<p>One thing I haven’t seen emphasized here that I emphasized in my parent portion for my son and my niece focused on in her apps is Character. Asking me for my son’s special talents, I let his scores, grades, and letters of recommendation speak to academic, athletic, and musical talents. I talked about his sense of justice, fairness, and honesty, and in general how important it is for him to always “do the right thing.” It may sound overly simple, but I think in all of this effort to package the perfect candidate, the character aspect gets ignored. Talking about character in and of itself may be just unique enough. It worked for us.</p>
<p>acemom is right. imagine if you were recruiting people for a opening job (in this case, a spot in the boarding school), wouldn’t you want someone who will work hard, keep harmony between workers, and stay level-headed and mature in situations of crisis, rather than someone who can play a banjo with their toes? (ha, bad example in a not so fitting situation. but you get the point)</p>
<p>if you look at the recommendation forms as well, there is a whole section devoted to character, and while having a 2.8 GPA when being a good student won’t exactly guarantee admission, being portrayed as a mature, kind, honest person will do a lot in deciding whether to let you in or not.</p>
<p>@risingjunior, thanks for pointing that out. I can’t believe I, a dedicated Legend of Zelda fan, did not think of that! =O</p>
<p>Does Slyvan offer SSAT tutoring, (per the original post)? I looked at their website and only saw SAT and ACT test preparation, not SSAT. If anyone knows of SSAT tutoring sites, can they please post?</p>
<p>I checked out ssat tutoring around here (colorado) including sylvan, etc. I was told by a couple of places that they could tutor my son for standardized tests, including the ssat – but with some more questions asked, it was clear that it was more general tutoring and they didn’t have any experience with the actual ssat test.</p>
<p>There is an online site for tutoring, just google it. Honestly – unless your child is seriously deficient in a particular area of math, independent review is just as beneficial, if not more. </p>
<p>Since my son was homeschooled for elementary school, he didn’t have much experience with standardized tests. I found different materials from different companies that helped him with the ssat in addition to the actual prep books. of course, with everything else going on – he didn’t really use the materials (let me know if you want to buy any) but I do think that what he did do really helped.</p>
<p>Reading comprehension: [Amazon.com:</a> Hooked on Phonics: Your Reading Power (Adapted for Home and Personal Use from the SRA Reading Laboratory Series): Don H. Parker: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-Phonics-Reading-Personal-Laboratory/dp/B000L3AU88/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208013168&sr=8-1]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-Phonics-Reading-Personal-Laboratory/dp/B000L3AU88/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208013168&sr=8-1) starts out very easy and works up, 100 quick and easy stories, helps them build skill and strategies without frustrating them. For the next level, I would try the reading detective books/cd from critical thinking co. [The</a> Critical Thinking Co. - Search Results](<a href=“http://www.criticalthinking.com/searchBykeyword.do?searchKey=reading+detective&catalog=p&menu2=Pick+a+Product+Family]The”>http://www.criticalthinking.com/searchBykeyword.do?searchKey=reading+detective&catalog=p&menu2=Pick+a+Product+Family)</p>
<p>For vocab, there are tons of products out there – either a book, games, or software. my son liked WordSmart cds [WordSmart</a> - Vocabulary,Reading Comprehension and SAT Prep Software - WordSmart Vocabulary Software](<a href=“http://www.wordsmart.com/]WordSmart”>http://www.wordsmart.com/) we bought them used off ebay for much less. He also liked vocabulary cartoons [Amazon.com:</a> cartoon vocabulary: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-4043817-2718568?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cartoon+vocabulary]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/102-4043817-2718568?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cartoon+vocabulary)</p>
<p>for analogies, we bought the three cd set from critical thinking co. – they were great. they actually teach the kids the strategies for doing the analogies and they practice with a game. [The</a> Critical Thinking Co. - Search Results](<a href=“http://www.criticalthinking.com/searchBykeyword.do?searchKey=analogies&catalog=p&menu2=Pick+a+Product+Family]The”>http://www.criticalthinking.com/searchBykeyword.do?searchKey=analogies&catalog=p&menu2=Pick+a+Product+Family)</p>
<p>for math, I had him do the pre-algebra review online [ALEKS</a> – Assessment and Learning, K-12, Higher Education, Automated Tutor, Math](<a href=“http://www.aleks.com/?ref=web]ALEKS”>http://www.aleks.com/?ref=web) and he also did revenge of the math spiders from the critical thinking company [The</a> Critical Thinking Co. - Search Results](<a href=“http://www.criticalthinking.com/searchBykeyword.do?searchKey=revenge+of+the+math+spiders&catalog=p&menu2=Pick+a+Product+Family]The”>http://www.criticalthinking.com/searchBykeyword.do?searchKey=revenge+of+the+math+spiders&catalog=p&menu2=Pick+a+Product+Family)</p>
<p>My thought was that this was less expensive than a tutor (we already had some of the stuff from homeschooling) and he could do it a little bit at a time over the summer and fall.</p>
<p>Kaplan has SSAT prep courses.</p>
