Remote Learning Support & Learning Pods with Lakhani Coaching
Dear Friends,
Welcome to application season—just three months to Early college deadlines.
And no shortage of surprises out there. With so many schools announcing plans to begin the fall virtually, we are ramping up our support for students to thrive with virtual learning. Given the increased focus on Academics with SAT/ACT interruptions, we’ve seen a surge of requests lately in both one-on-one academic tutoring as well as expert coaching for homeschool students and small learning pods. We’re pleased to have expanded our Remote Learning support, given that:
This fall, far fewer schools will go pass/fail, which we support, creating more opportunities for students’ hard work to be rewarded.
There is a risk of widening achievement gaps. Consider a student who struggles in Algebra I. Those holes in understanding, if not filled now, will reappear in Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus and so on. Students must form a plan to stay ahead of learning even if the format is less than ideal.
If standardized testing continues to be a challenge due to coronavirus, College Admissions will shift even more focus to a student’s Academics. This includes course selection—pursuing areas of genuine rigor—class rank, teacher recommendations based on unique contributions to the classroom, and of course GPA. Strong AP scores will also remain an important way to stand out.
Another surprise out there is the ongoing struggle for international students to be able to enter the U.S. if their college begins the semester online. This caused serious turmoil a few weeks back, about which I commented to CNBC and BBC radio (student visa story begins at 26:45). Since the lawsuits filed by Harvard, MIT, and numerous state attorneys general, the policy now states: a) new international students (freshman, for example) will not be able to enter the U.S. if their courses are online only, but b) previously enrolled international students can enter. All politics aside, these policies risk putting out an “unwelcome mat” to international students, who contribute $41 billion a year to the US economy. Further, as I spoke about here, I expect 100+ U.S. colleges to become financially insolvent by 2025 due to the ongoing slippage in international enrollment. Families are welcome to contact us if they need support around these issues.
Regarding college admissions, our rising seniors are working hard excavating their most meaningful threads for college essays, in pursuit of that elusive goal of having college essay drafts at 90% before school starts. Many students are making a final push in SAT, ACT, or Subject Tests, with hopes of no more cancellations, before turning full attention to applications. Others are fitting in virtual college visits, eager to decide upon an ED or EA choice. Indeed, it is this careful orchestration over summer and fall that has empowered our students who’ve landed at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Cornell—among a slew of other great schools. See below for more specific guidance, including college essay tips.
Meanwhile, business school and law school candidates are racing to mobilize early round applications. In some cases, final GMAT, GRE or LSAT sittings are fast approaching, while candidates quickly prepare for personal statements and recommendation requests. On the note of business school, it was a pleasure to contribute a few weeks ago to the GMAT Mentors podcast. GMAT mentors is an amazing service organization providing free GMAT and b-school guidance—check them out!
Summer is our busiest season but it’s also our most fulfilling: my team and I are continually inspired by the granular work our students are putting in toward their admissions goals. If by chance a family has not yet ramped up focus surrounding upcoming applications—be it in cultivating powerful essays or personal best test scores—the good news is that there is still time. See below for more specific guidance.
Finally, a thank you to Upscale Living magazine for the kind profile on Lakhani Coaching published this month. And we’ve included below another standardized testing problem of the month, this one a challenging ACT Math question. Happy solving!
Hafeez Lakhani
Remote Learning Support
Expert coaching: With numerous schools set to once again begin “virtual only”, we are working hard to deliver excellence and inspiration to our students. Our coaches—who do the work of tutors, as well as go beyond tutoring—are experts in their field who in turn become ambition role models to their students. Our clients benefit from an MD/PhD coaching Chemistry, a former Wall Street trader tutoring Math, a Yale MFA artist nurturing a student’s portfolio, and published writers helping students take essays from good to great—to name a few examples. Two ways clients are leveraging Lakhani Coaching:
Home School Coaching: whether shaping a rigorous “custom school” approach—one of our experts delivering instruction in every subject—to focused tutoring in only areas of struggle, Lakhani coaches are here to empower the highest impact learning.
(New) Learning Pod Coaching: Our learning pod pricing allows families to split the cost of expert coaching, enabling students to
Group together in pods as large as 6 for focused coaching in virtually any subject
Concentrate on rigor. While a classroom can only move as fast as the slowest participants, a small group or one-on-one environment allows students to master even the most challenging topics.
Contact us to discuss your unique virtual learning scenario.
Resources:
Learning Success: Educating at Home: Remote Learning to the Rescue!
FOX 5 NY: College Prep Coach: Homeschooling Students Shouldn't Slack Off
Rising Seniors: t-minus 3 months
Our seniors are hard at work preparing for November 1 ED and EA deadlines, focused on several important tasks. Contact us if you need guidance in any of these respects.
Finalizing one’s short list: In some cases final testing will determine an EA or ED choice, but now is the time to begin to whittle down options, as you will soon want to begin crafting supplemental essay drafts by school. Contact us if you’d like to discuss the relative merits of various schools, including feasibility of acceptance in this unique year.
Setting up Common App, or other portals. Common App goes live on August 1. I encourage all students to set up their account, including most importantly:
Drafting and editing one’s Activities List, and most crucially the 150 character descriptions of each activity. Focus on being earnest and specific rather than impressive.
Drafting and editing one’s Academic Honors, including descriptions.
Building your “school list” on Common App and beginning to complete initial school questions, such as which internal program you may apply to (where relevant), and intended areas of study.
Once your schools are populated, you’ll be able to assess what supplemental writing questions each school demands. Note: for some schools, supplements are shown under a “Writing Supplement” section to the left, while other schools include them under the main “School Questions”. Answer all questions to be sure relevant supplements have populated.
