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Top Choice College

March 6th, 2015

Hayley started coming to Study Hut her freshman year of high school. She came almost every day to work on all of her challenging classes with her tutors. From studying for insane math tests to acing AP English, Study Hut has always had Hayley’s back when it came to helping her get her achieve her best.

When it came time to start looking at colleges and filling out her college applications, Hayley knew exactly who she wanted to have help her along the way. Hayley worked on everything related to college with her tutor Laura. Laura had watched her grow through the years both academically and personally.   She helped Hayley narrow down her list of schools to apply to so they were left with only the schools that met all of Hayley’s requirements. They sorted through safety schools, reaches, and Hayley’s top choice: San Diego State University.

Hayley and Laura spent a lot of time making sure that Hayley’s personal statement was perfect. Because they had worked together for so long, Hayley felt comfortable opening up to Laura about her ADD. Together they crafted a series of car analogies that related her experiences with ADD to her school work and other areas of her life. They brain stormed and remembered Hayley’s greatest academic accomplishments and personal triumphs for the other sections of her applications, and made sure not a single question was left unanswered. They patiently waited to hear back from schools. As acceptances rolled in Hayley kept checking for SDSU. They were delighted when they found out she was accepted!

Psychology Tutoring

February 3rd, 2015

Richard and his student Jarred worked on studying for Jarred’s Psychology final exam together. Jarred is a very good student, but Psychology has a lot of complex terms that sound very similar. Some terms have definitions that are almost the same, but small nuances that can make the difference between a right and wrong answer on the essay portion of the test.

 

Richard wanted to help Jarred make sense of all the vocabulary and see how they were all related to one another. They went through each word and pieced together how it connected with some of the other vocabulary. Exercises like this made it easier for Jarred to remember each word and what it specifically meant. Richard would see if Jarred knew a word, asked him to explain it, and then use it in an example. Using the vocabulary words and concepts in examples reinforces the meanings and connections for students, and gives them a more comprehensive working definition of them word. For example, Jarred had to know that serotonin and dopamine could be affected by conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and depression. A lot of students have trouble differentiating between serotonin and dopamine because they have similar functions. Explaining how each one was affected by different conditions to Richard really helped Jarred distinguish between the two.

 

Jarred was a little worried about his final. However, after studying with Richard he felt confident and more prepared for his test. He was now armed with relative examples and real connections between the vocab to ace his final and destroy all the essay questions.

Amazing ACT Prep

January 20th, 2015

Many times, students do not consider doing preparation and tutoring for standardized tests.However, prep is important in improving a student’s overall score.

Our student Grace is a shining example. Before she started her ACT test prep with her tutor, Jason, Grace scored a 28 overall on the ACT. She received a 25 in English, 28 in Math, 34 in Reading, and 25 in Science. Jason and Grace worked through all of the Study Hut ACT materials. These include a menagerie of strategies to help you improve your score on the ACT. From ways to avoid falling into trap answers, to key words to be on the look out for in questions, as well as time management tricks, everything is covered in our one-on-one ACT tutoring. Jason gave Grace practice sections in all the areas where her score could be improved. Afterward, they would go through her answers together and go over what she missed, and how she could improve on her next run through. They did more practice sections in the areas that she was weaker in. Alongside practice ACTs, Grace also took custom quizzes with the concepts that she was consistently weakest in. Being familiar with the content also boosted Grace’s confidence in taking the test, which is a huge factor for any student’s success. After finishing all of her prep, Grace took the ACT again. She raised her English score 9 points to a 34, her Math score 3 points to a 31, her Reading 2 points to a PERFECT 36 and her Science by 1 to a 26, bringing her overall score up 4 points to a 32!

Study Hut Successes

November 3rd, 2014

Study Hut may specialize in helping students conquer their most difficult classes and acing all their tests, but it’s just as rewarding every time they get an awesome grade. We tailor each session to our individual students and the different needs they have, whether it’s a big math test tomorrow or a last minute essay they forgot to do for English.

 

One of our students, Abrianna had been struggling in a few of her classes. She started coming in to Study Hut twice a week and working with our tutor, Brittany. They started with the basics, like making sure that all of her homework was done every night, but moved on to more complex things like study skills. Brittany taught Abrianna how to study more effectively and different tricks to help her remember the information better. All of their hard work paid off! Abrianna got an A on her most recent science test, which raised her grade in that class up to a B. She is working hard to improve all of her other grades as well.

South Bay Tutoring

 

Another Study Hut regular, Olivia, completed her lead capstone project at Palos Verdes High School this week! She was one of only twenty students picked out of two hundred chosen to present their projects. She researched and analyzed how the film Blackfish has affected the treatment of whales. Olivia worked diligently on her project for weeks, and came in regularly to Study Hut to double check for any errors she had made with her English tutor, Laura.  Olivia came out on top of her class!

 

 

How to Avoid Stress During the College Application Process

October 29th, 2014

No matter how prepared you are, or how much research you have done, the college application process is always stressful. It’s a big decision after all, and which college you go to will affect the next few years of your life! However, there are a few easy tricks we’ve learned during in all our college app sessions to help lower those stress levels!

 

1. Exercise

Sweating it out will help cure any college app jitters, or help you get past that writer’s block keeping you from finishing your personal statement for your dream school. Do some relaxing yoga or if that’s not your style, push yourself in an intense spin class. You’ll be so focused on trying to keep up, college apps won’t even cross your mind!

