College Credit for High Schoolers

 By Keniya B.

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Why Take a Gap Year?

By: Jasmin S. 

Although gap years between high school and college are not as common in the U.S., they are very popular among students in places like Europe. This may seem surprising to us, but it makes perfect sense why one would choose to take a year off between 12th grade and freshman year of college. After spending four years balancing various extracurriculars, classes, studying, family, part-time jobs, and more, you might feel like jumping right into college is a bit overwhelming. Maybe you need a break from the constant pressure of your classes and tests, or you’re still not sure which major to choose. If this is the case, a gap year might be the perfect solution for you! 

Better Performance in College 

"Gap Year: preparati a viviere l'anno piú bello
della tua vita!" by Viaggio Routard is licensed
under CC BY 2.0

Many parents fear that if their child stops taking classes and going to school, they will become lazy. This is not the case at all. In fact, students who take gap years tend to be more mature than their peers by the time they enter college. According to 2015 research conducted by Temple University in conjunction with Gap Year Association, the six top reported outcomes of a gap year were personal, rather than career or academic-oriented. Ninety-seven percent of alumni who responded indicated that their gap year experience increased their maturity, while 96 percent said it increased their self-confidence (Writers). 

First-year classes in college can actually be easier thanks to your gap year, especially if you take that time to personally acquaint yourself with the courses you plan on taking. You’ll be able to pick up new languages much quicker if you've already spoken with native speakers. Humanities and other courses can also be easier after all those museum and historical landmark visits! 

Living Independently 

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

Whether you choose to travel on your own or with a program, you will learn essential skills like grocery shopping for yourself, budgeting, healthy eating, navigating public transit, etc. All of these skills are crucial for college and adult life in general! If you choose not to work with a program, you can always do a work holiday option. Thereby having the opportunity to not only make money but immerse yourself deeply into another culture for a longer period of time than would be possible if you were merely backpacking. 

Establishing Worldwide Connections 

Image by Voy Zan from Pixabay

One of the best things about taking a gap year is the opportunity to meet new people. Building lifelong friendships with people from various countries can help you navigate unknown places and refine your language-speaking skills, and those friends will likely welcome you with open arms if you return! Learning how to make friends in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people is a skill that will come in handy in college as well. 

Endless Possibilities 

There are a plethora of activities to choose from when it comes to structuring your gap year. There are many ways to stay productive and busy, so there is no need to worry about doing nothing or playing video games in your mom’s basement all day. There is a wide range of possibilities (even on a budget) from backpacking in Asia to landing an internship in a different state. 

No Money, No Problem 

Image by Alex Strachan from Pixabay

A common myth surrounding gap years is that you have to have a lot of money to be able to take a whole year off from school. However, this is not necessarily the case. Some students use gap years as an opportunity to save up money for college and future living expenses. Others may choose to spend their time volunteering abroad with a program that helps cover living costs. That’s right, some programs pay you to take a gap year! Volunteering can help you gain a new perspective on the world. In fact, they can help students give back to their communities throughout their lives. Many gap year students become philanthropists when they are older due to their global perspective. 

Countless Traveling Options 

Image by skeeze from Pixabay

International travel might be your dream, but there are also many exciting places in the Americas you can visit! You could go to Canada and practice your French, an American national park to enjoy nature, Brazil to learn Portuguese, Mexico to eat delicious food, and so much more! Traveling to any new place is an enriching experience that will teach you new things. 

As long as you get out of your comfort zone, try new things, make new friends, and live independently for what’s likely the first time, a gap year will be well worth your time! According to GoOverseas.com, more than 90% of gap year alumni say that their gap year experiences helped them gain respect for other customs and cultures (Perez). 

Keeping It Local 

Image by Bella H. from Pixabay

If you choose to stay at home during your gap year, there are still plenty of options for you! After all, travel can be daunting and not everyone wants to do it. With more and more programs appearing online, you can do all types of jobs remotely! From teaching music to marketing on social media, you will likely be able to find a job that you enjoy, can do online, and can help you save money for college! You can also get involved in your community by volunteering for local organizations. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity to learn new skills. Have you been wanting to learn how to play an instrument? How to code? Now is your chance! 

