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SAT Prep Workshop Testimonials

One-Day High School Workshops

Guidance:

Carolina College Prep is proud to offer 1-day SAT Preparation workshops for high schools. These workshops are scheduled by the guidance department at a particular school, and the workshop is held on campus, during normal school hours.

The workshop is entertaining. It has to be if the students are going to remain engaged in the material the whole day. I combine motivation and humor with targeted SAT Prep instruction. It is a delicate balance, but one I believe I've mastered.

Generally, kids are surprised to find the workshop so informative and enjoyable at the same time. Kids regularly say things like, "When are you coming back?" and "I stayed through early dismissal to hear what you had to say." It doesn’t take an advanced degree in psychology to realize that purchasing the most informative SAT Prep workshop available is rendered a worthless decision if the speaker can not hold his audience’s attention.

My workshop is successful because I can keep your students “engaged” in the learning process, and my techniques for score improvement work. For a more detailed discussion, of why we’re effective, please read: Why Our System Works.

| Fall 2011 Schedule | Spring 2012 Schedule |

| Workshop Format | Why Our System Works |Score Improvement Target |

| Important Point for Attendees | Covered Topics | Proprietary Workshop Syllabus |

|Workshop Cost | Follow-On Instruction | Hosting Considerations |

| Participating Schools | How To Schedule |

Workshop Format

Each workshop is tailored to the perceived needs of the attendees as the day progresses. As such, it is flexible, and the workshops don’t “all look the same.” They are all effective however, as the instruction is targeted to the specific weaknesses of the attendees. I move on to a different task when the majority of the students have demonstrated tangible improvement.

Why Our System Works

The delivery and focus of our instruction is the strength of our system. I’m a former college head coach, and I will prepare your student for the SAT the same way I would prepare a team for a critical game. I treat the SAT like an “Opponent” a sports team would face on the field of competition. I’ve taken countless SATs (4 full length SATs per year since 1999 – at a minimum), and have plotted out tendencies within the test itself. Using all of this experience and “film study”, to use a coach’s term, I have created a unique game plan to ensure victory for your son or daughter on SAT test day.

My game plan is essentially a full breakdown on the most frequent types of questions your student will see on SAT Saturday (game day). This isn’t simply a discussion of the type of questions in each section (eg: sentence completions, or geometry problems), but an example of the actual question – complete with a thorough discussion of its difficulty level, theories as to why students struggle with the particular problem, and most importantly, a simple way to solve it correctly. In addition, I will explain all of the possible “looks” a particular problem can take on. These different looks serve as disguise mechanisms to try and offset any value in SAT Prep courses like mine. More importantly, the questions on the SAT are constantly falling in and out of favor. We’ll see a particular question on every SAT for 9 months, and then it’ll disappear for 3 years; only to reappear at a future date. It’s important to know “what’s coming next.”

Our competition doesn’t take my approach. Rather than focus on problems that will appear on the next SAT, they try to cover every possible scenario. This is one reason their courses are so much longer than my course, and because they’re covering every possible scenario a student could face, they can’t spend the time necessary to ensure mastery of any given problem.

Another point about the competition: In my opinion, they unnecessarily complicate things. The competition will spend countless hours teaching your student a "specialized math class" technique for every conceivable problem he could possibly see on the SAT. The sheer number of techniques to be employed typically overwhelms, confuses, and demoralizes the typical student. Furthermore, at the core, the approach is fundamentally flawed because it unnecessarily complicates things.

Unlike the competition, I approach the SAT with the goal of simplification as a priority. For example, in my system, rather than have your child memorize 10 different math class techniques to work 10 different problems in the Math Section of the SAT (like our competitors would have your student do), I teach ONE technique, that I developed, which allows my students to work ALL of the problems on the SAT's Math Section – using elementary school math skills. If you’re child has passed the 6th grade, he’ll do fine on the Math Section of the SAT with my techniques. We take a similar approach to in the Critical Reading section.

Now, I could go on for hours about why I believe my course is the best SAT course out there, but I’ll leave you with this simple truth: I do what I do because I want to make an investment in your child’s life – an investment that no one ever made in my life.

