Finals are just around the corner, and I know it can be tough to fit in the time to study, and study effectively. So here are a few tips to help you out.

1. Find your niche. In order to study effectively, some people to need to leave their usual surroundings, whether that be the library or a coffee shop. It is best that you find the place that will help you relax and focus.

2. Grab a partner. Interactive study groups are a great way to talk about what information you need to retain.

3. Take a break. If you cram cram cram,  then be sure to give your brain a breather and a chance to soak it all in. Get up and go for a 10 minute walk, and do not become a victim of  information overload.

4. Notecards. These are a great visual tool. When using note cards to study, you can go through the information quickly, and the repetitive reading along with verbal recognition is great for retention..

5. Write out your study notes.  Try writing out the material over and over again. That way you feel as if you own the information and can remember what you are studying.

We have all been there – whether it is all nighters, cat naps, or insomnia, college is known for sleep deprivation.

I’ve put a few tips together to help you get some proper sleep, which makes for a more productive day.

1. Exercise. Try walking to class or joining the gym at school. Exercise will help you with deeper sleep and getting up in the morning.

2. Drink less caffeine. Sometimes caffeine is the college student’s life support, or so we think it is. In truth, caffeine effects your nervous system, which keeps your brain stimulated making  it harder to relax.

3. Nap less. They sometimes can make you more tired, or they can throw your sleeping pattern off for the night.

4. Clear your mind. Unwind before you go to bed with a nighttime ritual (your own) whether it be washing your face,  taking a bath, or reading. Take all your thoughts a put them aside for a new day.

5. Sleep comfortably. If you like pillows, get more. Get comfy pajamas as well. Also make sure the room is properly ventilated.

Sleep is extremely valuable, especially during finals! I hope this helps.

Oh yes, the days of Ramen noodle and left overs…we have all been there, dreaming of the days when ‘money was no object,’ and when our parents took care of all of our expenses. Well, we want to help make the most of your college experience  by providing a few budget tips to help you during your college days:

1. Walk, ride or bike to class: Most colleges have free transportation to and from each campus, but if you need to fit exercise into you busy schedule, try walking or riding your bike to class.

2. Pack a lunch: It’s easy to be out with friends or in between classes and you just want to grab something quick or little, but that can easily add up over just a few weeks. Try packing a few snacks to get you through those afternoon cravings. As an extra tip, put the money you were going to use that day on food into a savings jar and count it up at the end of the semester. Most definitely, you will probably have saved a good chunk of cash to take on summer vacation!

3. Cut Coupons: There is a great deal of savings that goes under the radar with coupons. If you take the time to do your research and cut then you will be saving a lot in the long run. Check your local grocery store for pages or sign-up online for their weekly newsletters to see what the sale of the week. Here other great sites
www.couponcheif.com
www.ultimatecoupons.com

4. Look for college friendly entertainment within your College Town: A lot of restaurants, theatres, coffee shops and more, offer student discount rates. Find your new college spot with your friends, and take advantage of the college friendly hangouts!

5. J. Crew gives deep discounts to college students.  Simply show your College ID card each time you purchase for sweet deals.

Here are three ways college students can utilize Social Media for resources, building relationships/connections, and staying up-to-date with friends.

1. Information is always available:
The library use to be the only way a college student could properly study or research for papers. But today we are seeing less and less Library stamped cards, and more downloaded applications. Social Media offers information to students right at their fingertips from all over the world, constantly.

2. Connections:
For college students, social media is almost second nature, and these days it is not uncommon for students to build relationships with potential future employers through their different social media platforms. It is actually common in interviews for employers to ask if the interviewee writes a blog.  All of the social media knowledge is an added benefit to college students today.

3. Stay Connected:
Social Media allows students to stay connected,  stay involved, keep up to date with relevant news, and be interactive with friends online. After graduation, students can further their bonds through different stages of life.

At this point, we are all familiar with the crisis in Japan. Now is the time to give support to the people there. For high-school and college students, maybe donating a significant amount of funds is a bit difficult right now, but here are 5 ways Mashable.com recommends giving back with just $10 and a bit of your time.

1. Text to Donate
Text REDCROSS to 90999. Each text will provide $10 towards the Red Cross’s humanitarian efforts.

2. Donate via Facebook
The Red Cross has also launched a campaign on Causes to raise at least $25,000 for relief efforts. Log-in to Facebook, you can donate $10 to help Tsunami victims and their families.

3. “Like” a Facebook Page
The people over at Explore.org are donating $1 for every “Like” of the “Dog Bless You” Facebook page, up to $100,000.

4. TWEET to do some good for the people of Japan.
#Jishin: focuses around general earthquake information
#Anpi: a hashtag for the confirmation of the safety of individuals or places
#Hinan: Evacuation information
#311care: a hashtag regarding medical information for the victims
#PrayforJapan: A general hashtag for support and best wishes for victims of the crisis

5. Donate via iTunes
Apple is dedicating resources to the crisis in Japan. They have created a simple donation page in iTunes [iTunes link] that makes it simple to donate anywhere from $5 to $200 to the Red Cross with just a few clicks.

When I discuss the higher education admission process with my clients, in an attempt to manage expectations, I often invoke the analogy of a single file line.  I say, “Guess who’s already in front of you?”

Those students that represent geographic and ethnic diversity certainly are.  Those who have celebrity parents and those who are recruited athletes are also closer to the entry gates.  Those so-called “development cases” who have extremely wealthy parents, who are prepared to give generously to the institution, are also ushered ahead. But what of this final category?  What exactly IS legacy?  What constitutes a legacy candidate?

