(This is a guest post by Luke Skurman, CEO of Niche. Luke holds bachelors and masters degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of its Board of Trustees, where he is the Vice Chairman of the Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship committee, and a member of both the Education Affairs and the Property &… Continue reading College for All: Levelling the Playing Field for Low-income Applicants
As an educator, I never truly know the impact that I will have on my students. I just do my best; that’s my standard. I am concerned, however, and for good reason, that all educators are not doing their best. Consider Christopher Lawrence, who grew up in South Jamaica, is currently a senior at Forest… Continue reading When NOT Listening To Your Teacher Is The Right Thing To Do: The Christopher Lawrence Story
Since the start of this school season — my daughter’s junior high school year — a big focus in our household has been on SAT preparation. My daughter chose to take the SAT rather than the ACT because she is not as strong in math and the SAT better caters to her overall skills and… Continue reading The “Big Business” of SAT/ACT Preparation: A Mom’s Story
High school juniors are now in full swing of their college search. Yet even in earlier grades college is on the radar for parents and students. With ever increasing competition, as evidenced by the continually decreasing acceptance rates at colleges, more and more families are beginning the college journey in sophomore year. The extra time… Continue reading Is Your Child a High School Freshman or Sophomore? It’s Not Too Early To Think About College!
During a recent trip to my hometown, I reconnected with some old schoolmates. As we were recounting our high school days, someone mentioned our class valedictorian, which evolved into a discussion on class rank, and none of us could recall where we stood in the pecking order. It was not something that I remember reviewing… Continue reading Is Class Ranking a Thing of The Past? A Long Island Mom Considers Her Daughter’s Experience
It was not until I had a recent conversation with my daughter’s guidance counselor about another matter that I was aware that she is on track to graduate with an Advanced Regents Diploma. This was news to me, as it was the first time I had heard about the different diploma options available. Traditionally, students… Continue reading What’s the Value of an “Advanced Regents Diploma”? Parents Weigh In.
On a rainy Wednesday evening, my husband and I sat in our local library listening to a college planning “Guru” explain the ins and outs of the college application and financial aid process. The room was packed with Long Island parents eager to figure out the formula to finance and get the most out of… Continue reading This Is What The College Entrance “Guru” Can’t Teach Us: Managing High Stress for High Schoolers
The start of my daughter’s junior year — and diving head first into the college prep process — is officially here. As I was going through a list of things to start tackling, results from a recent National Association for College Admission Counseling report caught my eye: the most important factor that colleges consider when… Continue reading What’s Wrong with Grade Inflation? Ask This Long Island Mom.
Guidance counselors are an important resources to students, especially during the crucial junior and senior years of high school. Guiding and advising students about the college preparation and application process and the almighty question of “how to pay for it,” are invaluable services. The true significance of counseling has just begun to dawn on me,… Continue reading New York State is Understaffing High School Guidance Departments: What Can Parents Do?
