We’ve discussed the best classes to take before, but recent research has made this point even more clearly. A has revealed that calculus alone acts as a major gate for college admissions: students who do not take calculus in high school have admissions chances 16.4% lower than their peers who do. 

This is a remarkable claim, and has serious implications for high school students who are considering applying to college. In this article, we’re going to look at what this paper is actually saying, and what it means for you, especially if you’re at a high school which doesn’t offer calculus. 

What Does the Paper Say łÔąĎąŮÍř Calculus and Admissions?

The author of the paper sought out to determine two different but related points: 

1. Whether or not calculus specifically mattered for admissions decisions for STEM majors, and if not taking calculus would hurt a student’s chance of acceptance.
2. Whether or not any effect calculus has was more pronounced among Asian applicants.

In order to test this, they submitted simulated applications to a large number of current and former admissions officers who agreed to take part in the study. These applications varied in three ways: 

• Whether the applicants took calculus in high school, or if they did not because it wasn’t offered.
• Whether the applicant was white or Asian American.
• Whether the applicant submitted SAT scores. 

Now, top colleges look at more aspects than this when making an admissions decision; the other aspects of the application were varied to make sure they were in line with what the target university would expect. The admissions officers then judged whether or not the student’s academic profile (and only the academic profile), would cause them to offer the student acceptance, waitlisting, or rejection. All of the applicants were noted as applying for undecided engineering majors, again for consistency. 

The author of the study admits that this experiment is limited compared to real world data; many things are factored into an admissions decision besides academic readiness. That said, the importance of academic readiness for top institutions is well known, and this does serve as a good proxy to test how these specific variables can impact how a student is viewed and weighed. 

The main finding of the study was that students who did not take calculus, despite taking all other math and science courses at their school and their school not offering calculus, were 16.4% less likely to be admitted to any given college. The study found no difference between white and Asian applicants in this; both groups were equally penalized for a failure to take calculus. 

Interestingly, the study found that this held true regardless of who the admissions officer was or where they worked. At both highly competitive schools and ones with higher admission rates, calculus was a major point of consideration when deciding whether to admit a student. 

What Does This Paper Mean for You?

The paper spells it out quite clearly in its own conclusions, and the data is clear to anyone who reads it. If you want to be a competitive applicant for a STEM major, then you need to take calculus in high school. It doesn’t matter who you are or which school you’re applying to; calculus is simply something that all students are expected to have, and you will be penalized if you don’t. 

On some level this makes sense. Every STEM degree requires at least some knowledge of calculus; it is a baseline of math competency you need to have in order to actually do the work in most of these fields. You can take calculus at college, but it will make schedules tighter, and put off your entry into other required courses for your degree. Colleges want to be sure students are on track to graduate in four years, which means that they want to limit the amount of catch-up students have to do.

The most surprising part of the findings is that this impact is so severe when the study specifically looks at students who were unable to take calculus because their schools don’t offer it. One thing many colleges say is that you won’t be penalized for not taking courses that aren’t available to you; this data shows that that isn’t necessarily true. 

Now, this is simulated data rather than looking at actual applicants, but the implications are still quite clear. The issue that arises for many students is that not all high schools offer calculus; indeed, around half the high schools in the US simply don’t have calculus as a course available to students. 

If your high school does offer calculus, and you intend on majoring in a STEM field, you should take it. Even if you don’t intend to major in STEM, calculus is heavily used in the social sciences as well; it may not hurt your chances as much, but we do advise all students to take calculus if possible. If it isn’t possible, then it may be time to examine other options available to you. 

What to do if Your High School Doesn’t Offer Calculus

If your high school doesn’t offer calculus now, there is likely little chance you will be able to change that. Adding a new course is an ordeal, one which takes a long time to resolve at the administrative level. This may be worth advocating for to help future students, but may not be a timely option for you. 

In this section we’re going to go through a variety of potential options. Not all of these may be feasible for you, but we hope that amongst them you will find something which will work with your circumstances. We will lay out what each requires, and potential downsides or pitfalls. 

Dual Enrollment Courses

When dual enrollment courses first started, it was to offer the most advanced students coursework options beyond what their high school could provide. It has expanded significantly since that point, but this is still a feature for many dual enrollment programs. If your school doesn’t offer calculus, you can see if they have a dual enrollment program.

Now, this program may itself not offer calculus, but getting this added as a dual enrollment course option is going to be much easier for the high school than offering the course natively, and you are more likely to be able to get in as a one-off or exception through a dual enrollment course. 

The one potential downside of this option is that these are college-level courses. Especially if this isn’t a standard offering, you will be joining a course full of college students and expected to perform at their level. The instructor is there to help you, but not coddle you, and you will need to be willing to buckle down and work very hard. Calculus is hard in all cases, but here specifically you may end up in over your head. 

Online Coursework

There are many websites which offer coursework in calculus, including online high schools, some of which are even run by state governments. The big thing here is making sure whatever courses you find are accredited, and being sure you will earn course credit from them. If the calculus course doesn’t show up on your transcript, then colleges won’t consider it (and may not even know you took it). 

Online courses are often asynchronous, and you will submit and complete work on a set schedule, but on your own pace within that schedule. These courses generally have less support available in terms of tutoring and teacher attention than courses in your high school. If you plan on pursuing calculus through primarily online coursework, you will need to be motivated and prepared to learn on your own. 

Non-Accredited Online Coursework

Sites like Khan Academy and Coursera, amongst several others, also offer Calculus coursework. This can range from full courses to bite-sized morsels explaining a particular subject. These are a very useful resource, but cannot take the place of a full calculus course.

These courses can teach you all you need to know of the subject of calculus, but they do not show up on a transcript, nor do they offer you credit. Coursera and similar sites can offer documentation of completion, but this is not equivalent, and should not be taken as such. We advise making use of these sites as a supplement to a more regular method for learning calculus.

The AP Test

It is possible to sign up for AP tests without ever having officially taken an AP course. This is an option you can consider if you are taking calculus in a nonstandard way, but doing so will generally not help your admissions chances. AP tests are administered in the Spring, and if you are taking calculus your senior year, as many students do, this will come too late to impact admissions decisions.

This can still be worthwhile in order to earn college credit for your work, or to serve as a placement for college calculus courses. If you are confident of your math skills, and you can afford the registration fee, then taking the AP calculus exam can be beneficial for you. 

Changing Schools

The last and most drastic option is to change high schools. We don’t advise this generally; it is logistically difficult, and may not even be possible depending on where you live. Especially if you are already in junior year, then changing schools just for senior year will create more problems than it solves. 

If you are just now considering which high schools are best for you, and college is on the distant horizon in your plans, then whether or not a particular high school offers calculus is something you should consider. It shouldn’t be the only thing you factor into your deliberations, but given how impactful calculus has proven to be for college admissions, we strongly advise taking it into account.

Final Thoughts

Each high school has their own distinct course offerings, the ones they think best serve their students. This research suggests that what high schools think is best and what colleges expect may differ however, especially where calculus is concerned. Around half of all US high schools do not offer calculus, and yet in spite of this, colleges very much do expect all students to take it.

We hope that this article has given you insight into what admissions officers expect, and helped you determine what options are available in your own pursuits of higher order math. Colleges can be quite opaque about what they really want from students, but research like this helps elucidate things. If you’re looking for help showing off your strengths to top colleges, or have more questions about what admissions officers want to see, then schedule a free consultation with us today, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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In this article, we’re going to run through the mechanics of podcasts, and how they relate to high school students. We’ll begin by looking at what potential benefits may come from starting a podcast, and whether or not doing so is a good idea for you. Then we’ll look at the mechanics of actually doing so. There are many possible ways you can impress a college; let’s see if this is one which speaks to you!

Starting a Podcast for College Admissions

All activities in high school serve a dual purpose. They should be things you actually enjoy, passions you like exploring and enjoyable ways to spend your time, but they should also serve to impress colleges. Colleges don’t like this sort of cynical approach, but they themselves are the cause of it. The ideal activity is one which does both, letting you explore your interests while also letting you show off your talents and abilities to admissions officers.

A podcast can theoretically do both, though this is not guaranteed. Podcasts are very flexible things; they can be on almost any subject, and allow you to dive deep into any one of your passions. That said, they require a very specific kind of personality and set of interests to pull off well.

Podcasts are a performance, one where you are either alone and narrating to a microphone without an audience, or playing off of a guest. This sounds easier than it is, and isn’t something everyone is suited for, nor interested in. There is no shame in not having these talents, and there are plenty of other ways to explore and share your interests if you so desire. 

Podcasts are also a heavily saturated field. Here was a time when you could make one and expect to gain listeners through novelty, but that has passed. Now, you must have a plan, a niche, and something interesting to say. We will cover how to make all of these in later sections, but if this isn’t something you are truly interested in or passionate about, there are better ways to spend your time. 

The Logistics of Starting a Podcast as a High School Student

There are many component steps to starting and running a successful podcast. We’re going to run through the ones relevant to high school students in the order you should complete them, and give advice as to how best to approach each step in the sequence. 

Choosing a Topic and Format

Your podcast has to be about something. This will shape all other decisions, from who your listeners are to how you prepare for each episode. The ideal subject is something that you both know a lot about, and are eager to explore in even greater depth. It should also be something that you are passionate about sharing with others. 

