Why Honesty Matters in College

College is a transformative period in our lives, where we explore new horizons, forge lasting friendships, and gain valuable knowledge. However, amid the excitement and newfound independence, some students may be tempted to believe that they can engage in deceit, betrayal, manipulation, back-biting, and hypocrisy without facing consequences as long as they aren't caught. In this article, we will discuss the problems associated with such behavior and provide examples from college life's social, academic, and extra-curricular aspects to emphasize the importance of honesty and integrity.

In college, building a strong social network is crucial for personal growth and future opportunities. However, engaging in deceit, betrayal, or manipulation can severely damage your relationships. For instance, spreading false rumors or gossiping about others may give you a temporary sense of power, but it erodes trust and respect among your peers. When your friends discover your true intentions, the fallout can be devastating, leading to loneliness and isolation.

College is a time for intellectual growth and learning. However, resorting to dishonest practices such as plagiarism, cheating, or fabricating data in academic pursuits can have severe repercussions. Not only does it undermine the value of your education, but it also compromises your personal and professional integrity. If discovered, the consequences may range from failing grades, academic probation, or even expulsion. Moreover, the negative impact on your reputation can persist long after college and affect your future career prospects.

Engaging in extra-curricular activities can help you develop leadership skills, pursue your passions, and build meaningful connections. However, negative behavior such as back-biting or hypocrisy towards others involved in these activities can damage your reputation and impede personal growth. For example, if you backstab your fellow club members to gain a position of authority, it may lead to resentment and a lack of trust within the group. Professors or potential employers can also notice your unethical actions, which can significantly impact future opportunities.

It is important to realize that the consequences of deceptive behavior extend beyond college. Employers value integrity and ethical conduct, and dishonesty during your college years may come back to haunt you in the professional world. A reputation for deceit or manipulation can be difficult to overcome and may limit your career prospects. Furthermore, these negative traits can damage personal relationships and hinder your ability to form meaningful connections in the future. Maintaining a high standard of integrity in college will help you navigate the challenges of student life and shape your character for years to come.

Breaking Free from the Weight of Expectations

As high school graduates prepare for life at college, it is crucial to take a step back and critically examine the narrative that has shaped our lives.

In the journey toward college, many high school graduates are burdened by the weight of their own stories. From an early age, we absorb societal expectations and the desires of our parents, which become integral parts of our story. We are told who we should be, how we should act, what we should desire, and what we should fear. These ideas permeate our subconscious, shaping our decisions, self-perception, behavior, and aspirations. However, it is important to question whether these expectations truly align with our authentic selves and our individual passions and aspirations. This article will explore the consequences of taking our story too seriously and discuss how embracing authenticity can lead to a more fulfilling college experience and a sense of personal liberation.

Recognizing the influence of inherited expectations allows us to navigate life at college with greater clarity and purpose. Perhaps we have been conditioned to believe that success can only be achieved by pursuing a particular college major. By critically examining this belief, we may discover that our true passion lies in a different field that better aligns with our skills and values. With this newfound clarity, we can approach our academic choices at college with a sense of purpose, focusing on finding a major that supports our individual growth and nurtures our genuine interests rather than solely chasing external validation.

Taking our story too seriously often leads to a preoccupation with the past, filled with regrets and what-ifs. Engaging with college opportunities and dealing with challenges can be difficult if we are preoccupied with the past. This can hinder our ability to make new connections, explore diverse interests, and fully embrace our true identity. By letting go of the past and focusing on the present, we can create a more authentic college experience.

Another repercussions of taking our story too seriously is the pervasive fear it instills in us regarding the future. For instance, the fear of failure and the unknown can hold us back from participating in extracurricular activities or pursuing new opportunities, limiting our personal and professional development. By recognizing that our past does not predetermine our future, we can break free from these limitations, embrace uncertainty, and explore new paths of personal growth and fulfillment during our college journey.

Reclaiming our inner freedom means recognizing that we have the power to shape our own story, rather than being defined by external expectations. By cultivating self-awareness, exploring diverse interests, and prioritizing personal growth and self-discovery, we can forge a path that aligns with our passions and values. By acknowledging the influence of inherited expectations, letting go of past regrets, embracing the present, and facing the future with courage and curiosity, we can break free from the limitations of our own story. By doing so, we open ourselves up to a more authentic and fulfilling college experience that aligns with our true selves and enables personal growth and fulfillment.

