academics, admissions, college guidance

High School Juniors and the Pandemic

high school juniors

High school juniors may be wondering how the pandemic will affect their college plans. Your student may be asking: 

  • How is this virus going to affect my future college application? 
  • Are these abridged AP exams going to count? 
  • I worked so hard this year, took a rigorous curriculum, but now how can this pass/fail grading highlight my improved grades? 
  • My prestigious summer program was just canceled—what can I do for the next several months? 
  • With all the seniors currently asking for gap years, will this mean there will be fewer spaces in future years?”

These are all valid concerns. Most of these questions don’t have black/white answers yet and as each day passes, colleges are making decisions that will most likely answer all of your questions. Your student can take comfort, however, knowing that every junior is facing the same challenges and concerns. They aren’t alone in their uncertainty.

We can’t know the future, but we can deal with what we know now. As time progresses, the options will change, but for now, here is some helpful information:

Standardized Testing

The June SAT and SAT Subject Tests have been cancelled. You can click here to see the up-to-date information. As it looks now, they are planning tests for August 29, September 26, October 3, November 7 and December 5. If schools don’t reopen in the fall, the College Board will provide a digital at-home version.

The ACT test that was scheduled for April 4 was cancelled. You can reschedule your test date here for June 13, July 18 or schedule a future test date.

To account for all the disruption, colleges will most likely decrease the weight that standardized test scores carry in the admissions process. That being said, if you are able to achieve a high score despite disruptions, you will have an advantage among other applicants.

For the 2020-21 application cycle, many colleges, including selective ones, may choose to move to test-optional admissions. This means that applicants are not required to submit any standardized test scores. 

You can find a list of schools who are currently going test-optional here. 

Academics

The majority of students are now engaged in online learning. Because of this and the decision by most schools to use pass/fail grading, grades from the second semester of junior year will not count for very much in the admissions process. If your student has an option to take a grade for the current semester, I would advise them to do so. If not, colleges looking to see growth in a student’s profile will focus on grades from the first semester of senior year instead. If your student is applying early, colleges won’t have first semester grades available.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities, especially ones offered through schools and the ones that require face to face interaction, have screeched to a halt. Colleges are aware of these challenges. However, students who find ways to remain engaged despite the pandemic will stand out. 

Just because you can’t participate in the normal activities, be creative. Here’s a list of ways you can still volunteer locally:

College Visits

Even though you haven’t had the chance to visit this spring, you can still visit virtually. Connect through social media with current and past students and ask questions about their college experience. You can find them on the college websites, instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Considering all your options

Since the impact of the virus has certainly changed everyone’s outlook on the future and possibly affected your family financially, your student might want to consider some alternatives to the traditional path to college. Talk to your student about taking a gap year and working at an internship or job, going to community college for the first two years and transferring, attending classes online, or even looking at the military as an option.

Other things to consider

Colleges may choose to accept a higher percentage of next year’s applicants early in an effort to lock in more students. Or colleges may also be looking at their list of deferred students and hold spaces open for them in the upcoming class. Financial aid may also be affected because of less alumni contributions with less money to spread around. Colleges will also be feeling the financial impact of the virus and have less money to give as merit aid.

academics, admissions, college planning

Language and Music enhance your Student’s Education

language and music

We all want the best for our children. As soon as we know they’re on their way, we start making purchases to meet all of their needs once they do arrive. We do our utmost to get them into the best schools so that they can have more choice when it comes to what they want to do in terms of career and their future. But there are other things you can do besides securing them a spot in a great school that produces great results. Here are a few things that you can encourage them to do to increase their skills, their abilities and their knowledge. Just make sure not to be pushy. If your child doesn’t enjoy something, don’t force them to do it. Instead, find something else enriching that they’re actually passionate about. This will create the happiest and most rounded child in the long run.

