Since rolling decisions’ results are "rolling" in, this week’s post will be about waitlists and gap years! If you’ve applied to a bunch of colleges before, chances are you’ve been waitlisted to a couple of them. Being waitlisted for a college means you’ve been put on a list of applicants whom a school might or might not offer admission to. Now if this happens don’t be bummed at all since there are certain things you can do to increase your chances of getting off the waitlist. You can raise your grades, you can take part in an extracurriculars or internships, and participate in other aspects of the college application. Then you can write a letter to the school’s dean of admissions to talk about the new things you have done since your initial application. Also, it’s important to inform the school that you’re eager to join the college even if you’re on the waitlist since there’s this hidden thinking that you might have went to another school during regular decisions.

On the other hand, some of you may have decided to take a gap year after graduating to focus on your applications, not getting the colleges you wanted, financial reasons, life crisis, corona virus, etc. If so, there are a couple of things we want you to be aware of. First is to be intentional with your gap year. Some of you might be taking this time to focus on aspects of your application you felt could be better. This may be test results, your common app, college essay, supplement essays, extracurriculars, etc. If your common app and essay were your weaker points, more time can be extremely beneficial since you can use it to have as many people offer you feedback and you yourself can workshop it more using the internet/books. With testing, you can take more practice tests to improve and stabilize your results (take caution however that improvement in testing is mostly dependent on you learning from your mistakes rather than simply taking more tests so make sure you’re taking the time to really understand and strengthen your weaknesses). Also take this time to do further research on the schools you want to go to and what they look for in their applicants and applications so you can further distinguish yourself amongst the applicant pool.

​Second, while you’re doing all the above, please make sure to not view your gap year as a setback as it can easily just be a headstart. Getting into college abroad is the beginning while doing well once you’re there requires more effort. If you are fortunate enough to have gotten into college in Ethiopia, have the means to take classes or simply have access to books or online materials, take full advantage of them especially if they align with your career goals. For instance, you may want to be an economics major and had the chance to get into AAU's Commerce, take full advantage of your year in Commerce. Or if you have some books just self-study. You may end up going abroad for school later, but you’ll be learning content similar to what you’ve studied in your gap year which means not only can you breathe easier in classes but you can study ahead in the coursework or use that time to focus on extracurriculars, friends, hobbies and/or personal projects. Also, securing opportunities abroad is still somewhat based on luck so the future will remain uncertain. Therefore, doing the above strengthens yourself for opportunities within Ethiopia as well as abroad. So again, be intentional with your gap year as quite a bunch of us have done the same and tried to make good use of it to better our applications and ourselves. Thanks for reading and please take care of yourselves in the coming months!

Hey Everyone,


We are into March and we are fast approaching the climax of the application season. As most of you are waiting for your application decisions, we talked about the alternatives that are available for you last week in our segment on Rolling Decisions. This week we are going to take a turn and talk to our members that are aspiring to apply to colleges within the next one or two years. As March is pivotal for those that have already applied to college, it is to also pivotal for those of you that are about to get started.


Let's start from your school life. You should strive to boost your grades. Your GPA can come in handy, especially if you have to make up for the other components of your college application. But, if you feel your GPA isn't on the right course, don't worry as there are various components to the application.


This is also the perfect time to assess where you lie when it comes to extracurriculars. You should start thinking about ways you can participate and take roles in different clubs. This is also a perfect time to think about if you wanna participate in voluntary activities right now or over the summer, as it can come handy in the application process. There are various voluntary organizations which are eager to work with you like SOS Children's Village, Red Cross and many others. It is a good way to give back to your community, while gathering activities you can add to your application at the same time.


