School

Why I’m Not Doing High School Cheer Anymore

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Today I’m going to be fully dissecting a topic that I’ve mentioned in passing on this blog many times: my ultimate decision on whether or not I will be continuing to be a high school cheerleader after this season. This year’s season is not officially over until about halfway through February, but basketball is not nearly as popular of a sport at my school as football, so it already feels like it’s dwindled down. Regardless, now that I’m almost done with my second season as a high school cheerleader, I feel more confident in my feelings about it and the next step for me. As the title of this post suggests, I’ve (VERY carefully) decided that I do not plan on trying out for next year’s cheer season this spring.

Whenever I bring this up to people in conversation, they’re always shocked. I’m not sure if it’s like this at other schools, but at my school, the sports team/major activity (choir, band, Academic Decathlon, journalism/yearbook) you’re involved with is a huge part of your “school persona” (more on why I use this term later). My friends say, “Why don’t you want to do it anymore? Don’t you like it? Don’t you at least want it to show consistency on your college application?”. And they have a point- in the beginning of my freshman year, when I first joined the cheer team, I was obsessed with being on cheer. I wouldn’t shut up about it; it wasn’t because I thought I was cooler than everyone else since I was a cheerleader, it was because I had never been on a sports team or anything similar before cheer.

In fact, one of the main reasons I kept going back and forth about continuing with cheer was how it would reflect on my college applications come senior year. If I continued, I would be on varsity next year (if I made it; all juniors are on varsity), and I could say I’d been in a varsity sport in high school; I could say I’d been committed to a sport for four years in high school as well. Sports are a huge time commitment, and that’s definitely a big component of a lot of high schoolers’ lives and extracurricular commitments. I also thought being a cheerleader specifically might be a “hook” in some way for more prestigious schools, since cheerleaders are often stereotyped as dumb, and schools want diversity/people from all sports and activities that break stereotypes.

Furthermore, I worried about my own self-esteem regarding the decision- would I feel like a quitter? Even though it’s totally my right to decide not to try out again after finishing up this season, I somehow felt like that was a failure in a way. I’m kind of a perfectionist and I’m clearly quite hard on myself, so to stop doing cheer would be to admit that it wasn’t for me and that I couldn’t master it. I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I don’t want to spend my time trying to “master” cheerleading, and that’s perfectly okay- I can use my time on other things I love, like writing. I think part of the reason I felt so bad about stopping is that I’ve never really stuck to a sport or a major organized activity for more than a year, but I’ve been doing cheer for three years if you count eighth grade. It was one of those situations where you feel like you’ve come so far and don’t want to stop now, but I had to get myself out of that mentality; continuing cheer would hurt me more than help me in the long run.

As far as the reasons I wanted to quit, there were many. First of all, I wasn’t good at cheer, and although that’s not a reason to quit on its own, it made it a lot harder to enjoy the season. At our school, after sideline cheer season is over, there’s a competitive season; even though sidelines season is kind of a joke, competitive season is super intense. I knew I didn’t want to be on the competition team last year, so I didn’t try out. A lot of the girls on my team did, so coming into this year’s season they had a bunch of new skills and were so much stronger- I wasn’t. Second, the coaches didn’t like me. Favoritism is very prevalent in our program, and they pretty much only like the girls who were on the competition team (yes, a lot of them are more skilled, but not everyone- and that’s not the point). Since I wasn’t very good, that exacerbated their frustration with me.

Those last two reasons were fairly minor in my decision-making process, but combined with the bigger reasons I’ll discuss now, there were too many reasons for me to quit, and almost none to stay. One of the main things I was struggling with was that I didn’t feel included on the team, and I wasn’t a fan of the dynamic (partially because of the favoritism). Our team is mainly divided into two parts: a big friend group of girls that has all done cheer together since they were little, and everyone else who joined cheer for other reasons. My best friend was on the team with me, but she had been on the competition team and is super talented, and therefore was more well-liked by everyone- I wasn’t. I always felt like an outsider but I didn’t even want to try to fit in with the other girls because I knew I wouldn’t, and I would just be making a fool out of myself.