Encourage Them to Learn Another Language

As your student enters school and continues through high school, the best time to learn another language. Generally speaking, children do tend to pick up new languages more easily and quickly. Learning a language encourages an understanding of different ways that grammar can be used. It creates a wider vocabulary. But most importantly, it encourages an appreciation and respect for other cultures, as well as an ability to communicate with others who may not speak the same first language as your child. In the long term, fluency can help them to spread their wings, increasing their job opportunities when they eventually begin to look for work. Many Private Schools will have a wide choice of languages to offer, but smaller schools with more limited funding may have more limited options. Nowadays, learning languages, however, can be easy to do at home online. Language learning apps and software are constantly improving and your kid could genuinely pick up a second language through Rosetta Stone, DuoLingo or Babbel.

Introducing Them to Music

Learning an instrument is a truly impressive skill. It can also provide social opportunities for your child, as they may grow up and have fun joining orchestras, bands or other musical groups. Music comes hand in hand with a host of benefits mentally too! It significantly improves memory, as the mere act of learning how to play an instrument places a high-working memory load on you. They’ll need to remember how different notes sound, where to place their hands on the instrument to create those notes and what order to play the notes in. As well as this, playing an instrument intrinsically encourages improved hand-eye coordination. Your little ones will have to learn how to play without looking at their instrument – instead, reading from music sheets instead.

These are just a couple of different activities you can encourage your students to get involved with to maximize the scope of their education. They’ll greatly benefit from either. If they’re not interested in these options, there are plenty more out there. It might just be a matter of a little trial and error before you find the perfect option for them.

college planning, GPA

The Pass/Fail Grading System and Your Student

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pass/fail grading

Over the course of the last month, as school districts make the choice on whether to give students grades or transition to a pass/fail grading system, parents are concerned that this will certainly have an impact on their student’s high school transcript and GPA.

Some parents, students and local school board members are concerned that ”the new grading system takes away students’ opportunity to show academic progress and will hurt high school juniors’ chances at college admissions, despite public assurances from major colleges and universities.”

No true measure of achievement

“There is a huge correlation between academic achievement and learning,” Allen Weiner, the president of the Sequoia Union High School District school board, said on April 15 after casting one of two dissenting votes as the board majority approved credit/no credit system. “Kids who get better grades have learned, and we should honor that.”

Parents who have seen their students work hard during this semester even with the confines of having to attend class online, feel it’s unfair to give those students a pass/fail grade. Some teachers believe it would be better to institute a case-by-case grading system and reward those students who have excelled with an actual grade.

Parent Susannah Hill said she had a “very strong reaction” when she heard the district could institute a pass/no pass grading system because her son, a junior at M-A, “has worked extraordinarily hard this whole semester” and would like to see that work recognized. She said he’s now even putting in about 11-hour workdays with his distance-learning assignments. She thinks there could be other solutions, such as giving students a quarter grade for the first half of the semester to acknowledge their work up until the March shift to distance learning.

Impact on college admissions

Palo Alto parent Tricia Barr worried that students will be compared to applicants from districts that kept letter grades and that “it could absolutely hurt their prospects in the college admissions process,” she said during the school board’s virtual meeting on April 21.

However, private and public colleges and universities across the country have said that students applying from these districts will not be disadvantaged.

“Certainly, we understand students are primarily taking courses online and often with modified grading scales. Rest assured that we are sensitive to these challenges and realities,” said Richard Shaw, Stanford University’s dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid. “We expect coursework to be completed but will accept whatever grading scale is used by the school.” (Stanford itself has moved to a credit/no credit system for the rest of this school year.)

Parents and students are still wary that colleges will still evaluate a student’s GPA without taking into consideration the current situation. It remains unclear how any parent or student will know exactly how the colleges ultimately handle this situation.

A fair solution

A school board in Spokane, Washington came up with these grading guidelines:

  • Select to receive a pass/fail grade on their high school transcript, for those who don’t want to negatively affect their grade-point average;
  • Opt to receive a letter grade in hopes of improving their GPA;
  • Request a credit waiver from the school principal (for students with a failing grade and those who do not need certain credits to graduate or provide competency-based model to receive a pass grade).

In some cases, teachers will use their professional judgment in assessing competence in a given subject.

So far, these seem to be the best solution. This puts the decision in the hands of the student and gives them control of their own GPA.

