Signs Your Child is Academically Burnt Out

Studying, extracurricular activities, after school programs--is there a chance that your child may be academically burnt out? How can you tell? 

Causes of Academic Burnout
Many high schools put a huge workload on students and expect everyone to be an overachiever. There is often a competitive environment, and many teachers look down on students that simply do an adequate job. The combination of unending work and constant pressure eventually takes its toll on the psyches of some students. According to the Washington Post, a recent study by the Academy of Finland found that burnout seems to run in families. Students with burnout often have parents with similar feelings about their work, life, or financial situation. The reasons for this connection are unclear, but Scientists have theorized that it could be related to parenting techniques.

Signs of Burnout
Burnout is a gradual process that occurs over an extended period of time. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it can creep up on you or your child if you’re not paying attention to the warning signals. The signs and symptoms of burnout are subtle at first, but they get worse and worse as time goes on.

• Feeling tired and drained most of the time
• Lowered immunity, feeling sick a lot
• Frequent headaches, back pain, muscle aches
• Change in appetite or sleep habits
• Emotional signs and symptoms of burnout
• Sense of failure and self-doubt
• Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated
• Detachment, feeling alone in the world
• Loss of motivation
• Increasingly cynical and negative outlook
• Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment
• Withdrawing from responsibilities
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done
• Taking out your frustrations on others
• Skipping work, school or activities or arriving late and leaving early

Avoiding Burnout
According to the experts, it's possible for students to avoid burnout by taking more breaks, spending more time on their social lives, and taking better care of their health so that they feel better. Think of the early symptoms of burnout as warning signs or red flags that something is wrong that needs to be addressed. If you pay attention to these early warning signs, you can prevent a major breakdown. If you ignore them, it may eventually lead to burn out.

Pressure Vs Support – a Guide for Parents of High School Students

For teens in the race to try to get into the colleges of their choice, the decision can be tormenting, and the process exhausting.  There’s always one more Advanced Placement course to squeeze in, one additional activity or one more sport to add to the list. As the pressure on high school students is pushed further and further, parents find themselves questioning how to provide support without causing pressure to succeed.

Every parent wants to figure out the balancing act between pushing students hard enough to succeed, but not so hard that they crack. Some students can easily handle multiple advanced classes and activities and athletics. But others cannot — and should not feel the pressure to do so at any cost, especially from their parents. While most colleges look for students who have succeeded in rigorous academic programs, they aren’t looking for a long list of them. Know what your teen is capable of and support them in doing the best they can at what they can.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Parents need not freak out all of the time about every little thing, and should save the freak-outs for the big stuff. One of the biggest stresses for students is the constant attention that parents pay to grades. For example, don’t freak out over one bad grade on a single test or project in a course, but instead give your teen the chance and encouragement to work their way back to a better overall grade in the course. The backdrops to the academic pressures are the social pressures students feel to fit in and to be considered “cool” and accepted. Sometimes social pressure can even be more intense than the academic pressure, and it sometimes comes more from parents than peers. Social pressure is one of the main causes for students to drink or try drugs to fit into a popular crowd and socially popular groups. It is also common for teens to abuse drugs and alcohol to withstand the pressure of their schedules and the expectations they face from parents. The best thing for parents to do is to not pressure teens to “be like” or “fit in with” certain groups or kids--let your kids choose their own friends and as long as they are not reckless or dangerous youth, trust their decisions.

Take time, step back
Teaching teens to live a balanced lifestyle will better prepare them for college and life than a hectic lifestyle packed beyond their capabilities. Both parents and students need to take time to evaluate their schedules and to choose coursework and activities that are meaningful and challenging — but not burdensome. Parents need to be in tune with their kids and they need to learn how to push, but not too much. And, more importantly, parents need to learn to let their children fail. There is no need to nag your teen about things they know that they need to do, like college applications and school projects. If it means that they have to stay up most of the night to meet a deadline, let them learn from it for themselves that the next morning isn’t going to be too much fun!

Critical Dates for The College Bound Senior High School Student

August
*Write important dates down so you do not miss any deadlines
*Meet with your guidance counselor to go over college plans and make sure your classes meet the standards of your college goals
*Sign up for the ACT or SAT

September
*Find out when the admission counselor to the college(s) or university(s) you selected is visiting your high school and meet with him/her.
*Ask teachers, high school counselors, employers and others for letters of recommendation for your college and scholarship applications. Be sure to give them at least a two week’s notice!
* Finalize your college application essay. Have a teacher look it over and give pointers and tips
*Make a list of scholarships in your community for which you wish to apply

October
*Finalize the list of colleges to which you wish to apply.
*Submit your applications for any scholarships you may be eligible for
*Re-take the ACT or SAT if you feel you can improve your score

November
*Finish submitting your college applications. Many guidance counselors kindly ask that you have all your applications submitted by Thanksgiving.
*Make a file on each school you applied to with a copy of your application, essay, and letters of recommendation you may have sent and all materials they have given you.

