SENIOR Advice!!

Ok, so here's another post for high school seniors. What?!? I'm going to be a senior this year so I have to be prepared don't I? So I decided to share some of this neat info. w/ you guys. I happened to come by a big list of Advice for Seniors by Seniors (& college freshmen)... n some of this advice is something that u guys may want to pay attention to. Here are a few of my favorite tips from the list that I plan to follow:

1. Participate in as many activities and events as you can, but be careful to not spread yourself too thin. In any activity or project you pursue, participate with 110% of your ability.

2. Map out scholarship application deadlines, and then DONT FORGET!

3. Schedule your time wisely, but don't sweat the small stuff. If something doesn't happen the way you planned, don't freak out.

4. Make sure to allow for the significant amounts of time required to properly apply for college and scholarships.

5. Take most rigorous courses you can

6. Take advantage of every opportunity you are given. Pursue opportunities to explore and never underestimate yourself

7. Get to know your teachers, and don't give up just because you're almost finished.

8. Never procrastinate (my #1 goal! haha)

9. Start planning early, make lists, and try to begin to figure out who you are, what your passions are, and how you can contribute to the world

10. Apply Early Decision to the college of your choice and make sure to enjoy your senior year because it goes by quickly

Well, those were I guess my top 10 from the list... I really like them all. So here's the link so you can access the list of advice for senoirs too! :) Just remember - keep challenging yourself and try to be the best at everything you do! It'll all pay off in the end.

College Essay- Get it Right! (Fo Real)

1. INTRODUCTION

Ok, I simply CANNOT stress how important it is to capture your reader's attention. I know, I know - you've heard this a bajilion times but it is crucial that you apply it to ur college essay b/c the admissions officers are only going to spend 1-3 min. reading it. So make it count! Does it take u FOREVER to try and come up w/ even a decent sounding intro? Well, I never said that this was going to be easy! ok ok, I'll give you guys a tip that helped me out: Think of your essay as a 3-min. movie. So set the right mood and tone w/ ur intro and make this one interesting short movie to read! psst... don't give away too much - u don't want to ruin the ending!

2. THE MEAT

A.K.A. BODY PARAGRAPHS! These are just as important as the intro. Be consistent Keep the same tone as ur intro(which u may have to go back & edit if needed) and have ur essay flow in a logical manner. Take out any unneccessary words and keep ur transitional phrases to a minimum. For example, insteading of dragging out a sentence w/ "In our society today,", plz just do yourself and the person reading ur essay a favor by replacing that phrase w/ "Now,". Remember, this essay is supposed to give an image of who you are as a person - so just make the essay sound as if you're talking to someone... in a very grammaticaly accurate way!

3. FLOWERY WORDS

Save it! The admission officers can spot a phony from a mile away. You DO NOT need to use big, difficult words to try to impress your reader. I repeat, DO NOT USE BIG WORDS". In fact put that thesarus away right now! Ok, fine I did use the thesarus a little bit while writing my essay, but just to replace words that I kept repeating with words I already used in my everyday language. Please don't try to sound like Aristotle or Descartes in ur essay - unless of course, that is how you REALLY do talk to other ppl. Ok, I want every single one of you to go out and either buy the following book or borrow it from a friend or check it out from the library or whatever. Please read this book BEFORE you start writing your essay! I think every high school senior absolutely must make it their top priority to read it. Alright, alright - here's the book: A Farewell To Arms by Hemmingway. In fact, you may refer to any of Hemmingway's works to get a sense of what your college essay should ultimately try to sound like :)

FINALE

Ok I could not have put it better myself. So I won't. Here's how to end with a grand finale w/ tips directly quoted from Essay Advantage: "Do not simply summarize. The admissions essay is not long enough to warrant a summation. Also, as with the transitions, avoid stock phrases. Do not begin your conclusion with, "In conclusion...", or any other trite phrase. Try instead to utilize this last opportunity to capture the readers' imagination by restating, recapitulating or rephrasing a point made in the body of the essay. Be bold but not stupid. DO NOT end your essay with a quote from a historical figure. The admissions committee wants to know about you, not what Winston Churchill thought about the dog days of war." Moving on... (here comes the fun part)

