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If you’re ready to learn how to maximize your study time, we recommend starting by learning the best way for you to take in and retain information . Here we will start by helping you find your learning style, and in part two of this series, we will learn techniques and tips that each learner can utilize. It is important to keep in mind that any student can be a mixture of any of the learning styles or just learn best with a single method. Keep an open mind with all styles of learning. What are the Learning Styles? 1. AUDITORY LEARNING We'll begin with auditory learning; this is for students who retain information by hearing it. These students find that they do best with remembering and understanding information when it’s being read aloud to them. Auditory learners gravitate toward group discussions and tend to have a preference for verbal instructions. If you find yourself stuck on what to do and subconsciously reading aloud to better understand directions, you are an auditory learner. When studying for exams and quizzes it’s best for you to use sources like YouTube and Podcasts or recording lectures for playback later. To ensure that you retain information, you will want to verbally explain a concept to yourself or someone else so that you can hear the information out loud. There are many video podcasts available on a wide range of topics that can assist you as you study for upcoming exams. 2. VISUAL LEARNING Another major learning style is visual learning. These learners retain information by seeing it. Visual learners are those who create graphs and charts with their notes and love to use PowerPoint during presentations. If you find yourself flipping through textbooks or looking for diagrams or charts that summarize the text, you are a visual learner. When studying you’ll want to create flash cards of charts or graphs. Try drawing pictures that help correlate information you read or hear during lectures and discussions. 3. KINESTHETIC LEARNING Some students learn best through reading and writing , which can also be considered part of Kinesthetic learning. These learners retain information by doing things with the material. Students who are kinesthetic learners are very hands on, and they need to know how things work. To maximize studying , students should read out note cards with bullet points of information and hand write their notes. They should also incorporate role playing into studying or presentations and read through notes repeatedly. Final Thoughts on Learning Styles No matter what type of learner you are or how many different ways you like to prepare for assignments and exams, remember that you can incorporate any or all of these tips into your study time. To get more information about study techniques and to get 24/7 support with any subject matter, sign up for UPchieve !

We’ve all experienced academic stress from time to time, whether it’s because midterms were around the corner , or because we had a big paper due. Academic stress is a perfectly normal thing for students to experience, but too much can put a damper on your motivation, confidence , and even your mental health! Today we’re going to give you some tips that will help you manage academic stress before it builds up, so you can make it through the school year cool, calm, and collected. How to Manage Academic Stress 1. TIME MANAGEMENT A major part of cutting down on the high stress that comes with school is maximizing the time that you have available. Most students aren’t just students, they are juggling classes, jobs, and social lives among other things. When a student is excelling in classes, they can worry less about school and focus more on the other aspects of their life. Investing in a detailed planner is essential to time management and will help you to stay on track and know what’s top priority on assignments. Try using the free planner pro app and look over all of your syllabi for all of your classes and see where your tough assignments, papers, and tests are. Knowing where your busy weeks are will help to prepare you for times when you have multiple exams in the same time frame. Understanding how much free time you have or don't have helps to weed out and prioritize nonessential responsibilities like too many clubs or teams. Being involved in extracurriculars is great, but classes and grades are vital to being the best student you can be. 2. UNDERSTAND THE COURSE BREAKDOWN FOR YOUR CLASSES Not all assignments are graded or weighted the same way and your syllabus is the key to figuring out how assignments are valued. Weekly exams could be only 10% of an overall grade and a mid-semester paper could be 50%. Although it is important to try to do well on every assignment, stressing about not doing well on a particular paper or test may be unnecessary. For example, freaking out about getting docked two points on a 10-point assignment that is worth 5% of a total course grade may be pointless.To cut down on stress, look over the grading scale portion as well as the course breakdown in your course syllabi like we discussed under time management. 3. JOIN STRESS-RELIEVING EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Most schools have recreation centers or after-school activities. Even if you have a packed schedule, there may still be an activity that will help you to relax. Searching for a poetry club that helps free the mind or a intramural soccer team that provides a physical release may help in getting your mind off due dates and on to something more peaceful. Often, extracurricular activity info is posted on a school bulletin board or in an office, or you can check with a PE teacher. 4. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SCHOOL-SUPPLIED COUNSELING Understanding how school can take a toll on an individual’s mental health is extremely important when trying to stay stress-free. Being honest with parents and teachers about feeling overwhelmed is key. Schools are required to have a counselor available for students. These counselors aren’t just there to answer questions about scheduling or college applications but are also there to provide resources or therapy information and support. What is said during sessions is confidential. You can also find online therapy through sites like talkspace.com that can provide confidential help from licensed therapists that students can vent to. Although there is a cost for this service, it is a great resource if students don’t feel comfortable talking with someone in school or at home. 5. PROACTIVELY SEEK TUTORING What mainly contributes to students feeling stressed about academics is the feeling that they’re failing or falling behind. Seeking tutoring early in the semester is crucial to cutting down on stress. The longer a student waits to seek help, the harder it will be to catch up in class. Talking to teachers or signing up for tutoring at the first sign that a class feels like a struggle will allow time to improve on understanding. Students can access the UPchieve app to talk to a coach 24/7 and get help with all tutoring needs as soon as they arise. Final Thoughts on Academic Stress By implementing these five tips, students can cut down on school-related stress and start finding their love for school and academics. For more tips to help you succeed in school, sign up for the UPchieve newsletter !

