I have a hard time fasting for one day – I find myself counting the hours and dreaming about BBQ salmon and a buttery baked potato! That’s why I feel for Muslim students who are observing Ramadan this year during finals, AP exams, and SATS. This year, Ramadan falls between May 5th and June 4th, and it is a Muslim holiday where they fast from dawn until dusk for a full month to become closer to Allah. Ramadan is especially difficult during the late spring and summer months because there is more daylight hours than during the winter, which translates to 15 hours of fasting vs 10 hours.
Several colleges give special accommodations to students who observe Ramadan by changing exam times to early in the morning or late at night to allow time for the students to have a meal before taking the exams. Any student who observes religious holidays or even students who have important events like weddings and funerals can work with their professors to arrange to take exams at times that work both for the student and the professor.
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I have a hard time fasting for one day – I find myself counting the hours and dreaming about BBQ salmon and a buttery baked potato! That’s why I feel for Muslim students who are observing Ramadan this year during finals, AP exams, and SATS. This year, Ramadan falls between May 5th and June 4th, and it is a Muslim holiday where they fast from dawn until dusk for a full month to become closer to Allah. Ramadan is especially difficult during the late spring and summer months because there is more daylight hours than during the winter, which translates to 15 hours of fasting vs 10 hours.
Several colleges give special accommodations to students who observe Ramadan by changing exam times to early in the morning or late at night to allow time for the students to have a meal before taking the exams. Any student who observes religious holidays or even students who have important events like weddings and funerals can work with their professors to arrange to take exams at times that work both for the student and the professor.
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Did you know that students who take online classes are less likely to learn concepts and benefit from lectures than students in traditional brick and mortar classrooms? Yup! Here’s why: Students in a classroom with a teacher or professor in the front of the room are not going to text their friends, email messages, play videogames, watching YouTube, or check their social media accounts when the teacher is looking right at them. Many teachers have rules against having smart phones, and even laptops or tablets in the classrooms for this reason.
But students taking online classes – even those with cyber lectures — are more inclined to multitask during lectures. They’ll often listen to lectures while playing videogames or texting friends. Because social media and staying connected with their friends and family sucks them into a cyberworld that is disconnected from the class lecture, the student’s focus goes between the class lecture and their multitasking activities. Your brain can’t do both at the same time – it goes back and forth, which means that they’re not hearing, engaging, learning, or retaining information at the depth they need to for the class.
Studies conducted at Kent State and Purdue Univ found that students are 25% more likely to multitask in online settings than in-person settings. I’ve found that when students are listening to lectures, researching concepts, writing papers, or studying for exams, they are more efficient if they do the work completely without social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, email) and cyber distractions (YouTube, videogames, Netflix, online shopping). In other words, they’ll learn at a deeper level, get better grades, and retain the concepts for tests and finals – and they’ll do it quicker! Students should take classes and study void of all distractions, and then enjoy all of their social media and gaming when they’re done.
Parents, set the rules to get homework and studying done first so your child will do better in school and have more time for social media later.
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What is National Don’t Fry Day?
To help reduce rising rates of skin cancer from overexposure to the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day” to encourage sun safety awareness and to remind everyone to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors.
Who is the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention?
The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has been a trusted resource for the nation’s skin cancer prevention community since 1998. The National Council brings support, encouragement, and connection to more than 45 organizations, agencies, and associations.
Who is IMPACT Melanoma?
IMPACT Melanoma provides education, prevention, and support for the most serious form of skin cancer. We are a national non-profit organization dedicated to working to reduce the incidence of melanoma. Committed to skin cancer prevention and early detection, we provide a variety of award-winning programs which aim to raise awareness and educate the public about skin cancer, as well as support services for those struggling with the disease.
With 3 months off from the rigor of school, extracurricular activities, and that dreaded homework, plan time for your kids to discover new interests.
Just because your kids prefer computer games, that doesn’t mean that you need to stuff them into computer camps all summer. Try giving them new experiences to possibly tap a hidden passion.
Merit Academy builds summer programs around each child to encourage this type of exploration. Think: robotics, aquaponics, arduino, stained glass, environmental science, and more! We also have unique academic programs that focus on writing essays, reading comprehension, and math foundation building.
Our one-on-one classes are scheduled around your other summer plans and vacations. It’s time to find that niche class to spark your child’s interest in something new!
Learn more about specific classes and the many ways we can make your child’s summer the turning point in their academic careers!
Finally, a community college is helping freshmen pick out course schedules based on their majors to encourage them to enroll fulltime and graduate quicker. Consumnes River College, a California community college, is doing what high schools do for their students: lay out a plan to make sure students know what courses they need to take to graduate. If all colleges laid out a 4-year plan with their students during freshman orientation, students would be more engaged, take a full load, and graduate on time.
Many students who attend community colleges take 12 credits or less each semester when 15 credits is considered full time. When students take 15 credits per semester, they can transfer to a 4-year college in 2 years with the required 60-credits. Otherwise, students who take 12 credits per term only have 48 credits after 2 years, making them have to continue at the community college for another semester. That’s really wasting a full year because most colleges don’t accept spring transfers.
I find that when students choose courses every semester by looking at what’s offered and referring to their general ed and major requirements, they accidentally take classes that they don’t need because they were satisfied by courses they’ve already taken or will need to take as a prerequisite in the future. That’s wasting Mom and Dad’s money and their precious time.
