During the weeks of August 1, 2022 and August 8, 2022, East will offer two summer workshops that students can sign up for. One workshop specializes in SAT/PSAT tutoring. The other workshop, targeted towards rising seniors, will assist students in crafting their college admissions essays.
Students can choose to take these workshops during Week 1 (August 1 – August 4) or Week 2 (August 8 – August 11). Three times are provided for each course. The SAT/PSAT workshop will be given at 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM, 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM and 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Similarly, the college essay workshop can be taken at 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM or 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
The workshops are not limited to East students. Students from all over are welcome to attend. However, the price includes an additional $50 fee for non-Cherry Hill residents.
For Cherry Hill residents taking one college essay workshop, the price is $175. For Cherry Hill residents taking one SAT/PSAT workshop, the price is $200 and includes an SAT preparation book.
The two sessions of the SAT/PSAT workshop will cover either math or English tutoring. Students who wish to study both subjects are recommended to sign up for both sessions.
As for the college essay workshop, students are guaranteed to have at least one college essay finished by the end of the course.
The program coordinator, Ms. Nora Smaldore, has been running this program for years.
“My mother, Marguerite Smaldore, started the program in 2003, the year after I graduated from East, because she saw there was a need for these programs. I’ve taught the SAT course since 2007 when I started at East and have run the program since her retirement in 2014,” Smaldore said.
Since the program has started, there have been about 200 students in attendance each year. There are slightly more students that sign up for the college essay workshop, but Smaldore says that it’s mostly 50/50 for the two workshops.
While the SAT/PSAT workshop is targeted towards those two tests, teachers will also help students prepare for the ACT and discuss the differences between the two tests.
In recent years, many colleges have switched to a “test-optional” admissions process. With this being the case, why is there still such a demand for tutoring for these tests?
Admissions counselor Sara Harborson explains in her blog that test-optional doesn’t mean schools don’t care about test scores.
“They simply are allowing students the choice on whether or not they report scores. But every college wants to brag about how high its test scores are for admitted students.”
Therefore, students are still eager to take — and do well on — SATs and ACTs. East’s summer workshop strives to help students achieve this and prepare for college admissions.
For more information, please contact the coordinator of the workshops, Ms. Nora Smaldore (nsmaldore@chclc.org).