First, there’s absolutely no need to freak out if you’re not the valedictorian or salutatorian of your high school.

Did you know that the majority of students admitted to Harvard and Stanford aren’t valedictorian, either?

Here’s what you need to know about your high school GPA and class rank to get into any Ivy League school:

1) It’s ok to have a poor freshman year GPA. What’s important is to show an UPWARD TREND – improvement over time

2) As important as your GPA is your transcript and the classes you take. Be sure to take the HARDEST CLASSES AVAILABLE – APs, IB, etc

3) Make your junior year count. It’s the one that Admissions Committees focus the most on – you want your best grades in this year

4) Don’t forget about your SAT score. It counts as much (and sometimes even more) than your high school grades

5) As long as you’re in the top 5% of your high school class, you’ll be fine – this varies by school so if you’re at an easy school, the bar will be higher

By no means am I recommending you do just the BARE MINIMUM. You should always aim to be valedictorian.

I went through this process awhile back and was accepted to 6 Ivy League schools and Stanford, so I speak from experience about this process. I wrote a book on college admissions tips called Hopeless to Harvard.

Follow my 5 critical steps above, and you’ll be a strong candidate. Focus your energies on your passions – whether that’s sports, science, or social studies.

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Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club a Run for Awareness

Do you remember the Story of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia? Carlie was the little girl from LI NY who while staying with her mother down in FL was kidnapped and murdered on Super Bowl Sunday, 2004. Her abduction was captured on video in front of the car wash where she was Kidnapped by Joseph P. Smith, who has since been found Guilty of first-degree murder, sexual battery and kidnapping.

The story was carried nationwide and was heartbreaking to all who heard it. Now there is an old saying that every dark cloud has a silver lining and if that is true then the silver lining here is Matt Barbis, Carlie’s Cousin who started the Rose Brucia Educational Foundation (http://rosebrucia.org) with the Mission of reducing child abductions.

Matt goes around to Schools and preforms Puppet Shows and teaches children how to react and what to do if someone ever tries to adduct them. As you can imagine Matt’s Mission does not come without its costs and the Foundation runs on Donations from Groups,Individuals and Businesses.

Matt who Rides a Motorcycle had seen the good that Bikers on Long Island do to Raise Money for those in need, He wanted to Start a Motorcycle Run to help raise Money for the Foundation. A Motorcycle Run is a lot of work and Matt was Referred to the Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club (http://Mortalskulls.com) Who do a Run and/or Benefit every year.

When the Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club heard Matt’s story and what his Mission was they quickly decided that this would be the run and benefit they would be doing for many years to come.What better cause can there be then keeping Children Safe? said one of the Members.

For the past three years now on the Third Sunday in June the Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club have hosted the run and raised money for the foundation, The run starts every year at the Bellmore NY Train station on Sunrise Hwy,with sign up from 10:30 am till 12 Noon, and has ended at local Long Island Bars with live Music, food,Appearances by local NY Celebrities and so much more. The recommended Donation for the event is $10 per person and Run Shirts are available for an additional $10 with every penny of the Proceeds going to the Rose Brucia Educational Foundation. The Mortal Skulls Motorcycle Club Thank all who have come out to help and Support the event every year! This Fundraiser has quickly grown into a huge Long Island NY event, With the continued Support of the Long Island biker world and appearances by Celebrates it will continue to grow for many years to come!!!

I am Your Bro L.J. James AmericanBikerX.com

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There are some surely well meaning people, who think that teen abstinence is a concept that this raging hormone group will adopt, just because it’s what they’re told to do. If they won’t clean their room, what makes you think they’re going to accept the teen abstinence directive? It’s like asking a bird not to fly, a dog not to bark or the wind to cease. If you think this will work, then you are the one with your head in the sand. Ostriches don’t fly, BTW. So, what works?

Educating teens is the answer. Remember, this is the age group that disputes the necessity of almost everything that’s good for them! However, this doesn’t mean that a few salient facts won’t get through. Guilt may be induced through moral avenues of argument, but there are some hard-hitting facts and reasons that will give them pause, when nothing else does.

Moral and religious arguments may carry some weight while you’re talking, but in the heat of the moment, kids are not thinking of that chat. This is where the concept of teen abstinence is about the furthest idea from their mind. It’s not that kids don’t want to go along with the idea, they simply don’t have the discipline, experience or inclination.

A more practical approach yields a better measure of success. For example, some parents are reluctant to talk to their teens about sexual matters. They don’t know how to bring up the subject naturally. There are websites which give parents ideas on how to talk to kids about sex. Take a look at some of these and find an approach which is comfortable for you and your child.

A fact-finding perspective can be most valuable. You may cringe at the thought of talking about STDs, AIDS and teenage pregnancy. This is an outdated attitude. However unfortunate, kids know all about the sexual mores actually in practice, from their classmates. Teen culture doesn’t have a lot of adherents to teen abstinence. This is the blind leading the blind.

Today, there are a number of sexually transmitted diseases which can cause problems for a lifetime. According to current statistics, fully 20% of our population is afflicted with herpes! While medication is available to help manage this disease, there are significant risks associated with taking the medication, with no guarantee of not infecting their partner. AIDS is incurable and can be transmitted through a single sexual encounter. As for pregnancy, a teen is simply not emotionally equipped to be a parent ” not yet. If you talk to your teenager on a purely practical level, it won’t be hard to convince them that life will change radically and for their lifetime.

You may be shocked to know that most teens can relate to the responsibilities and constraints parenthood presents. More than likely, they know someone who is a teenage parent and are well aware of how that friend’s life is changed by an imprudent moment and lack of discipline.

Promoting teen abstinence requires that you, the parent, get a reality check. Do a little research and lay it all out for them to digest. Kids do have common sense. It’s up to you to structure the facts so that it’s irrefutable, morals and religion notwithstanding. Now the issue of teen abstinence still inserts the moral or religious element, with an indisputable host of real-life reasons that stick.

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