Guest Blogger Erica from West Orange
October 25, 2009
In this post, we’ve asked a client of Top-Tier Tutoring, Erica, to answer a few questions that many people ask us. A big thank you goes out to Erica for agreeing to be our “guest blogger.” We hope you find this information helpful!
T3: How would you describe the differences between the SAT and ACT?
ERICA: I felt the ACT test was a more straight-forward test, even though there are more questions and less time given for the actual test versus the SAT. The ACT test is based on what you have learned in the past 3 yrs. etc. of high school and the SAT is a more complex type of test which I felt very intimidated when taking the SAT.
T3: How did Top-Tier Tutoring help you to prepare for these standardized tests?
ERICA: Top-Tier Tutoring (Mike) helped me gain much more confidence and improve my skills for test taking. Also a lot of direction and practice was given to me in each area math, English etc., with concentration on each area separately. Mike tackled each area one at-a-time with me. Along with the review sessions all which helped me improve my scores.
T3: What recommendations would you give students who are going to take the SAT or ACT?
ERICA: I recommend that you keep reviewing and take the practice section tests along with timing yourself so it’s not a real surprise when you actually take the real test.
Erica’s ACT scores improved 4 points with the assistance of Top-Tier Tutoring. She currently is applying to colleges and looking forward to the next phase of her education.
Ear on Careers – Sarah Ober, Accountant
October 15, 2009
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Sarah Ober, Accountant
In this episode of “Ear on Careers”, we are pleased to welcome Sarah Ober, an accountant with Tobia & Hillyer in Fairfield, New Jersey, www.tobiahillyer.com.
Sarah’s path to becoming an accountant is not at all what you would imagine. She never even took one accounting class in college! She graduated from Seton Hall with a degree in International Relations and a minor in business, and planned to work at the World Bank. A requirement before applying there, however, was having experience in the working world. It so happened that Sarah was hired by the accounting firm of Tobia & Hillyer as an Office Manager, and simply fell in love with tax returns!
Sarah has now worked at Tobia & Hillyer for seven years, and has earned two Master’s Degrees in Tax. In her position, she reviews bookkeeping and tax returns for small companies and individuals and says that there is no typical day. In fact, during tax season, Sarah logs 12 hour days, 7 days a week, and loves every minute of it. Sarah is very proud of her recent IRS win in tax court, as she is an enrolled agent with the IRS and was able to secure a sizeable victory for her client who had lost all receipts in a fire. She credits her win to her knowledge of tax law and her people skills, obviously an unstoppable combination.
Sarah offers the following advice for aspiring accountants – take advantage of any internships offered at your college. She also suggests taking accounting classes and learning how to multitask. We hope that Sarah’s story will inspire you to consider a career in accounting, a complex field that challenges you to provide answers to clients in all types of situations.
Top-Tier Tutoring is very excited to bring you the web’s first “career day” podcast series – what we call “Ear on Careers.” This series of podcasts is designed to introduce our listeners to successful leaders in a variety of different fields, including business, industry, medicine, the arts, and so much more.
We welcome your feedback. Send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
Tips on Writing an Effective College Application Essay
October 7, 2009
So, you’re sitting down before a blank computer screen, trying to figure out what to write for your college application essay. You’ve already written what seems to be hundreds of essays for your high school teachers, but this one is different. You’re not summarizing a book, or commenting on a news event – you’re trying to write the most persuasive essay about yourself possible; one that will make you stand out, get noticed and hopefully accepted by the college of your choice!
In an effort to try to help you write an effective college application essay, we’ve compiled the following tips: Read more
The Ins and Outs of Early Decision versus Early Action
September 26, 2009
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In this podcast, Mike Rivera discusses the somewhat complicated early college application processes. Mike first discusses who should consider applying to colleges early – mainly, those students who are confident that they know where they want to spend the next four years gaining higher education. He then outlines the benefits, such as 25%-50% of acceptances come from this pool, as well as the early November deadlines imposed. He cautions from the outset that each school maintains their own peculiar process and requirements, so be sure to check the college’s application for college-specific details. Read more
Ear on Careers – Marlene Waldock, Communications Specialist
September 11, 2009
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Marlene Waldock, Communications Specialist
In this episode of “Ear on Careers”, we are pleased to welcome Marlene Waldock, a communications specialist based out of Verona, New Jersey, www.becausewearewomen.com. Among other things, Marlene is the founder of 1st Impression Communications and of Because We Are Women, a teen counselor at the Rothman Institute and the immediate past president of the North Essex Chamber of Commerce.
Marlene received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Adolescent Psychology, with the goal of helping teens transition to young adults. However, early in her working life, she went into sales and eventually became a Regional Training Consultant. In the mid-1990’s, Marlene turned to communications and public speaking Throughout her career, Marlene has constantly doing public speaking in front of groups, either while training or as a television host on NJ Channel 12. In-between, she obtained a management degree from Georgia State.
Ear on Careers – Bernard O’Rourke, College Professor
August 26, 2009
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Bernard O'Rourke, College Professor
In this episode of “Ear on Careers”, we are pleased to welcome Bernard O’Rourke, an associate College Professor in International Business at Caldwell College in Caldwell, New Jersey. Caldwell College can be found on the web at www.caldwell.edu.
Bernie hails from Ireland, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees. After college, Bernie was sent by the Irish Government Development Office to the United States to promote inward investment to Ireland. While here, he met his wife, got his M.B.A. at Fordham University and held positions within various corporations.
