A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:Lately school has been getting really tough. It's my last year of high school and I'm trying to do my best to get accepted into a good college, but my grades are slowly slipping down because of all the stress. What are some ways to find time to study and have some time to myself without missing any important assignments? Reply to this Question
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reader, daletom +, writes (21 August 2008):
I wish I could give you a definite answer. The truth is, there is a lot of variation among people. The real answer is that you need to discover what works best for YOU.
I'm glad you're giving this some thought now! I'm convinced that even "average" students can get excellent High School grades if they put forth just a little more effort than the other "average" students. Natural talent is a definite factor, but don't let that intimidate you. My oldest son worked hard to get A-/B+ grades, but got really discouraged one semester when he realized that his sister could do T.V. while she watched Calculus (yes, you read that right!) and still get straight A's. (She graduated 2nd out of 350; he was about 55 out of 450.)
Some people learn better in groups. One key is to keep it a "study" group, and not spend your time talking about TV shows, boyfriends, clothes, etc. Groups worked best for me when I was somewhat dominant and actually teaching others in the group. My daughter said much the same thing: tutoring younger students in Algebra helped her when she was in Trig and Calculus. (And, she got paid real cash money for the tutoring!)
Budgeting time may not be as straightforward as you think. My son found that being active in Scouts and athletics (track and cross country) actually helped his grades by forcing him to make and keep a schedule. My daughter, on the other hand, had to cut back her out-of-class activities to keep up with Senior year pressure.
My son also selected activities where he associated with academically superior friends. The cross-country team was nearly all Honor Students. In the spring they became the distance-squad on the track team, but didn't mix well with the other track athletes: apart from the distance squad, the track team roster sounded a bit like the "Who's Who of Academic Probation".
I want you to do some serious thinking about what a "good" college is! In the end, a "good" college is one that fits BOTH your goals AND your personality. Most schools with high public reputations (for their academics, NOT athletics!) earned that recognition with their Graduate programs, NOT their undergraduate performance! Many - perhaps the majority - of academic professionals believe the small to medium sized colleges do a MUCH better job of teaching typical undergraduates. "Truman State" and "St Olaf" aren't nearly as glamorous or sexy as "UCLA" or "University of Michigan", but the education is at least as good, if not better.
(If you are truly gifted - National Merit Scholar, top 2% of your H.S. class, etc - the larger schools may be a better choice because they can offer more opportunities and variety than smaller schools. But that is meaningless if the STUDENT doesn't actively seek out and take advantage of the variety and opportunities!)
Your first assignment, which you should start working on THIS WEEK, is to compose a list of tasks and deadlines. The Guidance Office at your High School may actually have a pre-printed form to help you with this! The first subtask is to create a list of 2 to 10 colleges that interest you. Include one school that is a sure-fire, can't-miss, thing both academically and financially. (This might be, but not necessarily, a local community college.) Also include one that seems almost-out-of-reach.
As you compose the list, don't be afraid to let your heart say a few words to your mind. Maybe you have often fantasized about living in the center of a major city like Chicago or L.A., or in the South, or Alaska; maybe you'd like to make the acquaintance of a respected scientist or author who serves on a university faculty; maybe you have a fascination with some slightly unusual specialty like furniture design or medieval literature; perhaps you're attracted to non-traditional programs such as offered by New College of Florida, College of the Ozarks, or Davis & Elkins College. In most cases these shouldn't be the primary reasons for choosing a college, but you are more likely to be successful if you are truly attracted to the school you choose.
Give some thought to a major field. Yeah, many kids start off as "undecided" and some places won't even let you formally declare a major in your first year. But a degree isn't something that'll be handed to you after you fill a certain number of loose-leaf notebooks with unrelated facts. You need to have SOME idea of what field you'd like to explore, and how you'll do that. It's better to change your mind - even go to a totally unrelated field - than to aimlessly wander through courses for a year - or two - or five . . .
Most of the other things on your list are more mechanical. The schools will tell you what their deadlines are for applications. Your Guidance Counselors WILL help you with this! A few will be only weeks away; many want your paperwork by Jan 1. Many kinds of scholarships and financial aid have earlier application deadlines than simply getting admitted to a school. In practice, "the sooner the better" is good advice!
Some things are pretty universal, regardless of where you apply. Make sure you have a current ACT and/or SAT score. You will need some High School transcripts - it could take anywhere from one day to two weeks to have these mailed. (They MUST come directly from your school, not through you.) You will probably need some letters of recommendation - go to teachers NOW and ask if they will write letters for you, even though you don't yet know exactly where they'll be sent or when. Some schools ask for letters of recommendation from somebody who is NOT a teacher. These are harder to get; ask people like your Scout leader, coaches, summer job supervisor, or Church Youth Pastor if they will do this for you. Many applications will ask you to write an essay. The topics vary widely, but your guidance counselor can give you some examples and critique your practice efforts.
Please check back from time to time and let us know how it's going for you!
A
male
reader, LonelyButNotAlone +, writes (21 August 2008):
 Schedule time for studying and stick to the schedule you make. Give yourself a set number of hours MINIMUM that you have to study each week and stick to it.
Also, you'll feel less stressed if you study and work on assignments a little bit each day over longer periods of time rather than cramming everything in at the last possible moment. Cramming only creates more stress and increases the likelihood that you'll forget things when it comes to taking exams.
Lastly, study in groups as much as possible. Sometimes all you need is another person to bounce facts and problems off of. Things always go quicker and more easily when you study with other people.
Hang in there! Just one more year and you'll be in college. The immediate pressure will be off then and you'll be able to breathe a bit more easily.
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