by Gretchen | Dec 21, 2014 | Academic Coaching, Organization, Study Skills
Have you (or your student) ever been sent home with a lot of new material and no study guide? That’s exactly what my client complained about during a recent session. High school students are so used to teachers handing out study guides that it can totally throw...
by Gretchen | Dec 20, 2014 | Academic Coaching, Procrastination
Is getting started on a big project a problem for you, or a student you know? I definitely have trouble initiating hard tasks, so I have a lot of empathy for my clients who struggle with this, too. Here’s one trick I use that is proven to get me over that...
by Gretchen | Dec 20, 2014 | Academic Coaching, note-taking, Organization, Study Skills
Have you (or your student) ever been sent home with a lot of new material and no study guide? That’s exactly what my client complained about during a recent session. High school students are so used to teachers handing out study guides that it can totally throw...
by Gretchen | Oct 6, 2014 | Academic Coaching
Find out what colleges are looking for in a good recommendation letter, what teachers should and should say, and what families can do to ensure that your letters knock it out of the park. Students and parents will want to make sure they understand: the true purpose of...
by Gretchen | Sep 29, 2014 | Academic Coaching
Good note taking can help you ace your tests, but bad note taking can really get in the way of getting great grades. During this episode, we discuss the following mistakes that most students make: Writing too muchNot writing enoughNot formatting notesBlindly...
by Gretchen | Sep 26, 2014 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
It’s officially fall! As the temperature drops, the semester is just heating up. Students are starting to sweat through harder tests and more complex assignments. Is this true for you? Recently, a client who has difficulty with short term memory was assigned one...
by Gretchen | Sep 22, 2014 | Academic Coaching
In high schools across the country, 9th and 10th graders will be taking the PSAT test in the next few weeks. Many of them have no idea how important this test is for their college prospects! Megan Dorsey breaks down why the PSAT is so important to students and should...
by Gretchen | Sep 14, 2014 | Academic Coaching
We love your questions! Please take advantage of this free coaching from nationally renowned experts in the fields of college admissions and academic life coaching for students. In order to submit questions, please email us here or post...
by Gretchen | Sep 7, 2014 | Academic Coaching
Megan and Gretchen are thrilled to announce that they’ll be using their podcast to provide free coaching for listeners. In order to submit questions, please email us here or post questions at the bottom of this blog entry. During this first Q&A...
by Gretchen | Aug 31, 2014 | Academic Coaching
The most common complaints teens and their parents make when they come in for academic coaching is “procrastination and disorganization!” During this episode, Gretchen helps students overcome these two common ailments: Step One: Collect...
by Gretchen | Aug 24, 2014 | Academic Coaching
There are appropriate (and inappropriate) times during the school year or college admission process to hire a tutor. Make sure you know the ins and outs of when and how to hire a tutor so that you can save time, money and frustration. Here are some common...
by Gretchen | Aug 20, 2014 | Academic Coaching
How do college-bound families keep up with the escalating, and ever changing, cost of higher education? Is it possible to make a realistic plan for paying for college that works with your family’s budget? In this week’s episode, Andrea Travillion reveals 5 tips...
by Gretchen | Aug 18, 2014 | Academic Coaching
The word “meeting” sounds so boring, so why would anyone, parent or child, want to do one?! This week on the podcast, Julie Smith debunks the myth that meetings aren’t fun, and provides a number of tips for how — in only 10 minutes a week! — families can save...
by Gretchen | Aug 18, 2014 | Academic Coaching
As a college admissions expert and test prep guru, Megan gets questions all the time from panicked parents worried that they are dangerously behind on the journey to get their teen into the perfect college for their teen. In this podcast, Megan dispels parents’...
by Gretchen | Aug 12, 2014 | Academic Coaching
To help listeners start the 2014-2015 school year off with a bang, Gretchen reveals five strategies for how students and parents can set themselves up to have their Best School Year Ever. These five strategies, which can all be implemented at the beginning of the...
by Gretchen | Jul 14, 2014 | Academic Coaching
We are excited to announce The College Prep Podcast launching for the 2014 – 2014 school year. Keep your eye on this page for more information about upcoming podcast episodes. This is a show for parents, teachers, and teens who want to get better grades with less...
by Gretchen | Jun 10, 2014 | Academic Coaching, Creativity & Edges
Meet Rina. YouTuber, Suzuki violinist, and soon to be 8th grader. Clearly, Rina is NOT a morning person, which she hilariously demonstrates in this homemade video. Rina and her mom are signed up to participate in The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying this...
by Gretchen | Jun 3, 2014 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
Did you miss the webinar last weekend? I was sharing my “anti-boring” method for talking to teens about studying … in a way that raises grades, eliminates nagging and boosts self-confidence. More than 100 concerned parents tuned in, and a few teens...
by Gretchen | Mar 11, 2014 | Academic Coaching, Procrastination
Are you sick and tired of promising yourself you will FINALLY (insert new habit here), but then never following through? Me too! For years I’ve been trying to “hack my habits,” but only some of them stick. Enter: The Tiny Habit, which turbo-charged my...
by Gretchen | Feb 6, 2014 | Communication, Random Stuff
In my years of academic coaching, I’ve noticed that the clients who reach out to me regularly are the ones who experience the biggest support and growth from our work together. Check out this text exchange with a college student who is also my friend on...
