Versed Editors's blog

By: Emily Cho

Decades of rising  tuition costs have made college education largely unaffordable for most families without financial aid and merit scholarships. However, for many families, even financial aid and merit scholarships may not be enough. For those that do not qualify for any financial aid, many are left with a smaller set of schools to consider that is affordable. Scholarships are a great way to help reduce the cost of school, and every student should consider applying as there are thousands of scholarships in every category that students can apply for.

From religion to ethnicity to athletics to the arts, there are plenty of scholarships for every niche and community that students may be involved or affiliated with. These scholarships can range from a local to a nationwide, meaning that the competition for scholarships can vary greatly. With this in mind, students should think about how much time they are willing to put into their application for these scholarships, as preparation can be very time consuming. Many ask for portfolios, essays, and recommendation letters. It is recommended, however, to apply for multiple scholarships rather than having a student's time and effort put into one scholarship.

The number of scholarships available can be quite overwhelming. We have compiled a quick guide on where to find the right scholarship for a particular student and what to keep in mind when applying for them. The following examples are given to show a glimpse of the many scholarships available. However, given a student’s background and affiliations, they should go into depth and search for scholarships that specifically fit them. 

 

Types of Scholarships Available

Whether a  student is an athlete, musician, scientist, or artist, there are hundreds of specialized scholarships that students can apply for. These scholarships are meant to reward students with particular skills, background and/or interests, which greatly narrow the competition. Since these scholarships aren’t meant for everyone, it’s important for students to read the eligibility requirements thoroughly before applying.

Below are the main categories of scholarships that students can apply for and examples of specific ones to get started on.

 

1. Academic Achievement

These are merit based scholarships, typically for students who show excellent academic achievement. Each scholarship will have its own specific requirement. They will all require a high GPA, and good PSAT/SAT/ACT score. Additionally, applications may require written essays, a list of extracurriculars or recommendation letters.

National Merit Scholarship

This is a national scholarship program that all students can participate in if they take the PSAT (typically in their junior year). Finalists are awarded $2,500 and students who don’t make it as finalists but show outstanding performances can be awarded special scholarships.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program Scholarship

This scholarship awards $5,000 over 4 years of school. The scholarship is based on merit for high school seniors and also looks at their commitment to the community around them.

Cameron Impact Scholarship

This scholarship is for students who demonstrate an active participation in their community, excel in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, and are able to maintain a high GPA. Students with the ability to showcase these qualities and have a minimum of a 3.7 out of 4.0 GPA are eligible for this $20,000- $50,000 scholarship.

 

2. Background

These scholarships can range from one’s religion to one’s ethnicity. Many nationwide and more local organizations fund these scholarships for students who reside in the same community. These scholarships can ask for anything, from essays to videos, and therefore students need to search for the scholarship opportunity they believe they can have a shot at.

a. First Generation

These scholarships are specifically for students who come from first generation families and are the first in their family to go to college. These scholarships often require a minimum GPA.

IFSA Scholarships

This scholarship is for students who are the first to go to college in their family with interest in going abroad. This scholarship awards up to $2,500 which would go towards helping cover the costs of travel. Students are asked to submit a 500 word essay and a resume.

Red Thread Foundation for Women

This scholarship is aimed at international and first generation women. While there is no GPA requirement, students are asked to answer a series of short questions, provide an essay, two recommendation letters and go through a phone interview.

The P. Doug Laughlin Family Scholarship

This scholarship awards $10,000 to students who are the first in their family to attend college. To be eligible, students must be in the top 50% of their graduating class and submit an application that is available on their website.

 

b. Minorities/Underrepresented Groups

These scholarships are designed to help minority students further advance their education. These scholarships will ask for an essay and have other specific requirements.

Jackie Robinson Foundation

This scholarship aims to provide up to $30,000 in awards for minority students who show financial need and leadership potential. Eligibility includes showing a dedication to community service and a minimum score of  1,000 on the SAT or 21 on the ACT. This requires students to submit four essays and a recommendation letter.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Recipients are awarded $500 - $5,00 based on relative need. Students are required to have a 3.0 GPA minimum and have filled out the FAFSA form.

Asian Pacific Fund

This fund holds multiple scholarships for high school seniors who are going to college that identify as Asian or of Pacific Islander descent. Each scholarship has different requirements and awards vary from $1,000 - $5,000.

Live Out Loud Educational Scholarship

This $10,000 scholarship is offered to graduating high school seniors who identify within the LGBTQ+ community. Students will need to demonstrate experience with past leadership, community involvement and academic achievements through a personal essay and recommendation letters.

 

c. Scholarships for Women

These are scholarships that specifically benefit women. These scholarships can be for specific fields of work or just based on academic or other achievements. Students are typically asked to submit essays and letters of recommendation.

Hyundai Women in STEM Scholarship

This scholarship is for female students who wish to pursue a STEM related field of study. Students are asked to provide a short 500 word essay as to why they wish to pursue a STEM field in the future.

P.E.O. Star Scholarship

This scholarship is a $2,500 award for female seniors in high school who exhibit leadership and academic success. Applicants are required to have at least a 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA and are asked to submit a 1 page essay, 2 recommendation letters, and an unofficial transcript. 

 

d. Religious Affiliation

These scholarships are for students who identify with religious communities. Scholarships are offered by almost all religious groups and are meant to give students the chance to celebrate their religious affiliations and further their education.

Islamic Scholarship Fund

This scholarship program is to provide financial support of $3,000 to $10,000 for Muslim students who are majoring in film, media and politics. The goal of this scholarship is to help students who want to increase Muslim American Representation in media and politics. Application requires a resume, video introduction, essays, and two letters of recommendation.

Kaplun Essay Contest

This scholarship is an essay contest for students who identify with the Jewish community. There are two scholarships available (grade 7-9 and grade 10-12). First place winners receive a prize of $1,800 and runner ups receive $500. Students are asked to write an essay no more than 1,500 words on a topic that is given by the foundation.

Young Christian Leadership Scholarship

This scholarship awards high school seniors and college students $1,000 every month who are part of the Christian community. Award recipients are students who possess character, commitment to service, and financial need.

 

3. Interests/skills

These scholarships aim to reward students on their skills and interests that they hope to pursue in their college career. These talents can range anywhere from the arts to advocacy to engineering. Students may be asked for essays, portfolios, videos, and/or recommendation letters to show their passion and dedication to their niche.

a. The Arts

These scholarships are a chance for students to display their creative and artistic side for an opportunity to win awards to help continue their passions. This is a wide category ranging from music to photography to dance. Students will be asked to provide a portfolio to send either physically or digitally. While the Scholastic Arts Competition is the most well known in this category, there are many others to consider.

National YoungArts Foundation

This scholarship invites students who are interested in the arts to compete for a scholarship up to $10,000 and other awards. There are various categories to compete in, including, dance, theater, writing, and photography.

National Costumers Association Creative Event Scholarship

Students can show off their creative skills as they submit an original costume design for this scholarship. Awards can range from $500 to $1,500. This scholarship requires a minimum 2.7 GPA.

AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships

This scholarship gives up to $6,000 for minority students who demonstrate financial need and plan on studying fine arts, graphic design, illustration, or photography.

 

b. Music

Students can apply to these scholarships to showcase their musical talents and passion for scholarships that will help fund their interests in music. National organizations often hold scholarships for students to continue musical education and students may be asked to display their talents through videos, essays, or recommendation letters.

Davidson Fellows Scholarship

Students who can demonstrate noteworthy achievement through the creation of a significant piece of work that aims to improve lives in specific subject areas, including music, can apply for this scholarship. Students are asked to provide an exemplary performance and/or demonstrate extraordinary achievements in another way. Students who are selected receive an award in the amounts of $50,000, $25,000, and $10,000.

Glenn Miller Scholarship

This scholarship is for high school seniors who plan to continue pursuing music in the future. Students are asked to submit  audition CDs or tapes to be selected as finalists to compete in Clarina, Iowa. From there, 3 instrumentalists and 3 vocalists will be chosen to perform at the Glenn Miller Festival and winners will receive up to $4,500.

 

c. Sports (outside of college recruitment)

These scholarships are for those who are involved in the sports community. This differs from athletic scholarships given by colleges as athletic scholarships for recruiting students into their own sports teams. The scholarships below are non-commitment scholarships from outside organizations.

NABF Scholarship

For this scholarship, eligible applicants are those who play baseball or volunteers who are currently affiliated with a baseball league. Award recipients are based on the student’s grade, demonstration for financial need, and experience.

Sports Unlimited Scholarship

This scholarship awards $1,000 to student athletes who apply. Students are required to submit an essay that answers the prompt that is given by Sports Unlimited.

 

d. STEM

Students with strong interests in the STEM field can apply for scholarships such as the ones listed below. While there are the big science competitions such as the Siemens Competition and Regeneron Science Talent Search, there are many other scholarships that do not require that students do original research or other unique projects.

BMW / SAE Engineering Scholarship 

This annual scholarship is for students with a specific interest in an engineering or related science degree. Winners are rewarded with $1,500 a year for three additional years (total award $6,000). Eligible students must have a gpa of at least 3.75 on a 4.0 scale and be in the 75th percentile for the SAT.

Masergy STEM Scholarship

This scholarship gives students with strong interests in STEM $5,000  towards their studies . Students who apply are asked to upload a minute long video that introduces who they are and a STEM related innovation that they have created.

 

e. Advocacy

These scholarships are for students who have an interest in speaking out about public issues. These scholarships often ask students to provide an essay and may ask for school transcripts or recommendation letters.

The Advocates Scholarship

Any student who is accepted into a college in the United States can apply for this scholarship, provided that they fill out an application form and submit a 300 to 500 word essay answering a provided prompt. Students who are picked are rewarded with a $1,000 prize. 

 

f. Business

Students who are interested in pursuing a business career or major are eligible to apply for these scholarships. These scholarships typically require students to be in good academic standing and ask for essays that demonstrate the students’ leadership and innovation.

