If you are the parent of a high school aged, college-bound student, you have no doubt heard how difficult it has become to get accepted at your child's college of choice. Students are competing for a limited number of spots as incoming freshmen, and colleges are becoming more and more selective to ensure that their freshman profile (a summary statement of the accolades and accomplishments achieved by their incoming freshmen - SAT and ACT scores, Grade Point Averages, etc.) is as attractive as possible for new students and school donors.  Don't believe us? The New York Times recently released a report of 2013 college acceptance rates.   In fact, article author Tawnya Abrams added, "Applicant pools are growing larger; the University of Southern California received more than 47,000 applications this year. That’s 10,000 more students than just two years ago, when this year’s applicants were sophomores."   The application process can seem more intimidating than walking a tight rope to some. Trying to determine the "perfect" essay topic, making sure your child's accomplishments and achievements are adequately showcased, and securing compelling letters of recommendation is a dizzying balancing act. Our recommendation? Try not to stress about it too much. Help your child prepare for the process early by taking the SAT and the ACT early and often, working diligently to ensure that grades are positive and that he/she engages in a variety of classes (bonus points for difficult ones like Honors, AP or IB courses!) and encourage him/her to participate in extracurricular activities.   If you're not sure whether the SAT or ACT is better suited to your child, Club Z! offers diagnostic tests for both and can give you important insight into which one may yield better results. Club Z! also offers tutoring in all academic subjects, and test prep services for SAT and ACT preparation.   Article courtesy of: http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/colleges-report-2013-acceptance-rates/