You then need to choose the goal of the podcast in relation to the topic. Is it meant to be merely educational, introducing audiences who may have an interest in a thing to the deeper nuances of it? Are you looking to be primarily entertaining? Is there a call to action, trying to get listeners more engaged with their mental health approach or to take action regarding the environment? 

Finally, you need to choose the format for your podcast. What is each episode going to look like; will it just be you speaking into a microphone? Will you have a cohost or a rotating panel? Will you be inviting in guests, experts who can share their expertise?

There is no single right format for a podcast, and no single correct topic for it to focus on, but you do need to have a clear understanding of both. This will help you plan out and organize your production, and help audiences identify what you are offering, and if it’s something they would be interested in. 

Choosing an Audience

Who you are aiming your podcast at will change how you create and present it. Material for high school students is very different from material for adults, and different once again from material for middle schoolers. You can make podcasts with broad or narrow appeal, but you need to decide this ahead of time, to determine how to shape the tone and tempo of each episode.

Technical Requirements

You will need certain pieces of equipment and software in order to actually create a podcast. These do not need to be extremely fancy or high-end, but they do need to be functional. Here are the basic components you will need: 

• A computer, where you can edit the various recordings you make.
• Microphones. Generally the ones you have in your computer will suffice.
• Editing software. This doesn’t need to be high end or professional, but you will need to stitch composite clips together, Programs like Audacity are free, and used by many amateurs. 
• Interview Software. If you are interviewing guests remotely, you will need some way to record the conversation, either through Zoom or other video conferencing tools, or through dedicated software like Squadcast.

You will need a stable internet connection, both to interview people remotely and to upload your podcast episodes. You will not need to invest a lot of money into starting a podcast, there are many free pieces of open-source software out there to use, but you will need to invest the time needed to learn how to use it. Make sure you understand your interview software fully before you begin interviewing guests for your show. 

Hosting a Podcast

Podcasts need to be stored somewhere so that people can see them. A dedicated hosting service is preferred, even if you plan on linking them on a personal webpage. Even if you plan on making a video version of your podcast and uploading it to Youtube, we recommend having an audio-only version on a dedicated podcast platform. That’s how most listeners engage with the media, and how you’re most likely to draw in new audiences. 

Some hosting services are free for students, notably Spotify, which is also one of the most popular platforms. A paid service may be preferable if you’re looking for something more professional, but many of the services they offer are less relevant to students just getting started podcasting. 

You will need the following in order to upload podcasts to a hosting site: 

• A logo. This doesn’t need to be professionally designed or overly flashy, but should be distinctive enough to help distinguish your show.
• A name for your podcast.
• Titles and descriptions for each individual episode.
• A tagline for the podcast itself.
• Season numbers.

Once your podcast is hosted, you can connect it to directories. Apple Podcasts is the most important, and most smaller directories automatically clone every show that is uploaded to Apple Podcasts. Still, for completeness, you should also connect your RSS feed to Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music (the hosting service will include instructions on how to do this).

Running a Podcast

Now that we’ve gone through the technical side, we’ll give you a bit more advice on the process of creating and running a podcast. First, you’re going to need to decide what episodes of your podcast are going to look like, and how the show as a whole will run. Consider the following questions:

• How long will each episode be? Generally, you should aim for them being similar lengths. Both long and short podcasts have their niche, but appeal to different audiences. 
• How frequently will you upload episodes? It is best to keep a consistent schedule, but you should figure out how much time and effort goes into creating an episode before setting one.

We recommend planning out, scripting, and creating the first three episodes of your podcast before you upload anything. This will give you a sense of how much effort it takes to create an episode, and what a reasonable production schedule looks like for you. 

Finding Content

One thing you need to plan out well ahead of time is the content for each episode. You must source guests if you are doing interviews, or prepare notes or things to discuss if you are presenting on various subjects. You should try and create a broad plan for a whole season before you begin creating and uploading interviews. 

When finding guests, you should begin with your personal network. People you or your friends know, or people who your parents can put you in contact with. This may be more feasible for some subjects than others; if your well of potential guests runs dry, then you will need to start doing outreach. 

You should always research any potential guests carefully before reaching out, then establish contact individually. This should be done with personalized emails; introduce yourself, what you are doing, and politely request to interview them. You will experience some rejection while doing this, but many experts are happy to speak with respectful and enthusiastic students about their areas of expertise. 

If you have already begun publishing episodes, you should include a link back to your podcast when reaching out. This will let potential guests take stock of what you’re asking, and what they can expect. When preparing to interview a guest, always do your background reading on their area of expertise, and have a list of questions worked out ahead of time. Your job as host is to facilitate an interesting discussion.

Final Thoughts

There are many possible ways to explore and share your interests as a high school student. Creating a podcast may not be the right one for you, but if you have the gift of gab and a flair for the theatrical, it could be worth investigating. We hope that this article has given you insight into what this process may entail, and whether or not it’s something for you to invest your time in.

It can be hard to explore your passions as a high school student, and to do so in a way that will impress the most competitive colleges. That’s where łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors have a long experience guiding students to explore their passions, and connecting them with opportunities that let them take those passions to new heights. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you. 

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The real answer, however, is somewhat underwhelming: there is no “right” club to join to get into a top college.

That doesn’t mean all clubs are created equal however, nor that all extracurricular involvements are on a level field. In this article, we’ll go into what the best way to involve yourself in high school extracurriculars are, and how certain activities can prepare you better or worse for college admissions. There’s a lot of nuance in this, but everyone loves that, so let’s get started!

Why Colleges Care łÔąĎąŮÍř High School Clubs

We are going to be focusing on high school clubs specifically in this article, rather than extracurriculars as a whole (though some of the things we say and conclude will apply to both). High school clubs are the most accessible extracurriculars for most students, and often the most misunderstood, so we wanted to focus on them for this article. 

The first thing to note is that colleges don’t generally distinguish between kinds of extracurriculars, at least in terms of how you got involved with them. Playing club soccer or playing for your high school team are equivalent in theory. There are certain extracurriculars which only occur through high school (like student government), but the most important takeaway from this article is this: there is no single extracurricular you can take part in that will, on its own, increase your chances of getting into college.

Admissions officers don’t use checklists, going down your application to see how many clubs you joined, how many varsity teams you participated in, and giving points based on the clubs themselves or how many you signed up for. The clubs you join are instead used as proxies, ways for colleges to try and measure the actual things they do care about. These are: 

• Passion. They want students who care about things, and who have taken the time to pursue those things they care about.
• Leadership: They want students who have shown initiative and stepped up to take on responsibilities. 
• Community. They want students who can work well with others, who can join a group larger than themselves and contribute meaningfully to it.
  

High school clubs give you one of your best opportunities to demonstrate all three. In the rest of this article, we’re going to explain how, and how certain clubs can help, or hinder, your efforts. 

Demonstrating Passion Through High School Clubs

Simply joining a club which is related to a subject you are interested in can indicate passion, but it doesn’t do much if that’s all you do. The trick is to find the things you care about, the things that excite you, and then apply yourself to them fully. As an example of how this looks to admissions officers, here’s two students, both of whom want to study engineering: 

1. Student A joined the robotics club, the computer science club, and the rocketry club at their school, and went to meetings for all three each week.
2. Student B joined the robotics team for their school. They sought out competitions for the team to participate in, helped the team fundraise, participated in every step of the design process, actively recruited new students, and was the lead programmer for their robot. 
   

Based on just these descriptions, which student seems more passionate about robotics? Which one seems to care more? This is a somewhat extreme example, but this is also pretty much all the data an admissions officer has to go on. They don’t get to meet you, talk with you, they only see what you have done, and read the essays you send them. Student B shows off passion; student A might have it, but they don’t show it, even though they have joined more clubs related to their passion on paper. 

Your passions can be related to the major you intend to pursue, but they do not have to be. That said, certain competitive majors do benefit from showing interest early. If you intend to study computer science, and have never once tried to learn a programming language in high school, colleges may question your passion for the field. The general rule is that the more opportunities there are to get involved with an activity you might want to major in, the more expectations colleges have. Students interested in computer science need to show that; students interested in archaeology have a little bit more leeway. 

Demonstrating Leadership Through High School Clubs

Colleges want leaders; that is students who have displayed qualities of leadership. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have been in charge of everything you’ve been a part of, but that you have shown that you’re willing to step up and take responsibility, that you show initiative, and that you work well without needing constant outside reinforcement. 

Colleges look for this as a sign of maturity, that you will be able to handle both the rigors and the freedoms present on a college campus. AT college, you will be in charge of your own schedule, and will need to hold yourself responsible for getting your work done. The best way to show you have done this is demonstrating that you have done equivalent things before.

This is a measure of quality, not quantity. Just as passion is not demonstrated through the sheer number of clubs you join, neither is responsibility indicated by becoming president of every club. You can take on leadership roles in multiple organizations and ways, but these can vary in appearance and commitments. 

You can also show leadership without being the president of a club, or even an officer. Here are the best ways to show leadership through the clubs you join:

• Assume responsibility. Whether it’s for a single event, a component of a larger project, or the official responsibility of running the thing, show that you are willing to step up and handle something solid and real. This means taking the initiative to get things done, and knowing when to stop and ask for help.
• Acknowledge failures. You may be lucky and have everything go well, but if things do go wrong, acknowledge your own part in what happened, and reflect on what you learned from it. This demonstrates emotional maturity and depth. 
• Create lasting change. The best leadership roles are ones that change things in the long term. If a club flourishes while you are present but dries up once you leave, then you are not as effective as you could be as a leader. Show how you took steps to nurture the next generation in the organizations you are part of.
  

