) The Pandemic There is the obvious tangible reason.  Families made college choices without engaging […]

“We are not really being taught,”  Alexa began.  The teacher shows us videos.  We are supposed to learn on our own and then work together in class.  The teacher is supposed to answer questions but we now all think that she doesn’t really know the subject.” Twenty years ago, when I started The Learning Consultants, […]

I wrote Motive Your Son a decade ago.  I had created The Learning Consultants and its Student Mastery Program with the goal of training students in our Shoreline, CT area on how to be good students.  I soon discovered that a disproportionate amount of motivational work within the Student Mastery framework was with boys.  To be clear, […]

The Boy Problem If you are a parent of a teen boy, you know or are likely learning that boys are underachieving at an alarming rate.  There are factors that cannot be controlled: while there is a mismatch of our education system with all students, the mismatch seems particularly high for boys.  There are factors […]

Richard Reeves, from The Brookings Institute, a think tank where I had a brief stint, has written a seminal work Of Boys and Men. Some nuggets from his book: If you are a parent of a boy… They are struggling in the classroom. American girls are 14 percentage points more likely to be “school ready” than […]

“I am writing my college essay in English class.”  So said another student we were working with for college counseling.  Most English teachers do not know the difference between a well written essay for English class and an effective college admissions essay. (With the notable exception of Jennifer Burke, the amazing English teacher at Lyme-Old […]

Luke is a 6th year senior at UCONN.  He has switched colleges twice and majors three times.  His situation is not that much of an outlier.  Every day, our college counseling calls include college transfer calls and quite often those calls relate to college major/career interests. 15 years ago, The Learning Consultants built its career counseling […]

“Joey plays video games way too much.”  Joey’s mom started her call.  This was a few years ago. That’s a normal parent lament.  The context made it a problem.  Joey had graduated Daniel Hand High School in Madison and was now at UConn.  That he was playing video games too much and often with his […]

I do not automatically suggest college as the only post high school alternative. I was recently meeting with a family from Essex, Connecticut and extolling the virtues of exploring the trades (plumbing in particular) and the military for their son who had straight Ds in high school.  So to be clear, I am not someone […]

The anxiety epidemic is real. I have been working with students in the Shoreline region of Connecticut for twenty years.  Our clients live in the leafy suburbs of Guilford, Madison, Old Saybrook, Essex, Old Lyme, East Lyme and other nearby towns. I know this overall changing student population of high school students in Southeastern, CT […]

If you haven’t noticed, I’ll play Captain Obvious and declare a crisis related to the mental health of teens.   When I started this work a couple decades ago, the percentage of students with anxiety and depression was slim.  Now, it’s common.  That’s anecdotal. Here are some facts. The pandemic exasperated all the challenges that […]

Sign up now. We have been immersed in college counseling over the last two years. Yes… we advise some student that spending energy on the SAT won’t matter.  But usually, these are students who are not applying to particularly competitive colleges or know for certain that they are well within the admissions range of colleges […]

In my college counseling work, I’ve been working with an increasing number of students transferring college.  Certainly, not thriving academically or knowing what they will do for a major are issues but the biggest issue is social anxiety or lack of social success.  Simply put, those who are thriving socially rarely transfer, even if struggling […]

Last year, Dana called with the voice that I know so well: a caring mom who had tried for many years to inspire her son to work harder. Dan a student in East Lyme, CT,  had never been particularly motivated but the pandemic brought his academic energy to a new low. Getting him to attend […]

I wrote Motivate Your Son in 2012.  Based on my Student Mastery (student training) and college counseling work, I noticed that girls were outperforming boys in school and far more invested in the college process than boys.  Research proved my anecdotal evidence correct. My normally upbeat way of being did not prevent me from sounding […]

I have some sense of optimism regarding the return of normalcy or at least post-pandemic normalcy. Given my work related to both teaching and counseling students in Connecticut, I have noticed in the last few years a profound need for more educational counseling.  The epidemics of anxiety and depression and various subcategories of each have […]

Single Men My first book was Motivate Your Son. I was surprised by its commercial success.  I was surprised by how many people from all over the country bought the book.  I was stunned when those from other English speaking countries tracked me down.  I thought it was a book to help those in Shoreline Connecticut and […]

Hope brings its friends optimism, happiness, and excitement. Having worked with teens/young adults in Shoreline, CT for 20 years, I wish that I could bring back the amount of hope that I saw when I first started. Hope derives from the thought that something better lies ahead. Back in the not too distant past… most […]

The stakes for choosing a college major have never been higher. I do not like the view that 18 year olds should already be immersed in career planning. But there are many other things about the world that I don’t like either. We have to deal with “what is”. And, the New World of Work, […]

Years ago, I had a fellowship to work at The Brookings Institute, long considered America’s top think tank.  At the end of the fellowship, I told my wonderful Brookings Scholar (as they were called) that I thought the mission of think tanks was great “generate ground breaking ideas through sophisticated research”, I wanted to be […]

Unstructured time. That’s when greatness is built for those who are self-motivated. That’s when gaps occur between those who are self-motivated and those that are not. And… most teens in suburban Connecticut are not self-motivated! The pandemic created an enormous amount of unstructured time. There will be education gaps.  Make sure your child is on […]

Aleutians from Alaska (more commonly referred to as Eskimos) do not need to do as well on the SATs as do white students from Connecticut.   Coming from an impoverished area will also be advantageous compared to a wealthy one also gives an admissions advantage. So how are those who do not have an ethnic or […]

I was at Pizza Works in Old Saybrook and felt someone tap me on the shoulder.  It was the mother of two past SAT students from Lyme-Old Lyme High school.  “My children still talk about you and the class.”  I knew she was not referring to my teachings of the intricacies of SAT test-taking strategies. […]

In working with teens through the years, I have deep anecdotal evidence that their social skills have been declining at a rapid rate.  The pandemic merely accelerated but did not create the decline. We are facing an epidemic of anxiety and depression in teens.  Given my work, I’ve researched and considered the issue extensively.  I’m […]

After I wrote Motivate Your Son, I was contacted by parents of children of all ages and genders and became an expert in academic motivation due to the sheer volume of clients who needed help motivating their children. Covid has not created a motivational problem but it has accelerated the challenge. Our expertise in motivating students […]

While our company tutors students of all ages, I primarily work with high school students in the Shoreline, CT area.  In doing so, I often uncover gaps in learning.  This has always been the case but during the last two years I have observed massive deficits in abilities, particularly math. The “normalcy” of post-pandemic life […]

Do you know of Gen-Z and millennials who have become digital nomads? That term means that they work remotely and thus can live anywhere. This is a fascinating development in the history of work.  It certainly will be wonderful for those who can pull it off. But let me provide a huge warning to Connecticut […]

Malcolm Gladwell is an unusually sagacious writer.  All his books are great.  The Outliers, addresses the issue of education.   I’ll let Gladwell provide the detail.  But, there are two theses that are important for Connecticut parents. Post pandemic, his advice matters more than ever. (1) When reviewing the variety of factors that led to student success, the […]

I’m an ethnic kid from NJ public schools.  So I’m hardly elitist. Given that approximately 40 million Americans had their jobs disrupted (laid off permanently or temporarily) during the pandemic, the fact that not a single one of my close friends lost their job is statistically highly unlikely. But there is a cringe-worthy elitist explanation: […]

I recently saw Mary, a mother of four, whose children went to a combination of Xavier and Mercy.   “Thank you for helping my children become financially independent!” It was a curious thing to say to those who were listening.  But I knew what she meant. The percentage of young adults transitioning to financial independence […]

“My children have not learned much these past couple of years.”  Denise, a mother of 4 from East Lyme, CT noted. Denise is a college professor of education.  She has an expert’s sense of the growing debacle. “But they all had good-excellent grades.” Denise continued as we collectively noted that grade inflation – a big […]

The Learning Consultants trains students in all areas. Unquestionably, we work with students in math more than other areas. And, while we value math deeply, we also know that reading, writing, and speaking are equally important. That’s why I found the article – by an M.I.T. (greatest math school in the world!) professor – particularly […]

“Kaitlyn is a typical suburban kid from Madison…. she needs good scores….” So said a parent who works in college admissions about her daughter who attends Daniel Hand High School in Madison, CT. How can I put this delicately…?  Test-optional does not help typical suburban kids from Madison, CT.  Unrelated to Covid, the policy was […]

The mission of the Learning Consultants has been to help our clients – parents (mostly of teens) help their children reach their potential. The physical effects of the Pandemic were the understandable focus.  Covid attacked the body.  Those who suffered the most were older. The psychological effects of the Pandemic were less observable.  Covid did […]

The Learning Consultants has always differentiated itself among educational service providers, particularly tutoring and test prep organizations, by viewing our student-clients in the full context of young people who we want to help make the most of their “human” potential, not just academic potential. The epidemic of anxiety and depression among high school students is […]

“Thank you.  We were stuck in analysis paralysis.” Lydia, a mom from Guilford, Connecticut noted after we sorted out which college of the three finalists it made the most sense for her daughter to attend.  In the same week, Emily, whose child was debating between attending Guilford High School and The Hopkins School for high […]

The mission of the Learning Consultants has been to help our clients – parents (mostly of teens) help their children reach their potential. The physical effects of the Pandemic were the understandable focus.  Covid attacked the body.  Those who suffered the most were older. The psychological effects of the Pandemic were less observable.  Covid did […]

Here’s the reality of the pandemic: The actual education from most schools was dismal. A quick Google search will reveal what I have seen anecdotally: our students -even in the leafy suburbs or Connecticut’s Fairfield and Shoreline Counties – did not learn that much. We have been working with many far-sighted parents who understand the […]

There are few points in life as dramatic as moving away from home. For that single reason, the college decision is momentous. But there is more.  For many parents, the investment is the single largest expenditure of their lives, outside of their house and if they have multiple children, often including their course. For students…. […]