Conclusion 

Overall, taking a gap year, though not common, has numerous benefits. It can help you grow a new set of skills you didn’t know you needed for college, help build a global network of new friends, assist you in choosing the right career, and provide you with experiences that will last a lifetime. If you would like to further research gap years, there are links and resources below to aid you in your search for ideas below. 

Resources for Gap Year Programs 

• The Best Gap Year Programs 
• Gap Year Scholarships and Grants
• How to Find Grants for Your Gap Year
• Ways to Make Money During Your Gap Year 
• What to Do on a Gap Year With No Money 

Works Cited 

“Does Taking a Gap Year Increase the Ceiling for Students?” NYU Steinhardt, 23 June 

2017, counseling.steinhardt.nyu.edu/blog/gap-year-after-high-school/.

Perez, Olivia Christine. “Why You Should Take a Gap Year After High School.” Go 

Overseas, 04 June 2020, 

www.gooverseas.com/blog/why-should-take-gap-year-after-high-school.

Writers, Staff. “Taking a Gap Year: Pros & Cons and How to Apply to College.” 

AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org, AccreditedSchoolsOnline.org, 17 July 2020, 

www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/taking-a-gap-year-before-college/.

How to Survive Summer School

How to Survive Summer School!

 By Sylvia S. adapted from the article “Amy's Survival Guide to Summer School” by Amy, a former TutorTalk Editor

Introduction 

Whether you’re a savant or novice when it comes to online learning, summer courses require a different mindset than traditional classes. This presentation will show you a step-by-step process for succeeding in an NCVirtual summer course. 

Tip: Before we get started congratulate yourself! Choosing to participate in an NCVirtual class over the summer shows great initiative and true determination. Relax, you’re going to do fine! 

Below is a presentation displaying 5 important steps for success in an NCVirtual summer course: 

  

Conclusion

It may feel like a lot, but if you can apply these steps to your summer course you will be well on your way to success! Ask any questions you have now! The PTC team is here and ready to help you. Carefully managing your summer won’t ruin the fun. With luck, your NCVirtual class will add to your summer plans rather than impede them. Who knows, you may find you prefer translating Latin from your lounge chair on the beach or next to a pool rather than hunched over your desk at home.

Click the image above to access a peer tutor! :-)

Tip: For additional information on motivational and time management strategies, check out these previous TutorTalk articles:

• http://NCVirtualpeertutor.blogspot.com/2012/05/excels-magic-word.html
• http://ncvpspeertutor.blogspot.com/2016/02/have-no-fear-time-management-is-here.html 
• http://ncvpspeertutor.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-stairway-to-success.html 
• http://ncvpspeertutor.blogspot.com/search/label/studying

COVID-19: Impact on Society, Environment, and Economy

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What to Do When You Feel like School is Taking Over Your Life

By: Sonia G.

Copyright free

Does the school week ever seem like a boring routine to you? Do your days look the same? Do you have time for family and friends, or do you feel like school is taking over every aspect of your life? School should be a priority, but it should not be the only one. Your family, friends, and possibly religion are also a priority, and if you play a sport or do activities outside of school, you have even more priorities to balance. But sometimes, school and all the stress that comes along with it can feel like it’s taking over everything. 

You might feel like your projects and studying barely leave you with time to interact with family and friends. Or that all of the cumulative stress leaves you unable to function. Either way, I have developed a plan that can help you whenever you begin to feel like school is becoming your life. 

First, I would recommend that you take breaks. If you can find a way to work and then take a break, you can give yourself a boost of energy. Your break can be as quick as checking your email or as lengthy as watching a movie. Just make sure that whatever you choose, your break is not longer than your work time and still allows time for you to finish the rest of your work. 

Another idea is for you to work during times that you do not typically think of as being opportunities to do schoolwork. Depending on your school, you may have a study hall or designated time when you can work. If you’re not as lucky, I would like to point out times that you may have overlooked. For example, on the ride to and from school, you have time to read and study. At lunch, you can create a study group with other friends and study, do worksheets, or work on projects. By applying this principle to your own life, you may also find other “free periods” that you can take advantage of. This will help you free up space so that you don’t have as much to do. 

