Two Essays NOT to Send Colleges
Today I want to tell you about two essays not to submit as your Common App essay. The Common App is going to give you seven prompts from which you can choose to write about one for your essay. But…
5 Things to Know Before Starting College
Today I want to give you 5 things every rising college freshman should know before starting college. Number 1: Every college has a math lab, a writing lab, all kinds of labs where tutors are literally standing by waiting to…
10th, 11th, & 12th Grade Summer Plan
Today I want to tell you how rising 12th, 11th, and 10th graders can make the most of their summer break. Yes, you need to relax. You need a vacation. But you also need to make the most of your…
The 9 Costs of Attending College
One question I get asked a lot is, “Where do colleges come up with their cost of attendence?” That’s what they call their “COA.” There are nine categories of expenses in that “COA.” Let’s run through these costs of attending…
SAT vs ACT Reading
Today I want to tell you the biggest difference between the SAT vs ACT reading sections. Section 1 on the SAT is called “Reading Comprehension.” That’s worth 400 out of the 800 points in your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score. …
Why You Don’t Need the Ivy League
Today I want to tell you why you don't need to go to an Ivy League college. Eight colleges make up the athletic conference called The Ivy League: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth and UPenn. This year, 2022,…
The College Admissions Timeline
Today I want to talk to juniors about the college admissions timeline ahead. Summer is the best time to work on college applications and essays, which is a much bigger project than most people think, especially because more competitive colleges…
4 Reasons to Use Student Loans (even if you don’t need to)
Today I want to give you four reasons to consider taking that student loans even if you can afford not to. One, if you have an investment that’s appreciating in the market, and you can beat the rate on that…
What if You Got Waitlisted?
With this week's Ivy Decision Day, that means that every college you’ve applied to has given you an answer. That means we're getting a lot of questions this week about, “What do I do if I'm waitlisted?” Here are some…
AP, IB & Dual Enrollment: 3 Benefits & 3 Cautions
Today I want to tell you 3 benefits and 3 cautions about taking AP, IB, and dual enrollment classes in high school. AP and IB—Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate—are put out by competing companies that provide college level courses to…
SAT vs ACT: Writing & English
Today I want to talk to you about one section the SAT and ACT have in common that’s a little different from one test to the next - the writing & English. On the SAT, Section 2 is the Writing…
Think You Have the Grades & Scores for Top Colleges?
Grades and scores are the two biggest criteria top colleges use to determine which students are eligible for their college. A recent study by the CollegeBoard says that in 1998, 39% of high school students graduated with an A-average, but…
How to get more FINANCIAL AID
Today I want to talk to parents of seniors about your student financial aid award letters and how to get more. You’re starting to get some of those letters, and some of them may have a lot less free money…
The SAT is CHANGING (again)
We have to talk about the big announcement that the SAT is going to change and what those changes are. It's not really a big surprise; they do change about every decade, so much so that I’m currently teaching my…
New Year, New College Admissions Timeline
Today I want to give you a longer explanation where I’m going to talk to every junior about the year ahead for college admissions. Right now it's January, and this junior year is going to be your year for college…
What to Know About PSAT Scores
PSAT scores are out now, so if you’re a 9th, 10th, or 11th grader who took the PSAT in October in school, you can get those scores today at collegeboard.org. If you don’t already have an account there, create one now…
How Many Times to Take the Tests
Today I want to answer a question I get asked a lot: How many times should I take the SAT or the ACT tests for college? About 90% of colleges will "superscore" your SAT, taking your best of each section…
Where to Look For Scholarships
Today we’re talking scholarships. Here are two places where you should look to find scholarships: One is from the college itself. Based on the strength of your application, like your essays, grades, and scores, maybe your extracurricular activities as well,…
Should You Apply “Undecided”?
One question I get asked a lot is, “What if I don’t know what I want to major in?” Applying for college when you are undecided is okay. It is totally okay to not know what you want to do…
Why EVERY Student Should Apply for Financial Aid
Today I want to tell you why parents of every incoming college student should apply for financial aid by filling out the FAFSA, which is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at FAFSA.gov. In the 2019–2020 school year, the…
What to Know About FAFSA Changes (Filing in 2021 for the 2022-2023 School Year)
Today is October 1st, which means it’s the day that the FAFSA opens at FAFSA.gov and we can get a first look at the supposed changes. That’s the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and it’s your first step for…
Nailing College Admissions Interviews
Today I want to talk to you about college admissions interviews. Some colleges require applicants to do an interview. Some colleges offer interviews to applicants who want one. Some colleges say, "If we want to interview you, we’ll reach out…
When Are College Applications REALLY Due?
Today I want to talk to seniors working their way through the mountainous process of applying to college. You may be working on things like your essays and your applications, but you want to keep in mind that you're not…
Why take the December SAT and ACT?
Today I want to tell you why the December round of the SAT or ACT is your last best first round of testing. Junior year is testing year. Ideally you want to finish all your testing by the end of…
Hidden Supplemental Essays
Today I want to tell you about hidden supplemental college application essays. A lot of colleges, when you look at their application on the Common App, it tells you how many essays there are, how many extra writing assignments. But that…
Why You Don’t Need Perfect Scores
Today I want to tell you why you do not need perfect SAT scores or ACT scores to get into your top-choice college. The fact is that top colleges in America turn away students with perfect scores all the time.…
Which to Take: SAT or ACT
Today I want to answer a question I get asked a lot: "Should my student take the SAT or should my student take the ACT?" In some states, every high schooler takes the SAT. In some states, every high schooler…
The Best Calculator for the SAT & ACT
Today I want to tell you about the best calculator to use for the SAT and the ACT. Both tests will tell you right in the instructions that a calculator is permitted, but not required. And for the ACT, that’s…
How Many Colleges to Apply To
Today I wanted to talk with you about how many colleges you should apply to. Ideally, when thinking about how many to apply to, you want to apply to somewhere between five and ten colleges, maybe fifteen at the absolute…
Sorting Through College Mail
Today I wanted to talk to juniors about what to do with all the college mail you’re getting. For email, first, you want to set up a separate account just for this. That way, when you’re done with the whole…
Test Optional vs Test Blind
I wanted to talk to you today a little bit about what test optional means vs what test blind means. There are a lot of schools that, either prior to the pandemic or because of the pandemic, have gone “test…
The Best Letters of Recommendation
Today I want to talk to juniors about college recommendation letters. Most colleges ask for three letters: one is going to come from your guidance counselor, and the other two can come technically from whomever you want, but at least…
Why Top Colleges Pick Students
Today I want to talk to juniors and seniors about why and how top colleges pick these students and not those students. A lot of students get great grades and great scores, but then don’t wind up getting into their…
SAT/ACT Testing Timeline
Today, I want to tell you about the testing timeline. Junior year is testing year. The SAT and ACT are designed for juniors, and if you can get both of these tests done by the end of junior year, you…
The Science Score: ACT vs SAT
Today, I want to answer a question I get asked a lot about the science score section of the ACT. A lot of folks think you have to be able to do well in biology, or chemistry, or physics to…
Visiting Colleges During COVID
We are nearing the decision day for most colleges, and some students are still struggling with, "What if I haven’t had a chance to visit some of the colleges I’m still weighing?" Although visiting colleges during Covid may seem impossible,…
What Math is on the SAT & ACT?
One question I get asked a lot is what kinds of math are going to be tested on the SAT and the ACT. Both tests have a lot of arithmetic and a lot of Algebra 1. Yes, both tests have…