Get Smart

Should students take the SAT or ACT this year? Quick take: Take the tests if you can. Take them soon after finishing Algebra 2. (With certain exceptions.) If you are only applying to the University …

Decisions from colleges are coming out like wildflowers on the hillside. The University of California are sending out notices as are private colleges and state colleges. Your hard work and excellent planning has paid off …

The SAT eliminating both the essay section and subject tests is excellent news for anxious students and families. The reality is that colleges have been demoting the importance of the essay and subjects tests for …

What’s Wrong With the 2019 PSAT? Last fall’s PSAT tests showed an unusual drop in scores. If your child took the PSAT for 10th or 11th graders last fall and their math score seemed low, …

Decision Time approaches – May 1 is almost here. May 1 formally known as ‘The National Candidates Reply Date” is the deadline for students to respond and pick the college where they want to enroll. …

Are Waitlists Worth Waiting For? In mid-winter, at least in those places that actually have winter, bleary-eyed admissions officers curse paper cuts as they thumb through thousands of applications to find the group of students …

University of California –  Personal Insight Questions The November 30th deadline is fast approaching and you still haven’t finished writing your personal insight responses for the University of California system. What do you do? Panic? …

UC and Cal State Applications: SUBMIT THEM ASAP! Students: 206,000 students applied to the UC system last year. Approximately 40,000 applied for transfers. 790,000 applied to the Cal States. That is almost a million applications …

FAFSA: The Key to Financial Aid What the heck is a fafsah and why do I need to file it? The FAFSA (pronounced “faf suh”) is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Everyone, even …

Hello 12th grade students aka Seniors! It’s summertime and the living is easy…except for summer work, college searching, and college stressing. Remember take one step at a time. Take a breath. The more prepared you …