What I Learned After Taking AP English Language Composition

Among the several English classes offered at a high school, AP English Language and Composition, or simply, AP Lang, is a class that anyone in any grade in high school has the opportunity to tackle. By tackle, I mean tackle. The average student will gain valuable resources of the English language from taking this class. From writing in-class essays every other week, to memorizing over fifty writing techniques - the class is a lot of work, but it is worth it in the end. I know this from experience, because I am the epitome of the average student. I’ve learned that as time progresses in the class, writing essays will become easier, and although you won’t be able to memorize every literary technique, you will have a basic understanding for future English courses to come. If there is one important philosophy I learned from taking this course, it is that you will soon recognize your strengths and use them to your benefit, and your temporary weaknesses are well, temporary.

It Actually Counts

Since this is an Advanced Placement course, it is important to treat this as a college course, as if you were taking it in college. From my personal experience, although my English teacher was caring and passionate about the subject and teaching her students, she did not stand for hand holding and micromanaging. Piles of hand outs and paper assignments would be given to us at the beginning of the school week, and would usually be due on Thursday or Friday, with no reminders given in the middle of the week. Depending on the different schools and teachers, it might be different for everybody, but keep in mind the workload will get heavy, since it technically is a college preparatory course. On the upside, all the workload will be worth it if you pass the class and score a four or five on the AP exam. The class is weighted, adding some extra love to your grade point average, and it will also count as college credit if you kick butt on the AP exam! For more insight, read over the course description on College Board.

You Are What You Read

In the beginning of the school year, your teacher should state the required books and reading in the class syllabus or curriculum letter. Once you have that list, I recommend you start buying them from the bookstore or borrowing a copy from the library or a friend who had the class. I personally liked owning my own copy of the book because you are able to write and annotate all over it, without the wrath from your friend or the librarian. Plus, some teachers will actually give you credit for coming to class with your own book, or at least your own copy for that unit.

Once you actually have the required reading, try your best to not procrastinate when reading, and actually try finishing the book a couple days before the due date. This helps if you have any class discussions or questions you would want to ask your teacher before an in-class essay or test. Staying on the top of your game with reading is especially beneficial with class discussions. Trust me, there is nothing more embarrassing when you have nothing to contribute to a discussion, or worst, when you get called on. Another helpful tip when it comes to reading is starting second semester, try reading the newspaper or paying more attention to the news in general. Once January rolls around, the AP exam is only three to four months away, and it is better to prepare sooner rather than later. Reading and watching the news will help you on your essays when you need to synthesize or make additional commentary to your writing.

Think Ahead

When it comes to staying organized, a planner or agenda will be your best friend. On top of the assigned book you have to read for a unit, your AP Lang teacher will usually give you practice multiple choice tests and practice AP prompts to prepare you for the AP exam, as well as several oral presentations throughout the year. If you’re like me, who absolutely dreads oral presentations, planning ahead of time instead of the night before will definitely ease your stress and anxiety, and actually help you feel more confident when presenting to the class.

Let Your Words Speak

The AP Lang class is usually mainly graded on the student’s essays, oral presentations, and participation in class. Among the three topics, I found that writing about the book or prompt was more of my strong suit than talking about it. The difficulty of writing normally comes across students when there is a timed writing or an in class essay. In this case, time is usually an angel or the devil, but there is nothing to worry about if you take into consideration the following necessary precautions.

Know your school’s bell schedule. Do you have a block schedule? Does your timed writing happen to fall on an early release day? Even though it is a small tip, knowing how much allotted time you’ll be given and planning out how to manage that time is the number one priority. In addition, learning how to write in a pressured and timed environment will prepare you for the AP exam as well. If your struggle with time, I suggest you give yourself only ten minutes to read the prompt and outline your essay, and use the rest of the time to actually write it.

Know what you’re writing about! This tip applies more to assigned essays with due dates or in-class essays based on an assigned book or reading (this tip does not apply to the AP Exam, since you don’t know any of the prompts until the day of). This tip also may seem too obvious to miss, but when the time comes where your class is reading a book you are just not interested in, or the essay falls around the same time as your other priorities, it becomes very easy to get lazy with the annotations and notes, or even put aside the reading altogether. The best way to make this tip work is to, again, stay on top of the reading game. Regularly reading the assigned work and taking the time to make annotations and notes will save you so much time and stress when actually writing the essay. Instead of spending the time racking your brain for quotes or flipping through your novel’s pages, you’ll be spending that time to actually write!

Preparing for the Big Exam

The best way to prepare for the AP Exam is probably the simplest and the hardest - do well in the class. Reading that sentence will probably make you want to punch your computer screen, because yes - it is that obvious and that simple. When preparing for any big exam, your best bet of doing well on it is if you practice the work and material of the subject consistently. Like most of the other AP courses, AP Lang’s job throughout the entire school year is preparing you for the exam. From the beginning until the end of the course, you will be given given practice essay prompts, articles to help with synthesis, and worksheets where you have to identify the certain literary technique being used. I managed to pull through and end that year of AP Lang with a borderline A- in the gradebook, and a 4 on the AP exam (I know it’s not a 5, but hey, college credit!). If you take the actual class seriously and try your best, then there is a guarantee you will get a passing score or higher on the exam. Trust.