15 Surprising Career Opportunities for Potential Humanities Majors

While most humanities majors don’t offer a direct career path as some majors in other fields do, they are still important degrees. The skills you learn in these majors are very beneficial and can often be applied to numerous professions. Because of the breadth of the curricula, humanities majors often learn skills that employers value, such as critical thinking, communication, complex problem-solving, research, and time management. In fact, many employers seek out humanities majors for this very reason, so your major may make you an even more attractive candidate.

Some non-humanities programs require humanities credits because they teach such desirable skills. For instance, some business programs are beginning to require these types of courses, so their students have skills that courses within the business fields won’t necessarily teach.

Many degrees in the humanities fields can be applied to a wide variety of professions. Additionally, your major allows you to leave your options open, since you aren’t in a program that’s limited to a specific profession.

Professions That Usually Don’t Require Advanced Degrees

• Writing: Writing is relevant—and often central—to many careers, including content or copywriting, journalism, screenwriting, editing, and grant writing. Because writing is integral to so many majors and professions, your humanities degree will be very useful in a numerous fields.
• Marketing/Advertising/Public Relations: Marketing, advertising, and PR are different fields, and there are a number of job possibilities within them. They have many overlapping features, including the need for strong communication skills and the ability to relay your client’s message in creative ways that inspire action.
• Sales: As with marketing, communication and interpersonal skills need to be strong in sales, because you’ll be working with clients directly. You’ll also need critical thinking skills to persuade customers to buy your product. One benefit of sales is that it’s often a high-paying field.
• Language: If you have a strong background in a foreign language, there are many possibilities for employment as a linguist through foreign service, airlines, travel agencies, and other businesses that require translators.
• Human Resources: Working in human resources requires strong interpersonal skills, and you’ll need to be able to work well with people. in an HR position, you may be recruiting job candidates, as well as planning programs and benefits for current employees at a particular organization.
• Museum Curation: An art history degree will provide you with a strong background and foundation to be a museum curator, but you can apply many other humanities degrees to this field as well. In this role, you are essentially a content specialist who acquires and manages your museum’s collection, as well as helps display and exhibit the works.
• Film and Media Production: Producing films, short works, and other forms of media requires plenty of creative skills.
• Publishing: When you think about the publishing field, editor is probably the first role that comes to mind. But there are many different roles in the book and magazine world, and they often go to people with humanities degrees—marketing, publicity, sales, copyright, and design, to name a few. Most of these roles also require strong reading skills.
• Graphic Design: Most companies require graphic designers. Your art major will be useful in branding and helping convey organizations’ messages.

Professions Requiring Advanced Degrees

• Teaching: Nearly any major you can think of can prepare you to be a teacher. You’ll also need to get teaching certified after you finish college. Some positions will also require you to receive a master’s degree, but it can usually be in your specialty.
• Postsecondary Education: In most cases, you’ll need at least a master’s degree to teach at the college level, though there may be some research and administrative positions at colleges that don’t require one. To be on tenure track, you usually need a doctorate.
• Law: While many lawyers major in history or political science as undergraduates, there are generally no specific requirements or courses you need to be admitted to law school. Public speaking and communication skills are key to this field.
• Public Policy and Administration: Strong people and critical thinking skills can give you a big boost in the public policy field, where you’ll help communities and societies plan and function better.
• Librarianship/Archival Studies: There are many different possibilities for working in libraries or archives. You must have good communication and research skills, and your ability to process and understand information is necessary. Being well-read also comes in handy when you’re a librarian.
• Government: Many humanities majors, such as history and political science, provide a solid foundation for working as a government officer.

Use Your Humanities Degree

There are many career options for nearly any degree. Just because your major doesn’t offer you a clearly defined path doesn’t mean you can’t start planning and taking steps towards your future. If you have a career in mind, start thinking about what you can do to help you get there, such as internships, jobs, and clubs. For instance, if you think you’d like to become a journalist, look into internships at a local newspaper, or join your school’s newspaper staff. If your prospective career requires graduate school, research the programs available and the requirements you’ll need for admission.

While your initial salary may be lower compared with those of your peers in high-paying fields like computer science, it will increase significantly as you gain more experience in your industry, so don’t be discouraged. The skills you learn as a humanities major will be invaluable throughout your life—inside and outside your career.

Still have questions? Come have a chat with us!

Making Connections to Get and Keep a Great Internship

Securing an internship can be one of the most stressful parts of college life. Each step along the way – the career fairs, the networking events, and the interviews – can overwhelm students. The work doesn’t end there though. Performance in the internship is just as important. Here are some things we tell students as they begin the college, search for internships, and throughout the internship process. 