This can be done in any student club or organization you join. Every organization needs people who are willing to step up and work, and those are the kinds of people colleges are looking for. Even if you don’t have a solid leadership position to describe on your activities list, this is still something to explore in your essays.

Demonstrating Community Through Your High School Clubs

Admissions officers are trying to build communities, groups of people who will work and thrive together on campus. There is a stereotype of academics and scientists working alone in labs, cackling as lightning flashes and discoveries are made, but almost all academic work takes place in groups, and life on campus is communal. Thus, admissions officers want students who will contribute positively to their shared community. 

The most common way students try to demonstrate this is through volunteering; this is an excellent approach, but you can do the same through your high school clubs.This is true regardless of what the club is; while some allow you to involve yourself more in the affairs of the school community as a whole, all clubs are communities unto themselves. 

How you go about doing this, what it looks like, depends on both the club you are a member of and your own personal talents. Not everyone builds community in the same way, or has the same skills, and that’s okay; colleges look for these distinctions and unique talents. 

When describing your activity in your clubs, however, there are some things you should pay attention to, and try to discuss, if only in passing: 

• How you were able to work with others in the club, serving as part of a team working towards a common goal. Colleges want leaders, but they also need people who can unite as part of a common vision.
• How you were able to handle conflict and disagreement. People argue; that’s a normal and healthy part of any relationship or group. What matters is how you handled it, and found common ground with your chosen community.
• How you specifically contributed to the group. You want to show both what you were able to do, your own strengths and values, and why contributing is important to you, why you want to help make the places and groups you are part of better. 
  

This is easiest to show through your essays. That you were part of a group is clear from your activity list, but how you contributed, what kind of member you were, is what top colleges want to see. Again, being a quality member of a few clubs matters more than dallying in a great number. 

Thoughts on Specific High School Clubs

We cannot cover every high school club and activity, but we will discuss some of the most popular, and some broad categories of clubs. None of these are inherently better or worse for your application, but we will point out some ways you can make sure you are making the most of the clubs which appeal to you. 

Student Government

Whether you’re on student council or in charge of the whole thing, student government is a popular way to contribute to a school community. Be wary of the problem of all politicians, over-promising and under-delivering. When writing about your accomplishments in government, you want to show genuine care for the school community, and use hard numbers to demonstrate how you tried to make it better. Here, more than most clubs, you can impact the school as a whole; there is a lot of potential to do good here. 

Sports

High school sports may be the most popular set of extracurriculars as a whole. At the high end, the very best athletes will get some admissions boost to some schools. For most high school athletes however, they won’t get this boost, and should instead treat them as any other club, focusing on leadership and community. We advise always having some extracurricular involvement beyond sports, unless you know you are one of those rare talents who coaches will actively recruit.

Academic Teams

From quiz bowl to debate to chess club to the various academic olympiads (and beyond), these are a great way to show off your passion for various academic subjects. Placing very well in these competitions can meaningfully impact your chances of admission, but even if you don’t reach those lofty heights you can still contribute to the environment of the clubs. 

Art and Music

A lot of high school students participate in art and music and dance without intending to major in any of those fields. This is fine; there are great ways to demonstrate your maturity, your willingness to work hard towards a distant goal through these engagements. It is easier to showcase many of these values through something like orchestra or a stage production than a more solo pursuit of art, but you still can and should try to engage with the broader artistic community at your school, whatever your involvement with it is. 

Interest and Social Groups

This is the broadest category, and these are often the clubs which require the least active involvement, which can easily fall by the wayside, especially if you join a lot of them. When joining these clubs, do so intentionally, with the desire to find and build a community. You don’t have to devote all your time to them, but don’t just join a bunch of these clubs so you can check off a few more boxes on an activities list. Pick a handful, and do something meaningful within them.

Final Thoughts

There are many many clubs you can join in high school, and any of them can set you on the path to getting into a top college. There is no one “right club” or “right sport” or “best extracurricular”; there is no hidden secret to find the key to what admissions officers want. We hope that this article has helped you understand what admissions officers look for from high school clubs, and how you can demonstrate it yourself. 

If you are looking for advice exploring your own passions, or taking your extracurricular involvement to the next level, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors are experts at every aspect of the admissions process, and love helping young students explore and discover their passions. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can set you on the path to collegiate success; we’re always happy to hear from you.

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In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the best high schools in Boston. This isn’t going to be an exhaustive review, but will look at some of the best public and private high schools in the city. Our goal isn’t to say that one is the best for all students, but rather to give you a sense of what your options are, and how each may be able to support you. 

The Best Public High Schools in Boston

All of the best public high schools in Boston are . There are good public schools beyond these three, but these three are universally acknowledged as the best. These schools all serve students in grades 7-12, admitting students in grades 7 and 9 only. 

In order to get into one of these schools, you must take the MAP test, which is administered to all public school students in Boston. You must additionally have a B or higher grade point average, and indicate your interest in an exam school. Students are scored; 70% of this comes from their GPA, 30% comes from their MAP score. All three schools share an admissions model. 20% of spaces are given to the best scoring students overall, the remaining 80% of spaces are divided equally among the top ranking students in each of the four economic tiers set by the school district. 

Students who are homeless, living in family housing, or who are in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services will receive extra points for their consideration in their economic tier. There is no benefit from having a sibling in one of these schools. 

By Svetlana Miljkovic – Own work, Public Domain,  

Founded in 1635, this is the oldest high school in the US, and generally considered the best public high school in Boston. While originally male-only, it became coed in 1972, and remains so. It enrolls approximately 2,400 students from grades 7-12. It is usually called simply Boston Latin, while its companion school is referred to as Latin Academy. 

Their is expressly designed to prepare students for colleges, offering a lot of high level coursework across the classic liberal arts disciplines. They offer a full suite of AP coursework, and most students enroll in AP classes. There is some grade inflation at the school, but that’s the case at most every high school. Boston Latin does offer Latin as a language, and it maintains a requirement for all students to take it; four years if you enter in 7th grade, three if you enter in 9th. 

The average SAT score at Boston Latin is 1370; the average ACT is 31. Seniors have an option to pursue a , where they pursue an independent course of study and research project. The school’s community is tight knit, and very academically oriented. There is some competition amongst students, but not excessively. 

By John Phelan – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,  

This school was founded in 1878, as the female-only sister school to Boston Latin, leading to the somewhat confusing names. It became coed in 1972, and has remained so. It is generally referred to as BLA or Latin Academy, in order not to confuse it with Boston Latin. It serves approximately 1,700 students in grades 7-12. 

While BLA diverges somewhat from Boston Latin, it was founded on the same model, and their is quite similar. They focus on preparing students for college, and offer the full suite of liberal arts coursework, with most courses being offered at an advanced level, and a full range of AP courses. Much like Boston Latin, all students are required to take Latin coursework. The average SAT score at BLA is 1210, and the average ACT score is 27.

The school’s culture is very focused on academics. There is some grade inflation, but not much, and the student body is generally very supportive. They offer a full range of extracurricular opportunities, sports, arts, school clubs; all that you expect to find from a high school experience. It is not a particularly athletically focused school, but sports are a common ground for many students. Many of their students get into top colleges, particularly liberal arts colleges in New England. 

Generally referred to as O’B (as the full name is something of a mouthful), this is the third and final exam school in Boston, and is an excellent public school. Founded in 1893 as a mechanical school, it still has a strong focus on STEM subjects, as opposed to the more liberal-arts focused Latin schools. They serve approximately 1400 students in grades 7-12.

Their curriculum is STEM focused; while they do offer a full suite of humanities and social studies coursework, they have more advanced science and math courses than the Latin schools. The student body is self-selecting in this regard; the students who are more interested in STEM fields are more likely to try and attend O’B. They offer a full suite of AP coursework, and all classes are offered at an advanced or honors level. A notable program is their Naval JROTC, which is not something that is a major focus of the school, but which is more prominent than many JROTC programs.

The average SAT score at O’B is 1170, and the average SAT score is 26. They regularly send students to top colleges; not every graduate, but a significant number each year. The school culture is very academically focused, with a special preference for STEM. They tend to be quite supportive as a student body. They do offer a full suite of arts and athletics options, though neither is the main focus of the school. 

The Best Private Schools in Boston

In addition to excellent public schools, there are a number of highly regarded private schools in and around Boston. These are all distinct in what they offer, and can be far more individualistic than public schools, for they answer to no-one but themselves. We’re going to go through a number of different options, each of which has something unique to offer. 

By Daderot – Own work, Public Domain,  

Located in Belmont, a Boston suburb, this is one of the best private schools in the Boston area. It is an all-boys school; they have a partnership with the nearby Winsor School, which is an all-girls school, and they combine some extracurriculars with them. They are a day school, but have optional five-day boarding, with students staying at the school during the week and going home on weekends. This is mostly done by students in the greater Boston area, to ease the commute. They serve approximately 470 students in grades 7-12. 

The curriculum at Belmont is aimed at preparing students for college, and follows a liberal arts model, with students taking courses in all core academic subjects. Of note, they offer a number of independent research courses in the physical sciences to advanced students. All of their courses are offered at an advanced level; they have a full set of APs, and offer a number of subjects which go beyond the AP level, particularly in math. The average SAT score at Belmont is 1450, the average ACT score is 33. 

