Stressed? Redefine Success!
The last two years of high school are typically when students begin focusing on their future, though this process seems to begin earlier and earlier. Teenagers begin to dream of their ultimate college and start buckling down with standardized test prep while balancing extracurricular activities, volunteering, sports, jobs, and whatever else they deem important to getting into Dream School U. Having worked closely with teenagers over the last seven years, I hear more often than not: “I am SO stressed!” Teenage Millennials put more pressure on themselves than any other generation, and most of their stress is self-induced. They have their eyes on the future and the future holds no room for failure. But, we all know that success is often achieved because of the lessons learned during failed attempts. It becomes important, then, to have a conversation about what success means and how successful people deal with failure: …
The Ultimate Stress Test: Millennials on the Road to College
The road to college is often a stressful time, and it is no different for Millennials who are about to embark on the journey. Howe and Strauss (2003) defined seven character traits of this generation and how these traits factor into the college admissions process. The traits of the Millennial cohort include the following: Feeling special Being sheltered Having great confidence Being team-oriented Holding conventional and traditional beliefs Feeling great pressure Attaining high-achievement Combine all these traits together and it becomes a formula for an incredibly stressful college planning time. According to Howe and Strauss (2003), Millennials are different from Boomers or Generation X-ers in that they feel that “their problems are the nation’s problems, that their future is the country’s future” (p. 2). This is a responsibility that Millennials take on with great pride, but feeling weight of an entire country’s future is a heavy burden to bear! Millennials…
Three Ways to De-stress During the College Planning Process
Our friends at NextStepU know an awful lot about the college admissions process and wanted to share advice on how to handle the inevitable stress every applicant (and her family) must deal with: There are few things that are more stressful than planning for college. You not only have to plan where you’re going, but also what you’re going to study and how you’re going to pay for it — the stress can really add up! That’s why it’s important to be able to learn to manage your stress, whether it be during the college planning process or during any stressful time in your life. Here are three ways you can help cut back on your stress: 1. Prioritize, plan and organize While your busy schedule can sometimes be subject to last-minute changes, try your best to manage your workload with a set plan of attack. Break bigger projects…
The Height of Test Anxiety
We, both culturally and individually, tend to take tests like the SAT and ACT seriously because of the opportunities high scores can unlock. However, most students and families maintain perspective about the exams, while others can only be described as lackadaisical in their approach. All in all, on the national level, we tend to get worked up about the concept of the tests and not so much their ongoing administration. But imagine if we in the United States observed each test day by doing the following: Ban airport landings and departures for 40 minutes to assure quiet during a critical listening portion of the test. Open markets and businesses an hour late so that city traffic would clear up for students on way to the exam sites. Issue emergency numbers so students stuck in traffic can request police escort rides before gates to the test sites close. Delayed or cancel…