➢ Is your child struggling to engage with academics as a result of learning during Covid? ➢ Have academic habits slipped? ➢ Have you noticed a change in your child’s mood? Please join Jean Card, TLC’s Director of Student Mastery, for an informative parent session geared to help you gain insight on the impact of […]

Our SAT Mastery Seminars are back in person (and virtual!) This is the class that has trained students in the SAT and, in many cases, motivated them to be inspired for the college process.  On that front, we are immersed in college counseling and happy to engage on that front as well.  Covid has certainly […]

I’m in the early stages of writing a follow up to my first book Motivate Your Son.  My recent discussions on the subject with parents of young adult men in their twenties almost always includes the following: What had been considered “normal-expected” in terms of young male progression is now a victory.  When I wrote Motivate Your Son, […]

Leigh had the exasperated voice that I know so well: a caring mom who had tried for many years to inspire her son to work harder. Andrew, a student at Daniel Hand High School in Madison, CT,  had never been particularly motivated but the pandemic brought his academic energy to a new low. Getting him […]

Motivate Your Son The High School to College (or not) to Career Program We have formalized our process that has led to the success of thousands of teen boys through the years of running The Learning Consultants.   We have done so because we are now working as much with students across the country – […]

There are some preliminary studies confirming a plethora of anecdotal accounts that our children’s educational gaps due to the pandemic are serious. During the fall, I taught SAT classes in our Old Saybrook office and virtually to high school students across Connecticut.  I saw the gaps immediately.  Numerous students said “we didn’t really learn much […]

Approximately 60% of college students are women.  Delighted for the success of women.  But it also confirms the thesis of my book: boys are underachieving at a dizzying rate.  Anecdotally, I noticed the problem in my SAT classes.  I started teaching test prep in Guilford, CT in 2002.  Our classes would fill the big back […]

There is a hard truth about life: going through challenges – successfully – elevates us. We all wish we did not have the challenge and could just get elevated. But that is not how life generally works.    Years ago, I worked with a member of one of America’s wealthiest and most prominent families.  He […]

Do we have a mental health emergency among today’s youth?  The Surgeon General just said so.  And, this is one of those rare areas that is not a partisan issue. A few years ago, I saw one of my college classmates who lives in a different part of Connecticut last year around this time.  His […]

US News & World Report, the arbiter of all rankings(!), released a report on the best states.  Connecticut came in 4th for education.  But for towns along Shoreline-Southeastern, CT as well as Fairfield County Connecticut, Connecticut is really number 1 for education.  Our suburban population’s statistics are disproportionately affected by Connecticut’s cities which, unfortunately, are […]

Due to Covid, you have been around your teen far more than most parents have been with their teens in the past. This is either a very good or very bad thing!  Or both. One thing I know for sure: college planning has been limited.  Something about a global pandemic that prevents people from planning […]

Living on the Connecticut shoreline, particularly in a small town like Old Saybrook, leads to running into former students frequently. One of the more common comments from past students has been that they used the framework of growth from our SAT class and applied it elsewhere.  Recently, Liam, an old student from neighboring Old Lyme, […]

Northeastern snobbery alert… We live in a “smart” state. College admissions are national. The SAT is a national test. Why would students in a state that is normally in the top 5 in every educational measure – with our leafy Connecticut suburbs being dragged down by our underperforming cities – not want a national test? […]

With PSAT results coming in, it is time to raise test scores When PSAT results arrive this week for Connecticut high school juniors, college kick-off season has begun. Why? Because as a recent parent of a student from Guilford High School said: “it just got real.” As much as you parents discuss college with their […]

Even things that are not fun seem far better if “normalcy” is coming post-Covid. It turns out that “not-striving” is not good for mental health.  Those in their teens do best when striving and building. Today, the PSATs came back for Connecticut students and parents are contacting The Learning Consultants related to test prep. The […]

Covid has created massive learning gaps. Despite what seems to be collective misgivings about what is taught in school, there is no doubt that the fundamentals (the three Rs reading, writing. aRithmetic) do matter. Perhaps the biggest misconceptions propagated by those who do not understand the SAT (or ACT) is that the test can be […]

Anxiety has become epidemic.  Even pre-Covid, the number of students (and parents) with diagnosed anxiety had sky-rocketed. The pandemic did not create but merely exacerbated the anxiety trend. Having worked with Connecticut high school students for the past 2o years, I have noticed a significant uptick in the number of students with anxiety related to […]

“Planning for college” has been among the many victims of Covid.  Fear causes paralysis about the future. But college is the next step for most high school students.  And, talking to their parents (or, sad to say, their high school teachers/guidance counselors) rarely gets them excited. Our SAT class does.  Seriously! Among the reasons our […]

There are plenty of people that have had wildly successful careers without attending prestigious colleges.   They did so despite not because of the college they attended.  My high school best buddy attended Morris County College in NJ for a year because his father would not pay for college until he proved himself.  My friend hated being […]

“Do these kids think they will be professional athletes?” This was a serious question from a European educator who was visiting The Learning Consultants and shocked at how much time and energy parents had invested in training for sports.  No.  But many believe that their children will get college scholarships for sports. Small town Connecticut […]

I wrote Motivate Your Son in 2012.  The principles are timeless but I certainly did not anticipate the effect of Covid and how much social media would devastate the psychology of teen boys (and girls, but that will be a different post).  This is a problem that could have lasting effects well beyond the early post-Pandemic years. […]

As one college admissions official directly told me:  the SATs are the only way that we can compare a vast number of our applicants. He elaborated: we have a hard time telling the difference between grading systems at different high schools and parents vastly overestimate how much going to a “good” high school matters.  For […]

Of late, I have been immersed in college counseling. I am asked questions related to what is “needed”? Do my children need to have straight As? Take calculus? Play an instrument? Play a sport? Have a lot of community service? Need?   To gain admission to “college”, no. But to gain admission to competitive colleges, then […]

A well written article from: https://www.ivyloungetestprep.com/blog/does-class-of-2023-need-to-take-sat-act My Best Advice on the ACT or SAT for the class of 2023 For the class of 2023 and beyond, expect that you WILL have to take either the SAT or ACT for your college admissions. Yes, as always, you will need to see which schools you wish to […]

“David left feeling so much better!”  Kristen, David’s mother, exclaimed.  “And now I feel so much better too.” David had been listless.  He was going through the motions at school.  He was naturally bright and thought “pandemic school was a joke.”  So he had not really worked all that hard since March 2020.   As the […]

At the Learning Consultants, our approach to writing reminds me of the old Chinese proverb,  “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Similarly, “Correct a student’s essay, and you help them get a better grade.  Teach a student how […]

We have been helping the emotional development of young adults since our inception in the early 2000s.  Jean Card, our lead Student Mastery coach, has created an Academic Therapy framework that has helped our students in flourish both academically and emotionally.   My work – while ostensibly on all the concrete areas of college counseling, […]

Tip #3 Be authentic! This might sound cliched, but it’s useful advice for students writing their college essays. It’s much easier to write about yourself when you’re not trying to be someone else. I’ve been especially reminded of this wisdom over the past few months as I work with twins from Essex, CT on their […]

Tip #2 “I don’t know what to write about!” This is the number one source of frustration for students starting their college essays. A typical scenario occurred last week with one of my students from Madison, CT.  She struggled to choose between two different essays.  One, she really liked, but feared it wasn’t “traditional” enough.  […]

Start ASAP. This could be the most useful advice for students hoping to write an attention-grabbing essay. Waiting until the nth hour to start writing is usually a bad idea, especially for students who dread the thought, or have no idea what to write about or how to begin. Even if they finish their essay […]

“That’s part of my brand.” So said a Harvard student to my daughter as he was trying to woo her with his impressive credentials.  He was a clown but he was stating some part of the truth. I’ve grown away from the prestige seeker I once was.   The self-esteem that seems attached to name […]

“I am going to be an influencer.”  So said Jillian, a student from Old Lyme Connecticut who attends Lyme-Old Lyme High School. Since I provide college-career counseling in the new world of work, I did not scoff at Jillian.   Instagram influencers exist.  Some Instagram influencers earn their living as influencers.   Some earn a […]

82% of employers want candidates with written communication skills Good writing increases profitability; bad writing hurts a company’s bottom line.  Businesses now spend a billion a year on remedial writing training for their employees (Kaleigh Moore . Inc.). So more and more employers are looking to hire people who already know how to write well.  […]

Why students should care about refining their writing skills. Certainly for other reasons than an A on the Hamlet essay, writing skills can open or close doors after high school.   After all, writing is communication, and effective communication in business is key. As Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon put it, your ability to “communicate with […]

Most of the students we tutor in CT and NY have incredibly busy lives.  If they participate in sports, as they often do, their schedules are tightly packed with practices, games, and homework. Writing skills are typically the first to be sacrificed to the school-year time crunch.  But they don’t have to be, and they […]

Of the “big” three academic skills–reading, writing, and math–writing probably lost the most ground last year. Students hardly did any writing last year, especially compared to prior years.  And although this isn’t surprising, given the stresses on teaching and learning during the pandemic, it doesn’t bode well for overall academic acheivement. As my summer writing […]

Young men are opting out of college.  That’s the headline in a dozen or so recent articles pointing out the decline in male academic performance.  When I wrote Motivate Your Son in 2012, I saw this train wreck coming based on the hundreds of boys who entered our Student Mastery Program.    Most of the girls […]

  I wrote Motivate Your Son in 2012.   My “case studies” for the lack of academic motivation were heavily tilted toward boys.  I knew that we were on the verge of an epidemic of male underachievement because I was contacted by readers far beyond our Connecticut borders. It has turned out to be worse […]

Coming of Age Ceremonies Religions and cultures across the globe have celebrations to honor becoming an adult.  For that reason, it would seem that transitioning from child or adolescent to adult must be a big deal.  Here in the melting pot of the US, many of those religions and cultures still have those celebrations.  However, […]

