This week, I’m following up with some insights into a few of the thoughts that may have impeded your progress in Step Three.
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It’s a lot.
And it’s natural if you feel overwhelmed as you consider the new school year, so I'm going to talk you through an exercise that will help you face and process your fear. The other day I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Lori Walsh on South Dakota Public Broadcasting's In the Moment radio show.
Listen to the interview here... Download of the first chapter of Acing It! for free here... Buy a copy of Acing It! here... ...and have a great day! When it comes to SAT and ACT prep, there’s a lot of information available. Some of it is useful. Some of it is not. When you want to separate the signal from the noise, there are certainly experts to whom you can turn. But there’s someone else with whom you should become acquainted. This person is wise, supportive, and wants the best for you. And, if you can become friends with this person, I have no doubt that this maestro will help you to get the most out of your test prep process.
I originally wrote this piece for the website Grown and Flown, a wonderful blog for moms of teens.
Students, you can apply the article, too. Just follow the steps on your own or with a parent or other adult. *** The school year has ended and summer is upon us. It’s a wonderful time to relax and recharge before the next school year. But, it’s easy to watch as time slips away in a summer haze. Three months of break become two, two become one, and one becomes a matter of weeks, then days. If your student has summer goals—i.e. books to read, admissions essays to draft, practice tests to take—then the passage of time can become a stress-inducing pressure-cooker. But, as a parent, it’s a tricky balance: while you don’t want to overstep or nag, you do want to empower your student to strategically use the summer months. As a test prep coach, I guide students to make the most of their time and take proactive steps toward long-term goals. By taking some time to plan at the beginning of the summer, you can help your student create a more productive, fulfilling, and fun summer vacation.
Hi, friends!
Last night, I participated in a Twitter Q&A with Jodi Okun, founder of College Financial Aid Advisors, as a part of her #CollegeCash Chat series. I've included the conversation below to make it easy for you to follow. Feel free to follow up with any questions in the comments section, through the Contact page of my website, or on Twitter. Hope you enjoy! --Erika PS: Twitter conversations are great, but by their very nature they require concise responses. I elaborate on some of the topics we touch on here in the following blog posts: Get Your Z's Decisions, Decisions... and Distractions The Most Important Thing You Can Do for Your SAT/ACT Prep if You're in the 10th Grade Boost Your Reading Comprehension in As Little As Two Weeks
Meditate: Meditation provides deep rest. Certain forms of meditation actually provide deeper rest than sleep does! While I'm not suggesting that you substitute meditation for a good night's sleep, I am suggesting that if you aren't able to get the sleep your body needs, it's all the more reason to take advantage of a 10-20 minute meditation power up! I teach all my students to meditate so that they can feel and perform their best on test day and in life. I also describe a basic meditation technique in my book, Acing It!
Unwind: Whereas meditation fills you with energy and is most effective at the beginning of the day and in the afternoon, there are also practices you can do to unwind at the end of a long day. Lower the lights. Stretch or do restorative yoga posses, like plows or seated forward folds (hold each pose for as many breaths as your age). Sip a cup of nighttime tea. Write a list of things from your day for which you feel grateful.
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Do you listen to music while you work? Do you find that it helps?
A lot of the time, I work in quiet, but I made this playlist for a workshop I led and it has inspired me to play background music while I'm doing certain kinds of work. (I don't listen while doing SAT's or ACT's—those I always do in quiet.) Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
There are additional practice quizzes and questions organized by subject and skill on the Khan Academy website. You may supplement with “unofficial” prep material from companies such as Princeton Review, Kaplan, McGraw Hill, and Barron’s — particularly for their study guide content which covers the math formulas and grammar rules tested on the SAT. But keep in mind that the highest quality of practice tests will come from the source, in this case the College Board. (Khan Academy is a special case because their material is released in partnership with the College Board.)
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