The other important things are standardized tests. By now, most of you are accustomed to the SAT, ACT, SAT Subject tests, and TOEFL. U.S. colleges accept either the SAT or ACT. So it doesn't matter which you take, but you can Google the specific requirements of each college to be sure. Most colleges outside of the U.S. like in Canada require the TOEFL, but most U.S. colleges don't require it. You can get your TOEFL requirement waived by most U.S. colleges since you have taken a foreign language(English) in high school. But you should still check the requirements of the particular college on their webpage. If you are a junior in high school, you should aim to take your first SAT or ACT or TOEFL by June so that it can give you enough time for improving your scores over the summer with the aim of taking it a second time in October. But if you don't believe that schedule works for you, it's okay. Just make sure, to leave enough amount of time so that you can take the exam a second time in case you want to improve it. For most people, the SAT is one of those exams where you need to go through it first so that you can make a cogent plan the next time around so plan on taking it two times. As a plus thinking that you can take it twice can ease your stress and help you perform better too.


If you are a sophomore in high school reading this, you can also plan ahead and take your first SAT in December of your junior year, so that it can give you more time for improvement the second time around, which you could do in June of that same year, giving you the whole summer for other components of the college application. But again, this is just an example of a timetable to get you to start thinking about it; you can change it to whatever fits with your schedule. But please going into the application process, plan to take TWO of the SAME standardized test.


You should also strive to develop good relationships with your teachers. Start thinking about good recommenders you can make use of when the college application season rolls around, especially if you are a junior in high school since teacher recommenders are usually taken from 11th and 12th grade. Don't forget about your counselor as they are also going to write a recommendation on your behalf. Your involvement in school clubs can come in handy when you approach your counselor.

Another crucial thing is to start thinking about your college application essays. Most people claim this is the most important part of your application. Start looking at the prompts for the college application essay. Sometimes the common app changes the prompts from year to year, but it doesn't make major changes so you can rest assured the prompts are going to look similar when you are finally going to apply. Strive to think about ideas that can't be associated with other people but you and you only. The essence of a good application essay is it's ability to be your story, which can't be applied to any other one. After you come up with an idea or write a draft of your essay, give it to one of your friends or person you know, and ask them who this belongs to or who it describes, if there is no one it could be about but you, then that's a good unique essay.

​

he above tips are just ways to get started in thinking about the college applications process.  So, as a sophomore or junior, there is no need to feel helpless or sit idly by as the seniors around you scramble to finish what you’ll be working on in but a year or two.  By the time your own senior year rolls around, you’ll be ready to tackle whatever comes your way–and with sleep to spare.


On a final note, we wish all of you that are awaiting college application decisions good luck.

​Today we will be talking about Rolling Admissions. Rolling Admission is a part of the application cycle for some colleges in which the schools evaluate applications as they are received, with out any set deadlines. one advantage of rolling admissions is getting quicker responses from the colleges. Since the schools release decisions on an on-going basis, you might only have to wait for weeks instead of months to hear back from them. Since rolling decision grants a long application window, colleges with rolling admission can be your last minute options, as they tend to have late deadlines.


One caveat about rolling decision is that spots at schools with rolling admission might fill up very quickly, and the longer one waits the harder it will be to get accepted. Hence, applying as early as possible is encouraged.


While no Ivy League colleges use a rolling admissions system, there are many reputable colleges that do. Some of these include Purdue University, Arizona State, Michigan State, University of Pittsburgh, Indiana, Pace University, Roger Williams, Rutgers, Loyola Marymount, among many others.


Schools with rolling admission generally have higher acceptance rates, but it might be hard to get accepted as spaces become limited. So applying early is very advantageous.


Here is a link for a complete list of schools with rolling admissions. https://blog.prepscholar.com/colleges-with-rolling-admissions

Recommendations are  a very important, and yet the most underestimated, part of the college applications. By now you may have heard the spiel that admission officers expect very highly of your personal statements (the college application essays) mostly because it's the only place where they get to know and, depending on how good you are with your rhetoric, SEE your personality. (psst If you didn't get what I meant by "SEE", then check out last week's post about college essays and paritcularly about the  SHOW DON'T TELL advice.")
And that's all true. Your personal statements indeed allow others  to hear about the person you are outside the realm of academics and numbers. But there's one thing they fail at. Personal statements are accounts written by YOU about yourself, your personalities, and your accomplishments. And it's not unusual that people try to exaggerate their positive side and hide their negative sides. That's why admission officers are always looking for Teacher and Counsellor recommendations. They want to hear about you from someone else that's neither you nor your friend.


