Student Information
8 ways to get help when you fall behind
Choose one source of tutoring and check it out now so you’re ready when you need it. Ask your school counselor for more ideas about local programs. And if you can’t find a tutor you can afford consider what you could trade for tutoring such as babysitting or running errands.
1. Libraries. Many libraries have free drop-in tutoring either on-site or on-line. If your library doesn’t, check the town next door. At Nouvel we offer study skills help or Tutoring with NHS students see Mr. Szym or Ms. Clevenger to set this up.
2. Teachers. Teachers will provide extra academic help if you ask. And who better to know exactly what help you need. If that doesn’t work, ask the teacher if they know of an older or more advanced student who could help.
3. Family & friends. Parents can be a good tutor if they know the subject and both parties have the patience to make it work. If not, consider another family member or friend of the family.
4. Chuches, community and volunteer centers. Many have programs to serve students. Though some may only provide mentoring, ask if they have anyone who can also help a student who’s struggling with school work. They’re there to help.
5. Colleges. Ask professors to recommend students, especially students who are studying to become future teachers. They may charge a small fee.
6. Private tutors. Some people specialize in tutoring. You can find them by asking around or looking on-line. Costs range a lot: from $10-$70 per hour.
7. On-line tutors. Search on-line, and you’ll find some free homework help sites and a number of companies that provide tutoring on a pay as you go or subscription basis.
8. Tutoring centers. Specializing in a systematic approach to bringing students up to speed, centers offer an easy to use service. Styles and quality vary. Costs do too.
Choose one source of tutoring and check it out now so you’re ready when you need it. Ask your school counselor for more ideas about local programs. And if you can’t find a tutor you can afford consider what you could trade for tutoring such as babysitting or running errands.
1. Libraries. Many libraries have free drop-in tutoring either on-site or on-line. If your library doesn’t, check the town next door. At Nouvel we offer study skills help or Tutoring with NHS students see Mr. Szym or Ms. Clevenger to set this up.
2. Teachers. Teachers will provide extra academic help if you ask. And who better to know exactly what help you need. If that doesn’t work, ask the teacher if they know of an older or more advanced student who could help.
3. Family & friends. Parents can be a good tutor if they know the subject and both parties have the patience to make it work. If not, consider another family member or friend of the family.
4. Chuches, community and volunteer centers. Many have programs to serve students. Though some may only provide mentoring, ask if they have anyone who can also help a student who’s struggling with school work. They’re there to help.
5. Colleges. Ask professors to recommend students, especially students who are studying to become future teachers. They may charge a small fee.
6. Private tutors. Some people specialize in tutoring. You can find them by asking around or looking on-line. Costs range a lot: from $10-$70 per hour.
7. On-line tutors. Search on-line, and you’ll find some free homework help sites and a number of companies that provide tutoring on a pay as you go or subscription basis.
8. Tutoring centers. Specializing in a systematic approach to bringing students up to speed, centers offer an easy to use service. Styles and quality vary. Costs do too.
College Essays Tips
Components of a College Essay
Your college essay is not a static piece of writing. It is a picture of who you are as an individual – in the past, present, and in the future. The essay is a representation of the “you” that is below the surface, that is more than your clothes, more than a list of activities. The essay should be dynamic, meaningful, and personal – only you could write it. If the essay prompt is asking about your family’s impact on you – it is asking about the impact on you, not extensive information about your family. The essay is all about YOU!
College Essay - What Should I Write? What Do They Want Me To Write About?
What we look for in an essay (in general):
- Do not rely on spell check!
- Online applications - don't treat informally like an e- mail; take care in crafting responses and looking for errors.
Recipe for the College Essay:
More about what college admissions staffs say about the personal statement:
From Johns Hopkins admissions counselors on “reading students’ applications:”
Sample essay questions:
In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your family, your school or community activities, or your involvement in areas outside of school.
Your essay should be no longer than 500 words.
