A college education is one of the most important goals you will ever pursue, so it’s important to start preparing for college (college planning) as early as possible. Getting into college is the culmination of all of your hard work in school. It also requires a well-thought-out plan. Set yourself up for success by starting early, identifying your passions, and then finding the right colleges that will allow you to take your passions to the next level. Here are some articles to help you with the college planning process:

Recommended Non-Fiction Reading

The Surgical Singularity Is Approaching

Scientific American

AI-powered robots may soon be doing some procedures faster, more accurately and with fewer complications than humans.

The Next Word – Where will predictive text take us?

The New Yorker

Extraordinary advances in machine learning in recent years have resulted in A.I.s that can write for you.

We’re Teen Journalists, and We’re Fighting Gun Violence

Teen Vogue

In this op-ed, high school journalist Malavika Kannan explores the powerful position of teen journalists in the fight against gun violence.

The Millennial Left Is Tired of Waiting

The Atlantic

Saikat Chakrabarti, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, is working to build a generational movement.

How to Write the Book No One Wants You to Write

The Atlantic

Sarah M. Broom’s The Yellow House is a feat—a memoir and historical narrative created amid governmental bureaucracy and resistance from some of her subjects.

Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake?

The New Yorker

For a century, we’ve loved our cars. They haven’t loved us back.

The world’s top 50 thinkers 2019

Prospect Magazine

Prospect salutes the scientists, philosophers and writers reshaping our times—and asks for your help choosing our 2019 winners.

So the President F*cking Hates My Girlfriend

The Players Tribune

Hi!! Sue here. This is my World Cup Semifinals preview. The title was supposed to be “So the President F*cking Hates My Girlfriend (and 10 Other Things I Want You to Know Before the World Cup Semifinals)” but we ran out of space. My bad. Thanks for reading. GO USWNT.

Glamour College Women of the Year

Glamour

These 10 women aren’t asking for anyone’s permission to act, or leaving it up to someone else to change things. They’re taking charge—and we’re so thankful for it.

Mindfulness for Teens

Website

Being a teen can be really stressful! Mindfulness is a powerful way to handle stress, and live life more fully.

The World Needs More Love Letters

Website

Turning this space into a place where strangers write love letters to one another and we all get a letter when we need it most.

Life’s Stories

The Atlantic

How you arrange the plot points of your life into a narrative can shape who you are—and is a fundamental part of being human.

A Photographer Instagrams the Poorest Places in the US

Hyperallergic

This past summer photographer Matt Black covered 18,000 miles of the poorest places in the United States.

Haters Gonna Hate. Teen Girl Activists Shake It Off And Try Again

NPR

Goats and Soda: Stories of Life in a Changing World

The Other Student Activists

The Atlantic

Throughout history, protests spearheaded by teens have helped facilitate change, too.

Silicon Valley’s Quest to Live Forever

The New Yorker

Can billions of dollars’ worth of high-tech research succeed in making death optional?

Postcard From China: Secret Video of a Women’s Rights Demonstration

The New Yorker

The video says so much: a lone demonstration, shot under conditions of secrecy, to mark International Women’s Day in China.

The Great A.I. Awakening

The New York Times

How Google used artificial intelligence to transform Google Translate, one of its more popular services — and how machine learning is poised to reinvent computing itself.

‘Partly Alive’: Scientists Revive Cells in Brains From Dead Pigs

The New York Times

In a study that upends assumptions about brain death, researchers brought some cells back to life — or something like it.

Ocean-Clogging Microplastics Also Pollute the Air, Study Finds

The New York Times

A marine biologist specializing in microplastics examined a water sample from the Mediterranean Sea. A new study suggests that the tiny particles also travel by air — and in extraordinary numbers.

CRISPR is now being used on humans in the U.S.

Popular Science

The gene editing trial has two patients so far.

Science News for Students

Website

Science News for Students publishes news from all fields of science for students from middle school and up, with resources for parents and educators.

Scientists Used Human Tissue to 3-D Print a Tiny Heart

Smithsonian

The technique could eventually be adapted to create full-sized organs personalized to each patient.

NASA’s Flying Telescope Spots Oldest Type of Molecule in the Universe

Smithsonian

An infrared telescope mounted in a Boeing 747 has detected the first type of molecule to form after the big bang.

Is the universe a bubble or balloon?

BBC

Discovering the limits of our universe.

Could AI Algorithms One Day Make Better Art than Humans?

The New Stack

“What might happen once external algorithms are able to understand and manipulate human emotions better than Shakespeare, Picasso or Lennon?”

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Start today! Go through these strategic exercises to help you sketch out your plans for all four years of high school.

  • Learn key traits important to top colleges.
  • Write your first personal narrative
  • Branch out, exploring interests and defining activities.
  • Set goals and create your 4-year college planning timeline.
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