Women in Public Finance Award & Scholarship 

Female students with an interest in business careers are encouraged to apply for this scholarship. Students will be asked to prepare several essays that showcase their leadership and interest in the field. 3.0 GPA is required.

Dell Scholars Program

The Dell Scholars Program awards 50 students $20,000 who show excellent academic performance and leadership. Students are required to have at least a 2.4 GPA and interest in a business or technology major. Students are asked to provide their transcripts, SAT scores, and a recommendation letter.

 

g. Media/Journalism/Writing

These scholarships are for any student with an interest in media, journalism and writing. These scholarships may ask students to provide samples of writings or essays that answer a specific prompt. Students interested in these scholarships should take the opportunity to showcase writing skills and a passion for media.

Richard G. Zimmerman Journalism Scholarship

This scholarship is directed towards students who wish to pursue a journalism career. This scholarship awards $5,000 and asks for 3 work samples and 3 recommendation letters.

National Press Club Scholarship

This scholarship is for students who aim to bring more diversity into journalism. Students are asked to submit up to 5 work samples, a 500 word essay, and 3 recommendation letters. This scholarship awards students $2,000 which can be renewed up to 3 times and an additional $500 book stipend. 

 

h. Community Service

These scholarships are for students who give back to their communities. Students will have to show their commitment to community service through essays, recommendation letters, or other criteria.

Great Value Colleges Community Service Scholarship

This scholarship awards $1,500 to students who have enhanced the value of education through community service. Students are required to have at least a 3.0 GPA, a cover letter, resume, two recommendation letters, and 40 hours of service must be completed.

Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

These awards are for students who have participated in community service within the last year. National winners receive a $5,000 award, while state winners receive a $1,000 award. This scholarship also awards non-monetary awards -  even if your student does not receive the scholarship, the recognition is helpful for college applications).

Ronald McDonald House Charities US Scholarships

Students who have shown their academic achievement, leadership, and experience in community service are eligible for this scholarship. The Ronald McDonald House awards many scholarships with varying amounts and is designed specifically for students who can show financial needs.

 

4. Other Affiliations

Scholarships - The National Eagle Scout Association

There are three scholarships that male students who are Eagle Scouts can apply for: academic, merit, and field study. The scholarship amount differs greatly on which scholarship the students apply to and can be found on the website. Multiple students can be picked, as rewards are given to students in each region of the United States.

 

Where to Look for Scholarships

 

High School

A student’s high school guidance counselor is one of the most forgotten but valuable sources. Chances are they have a list of scholarships available for students to apply for and are more than happy to help students out during the application process.

The school PTA often gives out scholarships to students and will most likely post on school websites or send out flyers and emails about it, so students should keep their eyes open for those. These are less competitive than national scholarships, but more likely to be known to all of the students at the school.

Students’ high school is a great community to ask other students, parents, and alumni for suggestions of any past scholarships they may have applied for. This is a great way of finding scholarships and a great source of advice when students are applying.

 

Local Businesses 

Students don’t have to look very far to find scholarships. Oftentimes, local businesses and newspapers will give out scholarships to  students. Compared to national organizations, there is a lot less competition and therefore, a higher chance of getting the award. More often than not, students aren’t aware of many of the scholarship opportunities.  They should keep their eyes open for any advertising and ask around.

 

Affiliations

Outside of high school, there may be organizations that students are part of that can offer help with scholarship searches. Coaches, outside music/art teachers, or other outside community organizations are a great source of information that students have access to. Not only can they help students find scholarships to apply for, but they can provide helpful tips and suggestions to help increase a student’s chances for winning the scholarship.

 

Online

The internet has thousands of scholarships waiting for students from big name companies to smaller organizations who want to financially help students with their education. Having thousands of scholarships to look through is overwhelming, so we have compiled below a few websites that can help students with their online search.

College Board

Scholarships.com

Niche.com

Chegg.com

Fastweb.com

These websites are the best known sites with thousands of scholarships to apply for. Additionally, these websites have helpful tools that help direct students to specific types of scholarship, making the search a lot easier for them. It is to be noted that a lot of these scholarships are nationwide, and online scholarships can be more competitive than local scholarships.

 

There is a common misunderstanding that outside scholarships can deduct from financial aid received from colleges. Although some colleges may ask students to report any outside financial help a student has received, not all schools do. Additionally, if a school was to take those scholarships into consideration, the scholarships would only replace the amount that a student would receive. In other words, there is no real consequence for them to receive scholarships. Therefore, students should not feel discouraged to apply for these rewards.

 

Students should take the time to think about what affiliations they have that’s rather unique to them. What skills or interests do they have? What communities are they involved with? When applying, it is important to keep in mind the requirements for each scholarship, how much time each application will take, and especially the deadline.

 

With a little research, students can find scholarships that are just right for them. It is up to the students to find the scholarship that caters to particular demographics and niches that they belong to. Although local scholarships are highly recommended because they have a smaller competition pool, students should not shy away from national scholarships without reading the fine print. Some national scholarships, such as the Coca Cola Scholarship or Ronald McDonald Scholarship, offer a certain amount of scholarships to each state or city. This allows more opportunity for  students to win scholarships across the nation. Students should take the time to do their research, so that they don’t miss out on the opportunity to win scholarships.

 

For additional insights, read our blog posts:

Financial Aid 101

Guide to the Common Application

Which Teachers Should Students Choose to Write Letters of Recommendations?

When Should Students Consider Applying Early Action/Early Decision?

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About Emily Cho:

Emily is a current undergraduate student studying Media, Cultures and Communication at New York University and a contributing writer for Versed. With her experience helping high school students prepare for the SAT and their college applications, as well as her own experience going through the process, Emily understands the many challenges students face when it comes to applying to colleges. Although it can be tricky to navigate the college admissions process, she is excited to help other families and students with their journey to college.

 

 

By: Valerie Erde

As an ACT/SAT/AP tutor and college essay advisor who has worked with dozens of families over the past several years, I often hear from parents who are very concerned about their children getting into top colleges. This is natural — we all want what's best for our children, and we know that a high-quality education plays an important role in their future success. I've been through the college application process with my own two children, and I know just how intense that can be.

But all too often, parents of eighth and ninth graders  - or even of younger children - want to talk to me about their kids' resumes e.g.  “Will ______   (debate team, lacrosse, violin, service trip to Haiti, 8 APs, etc, etc. ) look good on my child’s resume?”  They’re often thinking about the what’s rather than the why’s and the how’s.

This is a mistake.

First of all, 13- and 14-year-olds aren’t ready to have resumes, and second, focusing on the resume first is backwards. Instead, you want to guide and support your children in building personal attributes first; the rest will follow naturally as your children develop their intellect, skills, and talents and discover who they are.

I found myself advising parents to "build a person, not a resume" so often that I trademarked the phrase (which is why you see that cute TM symbol in the title of this post). It's important for you to allow your kids to grow and mature into unique individuals, and you may be surprised to learn the colleges want to admit interesting, complex people over cookie-cutter box checkers.

 

A “Resume Builder” Approach Misses The Point

Because of the nature of U.S. college admissions - especially for selective schools - students do need to get good grades in challenging courses, have solid test scores, and demonstrate participation in activities and leadership roles during their high school years. We all know this, but I’ve noticed that some families try to push their children toward specific courses or activities that simply don’t fit or interest their child because they believe those things will “impress” admissions committees.  The name for this behavior is resume building, and admissions officers can often (but not always) spot that. Resume building doesn’t make a student look dedicated.  Instead, it may make a student appear scattered, inauthentic/shallow, or robotic.

In 2016, the New York Times interviewed college admissions officers at a variety of schools about how they’d advise their own kids.  They found that admissions officers “encourage their teens to embrace activities and courses that reflect who they genuinely are, not who they think colleges want them to be.”

That’s not to say that I don’t believe in total adult absence from helping your child explore new interests and opportunities.  In fact, sometimes teens are reluctant to try a class they will end up loving because they feel it will be “too hard” or, conversely, “too easy.”  Or they may feel reluctant to attend a meeting for a club because they are shy/lack confidence or have rigid ideas about something being too“nerdy” or too “cool” for them.  These are times when a student may benefit from some adult prodding.  I distinctly remember one of my own children initially pooh-poohing trying out Model U.N. Club for this reason:  “I know who’s in it and I don’t think I’ll like those kids.”  (Needless to say, it became a favorite activity.)

 

You Can’t “Game” A Changing Admissions Landscape

The problem with trying to “game” the admissions process, is that each college wants different things from their particular student body, and what that may mean changes from year to year. Because universities want great individuals as well as a great campus community, applications are considered on their own merit and in relation to other candidates.

In fact, some universities “have started to change the way they evaluate prospective students. There are new efforts to look at meaningful, real-life experiences rather than the usual laundry list of impressive extracurriculars and classes. These ideas are detailed in a college admissions campaign by Making Caring Common, a project emanating from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, that has been endorsed by 175 universities and colleges, including all of the Ivy League.”

Proponents of this approach are pushing colleges to clearly spell out what admissions teams value in prospective students. And this is starting to mean less “long brag sheets” and more meaningful activities, morality and character.

For instance, Making Caring Common recommends “less tallying of AP classes and more delving into intellectual subjects the student cares about; fewer volunteer trips to exotic locations and more sustained community service experiences over a long period of time; less polishing of the application by parents and paid coaches and more authenticity, integrity and confidence that can be seen through the student’s own voice.”

When University of California admissions professionals presented a conference to high school guidance counselors, they offered examples of effective personal statements. The best ones were those that connected to the student activities listed elsewhere on the application and explained why time spent doing these things mattered. Why would a busy young person spend so many hours on a musical instrument? What did he get out of his time in the orchestra? Just one or two activities that genuinely mattered to the student made a greater impact than a slew of casual encounters.

So while it's tempting to try and steer your child to cover certain bases on a resume, based on what you think a college wants, it's not actually very effective for college admissions — and it's certainly no way to help your child become an adult with unique passions and strong personal attributes that will ultimately appeal to colleges. 

 

Building a Person, Not a Resume™ Is The Key

Volunteering, leadership positions, pushing oneself musically or athletically: These are all activities that build a person’s character. The trick is to let your child explore them naturally, as a genuine outgrowth of personal interests and abilities, rather than a mindset of “ticking off certain boxes.”

