Category Archives: college guidance

college guidance, college planning, parenting

Preparing for college studies

preparing for college

 

There comes a time when parents have to send their children off to the world of university or college, and hope that the child acts appropriately and completes the studies in a mature manner. Though independent, there are certain lessons that parents should strive to teach the child before they leave home to enter their first year of college studies.

The following are four ideas and lessons parents should teach their child to ensure they are preparing for college studies:

Teaching Healthy Study Habits

Encouraging a healthy study habit is important, but first the student must learn the study habits that are going to help them to excel in their classes. Teaching methods to remember and recall information, habits to study alone and as part of a group, and habits that can help the student to embed the information to their memory are essential for students transitioning to a university setting.

Parents should emphasize the fact that cramming, or waiting until the last minute to study large amounts of material, isn’t an effective way to absorb the information. Proper organization and planning is required for successful studying. Encouraging healthy eating and sleeping habits as part of the lifestyle can help students to get in the right state of mind for studying.

There are classes parents can register the student for that teach basic studying techniques, as well as identifying the type of learning that works best for your child. Using these classes, parents and students can find studying techniques that work.

Teaching the Student to Ask for Assistance

There are many sources of assistance available throughout the post secondary education. Students can find help through study sessions taught to enhance the information that has been learned in the lecture hall, group sessions between peers that can be used to understand ideas, and tutoring services that are available through the university or college, free of charge.

It’s important to teach the student that it’s okay to ask for help, and learn about the options that are available for the student to find the help needed. Asking for help at the beginning of the confusion of concepts, rather than waiting until the concept has been built upon, can help the student to understand the lessons being taught.

Teach Short and Long Term Goal Setting

Parents should teach students the importance of setting goals and the differences between short and long-term goals. Creating goals that are semester wide and education wide both as short and long term can help the student to reach their goals.

It’s important to teach the student to set goals that are achievable and realistic to be reached within the time frame. Always include a time frame that includes completion of the goal. A goal without a timeline is not a goal at all. Teach the student that it’s okay to reward themselves once the goal has been reached, but rewards should be practical and match the type of goal that has been completed.

Teach Accountability

Unlike high school, where students have teachers and parents that ensure the work is being completed, students are held accountable to themselves in post secondary school. If work is incomplete and tests aren’t attended, zero marks are given to the student.

It’s important for the student to realize that they are held accountable to themselves and that they are solely responsible to study and get the course work completed. This is one of the most important things to teach the student before they head off to college (especially for students that are leaving home and going to school). Students must be aware of the privilege and cost that comes with post secondary school and ensure that the lessons are being absorbed, to avoid a squandered education.

The combination of these four lessons can help to increase the chances that the student is going to be successful in their first and subsequent years of post secondary studies.

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Author Bio

Ryan Ayers is a writer who creates informative articles relating to education. In this article, he offers tips for students to prepare for college and aims to encourage further study with a Master in Higher Education.

college guidance, college majors, college planning, financial aid

Why engineering degrees are still worth the resources

engineering degrees

 

There is a great deal of cynicism about the value of a collegiate degree these days, as unemployment soars and many people, even those with higher-level education, find themselves unable to find meaningful work.  While an English or Theater degree may be less valuable than the student would have hoped for, the good news is that an engineering degree can be worth every penny put into a person’s education.  The number of engineers in today’s society are far lower than the current demand for their services, making it not only easy for job placement, but also for picking and choosing where you would like to work.

The Money Talks

The National Association of Colleges and Employers suggests that there are few degrees that are more valuable to a student than engineering itself.  Four out of the five highest paid majors go to engineers, with petroleum engineering topping the scales at an average paycheck of one hundred thousand dollars for an entry-level position!

While a degree in computer engineering does not pay six figures, it is still possible to earn over fifty thousand dollars per year upon graduation.  What’s more, this value is sure to increase over the course of an entire career.  For a person who works for forty years, an engineering degree will provide half a million dollars more in salary than a person with just a high school education.

The Reason For the Pay

Why are engineering degrees and educational paths so much more valuable than other professions?  The answer is simple; it is a case of supply and demand.  Fewer and fewer students are going into engineering in all forms, with only five percent of all graduates holding these golden degrees.

In the United States, this imbalance is especially profound.  Other industrialized nations like Germany and Japan suffer from far more competition, with as many as one third of all students graduating with engineering degrees, but in the United States this particular career path is much more rarely taken. Engineering jobs are continually becoming available worldwide, such as the number of jobs that went into engineering at the Olympics every four years.