There is much at stake as colleges and universities weigh a prospective student’s academic progress. There is hope that colleges will adjust their current guidelines and take into account how students have been forced to study online during their spring semester.

college health, student health

Your Student May Face These Common Health Issues in College

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health issues

You might think that it’s going to be easy to stay healthy in college. However, it’s possible that this won’t be the case. There are a lot of health problems that college students will commonly face throughout their time in higher education. It’s important to be aware of these problems and guarantee that they do not negatively impact your college career. 

Headaches 

You might find that you struggle with headaches in college. Believe it or not, this is quite common and there are numerous reasons why this might be the case. First, it’s important that you don’t rule out that these might be tension headaches brought on by stress. Tension headaches can usually be felt on the sides of the head. Some people claim that they feel like there is an elastic band tightening around your head. We’ll talk about stress a little further down but adding some time to relax and unwind into your busy college schedule is often not a bad idea at all. 

Headaches may also be caused by eyestrain. This will be the case if you are finding it difficult to read the board or even read your notes. You may also have this issue if you are spending too long staring at a computer screen and that’s often a major part of college. It’s common for everything to be typed up, even the notes in a lecture. If you think that you are suffering from eye strain, then it might be worth visiting an optician to see if you have a problem with low vision. You could be short or long-sighted. 

Something to watch out for is sudden severe headaches that you aren’t used to and which makes it difficult to concentrate or even function. On rare occasions this may be a sign of something more serious and it does need to be checked out. 

Stress

As mentioned, it’s possible that the headaches that you are experiencing are a sign of stress. But stress can have numerous impacts on your body. It can leave you with chronic pain as your body manifests stress into something it can tackle head-on. It can cause you to feel emotionally and physically drained long before the end of the day. It might also cause you to feel completely overwhelmed and unable to complete your college tasks. 

Stress is why it’s important to ensure that your time at college isn’t just all work and no play. Essentially, you do need to make sure that you have a healthy balance. You need to work to guarantee that you are not becoming overladen with issues and that can be a problem if you are not careful. You might even want to speak to a therapist on a regular basis. Some people assume that therapy is only for those with serious mental health issues. However, that’s just not true. Therapy can be beneficial for everyone and ensure that you are mental health is being taken care of.

Depression 

When considering the issue of mental health, it’s important that you don’t overlook the problem of depression. Depression is far more common than most people realize in college. It’s possible that you develop depression because you feel as though you are not able to stay on top of the heavy workload. Alternatively, you might find that depression creeps in because you are struggling to keep up with what can be a heavy workload. 

For instance, hell week often causes students to break down. If you don’t know hell week is often a planned part of the college schedule. It is one or two weeks that include numerous exams and essay dates all clustered together. Survive it and you pass through one of the most difficult parts of the college year. Unfortunately, a lot of people do end up dropping out during this time. 

To understand depression you need to be aware of the common signs. Depression is described as a deep sadness that lasts for an extended period. This could be several days, weeks or months. You may find that you struggle to find the energy or motivation to do anything. Even getting out of bed or getting something to eat can be difficult when you are in a deep state of depression. 

Insomnia 

Alternatively, you may find that you are struggling to get a good night of sleep. It’s possible that you are constantly up through the night unable to get the rest that you desperately require to function effectively in your college classes. If that’s the case, then it’s important that you don’t take this lightly. You should instead make sure that you are looking for the root cause of this issue. Again, it’s possible that this is going to be stressful. A lot of people will have trouble sleeping if they are overwhelmed by thoughts swirling around their heads.

Alternatively, you might find that insomnia has been caused by your schedule being thrown off course. During the time of the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are struggling to get a good night of sleep. Experts have suggested this is due to the fact that people are not following their typical schedule. This is why it’s important to make sure that you do have a schedule in college and stick to it as much as possible. That schedule should guarantee that you are staying quite active throughout the day. In doing so, you can guarantee that you do not find yourself filled with energy by the time your head hits the pillow. 

