Five Steps to Studying More Effectively

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When the teacher announces that there is going to be a test on said day, your first reaction may be to freak out, then the girl next to you leans over and says “we need to form a study group” you agree and next thing you know, you are now in a study group. Congratulations.

Step 1: Who?

Now that you guys have decided that you want to have a study group, the next thing you want to think about is inviting classmates to come study with you guys. Now, instinctively, your first reaction may be to invite all your best friends in class, this may be your first mistake. When you’re around your friends, you may take longer to actually study and may get off track often. This doesn’t mean take your worst enemy to go study with, all I am saying is to pick the people that are going to provide the best contributions and the people that you are least likely to completely steer from the task at hand, studying.

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Step 2: When and Where?

Now that you guys have decided who is going to be in your study group, the next step is to pick a time and a location. Take a quick second to look at everyone’s schedule and choose the time where everyone can meet up, if someone is still unable to come, suggest they use FaceTime to be there, or call during the studying session to be there through phone. Now that you have a time, the next step is to choose a location. When considering a location, you want to pick somewhere where there is minimal noise, so rule out the arcade or the concert as a studying location. Some common places to study are the coffee shop (for instance Starbucks) or your local library. Make sure the location is easy for everyone in the group to meet up to, we don’t want Sally showing up late because there was traffic on the I-95! If finding a location for everyone to meet up to is getting quite hard, considering moving it to a group chat such as Kik or maybe take it old school and do three-way calling session or a Skype.

Step 3: Show up

Now this step is the most difficult, this is when you actually carryout the plans. There is probably a huge wasteland somewhere out there full of plans never actually seen through. Make sure everyone knows the plans and that everyone who is supposed to be attending, attends.

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Step 4: Roles

To make sure this studying session is carried out well, make sure to establish roles. The most important roles to give are the leader, who will steer the conversation and make sure every topic is addressed, the time keeper, who will track how long you stay on a topic and when to move on, and the peace keeper (fact checker), who will settle disputes by looking things up on the web or in the book. These roles ensure that everyone is on task and the meet up is going smoothly.

Step 5: Study

Don’t forget that the main purpose for the gathering is to study, to get rid of distractions, make sure all phones are put away and make sure everyone is listening and not off on their own conversation, as you want to make sure everyone knows the material, including the girl/guy who always seems lost (you know who I’m talking about). Try using apps such as Quizlet or Khan Academy to help study, take advantage to materials like the internet to expand your knowledge, just beware of getting off topic and losing focus on the real goal, which is to pass that test!

If you follow these easy 5 steps, I ensure you that you will be able to form a study group and study effectively. Next time, when your professor announces that test, be the person who announces that there will be a studying session on said day and said time. Be the leader and take charge.


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How To Feel Your Best When You're Not At Your Best: Tips for Deadling with Stress and Discontent

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Growing up, my favorite activities were simple: dessert eating, computer game playing, and Disney World exploring. While meeting characters like Mickey and Minnie or gazing at firework shows that lit up the sky like the Las Vegas strip are just two of the multitude of things Disney is known for, my favorite parts were the rides (the bigger the better). I always closed my eyes on rollercoaster's, not because of fear, but because of the surprise element. Any second I could dip down to what appeared like hundreds of feet based off of my poor six-year-old judgment, and turn in four different directions in a matter of seconds. When the ride was over, I would beg my dad, my ride buddy, to wait in the block long line again with me. Ah, the memories. As I go through college admissions now, I realize life is a lot like roller coasters, only now I like to keep my eyes open. If the "good" parts of my life are the straight, smooth parts of the ride, then we I want to know exactly where the jerks and sharp turns are, so we can plan and adjust our lives accordingly. Unfortunately, no matter how many pairs of glasses we wear in hopes of identifying the twists and turns of life, we soon realize that even one pair is useless. Even after we get desperate and attempt to cup our hands in hope that The Force can help control our futures, we still find these outcomes surprising.

Not being able to identify these setbacks (or more, figure out how to solve them quickly), is where we begin to develop stress. We may dedicate tons of time and effort into our studies, sports, and instruments, and not be satisfied as to how our hard work is displayed to others if that's in a GPA, awards, or rankings.

I experienced struggles through both my academics and extracurricular activities the past school year. I found myself putting in quality work into my math classes (I took both Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra 2), my soccer, and my violin, only to get average results. There were multiple nights where I looked like Tom (pictured below), sitting on the floor of my bedroom at eleven o'clock at night, frustrated by the plethora of tests I had the next day and the little my Red Bull's were going to do to help me do well on them.

I always took the l(oss) after these nights.

There's a rainbow with every storm, however, and I found myself throughout the trimester using fewer and fewer tissues. Not necessarily because it got better, but because I learned how to cope, move on, and hope my next opportunity ends up better.

Even after hours of doing precalc problems and weekends filled with baseball games, we have little control as to how our hard work gets displayed, or if it pays off. However, we do have control as to how we react, learn, and reflect from the hardships that come with the rollercoaster of life. Use the following four tips will be able to help you stay sane and move on (sooner or later) to your next project of greatness.

Read:

Twenty minutes of relaxed reading in bed with freshly moisturized skin after a hot shower will not only relieve your stress but make your studying more focused as it clears your mind. Your worries become less about your precalc homework and more about if Gryffindor will win the quidditch match, if Thomas is going to survive the maze, if your dream couple is going to advance to the next base. But besides the distraction factor, there are also many health benefits to reading, one being boosting your brain power. There are wins all around from reading, my friends.

If reading isn’t your thing (yet), I recommend checking out Barnes and Noble’s or New York Times’ Bestseller Book Lists. Not only are they lists updated weekly at the minimum, they also provide summaries of all the books, keeping your search quick and convenient. Most of my reads come from one of these two lists, and the reviews from all my books read recently have been 13/10 would recommend.

Don’t Hype It Up in Your Mind

Going into AP exam season or your school musical’s opening week babbling with your peers about how stressful your week is isn’t going to bring Fairy God Mother's at you shoulder to get you through it. Oftentimes, we will spend more time complaining about the little time we have than trying to make the little time we have count, creating more problems for ourselves. In this time, you could be making flashcards for your US History exam, or write in fingerings for flute solo, anything that will lead to progress.

Sometimes, talking about stress, or believing you are stressed when your not, makes your physical stress symptoms even worse than they actually are. This sort of idea is discussed by Kelly McGonigal in her TedTalk “How to make stress your friend”, which is one of the favorites of the dozens I’ve watched. You can check the talk out here: https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend?language=e

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Watch an episode of Drake and Josh (or other childhood shows)

The sight of youthfulness develops a grin on one’s face that’s brighter than the southern Florida sun.

Even if you claim to hate kids, you have to admit that listening to a four and five-year-old attempt to explain something to you, like their family life or a list of their favorite things is cute and captivating. They think they know so much, but in reality, know so little.

What makes watching childhood TV shows a great mechanism in battling is stress has a lot of benefits. There will be laughs, giggles, or small grins guaranteed, as you will begin to realize the numerous amounts of jokes that are AUO (“adult” understandable only) in addition to the exaggeration and ridiculousness of some of the plots. But because you’ve already seen most, if not all of the episodes at one point or another, you won’t binge watch an entire season of it the night before a big exam like some do with Grey’s Anatomy.

If TV watching wasn’t a big portion of your childhood, my show recommendations to start with would include Drake and Josh, iCarly, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Spongebob Squarepants, and That’s So Raven. With one to two episodes a night, you should be able to get through a semester or two without a problem.

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Volunteer

Recently, I started volunteering at a food pantry about three miles from my house. The pantry was set up like a little store, with shelves organized by their food types. My job was essentially grocery shopping for someone else. I took the clients through the pantry with a pre-approved list of items that they could get based off of their income and family size. “A simple and easy task to understand” a twelve-year long volunteer had told me. And simple it was.

Despite the simplicity of the task at hand, I soon enough found myself scheduling around the food bank’s schedule to go back again. Knowing that I helped a teenager concentrate on her homework instead of hunger, a little girl play more than complain, a mom work instead of search for food, left me feeling extremely fulfilled with a beaming smile to match.

A common reaction to heavy stress and frustration is crying. We cry, and cry, and cry when things that really mattered to us didn’t go our way. Volunteering changed that for me. Even after a tough day or week at school, helping at the food bank clouded those thoughts out of my mind. I found myself happy with myself despite all the mess-ups in my test scores or my performance in soccer, I did something correct.

So rather than finding a random one time opportunity that will give you community service to fulfill your National Honors Society requirement, go somewhere where the people really need it. Where families would starve without you, where elementary school students wouldn’t be able to do their homework without you, anything that makes you feel fulfilled when it’s over. Feeling that you did something great after multiple failures is the push you need to get through the stressful times sane.

The best rollercoaster’s in the world are the ones with dips, twists, and turns; some gradual, some fast, some sharp and unexpected. While some may still be on the uphill through college, others of us are in the busy section of the ride early on, with a sharp turn or big drop discouraging us from our goals and eating away our motivation.