How Much Should You Pay For a Degree?

If you go to a major, well-respected technological university, you could realistically expect to pay about two hundred thousand dollars for a five-year engineering degree.  This kind of debt can keep a person in tuition bills for much of their life, even if their highly regarded degree gives them favorable job placement for a firm.  For a state school, however, you may pay only about ten thousand dollars per year for tuition (that figure is about double for out-of-state tuition).  This figure, however, does not include books, housing, fees, or other sums like parking.

How to Pay For the Education

Student loans have now eclipsed credit card debt as the number one source of owed money in the United States.  For those who want to pursue a degree in engineering, it may be necessary to take on significant debt in order to pursue a high-profile career.  For those who want to start a career, move to a new city, or purchase a house, it may be extremely difficult if they have several figures worth of student loan debt.

It is far better to get a type of aid for your education and reduce the payments as much as you are able to over the course of your schooling.  Since nearly all engineering degrees require five years of study, the financial commitment is even greater.  The good news is that the final year is usually spent in a co-op program where the student will earn money, so that it is not always necessary to take out loans for the final year of schooling.

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Author Bio

William Stevens is a blogger who creates informative articles relating to engineering. In this article, he explains the financial situation around a degree in this field and aims to encourage continued study with a  master of engineering in civil engineering.

college guidance, college planning, empty nest, parenting

Top 5 college adjustment tips for parents

empty nest

 

Sending your kids off to college will bring changes into your life. Not only will you have to learn to deal with concerns about health and safety once they’re out of your sight, but you’ll also have the loneliness of an empty nest to contend with. And then, of course, you’ll likely go through an adjustment period with finances. Plus, you’ll have to give up on the notion that your rules and advice carry the ability to influence your kids from afar. In short, it is a transitional period not only for the kids going off to college, but also for the parents left behind, forced to find a new way to live now that they no longer have the immediate demands of parenthood filling their every waking moment.

Here are just a few tips for parents that should help you to navigate this trying time in your life.

  1. Get a hobby. Now that the kids are off to college and intent on living their own lives, you may find yourself with a lot of free time on your hands. While most people would revel in this break from responsibility, the fact that your children are gone could have you moping around the house and missing the pitter patter of little feet (or the blaring music and slamming doors of your teens). A mourning period may be necessary, but there’s no need to prolong the suffering. Spend a few days watching TV and eating comfort food and then find a new way to spend your time. You might take a cooking class, join a gym, or take up gardening. Or you could start a book or movie club with friends. There are a myriad of ways to entertain yourself when you don’t have the pressing concerns of kids taking up all your free time.
  2. Take a trip. Parents often have a hard time figuring out where their relationship will go now that their focus isn’t mainly on the kids. Luckily, this is an excellent opportunity for you to get to know each other again, exploring interests that have long been pushed aside in favor of caring for children. Book a cruise, a weekend camping trip, or a Grand Tour of Europe and use that time to fall in love with your spouse all over again.
  3. Re-budget. Providing for higher education can be quite a balancing act when it comes to your finances. On the one hand, costs may go up significantly thanks to the exorbitant price of tuition, books, and living expenses. On the other hand, parents that plan ahead could have a college fund in place to cover these costs. And if students obtain scholarships, loans, or grants, not to mention paying a portion of their own way by working part-time, you may find yourself with some extra cash on hand. Either way, now is a good time to reevaluate your household budget in order to adjust it accordingly.
  4. Set some ground rules. You won’t have much control over your kids once they’re on campus, but you can still set a few ground rules. For one thing, if you provide a credit card it should be limited to use for school supplies and meals, for example (or else it gets cancelled). And you might want to let your students know that failing to attend class or achieve passing grades, in essence wasting your money, will lead to them getting cut off financially.
  5. Loose the reins. Obviously you’re not going to hire a security company in London or Los Angeles to follow your kids around campus. But if you’re calling them daily and trying to exert undue influence over every decision (from the majors they choose to the food they eat) it’s time to take a step back. If you’ve done a good job raising your kids you have to trust that they have the knowledge and skills to care for themselves and make good decisions. But if you insist on insinuating yourself into their lives you’re only going to alienate them, or worse, destroy their self-confidence and turn them into co-dependents for life. So loose the reins and let them run.