Weight Gain 

Finally, it’s quite common for your diet to take a hit when you enter college. Suddenly, you find yourself living on fast food or ready meals that are easy to prepare. If you do this, you could notice negative changes to your mental and physical health. Yes, a poor diet has been linked to everything from weight gain to depression. That’s why you need to make sure that you are getting a balanced diet and ensuring that you are getting the vitamins you need. If you are struggling here, natural supplements could be the answer. 


admissions, gap year

Colleges Contemplating Not Reopening in the Fall–What does that Mean?

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COLLEGES NOT REOPENING

Many of you are in this college limbo. Your student was accepted to college in the fall, you’ve accepted the offer, and now there’s talk of colleges not opening campus to students. The concern is that if one college does it, they will all follow suit–just as they did in March with the closings.

We are already seeing rumblings and articles in the news about colleges not reopening in the fall. Here are just a few:

Boston University Is First To Announce It May Postpone Opening Its Campus Until January 2021

Boston University appears to be the first American college or university to announce that it may not resume live classes until January 2021. If public health officials deem it unsafe for students to congregate, the campus could remain closed until the start of next year.

Richard Ekman, president of the non-profit Council of Independent Colleges, says that some of the 659 colleges in his group have begun quietly to consider whether they too will have to postpone campus openings. Some are discussing start date delays of a month. Others are looking at more extended closures. “They’re all waiting to get better health information,” he says.

Already, universities are planning for a fall without students on campus — just in case

“We’ve got to be prepared for 100 percent online and virtual and 100 percent on campus and everything in between,” said University of Massachusetts president Martin Meehan. The UMass system lost more than $100 million this school year due to COVID-19 and the refunding of student room and board fees.

Will Universities, Colleges, and Law Schools Campuses Reopen in Fall 2020?

Universities and law schools aren’t ready to make a decision because the pandemic is so fluid and there is so much uncertainty, nor do they have to yet. But the question is being discussed on a daily basis, and we have spent a good deal of time speaking with college presidents, provosts, and deans and trying our best to get the most recent and trust-worthy epidemiological modeling and medical community input.

Even if campuses reopen this fall, colleges worry many students won’t return

“This crisis is causing massive disruption to students, institutional operations and institutional finances. On some campuses, it is creating an existential threat, potentially resulting in closures,” Ted Mitchell, the group’s president, wrote in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Even colleges with deep reserves are expecting a painful financial blow from the pandemic. Brown University was among the first to announce a hiring freeze, citing “dramatic reductions in revenue.” Yale University followed on March 31, asking departments to update budgets in preparation of a “significant loss” in revenue.

‘We’re on the edge of the precipice’: How the pandemic could shatter college dreams

Early national surveys ocof high school seniors are showing those who initially were bound for four-year colleges changing their first-choice schools for something less expensive. Some of those surveyed say they are thinking of giving up on going to college in the fall entirely.

The financial stress for families was cited. About 63 percent of students said they would still enroll in college but were worried about whether they could attend the school of their choice, while 17 percent said their plans have changed, according to the education consultants Art and Science Group.

Students with changed plans said in the survey that they would take a gap year, enroll part time at a four-year institution, go to community college, work full time or enroll in a certificate program. Some still didn’t know what their plans would be. Other surveys have also found similar conclusions.

Already, universities are planning for a fall without students on campus — just in case

Colleges and universities in Massachusetts and across the country have begun planning for what was once an unthinkable scenario but now may be a real possibility: a fall semester without students on campus.

University officials said they are trying to figure out how to re-open safely, how much public health testing is needed for students and staff to be on campus even if there’s no coronavirus cure, whether large lecture classes should be held, how many staff to employ, whether to augment their online capabilities, even what to charge students for online classes.

What will your student decide to do? Will they decide to take a gap year? Will they choose to enroll close to home and save money while living at home? Will they enroll and be satisfied with taking classes online?

Hopefully, colleges will know more by July and be able to make a concrete decision. It’s certainly uncertain times we live in and it’s especially affecting college students and their families.

study abroad, Uncategorized

How Has the Global Pandemic Impacted Study Abroad?

global pandemic

Students of all ages around the world are currently facing a truly peculiar bump in the academic road. At what seems to be the pinnacle of the global COVID-19 pandemic, academic institutions are making large changes to their curriculums. Whether it be by moving to an online-administered program, cancelling events or classes, or shutting down entirely; students across the globe are coping with the changes of their school’s transitions during the pandemic. 

