What are you thankful for this school year? Here at Study Hut Consulting, we balance our love for Thanksgiving with our duty to accurately teach US History (among other AP courses!). It can be a tall order, conveying both the joy of life and the understanding of hard facts. Many of our college hopefuls have submitted their first applications into the world — they can tell you all about this juggling act, as well.
Yes, if anything is more bittersweet than cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, it would have to be farewells to my college applications students. I have gotten to know them better than their teachers through hours of one-on-one tutoring. We’ve conducted our interview, learned the art of essay writing, practiced idea generation and organization, and finally, distilled their personalities into a finely-crafted set of essays. As a tutor, I lose myself in the sheer excitement of the craft. But when that first “Submit” button gets pressed, it all needs to be perfect. At Study Hut Consulting, I’m proud to say that it is.
For those students who may be reading — those, perhaps, without someone to guide them — let me tell you this: Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday for writing college essays. Let me explain. So many of my students walk in my door thinking they have nothing to say. College applications are so competitive, what can one “normal” kid possibly write about? And yet, student after student leaves with a unique, heartfelt essay. College writing, it turns out, is an act of discovery. Get excited about your life, rejoice in the smallest of moments, because even they can show your character. In short: be Thankful.
And it’s true, sometimes you need a fresh set of eyes to see just how unique you are. That’s where our college admissions team can help. We know every student has a story to tell. We’ve helped tell quite a few. So as you sit down to write (we suggest starting with the Contact Form), ask yourself: what will you be thankful for next year?
Come down to the Study Hut in Redondo Beach, where we arm students like you from all over the South Bay with strategies to excel on every section of the test. We understand that taking the ACT coincides with a very crucial time in students’ lives: when you decide where you want to go to college. On top of making sure that your grades and applications are in order, you also have to worry about preparing for a four-hour long test designed to evaluate almost everything you’ve learned in high school. It’s enough to make anyone stressed out. But that’s okay. Even the best students aren’t always the best test-takers, so don’t worry; you’re not alone if you think you need help.
ACT at the Redondo Beach Hut
At the Hut we employ graduates from renowned universities, including UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and Cal Poly SLO to equip you with the leading ACT test-taking skills. So, when the time comes to take the test, you will not only be able to complete it efficiently, you’ll be able to do so confidently.
Because we work with students from a diverse pool of high schools — Palos Verdes, Peninsula, South Torrance, Redondo Union, Loyola and others — we have plenty of experience adapting these test-taking strategies to best fit your specific needs. No matter what your subject background or your skill level, we are ready to help you.
So how does this work? First, we set you up with a free and brief consultation where we determine the ACT prep course that’s right for you. Our packages range from 12 to 16 to 20 sessions total, with each session lasting two hours. After we set up the course that best suits your schedule and abilities, you start meeting with your tutor! Together we’ll help you dissect complex reading passages, simplify the steps you take to answer questions correctly, and prepare you to make more educated guesses.
Over the years, the Hut has witnessed so many of its students exceed their expectations on the ACT, and we would love to catalyze your success too.
Ready to give this a shot? Either fill out the contact form on this page or give us a ring at (310)540-5888. We’re looking forward to gearing you up!
Olivia has worked with Laura for years on all of her difficult assignments. From ambiguous essay topics and intense cram sessions, to capstone and marine biology vocabulary they had studied it all. When it came time to write her college application essays, Olivia knew that she wanted Laura to guide her through the stressful process.
Laura helped Olivia narrow down what schools she wanted to apply to from her very long list. Olivia would visit some of her choices over spring and winter breaks, long weekends, and any other time that she could. She always reported back what she thought of each school to Laura and together they kept track of where she would be sending her applications. They sorted all of the schools into Olivia’s safety schools, schools she would most likely get into, and her dream schools. Her number one choice was USC.
Olivia decided that she wanted to write her essay about her adopted brother and the impact he has had and continues to have on her life. Laura helped Olivia focus her essay on herself, and how her brother had helped her grow, instead of focusing too much on him. She also helped Olivia achieve the critical thinking and brainstorming she needed to discover what she really wanted to tell the schools about herself. At the end, Olivia had a clear idea of who she was, and how she wanted to portray herself to her schools.
