TIP OF THE WEEK - October 26

Test Anxiety

Most students experience some level of anxiety during an exam.
However, when anxiety affects exam performance it can become a problem.

General preparation/building confidence:

• Review your personal situation and skills
• Develop good study habits and strategies
• Manage time(dealing with procrastination, distractions, laziness). Organize material to be studied and learned
• Take a step by step approach to build a strategy and not get overwhelmed.  Outside pressures success/failure consequences (grades, graduation), peer pressure, competitiveness,  etc.
• Review your past performance on tests to improve and learn from experience
  

Test preparation to reduce anxiety:

• Approach the exam with confidence:

              -Use whatever strategies you can to personalize success:
                visualization, logic, talking to your self, practice, team work,
                journaling, etc.
              -View the exam as an opportunity to show how much you've
                studied and to receive a reward for the studying you've done

• Be prepared!

              -Learn your material thoroughly and organize what materials you
               will need for the test.  Use a checklist

• Choose a comfortable location for taking the test with good lighting and minimal distractions
• Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do things you need to do before the test and still get there a little early
• Avoid thinking you need to cram just before
• Strive for a relaxed state of concentration.  Avoid speaking with any fellow students who have not prepared, who express negativity, who will distract your preparation
• A program of exercise is said to sharpen the mind
• Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam
• Don't go to the exam with an empty stomach.

               -Fresh fruits and vegetables are often recommended to reduce
                stress.
               -Stressful foods can include processed foods, artificial
                sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, eggs,
                fried foods, junk foods, pork, red meat, sugar, white
                flour products, chips and similar snack foods, foods
                containing preservatives or heavy spices
               -Take a small snack, or some other nourishment to help
                take your mind off of your anxiety.
               -Avoid high sugar content (candy)

 During the test:

• Read the directions carefully
• Budget your test taking time
• Change positions to help you relax
• If you go blank, skip the question and go on
• If you're taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole test, pick a question and start writing. It may trigger the answer in your mind
• Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first done
• If you find yourself tensing and getting anxious during the test:

                -Relax; you are in control. Take slow, deep breaths
                -Don't think about the fear
                -Pause:  think about the next step and keep on task,
                 step by step

• Use positive reinforcement for yourself:

               -Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing,
                your best

• Expect some anxiety

               -It's a reminder that you want to do your best and
                can provide energy. Just keep it manageable

• Realize that anxiety can be a "habit" and that it takes practice to use it as a tool to succeed

After the test, review how you did:

• List what worked, and hold onto these strategies

               -It does not matter how small the items are:
                they are building blocks to success

• List what did not work for improvement
• Celebrate that you are on the road to overcoming this obstacle
• Check out local centers and resources in your school for assistance!

               -If you are aware that you have a problem with test
                anxiety, be sure your teacher or instructor knows
                before any testing begins (and not the hour before!).
                There may be other options to evaluate your knowledge
                or performance within the subject matter.

Three Student Activities That Can Help With College Prep - And Even College Money - When It Counts!

A simple look at the filled activity calendar will tell most folks that Fall is now in full swing. The high schoolstudents are probably pretty well immersed in their school schedules and activities. As the weather startsto get a bit crisper in some parts of the country, we all may find ourselves indoors a little bit more each day. This is a good time to reassess our priorities on activities that we need to catch up on or to organize upcoming tasks that may be on the docket. If you have put college planning on the back burner up unti now, that is understandable, but please let us remind you that there is no better time than the present to get fired up again and move forward on all the strategies that can be a part of your child attending fantastic college.

In addition to your children’s activities, you have your own schedule to balance and keep track of, and we know that managing the myriad of checklists related to college planning can be daunting. We are here to help with that. We have included tips in this newsletter that can help your child at his/her current stage of academic development. In fact, these tips will be able to apply to almost any family with a college-bound high school student. You may be a family that is seriously affected by the economic downturn the country is presently under, or you may be one of the fortunate ones who have been able to weather the storm and stay on top. Whichever situation you may find yourself in, it has been our experience that most folks are interested in hanging onto their hard-earned money, while maximizing their child’s college opportunities.  These tips can help you do that and can still help you get your child into a great school in the process.

This process is complicated for every family – we sense these difficulties ourselves, and we are among the most seasoned college funding counselors! – simply because federal laws and institutional policies tend to change each and every year. However, we can help you stay the course financially, and thereby assist you in staying focused on the most important aspect of the college admissions process – your child. You certainly cannot control the capricious changes in legislation (and frankly, neither can we, as much as it would make our jobs easier), but you certainly can play a role in whether or not your child has success in his or her academic and extra-curricular activities, or whether s/he has a quiet place to study at home.  These are the things that remain firmly within your realm of influence, and that is where we will focus.

