For students starting the college search, thinking about where to go to school can be a truly daunting task. After a while, every brochure looks the same: smiling faces, a sunny day on the quad, engaged students, and promises upon promises of extracurriculars and opportunities. Sometimes it feels like everything just starts to blur together, and eventually, many start wondering about whether or not it really matters where you go.…

When you’re making college decisions, you have a lot to keep in mind. Your college experience isn’t just the four or so years that you’re there; the decisions you make about where to go to school will impact your career, family life, and really, your entire future. It’s an extremely important decision– the first real adult decision that many students will make. You need to make an informed decision and…

Today’s high school students have more options than ever before when it comes to class choice. From IB to AP to honors classes, high schools try hard to provide the types of options that set their students up for success. And with the rise of magnet and charter schools, there’s even ways to specialize in a specific pre-college track before you start your university career.  However, this can lead to…

When it comes to standardized test scoring, it can be hard to tell what a good score really is. With the SAT, the numbers are big– the lowest you can get is a 400, after all. But with the ACT, it often feels like you have less wiggle room, since the highest possible score is a 36. Does that mean there’s a bigger difference between the numbers? Is a 36…

If you’re preparing for the SAT, part of setting yourself up for success is understanding why you’re taking the test, and what you need the test to do for you. It’s not like you’re taking the SAT for fun, after all– you need a high score to help highlight how competitive of a student you are. If you put in the work to merit a place at a competitive institution,…

A piece of advice that high-achieving students often hear is that they should take AP classes. And that’s completely correct– you should be taking AP classes if your school offers them! AP, short for Advanced Placement, is an international program administered by the College Board, the same organization that administers the SAT. AP classes are more demanding than typical high school courses, but the benefits are immense.  One of the…

What do you need to prepare for college? You might think you need things for your dorm, your textbooks, your class materials. And you do need those things, but before any of that– before you take any tests, before you submit a single application, you need to have goals. And what’s more, these goals need to be specific. You need to know your why. On its own, getting into a…

Hoya saxa! Georgetown University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the United States. The first federally chartered university, it boasts a 235-year history of excellence and is the alma mater of 2 US presidents (Lyndon B Johnson and Bill Clinton), 25 state governors, more than 450 members of Congress, and even international royalty. In short, if you have political ambitions, this might just be your dream…

For many students applying to colleges, standardized testing just makes sense. Even if your dream school dropped the requirement, there’s no guarantee they won’t bring it back– and if you don’t take the ACT or SAT, you are missing out on some massive scholarship opportunities. Both schools and testing centers offer the opportunity to take tests, making it easier than ever to access the exams– but which one should you…

College admissions, especially to elite institutions like Princeton or Yale, often feel very mysterious and vague. There’s so much that goes into an admissions decision, and every year, thousands of students with exceptional grades, impressive extracurriculars, and high test scores compete for a limited number of spots. But what are the real secrets to standing out and getting accepted? Today, we’re going to reveal some of the lesser-known strategies and…