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!
The time has come to reap the benefits of all these years of classes, extra curricular activities, and sacrificing TV hours for extra study time. This time next year, many of you will be in your first semester of college … but where?
October and November are the crunch months for college applications. The UC Application, which opened October 1st, is due November 30th – a mere month away. Many of you are applying to multiple schools around the country, and you are currently in the midst of answering several open-ended prompts along the lines of, “What characteristics define you?” and, “Name an event that shaped your life.” Or, maybe you’re tackling something like the infamous University of Chicago prompt: “How do you feel about Wednesday?”
How do you even start to answer a prompt like that?
The best way to start is with a brainstorm. Spend a couple days just thinking before you even open a Word document and start to type. If the prompt asks you to reflect on an event in your life, or a quality that you possess, think honestly about who you are. Ask your friends and family what they think your best characteristics are, and ask for examples of how you embody those qualities. Look through photo albums, listen to your favorite music, think of events in your life that changed you and helped to build the person that you are today.
Next, narrow down your top options. Think: Does this story portray me in a good light? Does it make me seem smart and introspective? Do my actions embody attributes that would make me a good college student?
Remember that college admissions officers read thousands of essays each day during admissions season. They are looking for potential students who will thrive at their university, excelling in courses while adding insight and individuality. They want students who will enhance the university’s community by volunteering and becoming involved. Most of all, they want to see that you are a well-rounded person who is serious about education, but also has interests that extend beyond the classroom and can enrich the lives of other students. They’re building a community, not just a class.
So, just be you. Or – even better – be the most insightful and interesting version of you. Tell the truth, but tell it in an interesting way that will stand out from the other essays. The best way to do this is to try to show the readers who you are, rather than just telling them. Try telling a story that shows your best characteristics, or an example of how a Wednesday changed your life. Be unique, be concise, and be articulate.
And if you get stuck, be at The Study Hut. We’ll help you get inspired.
Here at The Study Hut sometimes saying goodbye is a happy occasion. As the summer is coming to an end so we say goodbye to a few of our tutors. Not to worry! Their departure is not due to sub-par performance or conflicts between other tutors, but because they are once again joining the ranks of US college students or are exploring the world in hopes of expanding human knowledge.
We are happy to see one tutor off to Columbia University this fall. Jenna who has worked with us this last year came to us already with some teaching experience. She had taught and substituted for a few of the lower elementary grades after finishing school. Now she is going for her Masters degree in education. We are always happy people using their skills to teach other and help others.
Another tutor will also be leaving not just us, the whole United States. Jenny, after a few years helping kids in our Redondo office, is packing up and leaving for Australia. A marine-bio major, Jenny spent time studying sharks while in school. Now she plans on continuing that hobby/love. She will be camping out on the remote coast of Australia tracking, recording, and studying the local shark behavior. After a few months she will then be attending graduate school in Australia.
We wish Jenna and Jenny the best of luck on their new adventures.
Working at Study Hut has taught me how to implement different learning styles for different kids. With some of my students, I have very hands on approach where I am constantly checking their planners and making sure they are on top of all of their assignments. In sessions like these, I am talking for most of the time. For my students that I know are trying their best and are just coming to tutoring for the few questions that they couldn’t figure out, I take a more observational approach. I watch them as they try and solve the problem, and try to assess where they are going wrong. Recently I have seen a lot of improvement in one of my 7th graders that has required a lot of hands on attention. He began coming to Study Hut about 5 months ago, and was getting a C or below in all of his classes. We discovered that his main problem was organization. I began to push him into writing everything down in his planner including soccer practice and piano lessons. The idea is to develop these necessary habits early on so that when high school and college come along they have the tools to cope with stressful schedules. After about a month of pestering him, he finally began to write everything down, and as a result has become much more motivated. The planner gives him a sense of direction, and he feels less overwhelmed with everything he needs to do. His mood has changed dramatically from someone with very little confidence and motivation to someone that is hopeful and much more excited about school. His grades are still not as high as we both want them to be, but I’m confident that we can raise them by the end of the year.