But even if one mess up feels like the end of the world now, remember that you were born with so much strength and ability and that ability doesn’t have to be reflected in a piece of paper or a number. You are capable of so, so much. Keep grinding at what you do, but once a big test week is over or softball tryouts are finished, do something that brings you genuine joy, laughter, and happiness. You’ll get through it, and in the end, end up somewhere fantastic. I double pinky promise with a cherry on top.


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Seven Ways to Improve Your ACT Writing Score

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During my junior year of high school, I decided to dedicate my time to being a peer editor. My free periods consisted of revising papers, from youthful, optimistic 6th graders to second-semester seniors that were definitely sliding. One question that I was constantly asked across the board was: “How do I become a better writer?” The number of times this question was asked multiplied when the ACT scores came back and I did well on it. My usual response, even after the ACT,  was some sort of “I’m not sure it just comes naturally to me” or “Just a lot of hard work.” Those answers are slightly true, but not the whole truth. Becoming a better writer, in general, does take time and effort, but these tips below will help your writing process, and definitely your ACT writing score.

  • Read Your Own Work

This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but this is one of the most common mistakes I see in writing. I guarantee that there will be many mistakes: whether it will be spelling errors, punctuation oversight; or even just a sentence that made perfect sense in your head, but is confusing on paper. I understand that it can be very cringe-worthy to read through your work, but I promise it will improve your paper significantly.

  • Practice! Practice! Practice!

This is probably one of the easiest steps for the ACT audience, a.k.a. high schoolers. We are constantly writing for our English courses, and it is very clear that we improve over the years. If you cannot see a change in your writing from assigned papers, search for more prompts and write sample essays. Take about an hour each week, and write a paper with different types of prompts. Not only will this help your writing, but this will help your pacing skills, making you even more prepared for your test.

  • Don’t Make The Same Mistakes

   Not only is this a great life lesson, it is a fantastic writing skill. Think of all of the essays you have gotten back from teachers, what are your most common mistakes? For some people, it may be run-on sentences, comma splices, or general flow of words. Whatever you do, make an effort to change your habits, and don’t hold yourself back by not changing.

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  • Dilate Your Vocabulary

It is so important to stand out and use more than average words. Try taking everyday words like ‘good’ and replace it with ‘reputable.’ Try to eliminate casual words like ‘cool’ and the repetition of ‘like.’ I would suggest trying to incorporate a SAT/ACT word into your day (like Cher did in Clueless with ‘sporadically’) This will enhance your vocabulary and make all English assignments easier.

  • Go In With A Plan

Remember those brainstorming tools teachers would give you in elementary school to help organize your ideas when writing an essay? If not, here’s a nostalgic reminder:

This may seem like a childish idea, but it really does help with making sure you have a properly formatted essay with strong points. The ACT gives one prompt with 3 opinions and asks which one you side with. When I took the ACT, I was conflicted in choosing which opinion I delineated with the most; however it was clear when I was able to produce 3 strong points about one and became stumped with the other. If you do this step, I promise that your essay will be 10x easier to write, because it will basically be plugging in ideas and elaborating.  

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  • Use All of Your Allotted Time!!!

I cannot express how anxious I feel when I see fellow test takers finish essays in 20 minutes. There is no way to do all of the steps above in that short amount of time!! Even if you are not doing anything to your essay, you might think of a new idea, or correct an old idea written down. This will also help pacing issues if you have them. This was all of your ideas will have the time to develop and come out during the test, instead of later.

  • Have Fun!

Lastly, be creative! Writing is a beautiful way to express yourself and your opinions. This is the only creative outlet on standardized tests, and it should be utilized. Try not to stress too much about writing an essay, but still take it seriously. If you follow these steps and have some confidence, writing an ACT essay should be a breeze. 


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How to Balance School and College Applications

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If you are like any high school senior or junior, the demands from inside and outside of the classroom combined with the pressures of getting into college can leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Seniors often feel that they have no way of balancing difficult academics, extracurricular, and college applications. Students should always try to start their applications in the summer in order to alleviate some of the work that comes in the fall. With essays, homework, exams, and extracurricular activities, it’s all about a balancing act in order to make the deadlines, This article will help you with how to balance because if you don’t balance, you’ll find that you may have missed something important in the end.

1. Get Organized

Getting organized is always the first step in finding balance. We have plenty of tools that can help you get organized. Start as simple as buying a planner from any office store or getting apps such as SoCal, Cal, Weekly Planner, etc;  in that has some sort of calendar to log all school assignments, application deadlines, and any important meetings or college interviews. Taking your time to organize your schedule and writing down everything you need to do will help you see what needs to get done. This schedule will allow you to get tasks done little by little. If you manage to all get papers, applications, and other assignments done before deadlines, you will be less stressed at the end the day.

2. Prioritize

When everything seems to be important, prioritizing assignments can often seem difficult. However, some assignments are more important than others. Learning to prioritize certain assignments and choosing what is most important will allow for students to not only alleviate stress but get you in bed before midnight. If you have an essay due in a week, this should have higher precedence over finishing some projects or applications that due in another month or two. Not only will you keep your grades up but you be able to work proficiently throughout the school year

3. Fight Senioritis

Don’t catch senioritis. Seniors fall victim as early as September of their senior year but when the second semester comes around, students get caught in a whirlpool. Senioritis will hurt your college admissions when you have to send in your final transcript. Students often make the mistake of waiting last minute to start on assignments and even college applications. Putting off these assignments will stress you out because these deadlines do come sooner than you think. Start your year off strong and stay motivated by keeping up with your deadlines and making sure that you do step back and take a breath.  Senior year is difficult and busy so make sure you have some fun.

I hope these tips will help you out this upcoming year. Leave a comment down below if you have any questions. And as always make sure you follow us on Instagram and Facebook.


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Four Methods to Organize Your College Application Materials

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If I’ve been known to be borderline obsessive about two things, they would be college and organization. I’d made my first college-themed binder in the seventh grade, taking my list of my top colleges at the time and collecting statistics to organize into the huge pink folder. Now, with college a lot more relevant and right around the corner, I’ve caught onto more quick ways to make the whole process a lot easier and more accessible for all of you guys!

College List Organization

 When I was first sifting through hundreds of college listings online, I had no idea where to start and how to keep track of the information I was getting in an accessible way. Let’s just say Google Sheets has been a college application lifesaver, saving me so much time and effort by keeping everything I need to know exactly where I can find it easily.

Every time I come across a college I like, I put it into my college spreadsheet. Within this spreadsheet, all of these categories are filled out: “College Name”, “My Chances”, “Location”, “Number of Undergraduates”, and “Tuition”. I’ve figured out location and size are the most important factor to me, but my chances of getting in and the cost of the school are also important in deciding, so those are added in as well.

This can definitely be adjusted to whatever factors you may care about the most, but this system has worked incredibly well in getting me a solid list of schools I really love even before my senior year has started.

 If you’re interested in looking into other factors that may play a part for you in choosing a college, there’s a great list of them here to sort through to see what’s really important to you.

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Deadline Organization

If there are two lifesavers I’ve come across while figuring out my deadlines for this upcoming year, they are Google Calendar and Google Sheets.

While I use my phone calendar religiously for anything social going on, I like having Google Calendar on my laptop reserved solely for school and college-related deadlines. It’s insanely helpful just for keeping up with school work, but having the deadlines shown to you in a really visual way helps you to see just how much time you have left.

I also like using Google Sheets, though, just to keep one concise place for keeping track of deadlines. With some applications potentially being due early, it’s easiest for me to lay all of the due dates out with what is due on each day so I can color code my way through the year, marking essays as green for done, yellow for in progress, and red for not yet started.

Essay Organization

First thing’s first: Folders, whether on your regular computer or Google Drive, will save your life. I have one for each college I’m applying to, just to keep each essay where it belongs. Any other essays, like drafts of the Common App or scholarship essays, all have their own folders so that everything has it’s place and I can’t accidentally submit an essay to Northwestern saying why I want to go to UChicago.

Hard copies are super important, at least as far as editing goes. I got a 5-layered magazine rack from IKEA for only $15, and labeled each section as follows: “First Drafts”, “Ready for Revisions”, “Ready to Be Read”, “Last Edits”, and “Submissions”. The first drafts section is probably pretty self explanatory, but the others may not be as easy to grasp if you’re not in my weird organization mindset.

“Ready for Revisions” means it’s not a complete mess, but it’s not close to being done yet. “Ready to Be Read” means it’s been made as good as I can make it on my own, but I need to get other opinions and make those edits before I can submit the essay. “Last Edits” is for essays that have been read and revised a few times, and just need a few last touches before they’re ready for submission. “Submissions” are for finished essays. Ta da, time to send those in (in all their magic college glory that you’ve worked so hard on)!

By having an organized system both on your computer and in real life, it’s a lot less difficult to keep track of what you still have to work on before the approaching deadlines.

As you work on and continue to edit your essays, sometimes it can be hard to have to critique your work as much as you do. For some advice on easy ways to edit your own essays, here are five quick tips.