Tuition at Belmont is $71,800 annually for day students, and $81,500 for boarding students. They do have financial aid available for students with demonstrated financial need. Applications are done online through ; students usually enter in 7th and 9th grades. Applications require standardized test scores, the online form, student and parent interviews, transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a parent questionnaire. Admissions is highly selective. 

By Jplayforth – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,  

Located in Groton, Massachusetts, this school is much more of a boarding school than a day school, but does serve day students who reside in the Boston area. When it was founded in 1884 it was a feeder school for Harvard. While it no longer officially is, many of its students still go on to top colleges. This is an Episcopalian school, and students are required to attend mass on Sundays; they can choose which to attend, either the Episcopalian service in the chapel or another service near the school. Groton is coed, and enrolls approximately 400 students in grades 8-12. 

łŇ°ů´ÇłŮ´Ç˛Ô’s is based on the liberal arts model, and is designed to prepare students for college. Students are required to complete one term of a religious studies or philosophy course, but the curriculum overall is secular, even if the school’s overall philosophy is Episcopalian. They offer an advanced curriculum, both AP courses and other advanced coursework, including some that go beyond AP level. Advanced upperclassmen have the option to take independent study courses where they pursue research projects under faculty guidance in a range of subjects. The average SAT score at Groton is 1460, the average ACT is 33.

Tuition at Groton is $48,850 for day students and $62,740 for boarding students. There is financial aid available to students with demonstrated need. Admissions to Groton is competitive; applications open in September and are due in January. Applications must be submitted ; they require the online form itself, standardized test scores, an interview, two letters of recommendation, transcripts, and a graded writing sample. They are looking for both maturity and academic excellence in students. 

By Daderot – Own work, CC0,  

Massachusetts is still a Commonwealth; that is how they refer to themselves, and that is where this school draws its name. The school itself is an independent day school in Boston, serving a coed population of approximately 160 students in grades 9-12. It is purposefully a very small and close-knit school; that is what it was founded to be. The small size and campus of the school means they do have a lack of athletic facilities compared to some high schools, but their focus has always been on academics. 

The at Commonwealth is modeled after a liberal arts college, and meant to prepare their students to enter the same. They offer a range of advanced coursework, including a suite of APs. There are a number of opportunities for students to conduct their own , including research week (a brief, in-depth exploratory period), and optional senior capstones, where seniors pursue an independent study project under faculty guidance. The average SAT score at Commonwealth is 1520; the average ACT score is 34.

Annual tuition at Commonwealth is $62,780; there is need-based aid available. Admissions is competitive; applications open in September and are due in January. Applications must be submitted ; this requires the online form, standardized test scores, an interview, three letters of recommendation, a transcript, and a graded essay from your current school as a writing sample. Students are also invited to visit; as part of the visit, students complete an additional writing exercise.

By User:Magicpiano – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,  

Frequently referred to simply as Nobles, this is a private school in Dedham Massachusetts serving students in grades 7-12. This is a day and boarding school, but only offers five-day boarding; students spend the school week staying at the school, then return home on the weekends. While historically it served mainly Episcopalian students, it is currently a secular school. It once served as a feeder school for Harvard; it no longer is, but many graduates still go on to attend top colleges. It enrolls approximately 630 students. 

The curriculum at Nobles is intended to prepare students for college. They do offer a high degree of flexibility to upperclassmen, with students able to take electives and courses in subjects and subfields which interest them. All courses are offered at a high level. Students may take lab research courses where they learn lab techniques and pursue an individual research project with faculty permission. Note that all students must take part in ten seasons of after school programs as part of the graduation requirements at Nobles. The average SAT score at Nobles is 1450, the average ACT score is 33. 

Tuition at Nobles is $68,500 for day students and $74,800 for boarding students. There is generous need-based financial aid available. Applications to Nobles must be done , they use Ravenna as their application portal. Applications to the school require the online form, standardized test scores, interviews, a parent statement, two letters of recommendation, a transcript, and a student statement. They have an acceptance rate of around 16%; the most common entry years are 7th and 9th grades. 

By Eric Haynes for the Office of the Governor of Massachusetts – https://www.flickr.com/photos/erichaynes/albums/72157646930974957/with/5540797270, Public Domain,  

Located in Milton Massachusetts, Milton is a private school serving students from grades K-12. The lower grades are day only, while the upper school has both boarding and day students. Founded in 1798, this is a very old school, though they’ve moved locations within Milton several times. They are a coed, secular school, with day students from around the greater Boston area.

The at Milton is explicitly college-preparatory. There is a liberal arts basis for it, but upperclassmen are given more leeway to explore their interests through electives and within core requirements. Milton offers all classes at an advanced level; they offer only a few standard AP courses, but many students take AP exams related to subjects they have taken, even if the courses are not officially AP. Upperclassmen may take an independent study course, including individual research projects, with faculty permission. The average SAT score at Milton is 1440, the average ACT is 32. 

Tuition at Milton is $69,900 annually, for boarding students tuition is $79,900. There is need-based financial aid available for students with demonstrated need. All applications to Milton must be submitted online; the first step is always to . Once this is done, you will be able to access the application portal; most students enter in 9th grade. The application requires an online form, standardized test scores, parent and student interviews, three letters of recommendation, transcripts, and an optional graded writing assignment. You may apply as either a boarding or day student; you may not change this designation. Milton is need-aware in the admissions process. Their acceptance rate is around 13%. 

Final Thoughts

This is only a fraction of the high schools in the greater Boston area, but are some of the best available, and all have a track record for serving students well. We hope this article has given you a sense of what options are out there for students, and which offerings may be best suited to meet your needs. Each high school is unique, and each offers something different to the students who attend. 

If you are looking for advice on which high school will best meet your needs, or help applying to some of these remarkably competitive programs, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. We regularly work with middle school students to help guide them through the transition to high school, and that includes helping them find the best fit. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you succeed.

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What is RSI: Stanford

This is not a secondary program; according to the announcement, this is the same program, run by the same organization, with the same goals and standards. It has thus far been hosted solely at MIT’s campus, but now will also host students at Stanford’s campus in California. The program at MIT will continue exactly as it did before, hosting 100 students per year. The new program at Stanford will host 50 students its first year, and expand from there. 

As with MIT, students in the program will learn from and work with faculty mentors on original projects at a high level across a number of STEM disciplines. These mentors will all be faculty at Stanford of course, rather than MIT, but there are many excellent academics at both schools. 

Students will have a chance to pursue original research with the aid of their faculty mentors. The program is a lot of work, but is specifically designed for students who welcome that kind of challenge. The program will be residential with students living in residence halls on Stanford’s campus and eating in campus dining halls. 

Just like the original, the Stanford version of RSI is completely free for participants. It will have the same application; it is unclear yet whether students will apply separately, or if there will be a single application and the program will decide where students are admitted; we expect that information to be revealed in future updates from the organizers. 

Should You Apply for RSI Stanford?

We are still waiting to see exactly how they will structure their applications in light of the program now having two campuses attached. In general, however, if RSI was a good fit for you before, it’s still going to be a good fit now; indeed, if anything this gives even more opportunities for professors to work with and research to do. 

That said, just because RSI is a great program doesn’t mean it’s the right program for everyone. We recommend students with the following traits apply to RSI: 

• You enjoy pushing yourself academically, taking challenging courses for the fun of doing so, and enjoying the hard work that comes as a result
• You have a genuine interest in one or more STEM fields or topics
• You are comfortable in a fast-paced academic environment
• You are good at taking direction and doing the work assigned to you without constant supervision

RSI is a very academically rigorous program; this is why it is able to offer so much to students: because it asks so much to begin with. The program at Stanford isn’t going to be any easier, and that’s the whole point. They want the same kind of invested and passionate students; they see they are getting more applicants who match that label than they can serve now, so they are expanding their offerings. 

There is nothing wrong with you if these descriptors don’t match you exactly. Not everyone needs to want to study STEM fields, and you may enjoy school, but not like pushing yourself constantly. If you don’t enjoy these things however, then you won’t enjoy the experience at RSI either, whether it’s at MIT or in sunny California. 

How to Apply to RSI Stanford

The program has stated explicitly that full details on how to apply will be released later. That said, we do expect the application to be quite similar to the one which currently exists for the RSI program; for a full guide to how to fill that out, please see our prior article on RSI. 

In this section then, we’ll go over some things specifically that RSI is looking for in applications. We covered what sort of students should apply; but now we’ll look at how you should represent yourself when you’re trying to describe your accomplishments to the program.

The first thing you need to do is show genuine passion for academic subjects in your writing, especially the subject you wish to work on with a professor. You don’t need to have in-depth research experience before (that’s what RSI is for), but you do need to have a recognizable love for the field. They want to admit students who love the subjects they are exploring, and who have demonstrated that passion through their actions. 

You will also need excellent academic credentials. You don’t need absolutely perfect grades, but you should have taken hard classes, and done very well in those classes. RSI is a hard program; students are expected to do a lot of hard work at a high level, and so they only admit students who they think will be capable of academically handling the work assigned. 

You should be able to show past involvement in STEM fields outside of your classwork. They don’t expect you to have done research (though they’ll acknowledge if you have), but there are many opportunities for most students to involve themselves in these fields, and they want to see that you have availed yourself of them. They want students who are willing to put in the effort to actively pursue their passions. 

Finally, they are looking for students who display a degree of maturity and an ability to work in a collaborative environment. This is a residential program, away from home, and they want to admit students who will be able to handle that social situation, as well as the expectations of the program.