There's a reason why habesha parents try to investigate and find out about the man their daughter is about to marry through other people rather than directly confronting him.  There is a reason why they "mastenat" him by their super secret source of knowledge (aka gossiping with other people). But anyways, I digress.



Before I go into any details, let me first walk you through some scenario. Suppose I wrote to you a two page letter today describing about how I am a brilliant mathmetician, an astonishing physicist, an inspiring activist, a dazzling musician, a charitable giver, an incredible orator, a phenomenal singer and a virtuoso painter. You would never come close to believing me, will you? Plus, who am I kidding, I'm not really that good at painting :).    


But suppose it was my Biology professor that was sending you an email about how he has seen me consistently participate in the class, show an incredible level of dedication in my semester long project about "Hygiene and its health impacts in Ethiopia" where I showed not only great leadership skills in organizing my team mates throughout the process but also an insightful understanding in my final paper that I submitted. He also recounts to you how proud he was when I helped with organizing  a "Save the planet, or if not,  just clean Addis" community event where I help mobilize the students in our school to go out and clean the neighbourhood. And suppose he also mentions to you in his email about a particular conversation we had about "Cultural medicines in the rural regions and their astonishing effectiveness" and how he realized that day not only how passionate I was about herbal medicine but also how inquisitve and committed I am in my quest to learn and discover new and relevant things.  Then you would have no reason but to believe him and be impressed by the driven and self-motivated person that I am.


THAT'S WHY RECOMMENDATIONS CAN BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL in your college applications if done right. As you set on your endeavors of trying to convince college admission officers about why they should accept you, having someone like your professor put in word for you about how you are "an Einestien in the class,  a Marthin Luther King in the afternoon, a Spider man at night and a Mother Theresa in the weekends." would most defintely help.


Now in all my attempt to entertain you long enough to reading the whole of this post, I hope you've got my point: Stories of heroism sound more plausible and captivating when they're told by someone other than the hero.


That said, I can only wish that I have convinced you to see recommendation letters as much more imporant than you used to before reading this post. It's highly advisable that you ask your teachers to write you a recommendation at least a month in advance before your application deadlines.   Here are two more short readings that we recommend you do as you think about recommendations. Maybe you can also make your teachers read these too so that they understand how much their recommendations can have an impact on your future and how they should go on about writing you one.

Hello everyone,


Hope you are having a great weekend! For this week’s CTP tip, we wanted to talk about one of the most crucial elements of the college application process, The Common Application Essay. The Common App essay is the best way for admissions committees to get to you know you. Recommendations are what your teachers say about you, transcripts are what your grades say about you, but think of the essay as what YOU say about YOU. For this reason, try to treat the essay as an opportunity to tell colleges why you are unique and what matters to you. Since your Common App essay will be seen by numerous colleges, you will want to paint a portrait of yourself that is accessible to a breadth of institutions and admissions officers.


Because the Common App essay is only 650 words long and has few formal directions, organizing a response might seem daunting. Here are a few steps to formulate a strong and unique common app essay


Brainstorm


To begin developing your own high-level ideas, you can address these Core Four questions that all good Common App essays should answer: “Who Am I?”, “Why Am I Here?”, “What is Unique About Me?”, “What Matters to Me?”
The first question focuses on your personality traits — who you are. The second question targets your progression throughout high school (an arc or journey). The third question is more difficult to grasp, but it involves showing why your personality traits, methods of thinking, areas of interest, and tangible skills form a unique combination. The fourth question is a concluding point that can be answered simply, normally in the conclusion paragraph.  


Overall, there is no single “correct” topic. Your essay will be strong as long as you are comfortable and passionate about your idea and it answers the Core Four questions.


Organize


Common App essays are not traditional five-paragraph essays. You are free to be creative in structure, employ dialogue, and use vivid descriptions—and you should! Make sure that context and logic are inherent in your essay, however. From paragraph to paragraph, sentence to sentence, your ideas should be clear and flow naturally. Great ways to ensure this are using a story arc following a few major points, or focusing on cause and effect.