Learn to open doors

Learn how to make connections in the areas in which you’re interested. Further, learn how to use those connections appropriately to network for available internships. This could be from meeting them for coffee during the day, giving them a call, or even simply connecting with them on LinkedIn and being involved. 

If you haven’t made a LinkedIn account, now is the perfect time to set one up. Click here to learn all about LinkedIn

Once you crack an internship

1. Come prepared on the first day. Know about the company and what your role will be.
2. Meet as many people in the organization as possible. Linking names and faces will allow you to share experiences with more people, while creating a positive association with your coworkers and superiors.
3. Try new things. Just because you don’t know how something is done doesn’t mean you can’t try! Putting yourself in new situations will allow you to learn new things and become more useful to the organization.
4. Build relationships and connections. Just meeting people won’t be enough to be a good intern. It is important to continue conversations and build relationships with the people around you. This makes the workplace more fun, plus you can receive great recommendations from coworkers.
5. Ask for advice and tips. The people around you would love to give you feedback on your experiences – good and bad. Never hesitate to ask for tips for your future or how to improve. Nobody’s perfect, but learning will make your next internship even better!
6. Stay connected after you leave. Just because the internship is over doesn’t mean the communication has to stop. Some companies would love to have you back for another internship, or stay connected for job opportunities after college. Any connection you make during an internship is an important one, so make sure to keep the connection going forward.`

Remember to be confident and honest throughout the interview and internship process, and you won’t go wrong!

If you have any more questions, come have a chat with us!

Making the Most of Your Summer in a College Town

Are you one of the many students planning to remain in your college town for the summer? If so, be aware that the activity slows and boredom can rise. Being in a small town for the summer has its benefits. Here are a few tips for making the most of your summer in a college town.

Seize opportunities to meet new people

Whether you’re staying to take summer classes or to work, it can be difficult to find friends who have also stayed in town. There are a collection of people also facing classes, so it’s an excellent opportunity to make friends. Rather than going home, go get lunch with your research lab partner!

Get outside!

Outside of class or work, it is important to be creative. Take time for exploration. During the school year, it may be difficult to find time to really explore the area. Take a drive, or go to a beach. With the summer sun shining, find a lake, river, or beachfront nearby. Summertime brings opportunity for many activities. Find a friend with a car or take a bus for the weekend to actually  Keep a lookout for school events (there might be plenty options), or even host a potluck barbecue.

Get ahead

Finally, spending the summer in a college town provides you the chance to get ahead. Rather than sitting around with nothing to do, use the time to learn skills that may be useful in the upcoming school year. While campus may be quiet, it will be active again in the fall. Use quiet time now to prepare for the future, so more time can be spent having fun in the school year.

With the right people, and new friends, simple activities become a blast. Even a simple trip to the grocery store can be entertaining. With the proper level of creativity and some new friends, empty college towns can become the foundation for an epic summer.

5 Books you should be reading right now

Every year the National Association of Scholar’s releases a list of books that colleges have been asking their students to read as part of their common reading program. This allows for deep insight into what students are learning in school, the kind of conversations colleges want their students to have, and also the environment which surrounds the school itself. 

At Edbrand, we constantly track what students are reading in college to make sure we are consistently updating our curriculum and getting our students ready for the kind of conversations they will have in the years to come. 

With this in mind, here are 5 books from this years list that we think are amazing reads with something for everyone. Comment below which book excites you! 

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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

by J. D. Vance

The University of Wisconsin, Madison

J.D. Vance, whose family hails from the hills of Kentucky, grew up in the Rust Belt of Ohio. His memoir, projected to be one of the most popular summer reads of 2017, details the poverty, drug use, and isolation that plague low-income, white communities.

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Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah

Carroll College

This private, Roman Catholic college in Montana selected Trevor Noah's memoir for their common read. Noah, who took over the Daily Show after Jon Stewart, was born in 1984 in apartheid South Africa to a white father and a black mother. In his memoir, Noah finds humor even as he maneuvers a precarious racial landscape. "I think it set me up for where I am now in life," Noah told NPR's Renee Montagne. "But I always say to people, I think I was a comedian before I knew that comedy as a line of work existed. So I was just doing it without getting paid. And then luckily I made up for that.”

