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How to Identify Your Dream College
If you are in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade, you have probably already started to formulate your college list. Traditional starting points for generating college lists are college rank, geographic location, and financial aid offer. After all, if you live in the Boston area and have a 3.5 or higher GPA, chances are very small that you would be interested in attending a school that no one has ever heard of in South Dakota—no offense intended to the...
How Important is the College Admission Interview?
We live in an era of high-tech online tracking and data collection, so you might think that personal interviews would be outdated and unnecessary. Don’t colleges already have more than enough information to form an opinion about each and every candidate? Yes and no. Even though information about online interests, political leanings, and social causes is plentiful and easy to access, no amount of data can capture the true essence of who you...
A Deeper Look at College Rankings
Summary
"It is important to understand that rankings are general statistics which means that they apply to different individuals in different ways. For example, up to 42% of a college’s rank is based on graduation rates. Nonetheless, college rankings are so deeply entrenched in our collective psyche that we will undoubtedly continue to recite them, and even depend on them, despite their shortcomings. There are certainly...
Beyond GPA: The 12 “Other” Most Important Factors in College Admission
You are very likely in the process of completing your applications for University of California colleges, as well as your REA, EA, and/or ED choices. You may be working on your portfolios, your resumes, or even your introductory videos. You may still be scheduling live or virtual visits to your favored colleges. At the very least, you are hopefully requesting information from all the colleges on your list. Alright then! Now, it’s time to move...
In 2024 How to Get into Highly Competitive Colleges
There are many ways to gain admission into the college of your dreams. It helps to fully understand the college admission process so that you may take advantage of some less-traveled paths.
There are several things you should know about getting into your top-choice colleges. The first thing to know is that if your top-choice colleges are very highly ranked, then the odds are far higher that you will be rejected than...
Why are Colleges Trending Toward Shorter Supplemental Essays?
The first one I noticed was Harvard, which up through last year provided students with an “optional” essay that would be uploaded in the form of a Word doc or PDF. Of course, that was a dog whistle for counselors signaling that a long essay was needed. This year, however, Harvard has replaced the long essay with five short essays up to 200 words in length. Then, it was Cornell, which shaved 300 words off its 650-word essay, leaving behind a...
New Harvard Application Responds to Supreme Court Decision with Five New Essay Prompts
The Common Application completed its reboot on August 1st, right on schedule. This annual ritual provides colleges with their one opportunity to amend or fundamentally change their applications. By far, the biggest change we have seen is with Harvard’s application. Instead of requiring an extended essay as well as two shorter essays buried within the academic and extracurricular activities sections, the new Harvard Application has five short...
How to Create a College List (Part one)
One of the most important and misunderstood steps in successful college admission occurs right at the outset: the creation of a logical, sensible, and aspirational college list. In many ways, the college list drives the process because it determines what you need, where you should visit, and even decisions as basic as which courses to take and which extracurricular activities to choose. It is likely that the first college list you see will...
How To Improve Your Chance of Admission to Elite Colleges Now That The Supreme Court Has Struck Down Race-Based Admissions
“ Now that the Supreme Court has made it illegal to use race as a factor in college admission, many students belonging to classes that were previously disadvantaged in the elite college admission process now have increased chances, although the difference may not be as significant as many believe.“
Now that the Supreme Court has made it illegal to use race as a factor in college admission, many students belonging to classes...
In College Admissions, What You Don’t Know Can Hurt Your Chances
This is what you likely don’t know, but definitely should know, about elite college admission: CHARACTER MATTERS – A LOT! If admission into some of these elite colleges is your goal, then you have to pay as much attention to exhibiting the eight elements of character as you do to having impressive grades, test scores, and activities.
I shouldn’t be surprised. In a recent College Application 101 Workshop I held in...
Supreme Court strikes down Affirmative Action and race-based admissions
Some will say that the #SupremeCourt’s striking down of #AffirmativeAction is fair and others who will say the opposite. No one wants to be passed over to give an advantage to someone else. However, the inequities that exist in our society are now stronger than ever.
I am not taking a victory lap for predicting that America’s new conservative Supreme Court would most definitely strike down affirmative action as soon as they got the...
Is an Internship a Ticket to Elite College Admission?
Over the past 5 years, internships have become very popular for students applying to highly competitive colleges based on a belief that an internship alone may be a ticket to elite college admission. The truth is that there is no one factor, not even an internship, that will ensure admission into a highly competitive college. Put into context, an internship can be a wise and valuable use of time, providing a student with work experience,...