From Scott Galloway’s blog: While their parents harass doctors at school board meetings and fight epic Facebook comment wars, our kids are not learning to read or count. McKinsey projects that this learning gap will reduce lifetime earnings for K-12 students by an average of $49,000 to $61,000. By the time the majority of these […]

Harry Sedgwick spent his last years in Old Lyme.  A successful businessman but perhaps better known as the father of Kyra Sedgwick or for those who are keep tabs on “old money” families part of the Sedgwich clan that has been here since the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Through a friend, I got to know Harry […]

From the Wall St. Journal At the close of the 2020-21 academic year, women made up 59.5% of college students, an all-time high, and men 40.5%, according to enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit research group. U.S. colleges and universities had 1.5 million fewer students compared with five years ago, and men […]

I have been educating students for 2 decades in Shoreline, Connecticut. Pre-pandemic, I noticed that students did not seem as strong as in the past.  I can describe the reasons in greater depth for anyone interested in boring lecture!  But I can sum up quickly with the obvious: social media/texting/video-games/YouTube/every other astonishing distraction…. Let me […]

The Seminars: 1.) The Saturday – in person – seminar – Old Saybrook $595 9-12 am starting September 11 ending October 9 (the week before the PSAT) 2.) The Sunday – virtual -seminar, $295 10-11:30 am, starting September 12 ending October 12 (the week before the PSAT) 3.) Seniors taking the SAT on Oct. 2 […]

Connecticut is a wonderful spot for the summer.  Those who live near the shoreline or in Fairfield County delight in our moderate temperatures and beaches. Post pandemic, the fun has begun. And, we’ve all earned it. Enjoy! Students certainly should indulge in as much wholesome fun as time will allow. However…. as much as our […]

Educators see the damage already.  The Learning Consultants has 50 plus tutors throughout Connecticut and New York.  Many are teachers.   The anecdotal evidence is unsurprising: students are falling behind. The reasons are easy to decipher: there has been less school (those hybrid models usually deplete the school day); more time for unhealthy diversions (Tik-tok, […]

There has always been a gap between students whose parents provide summer enrichment and those that do not.  (See Malcolm Gladwell’s famous discussion of students in Baltimore). In quick summary, researchers from Johns Hopkins studied factors that led to student achievement.  IQs, wealth, educational levels of parents and so forth were measured.  The single biggest […]

Do my children need to play an instrument? Do my children need to play a sport? Do my children need to have a lot of community service? Need?   To gain admission to “college”, no. But to gain admission to competitive colleges, then some combination of the above or depth in one area will be helpful […]

The Seminars:   1.) The Saturday – in person – seminar – Old Saybrook $595   9-12 am starting July 10 ending August 21 (the week before the August SAT)   2.) The Sunday – virtual -seminar, $295   10-11:30 am, starting July 11 ending August 22   3.) Any combination of the two (then […]

We will be having a crash course for the SAT. Designed for those taking the May test. The weekends of April 24 and May 1. Contact info@learningconsultantsgroup.com for more details.

I have advocated that our college counseling students consider a gap year for almost as long as our college counseling services have been in existence. “Consider” does not mean committing.  It simply means evaluating as possible alternative. It always made sense to me to take a gap year for students who (1) needed some maturity […]

That was the title of my first book.   The work emanated from a few thousand hours of working with students who were underperforming.  Both genders had their issues.  But boys seemed to dominate the number in my notes on “motivation is the primary issue.”  The literature pointed to a growing phenomenon of male underachievement. […]

Parent involvement (setting standards, guiding/teaching/helping) is the most significant determinant of educational success.   In running The Learning Consultants for nearly twenty years, I declare this statement with certainty.  Yes, I’m sensitive to wealth inequality and certainly those who find The Learning Consultants are in the Connecticut and Westchester County leafy suburbs.  Nonetheless my observation […]

Schedule: https://www.tutoringandtestmastery.com/test-prep-classes/ Test Prep Classes – The Learning Consultants Master test prep teacher Daryl Capuano will present the test prep best practice techniques, motivational lectures and interactive problem sets that made The Learning Consultants the best test prep company in Connecticut. www.tutoringandtestmastery.com   Use the link above and scroll down to Pay For Seminars Any questions? […]

It has always been the case that college admissions officials downplayed the use of SATs (and ACTs).  Some reasons were entirely legitimate: many colleges publish their SAT ranges – 25-75% – which means that 24% score lower than that range   And some are not: college admissions officials are also recruiters for the college.  The […]

Schedule: https://www.tutoringandtestmastery.com/test-prep-classes/ Test Prep Classes – The Learning Consultants Master test prep teacher Daryl Capuano will present the test prep best practice techniques, motivational lectures and interactive problem sets that made The Learning Consultants the best test prep company in Connecticut. www.tutoringandtestmastery.com   Use the link above and scroll down to Pay For Seminars Any questions? […]

Below is the link to the full set of options, followed by detail related to the first option. https://www.tutoringandtestmastery.com/test-prep-classes/ Test Prep Classes – The Learning Consultants The Learning Consultants is an elite tutoring and test prep service that offers the very best SAT and ACT prep classes in Connecticut. www.tutoringandtestmastery.com Winter SAT Mastery Seminars Option […]

If you are a parent of a child in K-8, education gaps are real Make sure your children are sufficiently educated during Covid schooling. If you are a parent of students in early high school, the same education gaps must be addressed and now those grades will matter for cumulative GPA despite Covid. If you […]

When I hear students say “I’m not a good test-taker”, I cringe. Unrelated to the SATs-ACTs, high stakes tests – such as finals – become a bigger part of one’s academic career as students move into the latter stages of high school.  In college, mid-terms and finals – high stakes tests – become an even […]

“Yes, we know.”  So said an admissions official from an elite college on a podcast related to admissions during Covid. The question was: ” are you aware of grade inflation, particularly when cheating has become so rampant in online school?” The official followed up by noting that “in the past, standardized tests have been one […]

College admissions officials, at least those from competitive colleges, are having great difficulty choosing whom to admit among the vast number of qualified candidates.   While getting top grades is always critical for college admissions, school officials have told me that they have a difficult time deciphering whether a student with a A- average from […]

“How could this student have had As in math prior to 11th grade?” A tutor on The Learning Consultants’ team noted as he worked with a student who had not mastered the fundamentals of basic algebra and now was getting crushed in Algebra II. The mystery was easily solved. The student was “a good kid.” […]

Years ago, I developed a subsidiary to The Learning Consultants: Career Counseling Connecticut I did so because I saw so many young adults floundering at the start of their careers.  This work naturally put me in the conversation with journalists. They  would ask a seemingly reasonable question: “is college worth the cost?”  Covid has only […]

Years ago, when I started The Learning Consultants, I was hired by parents who would lead conversations with the immediate problem: “Jared has a C in math.”  As we started talking, the parents would then note that the problem was larger than math: “I think he needs to develop study skills.”  From there, we would […]

Beyond those who lost loved ones and those who have been economically devastated, who has been most affected by Covid? Those in school. While The Learning Consultants works with all age groups, my specific educational work is usually with older teens.  I meet them in my SAT classes, or for test prep tutoring or college […]

Ryan’s mother had called when signing up for SAT class. She had the exasperated voice that I know so well: caring parents who had tried for many years to inspire their child to work harder. Ryan was a tough case.  He didn’t listen to either his parents or his teachers. He had struggled through the […]

Prior to Covid, the level of grade inflation had become out of control.  While different statistics abound, one study showed 41% of high school seniors with A- (90 or above) GPAs.  That translates to a 3.66-3.75 and above. One college admissions official flat out said to me, “everyone has grades in the 90s and, due […]

In a pandemic, already skyrocketing anxiety rates have risen to epidemic proportions. I saw one of my high school classmates who lives in New Jersey two years ago around this time.   We were discussing college and SATs in general. He noted that his daughter was really stressed. I suggested that they start SAT test prep as […]

Yes, Covid has made admissions more confusing, particularly due to “test-optional”.  But if the results of Early Decision and Early Action applicants are indicative of “test-optional”, it would be beyond foolish for students in the affluent suburbs of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey to approach the process as it were optional.   It seems […]

A recent study from McKinsey – which some of you know as having the best and brightest consultants – concluded what most anyone who is far from the best and brightest already know: our children’s education is being decimated during Covid. 20 years ago, I started teaching college classes online.  Online teaching was revolutionary at […]

Register Option 1: $295 The SAT Mastery Seminar –  The Best Practices  Master test prep teacher Daryl Capuano will present the test prep best practice techniques, motivational lectures and interactive problem sets that made The Learning Consultants the best test prep company in Connecticut.  We have designed the virtual program to maximize both learning for […]

One of the biggest mistakes high school seniors in the college application process is waiting too long to begin their essays. Many students come to us having procrastinated until the nth hour.  Despite parental cajoling and advice, they “wait” until the looming deadlines rear their ugly heads! This is clearly not the best approach! It’s […]

Don’t get me wrong, I love sports. But the increasing focus for high schoolers on them is starting to precede the importance of academics in college admissions. I understand that as a parent you love to see your child succeed in the sport they compete in.  However, I see more and more parents every year […]

More important than “brainpower” to academic and career success?  Being able to communicate what’s in your brain. This was Warren Buffett’s message to a young entrepreneur in 2018. The best investment students can make in themselves, says Buffett in a video posted to LinkedIn, is learning how to speak and write effectively (posted by Michael […]

As we work feverishly with our seniors who are applying to college, one theme continually emerges: we should have started earlier. We can still help seniors finalize their college selection, particularly with early action/early decision choices and college essays.  But many did not spend enough time during junior year sorting out what mattered to them. […]

Increasingly, parents have written kind notes to The Learning Consultants regarding our teachers and counselors.  Historically, given our niche, we have the great role of being the “help button” for parents and children.  So, we have often received thoughtful praise from families throughout Connecticut and Westchester County, NY regarding our tutoring, test prep, and college […]