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Between the World and Me

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

North Carolina State University

This National Book Award Winner, framed as a father's letter to his son, confronts the realities of being black in America. Toni Morrison said of Coates's work: "The language of Between the World and Me, like Coates's journey, is visceral, eloquent, and beautifully redemptive. And its examination of the hazards and hopes of black male life is as profound as it is revelatory. This is required reading." In 2016, Between the World and Me was the second most popular required reading for college kids.

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What Is Populism?

by Jan-Werner Mueller

Princeton University

Carlos Lozada of the Washington Post called Jan-Wener Müller's book "the most useful work to comprehend Trump's appeal." In the book, Müller, a professor of politics at Princeton, defines the concept of populism—as well as a few popular misconceptions. In September, Müller will lead a discussion of the book with the freshmen class.

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Homegoing

by Yaa Gyasi

Connecticut College

Yaa Gyasi's sweeping first novel spans three centuries in Ghana, tracing the generational trauma of the slave trade—focusing on the Middle Passage, in which Africans were packed onto ships bound for the West Indies. "Nothing in history disappears," the author said. "It has an effect on every generation that comes after." Gyasi, born in Ghana and raised in Alabama, visits Connecticut College's campus in the fall.

Should you take a gap year after high school?

There are certain stereotypes that accompany the phrase “gap year”; in the minds of most, these words conjure up images of backpacking across Europe, Australian sabbaticals, and similarly exotic endeavours. Movies and TV shows have perpetuated the idea of gap years as one last carefree romp before the stress and intensity of college sets in. But these stereotypes are not necessarily an accurate reflection of what most gap years consist of. In this blog post, we’ll paint an honest picture of gap years and all the advantages and disadvantages they bring. With our guide, you can make an educated decision on whether to postpone heading off to college for a year or two.

What is a Gap Year?

Most students start college the fall after they graduate high school. However, some choose to take a gap year, meaning they wait a year and start college the following fall. There are myriad reasons one might take a gap year: finances, travel, family concerns, personal health, and many more. Taking a gap year doesn’t rob you of any rights or privileges you may have enjoyed had you started college directly after high school; essentially, the only thing that changes is your year of graduation.

The Benefits of Taking a Gap Year

There are myriad reasons to postpone starting college directly after high school.

1. Financial reasons often compel students to take a gap year. If you anticipate a change in your family’s financial situation that would significantly increase your financial aid award, or take your extra year to work and save money, it can go a long way in making your education more affordable. Some students even take a gap year because they’ve been offered a unique employment opportunity that they won’t be able to accept later in their educational career.
2. Health. Another reason to take an extra year between high school and college is your or a family member’s health. If you have chronic health concerns, taking a gap year can allow you to learn how to best manage your illness or recover without the stress of moving and classes. If a family member is ill, taking the year off to spend time with or serve as an aid to them is also a common decision.
3. Personal Circumstances. There are also many personal reasons that one might choose to take a gap year separate from immediate, necessary concerns like finances or illness. Many students do choose to travel in the year before they start school, as once they’ve started studying, their summers are likely to be filled with work or internships. This travel isn’t always purely recreational, either; students can apply for grants to conduct research at home or abroad.
4. Pursuing Interests. Gap years can also be a great time to devote yourself to volunteering, finally finish your list of books to read, or thoroughly reflect upon your personal and career goals. Usually, students have very little free time in high school to pursue pursuits other than academics or their extracurriculars, and those who take a gap year have a chance to explore their interests to a degree that wouldn’t be possible while in high school and probably wouldn’t be possible in college, either. For those who are unsure about their major or career path, gap years afford an excellent opportunity to carefully consider and create an academic and professional plan.
5. Burnout/Buffer Year. Some students choose to take a gap year even if they don’t fall into any of the above categories; the period between high school and college marks a major transition and a huge increase in responsibility, and there are students that just prefer to enjoy another year of freedom. Most, if not all colleges will allow you to postpone your first semester by one or sometimes two years if you choose without having to worry about reapplying. Many high school students, especially those who are ultra-competitive, feel burnt-out after high school. Four years of rigorous studies, sports teams, academic competitions, and college applications take a toll, and some can seriously benefit from taking a year to decompress. If you feel you’d benefit from another year or two to mature, learn, and explore without the pressure of a competitive university environment, you might benefit from taking a gap year.

The Disadvantages of Taking a Gap Year

Despite the many advantages that a gap year can bring, there are also several significant disadvantages. Many students who take a gap year struggle with the feeling that they’re being “left behind” as many of their friends go off to start school. This feeling can persist until graduation, when all their former classmates graduate but these students still have another year in school. Unless you feel very confident and secure in your decision to take a year off from school, you may experience some degree of alienation from your high school classmates.