The reason for even participating in all these ‘resume-building’ activities in the first place - in addition to having fun -  is to develop a range of personal attributes and character. So the primary goal for your child is to build skills and traits:

• Curiosity: to engage in lifelong learning 
• Work Ethic: to develop organizational and time management skills
• Resiliency: to take risks, face challenges, and recover from failures
• Empathy: to set a foundation for successful personal and professional relationships and ethical behavior
• Independence: to try new things and forge one's own path
• Passion: to develop interests that provide lifelong joy and challenge

These are the personal characteristics that will lead your student to academic and extra-curricular success. They'll end up with an amazing resume anyway — it's the byproduct of building a person, not the main goal in and of itself.

 

6 Tips to Help Focus on Building a Whole Person

 

1. Read, Read, Read — It Doesn't Have to Be Long

One of my students recently said, “Yeah, I know, I should read more classics.” But "longer" and "older" aren't always synonymous with "better." Nobody has time for War and Peace, but all kids have time to read an article from a quality magazine or nationally recognized newspaper. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Atlantic, and even Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair all publish excellent journalism on a wide range of subjects. Strong verbal skills are important for everyone, and the best way to build them is by reading challenging, interesting material every day.

2. Strike a Parenting Balance

In my experience, the most successful students aren't the ones with helicopter parents, nor completely laissez-faire ones, but who have parents with what’s referred to as an authoritative parenting style in which “the parents are nurturing, responsive, and supportive, yet set firm limits for their children. They attempt to guide behavior by explaining rules, discussing, and reasoning. They listen to a child's viewpoint but don't always accept it.  Children raised with this style tend to be friendly, energetic, cheerful, self-reliant, self-controlled, curious, cooperative and achievement-oriented.”  Your child may look and sound mature, but high schoolers still have developing, adolescent brains and all that entails. They need a balance of your guidance and a willingness to let them try things — and fail — on their own.

3. Seek Challenge, but Don't Overdo It

Make wise choices about classes. It's good to take challenging courses, but loading up on AP courses in subjects that you just aren't interested in may backfire. Likewise, it's important not to over-extend in either academics or extra-curriculars so there's still time to enjoy personal passions and the pleasures of friendships and family. And of course, you can’t cheat on sleep. Sleep, or its lack, affects physical and mental health as well as academic and athletic performance.

4. Get Extra Help If You Need It – and Sometimes When You Don’t

Recently a parent said to me, “It’s amazing how many parents will take off time from work to attend their kids’ concert or sports game, but won’t take the time to sit with them to help with homework or an essay." Your kids still need help, and probably more often than you realize. Making sure they get the support they need is critical to their success, whether it's from you, a teacher, or a tutor. There's no shame in seeking help, and it will also encourage students to get to know counselors and teachers on a personal level — a crucial connection for future recommendation letters.

5. Give Your Child The Gift Of Saying “No”

In building these strengths, it's also important to accept that one can’t do everything. As your child grows and matures, she'll also learn that we all have to make choices about how to fill our time and what's truly worth committing to. That means sometimes you will be the one to say no, but you also want your child to learn the “art” of when and how to say “no” — sometimes saying “yes” to every club, social invite, sport….can be both counterproductive and draining.

6. Be You. Be Interesting. Be Extraordinary.

Not every passion is easily available within the traditional school system, and that's okay. Don’t be afraid to seek out interesting groups and follow unusual interests. Any interest can be developed somewhere. Some of my students who have gotten into top colleges didn’t do a ton of things; they did either a few things really deeply and well, or they pursued some really unique hobbies that made them stand out. 

And, contrary to popular belief, playing a sport is not a requirement to get into any top college or university.  One of my students, now an ivy-league sophomore, played no sport, but he was an avid bread baker and great writer, so he wrote a fascinating blog about the history of bread. He was also a very strong orchestral musician.  But something that really came through in his college essays and supplements  - beyond his clear intellect and talents - was what a thoughtful and caring person he is.

 

Succeed in College Admissions By Succeeding in Life!

I can't stress the importance of that last piece enough: He was also a good person. On the day that you drop your child off at college and head for home alone, that is what you will be most proud of — to have raised an amazing human being — to have built a person, not a resume.

 

Additional Resources

Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admissions, Harvard  Graduate School of Education, 2016

For Families: Ethical Parenting In The College Admissions Process,

Doing It For The College Resume, U.S. News & World Report, 2018

Advice College Admissions Officers Give Their Own Kids, The New York Times, 2016.

Here is an interesting Reddit post by an accepted Stanford student that argues the opposite of what I say above - that you can “game” the system.   There is some truth to that; sometimes engaging in an activity to check a box “works”  and can be “undetectable” by admissions officers.  But where I disagree is that some students can’t pull off this disingenuousness well (and hence can’t write about it well in their essays, nor discuss it well in an interview).  Why not, instead, get involved in something that you enjoy and which will make you more engaged, and make it easy for you to show/tell that in your application?

 

About Valerie Erde of Veridian Prep:

VeridianPrep is an academic tutoring and test prep company that combines years of subject expertise and experience with evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning.  VeridianPrep’s strengths lie in quickly determining each student’s strengths and gaps to offer a personalized, and results-oriented approach that builds skills and confidence to help teens succeed not only in a single class or test, but also in their next journey -- college.    Currently, VeridianPrep covers all levels of Math, English, Chemistry, and Physics including AP/ACT/SAT/SAT II, meeting one-on-one with students at home, in offices in Greenwich, CT/NYC, or online. https://www.veridianprep.com

 

If you are interested in speaking with Valerie Erde, or other advisors at Versed about helping students discover their interests and pursue meaningful activities, please contact us.

 

For additional information and insights, check out our blog:

Are Pre-College Summer Programs Worth It?

Do High School Students Need a Focus?

Should High School students take foreign Languages for All 4 Years?

 

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By: Emily Cho

There are two types of financial aid that a student may receive: merit and need based.

Merit scholarships are scholarships and financial aid universities will offer students based on their academic performances or specific skills. These awards are outright grants that the students do not have to repay.

Need based financial aid is awarded strictly based on a student’s financial profile, which takes into account the student’s family assets and income, with no consideration of the student’s academic merit. Federal government provides the bulk of the financial aid offered but private universities offer aid to offset the high tuition costs. After filling out forms regarding students’ and parents’ financial backgrounds, the government calculates how much the family is able to pay. Based on this information, the government can then give students several types of financial aid to help afford tuition.

 

There are three types of need based financial aid:

1. Grants
- These are awards that do not need to be paid back. Most grants offered by the government, such as the Pell Grant, will award students different amounts depending on their families’ financial situation. 
- Many private colleges with high tuition rates will provide grants to offset amounts not covered through federal and state financial aid.

2. Work study
- This is a program that gives students who qualify the opportunity to take a part-time job, typically on campus, to help students cover day to day college costs. Although this is considered part of financial aid, it does not apply directly to student’s tuition and fees. 

3. Loans 
- These are loans that have a fixed interest rate that must be paid back to the government. There are 4 types of loans: Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct Plus Loans, Direct Consolidation Loans. Each loan differs in who is eligible and what eligibility is based on. For more information see the Federal Student Aid Loans webpage.

 

In order to be considered eligible for financial aid, students must create an account at the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) webpage. The U.S. Department of Education utilizes the Federal Need Analysis Methodology to determine a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Colleges would use this information, along with financial aid eligible from the government to determine what the college will provide in additional support to meet full need. 

Students and parents have from October 1st to June 30th to fill out the form. However, universities tend to have earlier deadlines and so it is important to keep track of when schools require the FAFSA form to be submitted by. Additionally, it is best to submit the forms as soon as possible, so that the students can qualify for as much aid as possible. 

 

Beyond FAFSA, some schools will additionally ask students to create a College Board’s College Scholarship Service (CSS) profile. The CSS Profile generally provides a more thorough picture of the family household income to schools than the FAFSA does, allowing colleges to determine which types of institutional aid they can award in addition to any federal aid you might have received. The list of schools using CSS Profile can be accessed HERE. 

Regardless of which form students fill out, both FAFSA and CSS will require the following information about the student and their parents.

- Social Security Number

- Federal income tax returns, W2, other records of money earned*

- Bank Statements and Records of Investments (if applicable

- Records of untaxed income (if applicable)

*This information can be automatically retrieved from the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

The CSS profile will go more into the family financial background compared to the FAFSA profile, meaning it will require more information, such as bank statements and assets.

 

The exact amount of financial aid a student will receive is unknown until students fill out  the FAFSA and/or CSS forms. However, students and families are able to calculate a rough estimate of how much financial aid they will receive from individual colleges through a net price calculator. This link will take you to the right page on each college’s website that will give you an estimate of aid you can expect to receive. This calculator takes basic household information such as, number of people in a household and yearly income, and calculates the net price of attending the school. This allows students and families to have a clearer picture of how much they would have to pay altogether and how much financial aid they could possibly receive from that school.

 

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About Emily Cho:

Emily is a current undergraduate student studying Media, Cultures and Communication at New York University and a contributing writer for Versed. With her experience helping high school students prepare for the SAT and their college applications, as well as her own experience going through the process, Emily understands the many challenges students face when it comes to applying to colleges. Although it can be tricky to navigate the college admissions process, she is excited to help other families and students with their journey to college. 

When students get to college, they are always amazed by the number of students that have started their own businesses in high school. Some of these businesses are truly amazing, beyond what adults could have started, while others are small businesses that are nonetheless impressive in that a highschooler started it. Just within our Versed advisor families, we have had a student that started an organization to teach music to underprivileged children - he organized student musicians in his school to provide free lessons, procured instrument donations from various sources, raised funding and executed this program. Another student started a social media app based startup designed to create local feeds for concerts and restaurants. Another had his own iOS and Web Development company by Junior year. I am sure you have seen many shark tank episodes where kids are running million dollar businesses. Parents always ask, how do these kids start their own business?

