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The Bartlesville Public Library will offer the public a free series of talks for middle school and high school students and their parents.

These talks, presented by Vicki Curless, will be about various issues pertaining to college entrance. Curless is a 30-year veteran of academic teaching, educational support services and administration in public, private, home-based and international schools. She is currently the owner and primary tutor for Lighthouse Literacy Group, where she offers tutoring in a wide array of subjects including test preparation for college admissions testing, including COMPASS, TESOL and TEFL; College Board tests like the ACT, SAT, CLT; FAFSA/financial aid and scholarship counseling and paperwork submissions; and career testing/planning for both college-bound and non-college attendees.

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., she will present “Show Me the Money, Honey!” This talk will provide an overview of the FAFSA, including how it works and how answering certain questions can hurt or help being approved and how much is allocated. Curless will also address alternative financing: scholarships, grants, fellowships and contests to taking out loans. A portion of her talk will cover how to interpret the estimated costs of a college when they present a financial aid package.

On Thursday, Dec. 12th, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., she will present “Which Test is Best?” This talk will cover an overview of the College Board tests ACT, SAT and PSAT, with a brief history of the tests as they evolved, a comparison of the tests, and a general timeline for planning study time, tutoring, and taking tests to meet the best requirements for college entrance. This talk will also explain the CLT, which is an independent test often used by homeschoolers, private schools, and very small liberal arts colleges in place of College Board testing. Curless will also address the advantages of working with a tutor or even a teacher familiar with these tests.

On Tuesday, Dec. 17th, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., she will present “You’re Only Half Done When the Test is Won.” In this talk, Curless will examine what is needed beyond grades in school and good scores on college entrance exams; specifically, she will discuss the value of creating a portfolio, community service hours, comportment during school visits, and handling essays or other items submitted to schools for entrance consideration.

This talk series will be held downstairs in the Library’s meeting room C. Each talk is designed to stand on its own, so a time commitment to attend all three is not necessary.

Registration for these talks is preferred. To register, please call the Youth Services Desk at 918.338.4170, or email Laura Pryce at ljpyrce@cityofbartlesville.org or use the link for SignUpGenius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040D4EABAA2AA2FB6-college

The library is located at 600 S. Johnstone Ave. in downtown Bartlesville.