McKinsey is widely known to produce thoughtful research pieces that have no ideological agenda.  The renowned consulting firm’s research illustrates what seems obvious: education gaps between children will widen considerably during this time.  But more stunningly, the article opines that the gaps will last a lifetime.  Here’s what I know from running The Learning Consultants […]

Essay writing on the SAT may be optional, but good writing skills aren’t!  All students with college or career aspirations should develop their writing skills. Beyond the obvious advantages, knowing how to write well also helps us think better. This is why Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos insists that employees write out their ideas in narrative […]

There will be an education gap. But this gap will not be exclusively due to Covid creating three months of terrible schooling for most.  Instead, there will be a distinct gap between those children who developed themselves during Covid and those that did not.  And, of course, while parents cannot take all the credit or […]

Reading skills predict college attendance Reading skills matter when it comes to getting into college.  This isn’t new information, but a study just published its sobering findings.  As Michael T. Nietzel’s headline in Forbes sums these up, “Teenage Boys’ Lower Reading Skills Helps[sic] Predict Why Fewer Males Attend College” (June 11, 2020). Reading scores for […]

I attended public school with a strange mix of students.  Some were from real affluence and some were one step above poverty. When I exaggerate, I note that some kids in our school got Porsches for their 17th birthdays and some kids were taught to steal Porsches for their 17th birthdays! That would be the […]

Summer is the perfect time for college-bound seniors to begin working on their application essays. For many, though, getting started is a major hurdle. Parents so often try to help, but even the best parental nudging can create added tension, as we hear regularly from our CT and NY families. The Learning Consultants has the […]

A few years ago, Kaleigh Moore wrote a story for Inc., in which she headlines a study that found the majority of employers–73%–favoring job candidates with strong writing skills (https://www.inc.com/kaleigh-moore/study-73-of-employers-want-candidates-with-this-skill.html). Fast forward to May 2020.  And the impact of COVID-19 on the economy has surely upped the ante for workplace communication skills.  With companies shifting […]

Academic Ramifications of COVID-19 School Closures Just what are we going to do about “covid slide?” After about 8 weeks of “remote learning” in CT and elsewhere, many educators have begun asking this question. Despite the tremendous efforts of everyone involved, our kids just aren’t learning as much remotely as we’d hoped after CT schools […]

It’s too bad that there are so few alive from the Greatest Generation.  Those folks endured The Great Depression and World War II. They embodied Nassim Taleb’s notion of anti-fragility.   Some things are fragile, breaking when hit with a force.  Some things are robust, staying intact when hit with the same force.  And, some things […]

While I am a perpetual optimist, experience has taught me to adapt my optimism to forces beyond my control.  I will no longer drive during a snow storm.  I will take precautions if forecasters suggest that hurricanes may hit and I will take seriously notions like the pandemic will stop colleges from opening in the […]

Yesterday, I was in a conference call with two higher ed administrators in Connecticut.  Both are expert researchers in education.  They are friendly with one another but have distinctly different philosophical outlooks on education; one is highly practical and the other is more idealistic.  Yet, they absolutely concurred on one point: there will be a […]

I have been teaching college courses online for nearly 20 years.  My students are highly motivated adult learners who are finishing their degrees, usually because it will help lead to distinct career advancement. Still, they do not learn anywhere nearly as much as those that take in-person classes.  My classes – much like most current […]

The Coronavirus College-Gap Year Decision Uncertainty has dampened the excitement of heading to college for most high school seniors.  The Learning Consultants has developed a process for leading our clients through the difficult decisions they will face. Specifically, we have a framework for guiding our clients to crafting compelling gap year possibilities and/or sorting out […]

‘Even with generous financial backing, if the rest of your application presentation isn’t compelling, going test-free puts you at a disadvantage. Non-submitters have lower acceptance rates than those who submit test scores. Colleges favor those who supply more data. The more you convince colleges of your ability to thrive, the better your chances are.’ CollegeVine Do you know […]

There are many victims of the Coronavirus.  Unquestionably, the health and economic consequences pose the most significant challenges.  But education is next.  There will be a huge educational gap between students who used this time effectively and those that don’t. In the geographic areas that we serve in Connecticut and Westchester Counties, we, for the […]

CT parents, like those across the country, have suddenly found themselves “home schooling.”  Many are trying to juggle work, parenting, and education all from the confines of home. But, this isn’t “home schooling.”  It’s “CRISIS schooling,” as one principal from Arizona puts it.  And this is far more stressful, even “trauma-inducing.” So how can parents […]

“I feel like I’m not learning anything because all I’m being asked to do is go onto Google Classroom, look at the assignments and finish them by a certain due date. So it’s like I’m teaching myself rather than being taught.”  From a Washington Post article on the challenges of distance learning. Even our most […]

“I wake up around 10.  I post something in discussion boards to check-in and get points.  I do my assignments and I’m done around 11:30-12.  Sometimes I do a bit more but I do nothing on the weekends.” So said “Ryan”, one of my students from Lyme-Old Lyme. “What do you do the rest of […]

They won’t.  That’s the sad truth for many. Sure, they will do what’s necessary to get passing grades. But so far, distance learning is proving to be an educational disaster. The Washington Post, Forbes, The New York Times among others have provided initial commentary about the problems. Articles in each concluded that there will be a great […]

Our leadership team has suffered over the appearance of advertising during the Coronavirus. But then the educational news began to point out what we already knew: many students are being short-changed and many parents – worried enough about self-preservation – are starting to worry about their children’s future. How are children losing out? Through the […]

Schools in CT may be closed indefinitely, but teaching and learning continues, thanks to teacher dedication and innovative technology. It didn’t take long, though, to realize the challenges with remote learning, like time management. Writing instruction presents another main challenge for teachers–essentially ensuring that writing assignments lead to genuine learning and don’t devolve into busy […]

Have you ever taken an online course? Harvard and M.I.T., among other university giants, released Massive Open Online Courses, known as MOOCs, for free to great fanfare a few years ago.  Theoretical educators were deliriously excited by the possibilities. They trumpeted the now level playing field. Anyone could self-educate themselves for free in a similar […]

Outliers, the great book by Malcolm Gladwell highlighted a study that demonstrated (1) the value of supplemental education (education outside the school setting) and (2) the inequality of education. In simple sum, parents from affluent backgrounds – like many in the Connecticut and New York suburbs – were able to supplement the education of their […]

This Washington Post article explains what our children are facing. Among the quotes: “Years of research shows that online schooling is ineffective — and that students suffer significant learning losses when they have a long break from school. Now they’re getting both, in a hastily arranged mess.” …, “the “summer slide” has been studied for […]

“I’m losing my mind.”  That may be the most common refrain that parents – mostly mothers – have led with when calling The Learning Consultants during the Coronavirus lockdown. We can help. In addition to our normal tutoring, which has seamlessly moved online, we are offering an additional service: Student Mastery Organizational-Planning-Accountability Check-ins Our Student […]

I wrote Motivate Your Son eight years ago.  I was initially surprised that readers from across the country would find the book and contact me.  I no longer am since I realize that unmotivated students – particularly boys – is not simply a Connecticut (or New York) problem but a nationwide one, and according to readers […]

What are the early reviews regarding distance learning? Online learning is effective for what we call “check the box” learning. Most students move through assignments as quickly as possible to ensure completed work –  the checked box – and then move on to video games, SnapChat, NetFlix, and every other online distraction. Their education is […]

The early returns on distance learning in Connecticut schools range from “it’s a joke”, to “it took me a half-hour”, to “this was super easy but I didn’t learn much.” Let me be clear that Connecticut educators are heroically battling a Black Swan event. This is not their fault. They are doing the best they […]

Shoreline CT schools are going to a distance-learning format next week. I have been teaching online college classes for 20 years. So while I am a “fan” compared to most, I also know the following: Distance learning is an entirely suitable replacement for what I call “check the box” education. Busy work – those homework […]

Begin Early When it comes to writing college essays, starting early is key. The best college essays–the ones that really stand out–take time to write. Unfortunately, many high school seniors realize this too late. They procrastinate and end up with a rushed essay that doesn’t reflect their best efforts or selves. The typical CT student […]

We all need time to process the surreal impact of the Coronavirus.   After we grapple with reconfiguring our daily lives, we will then be faced with the notion that “life goes on.”  Parents will need to earn money and children will need to learn. We suffer over even the appearance of profiting from a crisis, […]

Over the next two weeks–and possibly longer–CT students will have a lot of time on their hands. They’ll need and want purposeful activities to fill the hours previously jammed with homework, sports, after-school activities, and socializing. But, these weeks out of school don’t have to be an educational wasteland. Learning can continue even though schools […]

School closings will have several effects. The big positive: limiting the spread of coronavirus. The big negatives: children will not be leaning material that they will be expected to know – at some point – and that will create a foundational challenge. Boredom, lack of purposefulness, increased social media/video games/texting drama are additional negatives. I’ll […]

I have been teaching online courses since 2001 through Connecticut’s college distance learning program. Online learning is effective for what I’ll call “check the box” learning. There is no difference between writing papers and doing homework assignments online or in person. Basic mastery is possible for most subjects. But even as an early proponent of […]

Punctuation matters more than you might think on the SAT. Especially now with the combined writing and language score, students who aim for top schools and need near-perfect SAT scores should invest some time brushing up on their knowledge of essential punctuation rules, including comma usage, the difference between colons and semi-colons, and the purpose of dashes.