As we all know, every student is different in their interests, temperament, creativity, initiatives, and ability to organize and execute. It’s one thing when you have interests in STEM, writing, or music, where there are traditional clubs, programs, organizations to help you pursue those interests at the highest levels, but what if you are interested in fashion, or cooking, or animal activism? The good news is that there are off the beaten paths students can pursue and entrepreneurship is one of them.

 

Why start a company?

There are many good reasons to start a company. Some students want to major in business in college, and want to gain direct experience. Others happen to have an idea, or identify a problem that they want to solve. Some have a deep level of expertise in a non-traditional area of personal interest such as cooking or fashion or animal activism, and they are looking for an outlet to pursue them. For high school students, starting a business is not about making money, but an opportunity to work on a passion project, gain important skill sets, and grow and develop on many levels.

 

Benefits of entrepreneurship

Students thrive when they discover and pursue an area of significant interest. We all know, if you want your teens to really work hard at something, it has to be something that they care about. Entrepreneurial experiences are one of the ways that students can differentiate themselves in the college admissions process. Colleges are looking for individuals with strong initiatives, leadership skills, creativity, and the ability to make an impact. Entrepreneurial initiatives show that the student will take advantage of opportunities in college and thrive in that environment. Businesses that focus on social impact or community needs show the student’s desire to make a difference in the world. Ultimately just starting a business is not what matters, but what one has achieved with the business, and how it has helped the founder grow and develop.

 

Types of businesses that students can start

Students should always start with a business that they either have a personal interest in, or know something about. Starting a business is challenging, and the initiative and drive required to keep it going will wear most people down if they are not truly excited about the mission, the industry, the product or service.

 

Examples of For-profit businesses

Simple businesses relatively easy for teens to start include:

     ✓media - blogger, podcaster, social media influencer, special interest content site

     ✓services - tutoring, babysitting, dog walking, lawn care, house sitting

     ✓technical services - tech support, web/graphic design

     ✓artistic - music service for events, photographer, portrait artist, arts & crafts

Businesses requiring some technical knowledge, expertise or mentor guidance:

     ✓developing Apps, software/hardware products, social platforms, marketplaces

     ✓healthcare, biotech, real estate, finance

     ✓products - food & beverage, clothing/jewelry /beauty line

 

Examples of NOT for Profit businesses:

Students should start with what they care about and how they can improve their community. The organization does not even need to be a formal business, and can be organized as a club.

     ✓organize peers to read to students in an after-school program for disadvantaged children

     ✓use athletic/artistic talents to create an organization that provide free lessons to children

     ✓use programming skills to develop a website for a nonprofit organization, or community organization be more efficient in delivering its services

     ✓create a website with information related to resources available for elderlies during COVID 19

     ✓design an online system that coordinates ordering and delivery for local restaurants and businesses during COVID 19

 

Getting Started

First, students need to identify something they care about or find a problem to solve. What need is the student aware of that is not being met by existing businesses and organizations? Next, they need to do the research and talk to as many potential customers as possible to validate the need. Once it is clear that enough people have this need, students need to think of a way to bring a product or service to market that will solve this problem and turn it into a small business. Basic task of setting up a business is not difficult, but many organizations that high school students start can be started as a club, and do not even need to be incorporated. One of the most important steps to founding a successful business is to find mentors (startup entrepreneurs & industry experts) to give guidance so that students are on the right track. Mistakes are inevitable and great learning experiences, but getting good guidance also ensures that time is not wasted on easily fixable problems. 

 

For students that want more structure and guidance around this experience, there are many formal and informal programs, such as summer programs, incubators, and accelerators to get them started. LaunchX started in MIT is one of the most well known programs. Quarter Zero, Endevvr, and Leangap are other programs geared towards high school students. Many universities offer entrepreneurship programs through pre-college summer programs - Wharton Management & Technology Summer Institute, Wharton KWHS Global Young Leaders Academy, Babson Summer Study, Georgetown Entrepreneurship Academy, Life Changing Summer at Cornell, and USC Exploring Entrepreneurship are some of the notable programs. Keep in mind that these programs are absolutely not necessary, as there are a ton of free resources available for entrepreneurs. Y Combinator, the famous silicon valley startup incubator runs the startup school completely free for aspiring entrepreneurs that want to get a business off the ground. There are many courses on EdX and Coursera to help entrepreneurs get their startup off the ground. Startups.com provide all aspects of startup resources for a monthly fee.

 

Another way to get involved in entrepreneurship, without actually starting a company is to get an internship at a startup company to gain experience and see first hand what it takes to get a company off the ground. Typical internships give the intern entry-level experience in a certain role but startups can give students more opportunities as they are incredibly stretched, and may need the student to perform a variety of jobs/roles. In all major cities, there is a plethora of startups, giving the intern the opportunity to find the type of companies of most interest to them. Even unpaid internships can benefit students with new skills and a better idea of the type of career you want to have. It is very important to research the company carefully so you know that this is a legitimate company and students understand clearly what they will be doing.

 

For additional insights, read our blogs:

Best of Online Learning: Business

Virtual Internships for High School Students

Do High School Students Need a Focus?

 

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STEM Research Guide for High School Students

This is the Bible of STEM research for High School students. In one comprehensive document, we provide students with detailed guidance on why, when, and how to conduct research. Includes over 800 listings of Research, Internship, Pre-College, Summer, School Year, Enrichment, and Volunteer Programs. Designed for High School and Middle School students looking ahead, this guide includes top programs in every category including Biology & Health Science, Computer Science, Engineering & Robotics, Physics & Astronomy, Math and more.

 

Learn More and Purchase this Guide

 

 

By: Emily Cho

1. Engage in meaningful summer activities

Covid-19 has upended many summer plans, including summer internships and jobs that are cancelled. While the Common App will have space for students to explain how their summer plans got cancelled or altered, colleges still want to see how students used their time during the summer. Whether it be taking care of family members, volunteering to help the community, or taking the time to learn new skills, students should devote time to making the summer meaningful and productive to the extent that their circumstances allow.

Here are some links that can provide more information on what students can do this summer:

Best of Online Learning - University Classes

Best of Online Learning - Coding

Best of Online Learning: Music and Art

Best of Online Learning - Language

Virtual Internships for High School Students

Summer Planning During COVID-19: Live Webinar and Q&A

Also read what colleges are expecting (or not expecting) of students during these times:

What Matters in the 2020/2021 Admissions Cycle: 315 College Admissions Deans Issue Joint Statement

 

2. Figure out a game plan for standardized exams

With cancelled exams in the spring, many rising seniors still have standardized exams to focus on in the fall. Many students will no longer have the luxury of taking these exams multiple times given the limited window of time to take these exams. Students should make each exam count and study over the summer to achieve the best score possible. How to Prep for the SAT/ACT and Best Online Learning SAT/ACT Prep will provide tips on how to get started and stay focused. Standardized Testing Quick Guide is a good checklist to make sure students are ready on the test day.

 

3. Get started on the college list: research potential colleges

Putting a college list together does not happen overnight. It is a soul searching process that will take many iterations. Hence, it is important to get started on this process this summer so that students can begin to narrow down school choices from hundreds of schools to a manageable number that they can research thoroughly, which will ultimately get refined down to the final 10-12 schools in the fall. Especially if the student plans on applying ED/EA to one specific school, they need to be confident that the school is the right choice for them.

Use the Finding Your College Questionnaire | Versed to prioritize what is important for each student. Students can learn a lot about schools and eliminate many schools just through online research that they can do right from their homes. Additionally, students can reach out to students who are currently attending these universities to get additional information directly from the source. You can reach out to these students by tapping into the high school alumni base, friends, neighbors, or friends of parents who attend or attended the colleges of interest. They can provide insights about the college that is not on the college’s website. 

 

4. Visit Campuses through Virtual Visits

College admissions offices may not be open for in person visits, but they provide plenty of resources online for students. Although online virtual visits do not provide the same experience as attending in person, students can narrow down the list of colleges to visit later when they can visit in person. This will help save time and money for families. Read Coronavirus and Campus Visits to learn more about virtual visits.

 

5. Get a head start on College Essays

Summer is not too early to get started on college essays. This includes not only the personal Common App Essay, but also any supplemental essays that colleges will require of students. The prompts for the Common App Essay are already out and colleges are starting to (or may already have) announce their 2020-2021 Supplemental Essay prompts. 5 Simple Tips to Writing a Great College Application Essay is a good starting point on brainstorming and getting a plan in place for tackling essays.

 

6. Start Filling out College Applications

The college application is split into different sections. Most of the sections are relatively quick to fill out, so why not get a head start? The activities section is the section students should spend time on, as it not only states the extracurriculars that students were involved in, but explains the importance and role it plays in the students’ high school career. Although some information may have to be changed as senior year progresses, getting a head start will give students less to worry about as college application deadlines come closer. Read this Guide to the Common App to learn more about what students have to prepare for the Common App.

Use this link for Online Resources for College Admissions. 

 

7. Be sure to take some time off to unwind and enjoy the summer. 

Once fall semester starts, it will be a busy time for seniors. College applications will begin to pile on along with schoolwork. Students should take this time to relax and enjoy their summer as much as they can.

 

 

About Emily Cho:

Emily is a current undergraduate student studying Media, Cultures and Communication at New York University and a contributing writer for Versed. With her experience helping high school students prepare for the SAT and their college applications, as well as her own experience going through the process, Emily understands the many challenges students face when it comes to applying to colleges. Although it can be tricky to navigate the college admissions process, she is excited to help other families and students with their journey to college. 

 

Subscribe to our Newsletter 

Receive inside track information on college admissions process, high school and middle school planning, general pre-college guidance, and be the first to know about our events and announcements.

 

 

 

This week, as part of the Turning the Tide in college admission initiative, Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, released a collective statement, endorsed by 315 admissions deans, to communicate to students and families what colleges value in applicants during this unprecedented time. For those looking for guidance on what students should focus on, this document is a much welcomed affirmation of what is truly important: self-care, service, and contribution to others.

