It’s one of the worst summertime afflictions – no, not sunburns – and it affects students of all grade levels. The “summer brain drain” occurs when you’ve been out of school for awhile and your brain, well, basically turns into a bowl of mush (and that’s official medical lingo). The most pervasive and troubling symptom…

We’ve all been there. At the beginning of the semester, you tell yourself that you’re going to do things right. You’re going to stay on top of your reading, take diligent notes for every single chapter, and when exams come around you’ll be so prepared you’ll hardly need to study. Maybe you stuck to your…

Teachers want their students to do well on their tests. Contrary to what it may seem like at times, their end goal is not to trip their students up or make their exam questions overly complicated. In fact ­­– coming from someone now married to a university professor – that is the exact opposite of…

I always loved the beginning of the semester. I had a new schedule, new notebooks, and new ideas for staying on my A-game. There’s nothing quite like a blank slate to get you motivated. The end of the semester? Well, that was another story. There were no fresh notebooks or fresh slates. Break was so…

You’re in the best predicament possible: You’ve been accepted into two schools that you love equally. Congratulations! However… now you’ve got to actually decide where you’re going to spend the next four years. It’s a daunting situation, considering whatever choice you make will impact your life in so many different ways – and that’s why…

One of my favorite stories about my father was his reaction when I got accepted into college. The moment was, to put it simply, not how I imagined it. On the actual day I was set to receive either an acceptance or a rejection, my dad was in the hospital battling cancer. He was getting…

I had one coach in high school. He was my cross country coach, and he rode his bike behind me on long runs and yelled at me to relax my shoulders and pick up my pace. That’s why, when I first heard the phrase “academic coach,” I pictured someone standing behind me as I nervously…

When I first heard about the college bribery scandal that’s dominated headlines the past week or so, I was furious. Well, full transparency, my knee-jerk reaction was to laugh because seriously, Aunt Becky? But then I learned the details about what went on, and I was furious.   I was furious because I remember being…

 For many college-bound kids, college offers so many things they cannot wait for: thousands of new potential friends, all-night parties, and endless opportunities for socialization. If you’re an introvert, however… all of those things may seem more intimidating than exciting. Starting fresh in a new place is a beautiful opportunity, but it also requires a…