By Lloyd Nimetz of The Spike Lab

This year, college admissions was a tough game, especially for well-rounded students. The increase in applications to top-tier schools—sparked in part by the lifting of testing requirements—led to a significant decrease in the percentage of admitted students. Harvard admitted a mere 3.4 percent of applicants, Yale a paltry 4.6 percent, and Princeton a measly 3.98 percent. Other elite colleges had similar stats. Even high achieving, well-rounded students with stellar academic records and extracurriculars didn’t get admissions offers at their desired…

Although most students pursue internships during the summer, there are many great opportunities for students to intern during the school year. Internships are an opportunity for motivated students to explore their interests and career opportunities prior to college. These opportunities give students a leg up on determining what college majors to apply to, help students get a better sense for the types of careers they should focus on, and help in the college admissions process by demonstrating true interest in the major, field and program that they are applying for.

Several well-…

Students that are still looking for internship opportunities this summer, it is not too late to secure or create a meaningful opportunity. Given the shift to virtual platforms this year, students can certainly entertain more opportunities across the country and even across the world and do them from the comforts of their homes. However, finding an internship at the high school level can be challenging as recruiters look for more expertise and prefer hiring undergraduate students. But there still are places and ways to find internships as a high schooler. Below, we have provided a rundown…

Join the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair This Week from May 16-21

Join Regeneron ISEF to meet the next generation of scientists and engineers! Listen in on panels with top scientists and innovators. Visit the STEM Career Hall and College Fair, featuring nearly 90 colleges and universities. Visit the STEM Experiential Hall to engage in immersive STEM experiences.

Today, Public Exhibition of Projects open up. Head to the Finalist Hall from the Lobby and browse the extraordinary research done by the Regeneron ISEF finalists. This is a great opportunity…

By: Jahnavi Pradeep

Summer is a time for children to continue learning and growing beyond just the classroom. Academically driven middle schoolers can use this time to gain essential study skills, explore interests, gain independence, and build on their strengths to establish a strong foundation for high school. This past year, too many children were stuck in front of their screens for most of their academic activities, and we know how taxing that can be. Here, we offer you a curated list of virtual and in-person activities that your middle school student can partake in to make…

For those students interested in science research, this is an event not to be missed. From March 14th to March 31st, the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's most prestigious pre-college science and mathematics competition, will host a virtual exhibition of the research projects that the finalists conducted. The finalists will be available LIVE to answer any questions on March 14th from 2-4PM EST.

The 40 finalists for the 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search were selected from 1,760 entries. They will gather online in March to participate in a private judging process with…

The last day to sign up for MIT Spark is TOMORROW March 10th! We introduced Splash, classes at MIT, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford and other top colleges for Middle and High Schools Students to the Versed Community last September. Spark is the MIT program that started it all. This year, over 3 Saturdays from March 13 to March 27, 7th and 8th graders are invited to learn from MIT students on anything and everything!

From painting to cryptology to immunology, Spark classes number over 200 every year and span a wide variety of areas. Want to take a class on rockets? Build electrical…

For those students interested in science research, this is an event not to be missed. From March 14th to March 31st, the Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation's most prestigious pre-college science and mathematics competition, will host a virtual exhibition of the research projects that the finalists conducted. The finalists will be available LIVE to answer any questions on March 14th from 2-4PM EST.

The 40 finalists for the 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search were selected from 1,760 entries. They will gather online in March to participate in a private judging process with…

By: Valerie Erde

I was recently asked what it takes for a high school student to become a successful college applicant. What's the secret to getting in — especially to highly competitive schools?

I get asked this a lot, but this time I found myself thinking about the question not in the abstract, but in relation to specific kids with whom I’ve worked. I've spent time teaching them, but what could they teach me about getting into college?

To find out, I reached out to some of my smart, talented, kind — and also very successful! — former high school students to learn…

By: Valerie Erde

In my work as a tutor, many teens have walked through my door reluctantly, to say the least. They weren't interested in studying for the ACT or SAT, and at times weren't even interested in college at all. Sure, they knew that it was important for their future in a general way, but they definitely wanted to do something more fun than ACT/SAT practice tests with their limited free time.

I'm also a parent, so I know just how frustrating it can be to watch your child fritter away time and talent and fail to reach success or mastery of a skill. Of course you…