Hey there members of the Class of ’24 (and their parents),

Greetings from Gary the College Guy!

My next “College Guy Rants” newsletter will come out shortly on the subject of essay writing. This is a quick HEADS UP to remind everyone that the deadlines to register for the June 3 SAT and the June 10th ACT are this Thursday (SAT) and Friday (ACT) at midnight.

You register for the SAT at collegeboard.org

Register for the ACT at act.org

If you’ve already taken one or both tests earlier this year there’s no need to take it a second time in June – wait till October to retake it.

And remember to relax about standardized testing: they’re no longer required by the vast majority of colleges, and they don’t measure how smart you are or how well you’ll do in college (they never did). That said, a competitive score can help you get admitted to colleges and qualify you for grants and scholarships from the schools which offer merit money. So I encourage all students to give it (forgive me) the old college try, and take both the SAT and the ACT tests once in the spring, and a second time next October. Prep using Khan Academy – it’s free and high quality – link your collegeboard account to Kahn and do 45 minute stints three times a week for five or six weeks before the test.

That’s all for now. Those of you who’ve met with me should be working on your “Top 10” College lists, creating and updating your resumes, writing your first (and then your second) essay, and lining up some summer job shadows or a volunteer internship. If you’ve not met with me – what’re you waiting for?!! Give me a holler and I’ll tell you how it works.

Break a leg on those AP exams (they’re also not really that important by the way, so relax) and good luck with finals. Summer’s just around the corner!

From Gary the College Guy