--- title: "College Admissions and Test Prep Blog — page 6 | Elite Prep" description: "Admissions guides, test strategy and study advice from Elite Prep instructors and counselors." url: "https://eliteprep.com/blog/page/6/" image: "https://media.eliteprep.com/blog-library-gradient-webp-card.jpg" language: "en" source: "eliteprep build" --- ![Four students talking over their notes in a library](https://eliteprep.com/media/blog-library-gradient-webp-w1600.webp) # Blog Admissions guides, test strategy and study advice from Elite Prep instructors and counselors. - ![Yellow pencils on a green background with the text "Do colleges really care about the SAT essay?"](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BEssay-webp-w400.webp) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) ### [Do Colleges Really Care About the SAT Essay?](https://eliteprep.com/blog/sat-essay-do-colleges-care/) Although the SAT essay is optional, there is a general consensus that most “optional” parts of college applications are actually “required” if a student wants… January 24, 2019 Jon G. - ![Fighting Procrastination: 5 Strategies That Work](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BProcrastination-1-webp-w400.webp) [Study Tips](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/study-tips/) ### [Fighting Procrastination: 5 Strategies That Work](https://eliteprep.com/blog/fighting-procrastination/) Anyway you cut it, procrastination is a killer. It hampers our ability to achieve our goals, heaps stress onto our Future Self… January 7, 2019 Stephen P. - ![10 College Interview Questions and How to Prepare for Them](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2B10%2BInterviews-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [10 College Interview Questions and How to Prepare for Them](https://eliteprep.com/blog/10-college-interview-questions/) Meeting with a college representative, who’s often an alumni, is a great way for you to demonstrate interest in a school, gather more information… December 24, 2018 Kiley A. - ![How to Know if a Small College is Right for You](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BSmall%2BCollege-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [How to Know if a Small College is Right for You](https://eliteprep.com/blog/is-a-small-college-right-for-you/) When it comes to developing a college list, there are seemingly endless factors to consider. December 10, 2018 Jon G. - ![Does Getting Less than a 1500 on the SAT Mean I’ll Never Get into a Good School?](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2B1500-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Does Getting Less than a 1500 on the SAT Mean I'll Never Get into a Good School?](https://eliteprep.com/blog/less-than-1500-on-sat/) With all the pressure from family and peers swirling around, it’s common to stress about SAT scores and getting into college. December 10, 2018 Kiley A. - ![Elite Refugee Education Project in Bogor, Indonesia Completes First Semester Successfully](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BPress%2BRelease%2BImage%2BRefugee%2B2-webp-w400.webp) [Press](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/press/) ### [Elite Refugee Education Project in Bogor, Indonesia Completes First Semester Successfully](https://eliteprep.com/blog/refugee-education-project-first-semester/) One semester in, the Elite Refugee Education Project in Bogor, Indonesia has proven to be an unmitigated success… November 25, 2018 - ![How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the SAT Essay](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BSAT%2BESSAY-webp-w400.webp) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) ### [How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the SAT Essay](https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-to-write-the-sat-essay/) As with any academic exercise, the name of the SAT Essay game is preparation. To prepare for the essay… November 23, 2018 Jon G. - ![Students laughing around a laptop and drinks at a cafe, with the title "5 Ways to Avoid Academic Burnout"](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BBurnout-webp-w400.webp) [Study Tips](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/study-tips/) ### [5 Ways to Avoid Academic Burnout](https://eliteprep.com/blog/5-ways-to-avoid-academic-burnout/) While it’s easy to think of burnout as nothing more than normal high school stress, it is important to recognize it as a distinct experience. November 13, 2018 Jon G. - ![5 Techniques for Brainstorming Your College Essay Topic in 15 Minutes](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BBRAINSTORMING-webp-w400.webp) [College Application](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-application/) ### [5 Techniques for Brainstorming Your College Essay Topic in 15 Minutes](https://eliteprep.com/blog/brainstorming-college-essays/) It’s the fall of your senior year of high school. Hopefully by now, you have settled—or are at least close to settling… November 6, 2018 Stephen P. - ![Before Submitting College Applications: A Quick Checklist](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BCHECKLIST-webp-w400.webp) [College Application](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-application/) ### [Before Submitting College Applications: A Quick Checklist](https://eliteprep.com/blog/college-application-checklist/) With college application deadlines rapidly approaching, many high school seniors are scrambling to finalize their college essays and add any finishing touches… October 31, 2018 Jon G. - ![7 Tips for Answering the University of California Personal Insight Questions](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BUC%2BPIQ-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [7 Tips for Answering the University of California Personal Insight Questions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/7-tips-uc-personal-insight-questions/) The UC admissions staff wants to know who you are, and they want to understand your background and life circumstances so that they can better interpret… October 29, 2018 Kiley A. - ![What Is Committee-Based Evaluation, and How Will It Affect My College Application?](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BCBE-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [What Is Committee-Based Evaluation, and How Will It Affect My College Application?](https://eliteprep.com/blog/what-is-committee-based-evaluation/) Committee-Based Evaluation (CBE) is a new admissions method gaining