ShmoopTube

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Hi there - I’m David Siminoff and I’m the founder of Shmoop.

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Every student who goes on to college after high school has a chance to carve out an exceptional

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life for him or herself. However, which college a student attends may

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go a long way to determining just how exceptional that life ultimately is.

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Graduate at the top of your class from a well-respected school and the sky’s the limit...

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Aim a little lower and, while they may still land their dream job one day, the path there will be tougher.

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Decide to skip out on college all together

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and the closest they may ever be to attaining the title of CEO is to be promoted to Chief Elevator Operator.

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How much does 10% extra effort matter?

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The unfortunate thing is that, in reality, there is a very fine line between greatness and mediocrity.

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It isn’t always the brightest kids who go to the top universities. Often, it is simply

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those who are willing to work harder and put in the time required to give themselves a leg up.

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As someone who has already gone through the whole rigmarole, YOU know the importance of

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getting into a good college...

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but have you communicated that sense of importance to your students?

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So that they kinda understand it?

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If they fall short of their potential, is it going to be on your head?

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Is the prospect of going to college even something that is being encouraged by the parents of

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a given student? Everybody’s background is different – someone may be the first

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in their family with the opportunity to take that next step…

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Shmoop can help demonstrate to students how extra effort can equal a wealth of opportunities.

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If they understand how much better their life will be if they push hard to get into that

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dream school of theirs, maybe it won’t have to be such a dream after all.

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So… how can Shmoop help? We’re glad you asked. Shmoop isn’t just

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about pummeling your student with a barrage of study guides so they can scrape by on quizzes.

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We know that being prepared for college can help as much in the long run

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as being prepared for the real world itself. We offer PSAT prep,

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because everybody loves a national merit scholar. Not all students realize that this bad boy

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isn’t just practice for the SAT – there are plenty of sweet scholarships that can

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be nabbed by scoring through the roof on the PSAT.

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Earning scholarships can lessen the financial burden for them and their families, as well

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as make them appear much more attractive to colleges who are seeking the best and brightest.

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Then there is test prep for the SAT - or ACT prep for those of you also want to

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show off their mad science skills.

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These tests can demonstrate to prospective colleges their willingness to study, which is sometimes

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more important to them than someone having a naturally brilliant noodle.

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These standardized tests assess more than just the ability to memorize facts.

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They can also tell a lot about a test-taker’s versatility, analytical skills and writing style.

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Might even help discover the next Kurt Vonnegut or the next Jackson Pollock.

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Shmoop offers extensive AP Exam prep as well

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so your students can start racking up college credit early.

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Taking APs is a must if they have any designs on attending an Ivy League school like Harvard.

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A top school will want to see that an incoming student has taken just about every AP under

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the sun – probably even Studio Art. On Shmoop, a student has access to topic reviews,

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practice drills and exams, test-taking tips and step-by-step guides.

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And of course we at Shmoop recognize that we are now in a digital world and there's no turning back.

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Not that we'd want to. We offer College 101 tools

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so that a student can take steps to get into the college that best fits them.

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They can check out our college profile section

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which will breakdown everything from average SAT scores to the hottest hangout spots on campus

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and our college majors section which will prepare them for the particular kind of classes

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they'll be expected to take depending on which path they choose.

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Our College 101 tool will also teach students to do more than just tweet,

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update their Facebook status and pin their favorite new mac n’ cheese

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recipe on Pinterest. They will learn how to protect their information,

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how to properly cite sources when writing a paper, and how to evaluate a website.

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We don’t currently offer a guide on how to hack into national security systems, but

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it may be coming in a future version.

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Your students want to do more than just eke their way into college.

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They want to be equipped with the tools to tear it up once they get there.

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The demands of the world have changed, and it’s up to you to hand your students the new playbook.

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So...they're ready coach. Send them on in.

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