Furthermore, waiting an extra year before starting school means that unless you were already among the youngest in your class, you will be a year or two older than most of the students in your grade and your classes, at least your first year. This can further exacerbate feelings of alienation, as your peers are largely of a different age group. However, many students who take a gap year feel that any sense of detachment from their classmates they may experience would be outweighed by the benefits of taking a year off. In addition, being 19 in a group full of 18 year olds isn’t necessarily a big deal; differences are more pronounced for students who have taken several years off.

While many students take gap years for financial reasons, there are also financial arguments against taking a gap year. The cost of college tuition is increasing at an astronomical rate; the University of California system, for example, has laid forth a plan for 5% increases in tuition each year. If you’re attending a school that is offering you no or little financial aid, you may end up paying more, as the longer you wait, the higher tuition grows.

Finally, many students who take a gap year, especially those postponing matriculation at top schools, have been go-getters their whole lives. After four years of high school that probably included countless AP classes, participation on several athletic and academic teams, and hours upon hours of community service, the idea of taking an entire year off (especially if they don’t have any concrete plans for travel, work, or studying) can be unchallenging to a frustrating degree. If you’re the sort of student that performs best with a jam-packed schedule, taking a gap year may not be the best choice.

Though taking a gap year can be frustrating for students who would rather start school immediately but can’t due to personal circumstances, it’s important to remember that taking a gap year has a negligible effect on your life as a student once you start school. Other than the difference in age, you’ll face all the challenges and enjoy all the privileges that other freshmen do, and if you’ve used your time off productively, prospective employers are unlikely to mind. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to take a gap year should be made on a case-by-case basis. Students who consider taking a year off should carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each decision, and consider not only the immediate, but long-term consequences of the decision. Though there is pressure for students to attend college directly after high school, it’s most important that students carefully weigh their options to make an informed decision that’s best for them.

Read more

How to make the most of your gap year

Rebranding the gap year: A look into Global Citizen Year

What to do when your child is just not ready for college?

Parents, you know your kids better than anyone else. With this in mind, you likely have a strong sense of how they’ll probably fare in college. When they’re not ready, it can rightly be worrisome for its potential long-term negative impact.

A recent Hechinger Report seems to back up this assertion: Over 500,000 students in the 2014-15 academic year needed remedial coursework in college, and 96% of all colleges surveyed had to offer remediation of some kind to students. Remedial rates vary by state, and part of the problem connects to school quality. Remediation also isn’t the only indicator of stress and struggles, but it’s clear that a lot of students aren’t ready when they get to college.

Overwork and elevated expectations can have as negative an impact as under-preparedness. It’s challenging to find that balance between the two and give your student the exact right advice to enable success. Luckily, a few straightforward strategies can help no matter where your student falls on the spectrum of readiness.

Enable Your Child’s Autonomy As Much As You Can

Let’s break down this idea of power and powerlessness. A teenager isn’t an adult yet, and the prefrontal cortex (which powers decision-making and risk) isn’t fully developed. Teens also have fewer life experiences, and will need to rely on you — regardless of whether or not they think they do — to fill in the blanks for them.

It’s also important to remember that students in high school are exploring the notions of what it means to be an adult. As adults-in-training, students begin testing the waters to see what they like and don’t like and to distinguish themselves from their parents. This boundary-pushing might feel infuriating, but it’s pretty normal. Your job is to keep them safe, successful, and healthy.

The trick is to enable them, slowly and strategically, and understand their limitations. A student who gets homework done on time may no longer need a daily check-in about how school’s going, but be watchful to make sure grades don’t slip. A student desperate to get a driver’s license who has demonstrated the appropriate skill level can take the car, but only for small trips at first and not with friends until you feel it won’t cause distraction.

 Let’s break down this idea of power and powerlessness. A teenager isn’t an adult yet, and the prefrontal cortex (which powers decision-making and risk) isn’t fully developed. Teens also have fewer life experiences, and will need to rely on you — regardless of whether or not they think they do — to fill in the blanks for them.

It’s also important to remember that students in high school are exploring the notions of what it means to be an adult. As adults-in-training, students begin testing the waters to see what they like and don’t like and to distinguish themselves from their parents. This boundary-pushing might feel infuriating, but it’s pretty normal. Your job is to keep them safe, successful, and healthy.