Signatories include Deans of Admissions from every Ivy League institution, Stanford, MIT, University of Chicago; from top liberal arts colleges such as Bowdoin, Colgate, Davidson, Haverford, and Williams Colleges; and from public universities such as the University of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon and Texas.

For all of the students anxious about inability to take standardized exams, pass/fail grades, or cancelled extracurricular activities and summer internships, this statement helps to clarify what schools value, and helps give students the time and space needed to attend to family and other obligations that have completely reshaped their lives during Cov-19.

Below is the 5 point excerpt directly from the “Care Counts in Crisis: College Admissions Deans Respond to COVID-19” document. Full pdf can be downloaded HERE.

 

1. Self-care. Self-care is of high importance, especially in times of crisis. We recognize that many students, economically struggling and facing losses and hardships of countless kinds, are simply seeking to get by. We also recognize that this time is stressful and demanding for a wide range of students for many different reasons. We encourage all students to be gentle with themselves during this time.

 

2. Academic work. Your academic engagement and work during this time matters to us, but given the circumstances of many families, we recognize that you may face obstacles to academic work. We will assess your academic achievements in the context of these obstacles. In addition, we will assess your academic achievements mainly based on your academic performance before and after this pandemic. No student will be disadvantaged because of a change in commitments or a change in plans because of this outbreak, their school’s decisions about transcripts, the absence of AP or IB tests, their lack of access to standardized tests (although many of the colleges represented here don’t require these tests), or their inability to visit campus. We will also view students in the context of the curriculum, academic resources, and supports available to them.

 

3. Service and contributions to others. We value contributions to one’s communities for those who are in a position to provide these contributions. We recognize that while many students are not in this position because of stresses and demands, other students are looking for opportunities to be engaged and make a difference. This pandemic has created a huge array of needs, whether for tutoring, contact tracing, support for senior citizens, or assistance with food delivery. We view responding to these needs as one valuable way that students can spend their time during this pandemic.

We also value forms of contribution that are unrelated to this pandemic, such as working to register voters, protect the environment, combat racial injustice and inequities or stop online harassment among peers. Our interest is not in whether students created a new project or demonstrated leadership during this period. We, emphatically, do not seek to create a competitive public service “Olympics” in response to this pandemic. What matters to us is whether students’ contribution or service is authentic and meaningful to them and to others, whether that contribution is writing regular notes to frontline workers or checking in with neighbors who are isolated. We will assess these contributions and service in the context of the obstacles students are facing. We also care about what students have learned from their contributions to others about themselves, their communities, and/or their country (Please see Turning the Tide for additional information about the kinds of contributions and service we value). No student will be disadvantaged during this time who is not in a position to provide these contributions. We will review these students for admissions in terms of other aspects of their applications.

 

4. Family contributions. Far too often there is a misperception that high-profile, brief forms of service tend to “count” in admissions while family contributions—which are often deeper and more time-consuming and demanding—do not. Many students may be supervising younger siblings, for example, or caring for sick relatives or working to provide family income, and we recognize that these responsibilities may have increased during these times. We view substantial family contributions as very important, and we encourage students to report them in their applications. It will only positively impact the review of their application during this time.

 

5. Extracurricular and summer activities. No student will be disadvantaged for not engaging in extracurricular activities. We also understand that many plans for summer have been impacted by this pandemic, and students will not be disadvantaged for lost possibilities for involvement. Potential internship opportunities, summer jobs, camp experiences, classes, and other types of meaningful engagement have been cancelled or altered. We have never had specific expectations for any one type of extracurricular activity or summer experience and realize that each student’s circumstances allow for different opportunities. We have always considered work or family responsibilities as valuable ways of spending one’s time, and this is especially true at this time.

 

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By: Sohini Surapaneni

Summer doesn’t mean your child has to stop learning. Even during these upcoming months of  social-distancing, our digital world provides a platform for students all over the world to continue their education online. We compiled a short list of online resources your child may use to learn or expand their skills in:

Reading and Writing
Math
Science
Coding
Languages
Public Speaking
Visual Arts
Performing Arts

You may also scroll to the end for a section on virtual museums and tours.

This blog post. will specifically be geared towards middle school students, with websites and content that are easy to navigate for those in this age group. It is a continuation of our blog post 12 Things Middle Schoolers Can Do This Summer, and will delve into the details of the best online resources for middle school students.

 

Reading and Writing

Middle school is usually the first exposure students have to classics such as Romeo and Juliet or Beowulf, that can sometimes be difficult to comprehend in class. Your middle schooler can get a head start by reading free classics through The Harvard Classics. If your family has an Apple device, the built-in Apple Books app also has hundreds of free e-books, especially for famous classic novels. If your child isn’t as into classics, they can check out the recommended book lists from their school. John Hopkins, Goodreads and K-12 Reading Lists are also good lists to browse. Most local libraries will also have recommended readings for every age group and  e-books make it convenient to borrow and try out many of the books.

IXL is a popular resource used both in and out of schools. It allows students K-12 to do practice exercises and master various skills in the language arts, earning awards along the way. While there is a free version, you may purchase unlimited access with a membership. Double check to make sure your student doesn’t already have a school account!

Newsela offers up-to-date and interesting articles that match students’ reading levels based on their grade level or Lexile scores (which students often test for in school). This is best for middle schoolers that would like to get exposed to nonfiction works. Each article even ends with a multiple-choice quiz and a writing prompt to assess their comprehension. Newsela is free, but a paid version with additional learning tools is also available at $18 per student.

Zinc Learning Labs has tools, games, and quizzes to help middle and high school students improve their vocabulary. This is a paid program, but you can sign up for a free demo here.

Libivrox has over 5,000 audiobooks read by volunteers, free for those in the United States. Another audiobook website is Audible, which is offering hundreds of free audiobooks to children during Covid-19. Students can listen along as they actually read the books, or they can simply listen in their free time to get a better understanding of the fluency and vocabulary that goes into writing.

Write the World is an online community of writers ages 13-18. This resource allows students to compete in monthly writing competitions, have access to several writing prompts, and even participate in peer review.

Top Score Writing allows students between grades 2 - 8 to sign up for free weekly video lessons with an accompanying writing curriculum. Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab is an incredible resource that will teach students the fundamentals of writing including  how to write a thesis, to develop an outline for essays, and how to provide proper citations. These skills will provide a solid foundation -- for not only writing in high school, but college as well.

 

Math

IXL is a popular resource not only for the language arts, but for math as well. The math topic stretches from kindergarten up until introductory calculus. IXL allows students to do practice exercises to master various math skills and earn awards. If the free version is insufficient, you may purchase a membership here and view the pricing for it here. As many schools use IXL, make sure your student doesn’t already have a school account before paying for one.

Khan Academy offers online tutorial for every core subject, yet their math program is exceptional in covering every topic, from counting to calculus. Your child can go through lessons by grade, or can skip around by math topics, such as algebra or geometry, to improve areas where they might be struggling. Khan Academy is entirely free.

Prodigy is a free math platform that covers over 1,500 math skills for students between grades 1 - 8. It tests skills through games, making this a popular and fun opportunity to practice math. Parents may also subscribe to a membership at a very low price.

Helping With Math has a large number of games, quizzes and printable worksheets for students up until eighth grade. Math Games has games, quizzes, and worksheets that covers math concepts up until eighth grade.

Freckle gives each student an online pretest to assess what level of math each student is at, and suggests practice based on their results. Although most popular for math, Freckle also has useful resources in the Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Parents can read more about Freckle and create a free parent account here. Math Antics is another free website with video lessons on topics up until algebra basics. Subscription options are also available, which give access to additional materials.

With a 30-day free trial and a $10/month subscription, Flocabulary uniquely uses hip-hop music to teach concepts in math, language arts, science, vocabulary and life skills by providing fun activities and assessment tools to help students gain mastery.

Be sure to check out our blog Definitive Guide to Math Enrichment for additional information.

 

Science

CK-12 is essentially a free online textbook, with the additions of videos and interactive simulations, to help students learn key terms and concepts in physics, chemistry, biology, physical science, and earth science. This website also has resources for math, social studies, and english.

National Geographic has geography-based articles, encyclopedic entries, videos, maps and

photographs in topics that many middle schoolers coover in their science classes, including the water cycle, human impacts on the environment, and evolution. Although this website was meant to be used as a resource for teachers, the articles within can be searched for by topics (including physics, anthropology, engineering, and ecology) or grade level.

The National Science Digital Library is a large and free database with online lectures, assessments, courses, labs and interactives for grade levels K - 12. Once again, this resource is meant to be used by teachers, although the material that is found can be used by anyone for any student. Topics of potential study include air pollution, cells, and energy.

Khan Academy includes a series of videos and practice that allows students to delve into the basics or advanced topics of subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, health sciences, and engineering. They often partner with organizations such as NASA, Stanford School of Medicine, NOVA labs, MIT, and the American Museum of Natural History to provide self-paced video courses for students.

The Utah Education Network has a series of free labs and interactives for students in grades 7 -12. Students can learn the structure of neurons, how to balance chemical equations, or even do a virtual lab on gravity.

Science NetLinks has a science reading suggestion list and several free interactives that students can use to learn about topics such as the use of antibiotics, gravity, and planets.

Game On is a website dedicated to online learning for kids through the use of fun and free online games. Their attached links include the National Institute of Health Sciences and Physics Games.

 

Coding

Code.org is a nonprofit website geared towards teaching school aged children (K-12) how to code online for free. A full course list can be found here, with search filters to find the one that fits your child the best. They also have courses that teach students how to code for apps, games, and websites using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, where students can save their work with a free account. Their most popular course is a 30-hour online Computer Science Fundamentals Express course which is a great starting point for beginners. Code.org also has a 46-page Computer Science Discoveries curriculum designed for you or an educator to work with your child. This curriculum covers Problem Solving, Web Development, Animations and Games, The Design Process, Data and Society, and Physical Computing.

Code.org has an alternate program and website called Hour of Code, which has hundreds of projects that can each be completed in approximately an hour. You or your child may search for projects created for students between grades 6 to 8 here.

