Victory Step Holiday Special | Classroom Program $299!

Victory Step is offering classroom instruction for the SAT and the ACT in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metropolitan Area! Classroom classes are held with your friends at a convenient office location in Dallas. Our classroom instructors are fun, energetic, and highly trained.

• Rates as much as 70% lower than others in the industry
  

• 6 SAT Prep classroom sessions - 18 hours total
  

• 4+ SAT practice tests to build endurance and confidence
  

• Need-based scholarships provided to those in need
  

• Satisfaction Guarantee to repeat the SAT class all over again

Next SAT Test Date is on January 22, 2010. Victory Step's next round of classes are starting on Dec. 14th. Classes are held once a week for 6 weeks at our convenient office location: 15950 N. Dallas Pkwy., Dallas, TX.

Please click here for more details!

The day of the exam!

After weeks of preparation and months of stress, it all comes down to one Saturday morning. Just those few hours. It can be so easy to let the nervousness get rid of all the preparation and fill the mind with anxiety. For that reason, it is important to take the few days before the SAT exam slow and to keep the mind healthy and relaxed.

There is nothing more tempting than to try and soak up as much vocabulary and as many strategies as possible the night before the test. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Instead, this only helps to stress out the mind, making it difficult to recall information that was once safely stored away in the brain. Rather than stressing out the night before the SAT, it can be more beneficial to take a nice bath, watch a funny movie, and go to bed at a decent hour. I can say from unfortunate experience, there is no need to go to bed at an oddly early hour because then you’ll just end up laying in bed, and stress yourself out needlessly.

The SAT exam can be an enormous event. So much planning goes into it. So much thought, so much effort. Then, it can be over before you even realize it. The satisfaction that can come from a good SAT score is unbelievable. Every hour spent planning, every practice test taken, every vocabulary term memorized...it all seems to be worth it. Therefore, it is crucial not to let a little anxiety take this away.

The stress of the SAT exam for some can make it difficult to even take a bite of breakfast. Trust me, you will need all the energy you can get. A healthy breakfast keeps the mind working at a good pace and allows you to make it through all the sections with ease. Also, the SAT is almost like a workout for the brain, so it can be helpful to bring a snack for one of the breaks. Go easy on the water before and during the exam though, for obvious reasons.

Most importantly, you must bring along a little bit of confidence. It is the secret ingredient that takes the score up a considerable amount. Confidence is an important strategy that could really make the difference.

The SAT Day Checklist

1. Plenty of #2 pencils and erasers

2. Appropriate calculator with extra batteries

3. Photo ID/Admission ticket

4. Directions to testing site

5. Water bottle/snacks

6. A jacket (wear layers depending on the temperature of the room)

7. A watch

8. CONFIDENCE!

Victory Step realizes how stressful and dreadful taking a 4 hour long exam can be, and this is why we provide SAT and ACT Prep classes to help you relieve the stress. Visit our website today!

Teacher Recommendations for College Applications!

“Can I have your recommendation for my college application?” Okay, it may not be THE question, but it is a pretty important one in regards to college and the long process of applying to a college. While some state universities do not require them, many private and prestigious state universities require prospective students to obtain 2-3 letters of recommendation adults they have known inside or outside the classroom for some time.

Most students find this to be a slight problem. Math teacher? I always sit in the back. Gym teacher? Doesn’t know I exist. Counselor? Has 100 other students to deal with. In order to avoid this common, but unfortunate dilemma it is important to start early and to start strong. This isn’t an advise to start a friendship with all 7 or 8 teachers. This is to say that it is important to get to know one or two teachers and assure that those teachers do the same thing in return. While the recommendations do not have to be from an academic teacher, most universities ask for at least one academic recommendation. This means that other than the one, the other recommendations can be from youth leaders at church, coaches, art teachers, etc. However, all letters of recommendation should have at least a slight indication towards the perspective student’s academic potential. Hence, the letters that hold the weight are the ones from teachers.