There are many things that your child can do in order to be prepared for higher education, to make a reasonable and successful effort to maximize funding, and to become an appealing applicant to some exciting colleges and universities. We will focus on a few of these in this newsletter that should help you get jump started towards a successful academic future.

Consider Career Assessment Tests – BUT As A Tool… Not A Crystal Ball!

Sure, you may have one of those remarkable children who have been saying since they were three years old, “I want to be a lawyer when I grow up!” (Some of them actually do!) On the other hand, you could also have a child who belongs to the vast majority of people who are not exactly sure what they want to become when they grow up. Let us reassure you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with either scenario!  Some children are incredibly focused on a particular area very early in life, while most other children take a number of years – and a variety of experiences – in order to fully develop their interests in a particular field or career. Fortunately, there are a number of tools that can help your child assess where his or her  interests lie along the way so you can start to make decisions about activities and a direction to take.  When it comes to college preparation, after all, it is certainly in your best financial and professional interests as a family to have some idea what to pursue when the college years actually arrive!

If you ask your child, “What is it that really interests you?” and the response is “Umm… I don’t know” then there could be some potential benefit from asking your child to complete a career assessment test. There are many resources available to you, whether through your child’s high school counselor or even by searching online. These are career assessment and vocational interest tests that are designed specifically to determine where your child’s particular interests and strengths lie. However, these tests are tools, not fortune tellers. Some parents may get extremely worked up over these tests (a trait which does not usually endear them to their high school aged children), when they are simply indicators of the aforementioned interests and strengths! The tests offer some information about areas that can be taken advantage of in the preparation for college, as well, and they should always be viewed as such.

Of course, simply taking a career test does not set anything in stone. Just because your child may have skills or inclinations towards a certain field does not mean that s/he is bound and determined only to pursue that option. This type of test is really just a tool that can, perhaps, uncover some inclinations and interests in certain areas that can be further developed both in high school and in college. Sometimes the best options remain unrecognized until they are simply suggested, and that is what a career test can do for your child… expand the options. It could help to fine tune some elective classes, for some students. It might trigger an interest in a club or group at school. It could even cause your child to want to tag along with a family friend or acquaintance “on the job.” At any rate, it is definitely worthwhile to see whether his or her class schedule (and extracurricular activities) reflect any opportunities that might help to develop the  personal interests discovered in the career test.

Correctly Manage Jobs Or Internships – During School OR Summer

With a reasonable determination of which area is of interest to your child – whether it comes from your child directly or from some career testing activities – here is another tip that can pay major dividends in the long term and help your child on the road to getting into a top college.  Many parents have seen excellent results through helping their child find a part-time job – or even an internship – in a field that s/he may consider for a career. Others find that their child operates best in a simple part-time job. For example, if your child has already expressed some interest in a business career, it should not be terribly difficult to find a position that will teach valuable skills related to business, whether it is working as a cashier or learning leadership traits by observing people while working in business management environment. Whatever the job, time management and responsibility are also skills that can be gleaned from just about any type of job, whether it is during the school year or during vacations.

Parents and friends can often assist students in finding the right approach colleagues, friends, or local business owners about allowing your child to do an internship in a profession or business that is of interest to your child. Your child may even be paid for the internship experience in some cases. The difference between a job and an internship is sometimes subtle, but internships do look very impressive on college applications! Regardless, the experience gained through a job or an internship can be very influential in helping students to learn what activities intrigue and inspire them, and what things might have looked pretty cool from the outside, but (at least to your child) weren’t exactly all that they were cracked up to be.

However, it should come as no surprise that there are some words of caution that must be spoken when a student is intent on pursuing this route! It is absolutely imperative that your child is able to balance the demands of school, plus any other activities, and internship/work. Naturally, when it comes to prioritizing, school should always come first. If it becomes apparent that your child is falling behind in school then it is time to reassess whether any outside activity is feasible at this point. Also, remember that an internship arranged with a colleague or family friend can often be made extremely part time… it doesn’t need to occupy ten hours per week in order to be worthwhile, or to appear on college applications! It simply needs to provide a quality learning experience, and that is the bottom line whether s/he is being paid for the time involved, or not.

Another very important consideration comes into play if your child is being paid for his or her position. You see, there is a limit to how much money a student is allowed to make before it begins to affect his or her eligibility for federal aid in college. Please make sure that your student does not adversely affect future money by “over-earning” while in high school, even during the summers! If you need more details, please don’t hesitate to call us for more information on how to choose a great internship, and especially the current income limits for high school students.

