Print Applerouth Tutoring Services can help with any form of college entrance exams, as well as most high school subjects. It was formed in 2002 when founder Jed Appelrouth decided to make his career on helping students obtain admission to the college of their choice. Applerouth Tutoring Services is a group of highly talented, trained and motivated tutors that offers strategies on college test taking and works with students to gain admission to the school of their choice. Their motto is ‘Better Tutors. Better Results.‘
Applerouth Tutoring Services tutors have average SAT scores well above 1500 (770 math, 760 verbal), and they require that all tutors have teaching experience prior to working for them.
Jed Appelrouth, founder of Applerouth Tutoring Services, spoke at Roam business cafe recently and AlpharettaMoms.Org had a chance to attend. We are excited to have Applerouth Tutoring Services as a sponsor and look forward to keeping you informed of their happenings and all they have to offer to the community. Here are some 
important tips I gained at Jed’s “Everything College Admissions Seminar”:
A student’s junior year is their most important in his or her high school career. Colleges look at Rigor/GPA then Test Scores. It is the year to take college entrance exams and grades are critical for their GPA. Students should take tests starting November – March of their junior year and finish up in June if necessary. Early senior year is a fallback if a student needs to try to improve scores, but ideally they should be finished by end of junior year so can apply early decision in August. The number of AP or advanced classes is also important. If your child has a 3.5 with 8 AP classes, it looks a lot better to colleges than a student with a 3.5 GPA and 0 AP classes. August of Junior year is the time to apply to colleges.
Colleges are playing within in bands of gender and ethnicity as well as which High School you are graduating from. Colleges will look at how many females vs males they need for enrollment as well as ethnic background.
Colleges use indexes to rank students top to bottom. Students above a certain line get a “deep read” or are further considered. Also, colleges are trying to appeal to everyone now. They want more students to apply so they obtain as diverse a population of students as possible. But they are losing their sense of identity by doing so. Their recruiting efforts have changed as well and they are more aggressive. Colleges get so many applications now that their staff can only handle so many.
Students need “hooks” to be more appealing to schools:
- Activities – athletics. Does the student bring excellent athletics or music/art to school? An athlete with good grades has a better chance of getting in than a student with only good grades b/c maybe they can take the school to a bowl game or sport championship
- Build Diverse Community – schools want students from all over the nation and ethnic backgrounds
- Alumni – Is the students parent or relative an alumusi that contributes to school? If they give every year, schools takes that into consideration.
- Development Office – Did student’s uncle give a donation for a wing of the school? Anything that might be in students favor, the school takes into consideration
- Ability to Pay in Full – Students who can pay up front or pay full tuition and not scholarship is taken into consideration
- How many times student has reached out to school via email, phone, letter, etc. shows interest in school.
Students have a more likely chance of getting a “deep read” if 1) their essay is compelling and they follow instructions, 2) they have recommendations from teachers, counselors, etc 3) they have participated in Activities 4) they have shown demonstrated interest in the school 5) they interview with school (not many school do this but if offered should definitely do)
Essay – The essay should take at least 14 hours of work. Self-disclosure. Give them a taste of you as a human being. Get in touch with your own voice. Only you can write it. Pick a slice of your life to tell a story and tell it well. Need to stand out! Keep it personal and from the heart. Put yourself out there in a certain way. Follow directions to a tee! If the college asks for a 500 word essay do not submit 800.
If a question on an admission form asks about why you want to attend the school, really tell them a compelling reason why. Visit the school and tell how it made a mark on you.
Recommendations – Have a rapport with a teacher from high school because they will go to bat for you. A student should know by their junior year who is writing their recommendation. Give the teacher a synopsis of what you did in his or her class. The college you are applying to will specify who they are looking for recommendations from.
Activities – What are you going to bring to campus? Focus on 1 or 2 instead of 30 activities in high school. It is more appealing to school what assets you bring them. Be who you are, not who you want to be. Make a few choices and tell a story. Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn as well. Be a leader.
Demonstrated Interest – Write emails to the school beforehand, visit and reach out to the school. Colleges look at how many “touches” you had with them and how you showed interest in them. With so many applications to consider, one that will stand out is a student who has proven they really want to attend. Also, a school doesn’t want to give an offer that will be rejected.
Tips on Testing:
- The SAT is more abstract. The ACT is how fast can you move; it’s a race. If you are slower at testing you won’t do as well on the ACT. Applerouth Tutoring Services works with students on timing and how to take tests faster. Their tutors have students do mock tests for practice. If a student gets tired fast in tests, they help with endurance. (One mock test is free with Applerouth Tutoring Services if want to do before decide to sign up for tutor). Stack two tests back to back and don’t space them out.
- Colleges don’t care which test you submit. Just want to submit the highest score. A student can take the SAT several times and submit the highest from each section -called Super Score and more schools are doing it. The school doesn’t have to see what you scored each time you took it. The school will only see the top score submitted, not how they got them. Applerouth Tutoring Services will help you invest all your resources on the test that best suits you. The test a student scores higher on is the one you want to concentrate on. Typically defer to SAT if student doesnt have preference. Only send scores to colleges that you want to be seen – a student does not have to have every score submitted.
- Appelrouth is a proponent of having testing done by June of junior year so a student can apply early admission. Applying early increases a students chances by 300% of getting in. Not everyone applies early and most who do are full pay.
- Don’t do prep for tests around busiest season of sports if you are an athlete or busy during a certain time of year. Work with your kid’s schedule. then do refreshers around the test. Check college website to see if they place more value on GPA or test scores.
Applerouth Tutoring Services cares about their students’ success and constantly strives to help them set their goals and realize their potential. Whether they are seeking to master the material, overcome the anxiety of test taking, or gain confidence in their abilities, students will find that they are committed to doing whatever it takes to help them achieve their optimal results. Applerouth Tutoring Services will come to your home or the closest location is on Holcomb Bridge, Roswell.
Article written 8/16/12
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