Now that college-bound students are heading off to start college in August or September, this is the ideal time to lay out their 4-year plans. By organizing both general ed and major courses (lower and upper division) before starting college, they’ll understand how to take advantage of the many opportunities available to them once they arrive. It’ll ensure the best ROI (return on investment) for Mom and Dad. Merit helps students choose majors, lay out 4-year plans, and even include study abroad, internships, and research.
I still cover my eyes when there’s blood or violence on TV, and I walk out of the room when the music escalates because I can’t handle psychological thrillers. So I can only watch a handful of shows, and two of them are The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. That’s why I’m disappointed that The Big Bang Theory has ended after 12 seasons. I loved watching quirky young physicists – and 2 of them women — interact in a brilliant comedy show.
The cast and crew have raised $4 million for the Big Bang Theory Scholarship Endowment for science students at UCLA. Five admitted students studying STEM at UCLA will be selected every year to receive need-based financial to bridge the gap between regular financial aid and the cost of attendance.
Mayim Bialik, actress who portrays Amy Fowler, earned her PhD in neuroscience from UCLA, and David Saltzberg, the program’s science consultant, is a UCLA professor of physics and astronomy. Love to see philanthropists support the sciences!
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Earlier this week, Susan was interviewed by Brad Kava for KSQD’s “Talk of the Bay” program. The hour-long interview covers a lot of ground, including how Susan started Merit Academy, how she was able to get free childcare for her kids, the books she’s written to help other parents, and even the shoe carousel and furniture she designed and made!
Listen here: https://americanmotherscalifornia.com/local-radio-interview-with-susan/
or listen to the May 13th show on KSQD here: https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/show/talk-of-the-bay-k-squid
Wondering if the new SAT adversity score will hurt or improve your college admissions decisions? You’re not alone. My clients are flooding my inbox with questions. In addition to math, reading, writing, and essay scores, the College Board will include an “adversity score.” Their goal is to provide a more comprehensive snapshot of the applicant’s background. The SAT and ACT have received much criticism about scores reflecting rich parents’ ability to pay for SAT/ACT tutoring, private high school tuition, and elite summer camps, which result in higher scores instead of students’ basic knowledge and academic skills without these special opportunities. Here are the facts:
The Adversity Score considers the following:
High School:
1. Average senior class size
2. Percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunches
3. AP course availability
4. Scores on AP exams
Home and Neighborhood:
1. Home environment (single parent?)
2. Neighborhood (safety and opportunities)
3. Crime level
4. Family income
5. Family stability
6. Poverty
7. Ethnicity is NOT considered
The adversity score considers 15 factors and is calculated on a 1-100 point system; 50 being the average disadvantage level and 100 being the worst. The College Board will calculate the score and it will be listed on each student’s SAT test along with the subject area scores. Last year, 50 colleges used the adversity scores in their decisions for the 2019-2020 class. This year, 150 colleges will use them. These scores are not available for students or families to see, just for college admissions committees.
Yale was one of the first colleges to use the adversity score in their admissions decision, which doubled the number of low-income students and first-generation college students to about 20% this year. That will improve the diversity of their freshman class. The adversity score is designed to give low-income and disadvantaged students a leg up on privileged, wealthy students.
The information gathered from the adversity score isn’t new news. High schools provide colleges with a School Profile that lists many of the details the adversity score includes such as demographics, number of AP and honors courses, and average GPAs. College applications require parent employment, income, and college background. The adversity score is just ramping up the information about neighborhoods and free-lunch programs that colleges might not have.
With the college admissions scandals and affirmative action lawsuits, this is just another attempt to level the playing field for all students. After all, do we really want higher education to consist of just the wealthy?
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EXPELLED! Students whose parents bribed or cheated their way to acceptance at prestigious colleges like Georgetown and University of Southern California should not be allowed to graduate with degrees from these institutions. That’s right. Allowing these students to continue college or reap the same benefits that other students who got in on their own merit only minimizes the depth of the college admissions scandal.
When students sign their college applications, they are swearing that all contents in the application – including their essays, SAT/ACT scores, transcripts, and list of activities — are true to the best of their knowledge. This is the same for job applicants. When employees get caught lying on job applications or resumes, the employer can fire them and the employee may lose rights to severance pay and unemployment benefits. So why would it be any different for a college applicant?
Adam Semprevivo, a junior at Georgetown, has the gall to sue Georgetown for being expelled. His father paid $400,000 in bribes to have him admitted as a recruit for the university’s tennis team, even though he doesn’t play tennis. But Semprevino wrote essays about his tennis extracurricular activities and submitted them with his college applications. Now he claims that the essays were submitted without his knowledge. Really? The corruption and lies just keep getting deeper and deeper.
What’s worse, Semprevino is blaming Georgetown for not catching his lies! Instead of apologizing for being in on the fraud, Semprevino claims that Georgetown should have found the discrepancy between the essay and his application/transcript. Now he’s really showing his true colors: lying and cheating are okay as long as you don’t get caught.
Thanks to the college admissions scandal, colleges are going to start checking references to verify student claims on their applications, essays, and letters of recommendation. That’s why I’m advocating for students doing independent projects to stand out among their peers. These projects demonstrate their integrity, passion, and leadership. Check out how to do a project with my book Beat the College Admissions Game with ProjectMerit.
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Did you know that human trafficking happens right in your community? I attended a Coalition to End Human Trafficking event to learn more about how to prevent our children and young adults from being trafficked. Here are some red flags:
- Lack of control of their finances, speaking for themselves
- Has few or no personal possessions
- Appears malnourished and/or physically abused
- Is fearful, anxious, paranoid, and/or depressed
- Avoids eye contact
Contact:
888-373-7888
or
text 233733 (BeFree)