Volunteer/Service Organizations – Giving Something Back And Receiving In Return

It is difficult to overstate how valuable volunteer and service experience is for the aspiring college applicant. We think it is a great idea anyway, but we see the fruits of this type of work as we help college applicants and their families through their application experience. Students who become involved in service and volunteer organizations often find a three-fold bonus as they approach their college years. First, the college applicants themselves often have an added air of maturity – especially when compared with other graduating high school students. We believe that this comes from their experiences in looking outside of themselves and endeavoring to make a positive difference in their community. These experiences are often even more valuable because they can, in many cases, help the students to  discover the things that they are most passionate about. The beauty of this is that there is almost no limit to the valuable service experiences available, from volunteering at a hospital to building homes for the homeless, and beyond. All of these experiences are valuable!

Secondly, we have noted that desirable colleges often view these students as well-rounded applicants,and  if they me the admissions standards of the school they tend to want them as part of their incoming class. This goes hand in hand with the maturity level, to be sure, but colleges like to be able to brag about their incoming class of freshman students, almost as much as parents do! Finally, there can even be a financial incentive – albeit usually a small one – for volunteer activities and joining service organizations. These types of groups often offer scholarships to their members, and their experiences also will look great on institutional aid applications. While it is almost unheard of that these scholarships cover a significant amount of the costs of college these days, they look excellent on applications (as noted above) and can tip the scales in a student’s favor. We can help with the management of scholarship funds, to maximize your family’s personal eligibility for college financial aid! Just give us a call at 724-745-0305 and we will be pleased to help.

These are just a few of the things to bear in mind as you traverse the path between where you are now, and the bittersweet day when your child heads off to pursue his/her higher education. Each of them can become an important part of the puzzle that can add up to acceptance at a great college – not to mention a much more manageable college bill for you and your family. We are eager to help you with this process, if you think that our expertise could be of benefit to you. In addition, you may be interested in reserving a free seat at our upcoming College Funding seminar in your area. If you would like to attend, please give us a call at 724-745-0305 and we will be happy to reserve a spot for you. We want to help you and your child prepare for an excellent college experience, and minimize the financial and organizational headachesalong the way!

Michael Giffin, CLU, ChFC
President
Ensphere College Planning Services
PO Box 1347
McMurray, PA 15317
(724) 745-0305

TIP OF THE WEEK - October 19

Time Management Tips
Does it seem like there's never enough time in the day to get everything done? Feel like you're always running late? Here are some tips for taking control of your time and organizing your life.

1. Make a "To Do" List Every Day.
Put things that are most important at the top and do them first. If it's easier, use a planner to track all of your tasks. And don't forget to reward yourself for your accomplishments.

2. Use Spare Minutes Wisely.
Get some reading done on the bus ride home from school, for example, and you'll kill two birds with one stone.

3. It's Okay to Say "No."
If your boss asks you to work on a Thursday night and you have a final exam the next morning, realize that it's okay to say no. Keep your short- and long-term priorities in mind.

4. Find the Right Time.
You'll work more efficiently if you figure out when you do your best work. For example, if your brain handles math better in the afternoon, don't wait to do it until late at night.

5. Review Your Notes Every Day.
You'll reinforce what you've learned, so you need less time to study. You'll also be ready if your teacher calls on you or gives a pop quiz.

6. Get a Good Night's Sleep.
Running on empty makes the day seem longer and your tasks seem more difficult.

7. Communicate Your Schedule to Others.
If phone calls are proving to be a distraction, tell your friends that you take social calls from 7-8 p.m. It may sound silly, but it helps.

8. Become a Taskmaster.
Figure out how much free time you have each week. Give yourself a time budget and plan your activities accordingly.

9. Don't Waste Time Agonizing.
Have you ever wasted an entire evening by worrying about something that you're supposed to be doing? Was it worth it? Instead of agonizing and procrastinating, just do it.

10. Keep Things in Perspective.
Setting goals that are unrealistic sets you up for failure. While it's good to set high goals for yourself, be sure not to overdo it. Set goals that are difficult yet reachable.

Consider these tips, but personalize your habits so that they suit you. If you set priorities that fit your lifestyle, you'll have a better chance of achieving your goals.

TIP OF THE WEEK - October 12

Scholarship Information:

The most common scholarships may be classified as:
• Merit-based: These awards are based on a student's athletic, academic, artistic or other abilities, and often factor in an applicant's community service record and extracurricular activities. The most common merit-based scholarships, awarded by either private organizations or directly by a student's intended college, recognize academic achievement or high scores on the ACT and SAT standardized tests.
• Need-based: These awards are based on the student and family's financial record and will require applicants to fill out a FAFSA to qualify if the scholarship is a federal award. Private need-based scholarships will also often require the results of a FAFSA, which calculates a student's financial need through a formula looking at the expected family contribution and cost of attendance at the intended college.
• Student-specific: These are scholarships where applicants must initially qualify by race, gender, religion, family and medical history, or many other student-specific factors.
• Career-specific: These are scholarships awarded by a college or university to students planning to pursue a specific field of study. Often the most generous awards are given to students pursuing careers in high-need areas such as education or nursing.