Finally, I would like to suggest that you allow yourself to relax. Take time to do things that you enjoy so that you can approach your schoolwork with a clear mind. When you are able to focus on your assignments, you are much more likely to put forth the best effort possible and do much better than you could have done when distracted. 

A New Theory on Memory

By: Austin S.

Some people think that science is relatively static, that it rarely changes. However, contrary to popular opinion, science is the most dynamic field of expertise. Every field of science has experienced a change in the commonly accepted theories. These changes may soon include a change in the accepted theory of how memory works. For a long time, people thought that memory was separated into short-term and long-term memories. With this, people came to the conclusion that, after a while, you can never recall any short-term memories. Now, after my analysis of memory recollection and research that has already been done, I have created a new theory: the theory of constant memory.

"Neurons, confocal fluorescence microscopy" by ZEISS Microscopy is licensed
under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 

About the Theory

The theory of constant memory means that no memories are ever lost, only that lack of usage of these memories decreases the ability for these memories to be recalled. In a way, they get “buried underneath” other, more important memories. This also means that either the brain is constantly growing or that it originates with enough neurons to hold a lifetime of memory.

The Old Way of Thinking

For a long time, people thought that the brain was static.¹ After the discovery of adult neurogenesis,² this mindset was changed completely. People began to realize the dynamicity of the human brain: the brain is constantly changing. However, many scientific assumptions about the brain that were created before this discovery still remain. For example, short-term and long-term memory were originally thought of as separate categories of memory before the discovery of adult neurogenesis. People today still believe that the brain simply filters through unimportant memories³ and discards them but keeps the important memories.⁴

The Transition to the New Theory

Now, you may wonder why the old theory is inadequate at describing how people learn and why it should be replaced with the theory of constant memory. Have you ever tried to recall something, but failed until you saw something that reminded you of that memory? This is known as prompted recall. You may wonder how this relates to the new theory. It appears that prompted recall only shows how the brain remembers things. However, it also happens with seemingly unimportant memories, which should be discarded as short-term memory. Other times, you completely forget something and don’t even recall it when the memory is prompted by an external stimulus (sight, smell, sound, etc.). The old theory of memory explains this as a memory that has lost its neural connections due to lack of use. However, hypnosis seems to magically allow you to remember what you have forgotten.⁵ If the memory was discarded, no trace of it should be found, let alone the memory itself. So, how is hypnosis possible if neglected memories are simply removed? What if, instead of memories being discarded, they were ordered by importance in the brain? The less important memories would be “buried underneath” the more important ones, meaning that they would be more difficult to recall. Working memory⁶ would be at the bottom, followed by memories originally defined as short-term, and finally, long-term memories. With this, you may wonder why working memory is easy to recall while in use. This is because the brain is constantly re-ordering memories based on importance. While in use, working memory is highly important and is easier to recall, while it would otherwise be practically impossible to do so.

The Theory and Neurogenesis

This new theory also suggests that neurogenesis plays an important role in memory. The theory shows that every moment in a person’s lifetime is recorded in memory. The original theory of a static brain suggests that the brain would most likely not provide enough neurons to store this vast amount of information. Therefore, neurogenesis must help provide space for new memories. This correlation between neurogenesis and memory capacity may also explain some mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The Application of the Theory in the Treatment of Mental Diseases and Disorders

If this theory were proven, it would be groundbreaking in the fields of neurobiology, psychology, and medicine. If mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s were caused by a deficit in neurogenesis (which studies show⁷), it would mean that new medicines could be developed to stimulate neurogenesis and potentially cure Alzheimer’s and other mental diseases. According to the theory of constant memory, mental disorders such as MPD⁸ could be caused by the re-ordering of memories. Multiple personality disorder could be explained as the re-ordering of memories in groups of each personality. Therefore, as a certain memory is prompted, the person’s brain would re-order the personality that memory is in as more important than the other personalities. The theory of constant memory could revolutionize the treatment of mental diseases and disorders.