 

admissions, college guidance, college planning

5 tips for finding the “right fit” college

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If you are reading this article, then you can probably relate to the saying “time flies”. One day, you were taking your child to their first day of school and now it’s time to help them start filling out applications for college. In what probably feels like a matter of just a few moments, your son or daughter has reached a huge milestone that requires a great amount of preparation.

We’re hoping that we can help the process by providing you with a list of some things that you can do to support your teen in finding the “right fit” college. Check out these five tips below:

1. Steer them away from peer pressure. According to US News & World Report, there was a report that was conducted a few years ago citing that a whopping 79 percent of high school students selected the college they would attend based on where their friends were going. It is important to discuss with your teen that college is a time of fun and learning a new level of independence, but it’s also a season of preparing for their career as an adult. Therefore, going somewhere to follow their best friend should not be considered a good enough reason.

2. Know what you’re working with. Say that your child has a particular school in mind but either they don’t have the right grades or it’s something that’s close to impossible to afford (even with a particular scholarship or financial aid). Before they put a lot of time and energy into applying, it’s a good idea to first sit down and discuss what schools will accept them based on their grades, ACT/SAT test scores and yes, what is financially feasible.

3. Discuss living arrangements. Once you know the realm of what you have to work with, it’s then time to discuss things like living arrangements. Do they want to stay at home? Do they want to live on campus? And if they do want to live in the dorm, how far away from home are they interested in attending? Also, is studying aboard an option? The reason why this is so important is because your child needs to feel comfortable and safe wherever they are; feeling secure will only help them to progress academically.

4. Make sure it complements their core values. If the best resume writer could provide your teen with some good advice on filling out their college applications, one of the things they would probably tell them is that it’s just as important to select a college that complements their values as it is to write a stellar college application essay. That is why some people go to a college that is based on a certain religion or is all-male or all-female. Definitely knowing what’s important to you, both in and outside of the classroom, is important when picking the right college.

5. Tour a few college campuses. Thanks to the power of technology, there are many college websites that offer interactive tours, but that doesn’t come close to personally going on some college campuses and seeing what they have to offer. So, if your teen does want to live on campus and/or doesn’t mind living in another state, take out a few weekends during their senior year to visit some schools. Talk to the administration, visit some of the dorms, discuss with your child is they feel better on a large or small campus. All of these things will help them in deciding which school will prove to be the most beneficial to them over the next several years of their academic life.

college guidance, parenting

Recommended vaccines for your college-bound student

 

images-8For college students, the probability of contracting communicable diseases is much higher than at other stages of adulthood, and there are several reasons for this. For one thing, immunizations received in childhood may wear off by the time that students are entering college, making them more susceptible to catching “dead” diseases, not to mention spreading them. Just look at the recent uptick in cases of whooping cough, which hasn’t been vaccinated for in years because the medical community no longer thought it was a threat.

In addition, college students tend to have irregular sleeping and eating habits, not to mention less-than healthful diets. Further, kids living on their own for the first time in their lives may suffer from some issues with cleanliness and hygiene, now that mom is no longer around to wash dishes and clothing and clean up the living space. The ultimate result is conditions that practically beg for infection.

Luckily, students can get vaccines before (and during) their time in college to stave off major illnesses. Here are a few that are recommended.

