There are totally six parts.  Hope you find the content helpful.

Here are links to part 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1. SAT & SAT II: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/about.html
2. ACT: http://www.act.org/aap/
3. PSAT: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html
4. Introducing Score Choice: A New Way to Report Your SAT Scores: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/score_choice.html
5. Find a college: http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/csearch/
6. Peterson’s guide: http://www.petersons.com/
7. Stanford Dean of Admission Richard Shaw on Facebook:

   http://bit.ly/rshaw-p1

8. Early decision and early action: http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/apply/college-applications/21342.html
9. US News college ranking: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings
10. National Merit Semifinalist on Seattle Times
11. 2009: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2009873495_nationalmerit16m.html
12. 2008: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008172399_meritsemifinalists11m.html
13. 2007: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2003880224_natlmerit12m.html
14. 2006 Eastside:
    http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060913&slug=meriteast13e
15. 2006 Seattle: http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060913&slug=meriteast13e
16. John Hopkins Talent Search: http://cty.jhu.edu/ts/
17. Stanford EPGY: http://epgy.stanford.edu/
18. UW summer programs: http://depts.washington.edu/cscy/programs/summer/
19. USA Math Olympiad: http://www.unl.edu/amc/whatswhat.shtml
20. USA Computing Olympiad: http://www.uwp.edu/sws/usaco/
21. USA Physics Olympiad: http://www.aapt.org/Programs/contests/index.cfm
22. USA Chemistry Olympiad: http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_TRANSITIONMAIN&node_id=528&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=eefe13d3-5930-4dde-b8e6-edea010d36b6
23. USA Biology Olympiad: http://www.cee.org/programs/usabo
24. PROMYS summer camp: http://math.bu.edu/people/promys/
25. RSI summer camp: http://www.cee.org/programs/rsi/
26. Intel Talent Search: http://www.intel.com/education/sts/
27. Siemens competition: http://www.siemens-foundation.org/en/competition.htm
28. Microsoft High School Intern Program: https://careers.microsoft.com/careers/en/us/highschoolintern.aspx
29. Jeffrey’s Blog: http://mathematicalfoodforthought.com
30. Free College-Prep Self-Study Materials for K-12 Students: http://project2020.wikispaces.com
31. Steve Job’s speech at Stanford: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html.
32. JK Rowling’s speech at Harvard: http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination

I just learned about the article “College Admissions Myths” from Forbes.com. It was written in 2006. Base on the college results of many students that I have come to know, the advices are quite true.

“Knowing the tricks can only get you so far. In the end, to be an ideal candidate for a college, a student must work hard, develop a sense of passion, yearn for intellectual and personal stimulation, pursue activities outside of the classrooms in a profound way–and remember to breathe in the process. Says the Collegiate School’s Breimer: “Be yourself. Don’t try to beat the system.”

http://www.forbes.com/2006/09/13/college-admissions-myths-lead-careers-cx_de_college06_0914myths.htm

View the video at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

In the article, I quote, “My impression is that parents really believe these videos are good for their children, or at the very least, not really bad for them,” Ms. Rideout said. “To me, the most important thing is reminding parents that getting down on the floor to play with children is the most educational thing they can do.”

“Professional college counselors (either independent or school-based) appear on the scene early, sometimes in middle school, to begin to structure students’ academic and extracurricular profiles for entrance to the “right” college. At its best, such advice can be helpful in assessing talents, goals, and making “mid-course corrections” that can make a real difference in students’ lives. From a more cynical perspective, such advice steers students toward travel abroad, community service, or other activities solely to enhance college application essays or interviews. Such services may command thousands of dollars, and assistance in preparing applications ranges from appropriate to plagiaristic. Videotaped mock college interviews are features of some packages, as are guided tours of colleges. An array of services start in ninth grade (“or seventh or eighth grade for no extra charge”) for fees of over $30,000. More specific services include Essay Review, which offers “brainstorming session and as many revisions as necessary”. Such services can add to, rather than alleviate, the stress of the normal expectations of school, community, and family life. Their “products”, such as overly-slick essays, can even hurt a student’s admissions chances as they can sometimes be easy to spot in the admissions process….”

The whole article can be found here.

“Unlike previous generations, young people often speak with their parents several times a day. And while family closeness is usually a positive force , it can come with a downside. Administrators at Stanford and elsewhere describe a level of parental involvement that often limits choices and has altered the cultural norms of college life.

That includes parents who insist on choosing their child’s area of study and then show up to negotiate his or her salary after graduation. Parents who ask to be informed about course deadlines because they’re sure their kid will forget without their reminders. Parents who call the dean’s office at 10 a.m., desperate because they haven’t been able to reach their son or daughter that morning: would someone please run over to the dorm and wake their scholar?”

The whole article is available at http://alumni.stanford.edu/news/magazine/2009/mayjun/farm/news/mentalhealth.html

1. Once IQ is above 120, IQ no longer correlates with success.
2. Serious success in any area requires at least 10,000 hours of effort.
3. Growing rice instills a culture of hard work for Asian students.
4. Public schools work. Summer vacation is failing students.

The stories of Bill Gates and the Beatles make all these points convincing and memorable. I am glad to be able to justify all the homework my boys did every summer which has likely improved their chance to succeed .

Here is the link to the article, Advice for High School Graduates.

When my kids started school, I made a conscience decision for them to attend public schools. I used materials on the Internet to enrich their studies. 12 years have passed and now one of them is a college junior and another is finishing 10th grade at high school.

The enormous amount of education content on the web can sometimes be overwhelming. This site provides links to educational materials for K-12 students.

1. The materials are free and suitable for self study.
2. The materials are academic with the goal of college preparation.
3. All of the materials could be studied by one serious student.
4. The content is entirely in English, except for the Foreign language subjects.
5. Each link should allow for a few months of in-depth learning.

Feedback and suggestions are welcome. Hope you find the links helpful to your kids.