Rather than adding more useless things to stockings that no one really needs, why not give teens something useful but with a twist? We have compiled a list of 25 items (likely to fit most large stockings that we have these days) that will help teens make studying, writing papers, and doing assignments more fun.

Fun Desk Toys

Speks Magnetic Balls - Mashable Smashable Buildable Fun Stress Relief Desk Toy

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073XWLZBV

Infinity Cube prime for Stress and Anxiety relief/

https://www.…

Following up on our blogs about improving academic performance, we have teamed up with Mindprint Learning to go into the science of learning to help parents understand that there isn’t one learning trait shared by all students. This blog post by Mindprint will go through 10 different traits that drive learning.  Be sure to join us for our live webinar in January where Nancy Weinstein, the founder of Mindprint, will share how parents can identify where student’s strengths and weaknesses lie, and use that information to improve learning and help students succeed academically. 

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This is a common question asked by families who do not qualify for financial aid (or do not qualify for enough financial aid) but for whom paying the full cost of college is a significant burden.

As we covered in Financial Aid 101, there are two types of financial aid: need-based and merit-based.  Need-based financial aid will be determined based on a family’s ability to contribute (using family income data from FAFSA and CSS profile). Merit aid will be determined based on student’s achievement and qualifications such as GPA, test scores, and special talents. Colleges use merit…

What distinguishes excellent students from just good students?

In 6 Steps to Better Grades, we provided students with concrete tools to help them improve their grades. One of the critical steps we discussed was paying better attention in class. We know that many students zone out in class, then study on their own before exams by reading textbooks and class handout materials (if any). While studying, if the student is stuck, there isn’t much they can do as the assignment or the exam is due/taking place the next day. Some motivated students may google questions and go on youtube to…

We all know that self motivated students who are interested in what they are studying, do well in school and get good grades. Students who are engaged in the class, in the specific subject, and connected to teachers will do better and get better grades. However, as much as we would love for our children to love learning for the sake of learning, it is common for teenagers to disengage and not do as well as they could. Even those highly motivated students often have subjects that they are not excited about. So what can we do to help our teens become better students and improve their grades…

Each May, millions of students around the world sit down to take one or more of the 38 Advanced Placement Exams. Administered by the CollegeBoard, each exam in America costs nearly $100. Notable for their rigor, a good score on these exams actually may result in saving thousands of dollars in college courses (at some schools) and boosting a student’s college application. In this blog post, we will be going over what AP courses are, what they mean for college admissions, and whether they are worth the money. We will also discuss the option of “self-studying,” for students that are not…

One of the things we hear over and over from parents, is that they wished that their school counselors would have met with students as early as freshman or sophomore year to give students some guidance on what is important in the college admissions process. In most high schools, the college counselors do not typically meet with students to discuss the college admissions process until spring of Junior year, as that is when they are finally through the most time-intensive portion of the application process for seniors.

High School should not be about getting into college, but there…

By: Sohini Surapaneni

A college admissions interview can be a nerve-racking experience for teenagers that don’t have much experience going through the interview process. They may struggle with setting up an interview, dressing for it, and answering questions in a way that showcases their personality. In this blog post, we will be reviewing the following aspects of preparing for college admission interviews:

During the 2020-2021 Admissions Cycle, the interviews…

By: Valerie Erde

Don’t we all wish we could be a fly on the wall in those college admissions committee rooms? Jeff Selingo’s insightful and detailed book, Who Gets In And Why, A Year Inside College Admissions is the next best thing to being there, giving readers a behind-the-scenes look into the opaque “holistic” college admissions process. 

In case you don’t want to read the whole book…I’ve provided my own takeaways, divided into four categories with main points and quotes for each:  Big Picture Takeways, The High School Side, The College Admissions Business, and Your…

In our last blog post, Top 5 Books on College Admissions for those just getting started…, we recommended 5 great books that will give you big-picture perspectives about colleges, the college admissions process overall, the true nature of selective college admissions, and what you can do to help students prepare for the road ahead. For those Juniors and seniors ready to build college lists focusing on academic, personal and financial fit, these following 5 books do a great job of providing data and college specific information invaluable to this process. Furthermore, these books are…