Based on my career occupation, you might be surprised to know that I was not a very good student in high school. Moreover, to this date, I have never come across anyone who scored lower than I did on the SAT. In fact, if it weren’t for the commitment of one college soccer coach, I’m certain I would have never gotten a chance to even go to college. While I’m grateful for this coach’s efforts on my behalf and thankful for the college education I received, I didn’t particularly want to go to his school. Unfortunately, no other college coach seemed to be interested in me as a player after they saw my SAT scores. I guess they knew that I’d have significant difficulties being admitted to the college. As a result, I was thoroughly miserable outside of my time on the soccer field at the college I attended.

To the point though, for years after I graduated from college, I believed I was an “idiot” because of my low score on the SAT. Only later did I realize that I wasn’t dumb. More accurately I just wasn’t coached “to win” on the SAT. Now, using the simplification strategies that I’m going to teach your child, I regularly score in the 1550 – 1600 range on the SAT. These extremely high scores make me wonder what I may have done differently if I’d had a 1550 to 1600 on the SAT instead of the 620 I received in high school. During periods of reflection, I find myself wondering, “How might my life be different had I had a higher SAT score when it mattered?”

Of course, the past is history as they say, and what is done is done. My focus for the future is to make sure that everyone that wants a higher SAT score gets it. I want to give your student the all the advantages I didn’t have when I was in their shoes. I want to invest in their lives where no one invested in mine. I can make a difference in your child’s life – let me show you.

Score Improvement Target

The SAT Prep workshop hopes to improve the average attendee’s SAT score by 70 points. Note that the average High School Workshop score improvements are not as high as our Private SAT Course average (between 100 - 190 points). The reason for the difference between the two score improvement averages is because we have less time with the students in the High School Workshop. As you can imagine, time limitations limit the score Workshop score improvement averages, as we are not able to cover as much material.

Important Point for Attendees

Please note that the workshop is designed to meet the needs of the average kid with a typical SAT score. Average kids do not have a 1400 (Critical Reading & Math) on the SAT prior to attending the workshop. These exceptional students will be bored most of the time, and are not likely to benefit at all from the workshop (though there are exceptions).

That said, with prior planning we can be successful with an entire group of students with elite SAT scores (eg: SC Governor’s School for Science and Math), but the usual approach we take is not designed for the student with the elite SAT score. They should be steered into our 1 on 1 Tutoring System if they would like additional SAT help.

I'm not aware of another workshop that targets a specified score improvement, but it is something I do with all of my courses and workshops, and it seems to be working (based on feedback we’ve received).

Covered Topics

The Workshop is heavily focused on the Math Section. I personally loath math, but I focus on the Math Section because it is the easiest section in which to quickly, and significantly, improve SAT scores for most students. The bottom line is that the purpose of any legitimate SAT Prep program is to achieve significant score improvements (a workshop that provides only a survey of the SAT is worthless in our mind). We want to add measurable points to students scores, and we believe that our 70 point score improvement average per student target can be most easily and consistently obtained by focusing on the Math section (even for the students who are strong in Math). Many students who are exceptional in the Math Portion of the SAT can still benefit from our approach.

Proprietary Workshop Syllabus

All students will receive a workshop syllabus. I wrote it, and can attest that the syllabus is thorough, and contains numerous practice problems in every discipline for further readiness training and self study. Unlike other providers, I use my own proprietary SAT Prep materials – not something you can buy off a bookshelf, or check out of the library.

High School Workshop Cost

1. The cost of our high school workshop is $1,000 plus $11 per student; ergo, a workshop with 50 students would cost $1,550.

2. Schools worried about numbers, or school who have lost their “SAT Budget” could use a $51 per student fee, with a 20 student minimum (and have the students foot the entire bill).

Customized pricing schedules are available upon request. All schools must commit to a pricing structure before the workshop.