Olivia has been hearing back from all of her schools, including her top choice USC. She got in to the highly competitive program to study marine science. Congratulations, Olivia!
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!
As the summer turns in to fall and the school year takes hold, high school students all over the world become immersed in the complex ritual that is the college application. This task may seem like an unbearably daunting one and the defining moment for the rest of your life (it certainly did for me). However, like the beginning of any grand odyssey it begins with just a few, simple steps. The first of these is learning what your options are. In other words, what colleges are out there and what do they have to offer?
The best place to find this out is from someone who knows about the college or university firsthand. Luckily for those in the Newport-Mesa area, over 200 colleges are sending representatives to the College Fair at the OC Fairgrounds Building 10 tonight, Wednesday, October 8th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. More College Fair info
Meeting with a representative to find out more about a college is a great way to narrow down your options and figure out which campuses are worth visiting in person. This college fair is also the perfect opportunity to find out about all of the different programs that a school offers. While you might have your heart set on a particular major or career now, it never hurts to make sure that a potential alma mater also has other programs that you are interested in. After all, if you are anything like me you want to not only get a good academic education but also meet interesting people along the way.
If you are still feeling overwhelmed about the application process, there is no need to fear. Here at Study Hut we have years of experience with college applications and can help you break down your odyssey in to a few, simple steps. Follow this link to find out more about how Study Hut can help you get in to college: https://studyhut.wpengine.com/packages/college-apps/
Hey everyone. After hours of research and planning we at Study Hut are almost ready to start a new line of services aimed at helping college-ready-high schooler’s not just choose the best college for them but also help get into and pay for school. The first half of our new services will be geared at having students “Brand” themselves by identifying their own unique set of skills and strengths which they can then use to better their chances of getting to the college of their choosing. By better understanding and realizing his/her own strengths students will be better able to write insightful and stronger college application essays and articulate their worth to colleges during the application process.
After you get in the school of your dreams we offer another set of services, which mom and will love, that help reduce the cost of college. We will help students apply and win scholarships by coaching them how to best present themselves when applying for scholarships. We are also able to find other ways of reducing the college cost by getting in-state tuition, testing out of some college courses (which is not just limited to AP tests), help with FASFA application and process, tuition reimbursement, and other programs offered to help students reduce the cost of college tuition.
We at the Hut have all ourselves gone through the marathon of college apps and are aware how much stress the process can be. We are happy to offer our own experience and expertise in aiding students doing their very best to get in and pay for college.
It may seem a tad premature to write about summer programs, but here at The Study Hut we are always thinking ahead of schedule. The sunny California weather also helps put in a good summer mood. This summer we are excited to introduce new programs for all ages!
Summer is a great time to get caught up on SATs, college apps, and enrichment for the younger ones. The Manhattan and Redondo Beach Study Huts are soon to be equipped with programs for each of those areas.
For starters, we will have reading and writing programs for kindergarten through 8th grade. For the youngsters, we will have reading workshops that target phonemic awareness to prepare them for reading. 3rd-4th graders will have the opportunity to participate in fluency workshops. 5th-8th graders will have the opportunity to take a writing workshop that will be geared toward writing perfected five paragraph essays. Each student will be provided with a private tutor that will guide them toward success.
As for the students at the High School Level we will have both math prep (Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 3/4) and SAT courses. These classes will be in a group setting and will give each student a preview on each of these subjects prior to enrolling so they can have the benefit of starting out with flying colors.
Finally, we will be offering one-on-one tutoring sessions specifically geared toward helping students with their college applications. Such topics to be covered are their personal statement, financial aid, the actual application, resume, and interview skills. Summer is always a great time to get ahead of the game with college apps. Who better to help your child prepare than a tutoring center that has helped numerous students get into college?
Although we just got finished with ski week, we are geared up for the future and can’t wait to implement our new programs! Stay tuned for more info!