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Life Organization

While it may all be stressful – I get it – it can be totally manageable, especially when you have everything organized. Whenever you find time to work on college applications, everything you need is accessible and catered just to you, making it so much easier than having to pull out the scratch sheet of paper you wrote your dream colleges on back in eighth grade.

Everyone’s way of creating an organized system for dealing with college applications may be a little bit different, but hopefully you’ve gained a tip or two for creating a good organization system on your own. With even a bit more organization in your college search, it can free up so much time for you and really let you enjoy your senior year. And, I mean, who could turn down that offer? Not me, and hopefully not you either. All it takes is a spreadsheet.


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12 Ways to Distract Yourself While Waiting for College Decisions

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After consulting teachers for recommendations, filing the FAFSA, researching college admissions procedural advice, and refining your Common App or college-specific application, all that is left to do is wait.  The reality is that the result has moved beyond your control and in the hands of the admissions decisions committee, and the weeks-long waiting period can the hardest part of it all.

Given the fact that I am currently going through the college admissions process myself, I have compiled a short list of mindful things that I do, and affirmations that I keep, to ease my nerves during the selection process.  Hopefully, you will see these motivations personally fit upon awaiting your admissions decisions.

12 Ways to Keep Yourself Busy While Waiting for College Decisions

  1. Remind yourself that it is not the end of the world.
    • Often, we may find ourselves overwhelmed with the over exaggerated notion of failure if we are not admitted into a specific university of choice. However, the label of a university cannot affirm nor defer your innermost worth.
  2. Handwrite a list of positive affirmations and post them around your room.
    • I prefer to reaffirm myself of positive characteristics, as I believe it digs deeper than, and ultimately influences, compliments about physicality.
  3. Create something, whether it be a painting, a journal entry, or a music mix.
  4. Bake yourself a batch of cookies.
  5. Remind yourself that everything happens for a reason.
    • No matter the outcome of the situation, it is important to remember that you are not always given the results that you want, but rather, the ones that you need.
  6. Give yourself a spa treatment.
    • Physical self-care is just as important as spiritual self-care. Spa care can range anywhere from taking a bath to painting your nails.
  7. Build a play fortress. Gather flashlights and read under it.
    • There is something pleasurably nostalgic about emulating a favorite activity from your childhood.
  8. Take a spontaneous walk with no destination.
    • In a situation as demanding as college admissions, it is necessary to do something for yourself that does not involve intricate planning.
  9. Talk with a friend or relative that you haven’t spoken to for a while.
    • Whether you ask the person specifically for advice pertaining to college admissions, or you’re catching up on life’s adventures, you will gain a new perspective from someone you haven’t heard from in a while.
  10. Have a solo dance party to your favorite music playlist.
    • This is the best release after finishing a college supplemental essay.
  11. Dress elaborately for the sake of dressing elaborately.
    • I truly believe in gained self-confidence through the expression of outerwear. If you enjoy doing your makeup, I would suggest doing your makeup fancily for a day, it is simply another esteem-boosting tactic.
  12. Watch something on Netflix that you wouldn’t normally.
    • I find independent and international films to be particularly intriguing; you can gain new insight and it feels as though you traveled to a completely foreign place, all while sitting in your room.
    • There are great instructional meditation videos available online for first-time meditators. My personal favorite instructor is Jazz of Life By Jazz.  I would also recommend reaching out to your local meditation classes or camps if you prefer meditating in a group setting.

 

All in all, keep busy.  Your life does not end the moment that you apply for colleges and restart when you attend it, so you should value every allot of time during this process towards self-improvement and productivity.  The college admissions process is an exciting, unparalleled once-in-a-lifetime event.  There is no need to worry, you will end up right where you need to be.


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Five College Admissions Blogs You Should Be Following!

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Some of you may be wondering, “Is YGITW the only source for my college admissions needs?” and the answer is no! There are many different admissions blogs available on the internet (although YGITW is obviously the best ;), but here are six blogs that will help you will all of your admissions questions!

Ivy Coach

Are you interested in the Ivy League? If you answered yes, then this blog is for you! Ivy Coach provides information on the college admissions process for the schools in the Ivy League such as Yale, Harvard, and Dartmouth. With the Ivies being some of the most competitive schools in the nation, Ivy Coach is sure to help when it comes to fulfilling your Ivy dream. Along with college admission, the blog also includes information about Ivy League sports and college athletes. Ivy Coach has also received national recognition and has been featured in credible newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Particularly Helpful Posts:

The College Solution

The College Solution is a blog created by Lynn O’Shaughnessy who is a nationally recognized college expert, journalist, author, and educator. Her blog consists of everything from college rankings to finding different scholarships. Her articles provides an expert's view on the college admissions process and this blog is great for many different uses!

Particularly Helpful Posts:

College Coach - The Insider Blog

The Insider Blog contains information for both parents and students. This blog highlights three major aspects: A Parent’s Perspective, School Spotlight, and Scholarship Spotlight. These different topics feature articles about parents, details about specific schools, and scholarships. But, these aren’t the only topics available on the website, College Coach provides various others such as Advice from the Experts and Tips for Acing the Essays. Another unique feature of this blog is that they provide podcasts for students and parents to listen to on an ample amount of topics.

Particularly Helpful Posts:

College Advice from the Princeton Review

Princeton Review is most notably known for its Advanced Placement review books, but did you know that there was a college admissions blog? College Advice from the Princeton Review provides everything about college advice. The menu selector located on the website can be easily navigated. The menu consists of different sections: Apply, Pay, Prep, Study and Succeed. These tabs can be easily located and it can help you with whichever topic you need. A great feature on this blog is that it also includes tools that can help match you to your perfect university and major!

Particularly Helpful Posts:

College Planning Blog from Best College Fit

College Planning from Best College Fit provides great information about the college admissions process. One thing that stands out for this blog is the Readers’ Forum. The forum allows students to send in questions to the blog’s primary contributor, Peter Van Buskirk. He also tailors his articles based on the questions he receives from his readers. This blog is especially helpful because of how applicable these posts can be as well as how personalized.

Particularly Helpful Posts:


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Four Things to Do When You Receive An Acceptance Letter

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It’s exciting when you get your first acceptance letter through the mail or e-mail. After weeks or months of anticipation, you open that email or that envelope and you read that you’ve been accepted to one of your schools.  But after a couple minutes of celebration, you sit there and wonder, “What now?” Here are a couple of steps that you could take after receive your first letter.

1.Celebrate good times, come on!

That acceptance letter is a reminder of how much hard work and dedication you have put in for the 4 years of high school. Those countless nights that you’ve pulled all-nighters (or is that just me) for upcoming tests have paid off. All that time you’ve poured into studying for the ACT/SAT, the AP tests, or just regular tests have paid off. Grab some friends and family and go out to eat because you deserve it.

But it’s not over because you still have to maintain your GPA or improve your GPA because scholarships require that main your score to hold them. So please don’t decide that you need to stop going to class.

2.Whip out that calculator

Tuition, room and board, and supplies cost can be expensive especially if you are going out of state. Be sure that you have been researching scholarships that you are eligible for that are in your school or from outside sources. If you earn them and you realize that you still don’t have enough money, make sure that you are comfortable getting a loan or working a part-time job to pay your fees. If you find that you can’t pay for your fees and you don’t want to work or take loans, consider another school on your list that you know you can afford. Consider your financial options before accepting your letter.

3. Make your final decision

After getting all your letters and considering the location and the costs, decide if you still want to go to that school. If the school is your first choice, submit your deposit and begin the process of selecting your housing and setting up your school email. If the school isn’t your first choice, think about all the schools that you’ve applied to and think about the order of which you like them. Then, select the school that is fit for you both financially and in liking.

4. Schedule another campus tour

Once you are certain that you will attend this school, schedule another campus tour get another new feel for that school. While on the campus, think about the area where you would like the live, the general locations of the classes that you will be taking, the activities that you would like to participate in, and the distances between areas you will be frequenting. If you have a few unanswered questions, aim to ask the questions to the guide or the admissions office.

I hope these tips will help ease with what to do when you first get your letter and will help in many more letters on the way. Leave a comment down below if you have any questions. And as always make sure you follow us on Instagram and Facebook.


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Five Things to Check Before Submitting College Applications

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With the first semester almost under the belts of seniors across the country, the college application process is coming to a close. Deadlines are quickly approaching and it is easy to become completely overwhelmed by last minute application tid-bits. Here are some important key points to keep in mind and double check before submitting your applications.

Did You Say Essays?

Probably the most difficult aspect of completing your college applications is getting your personal statements, insight questions, and any other essay material the best it could be. The more common essays applicants have seen are the UC personal insight questions, and the Common Application personal statements. Before submitting these writing materials, make sure that these essays have been revised and edited multiple times, showcasing the most positive aspects of yourself to the college admissions.

