We’ve just returned from the 2009 NACAC conference in Baltimore, and it was a great success. It was tremendously enjoyable to re-connect with our college counselor friends from across the country and to make many new friends as well. We met with over 200 college counselors and admissions officers!
Not that we ever doubted our Academic Approach philosophy – that honest, intellectual enrichment will outperform test “gaming” techniques any day of the week – but still, it’s nice to find that our opinion is shared by such good company.
The Chicago Tribune created a stir among parents of ACT test takers when it recently reported on the results of a study conducted at the University of Chicago. Unfortunately, the Tribune distracted from the study’s significant findings by both simplifying and sensationalizing the research under the catchy rhyme of a headline that reads, “Doubts cast on ACT drills. Study links cramming in class to lower skills.” The ACT issue was picked up by other media and led to a discussion on ABC News involving no less an authority on the topic than Academic Approach founder and CEO, Matthew Pietrafetta, who soberly contextualized and clarified how and where ACT test preparation fits into broader curricular goals.
Welcome to the Academic Approach blog.
We’re very pleased to use this venue to share our observations on everything from trends in the college admissions process to delightful aberrations of English grammar usage. I’ll commence our blog with a mission statement.