High School Issues

As high school seniors are busy making their choices about which college to attend, those coming behind them may be watching the process with interest. They know that they too will be facing that quandary in a few short months, even as they are amassing piles of information about various colleges and universities across the country. While choosing a college can seem like a daunting task, there are ways to narrow the choices and make the decision-making process a little easier. Check out these 10 tips for choosing the best college for you.

Consider What You Want

What is your primary reason for attending college? Are you all about the academics, or is the social aspect of college important as well? Do you relish moving away from home to experience college life independently, or would you prefer to live at home as you take your first year or two of classes? Consider how you picture your college life for the next two to four years, to determine which types of colleges will meet your expectations best. This video points out that finding a college with the best fit is what to look for.

Talk to Others

Talk to friends and family members that are in college or recently graduated, to learn more about their experiences with higher education. Find out what they like and didn’t like about various schools. A report at

College completion rates are up with students from Boston Public Schools, suggesting that even large urban school districts with many challenges can find the right formula for success. In Boston, that success may be attributed to a number of factors, most notably a new program dubbed Success Boston. As this city revels in positive numbers in a recent report, other school districts nationwide may be viewing the Boston trend with interest as they try to increase their own college graduation numbers.

Numbers from “Getting Closer to the Finish Line”

The Boston Globe reports on the release of a new report, “Getting Closer to the Finish Line,” which showed the number of college degrees earned by Boston Public Schools students has increased sharply in recent years. The report, compiled by the Boston Foundation, found that nearly half (49.2 percent) of all students that entered college after graduating from Boston schools in 2006 completed college within six years. That figure was a significant increase from 40.2 percent of students in the class of 2000 that earned their college degrees in the same time frame. Degrees include bachelor and associate degrees, as well as certificate programs.

The new Boston numbers also exceeded the national average, which showed around 47 percent of students completed college within six years. When one considers that Boston Public Schools is a district riddled by high poverty rates and ESL families, the new figures are even more impressive.

“We are evidence

As college entrance examinations are looming, high school students across the country are looking for ways to raise their ACT or SAT scores. While some parents prepare to shell out hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars to help their teens prep for these exams, experts promise students can adequately prepare by spending little or no money on the process. Check out these 10, low-cost tips to help your high school student perform well on his college entrance examinations.

Know the Benchmarks

Before you begin test prep, it helps to know the scores you might need to get into the colleges of your choice. Keep in mind that there are no hard and fast rules at any school regarding ACT or SAT scores, but a general range will help you know if your college app will be met with serious consideration. The Princeton Review cites the national average score for the SAT at 1500. The average score for the ACT is between 20 and 21. While these are national averages, some schools may consider applicants with lower scores, or require higher scores from most of their prospective students. For each school you are considering, research the average standardized exam scores from the prior year's admitted class.

Choose Your Test Wisely

According to U.S. News and World Report, those who perform best on the ACT tend to be strong readers with good memory skills who can process information quickly. High performers on the SAT are typically

High school students have many options in extracurricular activities today, allowing them to explore a wide range of interests. For students who want to move beyond the basic theatre productions, school newspaper, and high school athletics, there is another choice available at a growing number of schools today – atheist clubs. These organizations of self-proclaimed free-thinking students have been cropping up at high schools from coast to coast, thanks in part to the rising number of religious clubs that have also been making their way into classrooms today.

The Rise of Atheist Clubs

According to the Huffington Post, the increase in atheist clubs is being fueled in part by an organization known as the Secular Student Alliance. This group is responsible for placing more than 300 college-based clubs into schools nationwide for free-thinking students, and it is now moving into the high school realm.

This video reports on an atheist group's activities.

The director of the high school program for Secular Student Alliance, JT Eberhard, told the Huffington Post that he would like to see the rise in both atheist and other religious clubs inspire a dialogue between all students. In addition, Eberhard said, “I also hope it will let the atheist students know that you can be an atheist and it’s okay.”

At the start of the 2011-2012 school year, there were approximately one dozen clubs established at

Students under pressure to make good grades and keep up with a myriad of extracurricular activities are turning to an unexpected place to get the edge they need to succeed: stimulant drugs. Many high school students across the U.S. are turning to prescription medications typically used to treat ADD and ADHD to increase their energy levels and focus when their physical bodies cannot do it on their own. The increased use of these drugs has many educators and health care providers concerned, but students who have seen their results continue to turn to the medications - and turn their friends onto them as well.

This video looks at the effects of Adderall on study habits.

Driven to Excel

The Herald-Tribune reports that students in high school today face enormous pressure when it comes to competing with their peers for class placements, test scores, and college entrance applications. The medications have been used on college campuses for some time, but are slowly trickling down to the high school level as well. Students find that stimulant use gives them the necessary edge to perform at a higher level with less sleep required.

As many as 200 students sent their views on prescription medication abuse to the New York Times, frequently eluding to the fact that pressure to perform – from parents, teachers, and peers – led them to try the drugs