How to Study - What Everyone Should Know

How to Study:

Probably one of the more important things to do in school is studying and taking tests.  It all starts with taking good notes.  If you take good notes you're half way there (the other half is understanding the topic). 

Every Day

1. Keep a separate notebook for each topic.  Spiral notebooks or a computer are good ways to keep things organized.  If your school allows the use of a laptop or tablet then download an app like Evernote (free) or Penultimate (my favorites) to take notes.   

2. Date each note. 

3. Buy notebooks with dividers so you can divide the subject by school quarters or subjects.

4. When you take notes do not write every word down.  Write ideas down.  New words should be carefully spelled out.  

5. Anything your teacher writes on the blackboard (some schools now use white and smart boards).  If you use Evernote you can photograph the board with your phone and insert the note into Evernote.  If your teacher took the time to write it on the board then you should write it into your notebook.

6. Try to take notes in an outline form.  It is easier to go back and reread your notes and find the important information in an outline form.  

7. If you can use a highlighter to underline important information.

How Many Years of Foreign Language do You Need to Get Into College?

 

How much foreign language do you need to take in high school to be selected by a good college? The foreign language requirement is different in each college.  Every college will list its minimum requirements.  Keep in mind that other students from other high schools will be applying with more than the minimum!  So the more the more years of foreign language you take in high school the better. And it is better to be really good at one language than knowing very little about many languages.

In general most colleges require two years of a foreign language in high school.  Top colleges like Standford require three years and Harvard is interested in four years of foriegn language.  Colleges that write "two or more years" are giving you a hint that you do more than two be competitive.  Besides of the importance of knowing a foreign language to get into college, knowing another language than English will help you in the future where more and more jobs require you to work with people from other parts of the world.   

You should be able to read and speak another language well.  It is important that you do not take time off from a language.  You should take foreign language in your senior year so you don't lose your ability to speak and read the language.  A good high school will offer the language for four years and have you learn the foreign language by also reading literature in that language. 

You can still get into many colleges if all you have is the minimum amount of foregin language if you have other strengths.  Some less competitive colleges don't even require a foreign language and assume you will take a language in college.  

Below is a chart ahows the foreign language requires of several colleges:

Foreign Language Requirements for College Admissions

College	Language Requirement
Carleton	2 or more years
Georgia Tech	2 years
Harvard	4 years recommended
MIT	2 years
Stanford	3 or more years
UCLA	2 years required; 3 recommended
Univ. of Illinois	2 years
Univ. of Michigan	2 years required; 4 recommended
Williams	3 years required; 4 recommended

College Entrance Test - Which is Which?

Getting into most colleges requires taking entrance tests.  Check the college your interested in applying to for their entrance test requirements. But what are these tests? 

PSAT: Usually taken in your junior year in high school.  You might want to take it earlier to practice.

Description: Two 25 minute critical reading sections, two 25 minute math sectionsk one 30 minute writing skills section.  The PSAT was designed more to prepare you for the SAT (more on SAT later).  It looks the same as the SAT but shorter.  Score range is between 20 and 80.  A score of 80 would be a perfect score.  Average score for juniors is 49.  

SAT: Usually taken in the spring of your junior year or fall of your senior year. 

Description: Has a 70 minute critical reading secion, a 70 minute math section and a 60 minute writing section.  The scores for each section range 200 to 800 points.  Scores on the essay range from 1 to 6 points.  Keep in mind the SAT penalizes you for a wrong piont.  If you guess correctly you get a point.  You can the SAT more than once but your high school will send the results of each test you took.

ACT: Usually taken in the spring of your junior year or the fall of your senior year.

Description: The ACT is a three hour test in English, math, reading and science.  The ACT Plus has a 30 minute writing test.  The scores of each section are averaged (scores are added up and the divided by the number of sections) to get a composite score.  A perfect score is 36.  The score is based on the number of correct answers only.  Wrong answers do not count against you so take a guess it might help you. 

Plan ahead: Look into test preparation courses.  Some high schools offer free or lower cost courses. Ask a teacher or a counselor. 

Writing a College Entrance Essay

I am not going to kid you, writing well is hard.  

It is hard to write a college entrance essay well is not easy.  Sometimes you don't even know who will be reading your essay.  Does the reader have a sense of humor or should you write a serious essay with a lot of fancy words?  It is also hard because often essays have word count limits.  As much as you want to write your life story, you only have 500 words to write everything you need to write to convince the committee to select you.  

But writing well is important.  It is not only important when you write your college entrance essay, it will be important all your adult life.  People who write well get paid better, are able to explain themselves better.  

So reviewing high school grammar lessons would be a good use of your time.  Hopefully you are starting to write your essay well in advance of the deadline.  Writing the essay the night before it is due is a very bad idea.  Strunk and White's Elements of Style is a good choice.  It is written in plain English and it is a thin book. 

Here is a short list of key points about writing:

1. Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Another thing about writing an essay for college is don't be boring, melodramatic, hard to read or impersonal.  One of the biggest mistakes you can make is try to follow the example of essays on the Internet that use big fancy words that don't tell anything interesting about yourself.  The writer that follows the examples of the sample essays on the Internet sound like robots, writing the same story that a million other high school students have written.  Nothing new, interesting or unique.  And do yourself a favor, do not use buzzwords or fancy words.  

You are unique. No one else has had your life or experiences.  The trick is being courageous and write an honest essay about you and why you want to go to that college and in that program.  Use your own voice when you write.

The Importance of Going to School Everyday

One of the most important thing your student can do to do well in school is to go to school.  The more your child is in school the more they will learn.

Why go to school everyday?

Students will be able to keep up with their homework and take tests on time.  But there are more reasons to go to school everyday:

School is easier because you learn more.  Students who go to school everyday are more likely to do well in math and reading.

Students learn more about being reading for college.  Students who go to school more learn about getting ready for college. What entrance exams to take and the imprtance of grade point average (GPA).

Learn English language better.  For students learning the English language going to school everyday gives the student more practice.  Of course learning English faster helps your student learn the other subjects being taught in English.

What you can do:

No excuses: Other than serious illiness or phyiscal difficulties in getting to school you should not allow your child to stay home.  Every time he or she stays home from school the harder it is for your child to keep up.  Your child never just keep up they should get ahead (see our posts about tutors). 

Check homework:  Check every night what homework your child has and that she understands the homework.  Have phone numbers of parents of children that go to your child's class.  Sometimes other parents can help explain the homework.

Ask questions:  Ask your child about their day at school.  Pay attention to any compliants about school being hard or complicated.  Anything sounds like frustration.  Go talk to teachers if you can't fix the problem at home.  The teachers are there to help.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  

Is your child safe?  Check to make sure your child is not being bothered by bullies.  If your child is unable to tell you what is going on at school or on the way to school talk to the school counselor, teacher or principal.  

Don't miss school because of vacation or medical appointments:  Families that take their kids out of school early or the middle of school session for a medical appointment or vacation are making it hard for their child to learn.  Aviod it!

Don't be late for school: Plan ahead.  Have homework and the next day's clothes ready the night before.  Get plenty of sleep.  

By making your child's school attendance a priority, you will be taking an important step in supporting your child's school success, and setting a good example. Remember every day counts!