Well, it’s the beginning of May and I can sense the tension of AP exam week in the air. AP exams are pretty important for me because my knowledge of my five AP classes will be put to the test. Literally. In addition, my performance on these tedious tests can get me out of some basic introductory classes at the . ...

Academics, living arrangements, and costs may be at the top of your list of factors in choosing the right school, but experts say you should pay attention to one more thing: a school’s efforts to welcome students of your heritage. "It is crucial for a college-bound student to select an institution that reflects his or her values, cultural heritage, and aspirations ...

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 ...

Maybe you're planning to go to school at night while you work a full-time job. Or maybe you're scheduling class time around daycare for your preschooler. Or perhaps you're going back to school after a stint in the military. If any one of these describes you, you're part of one of the fastest-growing groups on college campuses. Non-traditional students include a ...

Regardless of your child’s grades or test scores, he or she will likely struggle with his or her personal statement, commonly known as “the college essay.” Here are six questions to consider when your child asks you to help edit his or her personal statement. 1. Did your child follow directions? Many students fail to accurately answer the question posed in ...

We all have talents as humans. Some people can sing. Some people have the ability to walk a tightrope. Some people can knit sweaters. When faced with a decision – pick either this or that – I have the amazing ability to choose both options. It seems that I'm really good at making up my mind and then unmaking it. So ...

We won't know if Chicago will be chosen for the 2016 Summer Olympics until October 2009, but that shouldn't stop you from exploring The Windy City as your choice for your college years. Start your day in Chicago's South Side and visit the University of Chicago. Count the gargoyles on your tour of this Gothic Revival-inspired campus but be sure to ...

When Nancy Rodriguez began planning for college, she quickly noticed that her parents’ involvement in the process was limited. “They just knew about where I wanted to go,” says Rodriguez, a senior at the University of Southern California who grew up in Los Angeles’s inner-city community of Southgate. With two parents who worked constantly and viewed education differently than other parents ...

Is Virginia really for lovers? Yes, if they are lovers of knowledge. Teeming with campus folklore, arresting landscape and warm hospitality, Virginia has left its mark on higher education in the United States. A place of passionate tradition and enormous history, Virginia is perfect for the intellectually and socially attentive. The commonwealth is designed for students, so long as they are ...

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. ...

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 ...

“I didn’t know you could major in that!” With so many new and unusual undergraduate majors at colleges and universities across the country, today’s students have more options than ever. Fans of the outdoor life can major in adventure recreation at Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. Students with this major can also gain professional certification in areas such as ...

You're at the top of your game and schools are clamoring to recruit you to play on their teams. Before you sign on the dotted line, ask these questions to make sure you're picking the right athletic program for you! 1. Does the school offer the academic program that interests me? 2. What are the academic performance requirements to remain a ...

Your guidance counselor is your ally in the college search process. Ask your counselor some of the questions on this list and you'll be amazed at what they can offer you. 1. What classes should I take? This question can encompass several things, including whether to take AP courses, what classes colleges want to see on a transcript, what electives it ...

There are many ways parents can help their students manage exam stress, including those that not only improve their ability to perform on the tests, but also help them stay healthy in the process. One of the first things parents can do to help their students through their exams is to make sure they don't wait until the last minute to ...

Not all people have a smooth experience in high school. It takes some people longer to adjust, and others make choices that could have been better. And some students have to deal with serious life issues while in school: death, divorce, athletic injuries, or an end of a serious relationship. Whatever the situation, it might have meant a bumpier road rather ...

Q: “I get so nervous before a test. What can I do?” A: “The first time I took the SAT, I was so nervous, I couldn’t even remember what year it was,” says Lindy Robinson, who graduated in 2005 from the Detroit Country Day School in Michigan. “I’m not kidding! My hands began to shake right before time was called, and ...

Gearing up to take the GMAT? A few things you should know... The GMAT exam is a standardized assessment, delivered in English, that helps business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. Over 1900 graduate business schools around the world use GMAT scores as a part of their admissions process. Most GMAT test takers start ...

It may be summer, but you know there's an SAT bubble sheet in your future. Whether it'll be your second attempt or first encounter with the SAT, summer is a great time to boost your test taking abilities. Here are some simple things you can do this summer that will serve you well on test day. Read Whether it's a book ...

You could live in an extremely rural area, or maybe you have five kids and a job that keeps you at your desk until 7 p.m. every night. Or perhaps you're on the road five days a week. You want to get ahead and know a master's of business administration (MBA) degree could be the ticket, but for one reason or ...