Keep in mind that different colleges require different writing supplements. The UC, or University of California, system requires applicants to submit four out of the eight writing prompts, and the Common Application requires just one personal statement essay. In some cases, colleges may request more than just the standard, required essays. For example, colleges on the Common App, (like Chapman University and New York University just to name a few) require a writing supplement that is uniquely tailored for their school. Research the colleges you are applying to, and make sure you do not miss any additional supplement essays or questions that are specific to that college.

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Reminding Recommenders

By now, if you are applying to private universities or other colleges that require letters of recommendations, then you should have already asked your teachers, adviser, and counselors for their time and help. The adults writing your letters of recommendations have their own lives happening too, and most likely have a list of several students who need letters also. During this process, it is crucial that you continuously check up on your recommenders and remind them of any deadlines coming up and other important factors of your application they may need to look at. I suggest that you set a designated time before the applications are due to sit down, and talk to your recommenders about not only their letters, but the application as a whole as well. Help them through the Common App site if they are having trouble, and seek their pair of eyes to look over your application one more time before submitting it. Your teachers and advisers understand that this is a stressful time, but if you work together you will get that application in hot and ready!

Of Test Scores and Transcripts

Next to essays and letters of recommendations, submitting your official test scores and school grades come in a hard third place. Although these may not be at the top of your list (especially with those daunting essays in your mind) these are nonetheless just as important. Official test scores, the SAT and ACT, are serious requirements for most, if not all, colleges around the nation and even the world. Look at the requirements at each of your schools, if they request a certain test or not, and make sure that the scores are submitted.

Your official high school transcripts should be taken care of by your school counselor, but it doesn’t hurt to remind them and make sure that they will submit that as well. On the other hand, applications require you to manually type in your transcript and the grades you have earned in the classes you have taken. Double check that section of your application and watch out for any grading mistakes or missing courses. Colleges will match your official transcript to what you typed in the application, and you do not want a little mistake to be mistaken as a lie.

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Proofread Like a Boss!

When you think that you are ready to turn in your application, think again! Edit and proofread every section of your application, despite how little or insignificant you think it may be. Your computer is a robot and won’t catch the human mistakes you make, such as repeating a word or phrase and misspelling an acronym or abbreviation. The best way to get the greatest result is printing your application and reviewing it without that electronic screen. Your eyes will see more without the bright lights from your computer, and you won’t accidentally click “submit” instead of “back.”

The More the Merrier

Whether it is two o’clock in the morning or two o’clock in the afternoon, you never know what kind of evil games your mind or eyes are playing on you. Having another pair of eyes, or even a handful more, will catch more mistakes than you ever will on your application. Get your friends, family members, coaches, teachers, anyone to spare no more than maybe fifteen minutes reading over your application and checking for any errors you may have missed. In addition to that, have an English teacher review your essays to give meaningful insight and advice on how to improve it, and of course check for any misspelled words and awkward phrases in your writing.

There is only a few weeks (and less than two months for those Common App peeps) to submit your applications and hope for the best. The best applications are the ones that are completed fully, so don’t forget to have your apps and essays edited multiple times by different sets of eyes. I myself am in the midst of finishing up and submitting my first batch of applications. The most helpful key point I can factor out is to stay calm and organized until the very end of application season. Best of luck to all my seniors out there!


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Why Should You Consider a Liberal Arts College

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When looking at colleges and universities, one problem students most commonly run into is the decision between a Liberal Arts college and a traditional university.  Liberal Arts colleges (LACs) offer a different perspective to post-secondary education and many more students are enrolling into these types of colleges. While both schools provide the opportunity for higher education, there are many factors to consider when deciding which type of post-secondary institution to enroll into.

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Class Sizes

Generally, Liberal Arts colleges have smaller class sizes. The student to teacher ratio is considerably less than typical universities. Liberal Arts colleges can have as few as 10-15 students to one teacher in a class while universities could have large seminars and have hundreds of students in one class.

Variety of Majors

Universities tend to have many different options when it comes to different majors and minors you can earn. Liberal Arts colleges have broader majors and less specific subjects. For example, a large university can have different types of biology like Molecular Biology or Biochemistry, while LACs typically offer more general majors which would be like Biology. Larger universities also focus on research more than LACs.

Different Types of Degrees

Since LACs are smaller, they offer more general degree such as Associate's and Bachelor’s degrees. More rigorous and prodigious degrees like P.h.D’s and Graduate School for Medical or Dental majors.

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Extracurricular Activities

Larger colleges and universities generally are big on sports. Many of the big universities are apart of Division I sports, while smaller LACs are typically have Division III sports. Both types of institutions offer many different clubs and organizations, but due to the fact that universities have more funding and a higher student body population, more clubs could exist.

Examples of Schools

Some examples of LACs are:

  • Amherst College - Amherst, Massachusetts
  • Carleton College - Northfield, Minnesota
  • Grinnell College - Grinnell, Iowa
  • Pomona College - Claremont, California

Some examples of Major Universities:

  • Yale University - New Haven, Connecticut
  • University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, California
  • Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore, Maryland
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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My Experience Moving from Brazil to the United States for High School as an Exchange Student

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        One of my earliest conversations with Giulia consisted of excessive laughter and chattiness that would typically be heard amongst tight-knit friends since birth.  Giulia attended my New Jersey-based high school for one year--her senior year (2014-2015), as a foreign exchange student.  In this interview (conducted over both Snapchat and Facebook, our only data rate-free means of communication), we discuss the ins and outs of her experience at an American public high school, from her fulfilled High School Musical preconceptions to her travels along the East and West coasts.Moving from Brazil to the USA for High School Tell me why you decided to complete your senior year in America instead of your native country.

I decided to go to the USA during my senior year because I thought it would be the experience of a lifetime to spend one year abroad. I wanted to do this while still in high school because of all the movies I watched (laughs). I wanted to do something different, not just finish high school and go to college.

 

In what ways has study abroad enhanced your preparation for college in Brazil?

I don’t think going to the USA helped me to get into college here, but will definitely make a difference when I start to apply to jobs after college (I'm also now teaching English in an English school, so it has helped me with that).

 What were some noticeable differences between the school curriculum in North America and South America?

American schools are very different from Brazilian schools. In Brazil, we cannot choose our classes, and our grades don't count to get into college. We must take a test after finishing high school [administered by] every college we want to go to, and then if we pass the test, we can get in. Also, we just stay at school from 7 [A.M.] to noon, and we have lunch at home.

What were some things that made your move to the U.S. complicated, if any?

I think being away from people I love was the most difficult part. I missed my family and friends a lot.

 Did you have to develop any new lifestyle habits to adjust to life in the U.S.?

When I moved, I had to learn how to be more independent, because even though I was living with a [host] family, I was by myself in a different country.

 Overall, how would you describe your fellow classmates’ treatment towards you?

I liked all of my classmates.  No one ever treated me differently; most of them didn't even know that I was an exchange student (laughs). I made really good friends, and I can't wait to go back to meet everyone again.

 What was the name of the program that you traveled with?  Tell me about the kinds of trips and events that the organizers of your exchange group offered.

I traveled with Rotary, what I considered to be the best program to [enroll in as] an exchange student.  So, in Rotary, they plan different activities every month for the exchange students (there were 8 exchange students in [my specific location]). They took us to Philadelphia, New York, Ocean City, Poconos, Washington DC, and so many more places. Every trip was awesome, and it was good to know more about the United States. Also, at the end of the [school] year, myself and sixty other exchange students spent fifteen days in the west coast visiting all of these amazing places, like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and many others.

 What advice would you give to future foreign exchange students to America?

I would tell them to enjoy every minute because it goes by so fast, say yes to every opportunity (even if you don't feel in the mood), and do not eat as much bacon and burgers as I did (laughs).

 

Giulia’s experience is just one of the many stories that foreign exchange students have while studying abroad to the U.S.  If you are an international student who is interested in studying in the U.S. (either for high school or college), check out these links for basic information to aid you in your new journey (further information can be found on the website of your desired college/high school):

High School Exchange

Rotary Youth Exchanges: https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/exchange-ideas/youth-exchanges  

Educatius International: http://www.educatius.org/USA-High-School/Other-High-School-Programs/BASIC-Public-High-School-Program

College Exchange

ISEP Int’l Student U.S. Exchange: http://www.isep.org/students/Intl_students/us_higher_education.asp 


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A Student's Review of the Google Chromebook

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Whether you’re a college or high school student, a laptop or computer is an essential. With so many different types of laptops, computers, and now even tablets on the rise, I’d like to give some attention to the Chromebook. I am a Chromebook user at school and I own one as well. They are a more affordable alternative and effective as well! So all of you who are interested in purchasing a Chromebook or are looking for an affordable laptop, this list of pros and cons are for you!

Pro: Affordable

I purchased my Chromebook, an Acer Chromebook , for about $180. This low price is what really got me to buy it. I’m currently a junior in high school, and I was planning to purchase a well-equipped laptop before heading off to college in about two years. I wasn’t ready to spend a lot of money on a laptop I wouldn’t be using for a long time, so a Chromebook was an excellent option for me. My school also provides Chromebooks in class because they are so affordable. Most range from a price of $150-300. For anybody who has a low budget but needs something that can get the basics done, I highly recommend a Chromebook.