To help keep yourself on a timeframe, impose a deadline that is at least two weeks before the stated scholarship deadline to send out all required materials. Make a copy of the entire packet and keep it on file in case your packet goes astray. Make sure your name (and social security number, if applicable) appears on each page of the material to ensure that nothing is lost.

Lastly, a great place to start looking for scholarships is: www.fastweb.com

TIP OF THE WEEK - October 5

Essay Writing Tips

Gaining entrance to just about any college continues to get harder as more and more applicants are applying for a limited number of spaces. How can you improve your chances to being admitted to the college or university of your choice? By writing a stellar personal essay as part of your college application.

It may be only 500 words, but the admissions essay(s) portion of a college application can mean the difference between acceptance and rejection. Developing your ideas and expressing them clearly will help to show the admissions committee why you are different from everybody else. It also provides information about you that test scores, grades, and extracurricular pursuits cannot.

You can use the essay to describe a favorite activity, to tell a story about yourself or a friend, even a story about your dog. It should capture the reader’s attention and make you stand out.

So how do you write a college application essay? Writing the college application essay can be one of the most daunting parts of applying to college. To get started just remember 3 important parts to developing your thoughts.

Step One: Brainstorming The goal of brainstorming is the development of ideas. Pick 1 or 2 topics that you feel comfortable writing about.

Step Two: Selecting An Essay Topic After brainstorming develop the rough ideas that you would like to include in your application essay; including your goals, important life experiences, research experience, spectacular nonacademic accomplishments, etc. You should also now have an idea of what impression you want to make on the admissions officers.

Step Three: Writing the Essay, Tips for Success In writing the essay you must bear in mind your two goals: to persuade the admissions officer that you are extremely worthy of admission and to make the admissions officer aware that you are more than a GPA and a standardized score, that you are a real-life, intriguing personality. Remember to be original in your thoughts.

TIP OF THE WEEK - September 28

QUESTION - What is the major difference between the FAFSA & the PROFILE?:
FAFSA data gets processed using the Federal Methodology and determines your eligibility for FEDERAL Student Aid. PROFILE data gets processed using both the Federal & Institutional Methodologies and helps (pricier) schools estimate your eligibility for federal aid, and decide whether to give you additional institutional resources. To help schools make this determination, PROFILE schools ask for much more information than FAFSA schools. For example, you must report your family income for the past 2 years, the amount of equity in your home, etc... It's good to know in advance what schools you may be looking at so that you can prepare for what questions the school may be asking.

TIP OF THE WEEK - September 15

Bad Credit Sends More Students Packing Than Poor Grades
According to a survey of student loan applicants by loan provider Nellie Mae, 83% of college undergrads use credit cards and the average card debt was $2,327 in 2001. Furthermore, the college students surveyed steadily increased usage rates and balances. From freshman to senior year, the average debt load more than doubled and number of cards held nearly tripled. It’s easy to see why more students drop out of college because of debt than for poor grades.

But don’t forget that credit cards are designed for people with income—solid cash flow. Most young teens and college students don’t have much income. While using credit is not a beginning financial skill, teens do need to learn how credit works. How can parents ease young teens into the eventual freedom of credit cards? Allow a debit card tied to a checking account or a fixed-amount card such as Visa Buxx, designed especially for teens. Or, try a credit card with parent supervision and low limit—$500 or less.

Before teens become regular credit users or abusers, encourage them to:
1) master a checking account, write checks, and reconcile statements
2) show responsible debit card use and understand ATM fees
3) compare credit card offers and read the fine print
4) understand interest rates and billing cycle.

Credit cards do remain an attractive alternative to cash for four reasons, providing it’s used wisely.
1) Credit is handy—and safer—to carry. If teens don’t ever see cash leave their wallets, however, it’s difficult for them to understand the reality of expenses, budgeting, and cash flow.
2) Buy now, pay later. Paying later also makes it easy to overspend, and not be able to pay when credit card bills arrives. It’s not easy for anyone to have the willpower to curb credit card spending once the habit is started. Teens need maturity to overcome the “I-want-it-now” syndrome.
3) A credit card is good for emergencies, when you have no cash. But buying daily lattes, new clothing every trip to the mall, or pizza on weekends doesn’t count.
4) Using credit establishes a credit score. Yes, frequent use of a credit card does build a credit history—good or bad. But overspending and irresponsible use can tarnish a credit score for years and affect interest rates for future loans.