Final Tips

Here is a recollection of my final thoughts and tips as I look back at my year of taking AP Lang:

Be specific and detail-oriented. This goes for the broader spectrum and applies to everything in the course and on the exam. From writing essays, to analyzing documents, even to just doing some practice handouts, the more specific you try conveying yourself and your thoughts, the better. The course is all about analyzing and showing your understanding of the reading or prompt, so if you could refine it to the smallest piece of your point (with the least bit of ambiguity), then you’re golden. Everything is open for interpretation, but the score and grade is based on how well you can communicate your point.

Lastly, put in the effort. This applies to everything as well, even the pieces of paper you think are busy work. In this course, everything is given to you for a reason. The effort you put into your work will reflect on the red letters on the first page of your papers, or that final score in July. AP Lang is a course where you can apply “you are what you eat”, or more accurately, you are what you read.

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Choosing to Attend a Private Versus Public High School

Private vs Public. This has been a debate that has been taking place from the beginning of the rise of the educational system that has been present in our country since the early 1900s. What once was a one-for-all education in a town schoolhouse, turned into the formation of city and state funded public schools, which led many parents to consider an alternative education experience to what their city provides- private school. Now I am a self-proclaimed, ‘’private school girl”. However, it wasn’t always that way, because I was fortunate enough to attend two of my city’s three magnet schools while at the elementary level. Once time for middle school came around, rumors of my city’s ‘’bad’’ middle and high schools broke out. I heard about gangs, drugs, and bullying worse than what I was currently experiencing in elementary school. My brother had attended private school all of his life, while I, thinking private school, is ‘wack’, decided to stay enrolled in the public school system until I graduated elementary and then switch for middle and high school.

This September marked six years since I have been enrolled in private school, and I’m proud to say that I feel, my parents and I have made the right choice. Many people felt uneasy upon hearing my desire to leave public school, with declaring statements such as ‘’it’s a waste of money’, or that it wouldn’t benefit me any more than public school did. They also marvel at the fact that I wake up earlier than most teens do, just to be able to travel from my home in suburban New York, (Westchester County), and into the hustle and bustle in Manhattan (where my school is located). As I have previously stated, I personally have discovered that private school is the right fit for me, and I have written this article to dispel any myths that may stand in the way of deciding between the two.

MYTH #1: Private School children are rich and arrogant

Now this is just a hasty generalization (yes, and ode to AP English!). As always, there are plenty of shows, one example being Gossip Girl, which show private school to be a haven for the wealthy and social elites. Do not be fooled by this-- many individuals who attend private schools are scholarship students, meaning that they really can’t afford to be there. I, for, one am a scholarship student. Upon graduating from middle school, my parents, who were having financial issues, did not know whether I would be able to continue in private school or not. Luckily, I was contacted by my current high school and I received a scholarship that has been a big help to my family financially.

Don’t be blinded by the hype of the media. Private school students are just like every other kid, most aren’t rich or ‘’privileged’’, but have just chosen that particular educational route.

MYTH #2: All Private Schools wear uniform

Although most private schools do wear uniform, many do not. There are Montessori Schools, and other independent schools that do not place a uniform requirement on your schooling. If you are someone with a passion for fashion, who thrives on other’s compliments of their outfits, accessories, e.t.c., then private school can still be an option. Some have a uniform that is optional but not mandatory; others have mandatory uniforms, while others have no uniform at all. Never let a fear of uniform influence your high school decision, because uniform isn’t even a factor in some private schools.

MYTH #3: Private school is ‘’harder’’ than public school (or more academically rigorous)

This myth is completely subjective. Yes, some private schools can be more academically challenging than public schools, but this isn’t a one-size-fits-all deal. Not all private schools are rigorous, or better academically, than a public school. I wouldn’t advise anyone to weigh the academic rigor of a high school, or any school, based on whether its public or not. The amount of academic rigor that a school has in its curriculum is unique to every school. Some schools have numerous AP courses, other schools have very few. Some promote the IB diploma, while others recommend dual enrollment. Beyond the private and public school spheres, there are many different types of high schools, all which vary in rigor. Some are rigorous, others aren’t. A private school isn’t necessarily more rigorous than public school, and vice versa.

MYTH #4: Private School student are ‘’disadvantaged’’ when it comes to college admissions

Now this is just one big lie. This is a lie that almost stopped me from applying to the private high school that I currently attend now. While in eighth grade, I was told that top ranked colleges (Ivies, Stanford, and such), do not admit private school kids, that they prefer those who make do with what they have been given, which is the reason why they are said to ‘’prefer’’ public school students.

There are plenty of great public schools, but my city just doesn’t have them. My deciding on attending private school was influenced by my strong desire to learn, which I felt would be put to use in classes with smaller class sizes.

I knew I wanted to attend private school, but I had thought that I ruined my chance at top college admission because of it. Little did I know, there have been the occasional alumni of my school that have went on to attend prestigious institutions such as Harvard and Columbia. It is extremely rare, but it does happen.