These days, if you’re a good writer, you’ve almost certainly future-proofed your career, according to Forbes writer Greta Solomon.  The ability to write well “is one of the best ways to remain consistently employable,” says Solomon. Especially in a global economy (“How Mastering Writing Skills Can Future-Proof Your Career,” Forbes, Aug. 9, 2018).   Here, […]

In very broad strokes, there are families that – in a healthy way – take the college transition process seriously and there are those that bury their heads in the sand. With the former, they realize (1) their child is about to undergo a major life transition (2) they and their child are about to […]

STARTS THIS WEEKEND!!! We believe our class has been so popular due to the results and our teaching.  Our classes have proven clearly superior to in-school programs but our super flexibility also has helped our busy students and parents. We have 4 classes.  Students can attend any of the classes on any given weekend. No notice needed.  We will also […]

Some transition points in life are HUGE. High school to college is one of those. As I tell students in our SAT-ACT Mastery seminar, the transition between 4th and 5th grade was something but nothing compared to (1) moving away from home (2) meeting an entirely new set of people (3) working in an entirely […]

For many students, learning how to plan is the secret to getting better grades.  Their grades aren’t where they should be, not because they lack specific skills in math or English, but because they struggle with planning and organization.    The result — these students are “smarter” than their grades suggest; it’s a matter of […]

When meeting with parents for college counseling, the subject of paying for college invariably comes up. “What about financial aid?” is one of the first questions. I have some good news, some bad news, and I hope some good news. The good news is that you likely earn more money than most Americans. Those who […]

If you fight reality, you’ll lose every time. So said a modern sage. Parents of Connecticut high school juniors usually understand reality but most teens do not. Here’s what I mean: The “big life transition” is happening. Like it or not, high school is ending. Oddly, despite the pervasive thought of “I can’t wait to […]

Don’t let rusty grammar get in the way of a competitive SAT score! Now that the SAT combines reading with writing in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score (EBRW), grammar matters more than it used to. Students who aren’t strong writers may be at a disadvantage when taking the SAT. At the very least, brushing […]

Over the years, we have received an enormous amount of positive feedback regarding our class. The dominant reason: our results. Our students have gone up so much in their SAT (and ACT) scores that Kaplan, Princeton Review and other national franchises have shut down classes in this part of Connecticut because The Learning Consultants has […]

“One reason for isolation is shrinking social contact with people we don’t know. Not so long ago, strangers talked to each other a great deal in public — in buses, at the airport, in line at the bank. Why? Because there was not much else to do. The emergence of smartphone technology, promising to connect […]

Since many of my old students from college test prep days are now of the age to apply to graduate school, I have been working with many students on the LSAT (as well as the GRE/GMAT). But my experience with the LSAT is fairly unique. Having practiced law for nearly a decade and having attended […]

It has become fashionable among affluent Connecticut parents attempting to lower stress to spew nonsensical statements like “it doesn’t matter where you go to college.” This crazy talk emanates from one piece of truth: the character of the child will likely make the college experience good/bad regardless of where one goes. But… (1) You will […]

A few years ago, I read The One Thing. Its premise: we should focus on our energy on the one thing that can change our lives.  Scattered attention on half a dozen things often leads to mediocrity.  I thought of this in relation to many of our college counseling clients throughout Shoreline, Connecticut. When we meet […]

Connecticut’s best test prep class will be starting soon. Please ask all your friends of older children as well as guidance counselors: “who provides the best test prep in our area.” Sign up here.

ACT: 33+SAT: 1450+ 3.50+ Half to Full Tuition$32,000–$64,000($8,000–$16,000 Annually3) Half to Full Tuition$80,000–$144,000($20,000–$36,000 Annually3) ACT: 30-32SAT: 1360-1440 3.50+ $20,000–$48,000($5,000–$12,000 Annually3) $56,000–$80,000($14,000–$20,000 Annually3) ACT: 28-29SAT: 1300-1350 3.50+ $8,000–$32,000($2,000–$8,000 Annually3) $36,000–$60,000($9,000–$15,000 Annually3) ACT: 26-27SAT: 1230-1290 3.50+ $4,000–$12,000($1,000–$3,000 Annually3) $28,000–$40,000($7,000–$10,000 Annually3) The table above comes from Miami of Ohio’s website. I applaud this university for releasing what has […]

I wrote Motivate Your Son in 2012. It was based on the Student Mastery program that The Learning Consultants created in the early 2000s. That program is designed to train students to succeed in school. I had initially called the program “How to Get Better Grades” but I was delighted that parents responded more to […]

Most Connecticut high schools are back to school today. I imagine the post-New Year’s blues will not make today a happy one! But as I tell students when we start our SAT-ACT Mastery Seminar, now is the time to accelerate, not coast, when it comes to the college process. “If you have been wondering when […]

Talk to college coaches. If you want the most direct advice about college admissions, they will cut to the chase. Most college marketers discuss “holistic” admissions. Their claims is easily disputed by matching test scores to college rankings. Yes, there are candidates who have lower scores than the averages at schools but most all have […]

Do you know how to use a semi-colon? How to fix a dangling modifier? Take this quiz to find out if you need a grammar refresher. Answers provided below. 1. What’s wrong with this sentence? When tackling this grammar quiz, the answers might surprise you! a. Nothing b. The exclamation point should be a period. […]

As the PSATs have returned, Connecticut high school juniors will suddenly note that “it’s getting real.”  Parents feel the same way. Some common themes when the PSATs come back: Many parents fully understand the significance of both the SAT and the college process.  They will figure out how best to prepare and start as soon […]

As juniors throughout Shoreline, CT realize, the college process just got real. Sign up now for our SAT-ACT Mastery Seminar.

A combination of anxiety, worry, and, in some cases, panic sets in for parents and students of high school juniors. The best thing to do: take action Ask your friends with older children, at least those “in the know” – and your guidance counselors, if they will speak to you off the record, about The […]

“Never use a long word when a short one will do.” Good advice from George Orwell (“Politics and the English Language,” 1946) that students might want to keep in mind when writing college application essays.  Orwell wasn’t suggesting that writers use simple vocabulary to “dumb down” their prose.  He was arguing against what he saw […]

This is an article written by Daniel Friedman, from Raising Arizona Kids magazine. I’ve read articles and listened to radio broadcasts about how boys are doing less well in school than girls, graduate from college less than girls and overall seem to be falling behind academically. Daryl Capuano, author of Motivate Your Son (Student Mastery Publishing, 2012), has read the same articles and […]

Amazon I speak with Connecticut parents every day about college.  I have done so for 2o years.  In the last several years, discussions have almost always included the financial investment required.  While we all want our children to have a great life experience in their college years, most every parent is worried about the career […]

Broadly speaking, college admission is  based on: (1) objective factors: the academic index (2) subjective factors: “hooks” (such as athletics/diversity/connections) and activities/defined interest/essay/application Unless one of those hooks is exceptionally strong, the objective factors dominate the initial screening of candidates.  If students do not reach a certain number within the school’s academic index, then the […]

Six-pages, full sentences, “narrative” format.  These could be the requirements of a middle school writing assignment.  But, they’re actually Jeff Bezos’s guidelines for “pitching” plans at Amazon. According to Franklin Foer in “What Jeff Bezos Wants” (The Atlantic, November 2019), Bezos insists that his employees explain their ideas in lengthy narratives, because he knows that […]

Many parents find the college application process incredibly stressful–“nervewracking,” as one parent put it. Her son, a senior at Lyme-Old Lyme HS, had been laboring over his college essays for several weeks but had resisted her help. Although she had tried giving tactful feedback, this seemed to shut him down further and add tension to […]

“I was told by our guidance office to wait until the in-school test administered in late Spring.” a parent from a Shoreline, CT high school. I love most of the guidance counselors that I have met in 20 years of providing educational counseling to my Connecticut neighbors.  But the above is general advice that works […]

As a writing teacher, I talk about vocabulary a lot. After all, words are essential tools for writers. Even more important, words make thinking possible. They give shape to our thoughts, enabling us to identify and clarify what’s in our minds. So, the more words we know, the more “thinking” we can do, and the […]

1) Give yourself plenty of time! Don’t wait until a week before the deadline to begin writing. Crafting a coherent, readable essay takes time and thought. Remember that writing–any kind of writing–is essentially thinking on paper. Your college app essay is no different. The essays you submit to your colleges will reflect the quality of […]

Good writing isn’t just important for authors, English teachers, or technical writers. It tops the list of skills most prized by employers today. According to a 2018 survey by the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), employers placed written communication ahead of all other attributes they value in recent college graduates (“In the Salary […]

Why do students so often struggle with their college application essays? While some find writing in general daunting, others get stuck mainly because they’ve forgotten to think about their audience. All writers, no matter their purpose in writing, need to consider their audience. Who will be reading their writing? Knowing this from the start and […]

“Almost every study concludes that getting a college degree is worth it. What is known as the college wage premium—the difference in lifetime earnings between someone with only a high-school diploma and someone with a college degree—is now, by one calculation, a hundred and sixty-eight per cent. For people with an advanced degree, the wage […]

Start explaining comma splices and dangling modifiers to a high school student and watch the eyes begin to roll! It’s not surprising that the typical eleventh grader balks at the idea of SAT grammar review. However, even a little prep can go a long way and offer a big return on investment! On the revised […]

“Wesleyan was a leader among selective institutions in making standardized testing optional for applicants in 2014. The change allows students more control in how they present themselves to the admission committee and is intended to improve access for underserved communities, students of color, and first-generation scholars who may not have access to standardized test preparation […]

“A 95 GPA is too low for the colleges you are applying to… ” The mom of a student at a top public school in Shoreline, CT relayed her conversation from an off the record conversation she had with a friend who is a college admissions official at a well-regarded college in Connecticut that claims […]

Every part of our The Learning Consultants’ philosophy embraces happiness. I want our clients to be happy.   And, I know that conventional success is part of the happiness picture for many of our clients. In a well-meaning effort to alleviate the stress of both students and parents, there seems to be nonsensical advice passed along […]

“It’s her life.” So said a well-meaning set of parents from Madison, CT.   Their daughter snapped at them several times over the previous year when college or the SATs were brought up.   The parents decided not to broach the subject again.  The end result: the parents and the daughter were sitting in my office in […]

Parents of Connecticut juniors:  The PSAT is next month. Yes, I know, school has just started and you are already worried about how much work junior year entails. I can tell you with certainty that not preparing for the PSAT is far worse than spending the time preparing. Join our class that starts this weekend.