If the student makes the effort to be polite, to spend a little time in the classroom outside of class, and to show diligence while in class, all teachers feel honored to help their students have a better shot of getting into college. While a teacher is unlikely to write a truly bad recommendation, colleges can tell the difference between a generic letter of recommendation and a personal, more detailed letter.

So, how do you get a better letter than John who sits across form you? Or, how do you make sure the letter isn’t the same as Lisa’s (generic)? It’s simple, really.

• Do not ask a teacher that barely knows you. Generic, generic, generic.
• Plan ahead. Give the teacher at least a month’s notice before he or she has to submit the letter. The less time, the more cranky the teacher will be while writing it.
• Do not ask when the teacher is busy, or distracted. Take the time to go in outside of class and ask politely. The teacher is doing you a favor, don’t act like you’re doing him or her a favor.
• Sometimes, it is helpful to provide the teacher with a brief resume. Other times, teachers have forms already made that ask you to list talents, important moments, etc. in order to help them write the letter.
• Provide envelopes and stamps. If he or she is doing this much to help you pursue your education, they should not have to buy stamps for you too.
• Follow up. After about a week’s time, politely remind the teacher about the due date. After the work is done, write thank-you notes to all teachers who you asked to write a letter.

Victory Step's centralized and convenient office location!

Victory Step is proud to announce a new, centralized, and convenient office location in the Dallas Metro Area. Just off the North Dallas Tollway, this new location, which includes private tutoring offices, classrooms and convenient facilities like parking, wi-fi and refreshments, is 10-25 minutes from all major locations. We have strived to create an environment that optimizes learning and comfort for our students.

Our new address is 15950 N. Dallas Pkwy, Suite 481., Dallas, TX 75248.

Victory Step is offering college counseling, private tutoring (one-on-one and small group), and classroom programs at this location, at the lowest prices in Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area!

Our next round of SAT/ACT classes are starting in November. Call us today at 214 417 9406 to take advantage of our $299 classroom program offer and new state-of-the-art teaching facilities!

Employment Opportunities with Victory Step!

Victory Step offers the most comprehensive test preparation in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metropolitan Area. We are an organization that prides itself for instilling knowledge, confidence and endurance in each student we benefit. Join us, and take the next Victory Step of your career. Victory Step is currently accepting resumes to expand our pool of test preparation instructors.

Teaching test preparation is a fun and rewarding experience. As a Victory Step instructor, you will have the opportunity to help bright, high-achieving students achieve their dreams of entering first-choice universities and programs.

Please visit http://www.victorysteponline.com/employment.html for more details!

Riding recessions with a college degree

The safest way to ensure economic stability is to earn a college degree. That's what we have been hearing since a very young age. Data released by the Department of Labor solidifies this point. I also came across a very interesting article in the Wall Street Journal detailing the trends and data.

It's not only that the college educated earn more over their lives, a staggering $1 million more on average, as compared with folks who do not hold college degrees, but that they are far more likely to keep their jobs.

The gap widens even further in times of recession. Not only in terms of amount of income, but also in the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate for workers 25-and-older with a bachelor's degree or higher was 4.6% in August 2010, for example, compared with 10.3% for those with just a high-school diploma. That's a huge 5.7-percentage-point gap. This is more than twice the gap that was seen during pre-recession times in 2007.

Laid-off college graduates are also finding work faster. Their median duration of unemployment was 18.4 weeks as of August, compared with 27.5 weeks for high-school grads. Three years ago, that figure was roughly the same for both groups—9.5 weeks and 9.6, respectively. And among the worst-off 25-and-older workers, the 5.2 million who have been out of work six months or more, only 19% are those who graduated from college, even though that group makes up a third of the work force.

All these statistics drive home the fact that ultimately, the safest way to survive and sail through a recessionary era is to invest time, money and heart towards a solid college education. It not only will ensure a stable job, but also help in case you end up having the misfortune of losing one.