Final Thoughts

There are many great summer programs out there, and RSI is one we have helped many students apply to. We are quite pleased to see it expanding its offerings, and that more students will be able to benefit from what it provides next summer. We hope this article has given you insight into these changes, and helped you decide whether or not this program is something you may be interested in. 

If you are looking for the right summer program to match your interests, or advice on applying to a competitive program, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors are experts at helping students find the right programs to help them succeed. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more; we’re always happy to hear from you.

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How to Find Quality Sources

Searching for information online is always hit and miss, especially as search engines add poorly sourced and often incorrect AI summaries to search results. There are repositories of sources, all of which are academic in nature. Not all of these are of the same quality of course, but these are the best places to start looking for sources. We’ll go through these here; note that some are broader, while others are focused on a specific discipline. 

This is perhaps the largest way to search for academic articles and books. Something being referenced on Google Scholar does not necessarily make it legitimate, but it is one of the best places to begin a search for sources. The biggest downside is that not every resource archived in Google Scholar is freely accessible, indeed, many of them are locked behind journal paywalls. 

We’ll discuss getting past paywalls later, but you will at least be able to read the abstracts of these papers, and determine if they are relevant to your investigations. You can sort results by year published, or cut them off so you only see results from a certain timeframe. In general, you should be more wary of results that are too old (more than forty years for most fields), but it does take significant time for work to be done or published. This does also vary based on field. 

There is a button to generate citations of a source, we recommend doing this as you go, to build a database of works you have consulted and may wish to return to; this makes the eventual construction of a bibliography much easier. You can also see works which have cited a particular piece; this can be quite helpful for finding additional, related, sources. 

When searching, begin with keywords related to your chosen research topic, to see what work has been done on that or similar questions in the past. Refine the search terms and parameters as you refine your question, and as you shore up the needed pieces of background to ground your research.

This is Research Papers in Economics, a massive free database of economics papers, almost all of which can be downloaded free of charge. If you are doing research in economics topics specifically, this is an ideal way to start looking for resources. While this isn’t every paper and book on economics, it will contain a significant number that are of use to you. 

The search function is in some ways more limited than what you can find on Google Scholar, but if you find something interesting on Google Scholar, then this is a good place to follow up, searching by author to see if any of their other work also contributes to your current topics of exploration. The biggest benefit of this site is that so many of the articles it archives are free to access and download. 

(and other preprint repositories)

ArXiv is a pre-print repository for articles and other works which have not been peer-reviewed or published. This can make sources less credible, but it also serves as a way for scholars to share and disseminate work which is otherwise paywalled. Many scholars will publish a work through a journal, and also upload a slightly modified version to an archive or preprint site to increase accessibility. 

We do not recommend beginning your research here, but if you find an interesting article on Google Scholar and are unable to access it, then seeing if it is available on ArXiv is a good next step. Beginning your research on ArXiv is not ideal for new scholars; none of the work on it is peer reviewed, and so while some is of quite high quality, it is all intermingled with sources of less repute. 

ArXiv focuses on math, physics, and computer science. There are other preprint repositories preferred for other fields; , , , all fo which share the same basic traits as ArXiv. These are all a great way to access articles, but are perhaps not where you should begin your investigations. 

Libraries

Libraries are a good source for many things, though depending on where you live, what they have access to will vary widely. Most public libraries will have access to some background books, but won’t have access to the latest journals and research. You may be able to get some good background reading. If you are researching history or the humanities, libraries are much more likely to have some useful literature for you to use. 

College libraries will have access to all of these and more, but these are unfortunately generally not accessible to the general public. You can ask of course; librarians do enjoy being helpful. If there is a particular book or resource you wish to access, then reaching out directly to a college library by email to request access to their collection can be a useful way to gain access. They may still say no, butt here is no harm in the attempt. 

Asking Professors Directly

Professors generally love to share what they’ve learned, and most have a somewhat dim view of both journals and paywalls. If you respectfully and formally reach out to a professor by email, outlining the research you are doing and which of their works you wish to access, most will be quite happy to share a copy with you. This works best for articles you find on Google Scholar, and are not otherwise able to access. 

Other Websites

There are a few websites which contain vast archives of illicitly attained articles, books, and other publications for free, without paywalls. This is piracy, much as exists for movies and other media. We do not advise students to search out these sites, because this sort of thing is illegal. You can learn more about these sites from that font of all basic knowledge: . 

Evaluating Sources

Once you have found a source, it’s time to evaluate it. Not all sources are created equal, and many things which are published are not of high quality. Especially recently, with the advent of AI and an increasing number of paper-mill journals, it is easy to be overwhelmed by low-quality sources. To avoid that, we’re going to give you the steps researchers got through to evaluate how credible a source is. 

When was it written?

A more recent paper is not necessarily better, but fields change and develop over time. A paper on virology written in 1984 will look rather different from one written in 2005. This does not mean older sources must be discarded in favor of newer ones; some studies were and remain foundational. If you find an old paper first, then you should look for later ones which cite it, either building on the work it did, or refuting it, or refining in another direction. 

Where was it published?

Bad science can turn up in good journals, but there are some journals which publish little except poor scientific work. It can be hard for students to determine the quality of a journal, especially because some publishers run both highly accredited and utterly worthless journals under similar labels. 

We advise checking a journal’s . This is not an exact parallel to quality, and good journals can have low impact factors; what counts as a good one also varies by field. It is, however, a good sieve to make sure you’re only seeing higher quality research, though it can lose some good articles in the process. 

Who wrote it?

Most academics are little known, but easily findable. If you look up the author of an article, you can usually find which university they work at, and a list of their other publications. If they regularly publish in the field, then they are more likely to be a reliable source. If they are publishing outside of their field, or have notable academic issues, then maybe consider finding other sources. You don’t have to look up every author, but if an article seems questionable, this can be a good step to see if you should be suspicious.

How was their methodology?

The prior steps are all outside of the article itself; this one examines the meat of what you are reading. It can be hard to dissect the methodology of a paper, especially for a student, but as you read it, consider the following points (which are things scientists and reviewers look at when judging the credibility of research):

• How big is their sample set? How much data did they collect, and is this enough to reliably draw conclusions from?
• How was this data collected? Are there potential errors in their collection or sampling process? 
• How did they analyze the data? Are there trends they missed? Does it look like they’re trying to match their results to a specific pattern?
• Do their conclusions match the data and analysis?

This can be quite hard to puzzle out, especially for students reading serious academic papers. It is something to be aware of though, especially if you’re reading results that seem too good to be true, or which veer outside the realm of plausibility.

What do reviewers say?

Not all articles are reviewed, but particularly noteworthy and controversial ones are, as are most academic books. These reviews are generally written by academics as well, and are a good way to double-check the work done by a particular source. Now, academics do occasionally have longstanding feuds, and those can color reviews, but personal issues live in footnotes; the reviews themselves, if reputable, focus on issues of methodology and rigor, exactly what we’re looking for to determine the viability of a source. 

Making Your Evaluations

It may or may not be clear cut if a particular source is reliable; it can be a spectrum of how much you trust a source. This is why you should gather a variety of sources, to understand the path that research has taken. One source may be suspect, but if you can find multiple different studies over time with similar results that build on each other from different authors, then each becomes more credible. 

This difficulty in finding good sources, and evaluating them, is often easiest to fix by working with a research mentor. This is part of what students learn in college, and a major part of what you determine as you attain a PhD. If you are looking for a research mentor to work with, an expert to guide you through this process, then you may enjoy an łÔąĎąŮÍř Research Mentorship. All of our mentors are PhDs who are well versed in pursuing research and in guiding students through the process. 

Final Thoughts

It is hard to fully describe the entire research process in a single article, but we hope that this has helped you understand one very important aspect of research. Most researchers are doing their best to put out good, helpful, well-founded research; but scientists are people too, and part of being a good scientist is evaluating the sources you rely on.

If you are interested in learning more about the research process, or in helping to build your college candidacy through research or other projects, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors are experts at every aspect of the research and admissions process. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help; we’re always happy to hear from you.

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In this article, we’re going to look at online high schools; what they are, how they work, and the kinds of students they serve. Our goal is to explore this in detail, so that you might be able to decide if one of these schools is the right fit for your needs. Not every student will benefit from one of these schools, but students always benefit from having more options, and knowing exactly what those options entail.

What Online High Schools Are

Online high schools follow several different models; the one commonality is that all of them allow students to take classes at a distance, without being physically present in a school building. How exactly that works varies; here are the most common styles of instruction and engagement: 

• Synchronous: Classes are given at set times over video call or some other method, with students logging on to take the course and do work in it.
• Asynchronous: Classes are pre-recorded, and may be accessed and reviewed by students at any time. Asynchronous coursework offers much more flexibility, but also has less structure.
• Individual: Students work one-on-one with a teacher or tutor to do their work, or work alone.
• Group: A teacher instructs a whole group of students, just as in a more traditional high school.

Some schools offer only a single format, but many are a mix of synchronous and asynchronous courses, group work and individual instruction. The exact blend of offering depends on the school. We recommend figuring out which styles work best for you when you are picking an online high school to enroll in; since it’s all digital, there is a lot of freedom of choice, and you should look for one suited to your specific needs and learning style. 