The Ivy League: Eight Distinct College Experiences
At Avalon Admission, we specialize in making strong cases for Ivy League acceptance by presenting students as individuals likely to make a positive difference in the world. We expertly weave together seemingly disparate elements of a student’s academic accomplishments and life experiences into a cohesive narrative that encourages a sense of confidence on the part of Ivy League admissions committees.
Does Test Optional Admissions Hurt My Chances?
If you are submitting ACT or SAT scores to colleges, or SSAT or ISEE to private schools, does the movement toward test-optional admissions help you or hurt you? The answer is simple: Yes, it does. But how can this be so? Won’t my excellent test scores make me stand out from those who are not submitting any scores? The answer to this question is: no. If all this seems counterintuitive to you, that is because colleges and private schools are...
Six Tips to Get Into Top Private Schools
Getting into top private schools is not unlike getting into top colleges. The fact is that highly valued individuals demonstrate a consistent set of values whether they are applying for college or private school. That is because, to a certain extent, top schools are seeking a consistent and predictable set of characteristics from their applicants, whether for college or for private school. Overall, they are seeking to establish an...
General Information about Applying to Private Schools
Application deadlines for most private schools are January 15 and Feb 1. Most decisions come out on March 10. The key to a successful private school experience is identifying schools that fit your interests, values, goals, and expectations. Many private schools have vast resources and myriad traditions that create a strong sense of community and belonging. They also offer smaller and higher-level classes. These factors are common...
The Five Critical Characteristics of a Successful Internship
Internships! The mere mention of the word brings waves of joy to parents of students seeking admission to high-value colleges—as if the mere mention of the word will result in multiple offers of admission from top colleges across America. Indeed, internships can be valuable additions to college applications, but not necessarily so. Why? The answer is simple and intuitive once you allow yourself to enter the mind of a college admission...
Applying to Highly Competitive Colleges? You Must Stand Out.
There are some who believe that applying to college is simply a matter of submitting applications. The reality is that hundreds of decisions made between 9th grade and 12th grade will contribute to a student’s admission success. Furthermore, admission factors at top colleges are evolving. What was true 10 years ago, or even five years ago, may not be true today. For example, the legacy advantage has all but disappeared. One’s ethnicity...
Five Ways to Get into Your Top Choice Colleges
Everyone wants to get into a top-choice college but simply wishing for it won’t make it happen. Everything about college admission is strategic, and each individual strategy combines into a comprehensive plan of action that begins as early as ninth grade. However, it is never too late to begin. Whether you are in 9th grade, 10th grade, or 11th grade, there are several things that will increase your chances of getting into one or more of your...
Seven Critical Mistakes to Avoid in High School if Your Goal is Admission to Top-Ranked Colleges
Everyone seems to know that admission to top colleges is more competitive than ever. It is simply a matter of numbers. More applications means a smaller percentage of acceptances. Furthermore, the rules are constantly changing. Now, first-generation counts more than legacy. In most cases, standardized tests are still optional, and everyone claims to have the winning formula for writing the perfect Common App essay. But in this maelstrom of...
Will You Get into Harvard?
How About Cornell, CMU, Rice, WashU St. Louis, UCLA, USC or Wake Forest?
Here are three representative student case studies and predictions using data from the amazing MyCollegeList.com program
Student One:
Adrianne is an Asian female who attends one of the most competitive private schools in America. Both of her parents attended college. She hopes to study Computer...
Ivy League Acceptance
Ivy Day—the day when Ivy League admissions decisions are handed out, is right around the corner at the end of March. As you know, applying to Ivy League schools can produce three different outcomes: acceptance, rejection, or waitlist. None of these three outcomes is based on absolute data. As you can tell by analyzing scattergrams on Naviance, it takes more than test scores and GPA to get in to an Ivy League college, though those factors...
Getting into Harvard or MIT is about Selling Yourself
Over my 40 years of training students to prepare for college admission, I have come to understand that there is magic inside of every student just waiting to be unleashed. Somewhere along their 12-year academic journey, students who are fortunate enough to encounter a gifted teacher or dedicated counselor who recognizes and ignites this magical spark may reach their college potential, and then achieve even greater happiness and success in a...