With AP tests just around a corner, I’m sure a lot of you are just now realizing what that whole last year of extra long AP homework assignments and tests were for. The AP class is meant to mimic the difficulty of a college course, and as a high school student it is very important to do well in both the class, and the test. Why is it so important? Because if you do well it shows you are ready for the level of classes that you are going to encounter at the college you’re applying at. If you do poorly, it shows a lack of preparation to tackle such high difficulty courses. Passing the test also gives you a head start to your college credits, and at times can even save you from taking a class. So it is important that you go into this test as prepared as possible.
To help gauge your preparedness, we at the Study Hut have two days where you can take a free AP practice test of your choosing. These are actual College Board tests, so it’s as close to the real thing as you can get. Study up, and come by the Hut on Saturday 4/21 or 4/28, and the tests will be administered from 8am-11am. If you are interested in taking advantage of these practice tests, send a confirmation email of the date, and test you would like to take to Samantha@studyhut.com
Study your notes, and if you feel like the year has gone by and you’re just as lost as you were in the start, buy an AP Study Book, which are available at most bookstores. They contain all the information you need in a refined way, and also have practice tests with full explanations.
Study hard boys and girls, and prove to them you’re ready for college!
The key to being a well-rounded student and perhaps even more importantly a well-rounded person is achieving balance in the elements of your life – academic and personal. With spring break being over for most students it is time to get back into the swing of things and hit the ground running. It is wise during breaks from school such as spring recess to keep your mind active so as to make the returning transition to school as fluid as possible. Even though it may be the last things most students may want to do during spring break, practicing a little bit of math and science or perhaps reading an interesting novel can help keep your mind active and help from forgetting valuable concepts learned prior to the break. That being said, it is also good to use the opportunity of spring break to get outside, be physically active, take in some sunlight, and so on. Actually on a biological level, exposure to sunlight is very important to us because sunlight participates in an important chemical reaction that produces the active form of vitamin D in our bodies. Also, being physically active is a great way to relieve stress through the release of endorphins in our brains. It can certainly be tough, especially for busy students to achieve a good balance in their daily lives. Always try and be efficient with your time and remember the law of diminishing returns. Studying efficiently and more often for shorter periods of time is undoubtedly more beneficial than exhausting several hour long study sessions. Its important to set aside time for social activities, but make sure to also set aside an appropriate amount of time to get your school work completed. It is wise to develop habits like these because they will without a doubt come in useful when you transition from being a high school to a college student.
As junior year approaches, the time for applying to college quickly nears. The application process can be stressful if one is not adequately prepared and informed. This summer, Studyhut is offering a new college application counseling program to help guide students and parents alike through the process of applying. When I applied to college I remember the process being somewhat overwhelming and pretty confusing at times. I didn’t have the luxury of having an older sibling who had recently gone through the process to coach me through my applications or personal and supplementary statements. I unfortunately was left in the tough situation of having to figure it out on my own. Looking back, I would have immensely appreciated quality guidance from an experienced graduate on how to best approach my applications and personal statement. This is exactly what the Study Hut’s summer college app program intends to provide. Let the tutors at the Study Hut help coach your student through the applying process so they can focus their attention on the actual application and writing a quality personal statement rather than the rigmarole of the application process itself. The program will utilize some of the keys to surviving the college application process that the tutors here at Studyhut have learned from going through it themselves. Some of the focuses of the program are to aid students in staying on track with their application so that everything may be submitted on time since application deadlines are unwaveringly rigid. Another important component of college applications that strangely enough is often overlooked is the process of extensively researching the schools in which students may be interested in applying too. There is a tremendous amount of information available concerning what schools may be better for certain students depending on what paths they are intending to pursue. By thoroughly researching schools, students can make informed decisions about the programs the institutions have to offer as well as what student life may be like. All in all, I look forward to participating in Study Hut’s summer college app program and helping students get the best edge possible on their applications.
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!