Accreditation

Online high schools are accredited in the same manner as regular high schools. Generally, accreditation is awarded on a state by state basis. A school may be accredited in a particular state despite not being based there. Make sure any online school you consider or enroll in is accredited in your state; a degree from a non-accredited institution isn’t worth anything.

Pros and Cons of Online High Schools

Many of these pros and cons are situational; what is an appealing feature for one student may be utterly unacceptable for another. We’ll go through a list of each, to help you understand the potential benefits and drawbacks of this style of education.

Pros

• Health: Schools do try to keep students safe, but cold and flu season hits students hard each year. It’s much easier to avoid catching a cold if you’re never in a room with people.
• Existing Issues: Students with chronic health or injury concerns are much better able to navigate schools from their own homes.
• Flexibility: While synchronous lessons are at set times, asynchronous courses allow students to learn at their own pace, and to do so at times of their choosing.
• Options: Online high schools are often able to offer far more classes than in person ones, and at a higher range of ability levels, letting students pick from many advanced subjects they otherwise couldn’t access.
• Notes: Especially for asynchronous courses, the lectures and notes can be accessed and reassessed at any time, letting students review at their own pace until they have properly mastered subjects. 
  

Cons:

• Socialization: Even in synchronous courses, there is far less ability to bond with and learn from classmates in online courses, and it is far harder to make friends through school when all of the classes are virtual.
• Distractions: While schools have distractions of their own, students need to be incredibly self-disciplined to be able to focus solely on their lessons and work while at home.
• Some subjects require physical experiences for the full experience, especially in the hard sciences where labs must be done using specialized equipment.
• While cheating happens in all school environments, there is often a significantly lower barrier to cheating in online courses. We do trust your academic integrity, but the temptation is always there, and it is much more difficult for teachers to monitor students’ behaviour in online coursework.
• The quality of online learning options is highly variable; while some are excellent, some are substandard, and it can be difficult for those who are not education professionals already to know which is which before selecting and experiencing one.
• There are rarely any of the secondary activities a school offers. The point of a high school is not band, nor football, nor Model UN, but those things still make up a large part of the experience, and online schools are unable to offer that.
  

These schools are not all good or all bad; as with all educational options, they offer specific things which meet certain situations. The real trick is evaluating these programs individually, as you would any other school you seek to attend, to see if their offerings match your needs. 

How to Evaluate Online High Schools

To help you understand how to evaluate these schools, we’re going to look at a number of examples, analyze their offerings, and see how well they can serve certain students. These schools may or may not be a good fit for you; our goal in this analysis is to give you some examples of good schools, and to demonstrate how to weigh the options they offer. 

This is an independent online high school for students in grades 7-12 for students around the world. It is run from within Stanford University (from which its name derives). It is a separate unit from the university, and attending the Online High School (OHS) does not increase your chances of acceptance to Stanford, but it is well regarded for its academic rigor. 

The school offers courses in all core academic subjects. While they used to offer AP coursework, they discontinued doing so in the 2024-25 academic year. They do offer a significant amount of university-level coursework, what used to be categorized as post-AP. They are able to do this due to their connection with Stanford, and the resources of that university. 

The school currently enrolls just under a thousand students. The courses they offer are synchronous and discussion-based, led by an instructor. This can be challenging for overseas students depending on time zone, but they do enroll a significant number of international students. All students are placed in courses based on their individual capacity in that subject; each student’s schedule is unique, to ensure they are adequately challenged by all of the courses they are taking.

OHS is competitive for admissions, and has a similar application process to many other independent high schools. You must apply (as you might expect for an online school). The application requires transcripts, two essays, five short answer questions, two letters of recommendation, a writing sample, and a parent questionnaire. Standardized test scores are accepted, but are optional. 

for OHS is $31,900 annually at the time of writing. Tuition is consistent across all grade levels. For many online programs tuition is cheaper; in this case, due to the fully synchronous coursework and the level of instructor support, the tuition is commensurate to what you would find at many other independent high schools. 

OHS is an excellent choice for students who want to pursue the most advanced courses possible in high school, and who will benefit from a very rigorous personalized curriculum. The cost is steep, but commensurate to what you will find for most independent high schools. It isn’t the most flexible option, but they are one of the strongest academically. 

Most commonly abbreviated FLVS, this is a public online school for students in grades K-12 run by the state of Florida. This was the first ever public online high school in the US, and currently exists as its own school district within Florida, serving Floridian students in every district in the state. Each state offers their own virtual school options, and like regular public schools, they only serve students in the state. You may only attend FLVS for free if you are a resident of Florida, as it is funded by state taxes. Students outside the state may enroll and pay tuition.

Students may enroll in FLVS full-time, or use the courses to supplement the education they are pursuing as homeschooled students. The FLEX program allows students to enroll in courses on a rolling basis through the school year, to supplement the other coursework they are pursuing. Note that if you enroll in the school part-time, then it does not grant a diploma or allow you to graduate from the program, though courses can be added to your high school or homeschool diploma. 

If you enroll full-time, then the school functions like a traditional school, following the Florida school year calendar. Students in any grade K-12 can do this, and graduates are awarded a diploma like any other graduate of a Florida high school. 

Most of the courses they offer, with students allowed to complete work at their own pace. There are still set deadlines for work, as the school follows the same schedule as the school year, but students may read the textbooks and review lessons at their own pace. There are some synchronous resources available, but almost all of the course offerings from FLVS are asynchronous. 

FLVS offers a of courses, both standard level and honors. They offer a full suite of AP courses; students taking AP courses through the program may sign up for and take AP exams at their local high school if they wish. There are limited advanced courses which go beyond what the AP classes offer, and career and technical courses are limited to those without significant physical components. That said, the courses they offer are the equivalent of any other public school you have access to in Florida. 

Is an Online High School Right for You?

This is a personal choice, but we’re going to go through some groups of students who tend to benefit most from what online high schools offer. Your own educational journey should be tailored to your needs, to best support your strengths and interests.

Homeschooled Students

The obvious use case, and indeed the most common users of online coursework are homeschooled students. These students often choose a range of schools, rather than simply enrolling in one, but programs like FLVS Flex specifically support that approach, allowing you to enroll in only a few classes. 

This is best to supplement subjects where you want to go in more depth, or if you want to take traditional AP courses. Many students are homeschooled in order to gain access to specific curriculums and subjects, and so you may not like what the public schools in your area offer, but online schools let you draw on curriculums from other states, or from private providers.

Artists and Athletes

The other primary group who benefits from online schools are those students who are already fully devoted to an extracurricular. This is most common for gymnasts and figure skaters in athletics, and actors and dancers on the artistic side. These students have long hours of training each day; while this can be done while enrolled in a standard school, in some cases you need far more flexibility in scheduling than a standard high school affords. 

These students are most likely to benefit from asynchronous enrollment, since they place a premium on the flexibility this affords. While these students tend to be most dedicated to their primary pursuit, they still benefit from, and need, academic rigor to prepare them for college, and the later stages of their careers. Students in major metropolitan areas may have access to specialized high schools devoted to arts or athletics, but those who aren’t can benefit highly from the flexibility of these schools.

Students With Health Concerns

High schools are governed by the ADA, and must make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. That said, students with certain health concerns may find it prohibitively difficult to attend or participate in in-person schools. While you may have online offerings from your own district, you can also look into other online high schools to find the one which offers you exactly what you’re looking for from a school curriculum.

Final Thoughts

Online high schools are much like their in person counterparts, in that they can vary a lot in terms of what they can offer, and how good those offerings are. There are unique positives and drawbacks, but for some students, the flexibility offered by online courses is exactly what they need to prosper. We hope that this article has let you understand how online high schools work, and where one might fit into your educational journey. 

If you are looking for advice on your high school journey, and help evaluating which schools and programs are the best fit for your needs, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors are adept at understanding a student’s needs, and determining how best they can position themselves for academic success, now and in the future. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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Understanding Duke’s STAR Program

As the name (Summer Training in Academic Research) suggests, the point of this program is to introduce students to academic research in a serious and hands-on way. This is a five-week in person program, hosted at Duke’s Clinical Research Institute in Durham, North Carolina. 

Students are each partnered with a Duke faculty member, and spend their time working on a hypothesis driven research project, originating as a proposal and culminating in a full research paper. One of the core goals of the program is to have every student who participates qualify for co-authorship credit on a peer-reviewed manuscript related to the work they do during the summer. 

The program is free to attend, and provides a stipend to participants. This is to increase access to the program, so that even students who would normally need to work during the summer may consider this as an option. The stipend is $4,000 for high school students. Note that housing is not provided by the program, and students are required to secure their own housing for the five-week duration. This may make this more attractive to students who already live in the area. 

The program is specifically for students who do not have prior experience with the research process. While you are permitted to apply if you do, all students receive training on both laboratory research and on how the research process works as a whole. Students learn from a faculty member on the lab work, a medical writer on how to craft a manuscript, and a statistician on how to analyze the data they have collected, all building to the final research results. 

This program is specifically aimed at students with an interest in medicine, and both undergraduate and medical students may apply, alongside high school students. High school students not interested in medicine may apply as well, but they may get less out of it. Students attend multiple lectures on topics related to medical research over the course of the program. 

How to Apply to Duke’s STAR Program

The application dates and deadlines vary by participant group, and each has their own form to fill out to apply. We will be focusing on high school students in this article, as they are the primary group of students we work with, but we will include details for other groups as well. Here are the application deadlines for the STAR program: 

• Medical Students: October 1-November 15
• College and High School Students: November 17-January 2

All applications must be received before midnight Eastern Time. 