21 Suggestions for Students Planning to Apply to Top Colleges
The college admission process does not begin in twelfth grade; it begins in ninth grade or even earlier. Yet, according to a NACAC survey, most school counselors spend more than 80% of their time on non-college related activities. Even if your school has a dedicated college counseling staff, chances are that each counselor has a caseload of hundreds of students. In fact, the average caseload for each counselor in the US is roughly 500...
Are Private Colleges Better than Public Colleges?
Some students and families have an implicit and unwarranted bias against public colleges and universities. In some cases, they may feel that states simply don’t have the funding or resources to dedicate to their public college systems. They may feel that state colleges are designed to provide the most basic level of higher education to citizens of that state. In many cases, these beliefs are true. Clearly, not all state college systems are...
What Are the Components of a Successful College Application? Part One: The Essays
Whenever students and parents discuss the common application and other college applications, all they seem to talk about is the personal narrative and college-specific essays. While these essays are critically important parts of a student’s application, the truth is that there is a lot more to an application that must be addressed if a student is to successfully navigate the college admission process.
Your College Application Essays Should Demonstrate These Five Characteristics
With so much information about college application essays available on the Internet, it is difficult to differentiate good advice from bad. Also, it is important to understand that an essay that works for one person may not work well for another. Your application essays, both the personal statement and college supplements, must reflect your values rather than someone else’s. If you try to emulate another person’s essay, even if that person...
What are the Five Best and Worst High School Activities for College Applications?
The Five Best and Worst Activities for Summer
Summer is when high school students can engage in meaningful activities that greatly enhance their college applications. Since college applications contain information about a student's record from 9th through 12th grade, it makes sense to plan advantageous summer activities for the three summers that precede a student's entry into college. The summers after 10th grade and 11th grade are...
Building the Honors Section of Your College Application
Every day, students must make decisions that range from the mundane to the sublime, from which socks or stockings to wear to which summer activities to choose. Many high school students, particularly those who are focused on boosting the impact of their college applications, choose activities that fit into neat categories on the Common Application’s activities section. This is a good idea. However, there is an even better idea: choose...
Applying to Elite Colleges? Prove Your Passion
The secret to successful elite-college admission is not what you think. It is not about having an exceptionally high GPA and test scores. It is not about having 100 activities squeezed into 10 spaces on the Common Application. It is not about having 10 AP test scores of 5. It is not even about having excellent teacher recommendations. All of these things are already assumed if you are applying to an elite college. However, you should...
15 Tips to Make Your College Application Shine
When considering your high school accomplishments, big or small, accomplished over time or in a moment, you must also consider how they will play to your audience: college admissions officials. Furthermore, you must consider how they collectively contribute to an overall narrative that is appealing to that audience. To further complicate matters, what is appealing to one school may not be appealing to another. It goes without saying that MIT...
How Colleges Identify Character in Admission Candidates
Measuring the Unmeasurable
It is easy to understand the allure of simplicity in college admission. Using strictly objective factors such as SAT or ACT scores and GPA (even though it could be argued that GPA is far from objective or standardized) a simple computer algorithm can easily select candidates to make the cut for the next incoming college class. Yet, it is widely believed that such objective factors only begin to tell the true...
Is Harvard’s Restrictive Early Action (REA) Admission Program Binding? No!
In this article, college admission expert Neil Chyten explains the differences between Early Decision, Early Action, and Restrictive Early Action programs, and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each.
It seems counterintuitive that any early admission program offered by Harvard would not be binding. However, it is not binding! Restrictive Early Action, or REA as it is widely referred to, is the same as any Early Action...
ED-I and ED-II as Part of 1 Strategic College Admission Process
As you wind your way through the Common Application, one of the more confusing and important aspects is choosing the right admission plan. Many colleges give you the option of applying more than one way. Of course, all colleges offer regular admission. Many other colleges offer something called Early Action (EA), which is a non-binding, early-notification option. Still other colleges offer one or two rounds of what is called Early Decision...
Should I Submit My Test Scores to Test Optional Colleges?
If your test scores are good, they will certainly help your case for admission. If they are not very good, then by all means do not submit them. The choice is yours, and having a choice gives you an advantage in college admissions. Take advantage of it while you still can!
How to Create your College List
Click below for Avalon's Free resource for creating a college list and predicting your chance of admission.
It is time again for rising 11th graders to start thinking about their college list, and for rising 12th graders to solidify theirs. So, where does an intrepid 11th grader begin, and a slightly behind schedule 12th grader turn for help? The truth is that most...