Feeling excluded only contributed to my dread over going to practices and games. Cheer, just like any other sport, is a significant time commitment. During football season, between two-hour practices everyday and six-hour game days including travel, I would spend anywhere from 12-15 hours doing cheer per week (more if there were special events like school rallies or performances outside of school). I didn’t have as much time for other activities I had wanted to join or spend more time on (like writing!) and I wasn’t even getting anything out of the experience since I was finding myself hating going to cheer more and more. It felt like a huge waste of my time, and it was hard to know that cheer was the reason I didn’t have time to pursue things I actually enjoy, or at least be more productive/have more time to study/etc. I know these are normal things that come with being in a sport, but that’s the thing- most people in sports either stay in it because they like it or because they’re good at it, ideally both. At this point, I was in neither of those situations.

For these reasons and probably more I’ve forgotten by now, I made up my mind that this cheer season will be my last. Am I scared I made the wrong decision? Of course. Am I worried I’ll end up missing it somehow? Obviously. Am I going to change my mind? I can’t say for sure, but I really don’t think so. The thing that’s helped me is quite a few of my friends have gone through similar experiences with their respective sports this year, and a few of them have even quit already/mid-season. I felt a lot less lonely because of that, and a lot more confident in my decision; I need to do what’s best for me and what will lead me to happiness. And you know what? Even though this season’s not over yet, I feel better already.

One thing I wanted to address that’s not directly related to ending my high school cheer career: my tumbling classes/cheer experiences outside of school. For about two years, I’ve been taking tumbling classes with coaches from the gym that I cheered at in eighth grade. This year, that was structured into one private lesson per week/sometimes every other week with one coach, and a group lesson every week with a different coach. Even though I knew I wouldn’t be continuing cheer, I told myself I wanted to just keep going to tumbling for a little bit and see if it was something I still enjoyed outside of cheer. The last few lessons I went to, I felt unmotivated and I just wanted to get them over with. It was kind of an abrupt decision, but I decided to stop attending tumbling classes as well. It feels really weird not driving to the familiar cheer gym every week, but I honestly don’t really miss it yet. I think it was just time for me to move on.

Since basketball season is going on, I’m getting a little bit of exercise through cheer every week. However, once cheer is over, I will have no structured physical activity in my life. I think it’s super important that I find a replacement form of exercise since it’s important for me to be outside and get my vitamin D, and I still want to stay in shape. This means you can expect some upcoming health/fitness related content!

-Brooke

Books I Read in 9th Grade: Ranked Worst to Best

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

I love to read, but I don’t have time to read for pleasure as much as I would like to. Luckily, I’ve actually really enjoyed most of the books I’ve read in my English classes throughout high school so far. Since we’ve only read two books so far this year, I figured I would only rank the ones from ninth grade. I know it’s not a lot, but ninth grade is the only year without summer reading, and we also read a lot of short stories (my favorite was A Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe).

5. The Odyssey by Homer – We didn’t read the full thing in class, we only read excerpts from our textbook. I think that’s why I didn’t really enjoy it; if I read the piece as a whole and in order, I could probably connect to it more and make more sense of it. I usually enjoy Greek mythology, but I’d never read a formal work like this. It was also the first thing we read at the beginning of freshman year, so I don’t particularly remember it.

4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – This book just made me sad. That’s pretty much it; I felt for the characters and I thought it was interesting insight into the harsh realities of a working man’s life during those times, but it was too short for me to get really invested. That being said, I can’t imagine writing a meaningful/classic story in so few pages, so I’m in awe of Steinbeck for that.

3. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare – I know it’s a play, but we read it in book form. It’s obviously a classic that everyone knows and I personally enjoy Shakespeare, so this was pretty enjoyable for me. It just didn’t excite me that much since I already had the basic plot points outlined in my head. It was an easy read at the end of the year after we finished A Tale of Two Cities.

