With the SAT gaining momentum thanks to its fully digital, dramatically redesigned format, and the ACT launching the new "enhanced ACT" last year, we're getting more questions than ever about what these changes actually mean for students. Practice tests are limited, ACT scoring is shifting, and students seem more confused than excited about the new testing options. Most notably: do you really have to take the science section?

If you're heading into junior year, here's the good news: this is your year for testing, and it's not too late to get ahead — in fact, late summer is the perfect time. But the smartest first move isn't grinding through practice tests. It's figuring out which test is right for you, so every hour of prep after that actually counts.

Every August, two kinds of seniors open the Common App. The first group has a college list, a personal-statement draft, and an organized activities list ready to go. The second group is staring at a blank screen in October, trying to do three months of work in three weeks.

The difference between them isn't talent. It's what they did over the summer.

Every fall, families across the country ask me the same question: “Do we really need to fill out the FAFSA? We probably won’t qualify for aid.”

My answer is almost always yes — you should file. Even if you’re convinced you won’t qualify, the FAFSA unlocks more opportunities than most families realize.

You’ve prepped for weeks, maybe months, and test day is finally here! But learning content and strategies isn’t all that goes into a successful test day. Preparing mentally and physically are just as important. The last thing you want is for all your hard work to go down the drain just because of an off-morning. But don’t worry—these six tips will help you show up ready to crush it on test day.

Even the best writers - those kids who seem to get an A+ on every English assignment - find it hard to write a college essay they love…. While there is no magic spell to getting an essay to unfold itself before you, here are 5 tips to make the process a little less painful.