PEA RIDGE — Writing your college essay

Like your ACT score, the essay is just one component of your college application. An essay can say a lot - or a little - about who you are. The point of the essay is to paint a picture of you to a total stranger. Admissions officers want to get to know you and why you belong at their school.

Tips for writing sound essays can be found online from many sources. Just type “writing a college essay” into a search engine.

Here are some quick pointers to help craft a stand-out essay.

1. Plan. Review application deadlines and plan ahead. Outline, then draft, then proof; rewrite, have someone else proof it and then revise accordingly. Give it one last look before submitting. Remember, spell check doesn’t catch everything!

2. Stand out. Admissions officials review hundreds of applications, and the ones that pique their interest are unique. While the essay should single you out from the crowd, be careful not to focus too narrowly on something others cannot relate to or understand.

3. Be real. This can be interpreted a couple different ways. First, don’t use a story or essay found online or written by a friend. Admissions officers can spot a “borrowed” essay. Second, don’t write to what you think others want to hear. Show personality and individuality.

4. Stay on topic. Review each application’s essay question, develop a few ideas and settle on one. Follow that theme throughout the essay.

Establishing homework strategies

Homework is a valuable part of learning. Though you probably think it’s a pain, homework does help to cement lessons taught in class.

Assume that you will have homework every night. Even if you completed your assignments, take time to review them. It’s easier to see any errors the second time around. Don’t forget to look ahead to long-term assignments like research papers or science projects. And if you’re fortunate enough to have time during the school day tofinish all homework assignments, use your scheduled homework time to develop solid studying habits.

Don’t be intimidated by homework. It’s like a sporting event, but for your mind. Homework is part of your learning process.

If you’re having problems with an assignment, check with your teacher or look for free homework help that might be available in your area. Many public libraries offer either a live or online homework service.

Tutors are another option.

Make it a routine. Find a place and set a consistent time for doing homework.

The adage is that it takes three weeks to develop a habit. Practice your homework routine and it should become second nature before long.

Homework is one aspect of your study skills. While homework focuses on a specific assignment, studying goes beyond that to enhance understanding of the concepts and topics taught in class. You can find ideas for enhancing your study skills elsewhere in this newsletter.

College planning tips for high school students

Planning for college and a career doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process,filled with research and exploration. ACT encourages high school students to do some of the work each year. You can find a college planning checklist at actstudent.org/college/checklist.

Many high school freshmen and sophomores do not know what career they want, let alone where they want to go to college or what they want to study.

Use the scores from your EXPLORE® and PLAN® tests to guide your planning. Talk with your counselor about what those scores mean and visit the World-of-Work Map (act.org/wwm) to match your interests with potential fields. You can find out more about careers and their requirements at actstudent.org/wwm/.

Juniors can do more career exploration by talking to someone in the field.

See if you can spend a day with a professional to see what the job really entails.

Also, you should be looking at dates to register for the ACT in the spring. The ACT tests you on what you learn in school, and spring of junior year is the appropriate time to take it. Free practice tests are available at actstudent.org/sampletest/index. You can use your scores to see areas in which you might need to improve.

Seniors who haven’t settled on a particular career have probably narrowed to an area of focus. As you complete college applications, be sure the schools meet your needs. And remember that you won’t be able to slack off after your last application has been submitted. College admissions officers are increasingly putting more weight on students’ performance during their last semester to evaluate their ability to perform consistently.

ACT’s student bloggers are in the college application process now. Read what they have to say about applications and their senior years at actstudent.org/blog.

Improving study skills

You can always improve your study skills. Developing good skills and habits in high school will help you make learning the material more effective and ease the transition to college classes. In college, learning is a much more individual effort so going the extra mile in high school will pay off later on.

Some good study skills to develop:

Questioning. If a concept doesn’t make sense to you, ask someone to explain it.

Talk with a teacher or evena classmate who gets it. Ask questions until you feel you have a grasp on the topic.

Make studying a regular habit. And don’t just focus on getting homework done.

Really put effort into learning, understanding and applying the concepts learned in class to your daily activities.

Take notes every day in class. Then review those notes. Highlight key points.

Write down questions you want to ask and points to study further.

Go beyond the assignment. Writing helps many people retain information, so take advantage of that and write down key points from reading assignments, make flash cards or create your own practice tests.

Schedule it. Don’t let studying become just another item on the to-do list that remains undone.

Schedule a regular time and place. Keep distractions to a minimum.

Studying is really about developing a set of habits and skills that work best for you. Like any habit, it can be difficult to get into a routine, but stick with it and you’ll find it gets easier.◊◊◊

Editor’s note: Randi Jo Hutchinson-Kelso is the counselor for Pea Ridge High School.

School, Pages 10 on 01/19/2011