SAT and College Preparation Course for the Christian Student

SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student
Published at MasterBooks

About the book

A Christian SAT Preparation Expert Coaches You into College!

Getting ready for college includes performing well on the SAT. The SAT score helps determine acceptance into college and the acquisition of scholarships. In the new expanded edition of the SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student, Dr. James Stobaugh offers the Christian student a unique opportunity to be well prepared for the test. Also, students will focus on the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, study, Scripture meditation and memorization, and prayer. A former SAT scorer, Stobaugh reports, “the best SAT scores come from students who have serious, disciplined prayer and devotional lives.” For this reason, the introduction to each lesson includes Scripture reading and a devotional journaling exercise.

Critical thinking and essay writing are major themes within the SAT. Stobaugh coaches the Christian student who might otherwise passionately respond to a leading essay question without hitting the marks that the test is measuring.

Dr. James Stobaugh, is a Merrill Fellow at Harvard University with additional theology degrees from Princeton and Gordon-Conwell. He is a recognized leader in homeschooling and an expert in college preparation education. He and his wife travel to speak on topics including literature, SAT/ACT preparation, and education.

My Thoughts

I will admit that I am no way close to sending my kids to college or university.   But kids grow fast and the first thing you know it is the time to let them go.    Homeschooling them gives me the opportunity to spend more time with them and guide them in their choices.    But with homeschooling also comes the responsibility of making sure that they don’t miss out on something.   So having the opportunity of reviewing books and homeschool products is a joy because it is a tremendous blessings for our family.

I’m not sure where my kids will end up studying in the future.   So I like to be prepared for any possibilities.    Having the SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student is good even if my kids decide to stay in Canada for their studies.   Why?   Well it will prepare them in various ways.   Each and single lesson included in this book has been designed to prepare the student academically and spiritually for the challenge of studying in college or university.    Each lesson has four components: 1) a devotion, 2 ) reading and vocabulary exercises, 3) math and verbal exercises and 4) test taking strategies.   The lessons include:

• A comprehensive reading program – It is suggested to read one book each week.   Included at the end of the book, you will have a list of suggested readings.   In these lessons, you will also get excerpts from various disciplines like art, music, social sciences, and natural sciences. 
• Intentional vocabulary development – in this activity, the student will be asked to create a vocabulary card which he/she will have to review later on.
• Test-Taking Strategies
• Intentional faith building – it is important to develop spiritual disciplines of Bible reading and study, Scripture meditation and memorization, and prayer.  
• Essay writing

In the introduction of this book, the author suggest three different study plan based on the number of years before entering college/university your child has – beginning in grade 9, 10 or 11.   I particularly like the 3-year plan which is highly recommended by the author.    While looking at the various lessons included in this book, I am thinking it isn’t a huge deal after all.   The directives are quite easy to follow and I even find the lessons interesting.   Makes me almost wish I had to go back to college again!   *grin*   In total there are 150 lessons included in this book.    Then you can find the answers and solutions as well as appendices to help you develop your vocabulary cards, a book list, guidance on how to develop your reading journals and the prayer devotional journal, a list of target Scriptures to encourage your student, fifty examples of essays as well as other useful information.

This student who is considering college/university studies will definitively be prepared above and beyond his/her own expectations while using a tool like the SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student.   

While discovering the book, I also saw that some texts are linked to the American history which makes sense since a student will take the SAT if he/she decides to go study in the US.    However, I think that as a Canadian, I would have to also incorporate ideas that are more geared toward the history of Canada as well as Canadians who have made a mark.    However, having the SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student is a good guidance to prepare my kids in the future.  

The SAT & College Preparation Course for the Christian Student is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Thanks to MasterBooks for sending me the books for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.