The trick is to enable them, slowly and strategically, and understand their limitations. A student who gets homework done on time may no longer need a daily check-in about how school’s going, but be watchful to make sure grades don’t slip.

This also means that students will have to fail. You will have to provide them with enough leeway for them to try, experiment, make mistakes, and learn. Failure can get a bit of a bad rap; it’s treated like a unfixable consequence and one to avoid at all costs. Unfortunately but also fortunately, failure’s actually essential and the key to true life learning.

The situation with your teen will be ever-evolving, and you’ll need to adapt your rules accordingly. There’s a lot of worth in explaining to your student why you’re making your decisions and involving him or her in the decision-making process. The more you expect and encourage adult behavior, the more your teen will know what actions will lead to the greatest independence.

Giving your child good age-appropriate role models, who essentially say the same thing but have that key similarity in age, can also be helpful as you move along this path.

Be Ready to Listen (Even if It’s Not What You Want to Hear)

A child has fewer words and emotional skills to communicate feelings and impulses. Just as a baby cries because of hunger or fear, a student may use actions or imperfect language to tell you what’s really going on.

Take a student that isn’t trying in school. It’s actually pretty rare to find a truly unmotivated student. More likely, the culprit is fear, frustration, or lack of comprehension. Here, the concept of learned helplessness is a common problem. If students fail, especially in a very competitive academic environment in which a B will knock them out of the running for valedictorian or an academic prize, the blow can be crushing.

Without the life experience to know that failure happens sometimes — and often for reasons that are not in their control — students can begin to feel helpless around schoolwork in general and can even begin to catastrophize (thinking irrational negative thoughts about situations that don’t merit that level of anxiety).

Silence can also speak volumes. Without the words or feelings of security to speak up, students can internalize instead. In our high schools today and with the increasingly high requirements to get into college, overwhelming pressure is common. A student having trouble with this may begin to exhibit signs of stress, like a change in habits, sleeplessness, or generalized anxiety, and is probably turning inwards instead of speaking up about fears and expectations.

Students should feel safe to express themselves in a safe environment without fear of repercussion; if you’re not feeling like your support is enough, counselors and therapists have lots of techniques for your student (and you, if you’re interested) to acknowledge feelings and process them effectively.

As always, it’s about balance. If your student says he or she wants to change schools once, take that information in stride; it might just have been a bad day, and teens can sometimes be dramatic. But if a student tells you over and over that he or she needs to change schools, even when no concrete reason is provided, it’s important to listen and react.

A student may also feel afraid to offend you, especially if your expectations don’t match with each other. Just know that your student is not you — he or she has unique needs and what worked for you may look very different from what works for your student.

The ultimate goal is to empower teenagers to face adulthood head-on, with the right mix of confidence and humility to try, fail, learn, grow, and become adults. You are responsible for a major piece of this growth, but it isn’t totally in your hands either. The more you communicate and listen, the more your student will show you what you need to do to help along the way.

If you need help with undressanding how to vocabularize with your child, come have a chat with us

Plan your life! A guide to using calendars

Staying organized is a critical skill to develop and maintain during high school. As your workload increases and your responsibilities begin to add up, it’s important that you keep track of all your commitments. This isn’t always an easy task. As you near senior year, you’ll have to balance school assignments, exams,  standardized tests, scholarship and college application deadlines, and extracurricular commitments. This can sometimes turn into a real juggling act, especially towards the end of the school year with finals and the penultimate board exams. 

If you want to ensure that you’re prepared for the work ahead and that you don’t drop any of the important balls you’ve got in the air, you’ll need to come up with a foolproof organization system. This means using your time wisely, developing stress management techniques, and, of course, staying organized.

One critical key to your organization should be the use of a planner or calendar. Using a planner or calendar will help you to visualize the many commitments you have made and will also aid you in keeping track of them. Having a visual reminder of what is happening when can also deter you from biting off more than you can chew.

There are many different systems for using these important tools, but ultimately how you maximize your use of them will be up to your personal preferences. In this post, we’ll outline the benefits of using various calendar systems, the various methods you might employ in using them, and the types of things you should include on your calendar. To learn more about how using a calendar or planner can help you to stay organized and on track even during the busiest of times, read on.

Benefits of Online Calendars

One type of calendar to consider using is an online calendar. This type of calendar can generally be accessed as an app or through a website, and it is generally a very popular choice for high school students and professionals alike.