Another resource is Khan Academy, a recurrent staple for online learning. Their page on computer programming includes introductions to several coding languages, such as Javascript, HTML, CSS, and SQL. There are videos that will teach students how to manage data, animate, create games and code for websites. There is also a page where students can obtain project evaluations, ask questions, or request feedback. Khan Academy even has a partnership with Pixar, which specifically gives an insight on Pixar animation, useful for students looking to combine coding with their artistic interests.

Created by MIT students, Scratch is “a programming language and an online community where children can program and share interactive media such as stories, games, and animation with people from all over the world.” It was designed for children between the ages of 8 - 16. Rather than teaching kids to type out difficult code, it relies on pre-written blocks of code that students can stack to create projects. Children will ultimately outgrow Scratch, which is not a practical coding language like HTML or Javascript. Either way, it is an excellent introduction to the concept of coding, especially for younger middle schoolers.

Codecademy is a free online platform that offers programming classes in Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, HTML, and CSS. It provides interactive lessons, using real-world skills, for daily practice. This website may not specifically be directed towards students in middle school, but has digestible courses that most middle school students would not struggle with.  Free, but a premium version with additional features, including tailored lessons, is $19/month. 

 

Languages

Perhaps one of the more popular language websites, Duolingo offers free, interactive and bite sized lessons in 35 different languages. Each lesson is personalized, allows each student to learn at one’s own pace, and the short 5-10 minute lessons allow for incremental breaks for those with shorter attention spans. You can see a full list here. Duolingo is available as an iOS and Android app, allowing your child to learn on the go. This platform is known for its green owl logo, which will take your child through their lessons and send daily reminders. Some of the most enrolled languages on Duolingo include French, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Duolingo is free, although it costs $9.99 a month to go ad-free.

On the other hand, Rosetta Stone is an award winning language program that requires a paid subscription, and is available as an app and online. It offers instruction in 25 languages, listed here. One unique aspect of Rosetta Stone is that it helps people improve accent-specific pronunciations through an advanced speech-recognition engine. It is especially recommended for beginning language learners, as its software drills students until they have the vocabulary down. This repetitive format makes it an excellent choice for middle schoolers and younger students, it may not be the most useful for students close to achieving proficiency. Currently, there is a three month free trial for students available here. Usually, the cost is $179 for the first “level” of language, in which all five levels cost $479.

While online software is effective, middle school students may lack the motivation to stick to a steady self-learning schedule. For this reason, online tutors are perhaps the best way for middle schoolers to learn a language online. Not only will tutors help instill a sense of responsibility in your child, but they can also personalize a study plan based on how advanced your child is in a language. Tutors are more likely to catch onto pronunciation errors and help your child work on conversational skills they may not be able to practice otherwise. Popular online tutor websites include Verbal Planet, italki, and livelingua, where you can match your child to a tutor. Websites like lingoda and Take Lessons offer group lessons too, which are a cheaper alternative and might even introduce your child to other middle schoolers learning the same language. The cost is approximately $20 - $40 for a 45 Minute Private Lesson, and can drop as low as $10 for a 60 Minute Group Lesson.

 

Public Speaking

This course on Udemy, called Public Speaking for kids, is taught by instructors with decades of experience, all for $115. If the price is a little steep, don’t worry! Udemy often offers discounts, and you may be able to access this course for as low as $15. Just keep an eye out for any coupons, or keep checking the website to see when there is a sale. This course requires students to record themselves and is actually targeted towards elementary students, so younger middle schoolers are more likely to benefit from this course.

Elder students may actually benefit more by taking online adult courses for public speaking, such as this one on Coursera by the University of Washington. This course can be made free with an audit, which means the student will not receive an official certificate of completion. It teaches students how to understand speech, make their ideas compelling to others, delivery, and overcoming fear. It can be paired with a series of other similar courses to get a comprehensive understanding of public speaking. Other adult courses include this one by Harvard, and this one by Rochester Institute of Technology.  

The Academy for Public Speaking is another option, currently with online camps, courses and private lessons. The start dates and registration for a lot of these courses at the moment have passed, but the academy hosts programs regularly. They even have occasional free classes that you may request a notification for here. Their private lessons can get expensive, costing hundreds of dollars, but can really tailor to your child’s needs. 

 

Visual Arts

The Art Studio NY, one of the best art studios in New York, is offering online art classes through the online chat platform Zoom. Their classes for kids work with cartooning, drawing, painting, fashion design, and even step-by-step drawing. Current pre-teen and teen classes can be found here. They usually cost a couple hundred dollars, but each purchase includes several sessions and topics.

Another art studio to look into is Private Picassos. Their lessons each follow a specific lesson plan, with topics including bookmaking, clay modeling, acrylic on canvas, watercolors, and drawing technique. Private lessons can be booked for several siblings at a time for a discounted price, which you can read about here. If your child is more skilled, you may even inquire about adult lessons for them.

Video School Online has a database of several art courses, including drawing/painting and photography classes for kids, which both cost under $15 dollars. Video school also offers a one-month free trial, which you may then choose to turn into a $12/month subscription.

Kitchen Table Classroom  is a free art website that also offers several free online classes, in painting and drawing. New materials are regularly posted online. Parents must subscribe by filling out a free form available at the end of this page, to get the password to access the free resources. 

As the visual arts have a large range of categories, we also suggest you take a look at this link for compilation of best traditional online art classes. For beginner and advanced photography courses, we suggest you accordingly take a look at this and this for a complete list. Some of the best online film courses can be found here. These are not specifically designed for middle school children, yet most of these courses are self-paced, allowing them to go at a pace that suits them.

 

Performing Arts

Playbill has put together a list of  25 Theatre-Related Online Resources, including  free online musical theatre classes and free weekly theatre workshops for teens.

Additional resources include Sparketh, which teaches art, dance, music, singing, and acting to kids and teens through high quality video courses. Mentors, or experienced creative professionals, create these video lessons that have unlimited access for a subscription of $25/month.

Certain acting studios offer online classes. LA-based Michelle Danner is a reputable example. Online lessons are offered in five different European languages, including Spanish, and last between 4 to 8 weeks, costing hundreds of dollars. The structures and topics of each course are available here. Beyond acting techniques, courses teach students how to manage their anxiety, reduce accents, and develop creative writing skills. Private coaching is also available; Michelle Danner herself teaches classes with a maximum of 12 students. Keep in mind that you may also research your local acting studios and inquire about online coaching. The biggest barrier to online classes at studios tends to be prices.

Take Lessons connects students to online instructors in music, languages and academics, including acting teachers. You can scroll through this list of currently available online acting instructors, and adjust the search filters by ratings, languages, and specialities. The best part about private teachers is the flexibility, and they will plan out coursework that matches their students’ strengths and weaknesses. Private lessons usually cost about $25/half an hour, and even less for group lessons. Live online classes are most recommended for students looking to master an instrument or vocals.

 

Virtual Museums

The New York Met is one of the largest art museums. This website has a “Big Ideas” search tool that allows kids to look into topics like inventions, fashion, battles, and view artifacts related to the topic. There is also an interactive map, complete with various exhibitions on art around the world. Art museums like The Met may be especially interesting for students interested in art, history, politics, culture, or global matters.

Most famous for the Mona Lisa, the Louvre is an art museum located in France that also offers online tours on exhibitions ranging from ancient Egypt, to medieval architecture, to the connections between art and politics.

Additional art museums with online tours include the British Museum, where the real Rosetta Stone is located, Washington DC’s National Gallery of Art, Paris’s Musée d’Orsay, Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, and  National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea.

For students interested in natural science, The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History includes online and even narrated tours of  their permanent exhibits, current exhibits, past exhibits, and research centers. These exhibitions include an insight on dinosaur skeletons and ancient civilizations. Not only that, the virtual tours also have several follow up activities or readings to do after completion.

Space science is also a popular museum topic. NASA's Glenn Research Center lets students view wind tunnels, laboratories, and even the famous Hubble Telescope. If your child is especially curious, they may even search through the official NASA website to listen to their podcasts, read their ebooks, or look through their official images of space.

Other science-lovers may prefer the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, which includes online tours on exhibitions for every age group on subjects ranging from math, to biology, to engineering.

Virtual tours are available for countless museums that cover all sorts of historical events, aquariums, sciences and art forms. Some museums may even have specific online interactive readings or games for kids. A good place to start touring, however, may actually be Google's Arts and Cultures database, which includes online tours and walkthroughs of over 1,200 international museums. 

 

Need help digesting all of this?

The amount of resources out there can be overwhelming. We are here to help. If you would like help planning enrichment activities for your student, please get in touch with us so learn how we can help your family through this unusual time.

 

Be sure to download The Versed Middle School Guide below for insights into how to help your child get the most out of middle school years.

 

Here are some additional insights on the middle school years:

12 Things Middle Schoolers Can Do This Summer

Guide to Gifted and Talented Programs and Are They Worth It?

7 Things Every Middle School Parents Should Know 

Parenting Advice: How to Help Guide Your Child to Find an Interest

2019 Splash Is Back and Filling Up Quickly - Classes at MIT, Yale, Northwestern, Stanford and Other Top Schools for Middle and High Schools Students

 

Subscribe to our Newsletter 

Receive inside track information on college admissions process, high school and middle school planning, general pre-college guidance, and be the first to know about our events and announcements.

 

 

About Sohini Surapaneni:

Sohini is currently a student at New York University focusing on Economics major and a double minor in philosophy and business studies. She is passionate about helping Versed’s mission to make educational resources accessible to everyone, and regularly contributes to the blog. Her articles are researched and supplemented by her and her peers experience going through the college application process (and of course with her immigrant parents by her side!).

 

 

 

By: Sohini Surapaneni

Even if your teen isn’t looking into business as a potential major, business skills are incredibly useful in nearly every field and every job. In light of recent social distancing measures, this summer is an excellent time to use the internet and learn the basic skills and fundamental concepts of business.