I have a split view on the stress related to college admissions.   I realize the abundance of articles on the “too much stress” but I also witness the opposite: plenty of families – perhaps with good intentions – placed too little energy on the college process during junior year.  The reasons are multitude: (1) didn’t […]

My natural interest in psychology has been sharpened by a couple of decades becoming expert in performance psychology.   As a test prep trainer, I grew to realize that SAT results were the result of a combination of conceptual and psychological mastery. One of the more surprising elements was the imprint that the PSAT has on […]

Sign up now The Learning Consultants PSAT-SAT-ACT Mastery Seminar  Overview:  This course is designed for juniors preparing for the PSAT and both juniors and seniors preparing for the SAT and ACT.  We urge you to ask your trusted sources about the course.  It is generally considered the best test prep training in our geographic area. […]

Yes,  I know school just started and having to think about PSATs and SATs is the last thing students (and parents) want to think about.  But I can tell you with certainty that not preparing is far worse! For juniors, the PSAT begins the kick-off to college. For seniors, the October SAT is the last […]

A few short months ago, the College Board revealed that it had piloted an “adversity score” for SAT test takers.  The score was separate from the verbal and math scores given to test takers. While I always view our role as helping our clients deal with “what is”, rather than take stances to fight against […]

  The Learning Consultants PSAT-SAT-ACT Mastery Seminar Overview:  This course is designed for juniors preparing for the PSAT and both juniors and seniors preparing for the SAT and ACT.  We urge you to ask your trusted sources about the course.  It is generally considered the best test prep training in our geographic area.   PSAT-SAT: […]

For most Connecticut high school seniors, the following are some challenging but true facts: Test scores are the only major item that can be changed for college admissions, at least in any significant way. I certainly know many of our students hope that doing well 1st quarter will shift their college admissions chances.  And, I […]

Our fall test prep class is starting soon. I highlight the relevant part of our class description.  PSAT-SAT: Other companies create confusion for business purposes by creating PSAT courses and then suggesting that students also need to take an SAT course.  The PSAT and the SAT are essentially identical tests.  There are format differences (the […]

Sign up now The Learning Consultants PSAT-SAT-ACT Mastery Seminar Overview:  This course is designed for juniors preparing for the PSAT and both juniors and seniors preparing for the SAT and ACT.  We urge you to ask your trusted sources about the course.  It is generally considered the best test prep training in our geographic area. […]

As July 4th weekend ends, many parents realize that the delight of having their children home for the summer is mitigated by the challenges of having them home for the summer! As a transplant to the Connecticut shoreline, I have some observations that might help my fellow parents. The affluent, idyllic, beach-based life of those […]

At the beach, at parties, at any gathering of adults who have college-bound children in the latter stages of high school, the topic of paying for college is discussed.  This was not always the case.  When I started providing test prep and college counseling advice in the 2000s,  the biggest focus among Shoreline, CT parents […]

I try not to give generic advice.  Every child is different.  But “when to begin test prep” is one of the most common questions I receive.  Here’s the analysis for most: The Gap The issue of when to prep (and how much to prep) revolves around the “gap” between the student’s goals and the student’s present […]

I know with certainty both from my years as an educational advisor and now as a Dad that strong SAT (and ACT) scores will help pay for college.  My worries about appearing self-interested have always haunted me in building a company that was sparked by idealism.  But now the evidence is clear: doing well on […]

I love Connecticut.  I say this as a transplant.  I hear complaints about our state.  But the quality of nice, kindness of people, and the great value our residents place on family and education has made this a great place to raise children. My worries relate to our children.  Most Connecticut families are affluent by […]

“UConn will be her back-up” so said a well-educated mom from Guilford, CT.  The mom attended Miss Porter’s 30 years ago.  Going to the University of Connecticut or other Connecticut state schools was “unthinkable” in her words.  The mom was not as snobby as she sounded.  We were in a private conversation.  She was speaking […]

The summer provides an unusual gift: free time.  .Doing nothing but having fun for the last few weeks of June straight through July 8th (post July 4th weekend makes plenty of sense.  Many Connecticut students ended the school year in mid-June.  Most That’s 20-25 days of pure vacation. Should be sufficient! Moreover, July and August […]

I have had upcoming seniors improve their SATs by 200 points.  This single factor changed their college admissions possibilities and often generated offers of thousands of dollars in merit aid. I note this because some seniors tell me that they hope their senior year grades will shift their college prospects.  Some bad news on that […]

Aleutians from Alaska (more commonly referred to as Eskimos) do not need to do as well on the SATs as do white students from Connecticut.   Coming from an impoverished area will also be advantageous compared to a wealthy one also gives an admissions advantage. That was a fact prior to the SAT’s recent addition of […]

Many parents do not realize that all Connecticut students attending public high schools will take the SAT as part of their graduation requirements. In the Shoreline area, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Old Saybrook, Valley Regional, Old Lyme, East Lyme, Waterford among other schools, will be administering the SAT in either late March or early April 2020. […]

Parents, in an effort to bolster their student-child after a poor standardized test performance, are usually the first persons to say: “don’t feel bad, you are just not good at tests.” Many often add – a well meaning but completely unrealistic comment – “don’t worry, it doesn’t matter that much.” The latter part is not […]

I love sports.  I think sports provide training in how to develop skills, build character, and work with teammates.  Nonetheless, time is a zero sum commodity.  What you spend on sports cannot be spent on academics. Or family. “I don’t understand.” he said.  “Do these parents think their children will be professional athletes?” He was […]

The mission of our company has always been focused on helping people reach their potential.  In the last few years, my “rescue” work has increased for twentysomethings.   Many are stuck in the failure to launch syndrome. My hope is that our “prevention” work – helping students build skills and do well in high school will […]

I have three friendly acquaintances from college who all relayed to me how their SAT scores ended up changing their lives dramatically. Larry was from Iowa.   His graduating class was 42 high schools.  About half went to Iowa state schools and the other half went to work after high school.   Larry had ambitions, even as […]

Excerpt from The Parents’ Guide to Career Planning for Your Twentysomething.” “That’s up to him.” So said a very well-meaning set of baby-boomer parents simultaneously. We were discussing their seventeen-year-old son Kevin and what he might want to study in college. Kevin looked and sounded completely bewildered.  While he was encouraged to do whatever he […]

“He wakes up late.  He plays X-Box.” “She texts endlessly or watches YouTube videos” So goes e-mails from clients as they lament their children’s typical summer day. Right now, many of your children need a healthy break. But most would do well to continue their development this summer.  

Latest headline on my twitter feed: “Youth baseball brawl among parents goes viral as police search for suspects Police in Lakewood, Colorado, are still investigating those involved in a fight that broke out at a youth baseball game. Footage of the incident has gone national and, according to reports, the altercation broke out after disagreements […]

Although I realize saying SAT and good news in the same sentence seems strange, the August SAT date is a great option for many students.  Junior year is really busy.  So upcoming juniors now have the option of preparing for the test in the summer and then taking the August test.  Seniors – who need […]

Summers in Connecticut – particularly near the Shoreline – are idyllic.  During a typical summer week, most teens work a few hours in part time jobs, have a dozen or so hours of high quality fun, and then immerse themselves in “fun” that amounts to immersion on their phones/computers. Spending some time in productive activities will […]

“I don’t want to create stress.  We’ll deal with college stuff later.” As a father of three, I don’t want to create stress for my children either.  I do think that some kids are stressed about important things.  And, I fully understand the desire to delay dealing with anything anxiety provoking. Nonetheless, I know the following from […]

“Summer vacation has not been at the center of any debates about the American school system. But, Gladwell argues, it really should be. High performing and low performing schools record the same or very similar levels of improvement over the course of a school year. In other words, a student from a top school and […]

Miami University Merit Aid and SAT awards When I started educational consulting in 2000, conversations about college centered around admission.  Cost was mentioned but it was a distant second.  Today, cost seems to be of greater concern to most parents than admission. Our SAT class has always helped students gain admission. But now it is […]

SAT Scores and Merit aid I used to be far more self-conscious about suggesting test prep.  Highly mindful about appearing self-serving and, perhaps due to a Catholic upbringing, guilty about appearing to seek financial reward.  I still have my hang-ups about appearing self-serving but I  am no longer as bashful about money because there is […]

Premise 1: Connecticut suburban schools are stronger than most schools in most states. Premise 2: The SAT (and ACT) is a national test. Premise 3: Those in the top 10% of schools such a Guilford High School, Daniel Hand High, Lyme-Old Lyme High School, East Lyme High School, Old Saybrook High School, Valley Regional High […]

The current college admissions testing reality is far more student friendly than in the past. Choice of Test:  All colleges will take the SAT or the ACT.  In my estimation, the differences in scoring well on one and not the other have always been overstated but psychology the ability to choose makes a big difference. […]

A local Connecticut high school revealed eligibility for National Honor Society: anyone with a 90 average and above could apply.  That seems sensible.  90 is the beginning of A range.  A- and A students should be eligible for the NHS.  Back in the 1980s-1990s, A students were top students, perhaps the top 10-15% of the […]

“Whenever I want to talk about college or the future, my son either blows me off or tells me don’t worry about it.” A mother said last year in relation to her high school junior at Guilford High School. After he attended our SAT seminar, he was eager to talk with his parents about college.  […]

During our SAT-ACT classes in Old Saybrook and Madison, I lead with motivational lectures related to college. For many high school juniors, this is the start of the emotional realization that they will be moving away from home soon. I emphasize “emotional” because shifting people from inaction to action requires appeals at the heart level. […]

Generation Z – if that’s what this generation is called – has been coddled more than any other or so we are told.  True or not true (and I think it is more true than not!), I do have an enormous amount of anecdotal evidence regarding well-meaning parents who are distorting reality for their children. […]