Con: Limited Abilities

In the case of Chromebooks, you get what you pay for. Chromebooks run on Google’s Chrome OS. This means that when you turn on the Chromebook, you can log in using any Google email address/account. Through this, you can easily access your Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Mail. In exchange, you can’t run programs like Microsoft Word or Open Office. This is a disadvantage that is manageable, but bothersome. For example, when I download some files off of my teacher’s websites, it downloads as a Microsoft Powerpoint document which I then have to convert to a Google Sheets file in order to open it. The Chromebook is also unable to download other programs like Spotify and Skype. I have to use Spotify through their in-browser web player, which gets the job done, but crashes frequently. As for Skype, I also use the in-browser beta version, and cannot use my webcam or see other people’s cameras. If you plan to use programs like Skype, Microsoft Office, and video editing software, Chromebooks are definitely not for you.

Pro: Portability

Not only are Chromebooks portable because they are lightweight laptops, but they are portable with being able to resume anything you were doing previously on a different device. You can log into your Google account on any other computer, whether it be a Chromebook or not, and have all your files accessible. I use this a lot when I want to add pictures from my phone to a document. I can simply go onto the Google Document on my phone and add the picture directly from my phone, and it’ll be ready for me to use in the document when I’m on my laptop. The whole Google OS system is very convenient for people who are always on the go.

Con: Printing

Ever since I’ve switched from a traditional laptop to a Chromebook, I’ve had to print all my pictures and documents using my phone. The printer I have, which is fairly new, is unable to connect to my Chromebook because it doesn’t offer Google Cloud Print services. This isn’t an issue for me, since I can print from my phone using an app. However, I imagine it would be a huge problem for college students who have to print in a library or the likes. Being able to print is a necessity, and the fact that Chromebooks have very limited printing options is a huge detriment. For those of you who have older printers or rely on library printing services, be sure to contemplate how important it is for you to print! This is something that definitely slipped my mind completely when I first bought my Chromebook.

Overall, a Chromebook is best suited for more casual computer users who have basic needs. I can definitely recommend the Chromebook to most high school students, but for college, I feel that the cons begin to outweigh the pros. But deciding on a laptop or computer is a big decision, so it’s best to consider all options and not out rule the Chromebook!


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How I Balance My Athletics with the Demands of High School

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I still remember the feeling I has after my first gymnastics class. It was a feeling like no other. I felt a hunger to keep doing gymnastics, and that is exactly what I did, even when I entered high school. It was very apparent freshmen year that my high school experience was going to be a bit different than the typical high school experience. My schedule is something I get asked about frequently by friends. When I get ready in the morning, I have to make time out of my morning routine to stretch and loosen my muscles from the night before. Throughout my day, I’ve learned to do any homework that is due soon to knock it out of the way, so I could possibly go to bed earlier (which never happens). On my bus ride home, I usually take that time to take a nap and rest up before I head to the busiest part of my day. As soon as I get home, I do an in-depth stretch and eat for an hour and then head off to practice. Although practice ends at 9:00 p.m., I am not home until 9:30 p.m. and rush into my homework. I finish any assignments that I didn’t finish throughout the day and start studying for tests.

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For any athlete, especially someone doing a sport outside of school, balancing school work, grades, and your sport can be difficult. I know my teammates have their ways of balancing it, but my way, involves A LOT of scheduling (emphasis on “a lot”). For, any athlete doing a sport outside of school, I advise the best thing to do is either get a physical planner or either download one on the app store (I use “myHomework” to schedule my days as well as assignments) I usually start my Mondays off by planning out when I can get assignments done—maybe I can do this one during class, or this one during lunch, and maybe this assignment on my day off. Taking three AP classes doesn’t help, either. My second tip to anyone ding a sport outside of school is to make sure your week is planned. Most assignments are given at the beginning of the week so start with writing everything down, and as the week progresses, add any new assignments given. I always have to make sure I am studying and getting the materials. I always use any of my free time during school to study or do quick assignments. I even carry around my AP Biology textbook throughout the school day and pictures of pages from another textbook I may or may not need to either study or do any homework. This has to be my most important tip, for any athlete out there, use your time wisely. We are always so busy during the day at school, so at the end of the day, after a long hard day at practice, the last thing you want to do is homework. Try to get as much done throughout the day because you never know your mood after practice (coming from experience *points to self*) A lot of people tell me that I try way too hard, but I feel like if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be top of my class. I want to be top of my class so I can get into a great college. This sport relaxes me and makes me want to work hard, but at the end of the day, school should ALWAYS come first, no matter what sport you’re in.

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On top of school work, I also have to manage my progress in gymnastics. Unlike other sports, when practice ends, I still have to be working on my body. After homework is done at night, I have to work on my abs for 30 minutes and then I stretch again for 15 minutes and roll out my muscles to relax my muscles to prevent any soreness the next day. Right before I go to bed I treat any rips I may have gotten from bars and ice down my muscles if need be. Gymnastics is just one of those sports where you have to keep working on your body and strength to improve your performances. On my days off and on the rare holidays we get (Gymnastics is a year round sport which only closes due to major holidays and extreme weather), I am still at home working on my form and conditioning my body. I do this so that even on my day off, my body doesn’t slack off with me. An important part of doing any sport out of school is making sure you are improving, and the hard part is making time to do so, this is where scheduling comes in handy, but for me it’s more of a routine kind of thing, something that has to get done at a certain time each day.

With all the hard work that goes into doing gymnastics, I honestly wouldn’t change a thing. This is just the price I pay for doing something I love. Everyone should be able to do the things they love and still do well in school and life, don’t sacrifice one for another, have the whole dang pie. Ever since that first day in my beginner’s class, I have been hooked and can’t wait till I go to practice or get the opportunity to show off my skills. Gymnastics has taught me so much. There have been times when a skill seemed impossible to get, and it would take months to get, but eventually I would get it. It’s taught me to never give up and to work hard. Skills don’t come by themselves. You have put in the time and effort and get up every time you’ve fallen. If you’ve ever met a gymnast in your life, then you will truly see the passion to work hard gymnastics has given them. And to all my gymnasts out there, “Pointed feet, Pointed feet, Point them hard and win the meet” (sorry I had to make at least one reference to “Stick It” :).


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Facts About the FAFSA Application Process for Beginners

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What is the FAFSA and How Do I Fill It Out?

The FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The FAFSA is the form required at all colleges that accept and award financial aid. It’s the form that provides your college financial aid officers with the information they need to go ahead and create your financial aid package. The form helps determine the awarding of over $150 billion in federal aid, as well as state aid. To complete the FAFSA you’ll need to provide information from, in this case, your parents' most recent tax return, W-2’s and bank statements. (If your parents are divorced or separated, it’s based on the parent you spent the most time within the previous year). You must file a new FAFSA each academic year you want aid.

When is the FAFSA due?

Every state has its own deadline for the FAFSA. Some states and colleges distribute aid on a first come, first-serve basis, so file as soon as you can. High school seniors should fill out a 2017-18 FAFSA as soon as possible. Wherever you live, you should check with your college guidance counselor to find out your college choices deadline for the FAFSA. The FAFSA gives you a full 18 months to file, so don’t worry if you’re late. This means that students who started college in the fall of 2016 can still file the FAFSA as late as June 30, 2017, and receive federal grants or loans.

Who is Eligible to apply for the FAFSA?

Everyone is encouraged to apply. Low-income students who fill out the FAFSA typically receive full tuition from colleges if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students, who do come from a low-income are still encouraged to apply; In some cases, the student’s family may be asked to pay a portion of the tuition if not full. However, students who are undocumented are not eligible for federal student aid. If the parents aren’t documented but the student is, you can still apply.

All in all

Now you know the important facts of the FAFSA. You know what the FAFSA stands for, when it’s due and who’s eligible to apply. Though all of this information may seem intimidating, don’t shy away from it. You never know what will happen.

Tips for International Students Applying to College in the United States

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Studying in the United States is a dream for many students around the world. It is true that going to the United States for his studies may be a great and very exciting opportunity for his resume but not only, you could also improve your English. However, as an international student, you need to prepare this process early.

FINDING COLLEGES

This is the first step you have to do, in our times searching information became very easy. Through the Internet you have a large choice of websites that may help you to find information about the university. Before that, you have to know that the American academic system may have a lot of differences with the system where you from. In the United States, there are two kinds of universities:

- The Community colleges or sometimes called junior colleges are two-year colleges, there are often less big than four-year colleges and also less expensive. After these two years, you will earn certificates, diplomas, or associate's degrees. Moreover, you could choose to continue your studies and asking for a transfer to a four-year university.

- The four-year colleges are the basic way for many international students, in these colleges you could have a better academic experience for example in Sciences and Arts. Currently, the most famous universities around the world are Ivy League universities like Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Yale… Nevertheless, did you know? There are a lot of universities, less selective than Ivy League colleges. They are also good ranked (Duke University, Williams College or University of Pennsylvania.