For almost one hundred years, the Latin words, “Vires, Artes, Mores” have been the guiding philosophy behind Florida State University. Vires signifies strength of all kinds – moral, physical, and intellectual; Artes alludes to the beauty of intellectual pursuits as exemplified in skill, craft, or art; and Mores refers to character, custom, or tradition. Describe how one or more of the values embodied in these concepts are reflected in your life.
Respond to two of the topics below. Your personal statement should be no longer than 250 words each or a total of 500 words for both statements.
1. If there has been some obstacle or bump in the road in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances.
2. How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are?
3. Why did you choose to apply to _________ University?
4. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community?
The 18th-century French philosopher Denis Diderot said, “Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. “ Describe one of your passions and discuss its contribution to your personal growth.
It is common knowledge that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Less well know is the fact that he failed 6,000 times before succeeding. Reflect on an accomplishment you achieved in an unlikely way.
Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. Tell us about an external influence (a person, an event, etc.) that affected you and yow it caused you to change directions.
Tell us about an activity that is important to you, and why.
Describe your academic interests and how you plan to pursue them at [college].
Ask yourself a question and then answer it.
Your college essay is not a static piece of writing. It is a picture of who you are as an individual – in the past, present, and in the future. The essay is a representation of the “you” that is below the surface, that is more than your clothes, more than a list of activities. The essay should be dynamic, meaningful, and personal – only you could write it. If the essay prompt is asking about your family’s impact on you – it is asking about the impact on you, not extensive information about your family. The essay is all about YOU!
College Essay - What Should I Write? What Do They Want Me To Write About?
- Don’t describe your science project in detail – describe your curiosity.
- Don't write what you think others want to hear. Answer the question honestly.
- Don't talk about Aunt Sally's death. Talk about how Aunt Sally's death affected you.
- If it's the first time you've thought about it, don't write your college essay about it.
- Write about something personal that you can be passionate about.
- Don’t spend time/words on a travelogue - where you went and how you got there. If you visited a site where bombings occurred, for example, this could be a great chance to talk about how the violence in the world was now in your face and how you felt about it. Spend more time on connecting your feelings of violence with the bombings. Don’t simply express sympathy for victims. Or relief that you live in a safe environment. You have to get way down inside yourself and express how you really feel.
- Don't ask "what does the admission committee want to read?" but instead ask yourself: "What is it about me that I want to be sure colleges know?"
- Show AND tell; don't simply write that you are a leader; i.e., show how you lobbied the administration to change the study hall policy. Essays show who you are, not simply what you've done.
What we look for in an essay (in general):
- sophisticated writing;
- cogent communication;
- passion;
- content;
- answer the question!
- the "I" essay;
- it's/its;
- their/there/they're; etc;
- trite phrases or words, such as myriad, plethora, broaden your horizons, etc;
- using larger words that don't fit or are inappropriate.
- profanity;
- drugs;
- describing inappropriate behavior;
- boyfriend/girlfriend;
- shock value;
- sympathy;
- travel/community service ("those poor people") - not a warning to not write about these trips, just to be careful about tone when doing so;
- humor (if you're not naturally funny, don't try to start now!; Some humor is good but too much can be bad);
- writing about depression or other mental health issues;
- writing about religion;
- Poetry.
- Do not rely on spell check!
- Online applications - don't treat informally like an e- mail; take care in crafting responses and looking for errors.
Recipe for the College Essay:
- 3 parts thinking to one part writing;
- Write about something you care about (demonstrate passion and intellectual curiosity)
- Be focused and provide detail rather than choosing too broad a topic and not getting specific enough (trying to solve the world in 500 words)
- Attention to detail - avoid the landmines mentioned above and other careless errors such as spelling and grammatical errors, writing in different colored pens on the same application, having your parent or someone else fill out part and you fill out another (different handwriting). No sloppy applications!
- Keep in mind your audience - 23 - 65 years old with diverse backgrounds
- Read your essay out loud.
- Have two people review your essays but not more than that. Edit but don't over edit.