College admissions are based on a holistic review, meaning that they take everything into account, starting with the high school you attended. Do not fear, colleges aren’t looking to expel public school applicants, admit private, or vice versa, they are looking for a diverse class, filled with students from all walks of life. Going to a public or private high school will not be an advantage or disadvantage when pertaining to college admissions.

IS PRIVATE SCHOOL RIGHT FOR ME?

Now we have come to the end of our article, the point where you decide if a private or public school education is right for you. Whether you are looking to start high school or college, here are some factors to consider when deciding to take the private vs public school route.

A. Can I survive in a large school?

Private schools tend to be small, while some public schools house as many as 5,000 students. If you hate the impersonal feeling of a large school and thrive in a more intimate environment, then private school may be a viable choice for you.

B. What class size suits me best?

Some people thrive on lecture style classes, and can still stay in tune with a professor despite being surrounded by a large group of students. Others prefer a smaller, more intimate, classroom setting, one open for discussion and comments on observations.

C. Is religious education important to me?

Many private schools enforce religion into the curriculum, public schools do not. Is religion important to you? Would you like to be surrounded by students and teachers who share your faith/religious beliefs?

Those are all things to think when considering any school, whether private or public. I hope this article can get you one step closer to making your choice.

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Why You Should Consider Being a Student Abroad

Why students should consider becoming international students, and where to start.

Maybe you've been seduced by cities lights of Paris, maybe you’ve flirted with the idea of researching new animals in the faraway jungles of the Congo. Maybe you are just so done with your parents, and you want a little room to breathe. Whatever the motivation, studying internationally for college is great opportunity to not only experience learning in a new way, but also enhance your cultural knowledge, meet a diverse range of people, gain independence and self-reliance, and try new foods. But mostly try new foods, because c'mon. Food.

Write Your Own Story

On a more serious note, in the competitive society that rules our world today (and if you are applying, or even looking into college, you've experienced it first hand), anything that sets you apart from the next person is something you can use to your advantage. The American school system is very streamlined so it can be hard to break out of the groove that has been set in place for almost a century. However, an often overlooked method of developing your personal resume is to become an international student. An international student is a student that attends a college abroad for the duration of their studies. But let's be real. As easy as it is to read the definition of an international student, it is a whole other ballgame being one. College is a time of new knowledge, friendships, and to experience such an influential time in your life in a new country...well, that's anything but easy. But don't you dare be intimidated! International students are prized and coveted students of universities all over the world, often times increasing the diversity on campus that the staff, students, and institutions benefit from.

It’s All About Ambition

So what does it take to be a part of the population that earned their degrees abroad? Many sources claim that students need to know a second language to study internationally, but with the UK being the second most popular country for international students (with the United States leading), a language barrier is the least of worries. What's more, many colleges abroad (such as Universities in Germany, the Nordic countries, India, and Taiwan) do not charge a tuition. The only costs are a processing fee for the application, and the price of housing, food, and other necessities. So if the language barrier isn't a problem and money is not a prominent issue, what kind of student benefits from an international experience? In short, the type of student that truly benefits from studying international is a student who seizes the day and every opportunity that comes along as well. Becoming an international student is an ambitious feat, so naturally, the student also must be, well, ambitious! To be ambitious in the context of being an international student means consciously seeking opportunities to embrace foreign culture, striving to succeed in a new learning environment, empowering yourself to make smart, important (and sometimes life changing) decisions without the counsel of your parents, and graciously opening yourself up to new people, places, and ideas.

Just Get Off The Couch

At this point, you should be asking yourself, “Am I ambitious? Do I have what it takes to be an international student?” And the honest truth is, the answer to either of the questions above does not have to be “yes”... at least, not yet. Ambition can be an innate trait in people, but often times, ambition is learned. Ambitious people are not always the people who get straight “A”s, or the star athletes of your school. To be ambitious is to set a goal out of your comfort zone, and through trials and tribulations, eventually reach your goal and succeed in an environment you never thought you could. So, since there is no time like the present, start now; be a little more ambitious every day. Raise your hand in class, slay that speech in English class, make friends with the new kid at school, but whatever it is, just keep doing. Every time you pushed yourself to be a more ambitious person will add up, and soon you will be on your way to being an international student, and more importantly, a kick-butt adventure-taking, goal-achieving, all-around-interesting human being. Who could ask for more than that?

In the meantime, evaluate yourself. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? Will studying internationally help you achieve your goals or help you be a better person? And, if the answer is yes, get going! Be ambitious, adventurous, every single thing in between! Use those city lights in Paris as motivation, or those new animals species in the Congo you will someday discover. Heck, if it comes to it, use your parents’ nagging as motivation to get up, and get going. A world of opportunity (and new food) is waiting for you. But mostly food, because c’mon. Food.

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MBTI Type: What it is and How It Can Impact You in High School and College

Do you ever wonder why you think differently than others? Or why you make decisions based on your feelings rather than logic? Or why some people see a different meaning in certain concepts than you do? Well you no longer have to question these things. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality type test that provides you with information about the different ways that you think and how these different aspects can affect your actions and decision-making.

All you have to do is take a quick personality test on the 16 Personalities website (16personalities.com), and you’ll receive a personality type that consists of 4 letters (for example, ENFP), with each letter representing a certain trait that you have based on the answers that you provided. You’ll be surprised to see how accurately the results describe you! Just make sure that you are as honest as possible in your answers. Knowing the kind of thinker you are can definitely benefit you in your academic experience and will allow you to have a better understanding of your own learning abilities as the learning abilities of others.