The Activities Section of College Applications
A preponderance of strong and highly advantageous activities begun early in high school will dramatically improve a student’s chance of receiving offers of admissions from elite colleges. The issue is not whether the right set of activities will improve a student’s chances. The question is which activities will do so, and which ones are just a waste of time and money. In order to address this question, one must understand a basic premise of...
If You Want to Get into a Top College, Keep Your Eyes Far Down the Road
When I was taking driving lessons so many years ago, I was never told where I should be staring as I maneuvered my car down the highways and country roads of New England. Instead, I was simply told to keep the car centered between the lines and to keep enough distance between my car and the car ahead. I was told what to do, but not how to do it. It wasn’t until I taught my own daughter to drive that I discovered an important strategy. That...
Avalon Insights – Columbia College in the City of New York
There are many colleges in the US named Columbia. The most famous of these is in New York City and to avoid confusion is often referred to as “Columbia College in the City of New York.” You know you are on the right website if you see a king’s crown next to the name. Columbia College is the undergraduate part of Columbia University that includes 17 graduate and professional schools. It offers a very robust core curriculum, over 100 majors and...
Avalon Insights – Pomona College
Pomona College shares a campus with four other colleges. Collectively, these five colleges make up the Claremont McKenna College (CMC) consortium. If you are fortunate enough to be accepted at Pomona, you will have the unique opportunity of taking classes at four other excellent colleges without ever having to leave the one-square-mile campus. Claremont McKenna, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer each has superb courses and performance...
Avalon Insights – Cornell University
Cornell is the largest of the Ivy League colleges, both in campus size, which is 745 acres, and undergraduate population, which is 15,000. For comparison, Colombia’s is the smallest Ivy League campus at merely 32 acres. Cornell is located in the very rural town of Ithaca, in upstate New York, and is considered to be a campus school. In other words, virtually all social activities take place on campus. If you want to take a long weekend in New...
Avalon Insights: Harvard College
To say that the Harvard campus is iconic is a dramatic understatement. Even the Harvard name conjures up familiar images of traditional brick buildings, and stressed-out students walking through Harvard Yard and touching the bronze toe of John Harvard for good luck. It also brings up images of world-class professors conducting world-class research. Most Harvard freshman live in suites that are quite ordinary but sufficient for comfortable...
Avalon Insights – Williams College
Of course, Williams has the reputation of being a small New England liberal arts college. Indeed, it lives up to that recommendation. However, students on campus do not feel hindered by the environment. In fact, they say there is lots to do both on campus and in the community. There are many restaurants around town, as well as many outdoor activities such as hiking, equestrian, golf, skiing, and opportunities for volunteer work. On campus,...
Avalon Insights – The Claremont McKenna Consortium
The CMC Consortium, as it is known, is made up of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate colleges that, in effect, all share a single campus in Claremont, California. All seven colleges are located in a 1 square mile area. Students at each of the five undergraduate schools can take classes in any of the other four, and even fulfill a major at any of the other four. Quite literally, it is a two-minute walk from Harvey Mudd to Pomona, or...
Avalon Insights: Carnegie Mellon University
CMU is a mid-sized city campus recently enhanced by new buildings including the Tepper Quad and the TCS Hall. The Tepper Quad is interesting because it is the home to the CMU business program and literally and figuratively connects to the other seven colleges on the university campus, thus making a statement about dedication to its highly ranked business. TCS hall is the new home of the graduate level computer science program and designed to...
Do All Ivy League Colleges Give Credit for AP exams? No, They Don’t!
It is a fact that five out of the eight Ivy League colleges give college credit for AP exams in which students have scored at least a 4, or in some cases, the score must be a 5. While the AP credit policies vary from school to school, they can also vary from department to department within a school. In all cases, earning high scores on AP exams helps you earn admission to top colleges. It also allows students to circumvent certain basic...
Advice to Parents: Stop Trying to “Game” College Admissions
We have seen it hundreds of times—well-intentioned parents following questionable advice they get on social media. “Just because one student got into Yale after writing about her favorite pizza, and another student got into several Ivy League colleges after writing about shopping at a wholesale club, does not mean that a similar strategy will work for others.” According to Avalon Admission founder Neil Chyten, colleges look at the whole...
Guidelines for College Research Prior to Writing Essays and Going on Interviews
One very effective strategy for writing compelling college essays and making a strong impression during your interview is to conduct research on each college you are applying to. In short, the more you know about the college, the more effectively you can make the case that you will make a significant contribution to the campus and that the college will help to further your life goals. Use the following suggestions to guide your...
