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

As an ACT/SAT/AP tutor and college essay advisor who has worked with dozens of families over the past several years, I often hear from parents who are very concerned about their children getting into top colleges. This is natural — we all want what's best for our children, and we know that a high-quality education plays an important role in their future success. I've been through the college application process with my own two children, and I know just how intense that can be.

But all too often, parents of eighth and ninth graders  - or even of younger…

When students get to college, they are always amazed by the number of students that have started their own businesses in high school. Some of these businesses are truly amazing, beyond what adults could have started, while others are small businesses that are nonetheless impressive in that a highschooler started it. Just within our Versed advisor families, we have had a student that started an organization to teach music to underprivileged children - he organized student musicians in his school to provide free lessons, procured instrument donations from various sources, raised funding and…

By: Emily Cho

1. Engage in meaningful summer activities

Covid-19 has upended many summer plans, including summer internships and jobs that are cancelled. While the Common App will have space for students to explain how their summer plans got cancelled or altered, colleges still want to see how students used their time during the summer. Whether it be taking care of family members, volunteering to help the community, or taking the time to learn new skills, students should devote time to making the summer meaningful and productive to the extent that their circumstances allow…

By: Sohini Surapaneni

Even if your teen isn’t looking into business as a potential major, business skills are incredibly useful in nearly every field and every job. In light of recent social distancing measures, this summer is an excellent time to use the internet and learn the basic skills and fundamental concepts of business.

Gaining business skills is an excellent head start for future business majors and for students looking for internships, where listing concrete skills could make a difference on their resume. Business skills are even useful for students with…

1. Read: 

Summer is a time to get away from it all. Books are the perfect way for tweens/teens to immerse themselves into any world they can imagine. There is no better way to spend a lazy summer day than being engrossed in a good book. It also has the benefit of helping middle schoolers get ready for the amount of reading ahead of them in high school. The earlier they get used to and love reading, the less of a chore it will be when they have a ton of it in high school. Although it is best to let your kids choose what they want to read, it is also not a bad idea to get them to…

Internships are an excellent way for students to begin to network with professionals and learn basic job skills. For high school students, they are one of the best ways to explore career fields, and explore academic and extracurricular interests further. Given the current Covid-19 situation, many physical internships have been cancelled or delayed for the summer. However, this should not deter motivated students from exploring virtual internships where all or most of the work would be conducted from home, while interacting with employers/organizations online or via phone. Even beyond…

Being at home may spur creativity in your teen. Fortunately, these days, even art and music are taught online, allowing students to learn and refine artistic skills anytime and anywhere.

Whether your student is interested in picking up a new instrument, wants to learn the fundamentals of painting, or wants to start a fashion line, we have compiled below some of the best online resources to help them pick up a new hobby or go deeply into one already in progress. Some of these options are best for students that prefer to learn on their own at their own pace. Others are better for…

By: Jojo Herzig

As Covid-19 swallowed up normalcy across the United States, the “new” normal has challenged our teenagers to maintain their social relationships. What can we do as parents to help them re-connect with their friends, particularly now that many summer camps and pre-college programs have been cancelled?

When schools closed and online learning commenced, suddenly, our kids were sitting for hours in front of their laptops, racking up more screen time than ever before. High school students miss the high-five, the pat on the back after making a three pointer in a…

One of the best preparations for college is taking college courses. University classes often have a different structure to AP or IB classes students are familiar with in high school, allowing your teen to get acclimated to real college-level work. For students that have placed out of the most rigorous classes in high school, or are interested in studying subjects not offered by their high school, these online University classes open up a whole new world of learning. Additionally many programs offer college credit.

Some courses are instructor paced with a set schedule and required…