Applications must be submitted online. All applications require the application form (which consists of academic and biographic information), a school transcript, and two letters of recommendation from non relatives. These must be submitted directly by the letter writer to the program. We suggest getting these from current math or science teachers, or a previous research mentor you have worked with.

In addition, all applicants must submit a 500 word essay answering the following prompt: 

• What I want to be, and how I’m going to make it happen.

This is a very open prompt, so we’re going to spend some time discussing how best to answer it. The first, and most obvious thing, is that your answer should relate to the program and what you will gain from participating in STAR. 

This is true regardless of your end goal, though certain end goals work better than others. Students interested in research, medicine, bioengineering, and related fields have the clearest path; as these are the students this program is designed to serve, this does make sense. Students interested in other fields should focus on how research skills themselves will aid in pursuit of their goal, and how learning these methods from the STAR program will benefit them.

You can cover your motivations, but this shouldn’t be entirely about them. You can also cover what you’ve done previously; past research experience is not required, but it can show your interest in the field; for example, if you have the goal of being a doctor, then past work you’ve done related to medicine is worth discussing. 

You can also cover non-research experiences you have had (or which you plan to pursue). There should be a clear narrative, where the STAR program is a clear intermediary step which helps set you up for your long term goals. You want to show authentic passion and enthusiasm in this essay, as that’s what they’ll be looking for most. 

Eligibility

The program is intended primarily for rising seniors, but rising juniors can apply, and are admitted in some cases. You are allowed to apply if you are younger than eighteen, but students who are below eighteen at the start of the program will not be able to participate in shadowing faculty at clinics or in the hospital. All applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents. 

If you have graduated from high school and are enrolled to attend college next year, you may apply for the program as a college student. There is no application benefit for the children of Duke alumni.

Should You Apply for the STAR Program?

This is an excellent program, but that doesn’t mean it is the right choice for all students. This particular program is best for students with a strong interest in both research and medicine, especially those who have not been able to explore it up to this point. It is also well suited for students who already live in and around Durham, North Carolina, though the stipend means other students can benefit more easily than otherwise. 

This is what we generally classify as an A-Tier summer program. It is a program which substantially and meaningfully adds to your college candidacy, but on its own will not get you into college. It offers a hands-on experience, and the kind of training and experience you will not otherwise be able to get in high school.

It is not the only program of its sort; there are a significant number of opportunities for students to complete laboratory work at a college, in a number of STEM fields. That this program offers a stipend is not unique, but is exceptional, and is another thing to recommend it. 

This is on the shorter end for research internships at only five weeks; many similar programs run for eight-to-ten. This can be helpful if you are looking to do other things over the course of your summer, but means you won’t be able to dive as deep into the material you are learning at the program. Five weeks is what we would generally call the minimum for this kind of program, enough time to really sink your teeth into what you’re learning and doing, and to gain a genuine appreciation for research.

Students who do not enjoy science or math, or who don’t want to pursue research in undergrad or beyond will not enjoy this program. Students interested in being pre-meds, and those interested in BS-MD programs will benefit more from this than some other similar programs, due to the focus this one has on medical research specifically. 

This is not a uniquely excellent program, but it is a wonderful way to spend your summer. Since all of these on-campus research programs are competitive, we encourage students to apply to multiple. If you are looking to spend your summer before senior year pursuing research, especially research aligned with the medical field, then we do recommend applying to the STAR program. 

Final Thoughts

There are many possible ways for high school students to spend their summer vacations, and colleges know that. Because of that degree of freedom students have, colleges see this as one of the best ways to evaluate students, to see what you care about enough to devote your free time to it. We hope that this article has given you insight into one such option available to you, and let you decide if it is a good use of your limited free time.

If you need help finding the perfect summer program to serve as a capstone to your interests, or want assistance applying to one of these competitive programs, then łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors are skilled at helping students explore and connect with their interests, feeling out their breadth and depth to see how they feel. Schedule a free consultation today to learn how we can help make your summer spectacular, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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As more students partake in research, admissions officers are raising their standards. They want to see that you’ve done something meaningful, and learned something from the experience. The best way to do this is through peer review, adding your research and the new knowledge you have found to the collective pool of scientific understanding. 

This can be done by publishing your research, but that isn’t the only approach available. Academics also present at conferences, and those represent an incredible opportunity for high school students. In this article, we’re going to go through some conferences that are specifically aimed at high school students, and share how you can use these to present your research, and impress colleges. Let’s jump in!

What are Academic Conferences Anyway?

This isn’t something most high school students are aware of, nor do you need to be. That said, the rest of this article will make more sense if we take some time now to explain what academic conferences are, and how they work. Put simply, academic conferences are gatherings of academics in a single location to share their latest work and research in a particular area.

Research moves slowly, and research groups work independently. It is therefore beneficial to the community at large to have gatherings where ideas and developments in the field can be shared. Sure, journal articles allow this, but conferences let you meet with and hear directly from peers and contemporaries in the field. 

Conferences are organized around a particular topic within a field; how broad or narrow that is depends on conference and field. Notable academics are then invited to give lectures, and others to submit proposals for lectures. Junior researchers, especially graduate students and undergrads, are invited to submit poster presentations, where they also have the opportunity to present their research and findings. This is where high school students may make their mark as well. 

Unlike journals, conferences are discreet in time and space; you must submit your proposal by a certain date, you always hear back by a certain date, and the conference itself then happens when and as advertised. Most conferences are in person; this can be a major barrier for high school students, since travel and hotels are expensive. We will include a guide for finding local conference opportunities as well though.

At a conference, there will be a designated time for you to present your poster, where you stand by it and answer questions, discussing your findings with other attendees. These are staggered, so you will also have time to attend talks or discuss with other poster presenters. 

Conferences for High School Research

Now that you know what conferences are generally, we’re going to explore some conferences which accept research from high school students. Some of these are designed specifically for high school researchers to present, while others are formal academic conferences which will accept research from high school students if it meets their standards. 

Note that for many of the professional conferences, you are required to have a coauthor for the research who is a full professor. This is why many high school students work with research mentors. You should still be doing all the research yourself, but having a mentor to guide your research is generally an expected part of the scientific process.

This is an in-person and virtual conference hosted (though the in-person and virtual sessions have different dates). This is truly an international conference; while it is hosted in Japan, students from around the world submit abstracts and present. They allow research from any STEM field or medicine to be presented. 

You must submit an abstract to present, those selected will be invited. The in-person session is a poster and oral presentation, while the virtual session is only an oral presentation. All presenters will have their work published in a peer reviewed conference proceedings journal. This includes the abstract, and can include a full research paper if you submit one.

This is expensive; while there are scholarships available, going to Japan for a conference may be beyond the means of many students. If, however, you live closer to that area of the world, this is going to be much more accessible than many of the conferences in the US. As a conference designed specifically for high school students, this is a great way to share your research.

This is an annual two-day research conference hosted on Harvard’s campus with the goal of allowing high school students to share original research they have accomplished. This conference is specifically for research done in scientific disciplines, and has an overarching goal of promoting scientific research to high school students. 

The research conference allows students to present their work on a poster. There are also symposiums by Harvard faculty, smaller workshops, and mentorship opportunities from current Harvard students. High school students from around the world are invited to participate in this conference. There is a $20 application fee, and a participation fee of $30 for virtual attendees and $130 for in-person attendees.

This is one of the most accessible conferences, as it is designed specifically for high school students, and because they have a virtual option. While virtual attendance is not nearly as fun as attending physically, it does make this much more accessible for students with less means. This is a conference we recommend for students across the US, especially those who may have difficulty traveling to other conferences.

This is a twice annual conference where high school, undergraduate, and graduate students can present their research. They allow both traditional poster presentations, and multimedia presentations. There are no awards, but presenters receive feedback on their research from academics and researchers, and get a chance to network with other young researchers. 

You do not need to be a member of Sigma Xi to present at one of these, though if you are interested in research, then joining Sigma Xi may be a good idea anyway. These events are often used to bring interested students into Sigma Xi, and serve as a recruiting tool. Sigma Xi is a scientific research honors society, with located across the US. Locate a local chapter to inquire about participating in this conference. 

We recommend this conference for students who want to push a bit beyond purely high school conferences, and who are looking to network with researchers who are slightly more advanced in their careers. If you are looking to continue pursuing research in college and beyond, then this is a good community to get involved with now.

This conference is organized in the UK, and is only for students who live in and attend school in the United Kingdom. Specifically, the organization creates pre-made research projects that it shares with schools; students at those schools complete them, and share their individual results at these conferences. 

There is significantly less flexibility in this research, and a limited number of topics, though there are options in a number of STEM disciplines. Much of this is designed to have local impact however. These projects and presentations are especially useful for younger students as an introduction to research, while older students would benefit more from more independent projects.

We don’t recommend this conference for most students, simply because most students can’t partake in it. The limited options for subjects on which to perform your research also limits the appeal of this one for many students. It is a good first taste of the research process, and an opportunity worth considering if you do live in the UK, but not the best way to spend your time. 

Unlike many other programs on this list, this is a symposium, rather than a conference, and also serves as a research mentorship opportunity. This is a program which high school students can apply for; those who are accepted are partnered with a mentor, who is a professor or researcher at MIT. Under their guidance, the student pursues a research topic in a field they are already knowledgeable about. 