  1. MMR. Most of us last received the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine in early childhood, although many high schools are now starting to require another round for incoming freshmen. As for colleges, they may deny you admission unless you can provide proof of an MMR shot more recently than infancy. So if you had it as a teen, you’re in the clear; just get your doctor to send over a copy of your immunization record. Otherwise you’ll have to get it again. The upside is that you’ll avoid the fever, cough, and rash of measles, the painful swelling and fever of mumps, and the rash of rubella (it is often called the 3-day measles due to milder symptoms and shorter duration, although it is a completely separate virus).
  2. DPT. The Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus vaccine (also known as Tdap) is one that many colleges have started to require in response to the pertussis (or whooping cough) outbreak. It’s not a bad idea to stay up-to-date with tetanus shots since the symptoms (muscle spasms and lockjaw) are most commonly brought on by wounds that have been contaminated. And you want to avoid the other two, which are both extremely contagious. Diphtheria will leave you with a swollen neck and sore throat, or in rarer cases, skin lesions; and pertussis comes with the characteristic gasping cough, which can last up to six weeks. Overall, these ailments are best avoided.
  3. Meningitis. Inflammation of the meninges (or the membranes that protect the spinal cord and brain) can lead to brain damage and even death, and bacterial meningitis can spread like wildfire amongst a student populace. Luckily, there are vaccines that can protect you from some strains of bacterial and viral meningitis (although not all). Since it is estimated that the majority of cases of meningitis in adults are bacterial, most colleges strongly recommend this vaccine for incoming students.
  4. Hepatitis. As you may know, there are three different types of hepatitis: A, B, and C. Hepatitis B is the one that most commonly affects college students since it may be spread through sexual activity. It leads to inflammation of the liver, which can in turn trigger jaundice and vomiting. It may even cause cirrhosis or death in severe cases. However, a three-dose vaccine can keep this undesirable disease at bay.
  5. Influenza. The flu shot is a vaccine that students will need to receive annually in order to stave off seasonal illness. Despite persistent myths about the ability of the flu shot to bring about the onset of flu-like symptoms, or that only children and the elderly need flu shots, most doctors would stake their physician reputation on a recommended yearly flu vaccine. And when you’re on campus and likely exposed, it’s probably a good idea to get one regularly.

Even though most of these vaccines are required, it’s just smart parenting to stay current on the vaccines for your college-bound student.

college guidance, college planning, parenting

Legal rights for college students with disabilities

students with disabilitiesMost college students with disabilities have a strong desire to be treated just like everyone else. They don’t want special treatment or attention that will single them out and make them an oddity amongst their peer group. This is often true whether the disability is obvious, such as paraplegia, blindness, deafness, and so on, or it is one that other students can’t readily identify, including learning disorders like dyslexia and ADD. And yet, college students with disabilities have certain legal rights when it comes to special services provided on campus (although they may vary by state).

These laws are meant to protect those who must live with disabilities from suffering discriminatory treatment, and they also aim to level the playing field so that every student might receive the same opportunities and education. Even if your disabled children aren’t keen to take advantage of laws that pertain to them during their time in college, you should still take the time to do your research and make them aware of the laws out there that protect them and further their interests. We will discuss just a few legal rights that every parent of disabled children should know about before sending them off to college.

The main federal law in place to protect students with disabilities is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (with amendments made in 2008). The ADA is ostensibly a law to protect any American with a disability from discrimination. It is more commonly referred to for instances of discrimination in the workplace, but there are also sections of the law that protect disabled students from discrimination at all state, local, and private institutions of higher learning. Students are also protected by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; specifically Section 504, which states that any program that receives financial assistance from the federal government is prohibited from discriminating against persons with disabilities.

These laws not only mean that there can be no discrimination in the admissions process, but they also require campuses to provide for reasonable accessibility. This could mean adding ramps or elevators in buildings to accommodate students with disabilities that limit their mobility, or providing sign language translators for students that are deaf and note-takers for those that are visually impaired. However, these laws also apply to students with learning disabilities, which means campuses have to make adjustments for college kids that have issues like reading or math disorders, ADHD, and in some cases emotional problems like anxiety or depression. In these cases, additional services like tutors are provided, or students are allowed additional time to take tests, for example.

Of course, before students can claim these rights they must first be identified as having a qualifying disability. Such a diagnosis can be obtained through trained medical professionals. But if you think your student suffers from a learning disorder, for example, many colleges also provide testing meant to identify issues like dyslexia and dyscalculia (in case you can’t afford outside examination). Once your kids qualify as students with disabilities, they should be eligible for consideration under the law as such, which means any discrimination they encounter during their time on campus is illegal. Although you might not want to hire a leading law firm (like http://www.gullands.com) to go after the school, knowing the legal protections available to your kids can certainly help you to ensure fair treatment during their time in college.

college guidance, college planning, financial aid, parenting

The best tax breaks for college students

images-3As a parent, you have a lot of knowledge and experience that your kids in college still lack. And when it comes to taxes you are light years ahead of them. Even if you’re not a tax expert of some sort, chances are good that you know the basics, such as when taxes must be filed in order to avoid penalty, how to file an extension (or just that you CAN file an extension), and how to ensure that you get the most money back by maximizing deductions. However, the college students in your family likely have no way of knowing even these simple facts related to their annual income tax filings. So it may fall to you to do your research when it comes to tax breaks for college students so that you can inform them and ensure that they’re getting all the breaks they’re due.

