Feed Your Mind Over Thanksgiving With These Study Tips
Normally we think of Thanksgiving as a time to reflect on all that we have and share fond memories with family. And of course, there is the generous amounts of eating that goes along with our celebrating the holiday.
As much as Thanksgiving has become synonymous with feasting on turkey and all its wonderful sides, it’s also great to think of Thanksgiving break as a time for feeding your mind.
Feeding your mind can take different forms, depending on where you are on your journey to college. Here are some suggestions for students at all stages of the Roadmap to College:
Elementary (3rd - 5th): Get in Writing and Grammar Practice!
Write every day for 30 minutes - 1 hour. Try a different style of writing each day, such as creative fiction, personal narrative (diary), expository essay, and argumentative essay.
Learn (or brush up on understanding) the six main parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, and preposition).
Learn (or brush up on understanding) four different sentences: simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.
Middle School (6th - 8th): Read Complex and Challenging Novels!
Read a novel from this list of Books for Advanced Middle Schoolers - read outside of the YA/dystopia bubble!
Read a non-fiction book or novel that leans heavily on historical fact (middle schoolers often are light on understanding history outside of the basics from social studies).
Write a book report on what you have read (~1 page) so you can improve comprehension.
Write an essay on the theme of the book or how the protagonist changes.
Lower High School (9th-10th): Maintain Your GPA!
Complete extra credit assignments.
Catch up on homework that has piled up or longer projects that are due after the break.
Look at the syllabus or class schedule and actually get yourself AHEAD so you don’t fall behind.
Junior (11th): Prepare for the December SAT and/or ACT!
Take 2-3 practice tests over the break.
Study each section at least 30 minutes a day.
Focus on areas that you normally can’t study during the school week (e.g., the SAT Essay requires you to read/write for 50 minutes -- now you have time to do this).
Use official materials from the ACT and College Board sites to help gauge your progress (doesn’t have to be for general practice).
Senior (12th): Kickstart (or Complete) Your College Applications!
Complete your UC System (due 11/30) and UT Austin (due 12/1) applications and essay responses (don’t rush the essays and submit mediocre responses).
Start recycling previously written essays for Regular Decision colleges and the remainder of your Common Application schools.
For late starters, this week is a great time to dive head first into the application process and really make a dent so you don’t feel overwhelmed in a few weeks.
No matter where you are on your Roadmap to College, B2A is here to help you! Check out all of our services, and while you are enjoying your Thanksgiving, we will be there for you when you return in December. Together, we can make the most of the remaining weeks of 2019!