Students then have the opportunity to come to MIT in the summer to present their findings, and hear from other members of the program. This is a remarkable opportunity in terms of what it offers, because getting this kind of mentorship can be quite difficult. While the presentation at the symposium is less impressive than an independent research conference, the experience itself is highly worthwhile. 

Applications for the program open November 1, and are due January 1 each year. Unlike the other conferences, you must be a finalist in the associated think program to do and present research; that’s why it’s a symposium, rather than a conference. We do recommend students interested in pursuing research apply for this program; research done for this can be expanded upon and presented in other venues as well. 

This is an offshoot of the (AAAS), and is an honors society designed to recognize high school students for their excellence in research. Students are nominated by their state academy, and finalists are invited to the annual AAAS conference, where they have a chance to present their research, learn from and network with experts, and tour local laboratories. 

This is not quite the same as other research conferences, as it follows a format closer to that of a science fair, with states holding competitions and sending the winning scientific projects to the national conference. This is still rather a prestigious opportunity, and worth considering; since there are branches of AAAS in each state, there is bound to be some opportunity near you. The national conference is in February each year.

While the projects which get sent to this conference may be competitive at the state level, this is not a science fair, and there is no “winner”. The goal is to share and explore science collectively, and to inspire and support the next generation of researchers. This is an excellent opportunity for students, especially since projects presented here can later be adapted for publication.

Unlike most other conferences, NCUR exists solely to promote research done by undergraduates, and does not confine itself to a single field or discipline. Original research done in any subject at a high level may be submitted to this conference. This conference is held in a different city each year, but always within the continental US. 

Submission opens in September, and is due in December. Papers may be on any research topic, but must follow their formatting guidelines. You may submit either poster or presentation research, but students find the most success with poster presentations. You are expected to travel to the research conference to present your research.

While this conference is explicitly for undergraduates, it (and many other undergraduate conferences) do welcome submissions from high school students if they are completed at the level of research they expect. The standards are quite high, but then that’s rather the point, and why presenting at a conference is impressive. While the cost to travel to this conference may be prohibitive, the breadth of topics it accepts can make it appealing. 

Conferences Local to You

Universities exist at the forefront of research, and exist in large part to support and further this research. To that end, most universities, especially top research universities, host research conferences for undergraduate students, both for their own students, and for those at other institutions. 

These can be irregular, but if you look at universities near you, you are likely to find at least a few conferences. Now, not every field will be equally represented; this depends on the interests of the university and the budgets of departments. That said, if you are looking to pursue and present your own research, your local university is one of the best places to start. Reaching out to ask can be scary, but most scholars are happy to hear from students who are passionate about their field. 

Final Thoughts

There are many hurdles for high school students interested in pursuing research, and finding a way to share it with the scientific community is certainly one. We hope that this article has given you one path you can take to sharing your own research, and shown you how high school students can add to the scientific literature. It isn’t an easy thing to do, but things worth doing so rarely are. 

If you are looking for help pursuing your own research projects, or mentors who can help you explore these topics, then łÔąĎąŮÍř’ research mentorship program may be right for you. Our mentors are all experienced and widely published researchers, and are well equipped to help students like you add meaningfully to the scientific community. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.

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AP Introduces Career Kickstart Courses

AP has launched all three of these courses under the same banner, because they have a shared goal amongst them. These courses have the intent of preparing students for careers, and for career training programs. This is in direct contrast to all other AP courses to this stage, which instead purport to prepare students for college.

Note that these are intended for students interested in careers, but are also meant to help students who are planning on entering college as well. This is a new track for College Board, and they want to cast as wide a net as possible. How colleges will react to these courses remains to be seen, but we’ll give our predictions in a later section.

Now we’re going to go through each of these in sequence, to showcase what they offer, and whether they might be something you’re interested in.

This is meant to be an introductory, college level course on business and personal finance, with a focus on real-world applications and case studies. The course will specifically be project based, with a major portion of the course consisting of a project where they prepare their own entrepreneurial enterprise. While this won’t translate into an actual business, the goal is to walk students through the steps and skills that are needed in the founding of a business. 

The course will imbue students with specific, business-oriented skills. Unlike many other AP courses, these are almost entirely focused with practice, rather than theory. While there is a level of conceptualization needed, this course has far less of a theoretical framework than literature or history or physics. The class does have an AP exam, which consists of 60 multiple choice questions and 4 free response questions.

This course is intended to train students in the field of cybersecurity, and to act as a commensurate experience to a first-year cybersecurity college course. This is a far more specialized course than the other AP computer science courses, which focus on the fundamentals of programming and computer infrastructure. It is ideal to have some knowledge of programming or computer science before taking this course, though it is not strictly required. 

Unlike the other CS courses offered by AP, this is a far more practical course, with a focus on specific hard skills for students to manage and protect networks from threats. While this is introductory, it is specialized in this specific field. This course does have an exam, which asks 60 multiple choice questions, and a single free response question. Students are expected to learn network, device, and app security through this course.

This course of study is on computer networking, how different devices and systems are joined into a single unified network, and how to organize and manage such networks. This is an aspect of computer science, much like cybersecurity, and so having previous coding or CS experience is probably ideal (though again, not required). This class has nothing to do with in-person networking. 

This course will focus on practical skills and the application of them, and the exam is structured in the same way, with students taking on the role of a network administrator, and then answering multiple choice and free response questions on that position. The course is designed to parallel a first-year college course in the same field.

How do Career Kickstart Courses Compare to Other APs?

Not all AP exams are created equal, and colleges do not weigh all of these exams or courses the same. Some are simply seen as more difficult, or as more relevant to the core topics taught and sought by colleges. AP Bio will always be preferred to AP Environmental, AP Calc will always be esteemed more than AP Stats. It is not until these courses are offered and taken that we’ll know what colleges think for certain, but we can certainly make predictions based on existing data. 

The first point is that the Business course specifically is not going to appeal to most colleges. It isn’t necessarily going to be a bad course to take, but AP Calc, AP Stats, and AP CS are all going to be more valuable to a prospective business major than this course. This course is more valuable than a non-AP business course, especially for the impact on your GPA, but we don’t expect colleges to prioritize it highly.

This is because most colleges, especially top colleges, do not like to see themselves as job preparatory programs, even at those top schools which offer a business major. Beyond that, even at colleges with strong business programs, like UT Austin, you will probably be required to take introductory business courses even if you get a 5 on the AP exam.

The computer science courses have similar, though distinct issues. These are going to be less useful than either of the existing AP CS courses, as they are both far more specialized, and a general baseline knowledge of computer science will serve far better in university studies. 

These courses may be helpful if you are particularly interested in studying CS, and want to cover more introductory topics. We recommend only taking these as electives, and not in place of the core CS courses, or any other core AP course. The most important AP course for students interested in computer science is and remains AP Calculus (especially Calc BC).

Should You Take AP Kickstart Courses?

This is going to depend on several factors. The first point is that these courses are not going to be widely available; as with other APs, they will be rolled out gradually, and tested while they go. It will be the choice of individual districts and high schools whether or not they want these courses to be offered, and whether they fit with a school’s mission. 

Thus, for the first year or so at least, you may not have the option to take these courses. But we’ll assume you did, and then ask who these are for, and whether or not they’re actually beneficial to take. 

These courses are, more than anything, an attempt by College Board to expand their market. AP Classes are designed for students who plan on attending college, and to that end they’ve covered pretty much every academic subject, and a number of non-academic ones as well. If they want to keep expanding the number of students taking these courses, then they need to find new angles, which is where these courses come in.

These are still in the same mold, but there’s a reason they’re grouped together as “Career Kickstart.” These courses are intended for students who are interested in technical education and career training, less than those who may be interested in theory and a top college. Both of these are valid paths to take, but they are different paths, with differing requirements. 

There is some cynicism on the part of College Board here, a desire to extract even more money from high school students. That doesn’t make the courses themselves bad, but there is a reason they’re cordoned off from the other AP courses conceptually, more aimed towards technical education.

If you are interested in a career in one of these fields, or pursuing a more technical field of study at college, then these can be good courses to take. They won’t prepare you directly or fully to enter a career, but they can give you a taste of what these paths are like, and if they’re the kind of thing you would enjoy being part of long-term. 

For students who are interested in attending an elite university, these courses aren’t bad, but nor are they particularly useful. You can take them as electives, and they may have a benefit for your GPA, depending on how your school weighs AP courses, but they won’t add anything special to your transcript. Wharton isn’t going to be any more likely to admit you because you took AP Business.

As always with high school coursework, the classes you take should be based on your interests and your long term collegiate goals. These have the potential to be good and interesting courses, but aren’t anything revolutionary, and aren’t going to be particularly helpful, or at all necessary to engage with, for the vast majority of students.

Final Thoughts

AP courses aren’t quite like college courses, but they are often more challenging than the other options at many schools, giving students a chance to stretch their intellectual muscles. Not all of these courses are created equal however, and what we can see so far suggests that these new offerings are on the low end of the scale. We will keep an eye on them once they’re rolled out however, especially as colleges decide what credits, if any, they’re equivalent to. 

It’s hard to plan out your high school coursework, to know what admissions officers will think of your choices, and how best to prepare yourself for a top college. That’s where łÔąĎąŮÍř can help. Our mentors are experts on the admissions process, and at helping students plan out how to get there. If you’re looking for advice on which courses to take, or on understanding how AP courses matter, then schedule a free consultation with us today. We’re always happy to hear from you.

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