Letter to Families to register for the May 18th, 2023 Webinar YouTube video link is below Dear...
Why The New “Digital” SAT is a Disaster…And Why You Should Almost Certainly Take The Current Version
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Posts by Blog
Why (almost) Everything You Knew About College Admissions is No Longer True—And What You Can Do About It
Letter to Families to register for the April 27th, 2023 Webinar YouTube video link is below Dear...
Why You Should Probably Take the SAT/ACT
Letter to Families to register for the May 12th, 2022 Webinar YouTube video link is below Dear...
Learning How to Learn
Written by: Roger Hsu As a science instructor, one of the phrases I hear regularly from my...
The Future of Online Learning
Written By: Cathy Huang Online learning came to us during “unprecedented times.” Two years later,...
MIT Makes Groundbreaking Announcement Regarding the SAT/ACT
Written by: Christopher Hamilton In a recent announcement, MIT shared with the world its decision...
10 Helpful Habits for Effective Online Learning
Written by: Tony Choi 1. Get dressed and ready as if you are attending an in-person class Even...
Making History Fun: Utilizing Storytelling for the AP Exams
Written by: Amanda Schumaker ...
What’s The Deal With The New SAT?
Written by: Jon Piliser Collegeboard made an announcement just a few days ago that sent shockwaves...
Finding the Fun in Reading
Written by: Cathy Huang “Curling up with a good book” is a lot like its siblings, “taking long...
Making College More Than Just School
Written by: April Griffith “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that...
Expanding the Literary Canon: Books for Changing Times
Written by: Marisa Vito In high school, I read the following books: To Kill a Mockingbird by...
Gaining Empathy Through Narrative
Written by: Mary Broding How far did you travel during the pandemic? Me, I travelled to Irvine...
How to Prepare for College Interviews
Written By: Tony Choi The college application process is undoubtedly an extremely strenuous...
“I have to start prepping for the SAT/ACT…oh wait…my test got canceled.” How to Stay on Course and not Deviate when the Test Prep Road Ahead Seems Bleak…
Written by: Anitika Beesla As I opened my email the last week of September, I saw an email from my...
Suggestions for Leaving your Literary Comfort Zone
Written by: Amanda Schumaker For the past two years, I’ve written blog posts to suggest a few...
What an Impressive Essay Actually Sounds like
Written by: Juliette Holder In my years of coaching students through essay writing, I’ve noticed...
Mathematical Patterns and Where to Find Them
Written by: David Lord Mathematical patterns exist all around us, but they can remain unseen by...
What does “test-optional” really mean?
Written By: Christopher Hamilton Although college admissions tend to get tougher every...
Major Problems.
Written By: Ryan Zroka It used to be that you could postpone that uncomfortable question until the...
Starting Your Test Prep Journey
Written By: Rodrigo Pacheco-McEvoy If you’re thinking about starting your test prep journey—or...
Books to Beat the Heat – Fun summer reads that technically count as preparing you for the school year
Written By: Sam Gross This summer is shaping up to be a hot one, but the good news is that we...
Lessons From Distance Learning
Written by: Rodrigo Pacheco-McEvoy Schools are reopening, restaurants are greeting patrons once...
“If I don’t get into an Ivy League School, I’ll just go to a UC…”
Written by: Jonathan Piliser This seems like a logical approach. The best UC campuses are ranked...
Marvel Films and Hamilton Education
Written by: Amanda Schumaker A couple of years ago, I found myself downtown at the San Diego...
AP Testing during the pandemic, Round 2
Written By: David Lord Dear families, As your child enters March, a decision about signing...
How to Actually Read Like a Writer
Written By: Juliette Holder In my years of both seeking out and handing out advice on how to be a...
The Dreaded Word Problem and How to Milk it for the Correct Solution
Written By: Brian Devine If no cuts on a pizza yields one slice, and one cut on a pizza yields two...
Colleges See Surge In Early Apps
Written By: Jon Piliser As the dust settles on early admissions, one trend is becoming clear: top...
Goodbye 2020. Welcome 2021.
Written By: Dr. Rosemary Staley The new year is here (finally) waiting for its story to be written...
The Lasting Benefits of Skills-Based Prep
Written By: Amir Rezvani When I walked into the first day of my SAT prep class the summer before...
Good News During Covid-19
Written By: Anitika Beesla, Math Instructor To our Dear Hamilton Families, We know you’ve been...
Why Reading Fiction Makes You a Better Essay Writer
Written By: Sam Gross, Programs Coordinator Writing is one of my favorite things to do, but I know...
‘Tis the Season of Falling
Written By: David Lord My inquisitive 8-year-old nephew and I like to discuss scientific topics on...
Parents’ Corner: Adjusting to my Kids Learning from Home
Written By: Mary Broding As much as I would like to feel that I have a decent handle on pandemic...
5 Tips for Learning From Home
Written By: Amanda Schumaker Suffice it to say that when schools sent students home and...
College Admissions Trends During COVID-19
This is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable years ever for college admissions. Since...
STEM in the Kitchen and Garden
STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) is everywhere, not only in the sense of...
The SAT May Be Gone Soon: And That Might Not Be A Good Thing
How about a thought experiment? Let’s imagine you are a college admissions officer at UCLA. You...
Books Suggestions for those Tired of Screens
I always start my tutoring sessions and classes with a check-in: “How are you doing? Is anything...
College Admissions and Covid-19
No one has a crystal ball, and economists and epidemiologists are offering wildly different...