Although the gap year often comes with a negative connotation, taking advantage of time off from school could help you ultimately succeed in getting a degree. It’s important to make a well-thought-out decision on whether or not a gap year is right for you. But first, let’s take a look at what a gap year is! What is a Gap Year? Simply put, taking a gap year means you take a year off of school between high school and college. Gap years can serve many purposes, but many future college students use this time to volunteer, travel, take internships that may help them choose a major, get a year of real-life work experience under their belt, or any combination of the above. The reasons for taking a gap year are many, as are the potential benefits. How Do You Know if a Gap Year is Right for You? A good place to start is to think about your high school experience . If you’re a person who is struggling to find the motivation to finish high school or is constantly having to remind yourself why you come to class, then a gap year may help you to rediscover your love for school. In this case, enrolling in college courses directly after high school may just continue to wear on your motivation and cause you to stop taking courses after one or two semesters. It is also important to understand that taking time off could be risky in the fact that you could start losing interest in higher education or become distracted with other things in life, like starting a family or going into the workforce. Putting something off for later runs the risk of never getting it done. Be honest with yourself in gauging your abilities to stay driven for a degree. Would you still be interested after a year off? If not, then a gap year may not be right for you. Think about why you want to attend college or what career you want to pursue in life. A gap year could allow you more time to plan out a path to your degree. But it could also cause you to fall behind on the time it takes to earn a degree that is mandatory for your career choice. For example, if you want to be a doctor, engineer, teacher, or work in another field that requires a degree, then the longer you wait to start taking classes the further away you will be from your career. If you plan to become a writer or professional athlete, where your degree isn’t required but is beneficial, then you could be taking time to hone your skills before starting on your degree. By doing this, you might be able to skip an introduction course if you do well on a placement test for college. Look through the requirements of the field you would be studying in college and see whether the listings make any notes about a degree. Career Radar is a great site to view career requirements. Consider the financial cost of college and textbooks. A gap year may help in saving up to pay for classes. If you feel that you are not financially ready to start college right after finishing high school, then take time off. Feeling pressured to attend classes in the fall could be a mistake which could end with you taking an unexpected break for a year or two to gain more funds for school. Yet, the cost of higher education is constantly going up year by year and even with common app fee waivers you could end up paying a lot more by taking a gap year. Crunch the numbers for your specific school and compare them to the costs for surrounding schools in the area that offer the program you wish to study. Figure out the right school for you as well as one or two backup choices. The decision to take a gap year or not may depend on your college acceptance letters. If you get into your dream school, then it may make sense to take advantage of going directly to college. If you don’t get the acceptance letter you’d hoped for, then it may make sense to try again next year. A gap year may be perfect for brushing up on your application and making yourself a better candidate. College applications can be submitted using Commonapp.org . Final Thoughts When deciding whether to take a gap year or not, don’t be afraid to consult with your parents. You can also talk with peers and other students. Taking the time to think about what’s best for you should give you a well-thought-out decision and leave you with no regrets. Want to talk through the pros and cons with a certified academic coach? Sign up to work with a free college counselor today! College & Career Advice Niyja Bouie

The need for mental health awareness is more pronounced than ever before so let’s talk about how we can help provide an environment that allows students to maintain their highest frame of mind. This is a team effort between students, faculty and parents, creating a system of support, understanding and action. Be sure to check out 5 Ways To Minimize Academic Stress where we discuss how to cut down on stress caused by school . While student mental health awareness is an ongoing process that doesn’t get conquered overnight, there are things that we can do daily that will kick-start this process. 4 Ways to Promote Student Mental Health 1. TRACKING STUDENTS FEELINGS The most important thing about mental health awareness is knowledge and understanding. Knowing what is causing these issues and being able to pinpoint what students are dealing with from person to person will enable parents and staff to be able to help treat and support illnesses. Students can start a journal with a mood tracker at the beginning of the school year , and list how they are feeling throughout each day and what caused such feelings. This will help both parents and their child can reflect on any patterns they find in the journal. It’s also a good idea to use this journal to enforce positive affirmations, gratitude, and strengths of the students. This will help students to see the positives that they are surrounded by every day. Be sure to keep this journal in a secure place and locked due to the sensitive materials that it will hold. Keeping a log of what students are dealing with will also help to find the triggers that each student is dealing with. Once these triggers are discovered students will be able to distance themselves from anything or anybody that is causing mental strain or stress. Administrators may be able to help make adjustments in the classroom and around the school campus. Although they may not be able to cater to every student, knowing what is causing students stress is the first step to making changes. For example, if a student is feeling anxious about in assignment that contains materials that relate to a traumatic experience said student encountered, their teacher may be able to provide alternate reading materials for that student. If a student gets stressed in group settings, teachers may be able to pre-plan discussion groups and list them out for students, making them aware of when they can expect group assignments and mentally prepare. 