THE BEST COLLEGE WHICH CORRESPOND TO YOUR INTEREST

I suggest you two websites I used: College Board or College Factual may help you in this process when you create your account, complete information required about you like your GPA, your score on the ACT/SAT whether already taken, and more. Then they will reduce the number of colleges in the list, to display only the colleges that fits better with your interest!

College Factual has more option in the process, then they will send you a report by e-mail with the major, colleges that fit better with your interest. Above all, never forget that you will spend two to year years in the same college so you might choose it closely. I suggest you learn more about the Student Life of the university you are interested in.

REQUIRED TESTS

Many universities want students to take standardized tests, whether you are an international student or not, you must take one of those tests: The ACT or The SAT. You should note that you have to pay to take these tests, about $50 for the US test centers and about $100 for international students because of the tax for international test centers outside US due of $41.

These ones are needed to join a university, better will be your score better your chances to join a selective or most selective school will increase but the score does not guarantee you a place in a college because you are above the average of first year students and in the same case that is not because you have a score below the average that you won’t be admitted.

The University during the application process will review closely your application with your academic GPA from your 9th to 12th grade of high school, score on the SAT/ACT tests, your essays, and then your extracurricular activities. You should also know that these tests may be a great opportunity for international students, indeed in certain colleges, if your score on the English test (ACT) or critical reading (SAT) are above a given score by your university, you have exempted to take the TOEFL or IELTS to prove your English sufficiency and you will save $200.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

After having found the right colleges you want to attend and having taken the test, you will have to manage your application. Some universities use the Common Application, other use another application method that they own on their websites and others ones use a state application like Apply Texas which regroups all the US Universities issues from the Texas system.

Here, will be the longest part of the process, like a 400m race, that part will be the 300m-400m. Application begins in August 1st, and the Regular application deadlines are about December to February. You will have four months to complete your application, including personal information, academic curriculum, interested major(s), and essay(s), so that’s why it is important to prepare that early.

For the admission process, there are usually two main deadlines: Early Decision (November 1st) and Regular Application deadline (November 30th to March 1st). There are multiple information in the application to give, you have to get your high school reports traduced by a sworn translator and send the authentic version, teacher recommendations, whether it’s required, a sample sheet which list all your high school extracurricular activities to complete this part quickly.

You could find more information about the admission process or how to write your college essay in our book: You Got into Where, written by Joi Wade.

PAYING FOR COLLEGE

Financial need-based aid is not the same for the US citizens and for international students. The US government wants international students to be able to pay all their expenses for their first year of university. So how could you pay the tuition and fees which are around $15.000 to $80.000 for university?

First of all, don’t step back because of the huge cost of education or because you don’t have that money. Those prices are generally not what you will have to pay! I am going to explain, as an international student you may be eligible for merit scholarship, but they are very competitive, only the best are awarded. Secondly, if you are very good in Football, Basketball or Track, try to do your sport in college, then you could receive a scholarship from your coach to play for your college. Try to contact coaches of the university where you want to get into and they will respond to your questions.

You can also earn financial aid from your home country, if you are a good student or you have a great plan for college, you should ask to your high school guidance counselor help to get city, department, region or national scholarship.

Thirdly, Some colleges give financial need-based aid, these colleges are usually one of the most competitive. The application rate of these colleges is often under 20%. To be admitted in these colleges, you should have a strong academic curriculum.


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Five Ways to Have the Best Academic Year Ever

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As summer vacation begins to come to a close and Back to School time is slowly approaching us. I’ve decided to compose a list of 5 tips on how to take this school by its horns (metaphorically, of course) and ride off into the sunset of academic success.

Tip #1: Start Getting Mentally in Shape

In between your busy summer schedule, make sure to set time aside for remedial practice of your core subjects, such as math and science, this will help you retain vital information that you may forget during your summer break and kept your brain active and functioning.

Begin to take advantage of the world around you, there are plenty resources for math, science, English and social studies on the internet, such as Khan Academy, which allows you to learn just about anything for free online, you can even download their mobile app for quick and easy learning on the go. Love Khan Academy?, but not into watching long videos? Try Cool Math where there are thousands of math games at your fingertips, where you can play video games, learn math and have fun, all at the same time, it’s a win-win situation.

If you're taking a language next school year and you want a head start, or you're already learning one and you want more practice? Try out Duolingo, and easy way to learn and practice any language you want. They have a mobile app you can download and the program is very interactive and easy to use, not only can you learn how to speak a new language, but you can also learn how to write it simultaneously.

Tip #2: Finish Any Summer Assignments or Homework That Are Due the First Week of School

Everyone knows that daunting feeling you get when you have a deadline, also the stress and anxiety that comes with it. Sometimes it just feels like school is the dark cloud, putting a damper on your summer fun and it's incredibly easy to push any academic responsibility to the back of your mind and put it off till the last minute, we’ve all done it at some point, so there's no shaming. Luckily for you there is a simple and easy way to avoid procrastinating…. JUST DON’T PROCRASTINATE.  I won't talk much about it here, but I will address it later on in the article.

By completing all your assignments as soon as possible, it allows you to focus more on the fun plans you have with your family and friends. Also, while you're having a stress free summer, your friends won't be so lucky, because they've decided to hold on and do it during the end of summer .

Tip #3: Create a List of Goals

Creating a list of short term and long term goals for this school year is a great way to motivate you to do your best in school and it also helps you to get a clear target to focus and work towards.

If your goal is to maintain all A’s you have to put in the work, if your goal is to get an A or B in a particular class you struggle in you must be willing to push yourself. That's just what it comes down to, you must have that kind of mentality. In life, nothing will ever be given to you, you must earn it and when you do the rewards will be worthwhile.

A’s are a great goal to aim for and you should always push yourself, but if you are having a hard time achieving them, that doesn't make you any less of a person or student. I can't stress it enough, GRADES AREN'T EVERYTHING, a number cannot and does not define you or predict your success in life, only you can. That's why you should always strive to do your best because your best is and will always be enough. You are your own dictator of your future.

“The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them. " -Michelle Obama

Tip #4: Start Setting Your Priorities

We all know that high school can be a place where you make some of the best memories, such as going to football games with your friends, getting invited to parties, meeting tons new people and also a place to get an education, but let's not get carried away.

Don't get me wrong, high school will be one of the best experience you’ll ever have, but all of that won't matter unless you have priorities set in place. That means you knowing what matters in your life and what doesn't and as an inexperienced, impressionable teen that can be crucial to your academic success.

High school can sometimes feel like a juggling act, as you try balancing extracurricular activities, academics, jobs, friends and family, all at the same time. You can sometimes feel burnt out at the end of the day. That's why prioritizing can help you keep focused on what matters and what you can afford to compromise. No two persons are alike, that's why not everyone’s priorities align.

Sometimes finding what matters to you can be difficult because you might have friends who want to go out on a Sunday night, but you know you have a test to study for the next day. But by knowing your priorities, it can help you make the right and best decision for yourself.

Tip #5: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE…EVER!!!

I will be the first person to raise my hand when it comes to suffering from the blow of procrastination. I can't tell you how many times I've been caught up in its web. That's why my last and final tip to you is that when you get any kind of assignment (homework, class work, project, essay, etc.) start working on them ASAP. I'm not saying go crazy and complete it all in one day, but strategically break your workload into chunks to refrain from overwhelming yourself with a swarm of deadlines and assignments.

It's time to start holding yourself accountable.This is just something you must teach yourself to do because it is a vital skill you will use for no matter what in your life.

The amount of pressure that has been put on this generation regarding academic success has reached new heights and no matter if you're a freshman in high school or senior in college, school can be stressful on everybody. But, before your first day, just take a moment to breathe and remember you've got this. Good luck!


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Five Apps Every Student Should Have

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Apps every student should have…or at least know about. We all have those apps that are just fun to have but aren’t really useful education wise. You know exactly what I’m talking about: Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. You might say that we use them for education, but I think teachers would beg to differ. I will give you a total of five apps that you need to download this school year.

  1. myHomework (13.5 MB, free)

Hate handwriting all of your assignments that you need to complete? No problem, the myHomework Student Planner is here for you. This app not only works without internet connection, but it can also go in your notifications bar to help keep you on track. If your teacher has an account with teacher.io, then your assignments will be uploaded automatically, but if they don’t then you can manually upload them. Swipe right when completed, swipe left to delete. Simple right? Definitely.

  1. Google Drive (105 MB, free)

Teacher: “Okay class, turn in your paper on Shakespeare”.

You: *Frantically searches for essay* “Um, Mr. Harshknuckle, I left my paper at home”.

Teacher: “Well you better get it to me fast. I’m not accepting it after noon”.

Clock: “Tick Tock”. *Reads 11:56 A.M.*

How many of us have been in that situation? I’m going to save you the shame of getting a failing grade on a paper you wrote because you left it at home. The Google Drive app allows you to access all of your items done within any Google software (Docs, Sheets, and Slides). You can share the items from your phone with anyone. Another benefit is that you can set a document to “available offline” so you can still access it even without WiFi.

