education-tips

[education-tips]

Hi everyone! I’ve noticed this post has been getting a lot of traction recently! I’m now in my third year of college and I just would like to point out that I have no idea how updated the current website is!! So please take into consideration that though some tips may apply the process may be different or updated, I really have no idea! On that note, I wish you all the best!!!

Tips for Seniors/Juniors in High School (Plan on Going to College) College Admissions Advice #1

So when I was a Junior/Senior i remember freaking out about what college I wanted to go to and what I wanted to be and whatever

NOW I know I want to be an educator and help teens through this time because I remember how stressful this process was.

So here’s a 10 Tip thread I made for Jr/Seniors in HS who plan on applying to college

Look first of all, let me just say a disclaimer: I am not a college admissions person, this was just my experience with the California’s college application system.

So in my experience: I had the luxury of applying to 10 colleges (8 pub, 2 Priv) all in California #blessfeewaivers

The schools I applied to all ranged from prestigious to average but most of them happened to be my safety schools.

I wanted to point this out bc that was one of the things you SHOULDN’T DO when applying to college.

Don’t doubt yourself

When applying to college, many people get too caught up on rankings and whether they can get in the college or not.

And I was the same way. I even made a list

<

p>When I was applying to college the main factors I looked for in a school were:

Prestige

Size of school

Weather

WOKE OR NOT

Difficulty to get in

How far was it from home

Etc

So make a list of what you want in a college. Especially if you want to dorm. You know what you want whether it be a school by the beach, or a school in a large city etc

Colleges won’t fit everything on your list, but if they do, congratulations you have found your dream school.

Apply to dream schools even if your dream school is insane to get into or it’s far away or whatever, apply to it!!

DREAM SCHOOLS DO NOT HAVE TO BE THE BEST SCHOOLS, THEY ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS ALTHOUGH THEY SOMETIMES CAN BE

Your dream school is the place you feel like you’d flourish AND fits the criteria you have set for yourself

Nobody should ever make you feel ashamed of your dream school because in the end if you get in you’ll be happy

Also, apply to places even if you doubt you’ll get in. They may not be your dream school but they might turn out to be.

You’ll have a better chance of getting in if you apply compared to the literal 0 chance you’ll have if you don’t apply.

Just have the guts to apply to your “dream school” or a school you really like aight.

But also realize that if you’re applying to less that 5 schools, then maybe you should consider some safety schools.

Apply to safety schools but not too many like me :)))))

These schools are not even schools that are low in “ranking” They are just schools you wouldn’t mind going to but the point is you’ll def get in.

Apply to schools you feel are what you want without focusing on your major too much

Be aware that yes your major might “matter” but apply to places that interest you as a whole. Your major might change. Your school, probably not.

And know what your comfortable with. Personally, I wanted to go to a school close enough to come home on then weekends but still be able to dorm.

Apply to private schools if you fit any of these 1. You got a dank scholarship 2. You’re not planning on dorming 3. Dream school 4. You’re rich 5. You got a fee waiver and why not

Private schools can be fucking expensive. They are smaller and have a “better quality education” but know that price is the main factor.

Many private schools in Cali offer really good education such as Stanford and USC

But unless they offer you a private school education at a public school price they can put you into some serious debt

Many of them also offer very little financial aid but do give out substantial scholarships. I was offered a $26,000 scholarship to a $65,000 school ???

So unless you have a fee waiver, applying to one of those schools and doing the work for it may not be all it’s cracked up to be in the end.

Work on your personal statement EARLY ASF

THE BIGGEST THING WHEN APPLYING TO COLLEGE IS THE PERSONAL STATEMENT SO IF YOU STRESS OUT ABOUT ANYTHING IT SHOULD BE THIS

Your personal statement is the only place in your college application that you can bluntly state: “IVE STRUGGLED IN LIFE PLEASE ACCEPT ME”

Depending on your past you either dread writing about you or you have nothing to write about.

But seriously start early. And if you don’t know where to start, just free write.

I had a dream and the following day I wrote about that shit and I actually used it in my essay. (As a metaphor)

Apply to Financial Aid and Look & apply for scholarships!