Implications on Education

This new theory of memory could encourage learning like never before. If memories of every moment in a lifetime are stored, memorizing a specific fact would not have any effect on the remaining capacity of memory. Application of the theory of constant memory could also help people to train their brains to provide easier recollection of memories. If a person could get his/her brain to increase the importance of less important memories (originally classified as short-term memory), recollection of memories would be much easier. This is because the brain would put less emphasis on the importance of a memory and would have an easier time finding any memory, as the neural connections would be very strong.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a new theory of memory is emerging that challenges the basic foundations on what we know about memory. It could mean that there is no short-term memory or long-term memory, but just memory with different levels of importance ordered by the brain to allow easier recollection of important memories. This theory could also have the potential to treat mental diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, and help people deal with disorders, such as multiple personality disorder. Finally, this theory could expand the potential of education infinitely and could help people train their brains to improve memory.

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¹See “Neurogenesis in the Adult and Aging Brain” under part “Historical Context” 
²Adult neurogenesis is the production of neurons in the hippocampus during adulthood 
³Short-term memory 
⁴Long-term memory 
⁵See “Does Hypnosis Improve Memory?” 
⁶Working memory is memory that is used for a short amount of time in order to process information and act on it. For example, you use working memory to remember previous calculations when solving a math problem in your head. 
⁷See “Depletion of Adult Neurogenesis Exacerbates Cognitive Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease by Compromising Hippocampal Inhibition” 
⁸Multiple personality disorder 

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Works Cited

“Does Hypnosis Improve Memory?” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hypnosis-the-power-trance/200909/does-hypnosis-improve-memory.

Hollands, Carolyn, et al. “Depletion of Adult Neurogenesis Exacerbates Cognitive Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease by Compromising Hippocampal Inhibition.” Molecular Neurodegeneration, BioMed Central, 8 Sept. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5591545/.

Riddle, David R. “Neurogenesis in the Adult and Aging Brain.” Brain Aging: Models, Methods, and Mechanisms., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK3874/.

A Letter to My Peers

By: Sonia G. 

To all my fellow high schoolers,

Picture by Angelina N.

As we find ourselves preparing for a new school year filled with new adventures, I would like to encourage you to continue to strive for excellence. Continue to push yourself to try new things. Join a new club at your school or better yet, start something that you’ve always wanted to participate in. As a rising junior, I find myself with only a short time left in high school. I have realized that you have to take advantage of every opportunity available. High school is the time to make connections, so take this school year as the time to put yourself out there and meet new people. You should also take this year to experiment in all aspects of your life. Figure out what works for you because the habits that you develop now will influence your physical and mental health in the future. 

While there will be a lot of exciting things to work on this year, I also have some advice for you all. Whatever isn’t working for you, whatever is keeping you from being who you want to be and whatever is holding you back from moving on, push it away. Find what works for you, and eliminate everything else. I always like to refer people to the 90 percent rule, which states that if an item or activity’s rating is less than 90 out of 100, your response should be “no”. I believe that this rule should be used to allow you to purge the negativity from your life. Use this rule to help yourself quit harmful habits and to replace those habits with practices that will help you improve your life. 

When the first day of school arrives, if it hasn’t already, remember to make the most of this year. If you are a rising freshman, know that high school and middle school are vastly different. If you did not enjoy middle school, that does not mean that you won’t enjoy high school. If you didn’t enjoy high school, then try looking at it through a different lens. I believe that with the support from your friends and family, you will be able to make your high school years unforgettable. This school year, eliminate the things that are holding you back, and take advantage of every opportunity that you can to find what gives YOU purpose, a purpose that may be your driving force for long past your high school years. 

Technology in Education

By: Austin S. 

Online Learning by LeanForward If 
on flickr.com under CC By-SA 2.0

Today, technology is changing the way we live. Rather than going to the library to read books for research, we need only to search the Internet for the information. Technology is changing every aspect of our daily lives, including education. NCVPS is a great example of the role of technology in today’s education. Technology is giving students the opportunity to learn beyond standard curriculums, practice and study in new ways, gain clarification on different topics, and even to accelerate their education through different courses. 

