Category: High School

How Do I Find My Passion?

I have had the great honor of sitting on panels about college admissions. One that has stuck with me was a panel to share with students the true value of a college education and how to best prepare for it. It was an opportunity to see life not as one big race to the finish with college being the first major marker, but rather as a journey that is unique and very personal. One student asked a profound question:

“Everyone talks about passion, but I don’t know what mine is. How do I find it?”

Right then, I realized that we use the word “passion” too loosely. We ask teens to define their life’s calling, pushing and pushing them until they can say at least one thing they like. Then we label that a passion and use it to box them into a category. We tell teens to write about their passions on their college applications or to explain them in the college interview. We don’t give them a choice. Or worse, we look down upon those who cannot relay their passions in life quickly and deeply.

Let’s step away from the word passion. Even the most accomplished adult might have a hard time explaining her passion. And one’s passion does not have to become one’s career, and one’s career does not have to be a passion.

When I was younger, I loved swimming and did it competitively. I also acted in several community plays. As I got older I joined about a million activities and loved each one for different reasons. But I would have been hard-pressed to call any one of those my passions when I was a teen. I love my job and I love writing, but are they my passions? Maybe. But giving my interests a title doesn’t benefit anyone, least of all me.

So rather than trying to simply define passion, people — especially teens — should simply look for new and varied opportunities and experiences. You will never know if you like something until you try it for yourself. Use high school as a playground to try new subjects, explore activities and look to your community for different ways to get involved. You may not always be successful, but failure and disappointment are the building blocks of life. Embrace them and you will more quickly find what you love.

Too many high school students feel the need to simply check off the necessary items for the college admissions process. And I get it, these teens are under enormous pressure to succeed within a specific definition. But if we as a society could give them more space to make mistakes, to take risks and to broaden their perspectives, we will actually engage an entire generation.

Rather than forcing them to memorize facts, we can create problem solvers. Rather than forcing math and science, English or a foreign language on those who simply do not have the interest or skill for it, let’s encourage students to explore and push their boundaries for the sake of learning.

My answer to that teen is, your passion in life is going to evolve throughout your existence. Rather than focusing on finding it, focus on what you love to do, what you are curious about, and where your strengths are. Then step back and look at careers that might allow you to integrate as many of your interests as possible. And don’t think that your career is the ultimate show of what your passion is. College is another great time to see more and experience more. You will get greater exposure to what life has to offer, and your interests will evolve.

Summer Freedom Can Still Be Productive!

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As final exams conclude, as you turn in your year-end projects, as you wait for AP scores and prepare for your upcoming SAT, ACT, and SAT subject tests in June, as you begin to pack for a summer trip, a new internship, or (gulp) college, please stop for a moment and take a deep breath. No seriously, put down your phone and close your laptop. I’ll wait for you. Turn off the TV. Put your stress ball down. Shut your bedroom door and unplug the landline (I know, I know, what’s a landline?) Make sure to take a long deep breath. Close your eyes. Think about where you are in your life and how far you’ve come, not only this year but in the year’s prior. Think about your family and your friends. Think about your goals for yourself. Concentrate on your thoughts. Relax for a few precious seconds. Are you ready? Good, slowly open your eyes. Look out the window and exhale. Now…

How would you like to spend your summer?

I know, it’s a loaded question, but an important one. Are you traveling? Are you volunteering? Are you playing sports? Are you working? Are you studying for standardized tests? Are you taking an online course? Are you taking a class at a community college? Ok, wait, I’m sorry about all the questions. Go ahead and grab your stress ball again. Are we back on track? Alright, let’s try again. There is absolutely no requirement that you engage in all or even most of the above activities I mentioned above. By this point you have likely already discussed summer plans with your Insight counselor or at least pondered your options at home with your parents. But whatever, you have decided, you should be doing “something.” Don’t panic – there is freedom in that word. “Something” is inexact by definition – it lacks clarity and one person’s “something” isn’t necessarily the same as another’s. You don’t want to copy the same summer plans of your best friend or take the most popular route anyway. Rather, you need to do what works best for YOU.

Colleges respond to diversity, they respond to students who exercise unique choices. Just ask this year’s fantastic group of graduating seniors, who in just a few short months will be on their way to orientations on college campuses from California to the UK and beyond. Talk to seniors you know or ask your counselor to put you in touch with older students who shares your interests. Find out what worked for them, what motivated them, and how they utilized the ten weeks each summer between school ending and beginning. Ask them if they have any regrets about the decisions they made (hey, there’s a nice college essay prompt for you rising seniors).

But while being your own person is important, please don’t be alarmed if you are making decisions based on upcoming priorities either. In fact, that’s often crucial. Will you be tackling your first AP class next fall? If so, how are you getting ready? Whether your peers are enrolling at De Anza or self-studying with a guide purchased on Amazon or doing practice problems through Collegeboard is irrelevant. Discuss with your counselor what YOU should be doing to maximize your success. If you are signed up for an SAT in August or an ACT in September, how are you studying? Some students thrive in a one-on-one setting with an experienced tutor. Others do their best work in an intensive 10 day boot camp that enables collective ideas, reveals strategies, and allows for maximum practice. You can see our test prep options by clicking here.