My decision on the school I finally chose had SOO much to do with financial aid.

Some schools sometimes will offer you little to no financial aid and if your a broke bitch like me you’re counting on that financial aid

If paying for college is a factor in your decision plan ahead, like start now.

Career Centers are your holy grail when talking about financial aid and colleges in general.

Look for scholarships to apply to ahead of time and get all the shit you need in order for you to submit them. (Letters of Recs)

Speaking of Letters of Rec, if you are planning on applying to a private school, most likely they will ask you for 2 or more letters of rec

So… 8. Make a Bragging Sheet

A bragging sheet is like a resume but for high school. Make a google doc and put down EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE IN HS OR ANYTHING THAT IS WORTHY OF MENTIONING

For example - Associative Student Body 2020-2024 - (Leadership Role: if any) [And then put a brief description of what y'all do but in a profesional manner]

My teacher made me do this after I asked him to write me a letter of rec and it helped me sooo much bc

This helps bc it will give your teachers (those who will write your letter or rec) something to say about you in their letter.

And make sure to give it to every teacher/ counselor that way they know exactly what they should put in your LetOfRec

If you’re a person who has done a lot of activities in HS, this will help bc most applications will ask you what you’ve done

Scholarships ask you what activities you’ve done in HS and you’ll have them all written down on this doc and all you have to do is copy it

It honestly comes in handy guys and it’s really easy to make. Google Bragging Sheet/Letter for more info about how to set it up

Do test scores matter when applying to college? ACT? SAT? AP? Answer: Yes and No

AP scores only matter if the schools you’re applying to actually give you credit for the test you’ve passed

However, if you are planning to go to a UC, AP English Scores are SUPER IMPORTANT so pass them at least with a 3. Or retake them if you can.

AP scores are also important depending on your major. If you are heading towards a STEM major they can help you gain credit in that area.

As for SAT and ACT scores, they matter depending on the school you’re applying to.

Applying to a more prestigious school, and having a better test score puts you at a greater advantage

But there are many cases where people get accepted to their dream school having really good curricular activities and average test scores

Don’t stess too much

The actual college application is fairly easy to navigate. Especially the UC app. But do not wait until the last day!!!

For a couple of years now the website to submit your application will crash the day the app is due so try to finish it at least two days before

But if you do your bragging sheet, those applications will be so easy bc all you have to do is copy and paste what you already have.

Colleges want to see that you saw high school as a 3 sided Pie Chart filling in Academics, Sports, and Extracurriculars

They want to see that even if you didn’t play sports, you excelled in academics or vice versa.

In the end, any school is going to help you get to where you want to go as long as you also put in the effort to make your dreams happen.

Maybe some schools will get you there faster but how would I know, I’m barely starting that path myself lol

Edit: I’m so happy you all have found this post enlightening!! It makes me really happy to have passed on some of my wisdom. Go check out the rest of my posts if you want more detailed info and if you have any questions feel free to ask!!!

[education-tips]

you excel & if you dont, you succeed & if you don’t, you try & if you dont, you experience. so it’s okay!! experience is above all, dont beat yourself up about degrees of success/failure

[education-tips]

Hello,

I know this blog may have started off as an education blog, and I fully intend to try to stay as active on that as I can... however, I will now be ranting about my roommates, school, and general student/ work life.

The reality is: life is shit, getting a degree is hard, and some people need to learn to keep their voice down :)

[education-tips]

Roommates

Literally don’t dorm with anyone you know your first year in college (unless it’s your best friend), thanks for coming to my ted talk

[education-tips]

How do I tell a professor that I couldn’t do an essay after she offered to give me an extension for no penalty a week after it was due?

Tell them the truth. she seems nice.

[education-tips]

I am so worried about not getting into college. Nowadays you have to have super good grades, great SAT and ACT scores. Be super athletic, volunteer and be all around perfect. I am not any of those things what should I do.

Hello Friend,

I apologize if this is a late response (I cant tell bc there isn't a time stamp). However, I hope this advice may help.

If you are shooting for an Ivy League school, then yes, all of what you said is true. And it truly is because they want a “perfect” student.

This is when the Personal Essay portion of the Application becomes essential.

