Written by: Roger Hsu As a science instructor, one of the phrases I hear regularly from my...

Written By: Cathy Huang Online learning came to us during “unprecedented times.” Two years later,...

Written by: Christopher Hamilton In a recent announcement, MIT shared with the world its decision...

Written by: April Griffith “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that...

Written by: Marisa Vito In high school, I read the following books: To Kill a Mockingbird by...

Written by: Mary Broding How far did you travel during the pandemic? Me, I travelled to Irvine...

Written By: Tony Choi The college application process is undoubtedly an extremely strenuous...

Written by: Anitika Beesla As I opened my email the last week of September, I saw an email from my...

Written by: Amanda Schumaker For the past two years, I’ve written blog posts to suggest a few...

Written by: Juliette Holder In my years of coaching students through essay writing, I’ve noticed...

Written by: David Lord Mathematical patterns exist all around us, but they can remain unseen by...

Written By: Christopher Hamilton Although college admissions tend to get tougher every...

Written By: Ryan Zroka It used to be that you could postpone that uncomfortable question until the...

Written By: Rodrigo Pacheco-McEvoy If you’re thinking about starting your test prep journey—or...

Written By: Sam Gross This summer is shaping up to be a hot one, but the good news is that we...

Written By: David Lord Dear families,  As your child enters March, a decision about signing...

Written By: Juliette Holder In my years of both seeking out and handing out advice on how to be a...

Written By: Brian Devine If no cuts on a pizza yields one slice, and one cut on a pizza yields two...

Written By: Jon Piliser As the dust settles on early admissions, one trend is becoming clear: top...

Written By: Dr. Rosemary Staley The new year is here (finally) waiting for its story to be written...

Written By: Amir Rezvani When I walked into the first day of my SAT prep class the summer before...

Written By: Anitika Beesla, Math Instructor To our Dear Hamilton Families,  We know you’ve been...

Written By: Sam Gross, Programs Coordinator Writing is one of my favorite things to do, but I know...

Written By: David Lord My inquisitive 8-year-old nephew and I like to discuss scientific topics on...

Written By: Mary Broding As much as I would like to feel that I have a decent handle on pandemic...

Written By: Amanda Schumaker Suffice it to say that when schools sent students home and...

This is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable years ever for college admissions. Since...

STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) is everywhere, not only in the sense of...

How about a thought experiment? Let’s imagine you are a college admissions officer at UCLA. You...

I always start my tutoring sessions and classes with a check-in: “How are you doing? Is anything...

No one has a crystal ball, and economists and epidemiologists are offering wildly different...

With “shelter in place” orders, school closures, and mass event cancelations, everything looks a...

College admissions can be a stressful process even in the best of times. So how might admissions...

COVID-19 has touched every part of our world – including education and college admissions. We...

With the modified and shortened format of the AP exams this year (45 minutes versus 90 or 180...

Important Changes to the 2020 AP Exams Since many students are home for the foreseeable future or...

A friend of mine in the Bay Area is a partner in a competing test prep company.  He’s a...

Do I have to visit?  The short answer is “no” -- with students routinely applying to 15+...

Are AP classes worth it? When I was in 10th grade, my counselor approached me about taking AP...

Over the years that I have spent both as a student and as an instructor in the humanities and...

Section Retest on the ACT One of the most frustrating parts when taking standardized tests such as...

I’m a compulsive purchaser of books. I can’t go into a book store without buying at least two....

Early Decision typically requires that you submit your complete application by November 1st (or in...

If you took the August SAT or September ACT, you might have noticed that the test did not look...

When should you start your college applications? While the applications themselves generally open...

As summer is quickly coming to a close and the school year just around the corner, it’s time to...

As the June gloom settles in San Diego, the academic year is coming to an end. Students have...

Three Common Campus-Visit Mistakes “We’re not visiting any colleges until after he or she has been...

Choosing extracurricular activities can be overwhelming. There are school clubs, sports,...

In the past month the nation has been angered and horrified to learn that dozens—perhaps...

At the beginning of every semester, I ask my undergraduate history students the same question:...

When the SAT was redesigned in 2016, the result was an exam that is now extremely similar to the...

Are you currently taking AP courses? If you’re reading this, it’s very likely you are! In addition...

People, especially students, are consistently writing more today than ever before. However, this...

Interviews can play an important role in the admissions process. Not every college conducts...

Have you heard the MASSive news out of France? The kilogram was just redefined. (If you got that...

Third times the charm? Students report issues with SAT for the third time in a row. As scores from...

This year, the number of students taking the ACT has continued to decline. After reaching a high...

As college application season quickly approaches, here is some advice that will help you or your...

Take a look at US News' supplemental tips on how to spend your summer wisely, maximizing SAT prep....

Student Spotlight: Leily Rezvani, Stanford class of 2022. The first time I took the ACT at HCC, I...

Over the past 10 years, Mr. Hamilton and our team have helped more than 100 students gain...

The college admissions process can be an imposing prospect for students and families alike—a...

The new SAT, released in March of 2016, arrived shrouded in rhetoric about “fairness” and...