2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – This was extremely difficult to understand (shoutout to the Spark Notes line by line translation that I would read alongside my book) but one of the most exciting books I’ve ever read. I wasn’t expecting to like it since it was the most challenging book of the year and there was a lot to keep track of, but I came to love every twist and turn. The ending saddened me a bit, but I think it tied the many plot lines up well.

1.To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – I loved this book. It was the first “classic” I’d read that I actually understood (it was towards the beginning of the year too), and I think it’s important for everyone to read it. I grew close to the characters while reading, and I liked the emphasis on law and the court process since one of my (possible) dream jobs is being a lawyer.

I feel silly ranking these books since they’re all extremely famous classics that you guys probably know and have read as well, but I figured I would give my input in case any freshmen are curious as to what you might read this year, or any middle schoolers are looking ahead. I might make one of these ranking books I’ve read in middle school, as my middle school English teachers actually picked some great books for us to read.

-Brooke

How to Study Smarter, Not Harder (5 Tips)

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

Are you tired of spending hours at your desk “hitting the books?” Are you looking for a better way to get your work done and still succeed? Are you trying to maintain your sanity but at the moment losing it? If any of these apply, keep on reading- there’s a better way to do things.

You’ve probably heard “study smarter, not harder” at some point, maybe from your teachers or parents. If you haven’t, then that’s cool too- you’ll still be able to reap the benefits of this strategy. The goal isn’t to spend the most time possible working; it’s to be as efficient as possible with the time you do have. Spending hours in the library or reading a textbook doesn’t necessarily equate to the best grades or the most success.

Here are the best tips to employ this strategy of doing less work in less time, all while still getting the necessities done and achieving your academic goals:

  • Work in chunks of time and take scheduled breaks – Set a mini schedule for yourself: work hard for 30 minutes then take a break for 5, etc. If you’re working in shorter chunks of time, you will stay focused and accomplish more within that period. The break helps you recharge for the next chunk- I promise this saves time.
  • Give yourself breaks!! – I know this is part of the working in chunks of time thing, but I can’t stress how important this is. If you don’t take breaks or you take them for the wrong amounts of time, you won’t be motivated enough to go back to working hard. Find the right length for you (5-15 minutes depending on the situation), and once you’re done with work for the day, give yourself the rest of the night off to recharge.
  • When you’re confused, don’t just struggle with it- go straight to the teacher (or the Internet if the teacher isn’t available) – It’s important to clarify any confusion or questions you may have. Stay after class to talk to your teacher if you’re having trouble, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. This can save you a lot of time in the long run- if you get your question answered before you even leave the classroom, it won’t be a problem you have again!
  • Study without distractions or interruptions – People definitely work differently in different environments, but if you really need to get things done quickly, I think it’s best to work alone. Listening to music, having some background noise, etc. is up to personal preference, but find a comfortable space where you won’t be interrupted and you can grind out the work.
  • Work actively, not passively – Don’t sit back at your desk on your phone in the middle of doing work- I know we’re all guilty of doing this (some more often than others), but this is a time KILLER. If you use the focused chunks of time method, stuff will get done so much faster and then you will be free to go on your phone. It’s so important to be intentional in how you spend your time, as it’s too valuable to waste.

I was introduced to this strategy by a couple YouTube videos and articles online, but the person I found who explained it best was Cal Newport. If you want to read his explanation or more of his articles (he has a lot of great stuff on productivity, etc.), check it out here: https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2007/09/13/three-ways-smart-students-reduce-study-time/

This strategy takes some adapting at first since it might be really different from what you’re used to, but the payoff is great. I hope you give it a try and it works out for you! Keep in mind you don’t have to use any single study method all of the time- if your current method is a little time-consuming but you’re still partial to it, you could save this for days where you’re in a bind.

-Brooke

When do “college admissions help” websites/blogs start harming you?

