L is currently enrolled in an IB system school and has an estimated weighted GPA of 3.59 in 10th grade. Her goals for further education are to major in Biology or Business Management at UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, and other TOP 50 U.S. colleges and universities. According to the current situation, it is actually very difficult for L to fulfill her goal, and why? Let’s take a look at SMOA teacher’s professional analysis: Academic Diagnosis 01 IB application for U.S. universities is not advantageous IB students also need SAT/ACT standardized test scores to apply to top schools, causing IB students to be very busy in the 11th grade, but often not as busy as they should be with the key points of the top schools in the US. The 11th grade is the most critical time for applying to U.S. universities, and most U.S. universities are designed to follow the AP pace. The IB application for U.S. universities cannot stay unaffected, but also coerce by AP, and IB students will have a lot of difficulties in the system of articulation and time conflicts. 02 The overall GPA is low For future applications to UCB, UCLA, and other TOP 50 universities in the U.S., an 11th grade GPA of

AP courses refer to Advanced Placement courses, which are higher in difficulty and level than general high school courses and are closer to the difficulty of undergraduate courses in U.S. universities. It is not easy to get high scores in AP courses, and S from SMOA recently got an A in AP English Language and Writing courses. Let’s take a look at how S did it. 01 Student Basic Information S is an 8th grade student at a private high school in New Jersey and will be entering 10th grade in September of this year. Although he is in the transition between junior and senior high school, S has set a clear plan to apply to Princeton University, one of the top eight Ivy League schools in the U.S., in his 12th grade year. Pursuing the dream of Princeton was not an easy task, and S started working hard right away. Because his high school did not offer English AP courses, he was unable to achieve a GPA of 4.0. As an international student, S understood that English academics were weak, and that a GPA of 4.0 or higher and excellent English academics and writing skills were a necessity in order to stand

High schools in the United States are generally categorized into three main types: On Campus School Online School Home School An U.S. online high school is a platform for providing secondary education through the Internet, allowing students to complete courses online and earn credits that lead to a high school diploma. 01 U.S. Online School Recognition Online Schools have been in the U.S. for more than 50 years, with more than a hundred schools in existence, and the model is widely recognized in its home country, with Stanford University offering its own Online School. on Harvard’s official website, it is clearly stated that, “Applicants who are educated at home receive the same careful scrutiny as any other category of applicant, and there are no special procedures.” Many U.S. high schools match students with accredited online high school credit courses to help students improve and repair their GPAs, while accredited online U.S. high schools issue diplomas, credits, and transcripts equivalent to those issued by On Campus Schools, and many accredited online high school transcripts and diplomas are recognized by universities around the world. 02 Unique Advantages of U.S. Online School Flexibility of time and space Online School allows students to organize

The 2025 AP exam will face both machine and offline exams, which also puts higher requirements on AP examinees. In addition to coping with the difficulty of the AP exam, adapting to the format of the exam is also essential. The deadline for registration for the AP exam in the mainland test area next year is October 18 this year. I want to apply for the AP exam, but my school is not a test site, what should I do? Don’t worry! If you are a regular high school student, a student of the IB/Alevel system, or a social examinee, you can still apply for and take the AP exam in mainland China even if your school is not an AP test site! Our Online U.S. High School, St. Mary’s School Online Academy SMOA, has opened its test sites in mainland China! If you are currently attending a school that is not a test site and are unable to register, you can register for AP exams through our SMOA and take the exams at the mainland China test site of our SOMA Online U.S. High School！ Where is the test site?  The May 2025 SMOA offline test site is in Shanghai. After

AP credit courses are not only suitable for applying to universities in the U.S. and the U.K., but also for applying to undergraduate programs in Canada and Australia. Let’s take a look at two successful stories of SMOA students. Canadian student improved GPA to 4.95 Dreaming of first-class universities in Canada and the U.S. H’s Canadian high school did not offer AP credit courses, but SMOA’s 30+ AP credit courses fully met H’s need to take additional AP credits and improve GPA. 5 AP courses and 2 regular U.S. high school courses were taken online through SMOA in Grade 12: AP Calculus AB AP Macroeconomics AP English Language and Composition AP Chemistry AP Computer Science Financial Math TOEFL Course H improved the GPA from 3.8 to 4.95 while earning the corresponding AP and U.S. high school credits and transcripts! With AP credits and the 12th grade transcript, H successfully applied to the dream school, a top 5 university in Canada, and New York University, a TOP 30 school in the United States. International School Transfer to SMOA Online U.S. High School Direct Entry to Australia G8–University of Queensland Three pathways to apply for Canadian undergraduate programs with AP credit 01 Take AP courses

