SAT Prep Made Easy

Good news for SAT test takers! Khan Academy and the College Board have teamed up to offer free SAT prep classes online.

Khan Academy is a website geared towards independent learning. They offer courses in a wide range of disciplines including math, science, computer programming and history that you can use to supplement your classroom education or tackle new subjects on your own.

The classes are completely free with no ads or subscription required. By teaming up with College Board, they are helping to bridge the divide between students who are able to afford expensive SAT preparatory classes and those who can not. Essentially, if you are willing to put in the hours and do the work, these classes can potentially help boost your scores. This is especially important considering that the newly redesigned SAT (available March 2016) is reportedly more rigorous than previous versions.

Click here to start today! They offer practice tests, quizzes, interactive practice, and instant feedback.

Here’s more info about this story from CNET News:

 

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Study Skills 101

 

It’s 10 pm on a Sunday night and you’ve just started to study for tomorrow’s big test. You’ve been delaying this task all week, and now you have a sneaking suspicion that you’re going have to pull an all-nighter to prepare. Sound familiar? Take heart. Studying doesn’t have to be a difficult, time-consuming chore if you don’t want it to be. Follow these 10 steps to improve your study habits.

 1. Make it Routine – Schedule in a little study time every week for each of your subjects. This block of time can be as short as 2 or 3 thirty minute sessions per week.

 2. Choose a Quiet Place – Ideally, your work space should be free from all distractions. Turn off the cell phone, the TV, and close any unnecessary windows on your computer. Easier said than done, right? Try it, though. You may be surprised see how quickly you finish when you concentrate on one thing at a time.

 3. Write it Down – The simple act of writing can reinforce your memory. In class as well as during your study sessions, take plenty of notes. Use pens/highlighters in different colors if you need to, and make sure to write legibly so that you can decipher your notes later on.

 4. Study the Hardest Subject First – Sounds counterintuitive, right? Look at it this way – if you cross the most difficult material off of your list first, the rest will be easy. Putting it off until you’re tired will only prolong your study sessions and lead to unnecessary frustration.

 5. Use Your Senses – For hard to remember or abstract details choose an object in the room and associate the two in your mind. If you can, try to do some studying in the actual room that the test will be given in. That way you’ll be able to look around the room on test day and remember those details.

6. Think in Metaphors – Find ways to compare the information that you’re studying with things that you are already familiar with. For example, you can compare an animal cell to a city. The nucleus is city hall, the DNA are the original blueprints for the city, and the RNA are copies of the blueprints. The golgi apparatus, which ships proteins throughout the cell, is the postal system, while the mitochondria is the energy plant of the city. This metaphor can go on and on, but it’s a simple method that helps you associate the name and purpose of each item in the cell.

 7. Take Breaks – Studying for extended periods of time can be tedious, so don’t forget to take time out for a walk, a healthy snack, or a quick chat with a friend or family member. If you are tempted to pick up the phone or go online, be sure to stick to a time limit.

 8. Join a Study Group – Studying with other people can help motivate you to stay on task and reach your goals. Be sure to use this time to wisely, however. It’s okay to socialize, but don’t let that get in the way of actually studying.

 9. Give Yourself Plenty of Time – Cramming the night before a test is not only stressful, it seldom leads to long-term memory retention. Sleep also plays a vital role in memorization, so it’s important to pace yourself and spread your studying over at least a couple of days.

10. Test Yourself – Ask a friend or family member to quiz you on what you have studied. You can use old tests, study guides from your teacher, or the review section in your textbook.

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The Rewards of Volunteering

Volunteering is an opportunity to receive while giving. Many institutions and organizations need help in various ways and seek to fill those needs through volunteers.  Although there is no monetary compensation for work performed, you can gain an advantage by gaining skills, enhancing your craft or social networking.

Students who are under the leagal oage to work for wages can volunteer and gain the skill of working with others to complete tasks efficiently.  This experience can be used in future job opportunities and possibly increase his or her chances of being hired at a paying job.

Volunteering gives people of all ages and experience levels a chance to enhance their craft.  when tutoring students, in math, reading, science or a foreign language, it helps to sharpen the skills already possessed.

A social network can be the result of  volunteering. Non profit jobs tend to present the opportunity to meet people who could possibly benefit from future career investment. Some individuals have landed a paying  job when volunteering .

Offering your time and talents can have many rewards in addition to the personal satisfaction you can get from helping others. You can get started in volunteering at your place of worship, United Way http://www.unitedway.org/, unicef http://www.unicef.org/, American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/ or Volunteer Match http://www.volunteermatch.org/.

IL

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UGA Terry Business Academy High School Summer Business


We would like to present to readers a one week program at The University of Georgia’s Terry Business Academy.  This program will give 30 high school rising juniors and seniors an experience that is business focused. If you are interested click on the link http://www.terry.uga.edu/diversity/terry_business_academy.html for more information.

IL

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Online Tutoring

 

As this new semester begins, one of many goals students have is to get the best grades in all courses they are enrolled in. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to know what areas you are weak in and seek help in those areas within each subject. Math classes or classes with a strong math base tend to give students their biggest challenge. In most cases theses challenges should not be met alone. There are many resources to assist in understanding mathematical concepts. In addition to on campus tutoring , online tutoring can help you through learning obstacles.

The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit educational organization that allows you to “learn almost anything for free”.  This website is choc full of educational topics involving math in some way.