Write


Your Common App essay must display excellent writing in terms of grammar and sentence structure.
A few tips to accomplish this are: 


“Show, don’t tell” is vital to writing an engaging essay, and this is the point students struggle with most.  Instead of saying, “I struggled to make friends when I transferred schools,” you can show your emotions by writing, “I scanned the bustling school cafeteria, feeling more and more forlorn with each unfamiliar face. I found an empty table and ate my lunch alone.”


In many cases, writing can include more specific word choice. For example, “As a kid, I always played basketball,” can be improved to be “Every day after school as kid, I ran home, laced up my sneakers, and shot a basketball in my driveway until the sun went down and I could barely see.”


To use active voice over passive voice, be sure that your sentence’s subject performs the action indicated by the verb, rather than the action performing onto the subject. Instead of writing “this project was built by my own hands,” you would say “I built this project with my own hands.”


Finally, avoid clichés like adages, sayings, and quotes that do not bring value to your essay. Examples include phrases like “Be the change you wish to see in the world” (it’s also important to know that sayings like these are often seriously misquoted—Gandhi did not actually utter these words) and lavish claims like “it was the greatest experience of my life.”


Deciding on a Prompt


Each of the common application essay prompts lends itself to distinct topics and strategies, so selecting the prompt that best aligns with your idea is essential to writing an effective Common App essay.
Here are this year’s prompts:
 https://www.commonapp.org/blog/2019-2020-common-app-essay-prompts

Happy Friday Everyone!
For this week’s CTP tip, we will be providing you with ways to stay organized over the weeks to come. Balancing standardized testing, essay writing, financial aid applications along with classes, assignments, friends and family can be challenging (we as college students still struggle with this on the daily, so know that you’re not alone). Therefore, to get the most out of this experience, it is important that you have a means of strategically achieving your goals and holding yourself accountable.
The first step to staying organized is to have a clear idea of your goals, your action plan and your deadlines. Invest in a notebook/planner and first write down all the things you have to achieve every week. Rate those items in terms of urgency and difficulty. Ideally, you should be spending the most time on the most urgent and difficult activities. Finally, block in times in your planner to work on these items. When you do cross off a certain item on your list, reward yourself (an episode of your favorite TV-show, candy – whatever works for you, as long as it doesn’t break the bank. Do it to keep yourself motivated!)

The second step is to pace yourself. A lot of the work you must complete to produce a successful college application can’t be done overnight. The best essays come out from weeks of editing and rewriting, and the highest SAT scores are contingent upon routine practice leading up to the exam date. Set a dedicated time each day (for instance, 45 minutes a day for SATs and 45 minutes twice a week for essays) to work on these items. Stick to your routine and you will see a lot of progress!
​
The third step is to structure your workspaces (notes and on your computer). For SAT’s keep a folder of your notes divided by section. On your laptop/computer, set up folders for financial aid, transcripts, essays, practice tests and guides to colleges. And of course, back up EVERYTHING on another computer or a flash drive!
The last step is to work with others. Find people who will motivate you and you in turn will motivate when the going gets tough. Work with them, share resources and support one another. The process will be less stressful for you if you’re around people with the same goals as you.
Managing college apps with classes can get tough but know that you are supported and more than capable. Stick to your plan, organize your workspaces and keep your self motivated. You got this!!