So what are some of the best tax breaks for students? The vast majority won’t be able to take advantage of mortgage interest payments on their side, and many won’t enjoy the advantages that fall under the “married filing jointly” banner. And while some students work freelance during their time on campus to make ends meet, thus earning them the right to deduct business expenses, this situation might not apply to most students. However, there are a few write-offs related to education that could greatly benefit the college students in your family; but they may need to take advantage of some of them quickly in order to ensure that they aren’t over-taxed.

The Lifetime Learning Credit is a good place to begin because it allows students (and/or parents) to claim as much as $2,000 in expenses related to education (on the stipulation that eligible students earn less than $60,000 annually for singles or less than $120,000 for married couples). However, there are a couple of options that may serve them better. For example, the American Opportunity Credit allows students earning a single income of $80,000 or less per year (or $120,000 for married) to claim up to $2,500 a year for the first four years of an undergrad degree, with a maximum refund of $1,000. Qualifying expenses could include tuition, fees, books, and more. Students may also be eligible for tuition and fees deductions of up to $4,000 per year, although this particular credit is slated to expire at the end of 2013, so students should make sure to use it this year if possible.

Finally, students that begin paying off their loans can deduct any interest payments made throughout the course of the tax year. Since most students don’t start paying this bill until they graduate, it may not apply. But for those students willing to put a windfall towards their student loan debt, up to $2,500 in interest payments may be deducted. Students that take a gap year and work abroad may be able to claim a tax rebate when leaving the country. But if they travel abroad through a school-run program they will likely continue to pay tuition to their institution of higher learning stateside, making them eligible for the tax breaks that will give them the best chance to come out ahead financially.

college guidance, college planning

How do college exams differ from high school exams?

When your kids get to college they’ll no doubt notice a few changes from high school. For one thing, they won’t have to spend seven straight hours a day in class. Depending on how many credits they’re taking they may have several hours in class on a given day, but generally they’ll have breaks in between classes and they can likely schedule their actual class attendance to just two or three days per week. In addition, they may notice a bump in homework. It is estimated that every hour spent in class equates to three hours of homework (including class work, study time, research, essays, and so on). But what can your students expect on the exam front? How will their tests and finals at the college level compare to those they took in high school?

In general, students can expect that college exams are going to be more difficult in general, and there are a couple of reasons why. The main reason is that college exams tend to demand more thought than the average true/false or multiple choice type of test that high school students are accustomed to. No doubt there will be some amount of multiple choice just to get through the rote learning portion of the testing process, but most college exams also include sections for short answers (usually expected to be anywhere from one sentence to a paragraph in length) as well as essays (which may be up to a page in length).

images-1Although the majority of high school students are familiar with the essay writing process, they may not be entirely prepared for the pressure of writing under a strict time limit. In some cases the final exam will be nothing but essay questions, or students will have to turn in a 5-10 page paper that they’ve been working on all semester. Either can come as a shock to the high school grad that is unprepared.

The other difference is a little more difficult to categorize. Professors at the college level not only expect students to portray a greater depth of knowledge, gathered from lectures (and labs, if applicable), reading, and supplemental materials, but they also want to see independent thought. This means that students can’t get away with simply regurgitating knowledge if they want any hope of getting a passing grade, much less an A. They must demonstrate their knowledge of the course materials in such a way that the professor sees that they understand what they have learned and that they can go beyond what has been taught in order to find some sort of insight, whether it relates to their own lives, to history, or life in general, for example.

Kids today tend to harbor an attitude of entitlement brought on by the instant gratification of a “click here and you shall receive” mentality. As a result, their experience in college may provide them with a rude awakening when they learn that they actually have to work for their grade. However, by preparing them for the changes that they’re bound to face when it comes to homework and especially testing, you can help to ensure that they head to campus with a strong work ethic so that they can buckle down and ace every exam.

college guidance, parenting

Eating disorders as students enter college

 

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When your kids leave home to head off to the ivory tower of learning, you probably have many fears about what may befall them now that you’re not around on a daily basis to keep them safe and ensure that they’re taking care of themselves. You might worry that they’ll party too much with their new friends at the expense of attending classes and doing their homework. And for that matter, they could fall in with the wrong element on the friend front. Then there are all of the stresses that will be heaped upon them with the responsibility of managing their own schedule and the anxieties that come with a new living situation and new social groups.

