You want your teen to sail into the college application process with ease and grace; yet, in order to do so, he/she must grasp the skills, the savvy, the smarts needed to open the doors to success for college.
What exactly are you supposed to do with your 17 year old teen, your almost fully grown young adult, in order to see positive academic results?
Here are 5 helpful tips for teens to grades and increase success with college admissions – even in the middle of a global pandemic:
- Tip #1: Picture the “A” student you want to be and be that person! Remember, teachers LOVE to see their students’ motivation and eagerness to learn. What ACTIONS do you need to take to show you are an “A” student?
- Tip #2: Participate in class – raise your hand on that Zoom call! Even if you are NOT 100% sure of the correct answer. Demonstrate to your teacher your willingness to be a part of the lesson and your desire to learn.
- Tip #3: Learn the value of connection with a professional adult so that when it comes time to ask an academic question, your communication flows with greater ease and you can even enjoy rapport with your teacher.
- Tip #4: Make an appointment with your teacher if you need further clarification. Remember, your learning is your responsibility. Your 17 year old son or daughter is closer to becoming a full fledged adult than a kindergartener and we need to encourage our teens to advocate for themselves (even if they do not like the teacher!).
- Tip #5: Read out loud, revise, re-write, and do it again. Remember, there is no good writing on a first try. Help your teen accept that good writing means re-writing and to understand the value in brainstorming, editing, and revising. These habits can make all the difference in the world between an A paper and a B- paper.
- Tip #7 (for parents): Always look for the good, even if your teen struggles with writing, find three pointers to help his/her confidence by giving compliments with creativity, timeliness, and organization. There is always something positive with your child’s school work even if the grade does not show it sometimes!
For more help with your teen and his/her writing, to have one of our writing experts help your teen implement these tips, please email us at info@totalwritingenrichment.com
