It’s been difficult lately to keep up with all the news about the SAT and ACT, and we do this professionally! You’re likely wondering what to make of so many colleges and universities going test optional and whether students are actually taking the tests. And, more importantly, whether you should look to take a test! […]
The transition from freshman to sophomore year of high school is rooted in the refinement of your goals and intentions. You’ll want to continue shaping exactly what it is that defines your passions and vision so that you can set yourself up to successfully pursue those interests with direction and challenge yourself with a strong academic […]
Freshman year is full of new opportunities! High school courses, homework, new ways of doing school, and your calendar are all central to your day. This year, you are busy learning how high school works and what your freshmen year will look like in-person. Yes! You can start high school with real people, which will […]
As we continue navigating our way through an evolving global pandemic, we welcome in the new school year. We hope that over the summer, you and your family had a chance to relax, refresh, and even change the scenery for a while. Perhaps you were able to take a step back from your Zoom calls […]
There are a couple of good news items to share with you this month. While 2020-2021 may be a bit different than a typical school year, given our remote and masked classrooms, I have heard some good things about what is opening up for students this fall that I want to share with you. For […]
By Aaron Golumbfskie & Ryan Warren We’re now several weeks into the school year, and what we’ve been hearing from you is that this semester’s online learning is very different from last year’s. Last spring, schools and teachers were just trying to weather the storm and get to June. This is a new year, however, […]
Ask an admissions officer whether you should write a response to the optional COVID-19 question on this year’s Common App, and depending on the college (or the day), you may hear different advice. Some officers suggest a limited approach, saying that unless your or your family’s health or employment was directly affected by the pandemic, […]
We are living in unusual times, ones that call for us to stay vigilant and take actions to protect our physical health. We will likely be navigating a shifting COVID landscape for the foreseeable future, and all of us need to prioritize our mental and emotional health. It’s important that you not lose sight of […]
As I meet with many seniors this month, I ask a series of similar questions to get a sense of where everyone is on the admissions process spectrum. July is the time when it starts to move from an abstract idea of “Applying to College” to the concrete idea of “Actually Applying To these Colleges […]
As I write this in spring 2020, labs around the world are working hard to understand a particular novel coronavirus. Perhaps when you’re reading this, the discoveries necessary to prevent or treat COVID-19 have been found (may it be true). If so, in your now, surely there is some other pressing problem that has researchers’ […]