Usually the big event for juniors in October is the PSAT. A few schools have decided to offer the exam but if your school isn't one of them, don't worry. This is just a diagnostic test for all but the highest scoring students, and you...
Did you get a mid-quarter progress report recently? I hope it gives you helpful feedback about how your classes are going. Many students are finding online education to be highly challenging, and not in a good way. I'm hearing from students who have a crushing...
I hope you’ve been settling in and doing ok with whatever learning format your school is using. I realize that starting high school is a big transition even in a normal year, and the online aspect adds a whole layer of challenges. One of the...
Welcome to your senior year! I hope these first few days have been going well, whatever school looks like for you. I expect this to be a challenging year but I’m also optimistic that it will get better as we go along. At this point in...
Junior year has a reputation for being challenging and this year is certainly no exception. The challenges are different, however, in this COVID environment. Students often find that a heavy workload is the hardest part of 11th grade. While this depends on your course selection,...
Welcome back to school. In a normal year you'd be diving into your coursework and resuming your extracurricular activities, and I hope that's still true this year to some extent. I expect that while remote school may not be great it will be better than...
Despite the fact that it's surely not what you pictured for your start to high school, I hope you've had a good beginning to your year. And despite all the changes we're dealing with, my goal for 9th graders is the same as it always...
As this upside-down year continues, many of you are making last-minute changes to your plans as colleges scramble to finalize theirs. Many schools that had announced that they'd reopen are reversing course, and those that are moving ahead are implementing new policies and procedures that...
With the launch of the Common App this weekend, the new application cycle has officially begun. If you haven’t started working on your profile, family info, educational history and activities, use these last few weeks of summer to get your application in good shape before...
Despite the challenges we’re all experiencing this summer, I hope you’re able to have some fun and spend time on things you find meaningful. With respect to college planning, thinking about what’s meaningful to you can help you identify priorities for your college search. If...