GO ON FACEBOOK

Or watch T.V. or clip your grandma's toenails. Just plz do something else and step AWAY from ur essay. Not because you deserve it(which I'm sure you do!) but because once you do come back to it, you'll see it from a whole new perspective - which is good. So put that essay away and don't look at it for at least a couple days, even weeks. I'm serious. And once you do happen to come back to it, don't be scared to tweak it and brush it up a little here and there! ;)

FEEDBACK

This is like a DUHHH. Have your friends, your parents, and your teachers (especially your english teacher) edit it and give you some feedback. Take their criticisms as helpful hints on how to improve ur essay and thank them for their time. Also, check out your public library's website for free homework help and have an online tutor check and edit your essay for you too! It's good to get feedback from as many people as possible.

Good Luck!

Tips for Life - Learn about ART

Art plays such a huge role in our everday lives, but many of us hardly ever stop to think about it. Just imagine a world with no art - that's just crazy!

That's why art is sooo important and we should all try to gain a better understanding of it (psst... it helps u become a more well-rounded person - which is of course what we're all striving for!) Who knows? Maybe you'll be inspired by some artwork and it certainly helps develop your interests and individualtiy. Next time you examine a piece of art (a painting, sclupture, photography, cartoons, etc.), try to think of what you like and dislike about it. Just keep a mental tab of your reaction to the particular artwork and soon enough you'll be a seeing a pattern of what your personal tastes are.

There are many ways to learn more about art. Go to a local art museum and actually take time to examine a few pieces of art and read about the artists' works and the message they're trying to convey. Or go to the library and check out books about art to learn about the different types of art and art movements throughout our history (it's really not as boring as it sounds - i promise! plus, instead of reading a book - ur only viewing pictures :]) And make sure to look at various types of art as I aforementioned - such as landscapes, portraits, scluptures,... - since the whole point of this is to have an enriching learning experience.

Don't have the time to visit art museums or libraries? No Problem! Take a look at these following art musuems online:

The Museum of Modern Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tate Online A British website!

The Louvre A French art site :D

A Nerd Tip - How to Fake It

ok so how many of you guys are going off to college? maybe some of y'all are already in college or have already graduated. thats fine too. I personally have two more years until I start receiving my post secondary education... but here's a tip:

There are certain books that are considered classics and any well-rounded literature freak would probably have read almost all of them. These books are meant to engage our minds and make us think and evaluate different aspects of life. So what are these books that sound oh so exiciting you ask? Well collegeboard has made it easy and came up with a list of recommended books to be read before going to college. you may access this huge ugly list right here
Now, before you start thinking I'm crazy for telling you guys to read each and every one of those books - let me tell you a secret. First of all, I'm sure many of you have already read a couple books listed on there in your english classes(or for fun for u nerds out there). But here's a quick way to "read" all of those books in a matter of months:

Just go to either www.sparknotes.com or some other study guide site (such as www.gradesaver.com) and look up the books on the list. Read through the chapter summaries to get an idea of what the book is really about. Here's a bonus - sparknotes has commentaries at the bottom where it analyzes these books to enhance your understanding of the novel. Now, I am not saying that you should do this for all the books on that list. Reading Spark Notes is never a substitute to actually picking up a book and reading it. However, this method allows you to expand your vast array of knowledge and become a better well-rounded individual. Who knows, maybe it'll help you answer some more Jeopardy questions :)


Now, many of y'all are probably wondering why you would ever want to waste your time "reading" a book on Spark Notes that you would never have read in the first place anyways. Here's the answer: Reading these classic books is one of the best ways to get ready for college(and for life). It challenges your mind and you'll be suprised at just how much you can learn from them. That's why they're called "classics". But most importantly, they help you improve your
reading skills, increase your vocabulary, expand your horizons, and prepare you for college entrance tests. Now who doesn't want that? So what are you waiting for? Click here to start searching for books and begin your journey towards enlightment...
Oh, and once you're done with that, google some more books to read before college and get on it!