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I’m only a sophomore in high school, yet I’ve spent many hours sifting through threads on Reddit and College Confidential. I started out with a purpose: to educate myself. I don’t have any older siblings to help me out with decisions like choosing the right classes, finding cool extracurricular opportunities, or anything related to high school and college admissions. These websites really opened my eyes to a world I had never been exposed to…but did I need to be exposed to it?

I’m thankful for the things I have been able to learn from these websites and articles, don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of valuable advice and resources out there that have the potential to really help people who don’t have anyone else to ask. I’ve always dreamed of going to Columbia University- I’m not 100% sure if I will actually be interested in going there as I’ve never visited, but you get the point- I’m interested in high-caliber schools.

I never put too much thought into it; I knew it was near-impossible to get in, but I figured you just had to give it your best shot. I didn’t realize there could be so much strategy and planning- I thought you just worked hard in high school and kind of did whatever, then would apply and see if it ultimately worked out for you. These websites definitely proved that theory of mine wrong. I could see all these incredibly intelligent and talented people talking about the dozens of AP classes they were taking starting from freshman year, their world-class extracurriculars and awards, and their extremely high test scores.

On one hand, I was happy I had found these sites to show me I would have to step it up if I still wanted to go to an elite college, but on the other, I was completely overwhelmed. I felt so inferior with my one AP class (all of my other classes were honors if it was available) and my main extracurricular being my school’s freshman cheer team. How would I ever compete with people like this in the future? I started freaking out, looking for more ways to get involved, and yet I obviously still wasn’t up to par with any of these people.

Now, I had a new “problem”: I was just doing a bunch of random activities that didn’t relate to each other, and I didn’t have leadership roles in any. Just to set the record straight, I wasn’t joining activities just for the sake of my college freak-out- I was doing things I genuinely liked and wanted to do, I just started seeking them out because of the college freakout. Anyways, I’m still kind of struggling with this. I really don’t know what I love, I don’t have a “passion” or special talent I can just follow through with and prove my excellence in. I honestly don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

Then it came to comparing myself to my peers at school. Some people in my school are way more ahead because of taking classes over summer school that I either never thought to do or physically couldn’t do because of scheduling, and have way stronger extracurriculars because they either just have more of a sense of direction or because they got involved in a lot of things starting right in freshman year.

I’ve always done well in my classes and have taken all honors/AP when possible, but I’m still not as ahead as some people. Lots of people took a year of foreign language over summer to get ahead, some people are more ahead in math because they took geometry in middle school or over the summer (I skipped one year in middle school so I’m ahead, but not as ahead as these people who are now 2-3 years ahead), and some people are already in AP science courses because they took honors chemistry over summer, which I’m taking right now in my sophomore year since I was unable to over summer. Because of this, it seems like I have a way less impressive schedule (less APs, therefore a lower possible weighted GPA) and like I’m way less impressive in general compared to these classmates.

I was mad at myself for not being able to get ahead in those classes, I was mad at myself for not diving into activities I was interested in at the beginning of freshman year, and overall, I was mad at myself for not figuring out all of this sooner. I spent my weekends researching ways to find impressive extracurriculars and stand out, and I signed up to take AP Psychology online over summer since that was something I could fit into my summer schedule and I was interested in the subject. However, this didn’t change how I felt. The damage had been done- I was now in a mode of comparing myself to everyone around me and their best achievements.

I’m not going to lie- I still do this. I’ll spend some time scrolling through Reddit or CC once in a while, and I’m usually tempted to click on a “Stats that Got Me Into ____” video on YouTube. Honestly, I feel like I’ve already seen it all at this point; there’s no more damage that can be done, and if anything there’s just more for me to learn. I’m really working to stop comparing myself to these people- I have my own strengths, and focusing too much on the college process as a sophomore will only stress me out and hurt me.

I’m the type of person who fixates on things, so this sudden obsession with college admissions and needing to be a competitive candidate in the future definitely has stuck with me. Sometimes I wish I had never thought to look at those websites and try to keep up with everyone else, but it’s already happened and now I can only be thankful for the knowledge I’ve gained. I’m motivated to keep working hard throughout high school, and hopefully I will get to attend one of my dream schools. Also, I hate being that person who focuses on wanting to attend a prestigious school because I know prestige and rankings aren’t everything, but I’ve always loved learning and dreamed of going to a school with like-minded people who are driven to succeed.