Major benefits are: 

1. It can be shared across devices: Once you add something to the calendar on your phone, it will automatically sync so that the event shows up on your computer, tablet, or any other device you might access it from
2. Multiple calendars: Online calendars also allow you to overlay different calendars onto the same template. This way, you can add events for an extracurricular calendar, school assignments calendar, college applications calendar, and more
3. Easily shareable: You can add other users to your calendar and choose what type of access each has, including whether they can edit the calendar themselves or just view what you have added to it. This way, you can add your parents or mentors to your calendar
4. Active notifications: You can set a notification to alert you at a set time before a scheduled event takes place, or you can set a daily alert to update you with that day’s agenda. These alerts can be synced directly to your phone so that you’re sure not to miss them, even on a busy day.

Online calendars are a very popular choice due to the ease with which you can access and coordinate with others through them. Being able to filter your view and access all events from all your devices is certainly a major advantage.

Benefits of Physical Planners or Calendars

Of course, online calendars and planners aren’t the only option available. Sometimes, you might find that a physical planner or calendar is a better choice for you.

Major benefits are: 

1. Multiple kinds of formats: Physical planners or calendars exist in nearly every format imaginable. You might have one that shows one day per page, or you might have one that shows an entire month. If you can’t find the template you prefer at an office supply store or for purchase online, it is fairly easy to make your own using a slim three-ring binder and a hole punch. Simply create your own template exactly how you want it using Microsoft Excel and run off enough copies to last for the year, or find a blank template online that you can print yourself.
2. Can be accessed anywhere: physical planner can be accessed anywhere, including during classes when phones or other devices are not allowed. You can use your planner as an assignment book, bringing it along with you to every class and adding assignments or other important commitments immediately as they arise. Generally, phones or other devices are often not allowed to be used in the classroom, so if you are using a virtual calendar, you’ll need to wait until after class to add important assignments. A physical planner allows you to enter these important deadlines immediately 
3. Helps you remember better: a physical planner requires that you handwrite each commitment. While this might not seem like a big deal, studies show that that students who write their notes by hand are more likely to commit them to memory than students who type notes during a lecture. If the same theory is carried over to a calendar, then it would stand to reason that students who hand-write their commitments into a physical planner may be more likely to remember them independently than students who type them into an online calendar.   

Best Calendar Programs

Google Calendar. Google Calendar is one way to keep track of important dates, deadlines, and events. It syncs across devices and is easily shareable with others, so you can keep your family and friends informed as well. It also allows you to set alerts or notifications to make sure you don’t forget important deadlines.

Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft Outlook Calendar is another popular choice. It includes many of the same options as Google Calendar, and also allows you to set recurring events, for example on the first weekday or first weekend of the month. One drawback of MS Outlook is that it only allows you to schedule reminders two weeks in advance of events.

iCal. iCal is another solid option, not particularly dissimilar to Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar. If you are already an iOS user, though, you might find iCal more convenient since it is the default calendar app included with your Apple devices. Additionally, when you are signed into your iCloud account, it will automatically sync across all devices associated with that account.

We hope this helps. If you use a calendar, comment below of what you use and if you don’t, then tell us what you might use! 

4 things you can do today to prepare for college

After all the work and stress of the college application process, actually starting college may seem like a comparatively easier and more positive experience. However, college life differs in many ways from the lives of most high school students. Going away for college is a unique experience for everyone, but for most students, it will involve making major adjustments.

Once you’re on campus, you’ll typically be expected to handle most aspects of your life much more independently, from academics to social activities to everyday practical concerns. Balancing all these new responsibilities can be a challenging task.

While people often focus on the academic side of preparing for college, the more personal and practical skill sets that college also requires are just as important.

Here are 4 areas you’ll need to consider as you get ready for the demands of college life: 

Get comfortable taking care of household chores and errands.

For many young people, the beginning of college is the first time they’ve lived independently from their families for an extended period of time. It can come as a shock for them to suddenly find themselves personally responsible for a whole range of activities that might have previously been taken care of by their parents or other family members.

From cleaning to paying the bills to running errands, there are many adult tasks for which you’ll need to take responsibility in order for your college life to run smoothly. It’s wise to start learning how to accomplish these tasks well before it becomes absolutely necessary for you to do them for yourself.

Many young people encounter obstacles as they learn to take on more substantial domestic tasks, but minor disasters, like shrinking all your sweaters by using the wrong temperature on the washing machine, are part of the learning process. With practice, you’ll become much more comfortable with these tasks, and the earlier you start practicing, the more secure in your abilities you’ll feel when you leave for college.