How Important to College Admission are Research-Related Activities?
No high school research activity is ever going to hurt a student’s college admission chances. The only questions are how much will it help and is it worth the time and effort? Four years of high school certainly seems like a long enough time to develop a strong list of meaningful activities. However, four years is not as long as it seems. High school years are full of responsibilities. Students must maintain high GPAs and that alone takes a...
Senior Slump is a Dangerous Myth
Finally! Your senior year of high school is about to begin, but it doesn’t even count, right? After all, colleges only look at your grade 9 through 11 transcripts, right? For your early action and early decision colleges, the choice of who gets in and who does not will be made before your 12th grade transcript is even available, right?
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
It is a basic human tendency to look beyond tomorrow all the way to the...
Do Colleges Ask You to Declare a Major at The Time You Apply?
When we start working with college admission candidates as early as 9th or 10th grade, we often ask them what they are passionate about or which subject they are most interested in. When we do, we understand that preferences and passions can change quickly, due to one great teacher, an interesting summer experience, or even a simple field trip to a lab, a museum, or a historical site. Nonetheless, the information is useful to us because it...
College Interview Tip: Keep your Answers Short and Focused
While most students think that the college interview is intended to provide information about you to the college, in actuality, the interview is more evaluative than substantive. In other words, colleges are not trying to learn more about your activities and accomplishments; they are trying to evaluate some of your intangible qualities. In particular, colleges are very interested in evaluating your leadership, your resilience, your...
How to Combat the Skyrocketing Costs of College
With so many ways to cut down the cost of college, including through various types of scholarships and financial aid offers, only those few super wealthy families whose students are admitted into highly ranked “dream schools” need to pay full price. Even for families who do fall into this group, there are ways to cut down the costs of tuition.
Let’s begin with families who are not super wealthy. For families whose collective income is...
How Valuable are Internships to College Admission?
In college admissions, buzz words rarely survive the time it takes to utter them. In the swiftly moving cat-and-mouse game between admissions officers and counselors, as well as the multitude of organizations that prey upon students caught in the middle, the rules are continually changing. “Legacy” has given way to “opportunity.” “Well-rounded student” has been replaced by “well-rounded student body.” “Statistical analysis” has departed and...
The Key to Ivy League Admission
In 2022, Harvard received over 60,000 applications for less than 2000 seats. Of those 2000, approximately 700 are reserved for students with special talent in fields such as music, sports, acting, writing, as well as for those with striking accomplishments such as Olympic gold medals, best-selling books, creation of multimillion dollar corporations, or ideas that have left indelible mark on the world before the age of 20. The rest of...
Obtaining Strong Recommendations
Whenever students and parents discuss the common application and other college applications, all they seem to talk about is the personal narrative and college-specific essays. While these essays are critically important parts of a student’s application, the truth is that there is a lot more to an application that must be addressed if a student is to successfully navigate the college admission process. In this series of articles, we will...
11 Tips for Your College Campus Visit
Summertime is a great time to visit college campuses, sit in on summer classes, speak to students, check out dorms and dining halls, and meet with an admissions officer. However, like everything else in life, the careful planning of the college visits is imperative and crucial. Think of the college visit as an extension of the application process and while most colleges do not require a visit or an interview with an admissions officer, it...
Five Ways to Get into Your Top Choice Colleges
Everyone wants to get into a top-choice college but simply wishing for it won’t make it happen. Everything about college admission is strategic, and each individual strategy combines into a comprehensive plan of action that begins as early as ninth grade. However, it is never too late to begin. Whether you are in 9th grade, 10th grade, or 11th grade, there are several things that will increase your chances of getting into one or more of your...
Should I be applying to college using the early decision admission plan?
There are advantages and disadvantages to applying to college using the early decision (ED) option. The two big advantages are that you can increase your odds of admission and you get the decision as many as three months earlier than regular admission. Knowing in December where you will attend college in the fall can alleviate the stress that is typically felt by high school seniors and their families while waiting for college decisions. The...
Is Harvard’s Restrictive Early Action Admission Program Binding? No!
In this article, college admission expert Neil Chyten explains the differences between Early Decision, Early Action, and Restrictive Early Action programs, and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each.
It seems counterintuitive that any early admission program offered by Harvard would not be binding. However, it is not! Restrictive Early Action, or REA as it is widely referred to, is the same as any Early Action (EA)...
How Much Time Will You Get with Your School Counselor?