If you’re an underclassman like me, PLEASE don’t go searching for college information and spend all your time on College Confidential and Reddit. It will make you crazy like it did to me. I know it’s hypocritical since I still spend time on those sites, but it’s because they do have some uses- use them sparingly and with specific questions in mind, if at all. I promise you will end up doing fine without them; just work hard, make the most of the opportunities available to you, and do things that you enjoy doing just for the sake of it.

-Brooke

How to Succeed in AP Euro

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

Frankly, school has been kicking my butt lately. I’m not sure if any of you can relate, but I have a feeling most of you can. This year I am taking AP European History, and it’s been both a great and a horrible experience at the same time. A quick pro and con list to sum it up:

PROS: I have a great, hilarious teacher, history is one of my favorite subjects, I’m actually doing pretty well in it, there’s no homework

CONS: The pace is super fast which means constant studying and review, no homework means tests matter way more in the gradebook, it’s still a lot of work even though there’s no homework

That being said, I’ve picked up a few tips for this class in the past couple months. If you’re in the same boat as me or are planning on taking AP Euro in the future, keep on reading!

  • Write down the significance of things rather than a lengthier definition – Obviously you still need to know the definition of people/events/etc., but it’s more important that you know the impact they have on the country and other people involved. I would focus more on the “why” of things instead of the “what”.
  • Constantly be adding to your notes/reviewing – I honestly don’t do this as much as I should, but it helps if you ever have the time to. Going back to your notes and adding another detail gets your brain even more familiar with the topic; even just re-wording things so they’re easier to understand can help.
  • Read after the lectures/lessons – I find that my teacher is better at explaining things so that I actually understand them, whereas the book just has more details packed in. If I try to read from the textbook first, I usually don’t really grasp what’s going on. Again, the reading honestly isn’t required (unless your teacher says it is) but if you have the time to do it/are planning on it, I would do it AFTER lectures occur.
  • Reteach the material to yourself – This can be through adding to your notes or reading after a lesson like I already suggested, but what helps me the most is to talk through everything to myself. I find or make a list of the most important topics we talked about in a chapter or unit, and I just explain everything to myself using all the details and facts I know. It makes you more confident that you actually do know what you’re talking about.
  • Use Quizlet – I know I talk about Quizlet in every study help post, but I have a different strategy with Quizlet here. AP Euro is obviously a popular class and all schools teach it a little differently- there are SO many Quizlets for any possible Euro topic, so if you ever need more information on something, look up a Quizlet. Sometimes I do this for my notes or my study guides when I feel like I’m missing information on a certain person.

I honestly love history classes, but I’m not the best at managing my time studying for them. I’ve really tried to work on that this year with Euro, and I hope all of you taking the class are thriving as well! Let me know if you have any questions or any Euro-specific tips you or your teachers utilize.

-Brooke

1st Quarter Reflections: Sophomore Year

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

I mentioned in my last post that the first quarter of the academic year is officially complete at my school, and I’m kind of in awe of that. The holidays are approaching, everyone is beginning to hit their stride and settle into routine, and I have to accept that I’m actually a sophomore.

Now that we’re at this point in the year, I wanted to talk a little bit about where my mind is at and how I’m feeling about school this year so far. I’m actually kind of conflicted on whether I think time is going by quickly or slowly, but either way- here we are! Homecoming and football season have passed, it’s about to be Halloween, the initial beginning of the year has passed. We’re really getting into the thick of the school year…where the work piles on.

One of the main things I’ve been thinking about lately is that at the moment, I’m not planning on doing cheer next year, meaning that right now I’m going through my last few months of doing a school sport and being on the cheer team. Cheer has been a huge part of my life both inside and outside of school since the beginning of eighth grade, and it’s weird to think that right now I’m experiencing some of my “lasts” in the sport- last homecoming as a cheerleader, last football game as a cheerleader, last rally as a cheerleader, etc. I feel like the weirdest part is all of these things are events I’ll still be attending, I’ll just be on the other side of the fence.

