collegepreppodcast's podcast

Do rewards really help students change their habits?

Gretchen shares an experiment she’s currently running with two clients, and breaks down the exact system they are trying to build some critical new habits for studying and following through on homework. She shares with Megan how to:

* Identify the right habit that will make the most difference

* Choose the right kind of reward that will actually be motivating

* Set up accountability systems that include other people

* Track follow through

* and more…

At one point in the episode, Megan shares a hilarious story about her husband working towards winning a Big Jim doll. As promised, here is the link.

If you’re a high school senior applying for college, now is the time to fill out your FAFSA form.

Although it’s tempting to wait until your 2015 tax info is complete before you fill out the form, Megan breaks down why applying ASAP could win you valuable money, and why you’d be losing out if you wait until April to file. Specifically, she and Gretchen discuss:

* What the FAFSA is and how to access the documents you need

* The 3 actions for families to take immediately to get the FAFSA application started

* Why families shouldn’t wait until April

* Some major changes to the FAFSA application process that effect this year’s juniors

* Free resources to get additional help on the FAFSA, if you need it.

Are you a student who has zero idea how to start thinking about college? How do you begin the college search process when you have no idea what you want to major in?

During this episode, Gretchen asks Megan’s advice about a client who is a junior in high school. After being a bit of an academic mess his freshman and sophomore years, he’s finalizing turning his grades and habits around; however, he has no idea how to start thinking about the college search.

Here’s the excellent advice Megan shares about how to work with students like Bart:

* How to go on a college visit that gets students thinking about higher education

* A checklist for what to look for when you’re visiting a college website for the first time

* How to end your junior year with a list of your top 20 school in which you’re interested

* Whether personality tests are a good measure for what majors you might consider

* and more!

Questions! Questions! We love questions!

Here are the latest queries from College Prep Podcast listeners:

Waiving Fees. I belong to a middle class family with a tight family income. Is there any way by which my SAT fees can get waived?  ~Faridul

Overworked High School Counselors. How do you deal with a high school guidance counselor who has a giant caseload of students? […] Next year, my daughter will be a senior and we will DESPERATELY need her to help us out! I’m seriously thinking of either 1) bribing her with chocolate, gift cards, etc. or 2) asking to be transferred to a nicer counselor. Do counselor recommendations really mean anything, can her ineptitude or lack of knowledge about my daughter’s extensive accomplishments hurt my daughter’s college applications? ~Christie (Here is another episode of the podcast that adds additional insight about this question).

The Best ACT Study Tools. [My daughter] has decided to take the ACT over the SAT and I’m not sure what preparation you would recommend. […] Should we just use official books? Work with a tutor? Do you have a company to recommend? She likes online learning, so that would be a good option, but I don’t know of any free or low-cost ACT prep resources, like Khan Academy is doing for the new SAT. Looking forward to your next Q&A podcast! Thanks ladies! ~Christie  (Here is one of Megan’s blog referenced during her answer to this question).

Choosing Public High Schools. [My 8th grader] attended a parochial (Catholic) school till 8th grade but he’s likely to attend our local public high school from next year. We found out recently about a program at the school that is open to incoming freshman [that] operates as a “high school within a high school” where some of the core HS classes are taught in a more interactive/self-guided/personalized way within the program, but other classes (such as AP classes and electives) will be from the regular HS curriculum. Are you familiar with any such programs and would you advise for/against it? ~George

Does it take you forever to fill out college and scholarship applications? Have you forgotten the exact date that you were a CIT at camp, or that your sports team won a state championship?

When it comes to filling out college and scholarship apps, most families find that they spend a huge amount of time trying to remember all their accomplishments, and tracking down all the relevant information required on the applications.

Enter: ScholarPrep, a unique organizer designed to help students track all their activities, big and small, starting the summer after 8th grade. During today’s episode, Megan and Gretchen interview the mother and daughter team that created the ScholarPrep organizer. Together, they cover topics like:

* what kinds of activities and accomplishments need to be tracked as soon as a student has graduated 8th grade

* a 15-minute monthly task that will increase your changes of winning scholarship money and impressing colleges

* why families should not wait until junior year to start thinking about college, and what to do instead

* how to use the ScholarPrep note book to create peace of mind, ensure less college debt, and make the college app process go more smoothly.