Study abroaders of all ages are facing the ramifications as well. What does the pandemic exactly mean for study abroad students? In the past month here between in Italy and Spain, I’ve witnessed students being sent, both willingly and unwillingly, back to their home countries, students being sent to other countries to carry out the remainder of their study abroad where the virus has not yet reached, and students who choose to stay in these countries despite the situation. I myself identify as an international student and professional abroad, studying and working in Italy and Spain. I chose to stay, in spite of the pandemic. It is my hope to share with students and parents alike the effect that COVID-19 is currently transmitting onto the study abroad community, from here in Southern Europe. 

To begin, we must remember that study abroad programs in both high school and college vary in style, teaching methods, topics, location, etc. Different students are facing extensively different situations as a result of the virus. 

Institutions and programs with study abroad and/or international students in attendance are adapting massively diverse approaches as to continuing the education and safety of these students in particular. In Italy and Spain, study abroaders are generally being given the option as to whether or not they want to return home or stay in these countries. Schools and universities have been closed entirely for safety measures, and most (including my own!) have moved to providing online lectures and activities for their students. 

While boarders have closed in several countries, nationals of these countries (including the USA) are able to return home from their study abroad programs if required/chosen. 

This means that study abroad students are indeed able to reenter their home country, regardless of the closed boarders. Self-quarantine, aka Staying home, is generally requested or required at this time when returning home from abroad. Some European countries are taking precautions such as providing quarantine institutions to groups of nationals who have returned from abroad, for a span of 14 days before they are reintegrated into their family homes. Ultimately, what this means is that study abroaders are indeed able to return home at this point, if they so choose or are required to do so. 

For those of us students who have chosen to stay in Europe during this period, life is continuing as normally as possible. 

Instead of leaving the house and going to school, we set up at our desks at home with a laptop, ready for class. Instead of having a coffee all together after the lecture, we step out onto the balcony to see if any neighbors are in sight for a well-distanced chat. Perhaps the most difficult reality we face during this time is that the experience we study abroaders had envisioned is not going to be entirely brought to life at this time. 

With that said, the community of international students and professionals is always unified, even more so in times of crisis. I’ve seen internet campaigns of support, tutors and teachers offering free language classes online so that we may continue to practice despite the consequences, and new forums for questions and concerns so that the international community may help each other. It’s not only extremely helpful, but also very uplifting. 

Finally, we keep spirits high by knowing that study abroad can and will continue as usual once the pandemic has passed. 

As the world changes, we must adapt with it. Study abroad professionals and academic leaders on this side of the ocean have already worked incredibly hard and quickly to make sure that students are safe, well-informed, and able to continue their education to the best of their ability. There are still, and will be, more opportunities to study abroad both in here in Southern Europe and beyond as we move forward in time. 

For high school students who are looking to join us this summer with Abbey Road Programs, here’s some cool news:

scholarship

Social Media Ambassador Scholarships are Abbey Road’s most popular Student Ambassador award. Designed to promote study abroad and cross-cultural awareness through student stories and images, scholarship recipients are asked to share their summer experiences with their peers by posting pictures, videos and blogs on their social media accounts. Outstanding contributors are profiled and their work is showcased on the Abbey Road website. We award 3-5 Social Media Ambassador Scholarships per summer program.

______________________________________________________

Today’s guest post is by Shannon O’Brien, European Coordinator at Abbey Road Programs.  

Shannon is an American expat whose career in Europe began with a study abroad experience in Spain when she was in high school. She is still active in the study abroad community in Italy and Spain, and works as European Coordinator for Abbey Road Programs, assisting other students in pursuing international educations. 




college visits

Virtual College Tours

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virtual college tours

Campus visits won’t be happening anytime soon. Those spring college visits you had planned have been postponed or cancelled. If you have a senior who is making a college decision (or a junior finalizing their college list), your student can visit from the comfort of their own home.