In this podcast, Bernie discusses the different types of professorships. He shares his love of college campus life with our listeners, finding his role as Professor never tedious. Bernie genuinely enjoys teaching (and learning from) his students, and is extremely fulfilled in his chosen occupation.
His tip for aspiring college professors? Secure the best credentials by way of degrees. Experience counts, but credentials are key. We hope that Bernie’s story will inspire you to consider a career in academia!
We are very excited to bring to you another episode in the series we call “Ear on Careers.” This series of podcasts is designed to introduce our listeners to successful leaders in a variety of different fields, including business, industry, medicine, the arts, and so much more. Consider this your podcast “career day”!
We welcome your feedback. Send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
ACT versus SAT – What’s Best For You?
August 23, 2009
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In this podcast, Mike Rivera takes you on a tour of the two major standardized tests looked at by college admissions officers: the ACT and the SAT. He traces the origins of both exams, and the varying skills they are meant to test.
The SAT is designed to test a student’s test taking skills and innate ability, as it was designed based upon the IQ test. It runs three hours and forty-five minutes, has 140 questions and tests critical readying, writing and math. The perfect score is 2400; 1/4 point is deducted for each incorrect answer.
On the other hand, the ACT tests scholastic achievement, and it was designed based upon the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The ACT is three hours and twenty-five minutes long, has 215 questions and tests math, English, reading, science and writing. The perfect score is a 36. No points are deducted for a wrong answer.
Both the SAT and the ACT are accepted at virtually every college. Starting with the class of 2010, the SAT joins the ACT in allowing you to select which scores (entire test) to send to the colleges. The bottom line: take practice exams for both exams to determine with which test you’re most comfortable. Then, study for that one, and get the best score possible!
We welcome your feedback. Send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
Ear on Careers – J.P. Hamel, Publisher
July 29, 2009
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J.P. Hamel
In this episode of “Ear on Careers”, we are pleased to welcome J.P. Hamel, the publisher of The Essex Fells Magazine. J.P. grew up in Rahway, New Jersey, and attended Albright College in Pennsylvania. In college, J.P. majored in biology and math, intending to enter the biotech/research field. However, his first job took him into the marketing and recruiting field and in January 2009 – the same time that Top-Tier Tutoring was launched! – J.P. started his franchise business with N2 Publishing, www.n2pub.com.
Publishing, according to J.P., requires him to coordinate material for the monthly publication. He is always seeking relevant and creative content of interest to the readership. In addition, a publisher functions in a business development capacity, as advertising provides necessary funding. Accordingly, J.P. has to both find advertisers and maintain good relationships with them.
J.P. says that no one type of major is required to enter the publishing field. His degree in math and biology provided him with a solid foundation, as the scientific/analytic approach he learned in college enables him offer his publication to advertisers as a logical business decision. J.P. notes that his career in sales also has benefitted him tremendously in his role as publisher, especially when dealing with business development. We hope that J.P.’s story will inspire you to consider a career in the publishing industry, an exciting field that brings much needed information to the people!
We are very excited to bring to you another episode in the series we call “Ear on Careers.” This series of podcasts is designed to introduce our listeners to successful leaders in a variety of different fields, including business, industry, medicine, the arts, and so much more. Consider this your podcast “career day”!
We welcome your feedback. Send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
Common Application Goes Online July 1st
June 26, 2009
The window for the Common Application (the “Common App”) will be opening on July 1st. What is the Common App, you ask? It is an undergraduate college admission application that students utilize to apply to any of the member institutions located within the United States. It serves to promote college admissions through the use of both subjective criteria (e.g., essays and recommendations) and objective criteria ( e.g., GPA and standardized exam scores). Simply put, the Common App streamlines the college application process for students choosing to apply to its member colleges.
Meet Math & Science Tutor Jeff Wojcik
June 2, 2009
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In the second podcast for Top-Tier Tutoring, Mike Rivera introduces our listeners to Jeff Wojcik. Jeff is a math and science tutor with Top-Tier Tutoring, who makes these sometimes intimidating subjects understandable, approachable and dare we say it – enjoyable!
Jeff holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from the University of Scranton. While there, he also was enrolled in
pre-med courses. At the present time, he is going for two masters degrees – one in Mathematics from Montclair State University and another in Administration and Curriculum from the University of Scranton. Jeff is a math teacher at Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, NJ. Ironically, Jeff says that it was tutoring that got him into teaching!
During the podcast, Jeff explains his philosophy about tutoring, and how he makes students feel “safe” with the subject matter, which leads to their success. We were skeptical at first of how such a math whiz could really connect with students (or anyone for that matter!), but once you listen to this podcast, we’re confident that you will agree that our skepticism was unfounded.
We welcome your feedback. Send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212
College Applicants on Social Networking Sites Beware, They “Know What You Did Last Summer.”
May 21, 2009
Students should proceed with caution on social networking sites.
High-school students have enough on their minds with regard to course selection, GPA and exam scores, to name a few. Now another concern adds a challenging dimension to the college application process. Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites can potentially derail a student’s aspirations about getting into the college of their choice.
A recent survey found that approximately 10% of admissions officers routinely review the social-networking pages of their student applicants. More than a third of those that used the online information indicated that what they saw “negatively affected” their views of the applicant – a significantly higher percentage than those that indicated their views were improved, according to the survey by education company Kaplan, a unit of Washington Post Co. With the explosion of social networking sites, it is reasonable to assume that more and more admissions officers will add their review to the entrance checklist. Read more