2. FINDING AN ALLY Having an ally as a student is essential and it is vital that teacher, administrator, and parents allow themselves to be an ally and a trusted adult. Many students turn away from venting to adults for fear of being judged or exposed. Creating a safe space for students to express how they feel and what they are dealing with is how we start to make progress in mental health awareness. Teachers should consider adding a faculty member to each classroom that are there strictly for students to confide in about mental health issues or bullying that is going on in school. Parents and teachers should also take time to get to know one another on a first name basis and know each student’s needs past schoolwork. Students can also reach out to tutors and counselors outside of their school to minimize worries about confidentiality. If teachers or school counselors are aware of student’s needs, they can provide the best help when students are in need during school hours. Remind students they have resources like UPchieve to connect with other tutors and counselors. 3. THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATION Organization is a major factor in helping to maintaining a healthy environment. If you are already dealing with stress, depression, anxiety or any issues that are burdening you, the last thing you need to worry about is clutter or disorganization. As a student, take time to plan out your day , know what assignments you have coming up and any homework assignments that are due. As a teacher be sure that your lesson plans are in order so that you are prepared to give students quality materials and as a parent check in your child to ensure they are on top of their work. Being organized cuts down on feeling pressured or rushed at times where you need relief from academic obligations. Students should try to stay well rested and take time to relax on weekends so that they can perform to their highest ability during the school week. 4. TRY COLOR THERAPY Using colors as a comfort is a great step that students and teachers can take every day. Figure out what colors make you or your child/student feel uplifted or positive and try to implement these colors as much as possible around the classroom, on your desk, and in lockers, etc. Being surrounded by colors will help improve everyone’s mood and can work as a form of self-expression for students. Another step staff can take is to provide extracurricular activities that support mental health such as yoga, poetry, writing, or meditation classes after school. Final Thoughts on Student Mental Health Mental health is a constant battle and if anyone is facing any form of mental stress—whether at home or school—remember that there are resources that can help. Although we are not a professional service and this isn't medical advice, you can find mental treatment with a free national 24-hour hotline at 1-866-992-2450 or visit Mental Healthline . They cover all mental issues, have top-rated facilities and multiple treatment options, and take most major insurance providers.

The word “leadership” carries a lot of weight when it comes to college applications and can be intimidating to think about. It may seem grueling when reflecting on your own leadership roles and wondering what you can do to take your experience to the next level. Throughout this series readers will learn how to master leadership, not only in the sense of the word but the work needed to go from a good leader to an outstanding, well-rounded candidate. This is a series that will consist of every aspect of leadership, beginning with which leaderships roles are the best to get involved with when it comes to college applications; to how to make leadership roles fit your personality type. Let’s start by focusing on what leadership is, or maybe what it isn’t. Leadership is often thought of as something that has to be centered around a flashy role like president or CEO that encompasses lots of awards and accolades—this isn’t necessarily true. The best leadership roles come from experiences that allow you the most growth. If you can get involved in a club or organization where you grow as a student, person, or team member, then that will be an excellent talking point for college essay questions. By thinking about leadership in terms of growth, you can start looking for opportunities that don’t necessarily have the most prestigious of titles. . That’s not to stay that president or CEO doesn’t look great when it comes to leadership because they do, but leadership goes beyond just the top positions of a company or network. One of the best ways to becoming an outstanding college applicant with well rounded leadership is to think of a need in your community or in your high school. Does your school lack up to date reading material and textbooks? Does your community have a low turnout of young voters? Look out for what your community needs as an opportunity to step up and create something new. You could become an advocate for voting, using the power of being relatable to your peers, and create a organization that markets the importance of voting to younger generations. You could work with administrators and faculty to create fundraisers for the school’s needs. Roles like these take dedication and allow you to grow as you strive to reach a goal. They are great to reflect on during essays and also highlight an important aspect of leadership called initiative. You can also demonstrate leadership within a organization that doesn’t involve founding a new brand by taking initiative to be the best at your position within a club or