Understand and manage your financial situation.

In order for you to learn to handle your own finances, the first thing you’ll need to figure out is what financial resources you have and in what forms. Do you have savings, and if so, where are they held? Are there bonds in your name waiting to mature, or is there a trust fund or college fund being held for you? Whatever your situation, learn as much as you can about it.

If you have a bank account, check out its terms, and get in the habit of actually looking at your bank statements. (If you don’t have a bank account, get one!) You can also look up whether the bank you use now has branches and ATMs in the cities where you’re considering going to college—if not, you may end up finding it more convenient to open an additional account at a more accessible bank.

If you do have substantial savings, investments, or other financial resources of your own, now is the time to make sure you know what they are and how they work. Your family may be able to help you learn more and access more advanced financial planning resources.

High school is also a great time to start practicing making and sticking to a budget. No matter how much or how little money you have, you can keep track of and think critically about how much you earn, save, and spend. It’s also smart to get a sense of how much money is required in order to meet your usual needs and wants.

Talking about money can be awkward, but it’s important that you have an honest and forthright discussion with your parents about who pays for what and how. There are a number of important questions to be answered before you leave for college, some regarding everyday expenses, others regarding what plans are in place to help you in an emergency situation. 

How much will your parents contribute to your living expenses during college, and how will they send you those funds? Will you have access to a family credit card for emergencies and/or for everyday expenses? Who pays for textbooks and school supplies, and what about medical expenses? Whatever you decide as a family, it’s best to make sure everyone is on the same page before you leave home.

Develop sustainable and organized work habits.

Everybody procrastinates sometimes, and college offers plenty of distractions that can interfere with your academic performance. The same is true of high school, of course, but at least in high school, you’re generally operating in a very structured academic environment with routines and rules that help guide your workflow.

Once you get to college, you’ll have to keep up with your workload much more independently. There are many benefits to this increased intellectual freedom, but the downside is that you’ll have less of a framework to depend upon to provide support, guidance, and check-ins as you complete course assignments. 

It’s important to learn good work habits while you’re still in high school because sooner or later, they’ll become essential to your academic success. Studying, writing essays, and other academic tasks become much easier if you have good habits already in place for managing your schoolwork.

Particularly in the present day, technology can be a useful ally. There are a wide range of productivity apps and computer programs available that might be a good fit for you. Some block your computer or phone from accessing social media websites for a certain period of time. Others help structure your study schedule with tools like checklists, alarms, calendars, and reminders

The bottom line is that you should do what works best for you, as long as it’s healthy and constructive. Whether it’s asking a trusted friend to change your Facebook password during finals period, maintaining an elaborate system of Post-It notes, or managing your time with a calendar app, the best work and organizational habits are those that you can effectively maintain over time and come to rely upon.

In the end, only you can say what will genuinely help you to get work done and which specific strategies match up to which of your goals. Use your time in high school to experiment and find the methods that work best for you.

Learn how to ask for help.

Sometimes, people conflate adulthood with total independence, but this approach isn’t always the best way to go. No matter how old, experienced, or ambitious you are, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it—and sooner or later, everyone needs help.

What you need to learn, the earlier the better, is how to ask for help in a clear, mature, and effective way. This includes figuring out when it’s time to seek help with a task or decision, which can affect how easy it is to resolve the problem—recognizing the issue and intervening early can make a huge difference.

You’ll also need to work on ascertaining who is able and willing to provide that help, and phrasing your request in an appropriate way to get the specific information or assistance you need. If you don’t direct the right questions to the right people, you won’t find your answers nearly as easily. 

Once you get to college, you’ll most likely be surrounded by resources that you can access to help you solve problems and make the best of your college experiment. These might include academic tutoring, mediation for interpersonal or roommate issues, counseling to keep you mentally and physically healthy, and programs to help you manage your stress level, among many others.

These resources are great to have, but once you’re attending college and living a more adult life, they do require some work and commitment on your part to access. An instructor might, for example, recommend that you seek out tutoring to help you through a rough patch in one of your courses, but it’s up to you to actually sign up and go to your tutoring sessions.

As you get closer to college, it’s vital that you develop your ability to ask for help effectively and appropriately. You need to start taking ownership of your life, and this includes recognizing your limits and proactively seeking out the help you need rather than muddling through and hoping that problems just go away.

We hope this helps. For other resource help, comment below or shoot us an email