Hello, 8th graders! I want to take a moment to celebrate all your middle school successes, both academic and personal, as this school year comes to a close. Look at all the progress you have made and the skills you have gained, whether that’s developing your adaptability, managing to finally do the splits, or expanding […]
Each month, our team of tutors will introduce you to a key academic subject and offer you a guide to what to expect. Once you start high school, you’ll take a mix of required courses and electives spanning STEM (math, science, and technology), the humanities and social sciences (including English, history, geography, economics, and psychology), […]
by John Jones with Ian Lekus and Natalie Lempert The Basics The SAT’s Writing & Language section is one of the four scored sections on the test. The point totals from this section are combined with those from the Reading section to give the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score. This score, which has a […]
When test day rolls around, it’s important to make sure you have everything you need. This includes your ticket and photo ID, a bottle of water, a snack, a calculator, and a few trusty #2 pencils. “But why ‘#2,’ Mike?” you may ask. “All I ever see is #2 pencils. Can I even get a […]
What is the biggest edge that today’s tech titans had over their early competitors? Better writers. Perhaps it was the founder, or maybe the first head of operations. How do I know? The pinnacles of entrepreneurism are reached by those who can tell a better story. Persuasion is key to success. While there are tales […]
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’ […]
If your teacher tells you that your paper lacks detail, it likely means that you’re making big claims without supporting them through evidence from the text. The good news is that this means you’re probably making arguments in your paper. Now, you just need to make sure you have the evidence to support these arguments. […]
One of the most important aspects of developing a research paper is finding credible sources. Sources provide the evidence that you will use to build—and defend—your thesis. With so much information available online, it’s more important than ever to determine that you’re using only credible sources. But how can you tell if a source is […]
Giving yourself time to edit your paper is the single most important step you can take to improve your grade. It’s also the step that students are the most likely to skip. I get it. Revising your paper takes time and planning. And, let’s be honest, with everything you’re juggling, you might feel lucky if […]
A scientist I worked with once said, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an equation is worth a thousand pictures.” Those of you laughing right now are probably STEM students. You know, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. You dream big dreams of curing cancer AND the flu. Perhaps you’re already testing machine learning […]