The Four Letters: What do They Mean?

Introversion (I) v. Extroversion (E)

The first of the four letters will either be an “I”, representing introversion, or an “E”, representing extroversion. This trait tells you the kind of environment that you are more comfortable to be in. If you are an introvert, you prefer to spend time alone and are often under stress in social situations. You spend lots of time thinking deeply about things that don’t regard your surroundings, and find peace in being alone with your thoughts. Being an introvert is beneficial because it allows you to work independently and rely on solely yourself, however it may hinder your ability to communicate with others effectively. If you are an extrovert, you prefer to spend time with large groups of people and dislike being alone. You focus most of your attention on the “outside world” and your surroundings, and rarely spend time going into deep thought. It is easier for you to communicate and socialize easily, but you often have difficulties being independent.

Intuition (N) v. Sensing (S)

The next letter in your personality type is either “N”, meaning intuition, or “S”, meaning sensing. This determines the way that you perceive and react to information. If you are an intuitive thinker, you tend to take information that is provided to you and find a deeper meaning in it. You look beyond what is physically presented, and are drawn toward abstract ideas and metaphors as opposed to real experiences and facts. You are open to new possibilities and focus more on the future and the outcome of things rather than the present. This trait is helpful in situations that require creativity. If you think through your senses, you prefer to focus on the literal aspect of things. When given information, you work with what you have instead of looking for multiple meanings in it; you want to understand the factual aspects of things. You want to get to the direct point of things instead of analyzing them in more depth. You trust facts and reality more than you trust ideas and possibilities. Perceiving information with your senses is often beneficial when you need to make critical decisions regarding professional matters.

Thinking (T) v. Feeling (F)

This third letter reveals how you make decisions. If you make decisions based on thinking, you tend to analyze situations based on the pros and cons, and try to make the most logical decision with what you are provided. You focus on the elements of the situation itself rather than any personal opinions, including your own. Similar to the P trait, this trait is very helpful in making decisions that require logic and rational thinking, but it may cause conflict in sensitive situations where it is critical to understand the people that are involved. In contrast, if you make decisions based on feeling, you deeply consider the people that are involved in the situation and tend to make decisions in their favor, or in your own favor. You don’t think too much about the rational aspects of a situation; you make decisions based on your beliefs and what you feel is right. The feelings of yourself and of others are a priority over what is logically correct. This is beneficial when addressing sensitive situation, but when making decisions that require logic, personal feelings might get in the way.

Judging (J) v. Perceiving (P)

The last letter represents your behavior and the lifestyle you choose to live. If you are extremely organized in all your decisions and have a need to plan things out before they happen, then you have a judging preference. This means that you are very task-oriented and prefer to do things ahead of time. This can help you in managing your priorities and getting work done when it needs to be. If you prefer to “go with the flow” of things, and dislike making definite plans, you have a perceiving preference. You like to live freely and allow experiences to happen without knowing they will ahead of time, and you do what you can with what comes to you. This trait allows you to adapt to a variety of different situations and handle them efficiently.

How You Can Apply This to Your Academic Career

With all of this information, you now have a clearer understanding of the type of person you are and why you have the different tendencies and habits that you have. Now that you understand your strengths and weaknesses better, you can use the traits that you have to your own advantage in the academic environment. The 16 Personalities website provides you with a more detailed description of each personality type as well as each individual personality trait. They even provide you with useful information about what your personality type is capable of by listing possible career paths that you would excel in based on your traits. You can look through these careers and see if any of them interest you. If they do, try to find activities or extra curriculars that are similar to those listed and see whether you can truly excel in these subjects or not. Having a better understanding of your own mind is definitely beneficial to your learning experience and career path.

Not only will the 16 personalities website inform you about your own character traits, it can also help you to understand the traits of others and why they act or think the ways that they do. Understanding the way others think can be advantageous in high school and college, especially in the learning environment. It can allow you to clearly see and comprehend opposing sides of an argument, and it can allow you to make unbiased judgements. It can also help you to understand people on a more personal level. For example, this can help you understand your roommate a lot better.

Overall, understanding your own skills, traits, and weaknesses can help you in numerous ways.

Link to website: https://www.16personalities.com/ 

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AP Psychology Exam Study Guide: 14 Key Topics to Study

AP Psychology is said to be one of the easiest exam there is, as far as AP Exams go. The AP Psychology exam is all about testing students' knowledge of the 14 key topics outlined on the College Board description of the course. AP Psychology is meant to be give the students willing to take up the challenge of a college-level class. In this article, I will talk about the 14 topics as well as the percentages of the test devoted to each topic. This article will be followed with more articles about my experience and the exam.

Topics

1.History and Approaches

This topic takes up 2-4 percent of the test and talks about the different theories that psychologists used to explain the mental processes. They also talk about the different approaches used to collect data along with the important figures of psychology.

2.Research Methods

This topic takes up 8-10 percent of the test and talks about the different types of research and their importance to gather data and how to apply the research develop theories to explain behavior.