Even though I know that stopping cheer after this year is probably the best decision for me since it will alleviate some stress and free up some time in my busy schedule for other activities I enjoy more, I’m still reluctant to leave it. All of the other activities I’m currently doing I either started at some point in freshman year or later, whereas cheer I’ve been doing since the beginning of eighth grade, as I stated. It feels strange and sad to let go of the activity I’ve been doing the longest (and it makes me feel like a quitter/like I’m not committed to anything), but I have to shake those thoughts and remember it really is the right thing to do, at least for me.

Speaking of making the right decisions and alleviating stress, I’ve really been struggling with time management and finding a balance. I give lots of productivity tips on this blog and I talk about the importance of finding a balance, but this year my balance has been constantly teetering. Some weeks are insanely busy and I have no time to socialize, but others are super laid-back and I’ve been able to spend my whole weekend with friends. Some of it is bad planning on my end, but some of it is just how it is with the school events and my strict cheer schedule; it’s hard to figure out my individual schedule when I don’t actually have that much control over it.

School has definitely been a lot harder academically as well this year. I spend a lot more time doing homework, and even though I’m still doing well in my classes, I’m not excelling at the level I was last year. I just don’t have hours to put into studying anymore, and it doesn’t help that the content of my classes this year overall is harder. I’ve done my best to stay organized and I’ve gotten better at using the amount of time that I do have to study as effectively as possible, but it’s another issue with balance.

The last thing I want to add about these past ten weeks or so is that I’ve realized that everyone has their unique struggles. I know, I know- that’s a cliché that everyone says/knows. But guess what? It’s true. The reason I’m mentioning it here is because there’s been someone I’ve looked up to for a while- she just seemed like the perfect student and perfect at everything else she did. I’ve recently discovered that although yes, there are always going to be people that are smarter/prettier/funnier/more well-liked than you are, everyone really is going through their own self-comparisons and other issues. Remember that next time you catch yourself making comparisons, and have a wonderfully productive day!

-Brooke

Sophomore Year FAQ

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I am now officially one quarter done with my sophomore year. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but time is flying by. I figured I would answer some common questions I hear or questions that I would’ve liked to ask before entering this year. If you’re a curious freshman or a sophomore just wanting to see someone else’s perspective, keep on reading.

  • Is it a lot harder than freshman year? Unexpectedly, yes. I thought freshman year was hard in the moment, but academics-wise it was a lot easier. I was swamped with work from the first week of school this year. That being said, freshman year has its own challenges with the adjustment to high school and everything that comes with that, so I guess it kind of evens out.
  • Do you really start to hate freshmen as soon as you’re not one anymore? Kind of. The whole joke/thing about hating freshmen isn’t really a major thing as I’ve mentioned before, but it’s definitely there. You begin to realize how much you’ve matured since being a freshman and how annoying you were last year when you see the incoming class, but it’s not like you automatically hate all of them. I’ve actually met a few really kind and amazing freshmen!
  • Is it easier to get leadership positions/get involved? Definitely!! I think it’s more natural since you’re more familiar with all the activities and options available at your school. I’m kind of shy and not a natural leader in general so I haven’t really experienced this benefits of this, but I know a lot of people in my grade have been able to start clubs this year or initiate change in some other ways, which is pretty cool.
  • Have you maintained a relationship with your freshman year teachers? I have, but not with all of them. My geometry teacher is currently on maternity leave, and I was never a big fan of my science teacher. That being said, I try and visit my English teacher often because I absolutely adored her and miss her class a lot, I have the same Spanish teacher as I did last year, and I tutor in the history center at my school which is run by my old AP Human Geo teacher so I still talk to him when I’m there. I really loved the majority of my teachers last year and I honestly do miss their classes, so it’s important to me to go catch up with them once in a while.
  • Do sophomores have more school spirit? Some do, but honestly not the majority at my school. I was hoping we would since as freshmen everyone is clueless and doesn’t know whether it’s “uncool” to participate in spirit stuff, but I think it depends on the spirit “culture” at your school in general; our rival school is known to be amazingly spirited throughout all grades so the legacy always carries over, but our school is kind of known for being a bit lame with that stuff. Don’t get me wrong, the seniors are super spirited, but you still won’t catch the sophomores being even close to winning the spirit competitions.

