Dear customer,

Welcome to the December edition of ICON+’s University Access Newsletter. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you inquired about our test prep and/or admissions consulting services.

Still in the midst of perfecting your college admissions essays? This month's feature articles tells you what topics NOT to write about.

Don’t drink and drive! Stripes and polka dots don’t belong together in the same outfit. Oh, and most importantly – never drink orange juice after brushing your teeth (it takes really REALLY gross)!

Sometimes, it’s knowing what NOT to do that puts you on the right path. Here are some topics you should avoid on the personal essay you’re about to submit to Stanford, Oberlin, or U Mich – whatever your dream school may be.

Sex and Drugs

This one is obvious to most people. Admissions officers aren’t interested in these topics (at least not in the context of your essays) – especially YOUR sex life or drug usage. We’re including this warning, however, because we realize that sex and drugs feature in many a teenager’s coming of age experience – and some might be tempted to hint at these topics.

This “no-no” category also includes your significant other. Yes, we know, he/she has made you a better person! Given you a fresh perspective of the world! You might even be in love! On the other hand, essays on romance are often clichéd and might even come off sounding immature.

As for every rule, there are exceptions. We have seen successful applications that included stories about their loved ones.

Read full article.

Wondering whether to take the SAT Math Level I exam or SAT Math Level II exam? Here’s a useful breakdown.

Similarities:

Both the SAT Math Level I and SAT Math Level II exams consist of 50 multiple choice questions that you have just one hour to complete. You get one point for every correct answer and lose a quarter of a point for every incorrect answer. If you choose not to answer a question, you get zero points. The total raw score is converted into a scaled score between 200 and 800.

The vast majority of universities accept scores from both exams. Even MIT is not finicky about which one you take! We recommend, however, that if your academic background allows it, you sit for the Level II exam.

Differences:

Read more.

Every year, we at ICON+ work with hundreds of students preparing for the TOEFL and IELTS exams.

The scores they achieve impact which colleges, universities, and graduate programs they attain admission to; career opportunities; and even whether or not they can migrate to their countries of choice. A great deal of impact for tests that each last less than four hours, huh?

Although our students pay for the same course to prepare them for these crucial exams, we’ve noticed that some students walk out with disproportionately higher improvement on scores. We’ve scratched our heads and come out with the following tips to help you get the most out of your TOEFL or IELTS preparation course:

Read tips here.