December
*Continue to apply for different scholarships and grants
*Enjoy a relaxing Winter Break—you’ve earned it!

January
*Complete your taxes as soon as possible

February
*Submit your completed FAFSA online if you haven't already. Valentine's Day (February 14) is a good target date to have your FAFSA completed!
*Schedule follow-up visits to your top three schools that have offered you admission. Make sure to schedule an appointment with each school's financial aid office. Consider an overnight visit to get a real feel for the school and student life.

March
*Compare your top three schools and prepare to make your final decision
*Apply for a summer job and save some of the money for college

April
*Decide what college you will be attending. Remember to consider all factors, including academic offerings, student experience and cost. Don't underestimate what feels like the best fit!
*Submit your enrollment fee as soon as you make your decision
*Notify the schools you will not be attending.

May
*Enjoy your last month of high school!!
*Sign up for a summer orientation
*Graduate!

June
*Make sure your high school has sent your final transcript to the school of your choice.
*Take your Math Placement Test before you attend Orientation
*Get a physical and fill out your important health documents as soon as possible.
*Attend Orientation.
*If needed, decide which loans you will need to take out
*Make sure you save some of your summer earnings for college.

Congratulations, you did it! Welcome to college!!

High School Juniors – the “Golden Year” for College-Bound Students

It is in the junior year of high school that you'll make critical decisions that could have a major impact on the next five years of your life (and beyond!) as you start narrowing down lists of colleges and career paths. Here are some of those major decisions.

Classes and Grades. The junior year selection of classes--and the grades you receive in them--is very important because it is the last full year of grades that admissions will review while deciding your future. You'll want to stick to a tough regimen of college-prep classes, including some advanced-placement or other honors classes, if possible. Don't go crazy with the courses and overload yourself, but the courses and grades you receive in your junior year are very important. Some of the teachers you have for classes in your junior year may also play an important role for you in your senior year; you may need to ask them to write you a letter of recommendation for college.

Standardized Tests. The junior year, from start to end, is filled with standardized tests. Early in the year, you'll take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). This test, which measures critical reading, math problem-solving and writing skills, is important for a few reasons. It’s a good indicator and excellent preparation for the SAT test that you will take at the end of your junior year, your score may qualify you for a select group of merit scholarships, and it's one of the first chances you have to begin requesting information from colleges.

College Planning. The junior year is also the time to get organized for handling the blitz of college material that will be coming your way. The whole college search can be a little unnerving, a bit daunting, so just relax and take your time during this year and the summer that follows to really focus on finding the right mix of colleges for you. It is a good idea to develop some sort of filing system so that the information from the colleges on your short list is easy to find when you need them.

Try to use your junior year as a time to get ahead and to start planning academically for your future. Remember that the more you accomplish in your junior year, the more you can relax and truly enjoy your senior year in high school!

Things You Can Do This Summer To Help You Get Into College

Whether you are a senior or an incoming freshman, summer is an ideal time to boost your college preparation. Here are some easy (it is summer “break” after all!) things you can do now to increase your chances of getting into college.

Volunteer- Get involved in some community service doing something you love. Volunteering doesn’t need to be a bummer and can actually be really fun and fulfilling. Find an organization, group, or cause you are passionate about, and help them out.  

Read- Find something to read that is not required for school. Reading increases your vocabulary and gives you material to reference in college applications and interviews. Some college applications ask for a list of book that you have read, and, a typical interview question is “tell me about the last book you read?”

Contact Your Dream School- Many colleges track applicants’ “demonstrated interest”; they want to know if you are truly interested in their school. Introduce yourself, talk about your passion and interest in the school, and ask for more information. One little email can go a long way!

Brainstorm Personal Essay Ideas- Your personal essay will be a critical piece in your college applications, and the best essays are started early. Take a few minutes and write down any personal themes, thoughts, challenges, or accomplishments that you might want to include in your essay.

Visit a College- The first step to creating your college list, is to begin researching colleges. What better way than to step foot onto a college campus! Get out there and visit some colleges; take the tour, explore the campus, and ask questions. You will learn valuable information and can begin exploring what factors will make a college the right fit for you.

Teach Someone Something- Everyone has a skill, talent, or hobby, so why not take the opportunity to teach it to someone else. Your family, friends, and neighbors will be happy to learn a new skill, and this is a great experience in leadership.

Travel- Whether your budget allows for trips to Europe or trips to the next city over, travel experience is fantastic for college. Be creative in thinking about trips; some of the best trips are done by car or bus, and take place within 30-50 miles of where you live. Visit some local landmarks or historical sights, go out to the mountains and camp under the stars. Travel experience exposes you to new things and shows college your curious nature.