Gaining business skills is an excellent head start for future business majors and for students looking for internships, where listing concrete skills could make a difference on their resume. Business skills are even useful for students with leadership positions in school clubs or organizations. Your teen may use marketing skills when fundraising for Habitat for Humanity, or make accounting spreadsheets as a treasurer for student government. Motivated students may even decide to start their own business or non-profit, and an understanding of entrepreneurship, finance, marketing and management will improve their probability of success.

Pre-college summer programs in business specifically for high school students are available at top undergraduate business schools such as NYU Stern, UPenn Wharton, and UMichign Ross. These are usually in-person and on campus, but due to Covid-19, programs are either cancelled or conducted remotely for Summer 2020. While acceptance to these pre-college programs does not guarantee admission to the university later on, it is a valuable way to spend a summer. That being said, the greatest barrier to doing these pre-college programs is cost, which can amount to thousands of dollars. The application deadlines for most of these programs have passed, but they may be worth considering for future summers.

The good news is that there are plenty of free or inexpensive classes online for students interested in taking classes in practically every field within business. For the sake of simplicity, this blog will cover the recommended courses and benefits of taking online courses in the following four categories:

- Finance
- Marketing
- Management
- Entrepreneurship

The courses we recommend are simply suggestions. Your teen can search for specific courses through online learning platforms such as EdX and Coursera, who partner with companies and universities to offer free and paid-for courses in various subjects. Most courses on these websites are free to take, but require payment or a subscription to get an official certificate of completion that can be listed on a resume. If payment is an issue, EdX and Coursera also offer need-based financial aid. Class Central is a database that you can use to search and sift through free online classes. Youtube videos are another resource for free online lectures. If your student is not sure if they would like to take business classes in the future, a great way to start is with a basic economics course. If their high school does not offer economics, they can try University of Illinois’s Microeconomics Principles course or University of California Irvine’s Principle of Macroeconomics. If your student would like to delve into specific business categories, that’s when they might want to start taking courses or teaching themselves about finance, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.

 

Finance

Finance is all things related to managing company funds including accounting. A great place to start is through MIT’s class on EdX called Financial Accounting. Financial Accounting is a required introductory course for most business majors that covers basic accounting - reading balance sheets, managing debt and ethics. Most high school students take a course in Consumer Education in order to graduate. Financial Accounting is a continuation of this course --- just far more detailed, related to finance and specific to accounting. Financial Accounting is an excellent starting point for the students that would like an initial exposure to finance, even if they do not want to pursue it as a major.

If your teen would like to continue learning about finance, the next step would be to take an introductory foundational course. Great choices would be Columbia University’s Introduction to Corporate Finance or MIT’s Foundations of Modern Finance I and II, which will cover theories and topics regarding investments, bonds and risk.

If your teen is interested in investing and wants to get involved in an Investment Club at school, there are many great books, articles and youtube videos on this subject. This Bill Ackman video is a great place to start. Udemy’s Stock Market from Scratch gives a great overview and Morningsta’s Investing Basics class provides one of the best free in-depth lessons. Khan Academy also has a good unit on personal finance that covers investment, retirement and stocks.

 

Marketing

To get introduced to marketing itself, UPenn Wharton has a course called Introduction to Marketing that will teach students the three key concepts of marketing: “branding, customer centricity, and practical, go-to-market strategies.” For students that would like a foundation of digital marketing in order to find virtual internships for the summer, this Seven-Course Specialization in Digital Marketing from the University of Illinois goes in depth. Some digital marketing internships require the ability to code in languages such as HTML. Your teen can take a look at Best of Online Learning: Coding for resources on how to get started.

For young people interested in marketing, a significant premium is placed on online marketing skills, including website development, social media, videos and blogs. Social media marketing is actually one of the fastest growing business opportunities, where even students can find work opportunities. Virtual Internship Opportunities for High School Students addresses some of the steps involved in securing an internship this summer.

Because marketing is incredibly data driven, it is also important to gain an understanding of statistics. If not an option at their high school, students can even take an introductory statistics course through University of Amsterdam’s Basic Statistics, or IIMB’s Statistics for Business I and II. Statistics is also applicable in other fields, including finance, making it an essential math course for any student looking to get into business.

 

Management  

Management is the planning and organization of internal operations within a company. Compared to the other categories in business, management relies on soft skills such as communication, emotional and social intelligence, and people skills. No matter what industry students are interested in, an understanding of these soft skills is incredibly useful to land a job or internship.

University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign has a course called Operations Management: Analysis and Improvement Methods, which focuses on the technique and analytical aspects of sales, operations and management. On the other hand, the University of California - Irvine has a course called Project Management: The Basics for Success, which focuses more on the communication, planning, and leadership skills behind management.

IESE, a reputable European business school, has a Five-Course Specialization on management, which covers accounting, finance, marketing, and organizational behavior. Part of the course puts the student in real-life situations where they need to apply what they learn in a management setting. A big part of management is not what is learnt in the books, but how much a student can apply it in real life.

UPenn Wharton also has a course called Global Business Strategy. Beyond decision-making and economics, this course covers social impact and the ethics of business. It teaches students how to “apply effective business strategies to real-world problems through a deep understanding of the global practices and trends shaping the world today.” This course could serve as inspiration to your teen if they have any goals of entrepreneurship, leadership, global business or social-impact.

University of California Irvine has a course called Communication in the Workplace, which covers topics such as communications styles, obstacles to communication, and proven techniques for effective conference calls and webinars. Not only is this effective for students that would like to learn management skills, but it is also essential as your teen goes on to land internships and job offers. Effective communication, both in-person and online, verbal and nonverbal, reveals a level of professionalism and real-world skills that are useful during interviews and in various careers.

Other useful courses include UPenn’s Improving Communication Skills, which covers concepts such as trust, deception and cooperation. University of Illinois - Urbana has a course called Foundations of Everyday Leadership and a follow-up course called Applications of Everyday Leadership, which start off their Strategic Leadership and Management course series.    

 

Entrepreneurship  

An entrepreneur is someone who designs, launches and runs a new business. Entrepreneurship is unlike other business fields in that it requires  creativity, initiative, and ability to manage a fledgling business to a variable state and beyond. Below are some courses from reputable universities that take students through the process of creating a start-up. Even if your teen would like to start a non-profit, nearly all of these skills overlap and are worth checking out.

The University of Pennsylvania - Wharton has a Series of Entrepreneurship Courses, which collectively take about 43 hours. Each course tackles one of the four major stages in creating a start-up -- beginning with developing the opportunity, and ending with an Entrepreneurship Capstone Project, in which students create a pitch deck for the idea. According to UPenn, “the top-scoring projects will be introduced to the most appropriate venture capital firms in Wharton Entrepreneurship’s network, according to region and sector.” These venture capital firms will essentially invest real money into the best pitch decks to help make these start-up ideas a successful reality.

The University of Maryland has a similar Series of Entrepreneurship Courses, which is made of four sections. It starts with the development of ideas, and ends with a capstone project. Unlike UPenn’s entrepreneurship course series, the University of Maryland does not score capstone projects or introduce students to potential investors. That being said, this is still a highly rated entrepreneurship series that takes about 35 hours to complete.

This last option is from University of Leeds, which is located in England. This is the shortest of the three programs, taking about 24 hours in total to complete. It has six courses, the first of which is called Starting a Business 1: Vision and Opportunity. In addition to essential topics such as generating ideas, funding, and progress, this series also uniquely covers networking and teamwork, which are incredibly valuable even outside of entrepreneurship.

 

For additional information and insights, check out our other blogs:

Best of Online Learning - University Classes

Best of Online Learning - Music and Art 

Best of Online Learning - Coding

Best of Online Learning - Languages

 

About Sohini Surapaneni:

Sohini is currently a student at New York University focusing on Economics major and a double minor in philosophy and business studies. She is passionate about helping Versed’s mission to make educational resources accessible to everyone, and regularly contributes to the blog. Her articles are researched and supplemented by her and her peers experience going through the college application process (and of course with her immigrant parents by her side!).

 

Subscribe to our Newsletter 

Receive inside track information on college admissions process, high school and middle school planning, general pre-college guidance, and be the first to know about our events and announcements.

 

 

 

1. Read: 

Summer is a time to get away from it all. Books are the perfect way for tweens/teens to immerse themselves into any world they can imagine. There is no better way to spend a lazy summer day than being engrossed in a good book. It also has the benefit of helping middle schoolers get ready for the amount of reading ahead of them in high school. The earlier they get used to and love reading, the less of a chore it will be when they have a ton of it in high school. Although it is best to let your kids choose what they want to read, it is also not a bad idea to get them to start reading newspapers, science magazines, history journals, etc.

 

2. Improve writing skills: 

Whether your child loves to write, and wants to pen the next great novel or wants to dabble in poetry, summer is a great time to get creative and start writing. Of course, the best way to get better at writing is to keep writing. Encourage your child to keep a journal, write simple reflection notes on books, or simply set aside time everyday to write. If your child needs a bit more motivation or inspiration to get started, there are plenty of online classes that offer writing courses in all different formats from certified teachers to published authors. Check out the incredible array of writing courses offered on www.outschool.com and high caliber classes offered at https://www.writopialab.org/. One of the most challenging aspects of high school is the amount of writing required across all subjects. Even science courses require a significant amount of writing in class. For those that need to work on essay writing or improve writing skills in general, Versed Definitive Guide to Writing Help should provide plenty of resources.

 

3. Get ahead in math:

Like writing, math is a fundamental subject that you want your middle schooler to be very comfortable with (and have confidence in) going into high school. For those that already love math and want to go beyond what is offered at school, classes in counting & probability, number theory, and logic are some of the most important areas for budding mathematicians to explore. There are plenty of online courses to choose from that vary in duration, cost, scheduling, and hands on help. Take a look at Versed Definitive Guide to Math Enrichment to find the best options available.

 

4. Gain skills in public speaking: 

Most middle schoolers will do anything to get out of speaking in front of people. However, as we all know, communication skills are critical to all aspects of life including school, career, community involvement and beyond. Covid-19 has given students the perfect opportunity to hone in on some of these skills in the comfort of their home through online medium - perhaps an easier sell to reluctant speakers. There are many programs for middle schoolers in Debate, Model UN, and extemporaneous speech that students can sign up for. The MUN Institute and Capitol Debate are two well regarded programs. Google online for local debate programs near you. Most programs will be offered online this summer.

