The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 5,200 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, teaching and learning.

Among its best-known programs are the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®). The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities, and concerns.

The Princeton Review helps students, parents, and educators achieve the best outcomes at all stages of their educational careers. It all starts with a single premise: Everyone is entitled to the best education. Through years of research we’ve learned to use practice and preparation to help students improve their performance.

 RIA Senior Tax Analyst Focuses on the Fine Print of the Education Loan Interest Deduction—Plus Some Other Tax Breaks For Students and Their Parents.

New York, NY  08/16/2007

By now, the excitement of receiving college acceptance letters may be replaced by the shock of tuition bills that follow enrollment.  Or the joy of a child’s graduating from college—and no longer incurring tuition—is eclipsed by the obligation to repay student loans. “As families scramble to get the largest grants and lowest interest rate loans available, they should not overlook the tax implications of the plans they choose and the way they choose to make their payments,” advises Bob D. Scharin, RIA Senior Tax Analyst from Thomson Tax & Accounting, a part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE:TOC,TSC:TOC).

“The tax breaks fall into two categories: ones for paying the education costs themselves and deductions for paying interest on loans used to pay the bills.  Most of the tax relief provisions are restricted to those with incomes below specified amounts, and those amounts vary from one tax provision to another,” Scharin says.  “This adds confusion for families attempting tax planning.”

Once you have made the decision that you would like to undertake a graduate course, you need to make two key decisions, which are:

• Choosing the course that you would like to study and
• The university that you would like to attend

These decisions should not be taken lightly as they will affect your future.

Deciding on a Course

Due to the large number of courses available to students there are a number of issues that need to be reviewed when deciding which course to study. These are discussed below.

Course Content

When looking at University

prospectuses to decide on which course you would like to study, you need to be careful that the actual specific detail of the course is considered. You need to read beyond the course title and course summary as the module options and content can vary significantly. It is important to be aware that although many universities offer courses with similar names, the specific content can vary. The course may focus more on one area rather than another.This is particularly important as many University courses include modules which can be selected by you depending upon what you want to learn.

Applying for college can be the most exciting time of a young adult’s life, but it can also be the most stressful. The college admissions process is one that takes a lot of research, time, energy and effort. It is a long process that begins with the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Tests (PSAT’s) and ends the day the young adult walks into their dorm room. It can be a trying time when young adults are forced to make decisions, whether financial or another type, which will dictate the direction their lives will follow for many years. Preparing for college admission, choosing the right school or the right major, applying to colleges and getting enough money to attend are all major tasks within the college admission process.

The most important step in the college admissions process is the preparation. The preparation begins as soon as the student enters high school. The admissions committees are very tough when it comes to accepting or rejecting potential attendees, but there are different tricks to standing out amongst the crowd. If the student has dreams of attending an Ivy League school, the first step in preparation would be academic excellence.

Maintaining academic excellence throughout the high school career is absolutely imperative in preparing for college. The toughest courses the school has to offer should be taken. For example, many schools offer “Honors” English programs that employ a much more exhaustive and rigorous curriculum in comparison to the conventional English program offered. Honors English will especially help prepare a student for the writing aspect of the college admissions process and the scholarship process that will be discussed in a future section. The school may offer, as well, “Advanced Placement” courses. Also know as AP courses, these classes are college level. In fact, the students involved in an Advanced Placement course are welcomed to take the Advanced Placement test at the conclusion of the year. Some colleges will award college credit hours to students for equivalent classes should they achieve a worthy grade.

College admissions can be a painful experience, especially the first time around. The process will occur after taking the Pre-Scholastic Aptitude Test, the Scholastic Aptitude Test and then through to selecting a college. There are many colleges throughout the United States, and as such, each should be considered carefully before starting the arduous task of the admissions process.

Colleges find talented students by using scouting tools such as what are termed “defined lists”, which are mailing lists of students who performed well on their Pre-Scholastic Aptitude Test (which is generally taken during the 10th year, and no later than the 11th), and Scholastic Aptitude Test. These are purchased from those boards which administer the tests, such as the National Research Center for College and University Admissions (NRCCUA). It is also possible to get onto these mailing lists by contacting the college or university, by contacting a lecturer or administrations officer.

America’s colleges and universities no longer have enough room to accommodate all the qualified students who apply. As a result, schools are forced to reject far more applicants than they accept. The goal of admissions committees is to weed out the qualified masses and fill their halls with resourceful, well-rounded acceptable students. In today’s highly competitive college admissions process, knowing how to present a student to be acceptable not only substantially increases the chances of being admitted, but is an essential factor for success after college.

No one knows exactly how every school goes about the acceptance and elimination process, and no two schools follow exactly the same guidelines. However, it’s safe to assume that they go about their arduous task something like this:

First, the admissions committee assembles around a large conference table. Everyone is handed a huge pile of folders containing student transcripts, applications, essays, and countless letters of recommendations. No more than 15 to 20 minutes is likely spent on any one applicant! They then begin to eliminate unqualified students ? those deficient in the numbers.

How to get into college is one of the most popular questions that high school students ask. Getting into college starts years before the application process begins. If you are considering a college career, you must challenge yourself by taking courses that are the most challenging for you. This includes any classes in high school that may be used towards college credit. Admissions officers in most colleges would rather see you take a harder course and get an average grade in it than to excel in a class that is not difficult at all. Just don’t fall into the trap of taking too many hard courses that will burden you down and reflect poorly on your chances of getting into a good school.

Have your guidance counselor review your classes to see that you will have enough time left in high school to complete the courses you will need before entering college. You want to make sure that you can get all of the math required in your four years of high school and be on a college level after graduation. Your guidance counselor will make sure that you have selected all of the right courses for you.