2. Treat Yourself

Grab a milkshake or one of your favorite snacks. There’s a ton of great food in the South Bay. It is a quick way to pick yourself up and mentally refresh yourself in the middle of apps.

3. Have Someone Else Read Over It

Having a teacher or tutor look over your application can be beneficial for a few reasons. They may catch any grammatical errors you may have overlooked. They can also help you remember an important academic achievement that you might have forgotten about that would be perfect for your college application.

4. Manage Your Time

Don’t try and save all your essays and applications until the day before they are due. Servers get overloaded, computers crash, and you won’t do your best work if you are trying to cram in three essays in three days. Work on it a little bit at a time over the course of a few weeks. You will write a better essay and keep yourself from having a melt down.

 

While applying for colleges and filling out college apps may be stressful, you should focus on how exciting it will be and all the opportunities you are going to have, no matter where you end up!

How to prevent Senioritis

January 9th, 2013

Since we are halfway through another school year, the end is in sight and for most seniors this is when Senioritis really begins.

Senioritis!! What is Senioritis you ask? Listen up and I will explain to you all about it!


Senioritis is when you stop doing your homework,  stop going to class, staying in bed all day dressed in your pajamas and you find yourself looking at the clock every minute .Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. Welcome to the club.

Now… Whether it’s the beginning of your Senior year, the half way mark, or the very end… remember, Senior year can be one of the best years of your life, so don’t give up.
Here’s a list of ways to not get Senioritis!
1. Make sure to write down your homework and important assignments in your binder so that you won’t forget what your teachers have assigned.

2. Do your homework. I know it seems so close to graduation day but grades are still important and colleges will look at your final grades to determine if you are still accepted to their University.

3. Do something that motivates you. Exercise is a great way to get motivated. You can go to the gym, take a walk, sign up for a dance class… there are endless possibilities.

4. Keep up your routine. Making sure you stick to your routine will keep you on task.

5. Make time for fun. It is your senior year… make sure to balance fun with schoolwork. You don’t want to miss out on the fun activities at school or good times with your friends. Memories from high school and college with last a lifetime… so make sure to not take everything too seriously.

6. Get pumped for the most exciting next step… COLLEGE! Before you know it, high school will be over and you’ll be off to college. College is really important and your college application will be a reflection of your four years in high school. Your grades,  the clubs and organizations you’re involved in, and the comments your teachers write in their teacher recommendations will all impact your college applications. Your senior year can be the best year of high school – but it’s also a crucial one, so make sure to be productive, get good grades, and make every moment count.

We hope this helps!!

Leaving the Bubble of Home

December 5th, 2012

Moving Day

      One of the biggest decisions senior’s face in the waning stages of High School, is the decision of where to go to college.  Some kids have dream schools, schools they have had their heart set sense the moment the concept of college was introduced.   However, most kids do not really know what school they really want to go.  We make lists of what schools have fun and eventful sports programs, offer the major we think we want to achieve, and look at where our friends are applying.  The best advice I can give to a soon-to-be and undecided college students is to think outside the “box.”  Take advantage of these 4-5 years of college and go someplace new.  Look at schools in places you never though you would ever go.  Life outside your hometown is different.  There are many many new and different experiences that you will never experience at home.  Some you may hate, and others you may love.

I went to school to a far far away place in Northern California at Davis.  Even though Davis is in California, anyone who has been knows that Northern California is not the same as Southern California.   Looking back I am very great full to have logged a few years up there.  I love LA, and Davis is far from the coastal cities I grew up in.  But I learned a lot from time I spent there.  Many of the things I did for fun were things I never heard of back home.  The people and food were new and different too.

So, leave home for college.  Go see and live in a place totally new from what you have known growing up.  When thinking of potential colleges, look at a map.  Look at places you have never been but want to go to.  There is a whole lot to be learned while in college outside of the classroom.

Senioritis – A Cautionary Tale

November 28th, 2012

Senioritis (n): a disease, primarily afflicting students that are about to graduate, that causes them to feel like they no longer need to do their work because “We’re almost outta here! Woo!”

Senioritis is an epidemic that sweeps the nation every spring. High School seniors, looking forward to the summer and, beyond that, college, are particularly susceptible to the senioritis bug. Once infected, students become lazy, and often fail to turn in their work. Many feel that, because they have already been admitted to the college of their choice, they no longer have anything to fear from High School. Their quality of work slips and, along with it, so do their grades. But these students are not, in fact, immune to bad grades. Unbeknownst to many of the afflicted, colleges do in fact pay attention to spring semester grades. Known side-effects of senioritis include reduction or loss of scholarships, getting dropped from the admissions list of their college of choice (this does happen), and even failure to graduate. The outlook for sufferers of senioritis is often grim.

Don’t let senioritis get you too! There are many ways to shield yourself from the adverse effects of the disease, but the most effective preventative measure is to stay motivated! Remember that your grades still matter right up until the last day of school! We all know that school can be tough, and boring, and that the promise of summer is already glowing brightly. But that doesn’t mean that it’s time to take a break.

To look at it another way, senior year is actually the most concentrated year of your career! Due to graduation practice, yearbook signing days, AP Testing, CAHSEE tests, Senior Ditch Day, Capstone Project, and cramming in some final volunteering hours, the amount of time you actually have to study and earn points in your senior year are limited. Therefore, every moment counts, so buckle-down, suite-up, strap-in, and finish up your final year on a good note!

Good luck!