I truly do believe that if you are passionate about a topic, you can override any college admission stereotype. Even if you weren’t athletic, you didn’t volunteer and didn’t have the best grades, you can definitely find loopholes to help you through your college admission process. 

If you struggled in any way or even if it was in a class, you can say something along the lines of “While working in this class___ I found that I struggled with the course despite my best efforts. Though, my motivation to continue onto higher education resulted in my effort to find ways that would help me pass the class”

Or if you didn't really struggle in a class, talk about the classes you enjoyed and why. 

Just express your motivation to go to college and I’m sure your college acceptance is out there. 

I wish you the best and I hope I answered your question thoroughly (if not, don’t be afraid to shoot me another question).

[education-tips]

[education-tips]

college study tips that actually help

put your phone on silent and put it across the room

listen to classical/soundtrack music without lyrics

make index cards for important vocab

wear pajamas

make diagrams and pictures. they don’t have to look pretty, as long as you understand it

make timelines for historical events

have a light snack

drink coffee or tea to keep you going

take a break every hour or so

have one pencil/black pen and one colored pen or highlighter. anything more will just distract you. the aesthetics aren’t important, your knowledge is

don’t be afraid to email/message your teacher or a classmate if you don’t understand something. the last thing you want to do is learn the incorrect information

know that sleep and health is more important than your grade. you cannot perform as well on a test if you are tired or sick. take care of yourself

it’s not a race. it’s not about who can learn something in the quickest time, it’s about learning

take a deep breath 

prioritize your homework by how long it will take you and when it’s due

plan some you time in between studying and school

if you’re mentally exhausted, set a timer for 30 minutes and take a nap. any longer and you’ll wake up even more tired

don’t understand something? that’s perfectly fine, don’t stress over it. ask for help rather than complaining

have a goal in mind and write them down. say things like “i am getting an education so i can get the job of my dreams. the life that i want. the happiness that i deserve”

be thankful. it is a privilege that you get to go to school and get an education. 

you got this.

[education-tips]

Other studyblrs: My favorite subjects are pure chemistry and molecular biology. I’m currently doing my bachelors in astrophysics!!

Me: Idk I thought I liked History but I’m failing lmao. I also had a cactus once but it died

[education-tips]

[education-tips]

I’m constantly torn between “if it’s meant to be, it will be” and “if you want it, go and get it.”

[education-tips]

school grades are not the most important 💙

- Mod Berry 🍓

[education-tips]

[education-tips]

if a teenager is at your door and they are wearing a costume!! please give them candy!! they are still in it for the halloween spirit and it honestly no different from a little kid in a costume. they are just as excited and happy as all the other lil tykes and dont you dare tell them they are “too old for trick-or-treating” because that will literally break their hearts and that’s not cool.

[education-tips]

college tips 

- do  not  take  8 am classes

- dont take 3 hr classes that only meet once a week

- sleep 

- when u write an essay pick out the quotes/examples u want and write the essay around it

- email ur teachers and meet with ur advisors regularly

- quizlet

- TRIPLE CHECK YOUR ALARMS 

- bring tupperware to the dining hall to smuggle out extra food

[education-tips]

In addition to my last question, here are some great FREE apps you can use!!

[education-tips]

How to write a bomb ass essay for College Applications

COLLEGE ADMISSION ADVICE #5

Disclaimer: I am not a College Admissions person, this was just my experience with the California college admissions system.

If you have not started your personal statement(s) yet, starting on your personal statement NOW is a good idea.

But many people have asked me exactly how do you start writing your personal statement.

BEFORE ANYTHING, please use Grammarly, it is an incredible FREE application and if I didn’t have it, my essays would be crap. It super easy to network to soo here ya go. 

So here are some tips:

1. First off, START EARLY

This might be pretty self-explanatory but starting early can help you SOO MUCH especially if you are a person who stresses out easily!

2. CHOOSE YOUR QUESTIONS/ PROMPTS AHEAD OF TIME

Know what schools you are applying to and whether it is to a University of California, State School, California State University, Private School, or Out-Of State School

Look at their website and check what questions/ prompts they require and at least look through the questions. AND MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER THEIR DEADLINES!!!

