Oh yes, I have seen the ads for the College Fair. To be held at AISK and Hillel. This is a good place to go and ask each school present, "Given the economic status and the dollar at close to JMD 121 to US1, is there any chance a Jamaican can earn a full, full scholarship at your institution?" If you are met with a blank stare or given the retort that full scholarships are strictly for Americans, keep it rolling and roll right right out of there.Your best bet is to stick with the tried and true. 21 years of experience and enough arsenal over the years to assist you in gaining a place and a strong foothold in some given institution. Should Truman State University or Worcester Polytechnic be there.....good institutions to check out. Should the Ivy Leaguers be there, do know half of them give needs blind aid. So there, my frank, as always, comment on the issues of college planning.OCTOBER SSATI believe just 2 students are sitting this exam. As a tester of sorts. Amy, I know the crunch for Math. Get Mr. Karenga's number and meet with him for a crash session.Good luck and do not be nervous. Which exam needs any anxiety to add fuel to fire. Sleep 8 hours, do not be tense and give it your best shot!PREPARATIONThe Boarding School Fair is on our heels. We are desperately seeking to put all finishing touches in place. One of our directors has visited Barbados, Trinidad and St. Lucia to get the word out and have all details in place. Kingston and Mobay are on board. Stella Maris is our location for Kingston and the RIU hotel in Mobay...for the last leg. There are currently 13 schools lined up and we are still expecting more schools to attend. Yay!We do welcome a few who are visiting the island for the first time. Chatham Hall, George Stevens, Bishop's (Quebec)......and a few others. This week I want to highlight George Stevens in Maine. Young Alex Yap got in this past September, a shy, reclusive young man who desperately needed a nurturing boarding school to help bring out his innate talents....See him on his horse during Orientation. An excellent school.BOOKSThe books were shipped to Jamaica: SAT, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and GRE. Any day now....along with some marked papers for distribution in Kingston....REGISTRATIONI see most everyone made their deadlines or got shifted to a December exam, because they waited till the last minute..oh dear, c'est la vie!GLOBETROTTINGSo I am off to Hawaii Prep for Parent's Weekend to catch up on Teacher Conferences for 4 of my rascals, Jahmani Jackson, Joshua Butcher, Chris Rowe, Sneha Nair. I suspect that Ms. Butler will join them in January ....not only are these young Versan acolytes having too much fun, they are deluged by work! Who asks me to stop at Barnes and Nobel and buy a book on Stell Cem Research and its Regulations? Huh? That is on shelves in Law School, not for an 11th grader.....I am loving the paradox of boarding school on a dream island such as Kauai, but definitely not one to mess with.....glad they are terribly impassioned by their schoolwork, but chilling at the beach with Mai Tais (non-alcoholic, of course...). Don't you worry, Ms. Bramwell is almost there with the Versan whip.....I must recommend to all parents...the Alaska Airlines for trips to Hawaii and back to mainland America.....great flight, comfortable seats, seamless take off and landing. A winner for our student travel agency. Most impressed. Professional staff.