Back to School!

Hello Friends,

I pray that all is well with you today.  I would like to wish all students and parents a blessed 2012-2013 school year.  On another note, all students will need to maintain their focus this year and do their best in their studies.  All seniors are encouraged to apply for early admission to the colleges of their choice and review the September issue of Ebony magazine for its annual scholarship listings (9th-11th grade students should begin preparing for this process prior to their senior year of high school)-Correction...Ebony Magazine no longer publishes this information.

Until next time, have a blessed evening.

ACT or SAT?

Hello Friends,

I just read two articles from the Charlotte Observer written by Lee Bierer, Independent College Advisor/Counselor, which provide tips to assist students/parents with deciding between taking the ACT or SAT and tips for developing test taking strategies.  Both articles are excellent and their links are as follows: http://mail.clevelandcountyschools.org/~lkbell/ACT%20or%20SAT.pdf and http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/31/2972129/develop-your-testing-strategy.html#storylink=cpy.

Please read them and provide feedback if you have taken either or both tests.

Have a blessed day.


Jacob Barr, JL2-S
President/Founder

ACT & SAT Waivers

Hello Friends,

I hope today has been a blessed one for you.  The purpose for this post is to share that North Carolina Juniors and Seniors who receive free and reduced (F&R) lunch are eligible for one free ACT and SAT test waiver per year.  Since North Carolina provides one free ACT test per year (Junior and Senior years), students who receive F&R lunch are eligible for two free tests per year.  In order to receive your test waiver, visit your high school guidance counselor.

That's all for now and have a blessed evening.


Jacob Barr, President/Founder
Jacob's Ladder 2-Success, LLC. (JL2-S)

Career/College Preparation

I would like to share two websites that are valuable resources as you begin to prepare your child or yourself for life beyond high school.  The first is the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) at www.cfnc.org.    This website allows you to establish an account for your child and submit information that can be used to populate college applications for schools in NC.  In addition, this site is linked to Career Key program which assists with helping determine career options for your child.  Some NC colleges provide the opportunity to complete their applications at no charge on this site and high school transcripts are able to be linked as well.

If you are searching for scholarships, the Fast Web site at www.fastweb.com is a useful tool to research scholarships.  I would suggest that both parents and high school students complete the registration process together.

Finally, please share any steps you have or are in the process of taking to prepare your children for life beyond high school.


Until next time, have a blessed day.


Jacob Barr, Founder/President of JL2-S, LLC.