extreme close-up of two students' shoulders, arms, hands holding pencils as they look at a textbook together
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AP vs IB vs AICE – Which One is Best?

Since you clicked on the title, it’s likely you already know what “AP vs IB vs AICE” is referring to.  But just in case: AP – Advanced Placement IB  – International Baccalaureate AICE – Advanced International Certificate of Education (This is also often referred to as the Cambridge curriculum) All three of the above are…

Red brick building with white pillars on college campus
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The Impact of Covid-19 on College Admissions: An Update

Two weeks ago, which now seems like a year ago, I wrote about the preliminary anticipated impact of Covid-19 on college admissions.  Since then, there have been daily developments and the picture has become much clearer.  So I thought it was time to check back in here and attempt a round-up of what we now…

report card with pencils next to it
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High School Courses: Calculating High School GPA for College Admissions

It’s time to talk about something that many families don’t discover or understand until it’s college application time.  Sometimes, families don’t even realize it then.  But application time is often when you discover that your student’s high school GPA (Grade Point Average) is not necessarily the same GPA that colleges will look at for admission. …

student working in notebook in classroom
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Advanced Placement Frequently Asked Questions

Recently, Advanced Placement (AP) classes are back in the news.  Eight elite high schools in the Washington DC area announced that they will no longer offer them.  This has stirred up new controversy about whether the classes are worthwhile. Did those high schools drop AP classes because they are not challenging and don’t help to…

rows of desks in classroom
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Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment Classes?

Advanced Placement versus Dual Enrollment…this is a debate that I knew almost nothing about when my older kids were college searching.  Dual enrollment, or dual credit,  just was not something students did much at their high school.  Dual enrollment, where a student takes a class and receives both high school and college credit simultaneously seems…