3. Outline The Questions!!

By outlining the question I mean to do this:

EXAMPLE QUESTION: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.  

I was involved in EXAMPLE 1, EXAMPLE 2, and EXAMPLE 3…

I helped in EXAMPLE 1 by BLAH, BLAH, BLAH…

I managed to resolve disputes by BLAH BLAH BLAH

Outlining the questions like this gives you a perspective of your possible answers to the questions. It also gives you an outlook on what answers you actually have, if any.

4. FREE WRITE

Free writing means a lot of things to different people. To me, it meant that whenever I had a brilliant idea about what I wanted to share in my Personal Statement, I would write it down in my notes and see where I could put it in my PI later. 

This helped me be a bit more original with my answers because these thoughts came spontaneously to me rather than me trying to deliberately think of answers.  

I’ve mentioned this before, but once you look at the prompts that you need to answer, you automatically start thinking of ideas as to how you would answer the prompt.

And if you don’t have any ideas, move on to the next questions.

4.5. And be PASSIONATE ABOUT THE TOPIC YOU WRITE!!

If you have certain ideas you want in your essay because you are passionate about them then go for it. 

If you notice the injustices of the world and want to change them, write about it

If you are upset with the recent political climate and want to change it somehow, write about it.

If you have no idea what to major in, and they ask you about it, write that you have no idea yet but you know that you want to continue your education, write about that

It will always be impressive if you are writing from an atypical view point and I guarantee your essay will stand out.

5. CREATE A ROUGH DRAFT AS SOON AS YOU CAN

This is important because you want to make sure that you can get as many people as you need to edit your essay.  

6. ANSWER THE PROMPT AS THOROUGHLY AS YOU CAN

This one, I hope, is self-explanatory

7. ACCEPT CRITICISM FROM OTHERS

Many people will read your Personal Statement. If you allow them to. Just make sure that the people you let read your essays are people who are looking at what’s best for you.

Usually, this can be a Teacher and/ or Counselors. And at times even your friends. 

They will criticize your work, but know that it is only to make your work better.

And if you don’t like what they edit, don’t change it. Make sure that your essays are authentic to who you are and what you are trying to say.

8. DON’T REPEAT YOUR ANSWERS 

If you are writing more than one prompt for the same school, try not to repeat the same information. Do not mention that you were Captain of the Volleyball team more than once unless it is an important point you are trying to make.

AND JUST AS WELL, DO NOT CONTRADICT YOURSELF

You’ll know what I mean when you reread your answers. You’ll notice it and thank me. 

9. BE HONEST 

By being honest with your answers, your Personal Statement comes off as more authentic to the reader if it’s genuine. 

10. TRY TO BE CONTENT WITH YOUR WORK

Sometimes, you can be your own worst critic. And it’s so hard to write answers to these questions because they can trigger some serious experiences. 

And it can definitely be hard to share those experiences with other people, but know that in the end, your essay is gonna be bomb. 

  AND EDIT AND EDIT AND NEVER STOP EDITING UNTIL YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH YOUR FINAL PRODUCT

If you found this helpful, please reblog to spread the word to people going through this process. I wish you all the best of luck and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

Additional Info Below if you are interested:

IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO A UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, (UC) SCHOOL LISTEN VERY CLOSELY

For the FRESHMAN UC application, it will give you a set of 8 different prompts and you must write 4 out of the 8 in total.

One of the prompts is REQUIRED which means you technically have 3 of 7 prompts to choose from

These 4 prompts have a restricted word count of 350 words so you don’t have a lot of room to “play around” so to speak

I would personally recommend “writing out” more than 4 of the prompts and choose which 4 are your strongest essays

The link to these questions are linked below

UC Freshman Personal Insight Questions Prompts

UC Transfer Personal Insight Questions Prompts

IF YOU ARE APPLYING TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS YOU WILL BE USING THE COMMON APPLICATION (WHICH MAY HAVE A SET OF QUESTIONS OF THEIR OWN )

You will need to look up the school you are applying to in order to see what question you may need to answer

Heres a link to The Common Application aka The Common App