Should I Take the SAT or ACT and What About the MCAT, LSAT, and GRE during COVID?

Amid all of the adjustments that Colleges and Universities have made during COVID, the one that affects you and your student the most is the changes to Standardized Tests such as the SAT, ACT, MCAT, LSAT, and GRE. Although California has seen the most disruption in its Testing schedule, the rest of the country has been open for several months now. Therefore, if you are thinking about attending a College or University outside of California, then the SAT and ACT will be REQUIRED for the upcoming admissions cycle. That being said, there have been some adjustments to Graduate level Testing, such as in the case of the MCAT, LSAT, and GRE.

The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) has been shortened from 7 hours to 5 and a half hours in order to fit in an additional sitting at Pearson Test Centers to make up for the 2020 cancellations. Medical Schools across the country have refused to waive the MCAT requirement, even during COVID. This is an extremely long and difficult exam for prospective Medical School applicants, therefore we at Dow Educational Solutions recommend approximately 80 hours for content review. Yes, 80 hours!… However, we have prepared a full color-coded version of all of the Notes associated with the Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, and Critical Reasoning content on the MCAT. We can save you over 75% of your study time by accessing our complete MCAT Content Review materials…

The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) will be administered at home while proctored remotely using your webcam. Spots fill up quickly, and registration deadlines are firm, with no late registration. Since Testing can occur in the comfort of your own home, Law Schools have not decided to waive the LSAT requirement. The LSAT is another complicated Standardized Test that requires practice, practice, and more practice…

The Graduate Record Examination includes 3 areas of focus: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. Since this Test is short by most standards, only 3 hours and 45 minutes, previous cancellations have been easy to make up. There are several Testing Centers that have been serving students for the past several months, even in California.

The bottom line is that now is the time to start planning your Standardized Test Prep for the SAT, ACT, MCAT, LSAT, and GRE as requirements for undergraduate Colleges outside of California remain the same, and Graduate & Professional School requirements for Universities across the county have always been the same despite COVID.

How do I know if my student has Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

October is National ADHD Awareness Month, and in honor of those working hard to raise awareness about this disorder, we at DowEdu want to reach out and offer our over 20 years of experience working with students with ADHD.

First, what is ADHD? It stands for Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder, therefore the pathopneumonic symptoms are an inability to focus and concentrate, which is often accompanied by hyperactivity. The symptomology associated with ADHD is a laundry list of manifestations ranging from impulsivity, disorganization, and increased locomotor activity to thought bombardment and gaze avoidance. There are 3 main types: Inattentive Type, Hyperactive Type, and both Inattentive/Hyperactive Type. Often times, the student is unable to organize their schoolwork, daydreams during class and misses key information, impulsively seeks euphoric activities instead of getting schoolwork done (e.g. video games), is seen staring off into space, and an inability to sit still and focus on the task at hand.

Our President & Founder, Steven Alan Dow, M.S., wrote his Master’s Thesis on ADHD, therefore his unique expertise in this field has led to the overwhelming success of DowEdu in providing Educational Therapy for students demonstrating ADHD symptoms. Upon working with DowEdu, student grades go from F’s to A’s in a matter of a few weeks!

Don’t let your child fall behind… Call us today to schedule an Introductory Assessment, and end the immense stress and strain of trying to navigate through online Distance Learning with a student that suffers from ADHD.

What is a “Pod,” and why should you be forming one for your student in order to get the most out of online Distance Learning?

Whether you call them Learning Pods or Study Pods, they have been all the rage recently. Parents across the nation are scrambling to put together a group of 3 to 4 students to work together on learning the information presented during online Distance Learning. These Pods also serve as a study group for doing Homework, studying for Quizzes, and preparing for Exams as well. I’m sure you’ve read and heard about them by now, so it’s time to start forming them for the Fall semester!

Pods are directed by a Teacher or an Educational Therapist after school. We offer Pod group services in order to reteach and reinforce the class material, while incorporating Homework assistance and Educational Therapy to address special needs. With Dow Educational Solutions, you always have an Advocate. During this time of Distance Learning, the accommodations that are pursuant to federal law need to be implemented for students with an Independent Education Plan IEP or 504. Now is the time to bring in an experienced Advocate who will fight for your student!

Pods are usually formed among students of the same grade due to the fact that they traditionally are taking the same course, but with different Teachers. For example, 4 Freshman high school students may not all be in the same class, but they may be each taking Biology. This allows for flexibility in forming your Pod. The key is that students learn the material that is mandated for them to learn under state guidelines and be able to complete the Homework, and prepare for Assessments such as Quizzes and Tests. This time it counts, meaning their grades can go down and will appear on their official transcript and permanent record. Be on the forefront of Education during this challenging time, and get the help you need in order to make online Distance Learning successful for you and your student.

“What makes a College Application Personal Statement stand out?”

Everyone is unique… Each of us has something special about us. It may be a special skill or accomplishment, or it may just be an experience that shaped the person you are today. Yes, the College Application Personal Statement is a way for Admissions Officials to get to know you, but it requires a strategic approach. There is indeed a formula for a successful Personal Statement. We go through this in a systematic way during our Personal Statement Workshops…

Tell a story. No one likes to hear someone ramble off a bunch of facts with no context. Tell us what you could hear, see, feel, and smell… Take the reader back to the setting and tell us YOUR story. The most successful Ivy League Personal Statements incorporate this style and approach. Focus on a life changing experience, then the other components of the formula will simply fall into place around this experience. What unique characteristics set you apart from all of the other applicants? What makes you stand out among the over 100,000 College Applications received at that University? These are the questions that you need to ask yourself before embarking on the most important essay of your academic career.