Horizon Tutoring Founder, Courtney Knoblauch, was interviewed last week by Go Solo Magazine:

Set Yourself Up for Success - Horizon Tutoring

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in training and education but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Courtney Knoblauch, Founder of Horizon Tutoring, located in Auburn Hills, MI, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Horizon Tutoring offers college prep and success coaching for both high school and college students. We are focused on setting students up for success with the mindset, strategy, and support that they need to accomplish big goals and achieve lasting success. Horizon Tutoring offers 1:1 coaching, online programs, and a successful membership for students looking to boost confidence, reduce stress, ditch test anxiety, improve grades and test scores, get accepted to their dream school, land their first internship, and more! Our work leverages Psychology,...

Your college application is like a potato. 

I know this is weird, but just go with me on this one.

About five years ago, a reddit user made the audacious claim that potatoes are, objectively, the best food... sending the internet into a tailspin. The user made some great points: potatoes are easily grown, affordable, and provide great nutritional value. 

 But most importantly, potatoes can be prepared in SO many ways. Like way more ways than most foods.

And this is why your college application is a potato. Let me explain:

1. There are INFINITELY many ways to cook a potato, and there are INFINITELY many ways to prepare your college application.

Potatoes can be made into delicious hashbrowns, chips, french fries, gnocchi, tater tots, baked potatoes... the list goes on and on 

And the way a potato is prepared tells you a lot about the preparer, the chef. It shows you what they like and what they're good at, how creative they are, what their...

Every college admissions season I see students get frustrated, overwhelmed, and confused by all the college apps advice out there. It feels like well-meaning teachers, counselors, parents, and college prep companies seem to just parrot the same few pieces of college apps advice: be well-rounded, show you're a hard worker, be the most qualified candidate in order to stand out. 

Here's my problem with all of this. Most of these strategies are outdated, and they set you up to fail with impossible standards. And the main reason these tips don't work? They force you to be someone other than yourself. And we don't do that around here.

Even my favorite piece of standard college application advice, "just be yourself!" comes with the slight undertone that being yourself might not be good enough. 

So much of academics is rooted in perfectionism. Getting the right answer, working as hard as possible, being good at everything.... it's all about proving that you're...

Have you ever spent a ton of time and energy studying all night for a quiz, only to totally blank out and forget everything in the testing room? Yeah, me too.

What most students don't realize is that the way they're studying or trying to learn material usually contradicts the way the brain is naturally wired. This is why you feel like you're forcing things and trying SO HARD, but don't have any results to show for it. So today I want to teach you how the brain actually works - so you can learn faster and easier than before.

How the Brain Thinks

And How to Use it to Your Advantage

The brain has two modes of thinking, active thinking and passive thinking. We can call active thinking focus mode and passive thinking diffuse mode.

Focus Mode (Active Thinking)

The brain relies on focus mode when actively trying to solve a problem or processing new information step-by-step. We use this type of thinking when we're solving a math problem, taking a test, or answering reading...

This is another blog post inside my What They Don't Teach You in School Series!

I want to show you how to set goals that you'll actually accomplish. I'm pretty sure we've all been taught the "SMART" goal setting technique. And if you're anything like me, you think SMART goals are boring.

For a long time I tried forcing myself to set SMART goals... but they never worked for me! At first, I thought there was something wrong with me - why did everyone else love this format but I always screwed it up? But then I realized it wasn't me. It was the goal criteria. SMART goals are just not exciting. And if you're not excited about your goals, how do you expect yourself to achieve them?

Let's come up with our own definition of SMART goals, shall we?

SMART Goals: The Remix

Okay, ready to finally set goals you're actually going to accomplish? Let's do this! 

S is for Specific Sexy, Simple, and See Yourself 

In the original, S stands for specific, which is...

Inside the Student Success Membership, I'm teaching students all the stuff they don't teach you in school - but should. One of those skills is how to actually study.

I don't know about you, but when I was in high school no one taught me how to study. All my teachers said "just read over your notes and you'll be fine!" I was not fine.

So today I want to share with you the three most common study mistakes I see students make without even realizing it! 

You're studying in chronological order, not priority order

This is something I used to struggle with! I always reviewed class material in the order that I learned it instead of starting with the content that was the biggest focus or the area I needed the most help with. When you review in priority order, you save time and energy because you're starting with the most important stuff. The most important stuff includes two things: the stuff that's worth the most amount of points on your test, project, or homework, AND the stuff that...

These are the time management tips I wish I learned in school! If you're ready to stop procrastinating, rushing around, and feeling drained... keep reading!

We constantly hear how important time management is... but is anyone teaching you how to actually do it? When I was in school I felt like everyone was telling me I needed to manage my time better... but no one was actually talking about how I could get better at it. That's why I'm giving you two easy ways to improve your time management skills, right away. 

First, here's something to remember when you're working on your time management:

Parkinson's Law: Work expands to to fill the time allotted for its completion.

When you read that, I want you to think of it like this: tasks absorb extra time unless you limit them.

Here's an example: Let's say you forgot you had a paper due, and you realize the day before. Whether you start the paper at 8am or 8pm, you're still finishing it at...

This year, one of my students scored an almost-perfect 1580 on the SAT! Until then, the record was 1560, held by my former client (now student writer) Preeta Kamat. As we head into testing season, I want to give you as many tips as possible for you to get your dream SAT score, so I went directly to the source! I interviewed my student to ask what really made the difference in her SAT prep and see what she recommends for any student who's trying to earn a competitive score.

My student has asked to remain anonymous until she submits her college applications, so she will be referred to as "student" for the purposes of this article.

Courtney: First of all, congratulations!! What an amazing accomplishment. I'm so excited for you. I want to be sure I give my students the full picture though... so tell me a little about your SAT experience.

Student: I think my experience can be compared to a rollercoaster ride. There were definitely some moments when I just wanted to give up....

With standardized testing season in full swing, I’m sure you’re being bombarded with testing advice. I remember feeling pulled in a million directions by conflicting advice while preparing for my first SAT. From family to older friends to online sources, it seemed like there were too many ways to approach this test. Even more confusing was choosing the right one. 

Now a sophomore at Northwestern, I think I’ve ironed out what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t. Funnily enough, some of the popular test taking strategies worked horrendously for me; tips from online don’t necessarily translate to the perfect test-taking strategy. If you’re having trouble deciding what works best, here are some of my test-taking recommendations. 

DON’T: Do every single practice problem available to you. 

DO: Target your practice to areas of improvement. 

While it’s true that practice makes perfect, not all practice is created...

It’s that time of the year again. As alumni interview requests hit students’ mailboxes, it can seem like the onset of a second wave of college applications-induced stress. For those not familiar with the concept of alumni interviews, certain colleges offer interviews with alumni in applicants’ hometowns. An additional factor considered in your admission, alumni interviews give students the opportunity to go above and beyond their application, giving schools a better idea of who applicants are. Typically available from October through March, Alumni interviews are not only useful for admissions officers, but also for students. In an interview, students can ask plenty of questions about the college, providing valuable insight that can’t be found online.

Stressed about any upcoming alumni interviews? Don’t be. When I applied to colleges a few years ago, I accepted every alumni interview I was offered. At first, they were stressful. After all, they are a...