To find out more about ScholarPrep, visit www.scholarprep.org. You can also find them on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

 

It’s time to study for final exams! Are you ready?

Whether you take your finals in December or later in January, the following tips are super relevant.

Gretchen outlines 7 tips for how to plan and study for your finals, while saving time to have some fun too. Here’s the short version of Gretchen’s tips; tune into the podcast for more details about how to put them into action.

* Map out your entire approach to final exams on one page, so you can see it all at once.

* Plan in breaks so you don’t forget to have fun

* Practice breaking down each final exam into actionable parts, so that you’re clear exactly what you need to do each day to study.

* Organize all your papers and supplies so that you locate notes, worksheets, and old tests that can serve as quizzable study tools.

* Study in the manner of the test, and plan backwards.

* Build in incentives so you follow through with your plan.

* Create clear study routines that are attached to a) things you already do or b) things you like doing.

To get step by step guidance through this system, check out Gretchen’s Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying.

 

There are six common myths and misunderstandings that many students and parents believe that cause extra stress senior year.

They may also hurt your prospects for getting in to college.

Megan breaks them down for you (see the list below), and tells you what the truth is instead (tune into the episode):

* It’s too late to apply to college.

* My weighted GPA for honors classes. will make my grades look better.

* I can hide my bad grades from the colleges by making up for it in other ways.

* I don’t meet a  college or major’s suggested requirements, so I shouldn’t bother applying.

* Most students know what they want to major in.

* Professionally written essays work.

One of parents’ biggest concerns and confusion about raising kids in today’s world is how to help them manage their technology use.

Guest expert Jason Brand breaks down how to talk to kids about how they’re using technology and what kinds of limits are most appropriate.

In a wide-ranging discussion with Megan and Gretchen, Jason discusses:

* the ways in which technology use is a family issue, not just a student issue

* what is so “sticky” about different kinds of video games

* less-talked about reasons why some teenagers spend so much time on video games

* the healthy side of technology use as well as the destructive

* how to help kids set limits related to technology use that they can grow into as they age

* what types of conversations help, and what hinder, a teen’s relationship to his or her parents

* how to manage cell phone use and group texts,

* how parents can tell the difference between their own anxiety and the reality of their kid’s situation

* and more!

Jason Brand is a Berkeley, California based psychotherapist who specializes in providing support to families in a rapidly changing world where digital technologies are transforming our lives. His work takes place in schools and with organizations where he lead workshops about safety, trust, awareness and respect in the digital age. His book, “1 to 1 at Home: A Parent’s Guide to School-Issued Laptops and Tablets,” is a practical guide to integrating new technologies into family life. You can find out more about him at www.jasonbrand.com and www.connectedstar.com.

Surprisingly few students applying to college understand how to use college statistics wisely to help them hone their college lists — and guarantee that they’ll find a school they’ll love that they can easily get into.

In this episode, Megan breaks down how to use the admissions statistics pages on college websites to radically improve your college chances. Specifically she’ll cover:

* how to find the admissions statistics for colleges you are considering

* how to interpret the stats to know whether you have a chance of getting in

* how to know which colleges to apply to based on the stats you find

Here are the colleges and stats that Megan uses as examples in this episode: Columbia University, Notre Dame University, Juniata College,  and Elizabethtown College.

Are you sick of flashcards? Or do you recognize they’re an effective study strategy, but wish they could be more fun?

In Gretchen’s academic life coaching practice, she notices that many students mindlessly use flashcards to memorize information. This makes studying take longer than it needs to, and it also results in less effective learning.

In this interactive podcast, Gretchen walks listeners step by step through her favorite technique for using flashcards to turn your brain ALL the way on…and remember what you’re learning forever. Come with a few blank index cards (or a torn sheet of paper) and follow along as she leads Megan through this fun activity. You’ll discover:

* the less effective ways students use flashcards

* how to use categories and grouping to turn your brain to “on” while you learn

* how to infuse silliness while still learning effectively, and

* ways to invite family and friend to play with flashcards, in order to make info stick longer

If you’d like more practice with this creative technique, or want to learn 10+ additional techniques for taking the boredom out of studying, check out the Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying.