by Gretchen | Sep 20, 2019 | podcast
Did you know that LinkedIn is a great place to search for information about what kinds of jobs students get after graduating from which schools? Megan and Gretchen had no idea…but a parent listener Mary did. Listen in as she shares: How she discovered this cool trick,...
by Gretchen | Sep 20, 2019 | podcast
Many families of high achieving students sign up for too many specialized courses in high school, and forget to prioritize the core curriculum. Megan walks us through a set of reasons why we don’t want to make this mistake. Specifically, she discusses: which classes...
by Gretchen | Sep 16, 2019 | blog, note-taking, Student Life
How’s your note-taking? Do you love it? hate it? Last spring I was working with a client who broke his wrist and couldn’t take notes for several weeks. I was right in the middle of teaching him a skill called “Honing Notes”, which requires...
by Gretchen | Sep 3, 2019 | blog, Organization, Student Life, Study Skills
It’s the beginning of the school year! How the heck should you organize all your stuff? I’m sure that’s a question that comes up for most students, parents, and educators. At the end of last semester, I worked with a new student who needed to...
by Gretchen | Sep 2, 2019 | blog, Procrastination
What’s the biggest lie students end up telling themselves? “I’ll do it later!” So many of my clients tell themselves that lie so that they can feel better in the moment about not doing their work. But how many truly do end up doing their work...
by Gretchen | Aug 28, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
As Gretchen teaches adults in her courses for educators, she’s started noticing a number of similarities between the grown ups and her teenage clients. In this episode she outlines 6 bad habits that all learners seem to have, regardless of age. They include:...
by April Sullivan | Aug 28, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
The College Board recently announced that each student will now be assigned an adversity index in addition to their SAT scores. In this short summer podcast, Megan walks us through what the adversity index is and how she’s been thinking about it. If you’d like to read...
by April Sullivan | Aug 28, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
One of the important ingredients of studying strategically is cultivating your willingness to try new strategies, even if they require effort and are uncomfortable. Gretchen breaks down why this is, and tells some stories from her recent educator training about what...
by Gretchen | Aug 27, 2019 | blog, College Prep, Student Life
It’s the beginning of the semester! And books are expensive, especially the textbooks you need for college. What do you do when class has started, but you don’t have your books yet? Last spring one of my clients was in this situation. It was 4 weeks into...
by Gretchen | Aug 21, 2019 | blog, Student Life
It’s the beginning of the semester! How good are you at waking yourself up early in the morning? Most of my clients rely on their alarm clocks to get them out of bed in the morning. (Some rely on their parents, but I try and nip that in the bud as soon as I hear...
by Gretchen | Aug 13, 2019 | blog, Organization, Student Life
Do you like your desk and your work space? Or do you feel dread and discomfort about sitting down at your desk and getting to work? I’m feeling so much more productive since I figured out 3 hacks to creating a productive work space this summer. In this video, I...
by Gretchen | Aug 2, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
Since you can’t wear a smart watch when you take the SAT & ACT, what kind of watch SHOULD you wear? Megan breaks down the importance of bringing your own time piece for your wrist, which one to buy, and how to use it. In this episode, she refers to this youtube...
by Gretchen | Aug 2, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
There’s a common controversy that comes up in Gretchen’s educator trainings: Should academic coaches teach students skills, or must they remain neutral parties who draw out the student’s inner wisdom? This controversy comes up because life coaches are taught not to...
by Gretchen | Jul 18, 2019 | Academic Coaching, College Prep, podcast
Wish you knew exactly what colleges look for when they evaluate high school students? In this “mini-cast” episode, Megan share’s a list of skills and experiences that help high school students stand out from the crowd when applying to colleges. The list was compiled...
by Gretchen | Jun 27, 2019 | College Prep
How full is your study toolbox? In this “mini-cast” episode, Gretchen shares the 7 different “toolkits” students need in order to study as effectively and efficiently as possible. Here’s the list, but make sure you tune in to hear details about each! tools for...
by Gretchen | Jun 21, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
Do you ever run out of time on standardized tests? Does it feel impossible to get all the questions answered? Welcome to our summer mini-casts! In this one, Megan shares several strategies for how to pace yourself on the ACT and SAT. Specifically, she discusses: The...
by Gretchen | Jun 14, 2019 | Academic Coaching
So many students study accidentally, or at the very least, incompletely. What’s the alternative, that delivers better learning and better grades in less time? Why, “studying strategically,” of course! Gretchen calls her course for educators The Art of Inspiring...
by Gretchen | Jun 5, 2019 | blog, College Prep
Ever wish you could ask a neuroscientist all your questions about teaching and learning? Today Megan and Gretchen got to interview professor and author Jared Cooney Horvath about his new excellent new book, Stop Talking, Start Influencing: 12 Insights from...
by Gretchen | Jun 5, 2019 | College Prep, podcast
The whole point of going to college is to get a job, right?! Yet families often forget to evaluate their prospective college’s career services. Join podcast parent Lydia Schulz as she details everything she learned about how colleges help students get jobs....
by Gretchen | May 23, 2019 | College Prep
Drum roll, please! Megan’s daughter has made her final college decision. In this episode, Megan outlines the lessons her family learned in their very personal college decision process, including: How many schools she applied to, and how they honed their final list 8...