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  1. Khan Academy (140 MB, free)

I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s the teacher’s voice. Maybe it’s me. No, it’s definitely the teacher, she sucks. No more thinking like that anymore because we now have Khan Academy. Khan Academy is an online classroom, basically, that aids you in any subject you can possibly think of. It all started from a little YouTube channel; which is still active today. You can find help in subjects from Math to Arts and Humanities. You can also type keywords into the search engine  to pinpoint specific videos. They also offer test prep for the SAT, NCLEX-RN, AP Art History, and more. Extra help, total win.

  1. Duolingo (26 MB, free)

Did you know that if you speak more than one language, you have a higher chance of earning a bigger paycheck (CNN)? Well, you do, that’s why your school requires you to take a foreign language course such as French or Spanish. “But I’m not good at Spanish!” You are, you just need more practice; that’s where Duolingo comes in. It teaches you the basics first then helps you advance. When you first choose one of the fifteen languages offered to English speakers, they’ll give you a pre-test to see where your skills are. You also get to set up a daily goal that you need to reach; trust me, you’ll know if you miss one.

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  1. Voice Memos (Depends on the phone)

You don’t have to download all apps. Just use the voice memos or recorder on your phone and voilá, you can go to sleep now. No, I’m kidding, do not go to sleep in class. But if you need to take a little five-minute brain break in the middle of a lecture or if you are an auditory learner, just turn on your voice memos or recorder and record what your teacher says. Simple.


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Four Steps to Conquer Senioritis this Year

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Senior year is an exciting year. High school is almost over, summer vacation follows, and College is right around the corner. But with senior year comes senioritis which means procrastination, goofing off, or skipping class, but don’t succumb to the temptation. It’s possible to keep your grades and still have fun your senior year. Here are four ways to avoid senioritis and finish strong.

  1. Fulfill Both Graduation and Admissions Requirements.

With college applications opening up for the fall semester, it becomes difficult to balance school work, applications, and jobs or extracurricular activities. Because of that, students’ grades tend to drop. Some schools require that certain classes are needed to graduate, so make sure that you attend all your classes and keep your grades up in order to secure your graduation. Keeping your grades up also helps you when you need to fulfill your admission requirements and earn scholarships. When you apply to college and are accepted before the school year ends, many colleges will require to maintain your grades to stay a student at that school or to keep a scholarship that you may have earned.  Once accepted, students fail to realize that their final transcripts can still impact their college admissions. Not keeping your grades up can cost you financial aid and scholarships at your prospective school.

  1. Stay Organized

Managing your time between school, work or activities, and friends can be demanding as senior. Students tend to lose focus on their studies and concentrate more on friends and activities. Keeping a daily planner with homework and tasks that you need or would like to complete not only inclines you to complete the task but staying on top of your task means that you won’t fall behind on things that need to be done. Scheduling free time is also a way for you to get motivated to finish the more difficult tasks so you can have time to relax with your friends.

  1. Stay Healthy

A common symptom of senioritis is feeling sluggish and unhealthy in the morning which leads to a student skipping class or school. If they choose to go to school, they drag themselves to class and won’t be able to stay focused in class.  Exercising and eating enough protein and vegetables will help get rid of that sluggish feeling. Staying or getting healthy is a way to feel refreshed and motivated to go school.

  1. Set Attainable Goals

Setting goals that you know you can keep is a way for you the get a sense of accomplishment during the stressful times of senior year. Setting goals that are almost impossible to accomplish only add more stress which isn’t healthy. Setting goals teach a student to judge the important things when faced with multiple problems. Getting things done on your own will help in college because it creates a sense of independence that when they enter college, there won’t be any parents making sure that they get their tasks completed.

I hope these tips will help you out this upcoming year. Leave a comment down below if you have any questions. And as always make sure you follow us on Instagram and Facebook.


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What You Should Be Doing Each Year in High School to Have a Successful College Admissions Experience

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Growing up, I used to watch a lot of TV. Even though the heat didn’t work in my basement and the room gave me shivers that went to the balls of my feet, a show or two was always on my daily agenda. With age, the shows I was interested in shifted from wanting to watch the PBS Kids nightly specials to recording every Disney Channel and Nickelodeon original movie that was ever mentioned on a commercial. I was one of those that can still sing both the Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2 soundtracks by heart. Still can, actually, and still with no shame. With my introduction to Nickelodeon and Disney Channel shows, my different visions of the high school life became brightened like Christmas lights, and I was becoming more than excited to go. While I knew I would never be acting at (the fake) Hollywood Arts High School or living on a Cruise Ship, I wanted to know how I could make my years of high school as productive and entertaining as possible within a more traditional high school experience.

Because of the lack of older siblings or other family to help give me advice, I turned to YouTube. At the time, I had already learned a lot through the site, like that cats can do absolutely anything and oranges are extremely annoying when they talk. However, when I tried to do research on how my four years had to go in order to have a competitive college application, I was only able to salvage a few genuine responses, as 95% of the knowledge I gained from the videos were identical advice regurgitated with different wording, advice as common and bland as a saltine cracker. With the help of some exceptions, including YouTubers (Katherout, Annemarie Chase, and Joi Wade), I was inspired to try some things for myself, and found what worked and when I needed to start things.  I worked for you to avoid the mistakes that I’ve made during high school, and a good timeline to follow to prepare yourself for the college admissions process.

Freshman year

Academics:

Academically, freshman year of high school is an adjustment period. Some people, like myself, find the adjustment easy, and others find it more difficult. However, it is a year that goes on your transcript so it’s important to start the year focused and stay focused throughout the year.

Extracurricular Activities:

Get overly involved in activities. If you have any slight interest, sign up to get alerts and go to the first couple of meetings. It’s easier to join some activities then quit them after freshman year, if you don’t like them, than to try to join clubs, sports, etc. as an upperclassman.

Testing:

This should be an area you are least concerned with. Because most of you won’t have the math skills or have built up the English language skills that are crucial to the ACT/SAT. Don’t do more than the practice tests your school may require you to take.

Miscellaneous:

  1. One of the best ways of getting through the stresses of high school and the college admission process is having friends or a community that will support you through both your successes and failures. Freshman year is a great time to establish your “crew” that will be there for you. While these people may not stay with you throughout your entire high school journey, at least having a past connection is a great support mechanism to make the high school experience both fun and rewarding.
  2. Set both short and long-term goals for yourself academically, within your extra-curricular activities and socially. These goals can range from making the varsity lacrosse team, to getting a 3.8 unweighted GPA, to getting into your state school. Writing these goals down and keeping them somewhere where you’ll read them often can help you maintain your focus throughout the school year.

Sophomore Year

Academics:

Keep grinding. Stay focused. If you slipped into bad habits freshman year or were not happy with your academic performance, don’t dwell on those mistakes. Use them as motivation and a learning experience for this year and going forward.

Testing:

By the summer, talk to your parents/guardians and determine how you’ll be preparing for your standardized tests (the ACT/SAT), whether that’s with prep courses, private tutors, or self-studying, in order to get ahead of your peers. If you think prep courses or private tutoring are paths you’ll need to go on, it may be a good thing to pursue during the summer as you have more free time to do the practice.

Extracurricular Activities:

By sophomore year, continue to search for the extracurricular activities you really enjoy. There is no shame in quitting or joining activities this year. If you want to have the possibility to gain leadership in one of these activities, make sure to attend as many of the events/practices/meetings for the activity, in order to show dedication to the advisor or coach.

Miscellaneous:

If you’re interested in doing some more unique things during college, like playing a sport, joining an ROTC program (which you can read about here http://www.goarmy.com/rotc.html) or studying the performing arts, talk to your guidance counselor and see what sort of preparations you’ll have to do before-hand. The last thing you want is to find out when you’re applying that these programs aren’t available to you because you waited too long.

Junior Year  

Junior year is the year you’ve got to get your head in the game. This is the most looked at year by admissions committees on a college application, so you need to.

If this year is getting too stressful, make short-term goals. Sometimes it’s easier to look at getting through a stressful week than a well-known stressful week.

Academics:

  1. For those of you who decide to apply to colleges at the early deadlines in November, the end of this year is the last impression colleges will have of you when you apply, so you need to push yourself academically. Try to do the absolute best that you can academically.
  2. Since you most likely got all of your graduation requirements done with, this is a year to establish a schedule in areas of interest. For example, if you want to be pre-med, it would be beneficial to double up on science classes, to show your dedication to your major to your colleges of choice.

Testing:

Try to get all of your testing out of the way as early into junior year as possible. Start doing prep and taking actual exams by December to give an adequate amount of time to improve your score. If you believe you are going to be applying to a college that requires or recommends SAT subject tests, make sure to plan for those as well.