team. For example let’s say you decide to become a camp counselor over the summer. You could us this opportunity to be influential toward younger children or peers and go into the position with a plan to make the most out of every day. Planning out fun team building exercises or bonding activities that will help both you and them grow as people. This could work with any volunteer opportunity, and will be great to list on applications about how you excelled as a leader and even taught others. A great place to find volunteers opportunities in your area is VolunteerMatch a nonprofit that matches you with volunteer opportunities that align with your talents and passions! If you find that your community or your high school doesn’t have a particular need that hasn’t already been filled then find ways to be more creative with something you're passionate about. Colleges want students that will stand out from a crowd of others who may have the same type of leadership abilities. Make yourself more unique by using your creativity. Take on a new approach to roles that you already have. If you’re apart of the poetry club or you made the lacrosse team, then think of what you can do to make your team stand out. Extracurriculars are great but you’ll need more than just that to be able to stand out as a leader. If you’re on a sports team you could plan monthly charity games between students and the team where the profits go toward equipment for underprivileged students interested in sports. You could plan a interactive practice once a week where younger children sit in at practice or study tables and interact with your team for positive influence. This will allow you to use what you are already good at or comfortable with and make it into an opportunity to be a leader. No matter how great a position may look, the key factor to making any opportunity work is to be committed and hardworking. It is not enough to think of leadership as a word or summary for an essay. It’s vital that you take the time to actually work for your goals. Be dedicated to being a leader through action. When your work ethic is outstanding then you’ll be an outstanding candidate in anything you apply for whether it’s college or a career. For more of our leadership series check out UPchieve’s blog and to talk to a coach 24/7! Use the UPchieve app .

6 Ways to Make Your Part-time Job Work Toward Your Future Career The jobs students have in high school and the early college years may often seem likely to dead end. Even if you applied to a job only to make some extra cash, it’s never too early to start thinking about your career. The job you snagged at the movie theater or at your local burger restaurant can help build you up for the career you always dreamed of and you may not have even noticed. Here are six ways you can maximize your part-time job. 1.) Use the random experiences you gain from job to job to develop and position yourself as a unique candidate. Start by changing your mindset from simply job-hopping or just trying to make money to cover lunch splurges at Qdoba between classes or on weekend outings with friends. What you're actually doing is diversifying yourself in terms of experience. Let's say that your ultimate dream is to be a world-renowned playwright. The more skills you pick up from short term jobs the more unique you become. For example, you might set yourself apart from other writers because the characters you write use more realistic dialogue. You may not realize the skill of writing realistic dialogue could draw from all the conversations you’ve had or overheard while working as a barista at a coffee shop. By working at a customer-facing job, you can master a skill that sets you apart from others. 2.) Model your experience around your passions. If you’re still on the fence about which career path to pursue, that's okay because chances are you’ve figured out what you’re passionate about and what you’re talented at. You’re gaining experience from your day-to-day work and this seemingly random experience can be used in the future. Let's say you want to be one of the world’s most influential teachers but you’re currently answering the phones with one of your local insurance companies after school. Being exposed to how things work there, you probably have learned a thing or two about insurance. As you learn over time, you may build up enough knowledge to teach an Insurance 101 workshop in the future. Experiences from temporary jobs can contribute to skills that will be useful in your career. 3.) Master the wording on your resume. Get serious about your resume and realize that the right wording on a resume can make all the difference in landing a job and advancing a career. Let’s say for example, you've worked selling tickets for your local movie theater and you’re now serving subs at the neighborhood deli. These may seem like minor roles or insignificant places that you’ll forget about once you're making the big bucks, but think long term. Instead of saying that you’ve handled cash and food for customers, you could reword this to be much more impactful. For example, you could say that you’re “ Skilled at accurately receiving and processing banking transactions” or that you “successfully upheld standards of food preparation”. Be careful with stretching your wording too far, though, and only list experience you’ve truly gained on a job. 4.) Save the funds from your part-time gig and invest in your talents. Get into the habit of setting a portion of your paycheck aside for things that interest you. Say for example you want to be a film director but you’re currently working the fries at a fast food establishment. With your savings, you could buy your first camera and with your spare time you could capture footage and learn to edit. You’ve just put yourself ahead of the curve with one investment. Even if you’re not quite sure what you want to make a career out of, this will still help put a solid skill under your belt. 5.) Network and learn from leaders at your current role. Always have a open mind and a friendly attitude while on the job even if the job is just for extra cash. You never know who you may meet and what opportunities may come about. The leaders in your current role could be used for references in the future and could write letters of recommendation as needed. Just because you start a job thinking short term doesn't mean long term positions may not open up. If you’re known as the outgoing team member who engages with everyone, you may be approached about a position that could transition into a career, either at your current place of employment or at an outside source. 