Six Tips for Polishing Up the College Application Essay Over Winter Break

Six Tips for Polishing Up the College Application Essay Over Winter Break With many colleges regular decision applications due between January 1 and February 1, holiday break for high school seniors is a good time to put any finishing touches on the college application packageincluding the essay. CEO and Co-Founder Eileen Huntington of Huntington Learning Center reminds parents that whether the colleges to which their teens are applying require an essay or strongly encourage oneor their teens have chosen to write essays to strengthen their overall applicationit is best to take a methodical approach to the writing process. The application essay gives admissions officers a glimpse of your teen as a student and person and tells them a lot about his or her goals, work ethic, character and more, Huntington says. A well-planned, well-thought-out essay can have a tremendously positive impact. She offers these six tips for teens working on creating a strong essay over winter break: Read the directions (more than once). Its critical that teens pay careful attention to any guidelines provided for their application essays, including a suggested word count and a precise essay prompt. Disregarding these instructions can make applicants seem lazy. At worst, it might immediately discredit their application and hurt their chances of acceptance. Brainstorm and compare possible topics. The essay is an opportunity for teens to share who they really are. Its a good idea to give sufficient time to the brainstorming process to ensure that whatever the prompt, the topic a teen selects does the best possible job addressing it. Outline first. The application essay is not the place to wing it. Teens should create a detailed outline to keep them focused and make sure the essay flows easily from beginning to end. The outline should clearly tie back to the essay prompt and make clear how the essay will fully answer it. Create a schedule. It takes time to craft a great essay. A schedule can keep things on track. Heres an example schedule for a student starting their essay over winter break with an application deadline of February 1 (note: obviously the earlier teens can start their essays the better, and students applying to colleges with regular application deadlines of December 1 will not be able to work on their essays over winter break): Outline essay according to directions December 16 Complete first draft December 18 Set essay aside December 19 Edit December 20-22 Complete second draft December 23 Set essay aside December 24-26 Edit December 27-28 Complete third draft December 29 Set essay aside December 30 Share essay with parent or trusted mentor December 31-January 7 Share draft with a teacher or counselor January 7 Get suggestions back from teacher/counselor January 11 Make final revisions January 12-14 Proof and read through January 19 Essay due to college January 30 Write from the heart. When it comes to the application essay, theres nothing more frustrating to an admissions officer than reading words that dont ring true. Colleges are looking for applicants who are passionate and articulate when sharing something that has changed or impacted them in a significant way. Bottom line: teens should be real and authentic in their essays and forget about trying to impress anyone. Plan on rewriting. Yes, proofreading for grammatical errors and typos is an important step, but it should be the very last step. First, teens must allow themselves time to revisit drafts with fresh eyes and take a hard, honest look at their essays when editing. This means making sure the essay is clear not confusing, not too long or short, and achieves the desired tone and message. It also means making sure the essay is poignant, interesting from the very first sentence, and articulate, and that it sounds like the person writing it. Practice makes better. Teens should write, revise, and repeat as much as needed. Putting the effort into the application essay is certain to be time well spentand it could mean the difference between a college acceptance and rejection. Parents and teens need to remember that admissions officers want to get to know the person behind the name on an application, Huntington says. Teens should give the essay the careful attention it deserves. About Huntington Huntington is the tutoring and test prep leader.Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntingtons mission is to give every student the best education possible. Learn how Huntington can help at www.huntingtonhelps.com. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. 2018 Huntington Mark, LLC. Huntington Learning Center, the three-leaf logo, and 1 800 CAN LEARN are registered trademarks of Huntington Mark, LLC. Each franchised Huntington Learning Center is operated under a franchise agreement with Huntington Learning Centers, Inc.

5 ways to help your kids finish their homework on time

5 ways to help your kids finish their homework on time 5 ways to help your kids finish their homework on time It seems like young students are getting more and more homework these days and many kids find it difficult to get assignments done on time. Whether they are reading several chapters in a textbook or completing math problems to prepare for an exam, its essential that kids get things done on time so they can be successful academically and enjoy a general balance in their young lives. Its important that kids have a chance to be outside, spend time with family and friends, and explore extracurricular activities. Time management is an essential skill for todays busy academic life. 1.   Improve focus Many young kids get distracted by any number of things in their environment. There might be a lot of noise in their study space or social media might be playing a role in time management issues. Having excellent focus is essential to getting homework done on time so this is one of the first things parents might want to look at. Perhaps a student needs to work in an environment like a library to avoid distraction or maybe they need to sit down and eat a snack so their brain is functioning at its best level. 2.   Provide adequate brakes Students also have trouble getting assignments in on time if they dont have appropriate breaks. Many students try and finish their entire assignment and end up running out of steam or taking a break at a less than ideal time. When a student has finished a particular sub-topic or chapter they should consider taking a short break so their brain can relax and refocus. Finding a good stopping point is essential to time management because students who stop at random intervals often have to go back and reread information in order to get caught up; all of these things take up time. 3.   Arrange outdoor or exercise time Kids also have trouble concentrating if they havent gotten enough fresh air and exercise in a given day. Kids might need to run around outside for a little while before tackling their homework or they might need to participate in a regular exercise program so their general concentration improves. On the other hand, some kids struggle to transition from playtime to homework time and may need help from a parent or tutor to get started on longer homework assignments (READ: Irvine Tutoring Tips: 5 Tips For Coping With Summer Stress). 4.   Encourage organization Good organization is essential to finishing any task on time. Most students need to learn which assignments take a long time, which assignment is due first, and how much energy they might need for each task. Kids who can organize themselves, or who have help with organization, have a much better chance of improving their overall time management and getting their homework done at a reasonable hour so they can enjoy balance and time with family at the end of the day. 5.   Help kids become self-starters Although younger kids will need a lot of direction from parents and teachers, the best thing is for them to develop their time management skills so they can become a self-starter and get things done on time by themselves. At what age and level this occurs will depend a lot on personal circumstances, but its something that every kid should work towards. As kids get older, its ideal for them to be able to know how much homework they have, about how long it will take to complete, and which assignments are most important to their successful learning. Independent study habits help kids maintain higher academic standards throughout all levels of learning. Our private San Diego academic tutors are here to help your child finish their homework. Call us today to learn about our San Diego in-home summer tutoring. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.