Follow - On Instruction

By way of background, I teach private courses throughout the state for kids who want follow on instruction that is more detailed than the workshop environment. The average score improvement in the private course is between 100 and 190 points, and I guarantee a score improvement in the private course. To make this follow on instruction more affordable for those who want it, I provide every workshop attendee a $100 credit toward the purchase of the private SAT Prep Course (normally $395), or any other service Carolina College Prep provides. In addition to the $100 credit toward the purchase of the course, I award one of the workshop attendees a “full scholarship” to the course allowing them free entry. The full scholarship is determined based on a drawing at the end of the class.

Hosting Considerations

1. The workshop works the best when it can be set up in an atmosphere that resembles a class room ~ as we are in a teaching environment. Ideally students should have their own desk, or be seated in a manner that provides a ‘writing platform.’ Cavernous auditoriums are generally not our preferred venue (unless the auditorium is going to be full of students). Gymnasiums are even less desirable due to the echo inherent to gymnasiums. Libraries are good. Classrooms are best. Generally speaking, the ‘smallest space’ we can host the workshop, with every student in their own desk, is the ‘preferred space.’

2. We need access to a projection screen, at the front of the room.

3. All students must be able to have a visual line of sight to the projection screen without having to turn their head away from their desk.

4. All students should have their own calculator, or (if the school provides the calculator) the brand of calculator they plan to take to the SAT.

5. All students should have a sharpened pencil (no pens).

6. Schools should consider having a monitor, so that they can observe first hand the quality of instruction the students receive.

Participating Schools
I’ve recently conducted SAT workshops at the following schools:

Orangeburg Prep, Silver Bluff, Midland Valley, Aiken, South Aiken, Wilson, Laurence Manning Academy, Airport, Blythewood, Camden Military Academy, Carver’s Bay, Georgetown, Waccamaw, Williston Elko, Saluda, Dillon Christian School, and many others.

Scheduling

To reserve the date for your workshop, phone: 803/957-0459, or

Email me at jwilson@carolinacollegeprep.com

Fall 2011 High School Workshop Schedule

Updated 1 September 2011

For the October 1st SAT:

Thursday, September 15th, Dillon Christian School (Confirmed)

Tuesday, September 20th, Blythewood HS (Confirmed)

Wednesday, September 21th, Midland Valley HS (Confirmed)

Thursday, September 22th, Williston HS (Confirmed)

Friday, September 23th, Orangeburg Prep HS *Juniors* (Confirmed)

Tuesday, September 27th, Airport HS (Confirmed)

Wednesday September 28th, Laurence Manning Academy (Confirmed)

Thursday, September 29th, South Aiken HS (Confirmed)

Friday, September 30th, Aiken HS (Confirmed)

For the November 6th SAT:

Wednesday, October 26th, Saluda HS (Confirmed)

Tuesday, November 1st, Carver’s Bay HS (Tentative)

Wednesday, November 2nd, Georgetown HS (Confirmed)

Thursday, November 3rd, Camden Military Academy (Confirmed)

Friday, November 4th, Silver Bluff HS (Confirmed)

For the December 4th SAT:

Tuesday, November 29th, Carver’s Bay HS (Tentative)

Wednesday, November 30th, Orangeburg Prep HS *Seniors* (Tentative)

Thursday, December 1st, Waccamaw HS (Tentative)

Friday, December 2nd, Wilson HS (Confirmed)

Note: Workshops marked “Confirmed” have been confirmed by a school official. Parents, if you want your kids to have access to our SAT Prep workshop at your high school, please encourage them to confirm and/ or schedule their dates.

Spring 2012 High School Workshop Schedule

Updated 22 February 2012

For the January 28th SAT:

Wedensday, January 25th Open Date (Call to schedule)

Friday, September 27th Open Date (Call to schedule)

For the March 10th SAT:

Monday, February 27th Airport HS (Confirmed)

Tuesday, February 28th Open Date (Call to schedule)

Wednesday, February 29th Individual Tutoring Date (Call to schedule)

Thursday, March 1st Wilson HS (Confirmed)

Friday, March 2nd Blythewood HS (Confirmed)

Tuesday, March 6th Silver Bluff HS (Call to schedule)