The NYC DOE HS Admissions deadline is upon us. With the holiday season in the mix, be sure you're dotting your i’s and crossing your t’s ..read more

Download the official 2024 - 2025 SHSAT handbook, which features two full length exams ..read more

FREE Tuesday Talk – Admissions Without Agony Are you the parent of  a rising 8th grader and feeling overwhelmed by the NYC HS Admissions process?  City Smarts Founder Danielle will discuss a grounded approach to this infamous cycle. You'll walk away with practical tips and suggestions to help you move into the process with discernment and a POV that's right for your family. Tuesday, August 20th at 7pm Link to register here!   Single Topic SHSAT Intensives – Hurry! Just a few seats left! Our legendary fall Intensives are the ideal way for students to finalize their SHSAT ..read more

The NYC admissions landscape is always changing. Here is the most updated information for the upcoming 2024-2025 cycle ..read more

Check out June’s Tuesday Talks! 30 minute presentations packed with practical tips & insights! Click here to enroll in Mark's #TuesdayTalk! June 4th @ 7pm   Click here to enroll in Manpreet's #TuesdayTalk! June 11th @ 7pm   Click here to enroll in Brett’s #TuesdayTalk! June 18th @ 7pm ..read more

One of the great joys of running a tutoring company is that you get to meet insanely smart and talented people, folks like Greg, a multi-disciplinary scholar with degrees from both Princeton and Columbia, and Matthew, a New York Times-featured playwright whose dramatic works have been performed before audiences worldwide. We recently asked Greg and Matthew to put together small group classes for young writers, and they came up with two very different programs that serve a similar goal: nurturing young writers far beyond the typical classroom approach. Greg’s clinic will help incoming seniors ..read more

Each and every day parents reach out to us with fascinating questions about every facet of the educational journey. How can I help my family manage stress during a competitive admissions process? To what extent should I allow my child to make learning mistakes? Is my child applying to too many colleges? As part of our on-going effort to educate and inform students and parents alike, we are launching a semi-regular series of “Tuesday Talks,” short Zoom sessions packed with tools to navigate the educational challenges that our families tend to encounter. These talks are free and open to anyone ..read more

Navigating the college admissions process is daunting. In this post, we will summarize the key components of the college application portfolio. Quantitative Components TRANSCRIPT GPA Course Rigor Academic Trends over Time College Credits TESTING ACT/SAT AP Scores IB Scores QUALITATIVE Components HOLISTIC Essay Supplemental Essays Letters of Recommendation Art or Talent portfolio Extracurriculars OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Legacy Demonstrated Interest Athletic Recruitment Interview/Video Now let’s look at some of these components in more detail. TRA ..read more

A few weeks ago, City Smarts co-founder Danielle was the featured guest on NYC Academic Solutions, an education podcast hosted by NYC learning-guru Alex Friedman. Alex brought Danielle on to discuss the role of executive functioning in the digital learning landscape. In a wide ranging and often fascinating conversation, they discuss a range of challenges students face today such as distractibility and the billion dollar attention economy, and share advise for parents overwhelmed by their kids’ smartphone usage. Danielle also touches upon the City Smarts approach to Holistic Coaching ..read more

High school admissions can be confusing. We’re here to help! We’ve created a robust guide to navigating the NYC high school admissions process. Need help? Check out our HS Admissions services Our guide is broken up into four sections: Overview of the public school admissions process Generalized public school admissions calendar Overview of the private school admissions process Generalized private school admissions calendar     PUBLIC SCHOOLS New York City students can apply to several categories of public schools simultaneously. This means a student can prospectively cho ..read more