Even though I do my best to convince students and families that the standardized tests, the SAT and the ACT, aren’t nearly as important to admission as the media might lead you to believe, I still get begged for advice on how to do better. Can test prep help? The College Board swore prep courses had no impact, but then they ...

Unfortunately, brand names count. When employers decide whom to interview, seeing school names they recognize can be a plus. One way to add a better-known name to your resume is to complete a university extension certificate program. Many top colleges, such as Berkeley and Harvard, offer them. Harvard, for example, offers one-year programs in administration/management, public health, museum studies, publishing ...

If you thought campaign season advertising, with all the e-mails and phone calls was fun, and if you think the best part of the holiday season was the incessant mailings begging and pleading with you to drop whatever you were doing and shop, then you must be loving deadline season.  By now most you are getting pummeled with e-mail, IM, facebook ...

Families face tough choices when acceptance and rejection letters arrive. "Any parent who's shopped for a prom dress can tell you, window shopping is easy. It's the actual decision that's difficult," says Sally Rubenstone, co-author of Panicked Parents Guide to College Admissions. Rejection letters, expensive tuition, wait lists, reluctance to attend and an absence of acceptance letters are some of the ...

It seems like the sophomore year is one that you don’t remember. It’s not like your freshman year when everything is new and exciting. It’s not like your junior year when you start the college search process. It’s not like your senior year that is fast-paced, application-crazed, and meaningful yet fun. It’s the often-overlooked sophomore year that isn’t given nearly enough ...

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 ...

Why attend college? You will learn skills that will help you both on and off the job. A person who attends college generally earns more than someone who doesn’t. How can I go about choosing a college? Colleges are located in big cities, suburbs, and small towns throughout the country. Some enroll tens ...

“If there’s one mistake my students make [when choosing a college], it’s not listening to their parents,” says Bruce Hammond, director of college counseling at Sandia Preparatory School in Albuquerque, N.M., contributing editor to the The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2006 and author of Discounts and Deals at the Nation's 360 Best Colleges. Parents can often balance the excitement students ...

1. Start the academic year with a bang! If you don’t know what courses they’re taking this year, you should. If you get excited about learning they will too. Find out what is on their reading lists for English and history. Engage your child in conversations about the material he is studying at the dinner table. 2. Prepare for standardized tests. ...

Have you ever wanted to explore a campus from your living room couch? Now you can! FastWeb and YOUniversity TV are teaming up to make the college search process easier for students and parents. We know you have a busy, demanding schedule and sometimes, college visits simply aren’t feasible, especially if the college is far away. First, check out the school’s ...

You've decided you need a second opinion on your resume, but where should you turn? We've gathered the top eight resources for resume critiques, as well as the pros and cons of each, to help you find the best reviewer for your needs. Professional Resume Writers Resume writers can provide excellent advice on how to improve your resume, says Murray Mann, ...

They can take you to the heights of the scientific revolution in Europe and the depths of slavery in America. You may choose to examine regression analyses and derivatives. You may learn the intricate differences between the subjunctive and future perfect tenses. But that's not why most people take Advanced Placement (AP)* courses, and although I'd like to say I'm just ...

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess the examinee's problem solving, critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine. Scores are reported in Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences. Medical colleges consider MCAT exam scores as part of their admission process. Almost ...

Brian Donovan recently graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He made the decision in high school that he wanted to go to a military college. "I wanted to challenge myself," Donovan says. "I didn't want to be just a normal college kid. I wanted to do something different." Every year, thousands of students make the commitment to attend ...

One reason George Mason University was voted the nation’s number one “Up-and-Coming University” by U.S. News and World Report is their straight-talking Dean of Admissions, Andrew Flagel. With over 20 years of experience, Flagel has been helping students all over the country navigate the admissions process. Now, he’s lending his talents (and sarcasm) to FastWeb users. “First off, no matter what ...

Columbia, NYU, The Cooper Union, The New School. Four very different universities located in one very happening city. Most New Yorkers would promise that, in a city this big, there is something for everyone. However, any student looking for the simple life need not apply. [widget:1577] Columbia University might offer the closest to an idyllic campus life in the city that ...

College planning can be stressful for both students and parents. Long before they face the challenge of finding college funding, students face an equally important challenge - the college admissions process. Filling out college applications and waiting to hear from admissions committees can make for a nerve-wracking senior year. But now schools are taking steps to alleviate student stress by instituting ...

Register for standardized tests NOW Most students wait until the summer after their Junior year to study and cram for the SAT/ACT. As a result, once you get your scores in October, you only have one or two more opportunities to re-take the exams to improve scores. Give yourself more time to improve by taking the tests early in the ...

The SAT and ACT measure what you have learned over the course of many years. While no amount of cramming can turn a 200 into an 800, organized preparation can go a long way. With books, videos, software and prep courses, you have options for getting the help you need. Free Materials Start with the free publications available at your high ...

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 ...