Economics has long been a popular undergraduate major in the U.S. Understanding the inner workings of money, markets, industries, and policies in a complex and interconnected global economic system is critical. What drives our purchasing decisions? Why does the price of a particular product go up or down? Why are some countries richer than others? What factors influence employment and unemployment? All of these questions can be answered in the profession of economics. In today’s article, we will provide you with a detailed explanation of economics majors and recommend corresponding AP and credit courses for students and parents to refer to! What is Economics? Economics is a discipline that specializes in the study of producing, distributing, and consuming economic resources. It covers a wide range of topics such as supply and demand, inflation, unemployment, financial markets, economic growth, and the role of government in the economy. Often placed under the School of Social Sciences and sometimes offered under the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Management, economics occupies an important place among the many social science majors. Economics majors take a range of theoretical and applied courses, including statistics and mathematics, to be able to analyze and

Every time we swipe through the news, every time we click on a broadcast, every time we browse an advertisement, we are invariably influenced by the media. The media is not only a bridge for the dissemination of information, but also an important way of shaping the way we see the world. It has been said that the media is a mirror image that reflects and shapes the times and holds an important power to guide public opinion. Against this backdrop, more and more students are choosing to look at media studies as a major. In today’s article, we will provide you with a detailed explanation of the media studies program and recommend the corresponding AP courses and credit courses for students and parents to refer to! What is Media Studies? Media studies is the science of the operation, impact and effective use of all types of communication media. It explores how information, ideas and opinions are conveyed to the general public through various modes of communication, including print, radio and television, film, the Internet or social media. Media studies covers a range of subfields including advertising, public relations, journalism, film and television studies, media policy and regulation. Studying media studies

Shortly after Harvard University officially announced the reinstatement of the standardized score requirement for fall 2025 applications, on April 22, Cornell’s official media outlet, CORNELL CHRONICLE, reported that Cornell University will reinstate the standardized test requirement for fall 2026. However, the standardized optional policy will still be available for students entering in fall 2025. While 2025 FALL students may voluntarily choose to submit standardized scores, Cornell University strongly recommends that students applying to the following colleges submit SAT/ACT scores: School of Arts and Sciences School of Engineering School of Human Ecology School of Jeb E. Brooks Public Policy School of Industry and Labor Relations 01 Why Cornell University chose to reinstate standardized Cornell’s decision to reinstate standardized test requirements came after years of evaluation by its Admissions Standardized Testing Task Force. Cornell believes that students who are admitted with standardized scores tend to have stronger GPAs and are likely to maintain good academic performance. Test scores help provide a more complete overview of the individual applicant, and these scores provide a valuable reference to a student’s potential for academic success while at Cornell. Michael Kotlikoff, Cornell’s Dean of Faculty, said, “Standardized exams promote admissions opportunities for students from a broader range of

Following in the steps of Yale University, Brown University, and Dartmouth College, Harvard University and California Institute of Technology simultaneously announced on April 11th, U.S. time, that they are reinstating the standardized score requirement for the Fall 2025 application. Harvard University Harvard previously listed standardized tests as test-optional in its admissions policy due to the epidemic. Instead, this new policy will apply to students applying for admission in the fall of 2025 and graduating in 2029. In special cases, if an applicant is unable to take the SAT or ACT, other eligible tests will be accepted, including the AP Advanced Placement (AP) exam. California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology (Caltech), one of the leading science and technology schools in the western U.S., previously had a test-free admissions policy.On April 11, Caltech announced that, effective immediately, it will reintroduce the requirement for applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores. Latest Trends in U.S. Undergraduate Applications for 2025/2026 In addition to the traditional SAT/ACT, top U.S. undergraduate universities are placing more emphasis on APsthan ever before, including AP examsand high school AP course selections and scores; Having AP exams/AP credits helps applicants stand out even more, and AP will be a key track

After the AP exam leaks and cheating incidents, in order to stop the test paper leaks and cheating behavior to a greater extent, the College Board officially announced that starting from 2025, 28 AP exams will be converted to digital testing. Among them, 16 AP exams completely canceled the paper test, all move to the Bluebook digital testing application; 12 AP exams using a hybrid digital testing mode. 2025 AP Exam Subjects 16 fully digital testing subjects • Students will complete multiple-choice and free-response questions on the Bluebook platform, and all answers will be automatically submitted at the end of the exam. AP African American Studies (U.S. schools only) AP Art History AP Comparative Government and Politics AP Computer Science A AP Principles of Computer Science AP English Language and Composition AP English Literature and Composition AP Environmental Science AP European History AP Human Geography AP Latin AP Psychology AP Seminar AP U.S. Government and Politics AP U.S. History AP World History: Modern 12 hybrid digital testing subjects • Students will complete the multiple-choice questions and view the free-response questions on the Bluebook platform, but will be required to handwrite the free-response portion in the paper test booklet and return it for