<p>SSAT prep course are a waste of time and money, they wont help much, the test is made for specific tutoring not to help. However even if you do happen to improve it only slightly improves your chances for admission, ssats can guarantee you anything, but if you do REALLY bad they can keep you out.</p>
<p>manofthepeople is correct – however, for students who need a review of the math or a better understanding of what an analogy is or need some tutoring so that familiarity with the test can overcome test anxiety, you can see a significant rise in scores.</p>
<p>The SAT is similiar to the SSAT – and kids work hard (tutoring, self-study, etc) and raise their scores by 400 points – so studying can and does make a difference. It all depends on where you are starting from and what it is that kept you from scoring better.</p>
<p>this is a long thread – but many kids swear by the xiggi method for SAt studying, and it could be used equally as well for the ssat <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggi-s-sat-prep-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggi-s-sat-prep-advice.html</a></p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your advice.</p>
<p>seikuu, anytime 
I myself, the first time I heard the word, thought he said “Macarena”. My boyfriend still makes fun of me for that =/</p>
<p>i took the kaplan ssat workbook and just studied by myself for a couple of weeks, i got 87% overall ssat so i think it helped alot</p>
<p>I went to a boring summer ssat preparation class and ended up sleeping through most of it and got 95% overall, 97% math, 95% vocab and 86% reading. Some of the things I did was make 1k+ flashcards out of the various dictionaries i found lying around my house, practice timed essays and submit them to my english teacher and do some critical reading workbooks… :X</p>
<p>@ anyone applying next year, use [Flashcards</a>, vocabulary memorization, and studying games | Quizlet](<a href=“http://www.quizlet.com%5DFlashcards”>http://www.quizlet.com). It’s very useful. Much less tiring and more efficient than making 1k+ flashcards. Credits to intrigue for finding it :)</p>
<p>The SSAT is childsplay. Sign up to take the SAT and it will seem like even more of a breeze. That’s what I did. Hahaha.</p>
<p>Basically, just make sure you’re well rounded. They’re going to ask what you’ve been up to for the past year (next year) and be prepared to tell them an awesome story. Definitely reapply everywhere you applied this year, and consider applying to even more schools. I’ve been through the whole rejection thing. Trying again definitely pays off!</p>
<p>OP – My suggestion is to try to visit schools that interest you now. Some will allow you to visit now through perhaps mid-May without having an interview. Of course, you should only visit the schools that you haven’t already seen. After visiting, think about whether or not the school is a good match for you. If it is, start thinking about why it is a good match. What do you want to do there? What value can you add to the community? If you know how you can add to a school community, you will be a stronger candidate next year. Of course, you don’t have to visit a school to think about that, but I think it helps. </p>
<p>I’m glad that you are broadening your search. A carefully selected school list should give you choices next year. If you have any questions about Blair, feel free to ask me here or pm me. I have a child who attends, and it is a wonderful school.</p>
<p>Read schools’ course of study (course offerings) and try to image what course you will like to take. Compare each school, compare with your local school. That will give more deep thought about the school.</p>
<p>I am a student at Deerfield.<br>
I got in because I had strong grades, etc. for sure, but so do about 90% of the applicants (the 10% that don’t get in too because they are so rich they buy their way in or they get in for sports). My SSAT scores were terrible, but I had a fantastic interview. Most importantly, I had really unique extracurricular activities. I can assure you that Deerfield wants to see that you have developed a passion for soemthing: a sport, community service, etc. etc. I would say that if your SSAT scores were really bad, then study a lot for them but if they were anywhere above the bottom 40% I would leave them alone. They don’t care as much about those scores as you would think. Find a passion, get an interesting job, excel at a sport, start a club, etc. etc. That is what they want to see.<br>
Also, you have to present yourself well. Introduce yourself to the interviewer and to the admissions officers, look them in the eye, shake their hands firmly, etc. Ask intelligent questions. They want to see that you have potential. It’s hard to get in, but it is possible. And really, do something that INTERESTS you, don’t just study for SSATs all summer. Good luck!!</p>
<p>What would be some really unique ec’s slash communtiy service?</p>
<p>I was thinking about debate but i don’t even know if my school has that</p>
<p>I was ranked nationally in Australia at chess but that wasn’t my clincher to getting into my picks. I just felt the interviews and essays were great for me.</p>
<p>I didn’t even study the SSATs and got 99% so any coaching etc is just a HUGE waste! </p>
<p>I talked about my passions for like 1-2 hours in every interview and we didn’t talk about me but my passions. We talked about politics for the entire Groton interview!</p>
<p>Shore: To say that coaching/studying is a waste as a blanket statement is just not true. Some students will greatly benefit from a good study plan. Not everyone is a good test taker.</p>
<p>so should i get a writing/verbal&analogies tutor.
idk. theres like NONE where i live.
no one knows what the ssat is</p>