These are just a few common questions I often pondered before the start of this year, so hopefully it can help some of you out there. Fellow sophomores- let me know if you agree or disagree with any of this and go class of 2022!

-Brooke

Should You Do the Suggested Reading? Guide by Class

BrookeLeave a comment

Welcome back everyone!

We all have those classes where the teacher assigns long readings in the textbook that you literally cannot force yourself to read… and we all procrastinate or try to find ways to avoid doing that reading. I’ve been there, and I’m still there- that’s why I figured I would make this simple yes or no guide to whether you really need to do the suggested reading.

Note that this is for reading that is not completely required- if you have to read a book for English, I would DEFINITELY recommend that you do it. You can always use SparkNotes and similar summary sites if you’re in a time crunch, but reading for English is what ultimately helps you understand the book and later analyze it in essays.

YES, you should do the reading if…

  • It’s not long
  • You have time
  • The teacher hints the material will be on the test
  • The class is lecture-based and the text will help you understand the lecture
  • You’re expected to take notes on it
  • Reading actually helps you learn
  • You can easily learn the information elsewhere/through summaries

NO, you shouldn’t bother doing the reading if…

  • It’s unreasonably long
  • You don’t have time
  • You don’t need to take notes
  • It’s supposed to be your suggested form of “studying” – other methods are more effective!
  • The class isn’t lecture-based and you do other, more stimulating activities in class
  • Reading doesn’t help you and you won’t be fully paying attention
  • It’s complex and can’t be learned through summaries/other shortcut methods

I know this is a short post, but I wanted to make a straight-forward guide that would help you guys answer this age-old question. My AP Euro teacher always suggests that we read the textbook chapter correlating with our current unit, but I only do it if I have time since it’s just a mini-review of everything we discuss in class, only in more technical terms and a more boring textbook format.

-Brooke

How to Look Decent/Socially Acceptable for School Without Trying

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

This is about the point in the year where everyone stops trying to put together stylish outfits, and starts to get lazy with their appearance at school. Waking up at 6:00 everyday is hard, but actually trying to look good at that hour is harder. It’s totally fine to not care about your appearance and show up to school in sweats everyday- believe me, I’ve done my fair share of that. Today, I’m going to give you some quick tips on how to get ready and look good without putting in a lot of effort.

  • Pick out your outfit the night before – This saves SO much time; I’m not sure how, but it does. Make it a part of your normal night routine and it becomes super easy. As you’re getting into your pajamas, look at the weather app on your phone and just pull out your outfit for the morning as well. I feel like when you’re awake and in that mindset, it’s easier to put something together than when you’re still half-asleep before school.
  • Know your favorite clothing pieces/basics – This also makes it easier to put together an outfit. I have my few favorite shirts/sweaters/jackets/pants/shorts/skirts, so I can easily mix and match when I don’t know what to wear. I honestly wear the same pieces every week, just mixed up in different ways and tailored to fit the weather.
  • Color-coordinate – If you want a way to make your outfit look way more stylish than it really is, this is it. I personally like coordinating my shirt color to my shoes, and my jacket (if I’m wearing one) to my bottoms, but it depends on what you want. This makes you look like you know what you’re doing, and it doesn’t take anymore time than picking out a random, mismatched outfit.
  • Master easy hairstyles – Some examples are high ponytails, side braids, half-up half-down, and messy buns. These are easy, and paired with the right look, will still look cute. Wearing your hair down is also completely fine as long as it’s brushed and washed/decently clean.
  • Wear minimal makeup (or none!) – I don’t wear makeup to school ever- it’s just too much work, I touch my face too much during the day, I have cheer after school, and I don’t care enough. I would suggest only wearing mascara, lip gloss, and concealer if anything if you’re in a rush/not wanting to try, but going bare-faced is honestly a great thing to do for your skin!
  • Keep up with hygiene/cleanliness – I know this is obvious, but I just thought I would throw it out there. Make sure you’re showering everyday or every other day and washing your hair however often you do (I have super oily hair so I do it everyday, but I know it’s not the best to do it too often). Keep up with brushing your teeth, washing your face, etc- having whiter teeth and clearer skin also makes you look so much better without trying!
  • Accessorize (again, keeping it simple though) – If you still need something extra to elevate your look, add a piece of jewelry. Similar to having a few favorite clothing pieces, I have a few favorite jewelry pieces I can throw on if I’m wearing a plain outfit. Putting on a simple necklace, bracelet, or even hair accessory can add so much to your look, especially if it color-coordinates!