Hello everyone,
So, you’ve gotten your acceptance letters, and maybe by this point, you’ve already decided which school you’re going to commit to. (If you haven’t that’s perfectly fine too; take a look at last week’s tip for some advice.) Now what? If you’re going to college for the Fall 2019 semester, you still have a few months between now and then. To some of you, this might either seem like a really long wait or it might seem too close for comfort. Both reactions are completely understandable and very valid. But while dealing with those emotions and coming to terms with them, there are some steps you have to take between now and then to make sure your transition is as smooth as possible.  First and foremost, if you’re still a senior in high school, you still have that to finish. Remember, just because you’ve gotten an acceptance doesn’t mean your admission is guaranteed. Most schools still ask for a final transcript and do look it over. So, a major drop in grades or a possible disciplinary action could affect your school’s decision. You’ve made it this far and even though senioritis is very real, don’t risk your future by completely disregarding school for the last few months. You’ve worked too hard for that. You also have your final national examinations, and though it might seem irrelevant to some at this point. It’s still important that you try your best. Your school might or might not ask for those grades (depending on where you applied) and even if they didn’t, it’s the culmination of all your education up to this point so a good grade wouldn’t hurt. It’d also make you and your parents proud. And one thing that you might take into consideration is that just in case something happens between now and enrollment, you still want to make sure you do well. In the hopefully unlikely chance that everything doesn’t work out, you can still enroll in top universities back home. And one more thing, as to your last few months in high school. Have fun!! Hang out with your friends, converse with your classmates and faculty. Make the most out of your last few months. They can be very bittersweet so make sure you make some memories. As unbelievable as it might seem, you’re going to miss some of it.


Next, make sure you’ve submitted everything for your applications. Some schools might ask for further documents for financial aid or ask you for documentation regarding vaccines and medical records. The earlier you get those out of the way, the more time you have to enjoy your summer.


And make sure to get started on arranging for your visa documents as early as possible. If you’re going to be on a student visa, make sure you’ve submitted everything that you need for your I-20 and get started on your visa application. There are multiple forms to fill out and most likely an interview to go through before getting that final stamp on your passport. Prep for your interview and make sure you have everything ready and you’ll be fine. Again, the sooner you get this out of the way, the less you have to worry about.



And buy your plane tickets. The earlier you buy them, the cheaper they are. But remember to check your school’s housing policies. Some schools only allow you to move into the dorms at a certain date and if you’re going to your school directly from your home country, this is something that you have to put into consideration.
And if your school offers any pre-orientation programs for international students, take advantage of that. Very important information is often given during these orientations that are especially tailored for international students. It also allows you to interact with students from other countries which is a great bonding experience. But if this is not available, check if there are any other programs available for first years that you can apply to that you might be interested in. This might let you move into your dorm a few days before the rest of the students. The university’s website also often contains important information about what you might be required to do either before or after arrival on campus. And you can also ask students that you know who’ve spent a year or more abroad for any tips/advice that they might be able to offer you. This is especially helpful if you know someone who is attending the university that you plan to enroll in. If you need any help with contacts at the school you’re going to, you can reach out to us and if we know anyone, we’ll try our best to connect you.


And finally, it’s your last summer! Relax! Eat (Trust me you’ll miss your home cuisine; It might even be a good idea to stock up on some snacks or if you can cook, some ingredients so that when you crave food from home, you can make some here. Just make sure you have access to a kitchen or somewhere that you can cook). And Sleep!! (The truth is: transitioning into a new country and a new academic system isn’t always very smooth. So, you might have some nights where you have to cut down on sleep in order to finish a homework or study for a test so save up on as much sleep as you can before your summer’s over.) And from personal experience, enjoy the weather!!! (Depending on what country or state you go to, the weather might not be as nice as back home. If you’re going to a state that has long winters or is very cold, you’re going to miss the warmth of the sun so get your tan on! And enjoy it while it lasts!) . Enjoy all the time you have with your family and friends. It might be a little while before you see them again so make sure to make the most of your time together.


After all this, all you have left to do is pack and get ready for your Freshman year!!!!!

Selam!
Trying to decide between two (or more) colleges is a good problem to have. It means you have options, and you probably have a couple of good ones. If you’re excited by more than one of the possibilities within your reach, if you have to decide between two colleges, making your final decision can be difficult. In fact, the days leading up to May 1,Decision Day, may be filled with dread, second-guessing, and nervousness. This week we picked up some tricks for students who find themselves in this situation.