- When having someone read your essay, recreate the situation the essay will face - have someone read it in about 2 minutes and then take it away. Ask them what you wrote about (to see if you are clearly getting your point across).
More about what college admissions staffs say about the personal statement:
- “Write from your soul, write from your heart, and reflect upon your experiences.”
- Be personal.
- Select a subject you can write about with feeling and authority, yet unusual enough to distinguish you from the mass of other applicants.
- Use vivid and precise language; avoid typos, misspellings and grammatical errors.
- It is easy to write about one’s parent(s) as influential, but it is difficult to make a defining difference between your wonderful parent and all the other influential parents the readers will snooze through.
- The death of a grandparent can be moving and emotional but not unusual.
- It takes time, thought and some intellectualism to write about a particular book, world/local issue or historical figure; perhaps you might interest the reader in your ideas, feelings and analysis of such items.
- Choice of topic is not as important as the level of insight, meaning and analysis offered.
- Tasteful humor is always appreciated; arrogance or fluff turns readers off.
- Personal adversity that affected your academic performance can be the topic of an essay but not as an excuse or to be whined about.
- The most successful essays show curiosity and self-awareness
- The best personal statements are not necessarily the longest.
From Johns Hopkins admissions counselors on “reading students’ applications:”
- I approach each application thinking first about how a particular student will contribute to the campus community and then examine their overall academic abilities and attributes.
- I tend to begin with the personal side of the application starting with the essay, the resume, and the recommendations. I look for students who have something to say. I look for students who are leaders and progressive thinkers. I like to review an application and gather a sense of: “I can’t wait to see what this student is going to accomplish here at Hopkins and years to come!” From there I see if their academic success mirrors their personal success.
- One favorite essay? After over 1½ decades of reading them? Actually, I do have a favorite. One stands out. It starts with a description of the applicant and a group of his classmates trying to use a pinhole camera, and how this simple invention is really a tool to help us represent the world around us. The essay moves on to make the point that we need invention (like language, and mathematics and the sciences, and even faith) to understand the universe, as “Everything overwhelms us.” Provocative ideas are expressed with a real poetry in that essay, too.
- Every applicant is smart. Every applicant boasts a pristine transcript coupled with countless community service hours and an extensive resume of leadership positions. For me, the most difficult part of reviewing an application is trying to distinguish what makes a student unique. What qualities does this individual have that will really help him or her succeed in this community? Will he or she make a sincere impact here at Hopkins both inside and outside the classroom? Every applicant can succeed in one dimension, but I think the students that are truly well-rounded are harder to find on paper.
- I look for signs of curiosity from the applicant. I love reading about what drives someone's interest and/or why they feel the university can help in their quest of higher learning. In the end, I have an affinity for someone who wants more than the prestige that comes from attending a top-tier university.
Sample essay questions:
In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your family, your school or community activities, or your involvement in areas outside of school.
Your essay should be no longer than 500 words.
For almost one hundred years, the Latin words, “Vires, Artes, Mores” have been the guiding philosophy behind Florida State University. Vires signifies strength of all kinds – moral, physical, and intellectual; Artes alludes to the beauty of intellectual pursuits as exemplified in skill, craft, or art; and Mores refers to character, custom, or tradition. Describe how one or more of the values embodied in these concepts are reflected in your life.
Respond to two of the topics below. Your personal statement should be no longer than 250 words each or a total of 500 words for both statements.
1. If there has been some obstacle or bump in the road in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances.
2. How has your family history, culture, or environment influenced who you are?
3. Why did you choose to apply to _________ University?
4. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community?
The 18th-century French philosopher Denis Diderot said, “Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. “ Describe one of your passions and discuss its contribution to your personal growth.
It is common knowledge that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Less well know is the fact that he failed 6,000 times before succeeding. Reflect on an accomplishment you achieved in an unlikely way.
Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. Tell us about an external influence (a person, an event, etc.) that affected you and yow it caused you to change directions.
Tell us about an activity that is important to you, and why.
Describe your academic interests and how you plan to pursue them at [college].
Ask yourself a question and then answer it.