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How to Best Utilize Your Guidance Counselor

Talking to your guidance counselor can seem unappealing at first. After all, you’ll be confiding in a complete stranger about your academic goals and concerns. Despite your reservations, you’ll quickly discover how useful a guidance counselor can be. From more immediate concerns (selecting classes and SAT prep) to long term goals (applying for college and […]

How to Get into College with a Low GPA

If you’re looking up how to get into college with a low GPA, you’re already ahead of the pack — and you’re committed to a challenging goal. Of course your high school GPA is important, but it’s not the whole story. In the best case scenario, your GPA reflects consistent success due to hard work during […]

What to Do if a College Waitlists or Defers You

A lot goes into your college applications. You’ve spent years taking the right classes, earning the grades, and boosting your resume. Getting accepted to your dream school would certainly make it all feel worth it, but what happens if you find out you’ve been put on a college waitlist or deferred? If you apply to […]

All About the Common App

The Common Application (or Common App) is the free online college application used by 800 colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. For many schools you apply to, the Common App is the only application you have to submit. The Common App asks you questions on many topics. In addition to objective data, […]

College Admissions: The Complete Guide to Social Media

As you prep for college, admissions officers are watching. According to a 2018 Kaplan Test Prep survey, 25% of college admissions officers browse social media profiles to learn more about admissions candidates*. That means it’s fairly likely that decision-makers at colleges and scholarship-granting organizations are taking a peek at your profiles. Some students take control by shutting down […]

Top Tips for College Financial Planning During High School

As your child enters high school, you’ve undoubtedly started to think about the costs of college. Figuring out how exactly to pay for college and navigate the financial aid system can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone.  Keep reading for our top tips on how to take stock of your finances […]

Managing Board-Study Disruptions in the Time of COVID-19

As you all continue to weather the transitions that are occurring in your medical training while adjusting to the new normal in a nation facing a pandemic, two things hold true: change and uncertainty are among us. As a medical student, these two concepts are uncomfortable and difficult to process. Please know this, you are […]

How to Get the Most Out of College Visits

When deciding which college to attend, don’t just rely on word of mouth, reputation, college rankings, where your parents want you to go, or where your friends are going. The best way to get a feel for schools yourself is going on college visits. They will give you a chance to feel out what you […]

AP Human Geography: Free Response Sample Question

Once you’re comfortable with the format of the AP Human Geography free response section, as well as strategies that will help you be successful, review this sample free response prompt and response.   Since this sample question has no source stimulus, it would appear as Question 1 on the exam. Although there is no source to analyze, pay […]

AP U.S. Government and Politics: Quantitative Analysis Example

Question 2 of the AP U.S. Government and Politics free response section is the Quantitative Analysis prompt. This FRQ begins with an information graphic, such as a table, chart, graph, or map. The information graphic will depict some kind of politically relevant data—presidential election results, political affiliations of federal judges, or voter turnout by state, […]