If you are a Connecticut public school student, taking the SAT will be part of graduation requirements.  As such it is inevitable that you will take the SAT.  You may as well do the best you can based on the additional reasons listed below  Whatever nonsense you may have heard about the SAT not being […]

We are often asked: when is the best time to prep for the SAT? The real answer must be customized.  Students have different aspirations.  Nonetheless, for those who want the generic “optimal” answer, the summer before junior year is best. When you should start learning something that is highly important to your future?  Now.  The […]

As a father of 3, I certainly have thought a good deal about financial issues.  I realized at some point that financial knowledge equals more money.  I also realized that whatever stress I had about money was alleviated when I learned how best to spend, manage, and save money.  I also learned that I could […]

Not good. That’s the simple answer. Let me explain more fully and let me also be clear that I am not commenting on the adversity index’s policy from the perspective of policy but rather as an educational consultant to parents from the affluent suburbs of Connecticut and Westchester County, NY. The College Board has announced […]

“It used to be that if you graduated from a decent college with decent grades, you were nearly guaranteed a decent job.” This is a standard line I give when speaking on the changing work world.  I can’t recall any of my high school or college friends who faced prolonged unemployment after college graduation.  Even […]

There are all sorts of problems with our educational process and its relation to college transition.  One problem that is rarely cited is how most everyone has been programmed that change happens to them rather than by them.  Consider how change occurs in school.  4th grade over.  Time for 5th grade and all the massive […]

If you are a Connecticut high school junior, your last chances to improve your test scores before the summer are in June. The SAT is offered on June 1.  The ACT is offered on June 8. A few words about each: Public school students in Connecticut took the mandated high school administered SAT in either […]

April SAT results are in and The Learning Consultants has its phone/e-mail immersed with pleas from parents. False hope for many was created by: (1) Khan Academy: the idea is great and it is free.  Now try watching one of the videos and see how long your attention lasts.  Then consider how long the attention […]

Since Thursday, my in box and phone has been blowing up with messages from parents related to their children’s SAT results. The happiest calls are from those who took our SAT-ACT Mastery Seminars or had individual SAT Prep with The Learning Consultants’ tutors prior to April.  Most students exceeded expectations and are both delighted and […]

“Is this really a big deal?” I answer this somewhat rhetorical question in our SAT-ACT Mastery Seminar when addressing the significance of the college process.  Yes. I explain and then relay that I was one of those semi-rebellious teens who did not automatically follow my parent’s directives. I needed to know “why”. “College” is a […]

The fairest part of the process I usually keep quiet on the subject of standardized testing and whether it should be part of the admissions process.  Obviously, I have a self-serving bias. But my bias also stems from rational analysis. The SAT was created in order to make the college admissions process fairer.    Prior […]

Connecticut students should have all their college admissions results in. In working with our college counseling, SAT-ACT prep, and tutoring students, The Learning Consultants likely has more data on what matters most to colleges than any other organization through our area. The obvious: Grades and test scores.  Regarding the latter, it is very clear that […]

“Bringing up college just leads to a fight.” So said a well-meaning mom from Essex, CT.  She relayed the all too common battles with her teen son when she would ask about anything related to the future. When I recently gave a presentation in our office in Madison, CT, I encountered similar remarks from parents.  Students […]

In running a tutoring and test prep company through the years, I certainly am well aware of how high school students feel when spring arrives.  They have been working hard – or think they have – and are now ready for fun!  That’s great and I certainly do not discourage a healthy dose of high […]

Journalists do not work with teens and young adults.  As such, their articles about the value of college come from a theoretical perspective and almost always are off the mark.  On the subject of the amount of money that parents pay for college, there is no doubt that college costs have become out of control.  […]

Given our college counseling work, I have deep anecdotal research on (1) where students from Southeast CT apply to college and (2) what parents say about college behind closed doors versus what they say in public. Watch what people do more than what they say.  You can tell what they really care about.  Many strong […]

The SAT is the fairest part of the college admissions process.  For years, I have kept relatively quiet whenever I hear people complain about the SAT’s fairness.  Yes.. I know that any defense that a tutoring company makes is self-serving.  The position, however, is also entirely accurate. Do those complaining about the fairness understand why the […]

After “Ivy Decision Day” the bulk of college admissions decisions from most colleges have been made.  I get many e-mails regarding the results from both our college counseling and SAT clients. The unsurprising news, at least to the knowledge, the numbers matter…. enormously.  Those with a lower than median Academic Index – each school has […]

“Because people care.  So you should too.”  Dr. Spady, one of my graduate school deans said to a younger, more idealistic, and more naive me.  I was in an Ivy league law school and discussing getting a second Ivy league degree with Dr. Spady who ran the Fels School of Government.  He was convincing me […]

There are many unfortunate truths about the scandal: (1) Inequality for the wealthy (2) Some people cheat (3) Getting jobs/gaining admission is not always a meritocracy But… is there anyone over 30, who looks at the above as truths that are no more revealing than saying that the Earth has water? The surprise, in fact, […]

“I am shocked to find out gambling is going on.”  Perhaps only fans of Casablanca will get the reference.  But much like the audience laughter stemming from Renault’s pretend surprise that corruption occurred, my reaction to the college admissions scandal was anything but a surprise. That we have inequality, that we have corruption, that we have […]

“What is a good SAT score?” I have been asked this question thousands of times. “Where do you want to go to college?” That would be my most common response. “The SATs are relevant in a practical sense for one single reason: college admission. A good score helps you gain admission to the colleges that […]

Despite being a former criminal prosecutor and one of those rare birds who never tried pot, I am not an anti-legalization marijuana crusader. I’m genuinely ambivalent on the issue.  Philosophically, I have a hard time separating criminalization of pot from booze but I also don’t have a solution to stop the over use of marijuana […]

A philosopher once noted that “he often fought reality and only lost 100% of the time.” So it is with many myths we tell our children.  Usually, the suggestions – “you can grow up to do anything you want” are well meaning and inspiration and if told to those under 10 do little harm.   But […]

Spring is approaching.  After another long Connecticut winter, many of my students are eager for spring.  But junior year is unforgiving for those serious about the college process. For parents of Connecticut juniors who have been urging their children to “start looking at colleges” and begin SAT (or ACT) prep, the time is NOW.  I […]

I sometimes laugh – more often with late academically blooming boys – about their “saving it up” for when it mattered. That’s the best spin we can put on the first part of their high school careers.   But I then tell them that they must work as hard as possible during junior year. If you are […]

Our SAT prep, both in class and in our seminars, differs in many ways from those run by franchises such as Kaplan and Princeton Review.  One of the bigger ways relates to the psychological shifting that occurs through my mini-lectures. Explaining the Growth versus the Fixed Mindset in the context of test prep has been one […]

“I’m sure he’ll get into UCONN.  He’s a lot smarter than me and I got in.” So said a well-meaning and modest Dad from Guilford about his son from Guilford High School.  His son did quite well in school.  His SATs – 1160 – were also solid.  I had to explain the new world of […]

My next book is on the college to career transition.  The thesis posits that many parents are the main career guides for their children (like it or not) and thus they need to be well versed in how the New World of Work operates. Moreover, they need to understand the college to career connection in […]

“He has a 96 average, nothing special.   It’s not like he’s over 100.”  That is word for word quote from a parent at one of our local Shoreline, CT schools.  It wasn’t too long ago that a 96 average would put someone squarely in the top 10% of a class and possibly on higher end […]

“I had her do the SAT problem of the day and she took the in-school class taught by her teachers.” a parent said about her daughter, a junior at Daniel Hand High School in Madison. “I’m really surprised that she did so poorly.” Let me clear: doing the SAT problem of the day is better […]

Talking about college with teen children is as much fun as talking about going to the dentist with young children.  “College” is the least favorite topic for many teens.  Parents, similarly, don’t enjoy discussing but know they must. And that’s true.  College is a turning point in life.  I tell parents: “Imagine if you knew […]

Some private colleges cost nearly $300,000 “all in”.   Even in our affluent Shoreline CT communities, that is a significant sum of money. Since we have offices in Old Saybrook and Madison, I have conversations with parents from each town socially as well as professionally. I have to remind them that financial aid is not likely […]

The Importance of the SAT The Truth About the SAT and ACT Myths abound about standardized tests, but the research is clear: They provide an invaluable measure of how students are likely to perform in college and beyond The above headline from the Wall St. Journal article tells sophisticated readers what they already know: people […]

Unrelated to the SATs-ACTs, high stakes tests – such as finals – become a bigger part of one’s academic career as students move into the latter stages of high school.  In college, mid-terms and finals – high stakes tests – become an even more significant part of successs. So when I hear students say “I’m […]

I had a wonderful lunch with a student who graduated from Madison Connecticut’s Daniel Hand High School about ten years ago.   He had been an intern with The Learning Consultants and, as such, we have stayed in touch through the years.  I met my young friend through our SAT class and, as such, I know […]

I have off the record conversations with several college admissions officials during the last few years.  The common consensus: “we can’t tell the difference in GPAs in any meaningful way.” Here’s a recent example, a local Shoreline, CT high school revealed eligibility for National Honor Society: anyone with a 90 average and above could apply.  […]

If you haven’t discovered already, colleges have outstanding marketing departments. In order to demonstrate selectiveness – an important factor for college rankings – colleges need to attract many applicants.  So, for example, has 1000 applicants for 500 spots, the college marketing department is tasked with increasing the number of applicants to 2000.  One way to do […]

I am careful not to insult other specific states – particularly because I am from New Jersey! – but I often tell students that once they drive through the country they will realize how well educated they are compared to their national peers.  As such, they should embrace the SAT as a great way to […]

During our SAT classes over the past few years, some large part of our success has come from lowering the anxiety of our students.  In addition to providing techniques to helping master the test (thereby lowering anxiety due to mastery) and providing techniques to lower test-taking anxiety (directly addressing the issue), the process of exposure […]