Here’s some great links to check out virtual college tours on campuses across the country.

YouVisit

Here you can visit 600+ colleges for free either viewing on your device in 360 mode or using a virtual reality device. Tour small or large private colleges and public universities. You can search for the college by name.

eCampusTours

View 360 degree virtual tours of over 1300 campuses. This site also provides helpful college planning tools and articles for parents and students.

YoUniversitytv

If you’re not sure where to go or just interested in a type of college to view (i.e. Coolest Dorms, Best Athletics, Safest Campus, etc.) this is the place to go for a virtual tour of the campus. Colleges are divided into categories for easy searching.

YouTube

Go to YouTube and type in the name of the college that interests you and check out all the videos. SMU, for instance, has an actual official campus tour posted. You won’t be there at the physical location, but you can gather any information your need and even post questions. You can even view student vlogs to get a better idea of what the campus is like from a student perspective.

CampusReel

CampusReel puts 15,000+ students together with community at the forefront of college search with video content. They offer authentic and honest insight with a lens into campus life by exploring different perspectives.

College Websites

Don’t forget to check the college websites for virtual tours. Their web pages are good ways to find information to questions you might ask on a regular campus tour. If you can’t find an answer there, look for ways to connect via email or social media. Odds are you can get your questions answered

college planning, college visits, parenting

Coping with the Coronavirus

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coronavirus

I am seriously tired or seeing “coronavirus” on every social media platform. I’m tired of seeing people panic and act like it’s the end of the world if they can’t find toilet paper. I’m tired of hearing about another college or event that has been cancelled. I guess I’m just tired.

If you have a college-bound junior or senior, you probably feel the same way I do. But along with the frustration comes some concern and disappointment. Senior events are being cancelled. Colleges aren’t allowing visits. Admitted student events are cancelled. Some schools are having extended spring breaks.

How will all of this affect you and how can you cope?

There is going to be disappointment

Your teen is going to experience some disappointment. They have been looking forward to this time since they started high school. It may not be the end of the world to you, but it is to them. Be patient with them. Support them. Give them tons of hugs. You know this will pass but they don’t.

There are options available to make this tolerable

Thankfully we live in a digital world. In person visits cannot occur but virtual visits are available. Most colleges have them on their websites and you can also view some on YoUniversityTV video tours. After that, chat online with some current students you can find on social media. Most students are happy to brag about their school.

Mom can help by asking friends on Facebook for help connecting with current students. Grown and Flown is a great resource for current college parents.

If you have questions that can’t be answered by either of these options, reach out to the college itself. They will be happy to help you and understand your frustration.

Take care of your family

It goes without saying that the number one priority is the health and safety of your family. That includes protecting their mental health. Fear and anxiety can take over when everything seems out of control. Have open conversations about what everyone is feeling and find ways to help everyone cope.

The admissions outlook will change

Sarah Harberson, a college counselor, points out these things to expect during these next few months:

  • Expect decisions to be released on time.
  • Admitted student programs are being canceled amid fears of the fast-spreading virus.
  • With great uncertainty, the waitlist will be in full effect.
  • Acceptance rates will rise.
  • Be ready for colleges to aggressively try to convince students to enroll even after they make a decision.
  • Campus tours and information sessions are being canceled for prospective students and families of younger grades.
  • ACT and SAT tests sites are being shut down not only abroad but here in the states as well.
  • Virtual classes are replacing face-to-face in-person classes for high schools and colleges.

We are already seeing many of these things occur. If you need more information on any of these, read the entire article here: How Coronavirus Could Impact College Admissions.

If you need questions answered or just need to vent, hop over to my Facebook page and commensurate with other parents who are going through the same things you are. In the meantime, take a deep breath and hang in there–this too shall pass.

academics, college guidance, college planning

Strategies for Academic Success

academic success

While there are no single shortcuts to academic success, there are fortunately a number of beneficial ways for students to actively increase the chances of it. Here are the best techniques to encourage your college-bound student to stay motivated and achieve.