3.Biological Bases

 This topic takes up 8-10 percent of the test introduces the different physiological processes and their relationship to behavior. The different physiological processes include the brain, nervous system, and genes and how they contribute to behavior. This is one of them most parts the curriculum. This chapter also includes important figures.

4.Sensation and Perception

This topic takes up 6-8 percent of the test and talks about the different sensory processes as well sensory disorders. They also talk about how experience and culture can influence perception. This chapter also includes important figures in sensation and perception.

5.States of Consciousness

This topic takes 2-4 percent of the test and talks about the variations in conscious including the sleep cycle, dreams, hypnosis, circadian rhythms, and the effect of psychoactive drugs. This chapter also includes important figures in consciousness research.

6.Learning

This topic takes up 7-9 percent of the test and is also one of the most important topics. This topic introduces the difference of learned and unlearned behavior. It focuses on the different kinds of learning. This chapter also includes the important figures in the psychology of learning.

7.Cognition

This topic takes up 8-10 percent of the test and teaches the student how humans convert sensory inputs into information. It talks about how humans learn, remember, and retrieve information. This chapter also includes the important figures in cognitive psychology.

8.Motivation and Emotion

This topic takes up 6-8 percent of the test and allows student to learn about the biological and social factors that motivate behavior. It also talks about the biological and cultural factors that influence emotion. This chapter also includes important figures the psychology of motivation and emotion.

9.Development Psychology

This topic takes up 7-9 percent of the test and talks about the behavior from conception to death and how different processes that contribute to behavior changes. This chapter has a heavy emphasis on prenatal development to adulthood. This chapter includes important figures in development psychology.

10. Personality

This topic take up 5-7 percent of the test and explores the theories of how humans develop patterns of behavior and personal characteristics that influence how other relate them. This also discusses the research methods used to asses personality.  This chapter includes important figures is personality figures.

11.Testing and Individual Differences

This topic takes up 5-7 percent of the test and talks about the theories of intelligence and the different type of intelligence tests. This chapter includes the important figures in intelligence research and testing.

12.Abnormal Behavior

The topic takes up 7-9 percent of the test and talks the different disorders ranging from mood disorders to personality disorders. It also talks about the approaches to explaining psychological disorders. It also discusses the consequences of label and how the legal system views mental disorders.

13. Treatment of Abnormal Behavior

This topic takes up 5-7 percent of the test and talks about the treatments of psychological disorders. It talks about the different types of therapy and the effectiveness of the specific treatments. This chapter includes important figures in psychological figures.

14.Social Psychology

This topic takes up 8-10 percent of the test and discusses how people relate one another in social situations. It talks about the social psychologists and what they study such as social attitudes, social influence, etc. This chapter includes the important figures in social psychology.

I hope these tips will help you and I hope you come back for the other article. This information comes from the College Board description of the course. 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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Three Ways to Choose the Best Fit College For You

Choosing a college is tough stuff. Whether you’re a high schooler, or an undergrad looking out the far, foggy horizon of grad school., choosing a college that’s right for you is tough stuff. But, thankfully, not impossible.

And even more thankfully, if you’re a high schooler, it’s easier than you might think.

Here is where I’ll give you a four step formula to choosing the right college for you that’ll ensure a low-anxiety admissions process: examining your skill set, research, deciding on deal breakers, and making your final decision. As a teenager, it may already seem difficult to navigate just exactly what you want to be doing for the next couple of decades – a valid claim. But thankfully, self-analyzation comes first.

EXAMINING YOUR SKILL SET

This is the part where you take a step back and evaluate yourself. If you grew up with your parents telling you that you were the best at everything, then quite frankly, you’re already behind.

It’s easy to catch up, though. (First thing's first is to leave any and all ego at the door.) 

Heading straight away into college with a major isn’t a necessity; you’ll be stuck taking all your general requirements freshman year. After that, you’ll sort of need to have one. 

On one hand, figuring out what you really want to do in your first year seems like the most fool proof plan: classes in college tend to be more engaging and reminiscent of the real life situations of the particular field than anything you could find in a high school. Take a philosophy class, or a biblical studies class, or a class on old world piracy. 

On the other hand, letting yourself wander around aimlessly without a goal in mind, if not a major, isn't the best idea. Certain majors and programs have you working on specific requirements in your freshman year, which would set you behind in terms of credits. You'd be forcing yourself to work harder in the long run. And the key to college is working smart, not hard (don’t tell your parents that though).

So self-evaluate. What are you good at? What are you favorite subjects at school? What do your personal skills, however minuscule they might seem, and your interests within the realm of academia have in common? Are you more critical, or more creative? Can you speak well, or explain things well? Would you rather write a book or read it? Does math make your head hurt? Does reading Shakespearian literature? What are the coolest careers to you? What topics have you researched and uncomfortable amount about?

And while you’re at it, be as brutally honest as possible without beating yourself up. You may have a thousand weaknesses, but a single strength could take you places you could never imagine.

DECIDING ON (AND STICKING WITH) DEAL BREAKERS

Thinking back to my own personal college decision process, this was probably the hardest part because I did it after I researched and fell in love a few schools already. Deal breakers should be hashed out beforehand and be kept in the back of your head (or on paper) as a reference point while you research.