We are in March. For those high school students who were “saving their energy” for when it would matter, there is no other time to kick it into high gear.  This is it. There are barely any tomorrows that will matter for college admission after Junior year ends.  Do senior grades matter?  A little.   Certainly […]

Through my work, I have become a performance coach for all tests, not just the SAT and ACT but also for large tests in school and any test of consequence.  The one commonality across all performance: test takers do better after taking the test the first time.  Think about any performance and that’s the case […]

I suffered over my wife’s suggestion that my college son get a part time job a few hours a week.  My protest: “he’s really busy and working hard to keep his grades up.” Over 20 years of providing educational services to parents of Connecticut high school students, I have gathered enough evidence to concur with most […]

An article from Forbes illustrates the point.  The following is an excerpt from an article in Forbes on the importance of the SAT: Despite all of this negative noise, standardized tests like the SAT still matter a lot to highly selective colleges. Two biggest reasons:  1) It is an effective way to screen out students when […]

    Highly engaging…and surprisingly fun! The SAT Mastery Intensive Taught by Master Test Prep Teacher Daryl Capuano Shoreline’s Best Test Prep Class Starting Soon!   Designed for Connecticut’s In-School SAT The total cost is $395 (Or pro-rated $120 per class) Class Areas Covered Old Saybrook Saturdays, 9-12 Madison Sundays, 10-1 1 Reading, Motivation, Self-study […]

The college value question is often addressed by people who do not work with high school students. Strangely, they tend to address the metaphorically similar question “is college worth it at all? Most of the writers are in the work force – more often than not in the high tech space – and seem to […]

I am often the first person who discusses money in the context of salaries, career paths, and college majors with 17 year old college counseling clients in Shoreline, CT.  Or maybe I’m the first person that many of these students listen to but, regardless, it is always surprising to me when a student-client expresses that […]

Since we have offices in Old Saybrook and Madison, Connecticut, I have conversations with parents from each town socially as well as professionally. I have to remind them that financial aid is not likely for those from the Connecticut shoreline.  Relatively speaking, we are in or at least far closer to the 1% than we […]

Over the last few years, UCONN’s attractiveness has radically increased.  That’s good news for alum and fans of the school.  But it is not great news for those applying, The standards are increasing and SAT scores are vital for admission. Off the record, I have heard 1260 is needed for most students.  There are different […]

Public schools in Connecticut will be offering an SAT to all students on either March 27 or April 9. The test will be paid for by the state of Connecticut.  This is a great opportunity to have a trial run at the new SAT. Most students should also sign up for the May or June […]

I work with many students who have been identified with Executive Function deficits.  Executive Functions are the brain operations that keep us organized, on task, able to shift between demands and manage our emotions.  I have noticed a trend over the last several years that students are exhibiting these deficits, but the cause is technology […]

Of all the misinformation and partial truths that I hear passed around the soccer mom parent set about standardized tests, the myth that some students will do extraordinarily well on the ACT but terribly on the SAT is likely the biggest.  At least in Connecticut, there is no one who has more experience or expertise […]

Talking to kids about college is almost as fun as talking about going to the dentist. For that reason,  I better understand why so many parents avoid the conversation.  Choosing battles is a natural tendency. But such conversations are a must. Going to college is the most common child to adult transition for suburban America. […]

Overcoming legitimate structural hardship  – as in poverty, parental drug use, and growing up amidst violent crime – make for eye catching stories. Overcoming a lacrosse injury, getting cut from the school play, and dealing with an ADD diagnosis – standard Connecticut high school resilience stories – while unquestionably challenging to the students involved  -are […]

Look at the calendar. We are entering March.   For high school juniors, there are only a few months left to change your college admissions profile. Parents of high school juniors may be shell shocked to learn that early action and early decision applications will be due Nov. 1. All Connecticut students attending public high schools will […]

Every public school student in Connecticut must take the SAT as part of Connecticut high school requirements.  While most students in our affluent Shoreline and Southeastern, CT high schools should be able to score high enough to pass high school, students should still prepare rigorously.  The in-school SAT is a free chance to score high […]

We (parents) were conditioned during a different economy.  Even parents in a highly educated state like Connecticut cannot easily overcome their past programming and, thus, start the career conversation far later than they should. Through Career Counseling Connecticut. we work with college students who transfer because their college of choice does not have their major, […]

“Does it really matter where you go to college?”  While I realize the question relates to whether one will be conventionally successful and I politely respond as such when asked.  Here’s what I’m really thinking:  Your child’s whole external world is changing.  Colleges vary radically.  To approach college for your child with such a cavalier […]

One of our Old Saybrook friends stopped the conversation that a few parents were having about college.  That suited me since I am immersed in college counseling and would prefer a different topic during a party.  But her response concerned me: “I don’t want to think about it.”  Her daughter is a junior. I sympathize […]

Connecticut high school juniors should take the March 9th SAT administered by the College Board.  I realize that many students are waiting – or were told to wait – until the April in-school SAT given by all public schools in Connecticut.  But that makes no sense. The SAT has score choice and super scoring, two […]

My friend who lives in Fairfield County asked me for SAT help for his freshman daughter.  I noted that most students in Shoreline,  Connecticut start junior year.  “Not around here”, he said.  We laughed at the differences between where live, even though, relatively speaking it is a very small space on the map. The college conversation […]

“The Learning Consultants has become a public health service for Connecticut students and their parents,” so said a well known public health doctor from Yale as she extolled our college counseling, tutoring, and test prep services in an e-mail to her friends. I really loved reading the line about public health.  It made me laugh […]

Connecticut public high schools will administer the SAT to all its students in either late March or early April. But I urge our clients to take the March 9th SAT.  Here’s the reasoning: 1.) Score choice Most every college allows students to choose which test result to submit.  This is different than back in the […]

  Here’s some challenging news: even though many high schools have done away with class rank, colleges still find being in the 10% and top 25% extremely important.  This creates some irony: due to Connecticut’s great high schools, it is harder to be ranked high in the class for a kid from Connecticut than a […]

If you have not heard of David Goggins, he is worth a Google search and then for entertainment, inspiration, and life lessons worth listening to/reading about/studying.  This is particularly true for high school students who live in our idyllic Connecticut shoreline. David Goggins grew up in a household with a physically and verbally abusive father.  […]

Last year, I read The One Thing, a book that posits that we should focus on our energy on the one thing that can change our lives.  The one thing that students can change dramatically: test scores. Through the years of working with students throughout Connecticut, we know these higher test scores can radically change one’s […]

I received a wonderful Christmas present: one of my SAT students who took our SAT prep program in Old Saybrook last January and then followed up with a few individual test prep students in Madison in the fall was just admitted to one of our elite military academies.  He’s a great guy and I’m glad […]

An article from Forbes illustrates the point.  The following is an excerpt from an article in Forbes on the importance of the SAT: Despite all of this negative noise, standardized tests like the SAT still matter a lot to highly selective colleges. Two biggest reasons:  1) It is an effective way to screen out students when […]

“Deep practice”.  I show students the best practices to master math, grammar, reading and so forth. Simultaneously, I immersed myself in the literature on performance across all disciplines. What I called deep practice was labeled deliberate practice or purposeful practice by others who had the same goal: figuring out how to help students improve. One […]

What madness am I suggesting? Most Connecticut schools are stronger than most schools in most states. Those in the top 10% of schools such a Guilford High School, Daniel Hand High, Lyme-Old Lyme High School, East Lyme High School, Old Saybrook High School, Valley Regional High School (Essex-Deep River) and other public schools in Southeastern, […]

The problem with all online training is the lack of human connection.  I teach online classes and was awarded a best teacher designation at the college where I teach.  I still know that even on my worst days as an in-person teacher I am making more of an impact than when I teach online. The […]

Every year, a new batch of students comes to our offices in Old Saybrook and Madison.  Most are not confident that they will get better.  They are with us because their parents “signed them up for an SAT course”. Few are certain that they will get better.  Every year – or really every season – […]

The SAT as the weapon that will help your child gain admission.  Why?  Because students at our local high schools do wonderfully well on a comparative basis on national standardized tests. Connecticut is a smart state.  It routinely comes in the top 5 for education in national surveys.  But for towns along Shoreline-Southeastern, CT as […]

I have seen enormous merit aid scholarship success for Connecticut students with top SAT and ACT test scores, particularly in the last 5 years.  Colleges – particularly private ones – are desperate to maintain their student populations. They also need to look “not desperate”! To do so, they need to attract a student body that […]

I was in Pasta Vita in Old Saybrook and felt someone tap me on the shoulder.  It was the father of two SAT students from past SAT classes.  “My children still talk about you and the class.”  I knew he was not referring to my teachings of the intricacies of SAT test-taking strategies. “Caitlin was […]

During our SAT-ACT Mastery Seminars held in Madison and Old Saybrook – as well as in school at Old Saybrook High School, Valley Regional High School in Deep River, and Lyme-Old Lyme High School, Southeastern Connecticut Chinese School, and The Williams School in New London, we present a section on the psychology of performance.  We […]

47% of high school seniors graduated with an A average.   That’s worth reading again and maybe a third time. This mind-blowing statistic has numerous implications.  But the most important one is the delusion that many parents have in relation to college admission.  “Tom has a 3.8 GPA…”  “Jessica has a 97 average…” “Lydia has nearly […]

“One of my friends told me…” Much like investment advice from random people makes no sense to follow without due diligence, advice from Connecticut parent circles should follow the same guidelines. Parents dealing with their first child’s experience navigating the high school to college transition often defer to parents who have done so previously. In […]

Cal Newport, noted author on performance among other areas, wrote Deep Work a few years ago and it has quickly become a must read for anyone in the field of helping others perform at peak levels. The ability to focus will be a superpower for this next generation.  Our smart technology has made this generation not […]

College costs are out of control and For most Connecticut suburban students, college is not only the best but only realistic option after high school. Let’s start with the first premise: 4 year private colleges can cost close to $300,000. Most are over $200,000. Even for the affluent that live on the Connecticut shoreline, that’s […]