Start Preparing Early

It’s widely known that successful students are often those who are forward thinkers. Before leaving for college and starting the first semester, encourage your student to research the syllabus of the course and learn what it entails, such as the deadlines and dates of any essays or exams they will have, as well as any academic books that they may require. Building forward thinking structures such as this can prepare them for the organisational skills that they will need at college.

Learn Effective Note-taking

Note taking is a valuable skill for college life and can make the difference between passing and failing an exam. Numerous studies surrounding students and note taking have proven that those who effectively take notes remember the material better than those who don’t. Students that write down everything that their professors say can prove to be inefficient. It’s best to encourage them to take time to actively listen and jot down the most significant points that can aid their study, and to review and organize their notes to ensure that they are coherent for when they need to refer back to them.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Extra Help

Most colleges offer an array of support services to make the student experience as helpful as possible. While it can be rewarding to feel academically challenged, it can sometimes cause unnecessary stress which can affect student’s overall work quality and performance. If applicable, encourage your college-bound student to attend workshops, one-to-one meetings with their professors, academic writing classes, or even online course training and exam preparation websites such as https://www.athomeprep.com.

Embrace New Opportunities

Keeping an eye out for academic opportunities such as societies and work experience through flyers or social media can greatly impact your student’s academic success. Getting involved can enable students to be recognized, network with others, and learn new invaluable skills that can be instrumental to their desired future careers. It can also be a great way to meet like-minded people and quickly make new friends!

Learn the Art of Balance

While putting effort in at college equates to success, it’s important to remind your college-bound student that their well being should remain a priority above all. Students who spend all their time studying may begin to neglect their sleep, nutritional habits, physical and mental health, as well as their social lives. This can result in the feeling of “burn-out” and can even induce feelings of anxiety. College life can easily be balanced through allowing well-deserved breaks from studying, and smart time management. For example, it can be useful to create daily reminders in digital calendars on their phones and laptops to outline their schedule and set goals, as well as know when to organize study days and rest days. 

organization, study tools

5 Tips for Soon-To-Be College Students

college students

As a college student, it’s an environment where you’re constantly learning, and when it comes to getting the most out of it, there are ways that you can help give yourself that extra boost. Here are some tips for soon-to-be college students to improve their skills.

Always Be Practicing

Practicing something is a sure-fire way to achieve the success of something quicker than you would normally do it if you weren’t. Getting yourself into the mindset of practicing can be tough, but if you have the drive to do so, it can get easier. Think about what skills you need to work on and how you can implement that practicing in some way, shape or form. For example, you could be building on your experience as a writer and so creating a blog might give you that opportunity you need in order to write something new every day. It could simply be using a word generator to help you find better ways of describing or saying something. Opening up your vocabulary is important, and there can be so much use in practicing.

Time Management

Being able to handle your time appropriately is important because you need to be able to attend any lectures you might have throughout the week, make time to study and to see your friends around campus. So time management is something that’s definitely important, yet it’s not something you can always achieve easily, to begin with. It might take a little trial and error to get right but trust yourself to make the right decisions when it comes to getting up and doing something. If you struggle with time management, work out what’s making you late to lectures or to other commitments and then work on the ways that you can help change this for the better.

Learn How To Deal With Stress

Dealing with stress is something that many of us will have issues with throughout our life. It can be an emotion that we all feel to some degree, and some of us can handle it better than others. Try not to panic or make anything seem like too big of a deal. As much as getting qualifications and degrees are important, they are not worth harming your body or your mental health. If you’re struggling, always ask for help.

Consider Money And Budgeting

Money is a big thing for students because you can easily spend it on rubbish that doesn’t benefit you in any way. There are lots of ways to help budget your money better if you’re having a hard time of it at the moment. Look at the ways you’re spending your money currently and how you might be able to cut down or make better choices when it comes to using your money around the college. Perhaps try to limit yourself to a certain amount each day.

Learn organization

With so many tests, deadlines, and social activities it’s crucial to learn some organizational skills. Use data keeping tools, calendar apps, and good old-fashioned note-taking to stay organized in your classes and in life.

Improving your skills as a college student is always going to help make this experience a lot better and fulfilling if you follow these tips.

Helping parents navigate the college maze