6.) Always put forth your best work no matter how insignificant your role may seem at the time. Hard work goes hand-in-hand with a positive engaging personality. Don’t waste any downtime at work. If things are slow then take the initiative to work on something that needs to be done. Check in with your leaders to see if you can work on homework so that you’re always working. If you’re the best worker at your job, then you’re setting yourself up to be aligned with leadership roles within your company. Your team leaders will trust that they can put more responsibility on your plate. Even if these opportunities never come about at your current company, you’re still instilling an amazing work ethic within yourself. By following these six steps, you can jump-start your career and before you know it you’ll look up and be working in the position you always hoped to have! Good luck! #Jobs, #work, #after-school, #money, #student

The transition from high school to college can be a very stressful time for students but planning is key. Let us guide you on what steps you should take to be fully prepared for your first day as a first-year college student. Now that I’ve completed college, I often wish I could go back and redo a few things. For instance, I wouldn’t have bought that $300 biology book that I only used twice, or maybe I would have dropped that class that required three 10-page papers a week. I want to save you the trouble of making certain mistakes that most first-year college students make. I get it, you’re finishing high school and you’re ready to begin one of the most exciting journeys of your life. You may not be thinking about the small things that are going to make your transition into college a breeze, so let me give you a few tips. First things first, before you go running to Twitter and searching your college class’s hashtags to see who else will be at orientation, look into your college’s scholarship offers. Your school could be offering grants or scholarships that you qualify for. The earlier you apply the better your chances will be to get funds to cover your courses. Most schools will have a web page that lists all grants and scholarships as well as instructions for applying for each one. There are a ton of websites you can use to search for money. I personally have used Scholarships.com , which is one of the oldest scholarship databases available. UPchieve coaches can also help you look for scholarships on our app . While you’re thinking about ways to cover the cost of college, you should also check up on your college’s financial aid requirements. I’ve seen students attend classes for weeks, only to find out later that they have no financial aid and they then have to drop all of their courses. If you are a student in need of financial aid and you have already submitted your application, be sure to double-check that all of your requirements have been filled and you’re ready to start on your first day of classes. You can do this by calling your college’s financial aid office or by logging into your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) account at . The deadline to submit an application for financial aid is in the summer before the upcoming school year, and UPchieve can help you with filling that out too! Keep in mind that many students who qualify for financial aid also qualify for work-study and positions usually fill up quickly. If you’re interested in campus employment, then be sure to ask about on-campus job offerings if you do speak to a financial aid representative. So we’ve gotten your funds for college, now let’s make sure you have your classes ready to go. Prior to attending orientation, think about a well-rounded list of general education classes that would interest you as a first-year college student. It’s good to research specific programs and majors early, but I recommend against specializing until you’re completely sure what you want to major in. You’ll be surprised at how many students get two years into their desired program then wake up one day with a sudden passion for something else like theatre or law. After compiling a diverse list of classes you love, held during times that work for you, create an account with Rate My Professors . This site will help you research professors and hopefully find the best match for your learning style and personality. Once you’ve registered for classes, get into the habit of checking your college email so that you’re always on the lookout for summer updates from your professors. An important tip I've learned throughout my college career is to hold off on buying books until after syllabus week. You may feel anxious to buy every book listed on your required text list as soon as possible, but trust me on this one. Professors will often tell you on the first day of class whether the book is truly needed or if it's optional for extra studying. There may even be some instances where the text is needed but can be found in the campus or local library for rent. A great website to rent textbooks for cheap is Chegg . Chegg even has e-books, so if you need your book before the end of syllabus week, most orders come with a free electronic copy until your order arrives to your dorm or home. The last thing you should do is set aside a day before classes start to walk the campus a few times. If you’re a student who commutes for school, set aside a day to drive to campus and take a look around. Locate the buildings where your classes will be held so that you don't become the kid on campus wandering around for an hour or asking everyone in sight where the chemistry building is. Get a good night's rest, and you’ll be fully prepared to start your new journey! Have more college planning questions? Use the UPchieve app to talk to a coach 24/7! #Student, #College, #Classes, #Plan, #Success, #First-Year