Note: Several great universities are not on Common App, such as UC system schools, MIT and Georgetown. Those require setting up separate application portals.
Recommendation Requests: If you haven’t already made recommendation requests, the start of the school year is the time. Contact us to discuss best options for your recommenders, as well as ways to make this task as painless as possible for teachers.
Excavating drafts of college essays: Flannery O’Connor once said that she never knew what she thought about something until she wrote about it. Accordingly, our seniors are hard at work “excavating” from their experiences their most meaningful anecdotes—and in the process undergoing fantastic new levels of self understanding.
As students begin to shape more structured drafts, we have three metrics that we recommend to test a strong college essay:
Does it serve as an answer to, “(s)he’s the one who…”
Does it show an anecdote of "life in the student's shoes"?
Does it in some way reflect the student’s most sincere ambition?
A number of students are aiming for “90% drafts” by the time school starts, but if you haven’t begun, don’t worry. The key to the most successful essays we’ve coached is simple: time to excavate, and time to process. Contact us to book one of our expert essay coaches.
Wrap up Testing: For students who will apply Early Action or Early Decision, the following test dates remain, assuming no COVID-related cancellations:
SAT or Subject Tests: 8/29, 9/26, 10/3, 11/7 (some schools accept November; others don’t)
ACT: 9/12, 9/13, 9/19, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/25
The majority of colleges have gone test optional for this year, but if you a) are able to test safely, and b) can show excellence in problem solving ability via your score, we encourage you to send on testing. Kudos to those students who took care of business last fall and have strong scores already secured.
For remaining SAT or ACT preparation, the key is to set aside concerted time for skills growth. Just as one cannot become a great tennis player overnight, one needs diligent practice to grow problem solving skills. All the better if this practice can be guided by an expert coach. Contact us to learn more.
Resources:
New York Times: How to Write a Good College Application Essay
Grown & Flown: How Your Teen Can Snag A Powerful Letter of Recommendation for College Applications
Rising Juniors & Underclassmen
SAT/ACT: A vital tool right now for our rising juniors is our customized timeline, in which we map out the short 15 months until you will be submitting your first college applications. Take heed of what your senior friends are juggling! Most important is to know that most high achieving students will take the SAT or ACT roughly 3 times—because colleges are great about considering your personal best from those scores. In many cases, colleges even super score your best sections. It’s important to evaluate then whether you’ll want to take Subject Tests—recommended for the most elite schools—and when you’ll fit them in. In short, every junior should start the year knowing a target for not only her first official SAT/ACT, but a rough sketch of when a 2nd and 3rd sitting may fit in, as well as whether you’ll want to take Subject Tests in spring of junior year.
Summer intensive: We are in the final weeks to fit in summer intensive SAT/ACT improvement, and what remarkable focus we’re seeing from our students, some of whom are already up 400 points from their diagnostics. Bravo.
SAT/ACT growth during the school year: For those who have been occupied this summer cultivating incredible character stories, not to worry. Many a successful junior has managed to undergo this skills growth during the academic year. The key is to plan accordingly: a first sitting in no less than three months, to put into place a rigorous coaching routine—4 to 6 hours a week—and to make a plan for when to shift from skills growth to practice tests. Contact us to iron out a plan specific to you.
Resources:
Redbook: Here's How to Help Your Kid Rock the SAT and ACT
Parents.com: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Kid Into College
Graduate School Candidates: Applications are Open
Business school: First round submission deadlines begin as soon as September 4—just 5 weeks away—and second rounds are closer to January 1 for those still finalizing GMAT or GRE. A plan of action needs to be in place from now deciding which round is right for you, including a target date to have testing complete. From there, vital responsibilities include an appropriate school list, recommendation requests, and perhaps most importantly, excavating intriguing personal statements. Contact us to discuss a plan of action—including the all important consideration of how your work experience will affect your candidacy.
Law School: rolling applications are now open, with final deadlines just after the new year. If you are thinking about applying this fall, you should be moving toward completion of LSAT or GRE, to leave 1-2 months for work on personal statements and recommendation requests. Remaining 2019 LSAT dates: 8/29, 10/3, 11/14. We encourage submitting applications as early as possible in the rolling period. Contact us for guidance on reaching final testing goals, and to begin mapping out a unique story for personal statements.
Medical school: For those candidates beginning to receive interview invitations, our med school coaches are on call to help you prepare.
Other graduate study: As with any admissions goal, it’s wise to get testing out of the way before finalizing a program list, making note of deadlines—which can vary from September to March, but often hover around January 1—and working on personal statements and other components such as recommendation requests. Contact us to create a customized plan to reach your desired program.
Resources:
GMAT Mentors: An Interview with Expert Test-Taker, Hafeez Lakhani
Boarding School and Independent School
Most boarding schools and independent schools require SSAT or ISEE test scores to be submitted with applications (at home testing available this year). It’s wise to schedule target dates from now, because as with any standardized test, skills growth requires persistence. A number of our students are already in full swing with coaching, nicely separating the task of testing from applications, essays, (virtual) visits and interviews to come later in the fall. Applications can be due anywhere from November 1 to February 15. Contact us to discuss test preparation, a school list, visits, and a detailed plan of action.
Resources:
New York Times: Considering College? Maybe You Should Invest in a Coach
Problem of the Month: ACT Math
(calculator permitted)
A bullet train is scheduled to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco at an average speed of 225 mph over 400 miles. If on the first 90 miles of the journey there is construction on the track, limiting the train to 125 mph, which of the following is closest to the average speed for the balance of the journey?
A) 250 mph
B) 264 mph
C) 275 mph
D) 293 mph
E) 325 mph
Source: ACT.org