College

• Homeschoolers, Psychology is:

  08 May 2012 / College, High School, News / 1 Comment

  I am a 24-year veteran of homeschooling and also work as a counselor at a Christian practice.

  I'd like to tell my homeschool friends about psychology. Psychology is:

  Perception 

  Optical illusions are tricks our eyes and brains play on us. Our perception of things is affected by what we expect to see. This is psychology.

  Learning

  How we learn and what we learn is controlled by the brain, among other things. Understanding how we learn: this is psychology.

  Communication

  Understanding effective ways to speak and listen: this is psychology.

  Genetics

  Why does our body affect our moods and our moods affect our body? This is psychology.

  Needs and Motivation

  What do we need to thrive emotionally and why do we want what we want? This is psychology.

  Personality

  Who are you and what are you like? What do you like? This is psychology.

  Sleep and Dreams

  Alpha waves and REM are part of the brain's work in sleeping. This is psychology.                                     

  Helping Others

  This is my job. I love it. I love to be used by God to ease another person's pain. This is psychology.

  Help your teen discover God's handiwork in creating human brains and souls. That is the purpose of our 7 Sisters Psychology from a Christian Worldview. This 1/2 credit course help students meet transcript requirements while gaining some useful-for-life information.

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  Here's my talk for seniors who are getting ready to go off to college.

   

   

  
  

   

• Why I Am Glad That My Homeschool Graduate is NOT Going to College

  04 October 2011 / Career Exploration, College, High School, Personal Growth, Reviews / 12 Comments

  Homeschoolers tend to feel that they have to prove something to the world...or perhaps to themselves...when it comes to THE NEXT STEP after graduation.  The challenge of sending our homeschool graduates to college looms over us all during high school.  We want our kids to be equipped and ready to conquer when they graduate from our homeschools.

  One of my kids did NOT go to college after he graduated, and I am happy about it. (You can click on the link if you'd like to read more about his plans.)

  Yup, I am happy about it.  Here's why.

  It seems to me that in our society college has become a sort of idol.  We are tempted to think that if a young adult goes to college and earns a four-year degree, we can feel confident that he or she is now set, secure, and guaranteed opportunities for independence, productivity and respectability in life.

  The truth is this (in my humble opinion):

  * College is not necessary for many solid career choices (trade schools are an awesome and often-overlooked resource.  Click here for more on that topic.)

  * College is not a good fit for some people, especially not immediately after high school.

  * College can be a wasted experience if the fit is not right between the student and the course of study.

  * College costs a lot of money, and for a student who is not awarded significant scholarship money, the debt incurred can be crippling.

  Before you brand me a heretic and bring out the tar and feathers, give it some thought.  I am certainly a big fan of higher education (I have two kids in undergraduate school right now, and one in dental school).  But college is NOT a guarantee that my child will have a successful adult life.

  What provides a guarantee of success in adulthood?  A commitment to the Lord and a willingness to obey His perfect plans for each day He gives us is the only place of security.

  My son graduated from our homeschool with a number of goals before him, and none of them seemed best served by an immediate application to college.  Instead, he pursued a trade with which he can earn money while he explores various avenues for the use of the gifts and abilities God has given him.  I believe that, for him, going directly from high school to college would have been a waste of time and money, and a frustrating detour from the path God was revealing to him for the next steps in his life.

  

  The future's looking bright for Jake...he has to wear shades!

  If the time comes that my son needs a college degree to continue on God's path for him, I have no doubt that he will apply to schools, take placement tests, gain acceptance in a good school and earn that degree.  But in the meantime, it would be a fear-reaction on my part to insist that college is the next step for right now.

  Are we trusting God with our kids as they head into adulthood, or are we tempted to bow down before the false security that a college degree appears to offer?  What do you think?

   

   

  For a review of Williamson Free Trade School in Media, PA, click here.  This is not an endorsed post (and my son didn't even go to Williamson!), it's just information 7 Sisters hopes you will find interesting and helpful.