The first and most important thing you would want to do is to compare your financial aid packages. in fact, it’s so important that it may make the decision for you. While comparing packages keep your eye out for your total family contribution. That’s the amount you’ll have to pay out of pocket.The bottom line is that if School A is offering to meet 100% of your financial need and School B is only meeting a small part of it, it’s usually a good idea to steer yourself toward School A. A college’s commitment to meeting most or all of their students’ financial need also means a commitment to serving a student body that is socioeconomically diverse.


Next you should get in touch with your prospective department. If you have already developed a specific academic interest, compare the departments of the two schools. If your potential major is in the sciences, look at the labs, research opportunities, and faculty. If your interests lie in the humanities, what are the department’s resources like? Get in touch with the professors of that specific department or even students you might know. Make a list of questions before you email, but be sure to ask that student about his or her personal experiences, too.


you’re likely making a decision not just about where you want to study but also where you want to live. So, unless both schools you love are located in the same neighborhood, look at the big picture. Sure, you’ll want to see what their campuses are like, but take time to investigate the towns in which they are located, too. Is the neighborhood walkable? What’s the crime rate? Are the living expenses affordable in that location? You’ll likely live in this town for four years, so be sure you can make the most of its location.


If your decision is this hard, it probably means you’ve received two wonderful offers. By all means, make an effort to visualize yourself at each, to explore the differences between the two schools, but the truth is, if you think both offers are amazing, they probably are. You’ll likely find happiness at either school. Go with your gut.

Hey guys, this week’s tip is on dealing with rejection and failure. It’s a bit long so please bear with us.


We’ve all failed at something at least once in our lives. And if you haven’t yet … you will. I personally have feared failure since I can remember, all the way back to kindergarten. I lived my entire life doing as much as I could to avoid failure. Why did I fear failure so much? Well I thought it confirmed all the worst things I thought about myself and exposed them to the world. I thought each failure would close a door until I was left with no options and no one to blame but myself. So you can imagine how terrible my college application experience was. I blamed myself for each rejection and was filled with regret. Maybe I should’ve spent more time on the essay, maybe I should’ve worked harder in high school, or maybe I should’ve read more books as a kid. Whatever reason I came up with, I thought it had ruined my life forever - I mean, how will I ever find the time to read all those books I should’ve read as a kid? I wish I could tell you I realized how silly this mentality was soon enough. But no, I took acceptances I got as indicating luck, you know … as much as rejections surely indicated incompetence, and went to college set on doing everything right and not giving myself anything to regret. I’m now in my junior year of college and I can tell you that that didn’t go so well. But after multiple sessions feeling sorry for myself and crying it out, I’ve learned lessons that I think are important for you guys to hear.


The best lesson I’ve learned is to NOT TAKE FAILURE  OR REJECTION PERSONALLY. And this is especially important to keep in mind when you guys hear back from the colleges you applied to. As much hard work as it needs, getting in to a college also needs a fair amount of luck. Getting rejected from a college doesn’t mean the end of the world nor does it mean you are any less than your peers. The best thing you can do is take it for what it is - a story, a lesson, motivation. Roadblocks only make your final destination all the more sweeter.


Lesson 2 - Relax, have a little faith, everything is happening the way it should. It’s when you face these roadblocks that you are able to see the many paths you could take that lead you down an unexpected and beautiful journey. Imagine staying in Ethiopia … did you know that the location of the 2020 INTERNATIONAL Conference on Learning Representations(an artificial intelligence conference) is our very own Addis Ababa? Yeah guys, amazing things are happening in our country right now and not just in fields like Artificial Intelligence but numerous other fields as well. Staying in Ethiopia might actually open up more opportunities for you. Another option, if you can afford it, is community college. Community college is a great way to experience small classroom settings where you can get the attention that’ll allow you to prosper. And when the time comes you’ll be ready to transfer to the college of your choice. All I’m saying is, trust your struggles (I took this from a TED talk :-)).


