tips tools & advice

25+ Must-Read Books for Today’s Teens

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on April 1, 2025

The seven years you experience as a teenager are among the most fundamental, challenging, and important years of a human’s life. As a teenager, new experiences are popping up around every corner. While parents and guardians would love to guide their teens through this time in their lives and steer them through each challenge they …

student life, tips tools & advice

Top Mistakes to Avoid as a College Student

By Hilary CairnsPublished on March 18, 2025

Everyone makes a mistake now and then, but specific errors in college could impact a student’s grades, graduation timeline, stress levels, finances, and more. Thankfully, other college students have already made these mistakes, so you can learn from them! Here are 13 avoidable college student mistakes that can set you back – plus tips to …

student life, tips tools & advice

100 Informative Speech Topics

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on March 4, 2025

Key Takeaways Informative speeches are intended to educate or inform an audience on a topic without the use of opinions or debates. When choosing an informative speech topic, you should consider your audience, your personal interest in the topic, how long it should be, and if you have enough facts to help you write your …

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Debating the Art of Persuasion: How To Write an Argumentative Essay (With Example)

By College Raptor StaffPublished on January 24, 2025

Key Takeaways A strong argumentative essay uses credible evidence, logical reasoning, and counterarguments to create a well-rounded paper. Before you start writing your argumentative essay, you’ll need to do thorough research and create an outline that details how you’ll support your main topic. To help you prepare for writing your next essay, read the example …

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From Better to the Best: Unpacking Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on November 26, 2024

Key Takeaways A comparative adjective compares two people or things (i.e. John is taller than Jack.) A superlative adjective compares the extremes of three or more things. (i.e. John is the tallest boy in the class.) To correctly use these forms, add -er for shorter comparative adjectives and -est for shorter superlative adjectives; while using …

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The Power of Simplicity: A Look at Simple Sentences with Examples

By College Raptor StaffPublished on November 26, 2024

Key Takeaway Simple sentences express one clear idea and contain one independent clause (subject + predicate) and no dependent clause(s). An example of a simple sentence is “Adam jumped on his trampoline.” (Adam = subject and jumped on his trampoline = predicate). Every simple sentence must contain a noun/pronoun and a verb but can include …

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How To Write a Thesis Statement (With Examples)

By College Raptor StaffPublished on October 1, 2024

Key Takeaways A thesis statement is the sentence at the end of your introduction. It states your position on your topic and summarizes your overall argument. To write a strong thesis statement, you’ll need to start by phrasing your topic as a question. Then, answer it to get a clear stance and add specific details …

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Do Colleges Look at Attendance? What You Need to Know about Going to Class

By Hilary CairnsLast updated on September 25, 2025

Key Takeaways Colleges generally do not directly consider attendance in admissions decisions. Attendance affects GPA and participation, which are important for college applications. Regular class attendance can help you earn strong recommendation letters. Attending class helps you learn, meet deadlines, and stay on track for graduation. Good attendance can support your extracurricular participation and academic …

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How Book Subscription Services Can Help Save You Money on College Textbooks

By College Raptor StaffPublished on August 28, 2024

Book subscription services are a type of subscription service created especially for college textbooks. If you have a Netflix subscription, or maybe a Hulu or Disney+ subscription, you have an idea of how these services work. Book services work in a similar manner but instead of entertainment, these services revolve around digital textbooks for college …

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15 Key Pieces of Advice from Parents to Their College Bound Kids

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on August 16, 2024

Key Takeaway: Starting college means starting a new chapter. And in a season filled with a lot of “new,” parents can be a valuable resource for advice, encouragement, and support. As you head off to college, we’ve gathered some advice and encouragement for academics, personal growth, time management, and friendships that we hope you take …