   

  

• 5 Tips for Making Friends in College

  22 August 2011 / College / 4 Comments

  My kids who have gone off to college have shared some tips they used for making friend in college. Here are the top 5:

  1. Keep your dorm room open when you are in the room        

  

  My oldest learned to keep his dorm room open when he was in the room

  
  

  An open dorm door is an invitation for a visit! Even new students say "hi" when there is an open door.

  2. Join 2 groups or organizations

  The value of this is what we call "proximal play". If you participate in activities together, friendships naturally form over time.

  My kids have participated in choir, orchestra, praise team, outreaches to the poor, slow-food alliances, nature groups, history clubs, missions trips. You don't have to be passionately interested- you just need activity!

  3. Make ritual/routine events

  Human beings tend to love ritual. Here are a couple of fun friend-making ideas various kids have used:

  - lunch table (Invite students who are sitting alone to join you and/or kids from your dorm floor and classes. Over time, everyone will know to meet at a certain time and certain table. This gives great opportunity for talking and laughing together.)

  - bedtime stories (My daughter and her friends periodically had read-alouds at night with favorite old stories like the Chronicles of Narnia. It attracted a good crowd!)

  4. Join department excursions                                                                  

  

  Daughter and her college friends

  
  

  This is a good chance to make friends within your own major. Time and experiences help friendships to form. Go- even if you are not all that interested in the topic!

  5. Participate in dorm activities

  Dorms often have activities for the students. Some may seem silly, but go. If it is one of those events where people just stand around and chat (like ice cream socials), find someone who is standing alone and introduce yourself. Keep your shoulders back, chin up, and SMILE! Ask about their major and where they are from. Automatic new bud!

  What are some ways you made (or make) friends in college?

  Check out our latest vlog- I talk about Academic Success for Homeschoolers in College. 

  Don't forget to check out the e-bookstore! Lots of high school curriculum, prayer journals, study guides, social skills and helping friends information!

• 5 Tips for Academic Success in College

  18 August 2011 / College, Healthy Living / 0 Comment

  Three of my kids have graduated from college already (all of them magnum cum laude). Over the years, they have shared with me their tips for success in college academics:

  1. Make a schedule      

  

  These 3 of my kids have earned so far: AA, MA, BA

  Don't leave home until you've taken your class schedule and a daily planning calendar and written all your class times down on it. Then add 2 hours study time for each hour of class time (3 hours for writing intensive courses or really difficult courses).

  You can adjust it later, once you find your study rhythms for the semester. Until then, you'll have a good idea of when and how much to study.

  2. Follow your syllabus

  Marilyn's daughter tells about going to her college class one day, the only student in the class prepared for that day's work. That was because she was the only student who read and followed the syllabus. Some teachers never discuss the syllabus but still expect you to follow it.

  

  Oldest and his wife celebrate his PhD

  3. Visit your professors

  My sister is a college prof. She has assigned office hours. She sits and waits and hopes students will visit.

  My kids learned to visit their profs frequently. They would drop by and ask questions about stuff they did not understand. They would continue interesting class discussions. One even asked professors to took over the rough drafts of his papers. 

  The benefit of visiting profs is that it gives you favor in the teachers' eyes. That helps if you are on the line between an A and a B.

  4. Volunteer in the department office

  Sometime early in the first semester, go to your academic department office and volunteer to help out a couple of hours per week. Make yourself available for taking out trash, making go-fer runs, or helping a prof or grad student. 

  During my youth, I volunteered in my department office and was assigned to work with a grad student doing field research on birds. It was SO much fun and opened some cool doors.

  5) Study and play                                    

  

  Daughter with Navy husband and younger brother (still in college)

  In college, your career is studying. So study hard.

  But all study and no play leads to stressed out brain cells (which means foggy brains during tests). Daily schedule in some free time. (One of my sons had play time on his calendar. At 8 pm, he put away the books and spent time with friends. He could do that because he had studied hard the rest of the day.)

  For those of you with kids in college: What are their tips for success? What are yours?

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