Labor Day, in all its barbecue and lawn chair glory, has passed, which means everyone is back in school. School in my district started on August 14, so we’ve been here a while. It’s usually good to go back to school because for most of us boredom doesn’t take long to set in after summer begins. Although it did start to ...

It's the last day of school before a weeklong Thanksgiving break, and I'm frantically running around school delivering recommendation packets to my teachers and counselor. (The packets include teacher evaluation sheets from different schools and a "brag sheet" detailing everything I've done in high school.) I get a packet to my counselor, and another to my junior year English teacher. I ...

Take a strong course schedule. Your class record is a big part of your college application. Don't take courses that simply pad your GPA. Challenge yourself. Take AP, IB or honors courses. If your school doesn't offer them, see if your local community college or university does. Do volunteer work. Make a difference and volunteer for activities that reflect your personality ...

A rigorous course schedule through high school is important. Good grades are key. High SAT/ACT test scores certainly don't hurt. But what else are colleges looking for in students? Genuine interest in the school Colleges want students who show genuine and well-researched interest in their school. "A student who has gone beyond name recognition and reputation and has decided that the ...

You've narrowed your choice of colleges down to seven different schools. Now comes the fun part: filling out seven different applications. This means entering your name/address/school data over and over and writing multiple personal essays. And if you can't apply online, this means reacquainting yourself with a typewriter. At long last, an alternative is gaining momentum: the Common Application. What Is ...

College admissions offices are busy places. Think about an admissions office receiving 5,000 to 10,000 or more applications. That is a lot of reading. What will make your application stand out? How colleges decide Before we address that question, let’s look at the process in general. I don’t believe any two admissions offices do everything alike, but there are similarities. Most ...

We asked FastWeb users to share their advice on college admissions, based on their personal experiences. Here's what they said: "Keep your options open and don't plan your whole life around one college. It will make it a lot easier if you don't get accepted. And if you don't get accepted, your world isn't over. There will be other colleges for ...

Junior Year Start thinking about college choice. Make an appointment to talk with your guidance counselor. Register with www.fastweb.com to find the money you need for college. Plan to take your PSAT during your junior year and start studying for the ACT or SAT. Summer after Junior Year Visit college campuses and ask friends in college for their advice. Request applications ...

It's December. All remnants of turkey and stuffing have been expunged from the fridge. The days are getting shorter and temperatures are dipping lower. Wal-Mart is drenched in red, white and pine needle green. Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" is being piped endlessly through every department store PA system on this side of the Rio Grande. But those familiar Christmas jingles mean ...

It's your final year of high school, which is not only the time to celebrate your achievements but bulk up your resume and course schedule to show colleges and universities that you're a worthy candidate. Senior year is easily the most overwhelming for high school students but staying organized will guarantee a solid finish, a good chance at your top choice ...

You just started high school, is it really time to begin planning for college? The answer is "yes" and "no." While you should focus on having fun and making good grades for the sake of your high school career, you should also keep in mind that everything you do in high school will be examined during the college admissions process. Follow ...

Personally, I think it is reasonable to assume that most Americans can shamefully (or proudly, in some cases) admit that they have watched a teen flick. Whether the movie is Clueless, High School Musical, Mean Girls or Napoleon Dynamite, they all have that same cafeteria scene. The stock characters isolate themselves in their cliques at the lunch tables while appeasing their ...

In my first week of my AP English Lit class, my new teacher announced that we would begin the school year with one of the most famous works of literature, Dante’s “Inferno.” In his epic poem, Dante writes about his journey through Hell and Purgatory to eventually become the perfect man in Paradise. He struggles, hesitates and fails at some tasks, ...

A High School Senior Shares is experiences preparing for college. Different Year, Same Old Blog Jan. 11, 2006 Ahoy, my friends! Happy belated new year to you all! It's 2006 and you know what that means….absolutely nothing! That's right, it's a different year but it's still the same old song and dance here on my quaint little blog. Now that it's ...

Getting to college seems a lot like buying a new car. Before you can even think about buying a car, you have to have a good credit rating, which will mean a good loan. Then, you choose the car. Do you want black, green, red, silver, white? Do you want Honda, Hyundai, Acura, Toyota, Lexus? Do you want four-wheel drive, power ...