Modern building with curved front and windows
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Are Selective Summer Programs for High School Students Worth It?

Each year, thousands of high school students are flattered when they receive an invitation in the mail to apply to various competitive pre-college summer programs.  Or maybe they’ve even gotten an email from the college itself, suggesting that they should apply to their summer program.  And each year, I am left to explain to families…

college women playing lacrosse
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College Athletic Recruiting: What You Need to Know to Get Started

College athletic recruiting is a complicated thing and there is absolutely no way to capture all of the nuances in one article. For one thing, it varies by sport!  But, I am going to give you an overview to get you started. And then, I’ll provide some further resources for you. Before getting too far,…

red brick college buildings with blue sky
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Academic Merit Aid – What You Need to Know

An academic scholarship.   If you have a good student, you may have always assumed that this will be their free ticket to college.  Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.  The good news is that there IS merit aid available to academically-talented students.  The bad news is that the most highly selective schools in the country…

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…