With technology, students can take courses they otherwise might not have had the opportunity to take. For example, if someone wants to learn Mandarin, he/she can take the NCVPS courses for Mandarin, while the language is not typically offered in public high schools. If a student wants to take an AP class that is unavailable at his/her face-to-face school, he/she can take the course through NCVPS. Online courses also allow students to accelerate their education. For example, an eighth grader can now take Math 1 and Math 2 in the same year through online courses, while most middle schools only have Math 1, and some don’t even have that option! 

In addition to providing the opportunity to accelerate education and providing new opportunities to take different courses you otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to take, technology is helping students find effective ways to practice their newly learned skills and to apply newly learned information. Some great tools include Khan Academy and Quizlet. These tools also help students study the material taught in their courses. Creative students can even use technology to develop their own study tools! For example, a student can create a quiz game through Scratch by MIT, an extremely straightforward programming language that consists of blocks with English phrases on them. Students can also utilize tools that have already been developed for such games, including Kahoot and Quizizz. In the past, students had to use worksheets, handwritten notes, and problems that were created by either them or their friends or family in order to study for their upcoming tests. Now, technology has made studying exciting for some by providing competitive games designed to practice their skills. 

Scratch 2.0 Screen Hello World.png by DevinCook on
Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 2.0

Finally, technology allows for helpful programs such as the NCVPS Peer Tutoring Center to exist. The PTC gives both students and tutors new opportunities to learn and apply the material learned in their classes. It allows tutors to help students in their education, to learn more about technology through videos designed to give troubleshooting tips, and even to write articles such as the one you are currently reading through TutorTalk! The PTC also gives students the opportunity to ask their peers about topics in their courses and to gain clarification on confusing questions that they missed on an assignment. The PTC is an amazing program that should be utilized before it becomes unavailable for you to use. If you have any questions in your course, I would encourage you to go to https://ncvps.upswing.io, login, and find a tutor to help you understand the material you are learning. Technology provides incredible convenience for seeking clarification on topics addressed in your courses, both online and offline. 

Technology is shaping our lives, including in our education. Technology is providing opportunities at an unprecedented rate! Students can accelerate their educations through online courses, take classes that are not provided at their face-to-face schools, practice new skills and application of information through online tools, and ask peer tutors questions to gain understanding on specific topics through the NCVPS Peer Tutoring Center! Technology is powering our modern world in more ways than can be counted; it impacts every aspect of our lives! All of this starts with education.

The Importance of Water by Hannah D.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

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Advice on Taking AP Classes

Tips for Succeeding in High School

By Sonia G.

When many of us think about school, we think about stress. We stress over our grades, upcoming tests, and imminent deadlines. As I sit here two weeks in, still far from the apex of the school year, I think about the worry that you as a fellow student may endure this year. Especially for rising freshmen, navigating high school can be intimidating and confusing due to the unfamiliar environment, new faces, challenging classes, and greater independence; so, I have decided to provide you with a few tips that can help you succeed this year and maybe even make it out on top.

Tip #1: Start Off Strong

Photo by j4p4n on Openclipart
is licensed under Unlimited Commerical Use

Starting off strong is the key to keeping your grades up when material becomes more difficult. Everyone starts the year with a clean slate until the teachers enter your initial grades. During the first quarter of the school year, aim to establish an A-B average that will be your cushion later on as classes intensify. If school becomes bewildering further into the semester and you make a bad grade, you won’t need to fret because your overall average will still be fairly high. Remember: “It’s hard to bring low grades up, but it’s easy to let high grades drop.” 

Tip #2: Be Respectful to All of Your Teachers 

Photo by Chrom72 on Pixabay
is licensed under CC0 1.0

Teachers are people too and first impressions can follow you. You don’t have to be a teacher’s pet but you do need to act respectful. Shake their hand, ask questions, do your work, and strive to demonstrate leadership skills in the classroom. These actions will create a positive perception of you and, in return, encourage your teacher to be patient, offer advice, explain topics, and even form a good reputation of you among other teachers. On the other hand, if you portray yourself as a troublemaker, your teacher may be less inclined to help you in class.

