Guest blog post by Pierre F. Think back to the classic cartoons, where an unlucky antagonist gets caught in an avalanche before plunging downhill as a colossal snowball accrues around him. It might be fitting to compare this hilarious moment to the stress that many students feel the night before their big test. Months of preparation coalesce into one giant …
Back-to-School Goals
Check out these first semester goals for 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. By Andrew W. I always loathed back-to-school shopping. The week before Labor Day each year, my siblings and I would trudge towards a nearby Staples as my mother prodded us onward like a cowboy herding cattle across the Great Plains. It was a painful reminder that summer, …
Slaying the Dragon: What You Need to Do Before Submitting an Application
Guest post by Arthur R. The legend of Saint George describes George taking up arms against a wicked dragon that demanded human sacrifices. It’s a myth so potent that the entire country of England dedicated its flag to George’s victory. And whether or not this famed battle actually happened, “slaying the dragon” has become a familiar story in modern society. …
Tips on How To Become a Better Studier
Guest blog post by Emily R. Have you ever studied so hard for an exam, but still didn’t receive the grade that you wanted? Have you stressed out and crammed for an exam the night before? I think most of us have. However, I have some tips and tricks for you that may transform your study habits and may even …
What Makes a Good Personal Essay?
By Ava L. “Juicy” was the word. My sentences had to be “juicier.” We always fought over this. I, the unruly first-grader hell-bent on finishing my episode of Spongebob, would sneer when my mother meticulously criticized my daily vocabulary homework assignments. Thursday night was the worst, because every Friday, I had to submit ten sentences, each using one of the …
Summer Checklist for College-Hopeful Students
By J.K. Halsted I vividly remember my graduation. No, not my high school graduation. I’m clearly referring to a far more prestigious academic achievement: the time-honored convocation that is the fifth grade graduation. I paraded through the hallowed halls of a 2-5 elementary school that looked like any other elementary school in a fifty-mile radius — probably brick, built during …
My ACT Score Dropped: Is this Normal?
Post by Brittany V. Generally speaking, it’s not that uncommon to see a decrease in your composite ACT score, assuming that the drop is not substantial (4 or more points). Several factors can contribute to a lower composite score on a retest, but there are steps that you can take as a student to help avoid a drop in your …
What is a Good SAT or ACT Score?
Guest blog post by J.K. Halsted I’d like to propose an experiment. Bring a representative from each college to the Museum of Modern Art and sit them in front of Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31 (1950). Readers dabbling in art history might recognize Pollock as one of the premier abstract expressionists, and One: Number 31 as the quintessential example of …
15 Things You Need On Your College Packing List
Post by Emily Rothenberg Getting ready to go off to college or are preparing to send your first child to college? Here is a simple list for you of 15 things to bring to college that you may not have thought of yet. Some of these items may already be on your college shopping list, but others – you may …
Does Retaking the SAT or ACT Look Bad to Colleges?
Guest blog post by J.K. Halsted It’s a feeling that every high school student dreads: opening the results of your SAT or ACT and not seeing the perfect score you wanted. Whether that goal was a 1500 or a 1250, there’s an inevitable swell of disappointment, insecurity, and worry. Your mind somehow conjures up the harrowing image of your college …