The next website, yourteacher.com gives “thousands of online math lessons with your own personal teacher”! Every lesson has videos, practice problems, self-test, worksheets and notes.  Some of their tutorials are on YouTube.  Accessing the full site will cost $49.50 for a month or $199.50 for a year.

Finally YouTube has numerous videos from various math tutors covering basic math topics to more difficult topics such as calculus. Some of the tutoring channels  discovered are the math world, midnight tutor, and college algebra with the University of Missouri Kansas City each have video instructions.

In closing, hopefully this post will assist in breaking through your learning obstacles resulting in the grades you desire to have on your transcript.

IL

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Unwind, Recharge, Refocus

 

Being enrolled in a university has it’s responsibilities that every student manages at his or her own pace.  Sometimes the management of classes, roommates, or committees can be tumultuous.

One of the best ways to unwind and clear the mind of day in and day out rigmarole is to step off campus and discover the community offerings.  It could be as simple and inexpensive as getting on the bus and going to a park in different neighborhood or checking out a matinee at the movies. Arts centers have discounted or free admissions for students or designated days for the general public to enjoy them below the regular asking fee.  There are of course are plenty of parties that you can attend that will help you shed the burden of academic responsibilities.

You will need to unwind so that you can recharge and refocus on your high learning goals.

IL

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Seeking Out Support When Parents Aren’t Sure About You Attending College

 

 

 

Normally, it is assumed that when a high school student announces they want to attend college their parent(s) or legal guardian will support them in that decision.  An unfortunate fact is this may not be the case.  Some parents may feel uneasy about their child attending college due to lack of financial means to make it happen or possibly being unfamiliar with how to help them get into college.

If you are a student who is facing opposition from family about your decision to go to college you need to find trustworthy individuals who will encourage you and help guide you through the process of getting into an institute of higher learning.

As a high school student you automatically have an advocate in your guidance counselor.  A high school a counselors general responsibility is to  promote and enhance academic, personal, social, and career development of all students. A favorite teacher who has your best interest at heart should be easy for you to discuss your goal of attending college.  You may also want to talk to some of the professionals like your

If you reach out to reliable people who can steer you in the right direction in getting into a university, those individuals can turn into your advocates and possibly relieving you parents  of some of the doubts and pressures they have in the role they have in you attending college.

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College Career Centers

 

Attending a college or university is a much utilized avenue toward a professional career.  Although many students have it in their minds to have a good career after post secondaryschool, several don’t fully take advantage of numerous resources available to them while enrolled in college. One of these resources is the career placement center; located on main campus.

 In many cases, corporations are sponsors of career placement centers as they facilitate being a bridge connecting students to recruiters from corporations and government agencies as well as graduate and professional schools. Students can prepare for interviews and research companies and graduate schools that will be recruiting on campus.  This is where you want to go to enhance your ability to attract potential employers or chances of getting into graduate school by using assets such as.

There are many asset enhancing conveniences available such as mock interviews, resume and cover letter workshops, and Assessment, Advising and Action Plans for graduate or professional school.  If these are utilized while a student is trying to obtain a degree, the process of transitioning to a career or graduate school will be a much smoother one. 

Hopefully, if you are a student in undergraduate school you will use this resource to take you to the next level.

IL

 

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Preparing Students for College in Middle School

 

 

 Preparation for college can never really begin to soon.  As a parent your child can benefit from you encouraging them in middle school. Here are a few steps that may be helpful.

  • Start by casually asking your son or daughter how they fell about college.

 

  • Approaches the school guidance counselor about having alumni from local universities speak to students about their college experience.

 

  • Find other parents who want to expose their children to college via the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).  Forming a relationship with like minded parents will expose you to helpful ideas outside of your own.
  • When a student has a strong academic foundation in their middle grades  he or she can focus on classed that will be beneficial in college. Subjects your child may be week in should be top priority in improving. So you want to focus on strengthening your child’s academic muscle.
  • Have your son or daughter take a college tour through a community program or initiate one yourself.

I hope that these tips are helpful in paving the way to a successful journey towards college for a student in junior high.

IL

 

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Advice On Transferring From A Junior College To A University

 

 

 As the cost of college increases, students look for ways to save money when trying to obtain a bachelors degree. One way students who are just entering college try to save money on a four your degree is to transfer from a junior college to a four year institution.  If you choose this avenue to save on an education, you want to make sure that the credits earned at the junior college will transfer to the school that you plan on obtaining a bachelors degree from. 

  If you are planning to transfer to a school in the state you reside in, check to see if the junior college you plan to  attend has Articulation Agreements with the school(s) you are interested in getting a bachelors.  An Articulation Agreement, in short, documents what courses will transfer to a four year institution from a junior college.  This agreement is important because it allows you to focus on what classes are accepted by the school you want to transfer. If there are no Articulation Agreements with any of the universities you wish to transfer to, consult your transfer or academic advisor at the community college you plan to attend as well as the transfer advisor or office that handles accepting the courses you plan to take.  If you go in blind taking courses and are not certain of their ability to be transferred, you will lose money as well as time.   

 Just to recap, start with seeing if the junior college you are interested in attending has a relationship with other schools in your home state that will allow a smooth transition to earning a bachelors degree. If there are no articulation agreements contact advisors at your school as well as the school you are transferring to in order to get  a clear understanding of what classes you are expected to take that will be accepted.

IL

 

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