Remarks from Our Longstanding College Entrance Exam Tutor

SAT PREP PROGRAM

One of the major ways to close the “Achievement Gap” is through private tutoring. Yet, due to cost and accessibility, this resource is largely limited to those who already enjoy academic and financial privilege. Since 2019, The Dr. Ione Dunkley Edwards Scholars program has provided Ursuline students with access to private SAT tutoring that has allowed recipients to enjoy immediate, meaningful and measurable improvement in their SAT scores, thereby increasing their college options, and accessibility to  Merit Scholarships. 

The upheaval in academics begun by the “achievement gap” and exacerbated by the pandemic, has had an enormous impact on the college admissions process. Colleges that have relied, for years, on SAT or ACT scores as a major determining factor in the admissions process have found it necessary to waive the test score requirement and adopt a “test optional” policy. As such, many students believe that SAT tests now play no part in the admissions decision. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Despite their public declaration that test scores will not play a role in the acceptance decision, colleges are left with an empty scale upon which to balance the relative academic achievements of their applicants. As such, students who DO submit test scores that meet or exceed the school’s historical standards will enjoy a “compensating factor”, which will help to tilt the scale in the student’s favor. In addition, many of these colleges will still consider GPA and Test Scores when including accepted students in the merit scholarship pool. 

We believe that test scores will continue to be instrumental in the admissions decision, and that proper test preparation will serve to separate our scholars from the crowd. With your help, we can not only continue this service, but expand it.