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Gifts for your far-away college student

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Family School Students

Long distance relationships are notoriously tough, whether they are the stereotypical long-distance romance or the long-distance family relationship that happens when a child is in college (or boarding school!) and the parents are far away. Here’s a short list of fun gifts and treats that might make a few of those long-distance days a little less far apart. Most of these suggestions are from small- and home-based businesses!

This one tends to be a bit on the romantic side, but what about matching compass rose bracelets. (Yes, I totally love the compass rose, check out my logo!). Etsy has a cute pair on a customizable card at: https://www.etsy.com/listing/619405058/friendship-bracelet-best-friend-gift-for?ga 

Every college student loves a care package, and so does their parent. Grab a student-friendly gift package of treats from Minimus at https://www.minimus.biz/dorm-snack-pack-k01-0489902-9000.aspx or a laundry kit at: https://www.minimus.biz/dorm-laundry-kit-k01-0489903-9000.aspx , and get a parent care package full of Autumn treats at: https://www.minimus.biz/autumn-komfy-kit-k01-1159911-1200.aspx  . Search their site for gluten-free, first-aid, travel-sized, breakfast-focused and of-the-month options.

An almost ridiculous blanket sweatshirt. If there’s one thing college students like to be, it’s comfy when they study. “The Comfy” is perfect for late nights in cold libraries or auditoriums. I am not sure if anyone could pull it off as legitimate clothing, but if anyone can, it’s a college student. One size fits most at: https://thecomfy.com/products/the-comfy

A friendly and low-maintenance plant, like a succulent. These come boxed with a fun card and candle (make sure your student can have candles in their room before you send this one). Choose your perfect message at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JTrockandlotus?ref=l2-shopheader-name&search_query=succulent 

Last, if your college student is missing their animal companion most of all, get them a custom pet pillow! Send in a high quality picture of your pet and have it printed on fabric and sewn into a great pillow to keep on their dorm bed. Plus it’s kind of weird. What could be better?! https://www.etsy.com/listing/198722119/custom-pet-pillow-college-student-gift?ga 

Let us know if you have any other fun or unusual gifts to remind a college student far away that you love them! Maybe we’ll make a new post next semester.

ACT Testing Internationally

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Testing

As you may have heard, the ACT is switching to an all electronic format for international testing in 2018-2019. This is to help prevent cheating and allow ACT to send out instant updates to tests if it becomes apparent that certain questions are being leaked at test centers early in the time zones where the test is being offered.

This change has meant that many international schools will no longer be offering the test on campus (there are stringent requirements about monitor size, hard wired computers, etc., that international schools with a preference for 1:1 laptops rather than desktops can’t accommodate). In most countries, this is having the result that ACT is contracting with testing centers to offer the test.

I, with many other international counselors was hesitant to recommend the ACT to students looking to test in the coming school year because of fear that there wouldn’t be enough seats in the local testing centers (our city has 2 centers, and typically only 11 seats in the room for testing)

However, ACT is going to offer the test 4 times at each testing location over each weekend that the test will be offered: Friday afternoon and evening, Saturday morning and afternoon. This could potentially increase the availabilty and make the number of spots for each testing weekend roughly equivalent to the previous offering.

I am not 100% sure if the number of available seats will be the same in any particular city, or, if, in fact, there will be a test center as convenient to you as the previous offering at your international school was, but I am slightly less nervous about the possibility of taking the ACT internationally this year.

I wouldn’t put much effort into studying for it until we see confirmation of which sites will be able to offer the test (estimated to be announced August 1), but if you were going to take both SAT and ACT, it looks like that may still be possible internationally in 2018-2019. Of course, if you’re planning to be in the US this fall anyway, you can still sign up for a paper or electronic test at any of the testing sites where it will be offered domestically and avoid any international test center concerns.