Tip #3: Read the Introductory Materials

Photo by Clker-Free-Vector-Images
on Pixabay is licensed under CC0 1.0

Every year, on the first day of school, teachers will pass out a class syllabus; some include the year’s calendar, due dates, rules, and other important pieces of information. Components of the syllabus may never be discussed in class because the teacher expects you to have read it. Also, ensure that you read through any document you are required to sign. This is a necessary habit to form, since many of the documents you sign as an adult are legally binding-- think leases, contracts and checks. So, read through the papers handed out on the first day carefully.

These tips are not going to make you the valedictorian or set you up to skip a grade, but they will provide a good foundation upon which you can apply the fourth and final tip: hard work. 

How Do YOU Learn? "A Learning Style for Everyone" Revisited

Original Piece By: Noah H.
Updated By: Isabella S.

Editor's Note: This "throwback" post from 2010 is worth the read, especially before starting a new semester. Take a few minutes to find out what your learning style is and make studying for all of your classes easier!

Learning styles are the fingerprints of the mind; they are as unique as the person using them and as varying as all the people in the world.

There are several generalized categories of learning styles and all influence how a student learns. Understanding them is the best way for a student to better their classroom experience and the effectiveness of their studying. 

A learning style is the way in which a person learns. There are several different theories as to how learning styles work, but the most common divides them into four categories: visual, auditory, reading/writing-preference, and kinesthetic/tactile learners.

The most common learning style is visual. This learning style focuses on pictures, diagrams, movies, and other forms of visual media, even visual demonstrations are helpful. The second most common learning style is auditory. These learners benefit from listening to someone talk to them and from lectures or video/audio setups. Reading/Writing-preference learners are most comfortable learning from books and texts. These students may retain more information from a textbook than a lecture and often benefit from taking written notes. Lastly, kinesthetic/tactile learners are people who learn through “hands-on” experience and interaction with classroom material. 

One element to consider when examining learning styles is their ability to coexist within a single individual. No student is wholly auditory, visual, tactile, nor reading-writing preference when it comes to learning. Someone may be a 10% reading, 30% visual, 50% auditory and 10% kinesthetic learner; however, you should try to study the best way for you. The person above would most likely want to watch a video in order to capitalize on their ability to retain information they have heard and seen (visual and auditory). Another meaningful feature of learning styles is their ability to change over time. Usually babies start out learning through touch (tactile), but as they grow they will learn to use visual and auditory learning more and more.

Knowing your learning style is important, because as soon as an individual discovers which type of learner they are they can begin to adjust their studying to utilize their strengths. For example, if a student knows they learn well from videos then they should look for tutorials on YouTube or some other video site rather than trying to decipher a Wiki. Another way a student can better their learning experience is in the way they ask for help. An auditory learner may want to call their teacher over the phone for assistance while a reading/writing-preference learner will want to send an e-mail. All these factors lead to an easier online class experience.

To find your learning style visit EducationPlanner.org. 

Reading/Writing-preference Learners: We hope you enjoyed this essay!

Visual Learners: Check out this graphic about learning styles!

Auditory Learners: Click here to install a free Google Chrome extension that reads-aloud any online text, including this article!

Tactile Learners: Check out this free online tool for creating three-dimensional models!

Standardized Test Preparation

Sleep

Animoto created by Natalie M. 

Learn about the importance of sleep and the impact sleep has on individuals- especially teens!

This Animoto highlights: 

- What sleep is

- How much is needed

- Correlation between sleep and health

- Negative effects of sleep deprivation 

- What you can do to improve sleep patterns

For optimal viewing, please press the pause button on the video below. 

Test Relaxation Techniques

Presentation created by Natalie M.
(adapted from Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

It is that time of year again! End of year exams are around the corner, AP exams start next week, and the end of the school year is less than a month away for some students. Here is a presentation about how to reduce your test anxiety. Contrary to popular belief, a moderate amount of test anxiety can be good for taking a test as you become more attentive to the details of the test. However, it is good to be able to control your anxiety. The presentation below includes several short-term and long-term techniques.

For optimal viewing,  please use the full-screen option and Play/Pause button located near the bottom of the presentation.