This isn’t to say that you should give up on studying abroad, which brings me to lesson 3 - IT’S NOT TOO LATE. Take gap years for example, many of us don’t know who we are or what we want when we go to college and gap years are a great way to change that. And you know what happens when you know what you want … amazing things. Not only only will you be more effective and successful in achieving your goals moving forward, other people (aka admissions officers) will easily be able to see your passion and your application will stand out. How could it not with all those amazing things you could do when you have an entire year. Believe me, gap years are your chance to do something that’ll impress the hell out of admissions officers.

Last lesson (I’m sort of still learning) - DON’T GIVE VALUE TO EXTERNAL VALIDATION because if you do you’ll fear having to be without it. Did you by any chance feel a lot of pressure when I said you can do something very impressive during your gap year? Did you get scared of disappointing your loved ones or even total strangers despite the supposedly many options available to you? That’s how I would’ve felt. And the only thing I can say to that is that it’s only going to hold you back. Many of us procrastinate because we think of failure before we even begin. We wait until we feel everything is perfect and we have maximized our chances of success so that eventually we can get that sweet sweet pat on the back. It’s as if we want to be assured that we’ll succeed before we can take on a task. And unfortunately, this is never going to happen. Don’t be scared to fail … failing is wonderful. And your loved ones will be proud of you for having the courage to put yourself in a position where you could fail because those are the ventures that pay off. Did I mention you should be proud of yourself? Seriously, you’re taking it upon your self and giving your best effort to bettering yourself, and that is very commendable.

Hello CTP Fam,


Hoping you are doing well in these extraordinary times, we at CTP would like to encourage and support you. Believe it or not, like it or not, this is a once in a lifetime event, where you have all the time in the world to do whatever you have always wanted to do. The world literally stopped. Take a moment to take that in. What’s happening to our world is with no doubt absolutely horrific, but we have little control over it besides social distancing and personal hygiene. But we still have control of how to spend our time during the quarantine. Instead of lying in bed all day and worrying about COVID-19, we have compiled a few suggestions that will not only help you overcome your boredom but also benefit you in the long run.


1. Take the time to think
Reflect on what you have come to so far and anticipate what you would like for your future to be like. Whether you are the kind of person who likes to meditate or the kind who would rather discuss that with beloved ones, go for it. Focus on the inner self and set clear goals, prepare SMART(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals and plan out your day on a timely basis. As you look back, take note of the times that are most meaningful to you and why. One of these events could ultimately be included in your essay and/or extracurriculars.  It is also a very good time to prepare for tests. You have ample time to prepare, read and practice for standardized tests and there is no better time to prepare for these.




2. Develop a Hobby
Most of us grew up just focused on school and maybe tried to do a couple of things over the summer, but never had a full-grown hobby we love and are passionate about. Well, now is a perfect time to learn something new and either figure out your passion or if you already know it, start dedicating time and developing it completely. Some suggestions are reading books (maybe even start a virtual book club), coding, art, puzzles, chess, knitting, cooking (this will make you the favorite child by the way)


3. Start Thinking About College Applications
Whichever point you are at, think of how you can use this time to contribute to your college application. Researching for a school, or about a school you are interested in and looking at the SAT test and practicing doing questions are examples. The hobbies you developed are potential things you can put on your application as extracurriculars or skills.


4. Prepare your professional self
The present being a time of great competition, it is never too early to prepare your professional self. By that, we mean that you should make yourself ready to be recruited(or become a recruiter). Setup your Linkedin account, prepare a resume( or CV, if you’re a science person), develop professional skills like Microsoft Office, LaTex, or a certain type of programming language




5. Enjoy Your Time
Catch up on movies, play games with your family members, take afternoon naps and relax. Again, you will never find the time to do all these things during a school year and not feel guilty at the same time. So, spend some good quality time with your family and revitalize your energy.




I am sure by now you are all motivated to do all these amazing things and make your dreams come true, but it is also expected if your motivation doesn’t last too long. Coming up with a schedule and keeping yourself accountable to it is helpful. Take it one step at a time, and well, remember there’s always tomorrow to do it. So don’t let it get you down. As for our final word, we will share a quote, “you don’t want to look back at this time and regret not doing anything with it.”