Since I started high school, I’ve been all about trying to master looking as good as possible with the least amount of effort. Some days it doesn’t work out and I end up wearing sweatpants for the fifth day in a row, but hey, that’s just as acceptable! Also, it’s completely fine to want to put lots of effort into your appearance, wear makeup to school, etc. Take pride in your appearance and present yourself the way you want to be seen, whatever that is.

-Brooke

New, Early AP Test Registration – A Student’s View

BrookeLeave a comment

Hello everyone!

I touched on the topic of early AP test registration in my last post (which you should also go check out if you haven’t!), but I didn’t go super into depth or give my personal opinion on it. I’ll get things started by saying that frankly, I’m not the biggest fan.

Basically, AP test signups used to be in March, towards the end of the school year and only a couple months before the test; you would be almost done with the course, and have a pretty good idea of whether you wanted to actually take the test or not, based on how you thought you would do on it. Now, the deadline to sign up for your tests is November 15th, and late registration will have a fee of $40 (per test, I believe?). There’s also a $40 fee if you sign up but don’t end up taking the exam.

The registration process has had an overhaul in general. You now sign up through your AP class to an “AP classroom” online and register for the test there, and you also do the normal registration paperwork/payment, so it’s a two-step process. There are quite a few reasons why all these changes are inconvenient and somewhat ridiculous, which I will list here.

  • It burdens low-income students – Low-income students will have to decide faster whether it’s worth it for them to take the exam, and will have less time to save up/get the money to pay for the tests. I feel like these earlier test dates are just another thing that will stress out these groups, and many people have pointed this out as being a problem.
  • Students may end up dropping the class – If you end up dropping the class or struggling in it, you may not want to take the exam- especially if you don’t think you’re going to pass. Lots of people may end up dropping an AP class or not doing so well in it around the first semester mark, when they will already have had to sign up and pay for their test.
  • Self-studying becomes more complicated – I personally experienced this, but it luckily wasn’t even too complicated because my school does offer the AP class that I needed to sign up for. This probably isn’t the case at lots of other schools where people are self-studying though; if your school doesn’t offer AP classes, specifically the ones you are self-studying, you’ll have to find a school that does, AND a specific teacher who you can sign up online through.
  • Seniors haven’t finished college applications – Lots of seniors decide whether or not to take AP tests based on the colleges they are applying to/get accepted to/are attending and their individual policies on accepting APs for college credit. If you have to sign up by November, you might not have even sent out all your college applications. I guess you can still weigh it based on the colleges you’re interested in, but this just seems like an unnecessary stress put on seniors.

Overall, this decision just seems like a major cash-grab by the College Board. Since they really do have a monopoly on the whole standardized testing scene for the most part, it’s something they can do. They claim it’s not about profit and it’s actually about motivating students and giving everyone an equal chance for success on the tests, but I don’t see how this decision would correlate to that. Feel free to share your thoughts with me!
-Brooke