Articles

Is there a magic formula for achieving academic success? Does it require a potion of bat’s wing, frog’s head, and a magic incantation? Fortunately, success in school does not require magic potions and spells. If not that, then what exactly is required? First of all, good study habits are essential. Does that mean slaving away for 12 hours a day, every day? Absolutely not. It means having a study [...]

When a student is struggling with academic difficulties, what is the best way to overcome these difficulties? The first thing a parent wants to know is why her son or daughter is struggling with academic difficulties to begin with. Is there a troubling pattern or trend? There are numerous reasons why a student may struggle academically. Some are obvious, such as mental retardation. Some are not so obvious, such [...]

Before we get in to the specifics of academic enablement, let’s discuss enablement in general terms. Enablement frequently comes up on issues of addiction or wrongdoing. Let’s take the example of the alcoholic and his enabler. The alcoholic frequently runs into difficulties as a result of the alcoholic addiction, such as missing work, missing school, engaging in abusive behavior, having blackouts, running into money troubles, and not meeting responsibilities [...]

What is the double whammy effect? The best way to understand it is with an example. Let’s talk about Bob, a fifth grader, who is studying the properties of decimals and how to divide and multiply with decimals. He studies the material but doesn’t get it. He takes a test on it, and fails the test. But his class just keeps going forward, and when he gets to end [...]

So you want to know what the secret is to get that always-hoped for admission to elite Ivy University. To learn the secret to admissions success, we are going to turn the tables and examine the problem from another perspective. Imagine you are the Dean of Admissions at Ivy University. Your job is to figure out whom to admit, and whom to reject. The first thing you do is [...]

How many times have you heard the story: “I knew the material, but when I got to the test, I just froze and forgot everything.” Most people have had this experience at one point or another. So how does one overcome test anxiety? Preparing for a test is similar to preparing for other competitive, high-stakes events: a big job interview, a sports event, or a musical recital. Various factors [...]

Are study groups a good idea? The short answer is, they can be. What exactly are the pros and cons of study groups? And what is the most effective use of study groups? There are many benefits to study groups. First of all, they allow students a different perspective to understand the material. Second, they can make it more fun to study. Third, they offer all the benefits of [...]

If you want to see your son or daughter succeed in academics, you need to make sure that he has all the latest software, a top of the line laptop, educational software, the fanciest graphing calculator and every new gizmo under the sun, right? Wrong! No study has shown an improvement in academic success as a result of use of laptops, 24/7 internet connectivity, special educational software and other [...]

Does your student (son or daughter) spend hours on the computer doing who knows what while his or her grades suffer? He may be addicted to technology. Technology addiction is a serious problem which can greatly hamper a person’s chance of academic success. Technology addiction usually comes in specific forms. Common technology addictions include gaming, instant messaging, text messaging, watching movies, watching TV, watching online videos, surfing the internet, [...]

Having a student who is a “workaholic” sounds like a dream come true. Is it possible, though, to have a student who is too focused on academics? The short answer is an emphatic “Yes.” There are two primary reasons to try to balance academic work with other activities: pragmatism and enjoyment of life. On the issue of pragmatism, the fact is that admission to competitive programs at every educational [...]

The greatest Greek philosopher, Aristotle, said, “We are what we do repeatedly. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” For students who do not have good study habits, what should be done? Create a ritual A ritual is something that someone does repeatedly. For a tennis player, before a player serves the ball, he may bounce the ball a few times to help him focus. This allows [...]

Have you ever shown up to class, only to be surprised to hear the dreaded words, “OK, everyone, put your books away while I hand out tests.” “Test? What test? I didn’t know we have a test today.” Whoops. Most people have had this experience at some point in their lives. But academic success is more easily attained by those who are more organized than by those who don’t [...]

We all need goals to give ourselves something to shoot for. How can we determine if our goals are, in the first place, attainable, and second, whether we are on track to attaining them? If we find out we are behind schedule or not on track to successful attainment, how do we close the gap? Or if the goal is unrealistic, at what point do we know when to [...]

You’ve done the hard part; you’ve landed the big interview for med school, law school, business school, or even that dream job. Now it all comes down to the interview. Oh my, how does one not “freak out” when the stakes are so high? Like most things in life, success in interviews hinges on preparation. Wouldn’t it be nice if your interviewers would give you a little help and [...]

A curriculum vitae (CV), literally the “race of life,” is a document similar to a resume, but is more detailed. The purpose of a CV is generally the same as the purpose of a resume: to obtain a job interview. However, the job in question is usually in academia. A second purpose for a CV is to assist one who will write a letter of recommendation for an applicant; [...]

Everyone knows that having an effective resume is an important aspect of getting the big interview. In fact, the whole purpose of writing a resume is to get a job interview. Once you get the job interview, it means that your prospective employer is interested in you as a candidate. So what exactly are the keys for a successful resume? The first key to writing a successful resume is [...]

Are you intimidated by those one page essays on “Why do you want to become a ____?” You are not alone. A lot rides on that essay. What is the best strategy for the personal essay? One important overriding principle of the Personal Statement is to avoid generalities that are not supported by specific examples. For example, if you are applying to medical school, don’t say simply that you [...]

OK, you’ve worked hard and gotten through four years of a challenging college education. You’ve heard rumors of a competitive job market, and you want to know how to maximize your chances of landing that sweet job right out of college, so that you can put that four years of learning to good use and start paying off those ugly student loans. But how to do it? That is [...]

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refer to a group of related conditions in which kids, and sometimes adults, have trouble staying focused, fidget a lot, and tend to jump from one thing to another. These students struggle in school because of the need to sit and listen quietly to the teacher, get assignments done, and prepare for exams. If you suspect that your child [...]