I don’t think this is a question we ask ourselves enough during the college process: when it comes to your education, what are you not willing to sacrifice?

Whether it’s communal bathrooms in the dorms, or a lack of sports enthusiasm, or the school being too far away from home, or the school having very little people of color – there’s probably at least two things about each of the schools you’re considering that you won’t be happy with. Make a little list for yourself. You just went through all that painful self-analyzation, right? What are your needs a student?

Mind you, the list shouldn’t have longer than five deal breakers. A perfect school isn’t a real thing for most people – and that’s perfectly okay. It's also perfectly okay to end up compromising on them.

You need to make a list, and a small list, of your absolute necessities in a school, and stick with it. It’ll be helpful when you’ve done all your research and start picking off potential places to learn.

For me, my absolute necessity was diversity. I grew up the only Somali and Muslim in my whole school, and I graduated that way. It was too emotionally and mentally tiring to not have people like me around, and the only way I was active in my local community was through school, so I wouldn't be making many friends outside of school. I turned down an acceptance second best university in my state for being a PWI (predominantly white institution) and I haven’t looked back.

So when you make those deal breakers, make sure you keep your specific realities in mind. Your background, your parents financial state, your personal shortcomings, and your personal needs. It matters because your experience with education matters.

RESEARCH

Alright, time to get online. And not on social media.

I’m watching you, punk.

Get to research. You can’t handle any situation without accurate information. This step has a few parts in itself, so I apologize for cheating (admittedly, it’s also the least straight forward). It’s important to research the schools you’re considering, the degrees you’re considering, and the careers you’re considering.

It doesn’t have to be a very structured research center either -  just grab a bowl of ice cream and start Googling stuff. Or, if you’re that painfully organized, grab the bowl of ice cream, a pen, and take some notes.

It’s important to do as much research as possible in whatever amount of time afforded to you when it comes to choosing a school. Some great questions to investigate online would be whether the institution makes changing majors (or double majoring) easy, what their retention rate is, how their graduates do in the job market after graduation, as well as it’s core strengths. There isn’t a single school that does everything at a hundred percent. It’s why there are dozen different Ivy League schools.

You wouldn’t pass over Columbia for Princeton when you’re going to be doing Religious Studies just because it’s Princeton. 

It’s important to match the right school to the right degree or program as well. This is especially important if you’re going to be going into any science or math field. For instance: if you’d like to be an engineer, what type of engineer would you like to be? Engineering has different degree programs that equip you with different skill sets. Would you like to work in a specific field? Do you want flexibility with your future career? What sorts of problems will you be able to solve by the time you leave school? It’s important to know just what exactly what you can do and which road you’ll go on with the piece of paper they’ll be handing you at the end of those four or five years.

It’s arguably the most important to match the right degree to the right school. You may not be exactly where you think you’ll be a decade from now, but you’re probably going to be somewhere near it. Even careers have pros and cons, and money can definitely be one of them for people who’ll have certain financial obligations in the future. I do urge you to not weigh money over passion, though.

How much will you possibly make?  Is the job pool saturated? Will there be a decline in positions over the next ten years? Could you go overseas with this degree? Could you switch fields with relative ease?

Also, for the record, research by word of mouth is important too. Talk to you high school teachers, family, friends, and even people within fields that interest you. You might get completely new perspectives than you thought you ever would.

MAKING YOUR FINAL DECISION

Well, finally. After months, or weeks, or days, or even several hours tapping the heck out of your keyboard, you’re equipped to make a decision. You’re well informed about who you are, what you can do, where you want to go, and what you’ll need wading through those post-secondary education waters. You may even have a couple of admissions papers laying around somewhere as you read this.

You’re ready to make an awesome decision.

So…pick one.

That’s about it at this point, honestly.

Now this is where the understandable amount of doubt kicks in. What if you really aren’t ready to make a decision about where you’re going? What if your second best option was really the best and you passed it up over something arguably nonsensical? What if you hate your major? Your school? What if you’re making all the wrong moves?

That’s the great thing about life: you very nearly always have options, especially when it comes to higher education. If you’ve got to switch majors, or even transfer, it’s possible. Taking the time to choosing wisely doesn’t mean that you’ll be stuck with that particular choice forever.

HINDSIGHT

No one said this was an easy process. And if they did, they’re either a pretentious liar or their life hasn’t gotten complicated enough yet. Complexity is necessary to existence (although you should save all that existential stuff for your inevitable foray into a Philosophy class).

This is tough stuff. Luckily, if you read all of this, you’re tough stuff too.

So get out there and get to work! You’ll be thanking your high school self in a few years on the line.

LIL BITY RESOURCES

The best website for dissecting careers and degrees: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/college-search

Engineering Q&A from the Engineering Barbie herself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qABzig5giHs

About Student Loans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Lf4ETeiAQ&ab_channel=HowtoAdult

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Five Steps to Studying More Effectively

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

• 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.  

• 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

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

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.

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.

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

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.
13. • 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!

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:

• "Connecting with Readers in College Admissions Essays" 

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:

• "10 Things to Know About the New FAFSA Changes"
• "Why You MUST Use Net Price Calculators!" 