Legacy is the term that refers to the circumstance in which an applicant’s mother or father attended the institution to which their child is applying. In some cases, it can go back an additional generation or branch out to an extended family member, but the rule of thumb is limited to parental alumni who received an undergraduate degree at said college or university. Legacy is a courtesy, if you will, extended to those who are members of the club of graduates and the supposition in the past has been that if the choice came down to a non-affiliated applicant and the child of a legacy, then the fat envelope would go to the youth who was born into that privilege.

But legacy has more to do with loyalty and institutional mission than it has to do with simply surname.
If someone has been loyal through regular (read annual) generous donations of time, talent or treasure (particularly the latter), then they have made a commitment to that institution above and beyond simply siphoning off an undergraduate degree.  If a graduate has done something to leave a legacy, taken an action, made the institution proud, that, in the institution’s collective mind deserves recognition. You see, legacy is a “gentleman’s handshake” intimating that if a child of a graduate applies, then that child has been raised in the understanding of the value of that institution and has in effect already become part of the spirit of the institution in a way that perhaps a non-affiliated applicant could not.
But be assured, not all legacy candidates are accepted.  If they were, at many institutions there would be no room in the pool for non-affiliated applicants.

For a recent look at the current conversation pertaining to legacy status,  peruse the January 2011 New York Times Article: http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=726146&f=21

Like a good consultant, I love an organized college tour.  Put me on a bus, feed me periodically, and marinate me in college knowledge. But this tour was unique, with equal amounts of knowledge procured on the bus as off.

I am presently on a four-day South Carolina College Tour with special attention to Learning Difference Support.  Hop on the bus and join me!

Day One consisted of visiting Limestone College, a small, maximum-support LD college of 800 undergrads, offering their PALS program to on average 17 incoming students per year. Limestone offers academic coaching and an array of support options and accommodations.  Boasting several NCAA champions and fully 50% of students are competing athletes, Limestone, though located in the removed destination, offers easy access to the surrounding cities of Greenville and Spartanburg for a variety of social outlets. Sports Medicine, Business and Education are popular majors for Limestone students. Non-traditional learners, an extended campus in Columbia, and an online program comprise Limestone’s academic outreach to the community. B/C students welcome.

Located in Spartanburg, SC, Wofford (pronounced Wah-ford) is a small, liberal arts college of 1500 students, with an average class size of 19. 95% of faculty members hold PhDs. There are no TAs as there is no graduate school. It is known for its Biology major.  History, English and Foreign Language are very popular at Wofford. So are their Division One athletics. They offer an interim program for a month in January, during which you take one three-credit hour class.  Many students travel abroad during this interim. Between the Center for Professional Excellence (their career counseling office run by an ex-exec.) the Senior Village (residences), and the fraternity houses, not to mention the city of Spartanburg, students report being extremely happy and busy at Wofford.  For LD students, self-advocating minimal support seekers need only apply. But the 1260 SAT average is telling about the rigor. About 50% percent of students come from out of state, but mostly from the surrounding states of NC and GA. Minus books, Wofford’s bottom line? $45,565.

Greeted by the Botanical Gardens to our left, we follow the orange paw-printed path to Clemson University. Red brick appeared de rigour on this sprawling, though walkable campus. My tour guide had been crowned Miss Clemson the evening prior.  While a mere 30% are from out of state, (as Clemson is a state school lest we forget) between the wait list, which ensures a January admit, and the Bridges Program which offers admission to those willing to attend a year of Community College nearby the campus, there is not a vast amount of rejection (except from the very nursing program which is top notch and only accepts 30 aspiring nurses per year). Clemson, like any other big state school, provides services for very strong self advocates, much of the support is coming from the student support that is available to the rest of the student body.

Come back for the rest of the tour on Friday!

Many students wonder whether or not attending your top college choice’s pre-college summer program will heighten your chances of admission? While no college will put this in writing, the benefit to spending four to eight weeks on the college campus of your dreams will enable you to better understand not only the layout and logistics of the campus but perhaps more importantly from an admissions perspective, it will help you to better understand the mission and values of that college, as well as the type of student who would constitute the best fit for the college (and whether or not you are that student!) For colleges such as The University of Pennsylvania that require students to write about a faculty member of their choosing in a supplemental essay for the Common Application, taking a course and building a rapport of mutual respect and trust with a faculty member could be an asset to one’s application, especially should that professor be so moved as to contact the admissions office on your behalf.

Rigorously academic colleges when reviewing applicants look closely at summer experiences. When reviewing academic summer experiences, they prefer to see courses taken that carry college credit with a significant time commitment (two months gets you more points than two weeks.) So consider summer an investment into your future, whether through work experience, internships, summer programs or even athletic camps on college campuses for those student-athletes that are being actively recruited. The Avery Advantage is to concentrate on what will make you the most interesting YOU you can be.  Authenticity should be your aim.

Many high school students have picked out their J.Crew swim wear long before they have given any thought to their summer plans. While it’s important to look good poolside or beachside, isn’t it more important to think about how desirable you will look to college admissions counselors?

When considering the role of summer experiences to your college admission process, be aware that summer is one additional means to further differentiate yourself from the sea of college applicants so choose wisely. First, consider your possible major or career field and focus on landing an internship in that field.

Talk to your counselor or utilize the Avery Advantage by visiting AveryEducation.com

Many students reported that their students had good experiences in programs at American and Boston U.

While no one reported sending a student to the communications program at Syracuse, there’s agreement that it’s worth serious consideration, given the general strength of Syracuse’s summer program and its undergrad communications program.

Also recommended were programs at ASU, Northwestern (journalism-focused and quite selective), NYU’s Precollege Program (includes a course in media studies – another selective program), USC (offers one journalism-focused course: News Reporting in a Digital Age), and U of Miami (broadcast journalism).