Staying Motivated During Quarantine
With “shelter in place” orders, school closures, and mass event cancelations, everything looks a...
Tips to Continue Strengthening Your College Apps While at Home
College admissions can be a stressful process even in the best of times. So how might admissions...
The UC’s New SAT/ACT Requirement
COVID-19 has touched every part of our world – including education and college admissions. We...
The New AP Exams and College Admissions
With the modified and shortened format of the AP exams this year (45 minutes versus 90 or 180...
Major Changes to the 2020 AP Exams
Important Changes to the 2020 AP Exams Since many students are home for the foreseeable future or...
The Books on My Desk: Why Data is Better than Intuition, and Why Hamilton Education Has So Many Perfect Scores
A friend of mine in the Bay Area is a partner in a competing test prep company. He’s a...
College Campus Visits
Do I have to visit? The short answer is “no” -- with students routinely applying to 15+...
AP Exams and SAT Subjects Tests
Are AP classes worth it? When I was in 10th grade, my counselor approached me about taking AP...
Benefits of Habitual Reading
Over the years that I have spent both as a student and as an instructor in the humanities and...
The “New” ACT
Section Retest on the ACT One of the most frustrating parts when taking standardized tests such as...
Why I Fell in Love with Reading
I’m a compulsive purchaser of books. I can’t go into a book store without buying at least two....
Early Action and Early Decision – Should you go early?
Early Decision typically requires that you submit your complete application by November 1st (or in...
The Experimental Section on the SAT and ACT
If you took the August SAT or September ACT, you might have noticed that the test did not look...
Planning Your College Applications Timeline
When should you start your college applications? While the applications themselves generally open...
Raj’s Back To School Study Tips
As summer is quickly coming to a close and the school year just around the corner, it’s time to...
Summer Reading: One Humanities Instructor’s Recommendations
As the June gloom settles in San Diego, the academic year is coming to an end. Students have...
College Visits: Three Mistakes to Avoid and One Insider’s (Counter Intuitive) Tip to Make the Most of Campus Visits
Three Common Campus-Visit Mistakes “We’re not visiting any colleges until after he or she has been...
Build Your Best Applications: Summer Break and College Admissions
Choosing extracurricular activities can be overwhelming. There are school clubs, sports,...
KUSI News Feature – Strategies for College Admission
Mr. Hamilton, CEO & Founder of Hamilton Education, recently gave an interview on KUSI News....
A Message from Mr. Hamilton on the Recent College Admissions Scandal
In the past month the nation has been angered and horrified to learn that dozens—perhaps...
Haters Gonna Hate (on the Humanities)
At the beginning of every semester, I ask my undergraduate history students the same question:...
Why Study For Three Tests? H3: SAT, ACT, & PSAT
When the SAT was redesigned in 2016, the result was an exam that is now extremely similar to the...
What You Need To Know: AP Exams and SAT Subject Tests
Are you currently taking AP courses? If you’re reading this, it’s very likely you are! In addition...
Why the Most Important Step in the Writing Process May Also Be the Most Overlooked
People, especially students, are consistently writing more today than ever before. However, this...
How to Prepare for College Interviews
Interviews can play an important role in the admissions process. Not every college conducts...
Being Quirky can be just as Important as Acing Calc…
Applying to a Tech? Why being quirky can be just as important as acing AP Calc. Many students are...
ACT Science – Not Really Science!
One of the main ways the ACT differs from the SAT is the inclusion of ‘Science’ section. Many...
MASSive News – The Kilogram has been Redefined!
Have you heard the MASSive news out of France? The kilogram was just redefined. (If you got that...
What Happened on the October SAT?
Third times the charm? Students report issues with SAT for the third time in a row. As scores from...
ACT Perfect Scores Rising Dramatically
This year, the number of students taking the ACT has continued to decline. After reaching a high...
How to Plan for Your Junior Year
Each year in high school, colleges increase their standards for students. While freshman and...
Quick Tips to Get a Head Start On Your College Applications
As college application season quickly approaches, here is some advice that will help you or your...
Summer Prep Classes Are Well Underway!
Take a look at US News' supplemental tips on how to spend your summer wisely, maximizing SAT prep....
Skills Based Approach To Test Prep and College Applications
Student Spotlight: Leily Rezvani, Stanford class of 2022. The first time I took the ACT at HCC, I...
2018 Summer Classes at HCC
We'd like to share a few pieces of news regarding 2018 summer classes and 2018 college...
How to Use Commas on the SAT and ACT
How to Use Commas on the SAT and ACT Ask two different English teachers how to use commas, and...
Student Spotlight: Rithvik Rao and Early Admission into Harvard!
Over the past 10 years, Mr. Hamilton and our team have helped more than 100 students gain...
Why take the ACT, anyway? All About America’s Most Popular Test
For many prospective college students, the vast list of application requirements and...
3 Strategies for Writing Effective ACT and SAT Essays: Advice from an H3 Writing Teacher
For many, perhaps the most stressful part of the ACT or SAT is the dreaded essay...
Graduate Spotlight: William Shi
When I was a 15-year-old sophomore in high school, my priorities in rank order were food,...
Brainiacs & PSAT: Top 3 Ways Enrichment Classes Benefit 5th-10th Graders
The college admissions process can be an imposing prospect for students and families alike—a...
The New SAT: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The new SAT, released in March of 2016, arrived shrouded in rhetoric about “fairness” and...