Reading Makes the World Go 'Round

The Stairway to Success

By Danielle, Corine, Charlotte, and Curie

            For most students, the school year starts out in a good fashion. However, some students unfortunately fall into the same patterns of procrastination or indignation as the previous year. Before you find yourself slipping into last year’s problems, here are 8 steps to follow to become a successful student!

           

#1: Prioritize your activities with a planner.

            No matter what extracurricular activities you participate in, it is important to recognize that your education comes first. It is suggested to keep a planner to find a balance between your extracurricular activities and academics. You may want to try to avoid using a digital planner, especially one on your iPhone, because this can lead to playing apps or visiting social networks that eat up your study time. There’s also a feeling of accomplishment when you physically cross something off of your to-do-list! Using a paper planner will help you to keep track of the many things you need to do.

#2: Find your study “habitat.”

            Another important thing to remember is that everyone needs to study in his own “habitat.”  That means that each of us has that perfect location to study: whether it is one’s bedroom or the school library.  To choose the best place for you, decide how prone you are to distractions. There are some people who can filter out noise and actually feel more relaxed hearing others’ voices.  However, a lot of people will try to study then find themselves watching television for an hour.  If that sounds like you, then it might be important to “hibernate” and escape into the silence. Remember that your habitat is individualized. What might be a good place for you to study might be an awful place for someone else.  If you find yourself wandering upon someone else’s habitat, then make sure that you are respectful of their study needs.  After all, they are trying to succeed just as much as you are.

#3: Metacognition: evaluate your study habits.

            Let’s face it: some studying habits are better than others, and some studying habits work better for different people. So, we need to experiment. The previous two sections discussed the time and place for studying, and this section advises the reader to evaluate his or her study habits after every test.

In my AP Biology course the students are instructed to create their own study guides and follow their own pace to complete classwork until the day of the test. Test day is also the due date for all class work and study guides, and the test scores give a numerical reflection of the effectiveness of the students’ study habits. After every test, students ask themselves: which study habits worked? Which ones did not? Reflecting on successful and unsuccessful techniques and fixing bad habits will help you grow and succeed in any class.

#4: Be proactive in school.

Now you are prepared for school; you have your planner, study techniques, and “habitat.” But school comes with many other challenges: larger schools can be harder to navigate, rules may be unclear and confusing, online class environments may be unfamiliar … you name it. How do you overcome these non-academic obstacles to a successful start in school? Well, get familiar with the school, the classes, and online classes before it matters. Attend your school’s ‘Open House’, explore your online class during Meet the Teacher, and notify your online teachers with any of your questions and concerns. At the first day of school, pay attention to your teachers’ explanations of their rules and expectations and make sure you keep any handouts regarding that information.

#5 Be responsible in the classroom.

            The classroom is the place that you will do much of your learning. You should keep track of your behavior in the classroom in order to succeed. Always pay attention in class because you never know what you might be tested on, and paying attention in class can also help decrease the length your studying time later on. Taking notes in class also helps you get ahead, better preparing you for any future assignments. It will help you remember the information more easily and you will be able to get a deeper understanding of the material. Another thing to keep in mind in the classroom is that you shouldn’t sit with friends who distract you. Feel free to sit with friends that will be able to help you learn, but don’t sit with the friends that you feel will distract you during class.

#6 Interact with your teachers.

            Teachers are essential for your success, so strive to develop a strong relationship with your teachers. Teachers not only teach the course curriculum, but they also help you earn the grade that you want, and eventually, they can write recommendation letters for college applications. Several ways to develop strong relationships with your teachers are by asking questions, showing your concern about your grades, and talking with them often.

#7 Keep up with your coursework and homework.

            Many teachers give nightly homework, and some even give loads of classwork. In and out of class the key is to focus. Don’t let your friends, social networking, or technology distract you, and make small goals for yourself. If you tell yourself that you will finish the assignment in 15, 20, 30, or 45 minutes, you will complete it with purpose.

#8 Look to the future.

            School years in North Carolina are 180 days long, so students are prone to get tired. Keep up the good work and maintain your grades. Remember, the rewards for working hard in school include good grades, high GPA, promotion to the next grade, and college admission. Your future holds great things!