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:

• "School's In! Application Workshop: Filling Out the Common Application" 

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:

• "How to Compare Colleges and Find Your Target Schools"
• "What High School Classes Do Colleges Look For?"

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:

• "BCF Readers' Forum 10/22/16"
• “‘Connect the Dots’ With Your College Application" 

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Four Things to Do When You Receive An Acceptance Letter

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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Scholarships to Apply to This November

It's November: most of the leaves have fallen, the weather is getting colder, and some of the biggest family holidays of the year are approaching. Most of us have settled into the current school year by now as well, so it's a great time to look through and maybe apply to some scholarships. Here are just a few to consider before you go back home for Thanksgiving dinner:

Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award

Amount: $36,000

Deadline: Nominations due December 18th, Applications due January 4th

Age/Grade: 13-19 years old

Other Requirements: Self-identify as Jewish, resident of the United States.

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards celebrate tikkun olam, or "repairing the world," by supporting leadership among Jewish teens.The Awards honor Jewish teens between ages 13 and 19 who have engaged in service projects in which they have demonstrated their leadership skills within their community. $36,000 is provided to 15 recipients to further their education or philanthropic projects. Teens may be nominated by a community member who is not a part of their family or may apply themselves. Teens must not have been compensated for their community service in order to be eligible.

EngineerGirl Essay Contest

Amount: 1st place $500

Deadline: Feburary 1st

Age/Grade: Grades 3-12

Student between grades 3-12 will respond in an essay to a prompt based on the student's grade level. Elementary students (grades 3-5) will write a 400-700 word essay in which they "Identify an organization that might implement your proposed solution and write a letter to the leader of that organization." Middle school students (grades 6-8) will write a 600-1100 word essay where they "write a project summary for the organization’s public relations (PR) department." High school students (grades 9-12) must write a 1000-1500 word essay in which the student will "Imagine that you are an engineer in an engineering firm poised to implement your proposed solution in a specific location and/or situation.  Write a proposal to the organization that would fund this project." Further detail on each prompt can be found on the EngineerGirl website. One scholarship will given to a student in each grade category.

Foot Locker Scholar Athlete Scholarship

Amount: $25,000

Deadline: December 16th

Age/Grade: Grade 12

Other Requirement: Must be a member of a high school sports team or involved in after school sports, maintain an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher, must be entering an accredited 4 year US college or university, and must be a United States resident.

The Foot Locker Scholar Athlete Scholarship celebrates students who have demonstrated impressive leadership not only in their sports teams, but in their classrooms and communities as well. The scholarship helps athletes pursue their dreams of attending a 4 year college or university. Applicant will be evaluated on their sportsmanship, moral character, commitment to their community, leadership skills, academic excellence, and diverse background. Winners will be announced in April of 2017.

National WWII Museum Student Essay Contest

Amount: 1st place $1000

Deadline: December 2nd

Age/Grade: Grades 5-12

Other Requirements: Must be a resident of the United States

In honor of activist, professor, and Nobel Peace Prize winning author Elie Wiesel, the National WWII Museum is holding an essay competition in which middle and high school students are asked to respond to a quote by Wiesel about his life and legacy. In no more than 500 words for middle school and 1000 words for high school, students will respond to Wiesel's quote from their own point of view as a young person coming-of-age in the 21st century. Only the first 500 entries will be accepted for each age group, so start writing!

AFA Teens for Alzheimer's Awareness College Scholarship

Amount: $1000

Deadline: February 15th

Age/Grade: Grade 12

Other Requirements: Plan to attend an accredited college/university within 12 months, currently enrolled in a United States high school

More families than ever are being affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and as a result, many teenagers have personal experiences with the disease through their own families, by watching friends and neighbors, or involvement in community service. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, in an effort to provide an outlet for teens to express their thoughts and experiences on the disease, is offering the Alzheimer's Awareness College Scholarship. Students will submit a 1200-1500 word essay about how Alzheimer's disease has impacted their life and what they have learned about themselves, their families and/or community in coping with this disease. In addition, student will also have to submit a 200 word autobiography and their current high school transcript when applying.

The Fountain Essay Contest

Amount: 1st place $1000

Deadline: December 31st

Age/Grade: Open to students of all ages

For the Fountain Essay Contest, students will write a 1500-2500 word essay discussing the issue facing today's immigrants. Topics can include the immigrant status of you or your family members, how immigrants contribute to society, if they cause problems in society and how would you help immigrants thrive. Students around the world are encouraged to participate.

We The Students Scholarship Contest

Amount: up to $5000

Deadline: February 5th

Age/Grade: High school students ages 14-19

Other Requirements: Must be a United States resident

The We The Students Scholarship Contest focuses on the ideas of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and in 2016 will be centered around civil disobedience. Students are asked to write a 500-800 word essay responding to the question "does peaceful resistance to laws positively or negatively impact a free society?" The essay should incorporate the aforementioned principles as well as examples supporting your conclusion. Resources regarding civil disobedience can be found on the Bill of Rights Institute website.