Of course, you’ll probably also wonder if they’re eating right. But amongst all these fears, you may never even consider the potential for your kids to develop an eating disorder. And yet, it’s not entirely uncommon for new college students to fall into bad habits where their diets are concerned, and this can easily lead to eating disorders.

It is estimated that many students suffer from disordered eating–they fail to eat on a regular schedule or that they do not consume a balanced diet, or often, both. But eating disorders are a much more severe permutation of this basic concept. Even still, approximately 10-20% of female college students are thought to suffer from clinical eating disorders while somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-10% of males go down the same path. This is a rather alarming statistic when you consider that the percentages of people with eating disorders amongst the general public are much lower (according to statistics from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication). So what makes entering college a trigger for eating disorders for such a large number of students?

What you need to understand about serious eating disorders is that they are rarely linked to some kind of digestive issue. Rather they are psychological in nature. What motivates people to binge, purge, or starve themselves is often a psychological stressor (or several). When people feel that their lives are out of control and that there is little they can do to relieve their stress, they may turn to the one thing they can control, their diet, as a way to regain some measure of authority in their own lives. Even if that means they are skipping meals or vomiting up nearly everything they consume. In rare cases, body dysmorphia of some kind may be at the root of the problem. But since college represents a hugely stressful time in the lives of most young people, chances are good that the environment and the situation play a major role in the onset of eating disorders.

As a parent, you may have bigger fears concerning your student than whether or not you should send them off with a years’ supply of granola bars, vitamin supplements, and proteinex. But don’t overlook the signs and symptoms of an eating disorders (significant weight loss or gain, obsession with food, exercise, isolation, unwillingness to eat in front of others, and so on). This type of condition can be even more harmful than the partying you’re probably worried about – it can even be deadly.

Since you never stop parenting, pay close attention to any of these signs and prevent your student from going down a path that will ultimately affect their health.

college guidance, college planning

5 Ways for college-bound students to relieve stress

imagesFeeling stressed in those hectic teen years is the most natural thing in the world, but that doesn’t make it any less disheartening. College-bound students are preparing to make many significant life changes, and that can make this a frightening time of life. There are many ways to deal with this kind of stress, some more healthy than others. Consider these five ways to relieve stress and prepare yourself for the future in the best possible ways.

  1. Maintain a Healthy Diet
    Eating healthy is more important than you’d imagine. Good life begins with good food because you are, after all, what you eat. If you’re eating healthy, your body will be well nourished and you’ll have the energy you need to deal with all of life’s obstacles. A diet of junk food will leave you feeling sluggish and sap your motivation, causing problems to pile up. Many students try to offset this lack of energy with lots of sugar and caffeine, which can disrupt their sleep cycles and lead them to become even more exhausted. Start relieving your stress naturally by eating healthy.
  2. Exercise Regularly
    Sometimes the best way to deal with stress in your life is to find an outlet for your pent up energy, and exercise is the best way to let off steam. Exercising regularly will help you stay fit, work negative energy out of your body, and release endorphins to promote a natural sense of well-being. When stress seems to be piling up to impossibly high levels, sometimes the best thing to do is hit the gym or go for a jog to clear your head.
  3. Manage Time Effectively
    One of the biggest stress-related problems for college bound students is time management. If you don’t know how to manage your time effectively, you won’t be able to deal with the challenges that come up in your life in a timely fashion. Start using a daily planner to keep track of important assignments. Prioritize your activities to make the best use of the limited time you have every day. Soon you’ll realize that there are enough hours in the day–you just need to learn how to use them.
  4. Cultivate a Hobby
    We all know what happens when life is all work and no play. Take a break from your studies and worries every once in a while to cultivate a hobby. If you don’t have something in your life that makes you happy, your life is going to be infinitely more stressful. Read your favorite books, paint, participate in a sport, listen to your favorite Conor Maynard songs–whatever it is that makes you happy. Find a hobby that you enjoy and try to make time for it every day.
  5. Be Positive About the Future
    Worrying about the future is natural, but it doesn’t do you any good. The future is always going to be there, and it will always be uncertain. The best thing you can do is pursue something that brings out your passion, and do so positively. Be confident in your choices and chase your dreams. You’ll find that life has a way of working itself out when you apply yourself; so work hard, be positive, and try not to worry about the future.

Always remember my motto–preparation prevents panic.