However you spend this summer, don’t be afraid to fail or try something unfamiliar. Opportunities to explore who you are in depth are few and far between, especially the older you get. Take advantage of this time. And please remember, we are here to help. We plan with students of varying ages every day. We want to put you in the best position to thrive, to peak, to try a new activity. High school passes by very quickly. Enjoy yourself, do your very best, and don’t forget to smile.

Ready, Set, Take the Test!

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Students are getting ready to embark on a very busy testing season. The next SAT dates are coming up in May and early June, and the ACT is following just after. Below are some tips for success during the summer study period:

Focus on your weaknesses and not your strengths. It is human nature to want to do the things we do well. But this is not an effective test prep strategy. The first thing you need to do is assess the content or style of question that is causing you the most trouble. Once you have done that, spend most of your study time focusing on these.

Don’t just read and reread — answer questions. Often, students say they plan to keep rereading chapters until test day arrives. But this is a totally ineffective way to prepare. Most tests are not dependent on your just memorizing content, but rather on applying that knowledge. The best thing you can do is answer as many questions as possible. As you go through these questions, note those things that you want to review and then spend your time focusing on just those. With limited time, it is not reasonable to assume that you have time to relearn everything.

Be organized. You may be tempted to check off other things on your to-do list, but re-prioritize based on which tests will be first and which you are least prepared for.

Mimic your testing environment. Studies have shown that studying in situations similar to the real testing environment can have a positive effect on your performance. Sit at a desk or table. Turn off all distractions including your computer, music, TV, and phone. Try to time yourself as well so that you can begin to pace yourself like you will on the real exam.

Don’t do it alone. You are not in this alone. Rely on your friends to help you study. Create study groups. And during this time, it is important to talk to your parents about what will help you the most.

Make time to relax. Find time to do the things you love. These little breaks will allow you to return to studying more focused and energized. The key is just to limit the time on these activities.

Right now, you probably feel like you are running a race, but it is going to be over quickly. Don’t forget that every test is just one test and not a measure of your entire life’s work. Just focus on the material, get through it, and then congratulate yourself for all your hard work! And remember, Insight is always here to help you with Test Prep Classes and Boot Camps scheduled throughout the summer. Check out our summer schedules on our website here.

Setting up Routines for High School

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Do you know how you actually spend your time? Gone are the days of my high school life when I was waiting for the bus, I would pick up my book and read. Now you can fill your time with Facebook, Tik Tok, Snapchat, read through your texts, Tweet, take 10000 selfies of what you would look like with and without bangs. And before you know it, that project that was due two weeks from now is due tomorrow. There is no possible way you can get it done in time so you fake a stomachache and stay home to finish the project.

How did this happen? You started the year off awesome! You wrote all the due dates in that school planner, you started reading ahead, heck, you even took a pre-course course for your hardest classes! But now you are so behind, you are looking forward to Thanksgiving break so you can “catch up.”

Don’t worry, all is not lost. You can catch up before Thanksgiving. Here are a few things you can do in order to better manage your time.

For the next two days, start a log of all the things you do and how much time you spend on them. Yes, every. single. thing. Log how much time you are on Facebook, youtube, etc., how much time you spend eating, attending a class, talking on the phone, watching TV, assignments. Everything!!! There is no judgment here, don’t try to change anything you do in your normal day just yet…

For instance:

7:00-7:18am – wake up, check Instagram, get dressed

7:18-7:30am – eat breakfast and check Tik Tok, check emails

7:30-7:40am – ride to school with Mom, make a Snapchat of my mom lecturing me

7:40-7:45am- get my books from my locker and go to class

class (1.5 hours)

lunch- eat lunch with my friends and talk about the snapchats or Tik Tok we posted this morning

class (30 minutes)

…… and so on throughout the day

This exercise should be really eye-opening to how you spend your time. Even while studying, you may be spending way more time completing a project than estimated. Look at your daily log inventory to make serious changes. For example, wherein your schedule can you completely put away your smart phone and social media and actually focus on completing your tasks?

Now that you’ve found all this time you can fill, let’s fill it productively!

Write in your planner:

plan your day to minimize time waste

Are you just writing due dates in your planner? If so, that’s a great start. Yes, I said start. Go back and read over the assignments, estimate how much time each one is going to take you, and block out times to complete before the due dates. This includes writing down when you should start studying for finals and midterms, ideally starting to review at least 3 weeks in advance of your final.

Make a to-do list daily:

This should include your study times and goals for you to complete. Once you’ve completed it, check it off! Do this daily to manage your daily schedules and track if your goals. Also take some work with you to use your downtime, like waiting for your ride or riding the bus to school, as an opportunity to get some studying out of the way.

Written by Jenny Bloom

This article is written by Insight Senior Counselor Jenny Bloom.

Jenny has worked with a variety of students since 2012 to help them take the right steps to achieve their academic goals. Part of her philosophy is to guide students to consider how they will build and hone their skills and talents to make a difference in the world around them. Contact Insight Education today to schedule an initial consultation with Jenny. Read her full bio here.