There are lots of things that you can do in 45 minutes but providing students with all the advice and information they need to successfully apply to college is not one of them. Yet 45 minutes is the amount of time, on average, that college counselors spend with students over the entirety of their four years of high school. Please don’t misunderstand—this is not an indictment of your school’s college counselor. It is simply a statement of fact...
The Pros and Cons of Taking the ACT Writing Test?
Is it a good strategy to opt into the ACT Writing Test? While the answer to this question can be somewhat complicated, the simple answer is, “Yes, but only if you are an excellent writer and you are familiar with the format of the test.”
Only a few years ago, we at NC Global posted an article in which we provided a list of colleges that required or recommended the essay portion of the ACT or SAT. Even then, the list of colleges had...
11 Questions to Ask College Admissions Counselors
- How many students do you work with each year?
- Where do most of your students matriculate?
- How many years of experience do you have?
- How much essay writing assistance do you provide?
- Do you help with international college admission as well as US college admission?
- Do you help students with their teacher, counselor, and “other” recommenders?
- Do you provide advocacy for students with special...
What Are the Components of a Successful College Application? Part Five: How Valuable are Internships to College Applications?
The importance of an internship as a standalone activity has been severely diminished. Internships that serve no purpose other than to take a position on a college application will not positively impact a student’s candidacy. In fact, they could have the opposite effect of red flagging an application that is being padded or stuffed by overzealous parents or by concerned students to cover up a weakness. In contrast, internships that fuel a...
What Are the Components of a Successful College Application? Part Four: Boosting Your Academic Honors Section
On the Common Application under the Education tab is a subsection entitled “Honors.” It begins with the following question:
Do you wish to report any honors related to your academic achievements beginning with the ninth grade or international equivalent?”
What counts as an academic honor? The answer is rather murky and open to interpretation. Basically, any honor you have received based on any subject or group of subjects you have...
Can You Help My Fifth-Grader Get into Harvard?
When I was in fifth grade, I loved to play football and baseball and watch the Boston Bruins. I had just switched from Bowen School to Countryside School in Newton, Massachusetts, so I was busy making new friends and taking interesting classes. During the summer, I went to Camp Manitou, an overnight camp in Maine. There, I learned volleyball, archery, riflery, swimming, and waterskiing as I also enjoyed the traditions of Color League and...
How to Teach your Tutor
If you are like millions of other families across America and across the world, you hire tutors to help your child with a difficult subject, to write a paper, or to pass a test. Indeed, tutoring in America is a $15 billion industry. Most tutoring is done by individuals with little or no training in the fine art of teaching. Much tutoring is done by college students or graduate students. There is no class a person can take to learn to be a...
Does Your Child Qualify For The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth?
How proud of your child would you be if she qualified for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) program? How proud would she be of herself if she were part of this highly-regarded program? How impressed would colleges and/or private schools be, knowing that she is a gifted and talented student? The fact is that the Johns Hopkins CTY program is one of the most prestigious programs that students can attend. Being accepted into the...
The Character Skills Snapshot for Private School Admission
Last year (2017) a new test was introduced by the Enrollment Management Association (EMA), the producer of the SSAT. The test is called The Character Skills Snapshot and was designed to provide additional information about students applying to independent secondary schools. This new tool is a 20-30 minute on-line assessment that measures eight essential character skills that were not previously considered in any objective way in the...
Learn About the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Program
How proud of your child would you be if she qualified for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) program? How proud would she be of herself if she were part of this highly regarded program? How impressed would colleges and/or private schools be, knowing that she is a gifted and talented student? The fact is that the Johns Hopkins CTY program is one of the most prestigious programs that students can attend. Being accepted into the...
Advice for Families - How to Find a Great Tutor
As someone who has tutored and counseled students for well over 30 years, who has written countless tutoring and training guides, and who has personally trained more than 500 tutors and counselors, I can tell you first-hand, second-hand, and third-hand that being an effective tutor requires significant skills that go far beyond IQ and subject-matter expertise.
Unfortunately, many tutoring companies are merely involved in window dressing...
Five Strategies for Earning Higher Grades
You probably already know the three most important criteria for getting into top colleges and private schools. They are:
· Overall GPA
· Grades in college prep classes
· Rigor of academic schedule
Said another way, to be a legitimate candidate for top colleges, students must take rigorous classes (such as AP and honors) and earn excellent grades in those classes. Beyond grades, other important criteria...