steam at universities across the US. October 16, 2018 Stephen P. - ![How to Avoid Being Generic in Your College Essays](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BGeneric-webp-w400.webp) [College Application](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-application/) ### [How to Avoid Being Generic in Your College Essays](https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-to-avoid-being-generic/) A college essay can be generic for any number of reasons, including topic, style, and diction. October 16, 2018 Jon G. - ![Title card over a blurred photo of a notebook and pencil on a desk: "Are some SAT test dates easier than others?"](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BTest%2BDates-webp-w400.webp) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) ### [Are Some SAT Test Dates Easier Than Others?](https://eliteprep.com/blog/are-some-sat-test-dates-easier-than-others/) The main purpose of the SAT is to provide a fair, “standardized” means of evaluating students, offsetting any inherent variations among various high school… October 2, 2018 Kiley A. - ![How to Build a Great Extracurricular Activities List](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BExtracurriculuar-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [How to Build a Great Extracurricular Activities List](https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-to-build-a-great-extracurriculuar-activities-list/) One of the primary ways candidates stand out among an elite pack is through their extracurricular activities lists. October 1, 2018 Stephen P. - ![How to Write the “Why Us?” College Essay](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BWhy%2BUs-webp-w400.webp) [College Application](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-application/) ### [How to Write the "Why Us?" College Essay](https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-to-write-the-why-us-college-essay/) Supplements provide additional insight that may not be reflected elsewhere in your application and are prime opportunities to expand the scope of knowledge… September 25, 2018 Jon G. - ![Is the PSAT easier than the SAT? How does it compare?](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BPSAT%2B%26%2BSAT-webp-w400.webp) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) [PSAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/psat/) ### [Is the PSAT Easier Than the SAT? How Does It Compare?](https://eliteprep.com/blog/psat-easier-than-the-sat/) In regard to level of difficulty, the tests are nearly identical, with one caveat: the SAT is longer and forces students to move a bit more quickly… September 19, 2018 Stephen P. - ![What Happened with the August 2018 SAT Security Breach?](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BAUGUST%2B2018%2BSAT-webp-w400.webp) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) ### [What Happened with the August 2018 SAT Security Breach?](https://eliteprep.com/blog/august-2018-sat-security-breach/) If you are a student or the parent of a student who took the SAT on August 25, 2018, you have probably heard about the concerns regarding security breaches… August 31, 2018 - ![Title card over a straw background: "Logical Fallacies: The Uses and Abuses of Straw Men"](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BStraw%2BMen-webp-w400.webp) [Writing](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/writing/) ### [Logical Fallacies: The Uses and Abuses of Straw Men](https://eliteprep.com/blog/2018/8/10/logical-fallacies-the-uses-and-abuses-of-straw-men/) I have a friend who likes to tell me about disagreements he has with others. When he tells me about his arguments with his friends, family, or coworkers… August 10, 2018 - ![Social Media and College Admissions](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BSocial%2BMedia-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Social Media and College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/2018/6/6/college-admissions-and-social-media/) Yep, colleges admissions officers are potentially looking you up on Google, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat… June 6, 2018 Jon G. - ![How to Develop Positive Relationships with Your Teachers](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BTeacher%2BRelationships-webp-w400.webp) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) [Test Prep](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/test-prep/) ### [How to Develop Positive Relationships with Your Teachers](https://eliteprep.com/blog/positive-relationships-with-teachers/) Sometimes being a student can feel a little more like being an audience member in a show you’d probably rather get a refund… June 5, 2018 Kiley A. - ![Study Strategies for Final Exams](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BFinals-webp-w400.webp) [Study Tips](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/study-tips/) ### [Study Strategies for Final Exams](https://eliteprep.com/blog/study-strategies-for-final-exams/) The end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and exams are on the horizon. Final exams. AP exams. SAT and ACT exams. May 15, 2018 Jon G. - ![How to Approach the Fiction/Literature Passage on the ACT & SAT](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2BFiction%2BLiterature-webp-w400.webp) [ACT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/act/) [SAT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/sat/) ### [How to Approach the Fiction/Literature Passage on the SAT & ACT](https://eliteprep.com/blog/2018/5/11/how-to-approach-sat-act-fiction-passage/) The first passage on both the ACT and the SAT Reading tests is the fiction/literature passage. May 14, 2018 Jon G. - ![Making Summer Count for College Applications](https://media.eliteprep.com/Elite%2BBlog%2BImage%2Bsummer-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Making Summer Count for College Applications](https://eliteprep.com/blog/2018/4/20/making-summer-count-for-college-applications/) Now that spring is officially underway, it’s time to start thinking about and planning for the summer. April 20, 2018 Jon G. [Browse every post by year →](https://eliteprep.com/blog/archive/) [Subscribe to the RSS feed](https://eliteprep.com/blog/rss.xml) ## Ready to Discuss Your Options? Each Elite Prep center sets its own class schedule and hours. Find the center nearest you and contact its staff for current schedules. [Find a center](https://eliteprep.com/locations/) [Browse programs](https://eliteprep.com/programs/)