Extracurricular Activities:

  1. If by this point you have found a few activities that you really enjoy, try to dedicate a bunch of time to them. If you love playing the trumpet, you can play in a myriad of bands, mentor beginner trumpet players, and go to intensives in the summer to help you improve your craft. This sort of strategy allows you not only for tremendous improvement in what you do, but shows colleges your dedication to the activities you involve yourself with.
  2. Look into possibly pursuing leadership in the things that you’ve been involved in. No matter how much you doubt yourself about getting a leadership position, just do it. While one of your volleyball teammates with an ego bigger than the Pacific thought they were guaranteed being captain BS’ their speech and is basically not going to be considered, you’ll wish that you had written a speech yourself.

Miscellaneous:

  1. If affordable, try to visit some of the colleges that you are interested in. If the visit list is still limited, maybe take a week and go to a couple of concentrated areas with lots of colleges, such as Boston or LA, because there are a variety of different colleges that you can visit in order to get a feel for the type of environment that you would like in a particular college.
  2. Stay sane and socialize. Go to a couple of football games. Go to Homecoming, prom, girls ask guys dance. Go to a party, even if you have a lot of homework due on Monday. It will keep your mind clear and sane. You’d be surprised by how much screaming the lyrics of your favorite song can take you out of the stresses of the world and into a happy place.

Senior Year

Academics:

  1. If you end up applying to any regular decision deadlines, you will have one-two marking period grades that will be sent to colleges. Just like junior year, it’s another time to impress colleges and show another strong academic record.
  2. Remember that even after a college accepts you, they can take back their acceptance if your academic performance is not where they would like it to be, so try to stay focused enough where you can achieve grades of a level that is near your highest performance in high school.

Testing:

If your standardized testing is not already completed, work on getting it completed in the September and October dates.

Extracurricular Activities:

Enjoy being on your sports teams, orchestras, and unique clubs while you can. If you aren’t interested in pursuing these at a collegiate level, this year will be the last that you’ll be able to experience them. Make that last year count.

Miscellaneous:

  1. Make sure to dedicate time nightly for your college applications. You don’t want to fall behind on these and not have them at the quality that you like.
  2. Visit the colleges that you got accepted to if possible, to help make your final decision of where you’ll be attending college easier.
  3. Have fun! Treat yourself for the hard work put in you put in the past 3 ½ years.

 


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The Summer Senior Slump: Getting Ready for Senioritis and the College Application Process

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Defining the Slump

The day I am writing this article is the day that I had my first interview for an internship. The day I am writing this article is the day I had a summer meeting for a club that I am an officer for. The day I am writing this article is the day that I truly sat myself down and thought to myself, the summer is almost over, and I have no idea what I am doing with my life. Yes, it is quite melodramatic and cliche for a seventeen year old high school senior like me to say, but I don’t think any other group of words could sum up what most high school seniors feel the summer before consecutive months of worry lines and sleepless nights.

Recognizing the Slump

I woke up this morning earlier and more alert than most. Today was a big day for me and it required a different mindset than most of my summer morning yawns. I needed my mind focused on current events, political awareness, my future endeavors - this list could go on about what I thought the people at the internship I was getting interviewed for wanted to hear. I should have realized sooner that my own personal interests and qualities are the main reason why I would get hired as an intern in the first place.

Before going to the interview, I met up with my fellow club officers at our high school to discuss possible events and opportunities for our club this school year. Our discussion quickly took a different turn, and soon enough we were discussing our worries and stresses about newly released AP test scores, last minute SAT testing, and of course, the he-who-shall-not-be-named of incoming high school seniors. College applications. I didn’t realize, that until that moment when I heard my classmates spill out their college related confessions, that time was not slowing down. In other words, I needed to get my act together, and fast.

Attacking the Slump

On my way back home from the meeting and getting ready for my interview at 12:20 PM, my mind was juggling between the “could be’s” and the “what if’s”. What if I don’t improve my SAT score by the time applications roll around? Could I actually get into a good college with my mediocre transcript? Instead of coming to my senses that moment when I was stressing out, it is only dawning upon me while I am writing this article that instead of thinking, I should be doing. I have my fair share of regrets and I have always thought about doing something I will not regret, but when will the time come when I actually do it? If you’re reading this, you probably find yourself in a slump, feeling regretful, but not actually doing something about it. This new and last school year is not even starting yet, but the weight of responsibilities and worries are already bringing us down. What we need to do is stop concerning ourselves with the “if’s” and “but’s” of our worries, and start focusing our mindsets on kicking our senior year in the butt - in the best way possible.

Meditating

No, I don’t mean the exercise where you sit still and let small chants run out of your mouth, but hey you could do that too if you want. By meditating, I mean do whatever you can to not stress (yet). The first thing you should do before taking on the grind of getting out of this slump is to take a significant amount of time to relax and not worry. Let your mind think thoughtfully, and not angrily, on your mistakes you might have made in the past school years. Reminisce on the enjoyable moments, but recognize your regrets. The first step of tackling a problem is finding and recognizing the root of it.

Although you may be hard on yourself for your mistakes, take this time to also think about any dreams or wishes you have always had. I am a firm believer of second chances and the ‘it’s never too late’ mentality. Have any long or short term goals in your mind? Never lose sight of them and write them down, you could seize the day at any moment. Taking this time to recognize and organize all your thoughts will make it easier once you actually start doing something about them.

Stimulating

Now that you have mentally assorted all the things you have been meaning and wanting to do, it’s time to get those phalanges and femurs moving. Get excited! This next step is the part that requires the most optimism, patience, but most of all open mindedness and fun. Bust out your computer, or any other device that gives you access to Google, and your favorite snacks, because the next amount of hours or days will be your creative research period.

After establishing your mistakes and goals, you need to find a way to tackle them. Need to retake a science class? Find out if your school offers summer courses, or if you can find a college nearby that allows you to take a class for credit. Want to start finding out different career paths? Research related volunteer work that fits your ideal job, or any internship opportunities nearby. Use this time to actually start taking action on what you want to do with your life. The great thing about this step is that it does not even have to be boring or impulsive. Let your creativity flow during this research period and really focus on finding what screams at you and makes you want to drop everything and do it at that moment.

Revitalizing

So you figured out you want to stop being lazy and found some stuff that actually interests you. Now what? After narrowing down your options and choices, here comes the hard part. It is time to actually do it. Interviews, workshops, and applications may be rolling like an avalanche towards you, and it may be stressful and take a toll on your brain. You need to readjust your mindset out of summer lazy mode, and flip the switch to summer productive mode. The key words to this step are practice makes better, not perfect. This is the time for you to get better.

Get better at presenting yourself, get better at a certain field of study, get better at a particular hobby or interest. There is no need to be perfect at anything yet, because that will come later. The point of getting out of this slump during the summer is to improve and prepare you for the school year, when the even harder parts make an appearance. Perfect is an overrated term and state of being in the first place, and overrated is definitely boring. Remember what I said earlier? This is a time to have fun and be creative, there is no room for being boring.

Celebrating

Congratulations! You don’t have everything figured out yet, but you are one step ahead of accomplishing what you initially set your mind on doing. This last step is even vaguer than the previous ones. After focusing your time on isolating your problems and goals, to celebrate may mean differently to each person. You could celebrate by actually throwing a party and using the summer’s heat and your swimming pool to practical use. Or celebrating may mean landing the job or internship you wanted, and actually enjoying yourself doing something new and exciting.

This is the time to do things for yourself, because once August or September rolls around, school will be creeping up on you again. Whichever way of celebrating you take on, you should be proud of yourself for stepping up to the plate, and batting out your problems or goals that have always been following you around. It takes one to talk about their dreams, but it takes an even greater one to do something about them.

During the Slump, and Afterwards

Some of you may be wondering, what happened with that internship? Even if you are not that curious, I will tell you anyways because it is a prime example of the steps I just listed to you. I found out about the internship through one of my closest friends, and it only took a matter of two days to research, apply, and take on my worst fear - getting interviewed. I spent the past two days researching about the internship position and the campaign I was hoping to work for. I had practically all of my older cousins review my resume and do trial interviews with me. I had the general information about this campaign down, and I knew my resume was at its best presentation, even if the only other time I actually touched it was freshman year in our required business class.

Whilst driving in the car to my interview, I already knew I wouldn’t arrive at the recommended time of 15 minutes prior. Additionally, I forgot my cover letter and I wore heels that I could barely walk in. I parked in the parking lot of the campaign headquarters by 12:18, and I walked through the glass doors by 12:20. The office was pretty barren, with groups of desks in one corner and campaign posters in the other. The people were dressed casually, and my internship coordinator could pass as my sister. I was standing in the middle of the open office in a thick black blazer and uncomfortable heels. I could tell you how the interview went, and how I felt afterwards. But I could also tell you that the day I’m writing this paragraph is the day after my interview. The day I’m writing this paragraph is the day I started my internship. The day I’m writing this paragraph is the day my boss recognized me for my superb phone duties, and how I went over the average number of phone calls on my first day (which is a pretty big deal). I wore jeans to the internship today and ate pizza while making survey phone calls. I defined the Slump, but am still yet to conquering it. Cheers, anyone?


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