 

5. Take all kinds of fun, unconventional classes at Outschool.com:

Outschool.com is a marketplace for teachers to create and teach all kinds of classes for students in K-12 years. As mentioned above, students can take a myriad of writing courses here, but they offer classes in pretty much every subject - math, history, science - all in creative forms. There are plenty of classes that teach debate and model UN as well. Do you have a budding entrepreneur? There are classes in entrepreneurship, business, and economics to choose from. Art, music, theater kids will find plenty of unique classes to choose from. Classes run in duration from one 45 minute class to multiple classes over a few weeks to an entire semester.

 

6. Start a creative project:

This is the summer for tweens/teens to tackle a myriad of personal and creative projects that you wished you could do, only if you had the time. How about encouraging your middle schooler to take the thousands of photos you have in your hard drive and turn it into family albums? How about researching family genealogy? Organizing books or closets can believe it or not be considered creative projects as well. If your child likes to cook, encourage them to cook dinner twice a week, or make lunch every day! This has the benefit of motivating your child to pack their own lunch when school starts again. 

 

7. Take art & music classes online:

As surprising as it may be, there are excellent online classes in both visual and performing arts. Sparketh teaches art, dance, music, singing, and acting to kids and teens through high quality video courses. Instrument and vocal lessons have all moved online to video conferencing formats during COVD-19 so there are more choices now than ever. Platforms such as Udemy, EdEx and Coursera skew towards older students, but there are plenty that middle schoolers can handle. Whether your child wants to pick up a new instrument, or is ready to go beyond elementary arts & crafts to learn the fundamentals of figure drawing, refer to Best of Online Learning: Music and Art to see the range of options available at every price point.

 

8. Learn technology, coding, and design:

For those of us, that cannot get our children off screens during all of this time at home, perhaps a better strategy may be to look at this as a learning experience, and get them to learn to code and be part of creating digital content rather than just consuming it. Even children that are dead set against coding, may show interest in graphic design, creating websites, or producing video content. There are plenty of great free resources available including Kahn Academy, code.org, code academy, and MIT Scratch. For those that need hands on guidance, ID Tech and Juni Learning are two good options. Check out Best of Online Learning: Coding for more options.

 

9. Learn a language:

With a global village of native speakers that you can reach with a touch of a mouse, there is no better time to learn a language than now. There are more language learning options now than ever before including gamified apps like Duolingo, to online platforms such as italki where you can find native speaking teachers in their own country that will tutor you via skype, to finding language exchange buddies across the ocean. See all of the options available at every price point at Best of Online Learning: Languages.

 

10. Work or volunteer:

This is a challenging time to find work, but with many states opening up and social distancing rules relaxing slowly, there may be opportunities for young students to get some work experience. Perhaps your child could think about becoming a mother’s helper while parents are working and the kids don’t have many camp options. Tutoring elementary aged children is another great option, and this can even be done remotely. If your child plays an instrument, becoming a practice buddy to younger students is another great idea. Parents can help spread the word to their friends and neighbors about their child’s availability to find families that they already know and trust to gain some experience. Finding a volunteer opportunity  is a challenge for middle schoolers, but if there are any opportunities to offer help in the community, whether to make phone calls to friends and family, donating to food pantries, looking into organizations where families can together go in to stock shelves or package meals for families in needs, it could turn out to be a great family activity.

 

11. Hike, bike, move, and play sports:

Getting out in nature is in essence, the best part of summer. Tweens/teens should spend plenty of time outdoors walking, biking, hiking and playing sports. Even if there are no organized sports activities, plenty can be played in the backyard including badminton, creative obstacle course, running, dribbling soccer balls, etc. For those that crave more structure and guidance, hiring a local high school athlete to come and work on skills is a great (and cost effective) way to get real coaching!

 

12. Spend quality time with family and friends (while social distancing!):

Being social and spending time with friends and family is critical for middle schoolers. If you notice that your middle schooler is spending too much time alone in his/her room and don’t volunteer to contact their friends, encourage them to do so and find venues for them to meet. In How to Help Teens Be Social Again we outline some of the ways that parents can help teens find ways to connect with one another. Get out for a bike ride with friends. Start an a capella group with friends. Get together 6 feet apart and have ice cream together

 

Be sure to download The Versed Middle School Guide below for insights into how to help your child get the most out of middle school years.

 

As every child and every school is unique, if you would like to speak to one of our advisors about helping your child with academic and extracurricular planning, summer options, and high school choices, please schedule a free consultation with us.

 

For additional insights, check out our blog posts:

 

Guide to Gifted and Talented Programs and Are They Worth It?

7 Things Every Middle School Parents Should Know 

Parenting Advice: How to Help Guide Your Child to Find an Interest

 

Subscribe to our Newsletter 

Receive inside track information on college admissions process, high school and middle school planning, general pre-college guidance, and be the first to know about our events and announcements.

 

 

 

Technology is an essential tool in today’s society. As a result, it has become a valuable resume building asset for students interested in STEM, business and many other fields. Whether your teen intends on majoring in STEM or not, coding can be an important skill that demonstrates critical thinking, problem solving abilities, and even persistence.  Fortunately, with all of the online sources available today, learning to code can be a relatively simple process. We have compiled below a list of the most popular and effective websites that teach coding to students with varying levels of experience, and allow them to work at their own pace. All of these offer Python, which is a common introductory coding language that is notable for being easy to learn. More experienced coders can learn languages such as Java and C++. 

 

Code.org

Code.org is a nonprofit website geared towards teaching school aged children (K-12) how to code online for free. They offer several courses in basic programming languages that are easy to digest for younger students, but also have a section of their website dedicated to recent high school graduates. A full course list can be found here, with search filters to find the one that fits your teen the best. They also have courses that teach students how to code for apps, games, and websites using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

 

Cost: Free

Pros: Free

Cons: More useful for younger teens

Skillcrush

Skillcrush is a beginner friendly coding resource that delivers emails with bite-sized, 5 minute courses. Purchasing “blueprints” allow students to combine these classes into comprehensive courses. Each blueprint costs either $399 up front, or three monthly payments of $149. Here is a list of available blueprints. Upon completion of a blueprint, Skillcrush provides a letter of recommendation, a portfolio of code, and an official Certificate of Completion. Students can also purchase individual skill courses, which cost $175 each. They have a frequently updated blog that provides useful information on topics such as how programming can be incorporated into careers and the types of coding languages. 

 

Cost: Free email service, but courses cost a one time payment $399, or three monthly payments of $149 -- additional skills can be purchased for $175

Pros: Low time commitment for email service, in-depth courses may be purchased

Cons: Cost, may not be the best option for experienced coders

 

Codecademy

Codecademy is a free online platform that offers programming classes in Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, HTML, and CSS. It provides interactive lessons for daily practice. Codecademy is notable for teaching real world programming skills through different learning modules called “career paths” such as web development and data science. These paths offer a comprehensive learning experience, where the students are taught how to apply real world programming skills. The estimated time it would take to complete each career path, as well as additional information, is listed here. 

 

Cost: Free, but a premium version with additional features is $19/month (free trial is available)

Pros: Cost, “career paths” options
Cons: Does not give official Certificate of Completion that may be useful to list on a resume

 

Udemy

Udemy is an online learning platform that has over 2,000 user-created courses dedicated to coding. While most online instructors are not legally and fully qualified, the ratings for each class are good indicators of how effective it is. There is a fee for most classes but many of the short beginner coding lessons are offered for free. Paid classes typically offer Certificate of Completion. Udemy regularly offers discounts, so be sure to check their website or search for discount codes prior to signing up. While prices range from $9 - $300 per month, about 90% of Udemy’s users find discounts that will lower the price. 

 

Cost: Free options available, paid options range from $9 - $300/month

Pros: Large variety of coding classes, frequent discounts make it budget friendly

Cons: User-created - online instructors may not be fully qualified, hence certificate of completion is not recognized by employers, requires a subscription -- meaning you must pay until the course is finished (based on time to complete)

 

MIT

MIT Open Courseware is part of MIT’s goal to make all of their education materials from their courses free, which happens to include several courses on coding. Students can learn Java, C++, and even MATLAB through video lectures and assignments. A complete list of introductory programming courses can be found here.

 

Cost: Free

Pros: Free, accredited institution

Cons: No professional Certificate of Completion

 

Coursera

Coursera has online courses in a huge range of subjects from accredited universities and programs and offers over a 100 courses in coding alone. Completion includes an official certificate, and there is a great diversity of choices in course difficulties. While students can work at their own pace, it usually takes about 12 hours to complete each course. Interactive courses are supplemented by videos. Students may also pursue a specialization or professional certificate, like this one from IBM, that consists of a series of courses that teach coding and other analytical skills. They can take a month or more to complete.

 

Cost: Free to audit, fee for graded assignments and to earn a Certificate. Monthly subscription of $39-79/month available to access a collection of courses - “Specialization” -- a free week trial offered

Pros: Offered by accredited universities with official Certificates of Completion, offers need-based financial aid

Cons: Requires a subscription -- meaning you must pay until the course is finished (based on time to complete)

 

EdX

EdX  is another online platform with courses often backed by accredited institutions, including companies such as Microsoft and elite universities such as Harvard and MIT. There are many free classes, although just as many require a subscription. This search engine can be used to narrow down classes and view prices. Courses are once again conducted interactively, with videos to supplement. Similar to Coursera, professional certificates are available.

 

Cost: Many free courses, $50 - $300 to obtain a verified certificate

Pros: Offered by accredited universities with official Certificates of Completion, EdX offers need-based financial aid

Cost: Some courses can be more expensive

 

 

 

For additional information and insights, check out our blog:

Best of Online Learning - Languages

Most Prestigious Summer Programs

Do High School Students Need a Focus?

Intro to Science Research

 

Subscribe to our Newsletter 

Receive inside track information on college admissions process, high school and middle school planning, general pre-college guidance, and be the first to know about our events and announcements.