My Year In Poetry

Amount: $1000

Deadline: January 20th

Age/Grade: Current or former high school student under 25

Other Requirement: Are or will be attending college in the United States or its' territories

Take a bit a to reflect on the person you were a year ago versus the person you are now. How have you changed and why? The My Year In Poetry Contest would like to hear. Write a poem about the past year of your life and what has affected you for the chance to win. The contest is a sweepstakes, so even if you don't consider yourself a poet, entering couldn't hurt.

Story of the Year Contest

Amount: $500-$3000

Deadline: December 31st

Age/Grade: 13-18

Other Requirements: Must be a United States resident

If you do consider yourself something of a writer, enter one of your stories in Story Shares Story of the Year Contest. Students submit 1000-10000 word stories for the opportunity to win a scholarship and the publication of their story. There are five categories for which you can win an award; horror/suspense, fantasy, historical fiction, for teens by teens, all of which have a $500 award, and celebrate diversity, which gives a $3000 award.

The Andrew Flusche Scholarship Contest

Amount: $500

Deadline: November 30th

Age/Grade: High school seniors and college students

Other Requirement: Must be a United States resident

For the Andrew Flusche Scholarship Contest, students will create a PSA warning against the dangers of texting and driving. Submissions will be uploaded to Youtube and be judged on creativity and persuasiveness as well as how informative the video is. Videos should be no longer than three minutes and the application for should be filled out after the video is uploaded.

Even if none of the scholarships here interest you, I would suggest looking into some more because who doesn't like free money? Good luck in your searches and your applications!

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Five Things to Check Before Submitting College Applications

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

        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. 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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Four Bad Study Habits and How to Break Them

 Studying is crucial to success in school. However, many people don’t know how to study. Or, arguably worse, they fall into bad study habits. However, there are ways to break those bad habits that we all have when studying, and here are a few tips that I have to overcome them.

Bad Study Habit #1: Procrastinating

While this is not necessarily a study habit, it is a bad habit which prohibits them from studying. Procrastination is the most common setback that high school and college students have to overcome. When it comes to breaking this habit, the best advice that I have is to just start now. If you have a test in two weeks, start now. If you have finals in a month, start now. You do not have to spend hours studying every day, but if you just start with 20 minutes a day, and then increase your study time as the test gets closer, it will prevent you from procrastinating work until the last minute. Another way I like to combat procrastination is by making to-do lists. This way, I feel more accountable for completing all of my tasks, which helps to counteract the desire to put off work.

Bad Study Habit #2: Studying With Distractions

A bad study habit that I know I am guilty of is studying with distractions Julia Cunningham

. Whether it is loud T.V. or music playing in the background or having your phone next to you while you are studying, studying with any sort of distractions is counter-productive and inefficient. Most young adults are most distracted by things like social media, television, or music. However, if you have these things around you while you are studying, it is much easier to succumb to these distractions. I recommend unplugging while studying to avoid these common distractions. Turn off your phone and T.V. or leave them in a different room while you study. Also, if you are often distracted on by your computer, but have homework that requires the use of the Internet, try using SelfControl. It is a free app that is available for Macs. How it works is you type in websites that you often get distracted by, i.e. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc., and it temporarily blocks you from those websites for a specified amount of time. This allows you to completely avoid distractions, while still allowing you to use technology for homework and studying. Another approach to avoid distractions is to study in a different environment. Personally, I like to study in coffee shops, but a library or café may also be good places to study. These are places where distractions are minimal and you can really get into the zone while studying.

Bad Study Habit #3: Studying Late at Night

As a high school student, I completely understand that there are some nights where it is impossible with all of the work that you have to get a good night’s rest. However, sleep is crucial to performance in school. That is why it is important to not stay up studying late at night. Not only will it keep you from getting a proper night’s sleep, but studying late ate night also will not be productive. If you are studying super late at night when you’re tired, your brain will not be able to focus on absorbing the material. While it may seem like it is benefitting you to stay up and read your textbook or notes at 2:00 am; however, it will ultimately hurt your focus in the long run, and end up not being very successful. What I recommend is prioritizing your most important work and work with approaching deadlines first, that way you know that you will at least have your most crucial work done, and based off of when you finish that, you can decide whether sleep or work is the better use of your time. I would always recommend sleep.

Bad Study Habit #4: Over Studying/ Cramming

A final study habit that people often do not realize is bad is over studying, or cramming. I know how it is when you may have already committed bad study habit #1, procrastination, but cramming is not a useful or productive form of studying. My rule of thumb is that I study very minimally before the day of a test, as I should have already prepared myself before. However, I know this is often not realistic in high school and college, with so much work being thrown at you. If you absolutely cannot study in advance for a test, there are better alternatives than cramming. If it is the night before a test that you have not studied for, start out by reading your teacher’s lecture notes (if they provide them). Lecture notes are often a good overview of whatever topic that test is on, and likely what the test will be based on. This is something that should not take too long, and it is better than trying to read an entire textbook, which is virtually impossible, before a test. If this is all you can do, do not stress. Like I mentioned before, sleep is very important for concentration, so rather than cramming all night, cram as little as possible the day before a test, sleep well, and then at least you will have the focus and hopefully reasoning skills to tackle that test.

With these tips, I hope you can break your bad study habits, and strive for more productive and focused work. Happy studying!

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A Student's Review of the Google Chromebook

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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