by Gretchen | Feb 26, 2019 | Academic Coaching, blog, Procrastination, Student Life, Study Skills
Did you know that there are some GOOD ways to procrastinate? Recently I checked in on a client (a sophomore in college) about how well she’s following through on a project plan, and she told me that she was doing terribly. However, it was a...
by Gretchen | Feb 25, 2019 | Academic Coaching, College Prep
Summer is a great time to do meaningful summer activities that benefit your college application. Tune in to this episode from the archives (February 2015 to be exact), as Megan and Gretchen discuss how to choose activities that will help students round out their...
by Gretchen | Feb 21, 2019 | podcast
Too often educators teach specific note taking strategies like Cornell Notes without teaching students WHY they work. Tune in to hear Gretchen outline a straightforward approach to helping take better notes. Specifically, she discusses: Review the Study Cycle, which...
by Gretchen | Feb 18, 2019 | blog, College Prep, Procrastination
I know that you probably procrastinate a lot (I do!), but I wonder if you identify with this scenario: Sometimes I have a hard time taking action on projects that are digital, boxed up inside my computer screen. I feel cooped up and have such a hard time getting...
by Gretchen | Feb 18, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
There are 5 key steps to take when planning how your high school student will take their college admissions tests. In this episode, Megan gives a detailed description for how to make a 4-year plan for managing your college admissions tests. Here are each of the steps;...
by Gretchen | Feb 11, 2019 | blog, Study Skills
Parents of teens often ask me where their students should be putting their cell phones while they’re doing their homework! I’ve often given a specific answer (which you’ll hear about in the video), but I’ve never read the research that backs my...
by Gretchen | Feb 7, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
The science shows us that mistakes are an important part of learning and growing, yet our schools and homes are often structured to punish students for making mistakes. Why is this, and what can be done to create environments that celebrate mistake-making? Join...
by Gretchen | Feb 4, 2019 | blog
Can you tell I’m obsessing about the power of mistakes right now?! This last week a client’s reflection about HER mistakes brought tears to my eyes. More about that in a sec. First, though, I want to make sure you’re aware that IN EXACTLY A WEEK...
by Gretchen | Jan 31, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
Many AP Coordinators at high schools list all the benefits of taking AP classes, but rarely do they list the drawbacks and limitations. Megan spells out for families a number of reasons why you might not want to take AP classes if your goal is college...
by Gretchen | Jan 28, 2019 | Academic Coaching, Anti-Boring Approach, blog, Student Life
?Last week I did a video about the two biggest mistakes I made last year. Apparently, y’all love hearing about my mistakes because I got a LOT of emails in response. I’ve been thinking about mistakes a lot over the last few weeks because I’m...
by Gretchen | Jan 24, 2019 | College Prep, Communication, For Parents, podcast
Teens tell fibs more often than parents wish. Some of them are pre-meditated and manipulative, but often they are a primal response to fear, especially in students with learning differences like ADHD. In this episode, Gretchen walks you through her notes from a great...
by Gretchen | Jan 22, 2019 | Academic Coaching, Anti-Boring Approach, blog
The New Year — a time when we often think about successes and achievements. Instead, I’ve been thinking about failure. Mine in particular. Last year (like every year) I made a bunch of mistakes! It’s tempting to gloss over all the ways I effed up in 2018 by...
by Gretchen | Jan 17, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
As a college consultant who guided her own daughter through the college application process, Megan realizes there are some things that she would have done differently if she could do it over again! Tune in to hear how her personal experience differs from some of...
by Gretchen | Jan 15, 2019 | Academic Coaching, blog
Do you sometimes feel that you NEVER get a break? That you’re far too busy to give yourself some time off, even an afternoon off? I find that many students feel this way. We are breeding more generations as addicted to busy-ness as we are! I have...
by Gretchen | Jan 10, 2019 | College Prep, podcast, Study Skills
The key to effective studying for tests is a brain-based trick called “retrieval practice.” Most students forget to do this when studying. They might review their notes or text book, but they forget practice “retrieving” it from their brain (which means looking...
by Gretchen | Jan 8, 2019 | Academic Coaching, blog, Organization
Some people — and most teens — think they really love online To Do lists. Other folks — mostly adults — love purchasing the latest, hippest paper planner to try and track their To Do’s that way. Recently I had a client, a 16-year-old...
by Gretchen | Jan 3, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
Many high school students feel pressured to choose a college major before they ever arrive in college — during the application process. Megan walks us through whether it makes sense for students to take aptitude and interest tests to figure out what they want to study...
by Gretchen | Dec 31, 2018 | Academic Coaching, blog, Student Life
Do you struggle to connect with your teachers? Does it feel like they are scary strangers to you, rather than friends, mentors and cheerleaders? In today’s video I tell you about a conversation I had recently with a client who is a junior in high school. Every...
by Gretchen | Dec 27, 2018 | College Prep, podcast
You’ve likely heard the advice to make sure you include a “safety” school in your college list. However, what exactly does that mean? Megan helps you understand the two types of “safety” schools you will want to consider, and provides tips for finding these types of...
by Gretchen | Dec 20, 2018 | College Prep, podcast
There’s a new book about habits that’s all the rage right now: Atomic Habits by James Clear. Gretchen does two things at once in this episode: teaches you how to skim a nonfiction book effectively while also introducing you to some key tips and tricks about...
