Stop daydreaming about summer! There’s work to be done!

Midterms have come and gone. Spring Break is over. The days are getting warmer, and what’s left of the school year can be counted in weeks.

Students have a tendency to drift as spring arrives. After spending months indoors, the warmer temperatures and shining sun become major distractions, which make it more challenging to focus on schoolwork.

While the school year may be winding down, this is not the time to slack off!

The school year may be coming to close, but there is still time to get better grades. There’s time to study harder. There’s time to complete an extra credit project. There’s time to develop better study skills. And most importantly, there’s still time to make a big difference on the final report card.

If grades need improving, the time to get started is right now! Slacking off now is NOT a good idea. In fact, can be downright dangerous to grades. Students who have worked very hard the entire year, can actually lose their academic footing if they let their focus slip from school.

That’s why it’s important to remain motivated. After all, there are still end-of-year projects, group work, and final exams on the horizon.

The truth is that this is the perfect time to renew a sense of school dedication. Because even though the school year is coming to a close, a lot can be accomplished in the time left.

So stop daydreaming about summer! There’s work to be done! Here’s how to stay motivated (and even pull up grades) in the time left:

1. Dust Off That Agenda. Agendas have kept students organized throughout the school year and now’s not the time to leave them forgotten in lockers or at the bottom of a school bag. Need to renew the drive to succeed? Flip through the agenda for a reminder of everything that has been achieved so far this year.

2. Work Towards a Goal. It’s easy to coast for the rest of the year, but rather than slacking, set a goal and work towards it. Whether it is by fine-tuning study skills or pulling up a math grade, having a goal to work towards makes staying motivated easy.

3. Take On Extra Credit Projects. Students that need a leg up (whether to pull up grades or to secure a university admission) can really benefit from extra credit projects. Talk to teachers about bonus projects or assignments. Teachers look favourably on students who make an effort, and this is especially important when it comes to creating final report cards.

4. Make Better Grades Your Mantra. To get better grades you have to do the work. To do the work, you have to be motivated, which is challenging this time of year. Create daily reminders of what the goal is—write “I want better grades” in your agenda, put it on post its by your bed, and repeat it to yourself while walking the dog. The more you say it, the more you’ll believe it!

5. Get Extra Help. End-of-year projects and exams can stress even the most organized students. Enlist the help of a professional tutor to help manage current workload and learn helpful tips to make studying for finals stress-free. Oxford Learning has many great programs that help students make the rest of this year as successful as possible. Call today and make the rest of this year count!

Jan 13th is the application deadline for university and colleges in Ontario. There may be various application processes and deadlines across Canada and the US, but one thing is always the same—applying to college or university is competitive and stressful! So, with that in mind, we’ve complied 8 tips for stress-free college and university application.

1. Don’t know what you want to study? Don’t worry! A general arts and sciences program is a great way to get a better feel for what your interests are. Colleges and universities have departments in place to help you make the best decisions for you. Be sure to take advantage of these resources—that’s what they’re there for.

2. Pick up the phone. Haven’t heard anything yet? Wondering if your application was received? If possible, find out the expected date when acceptance letters will be sent out to reduce waiting-related stress. Call the registrar’s office. Remember that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Getting answers is better than the stress of wondering.

3. Submit before deadline. Different schools have different regulations and deadlines, but applying before the deadline never hurts.

4. Have a plan/Do your research. Talk to guidance counselors and friends. Request catalogues, visit campuses, and join university and college social media groups. Even after you’ve applied, keep researching and continue to find out as much about the school, the campus, and the departments as possible.

5. Be realistic. If you have a 70% average, applying to schools that have an 85% acceptance averages is not the best strategy. If you know the school’s acceptance averages beforehand, and applied to schools in your range, your acceptance chances increase, which decreases stress levels.

6. Be organized. Keep track of submission dates and expected offer dates. Use an agenda or wall calendar. That way, you’ll know when to start watching for those big envelopes in the mail! Keep all your required submission materials such as student records, essays, and other forms in one place in case you need to refer to them later.

7. Have a back up plan in place. This is not negative—it’s realistic. Didn’t get in? Money fell through? What’s your plan B?

8. Breathe! Once the forms are submitted, relax. Take a deep breath. Take a night off. Then get back to work! High School isn’t over yet and there’s still time to pull up your average and increase your chance of admission!

Tough economic times are afoot. Tough economic times means that we often tighten our belts and eliminate the extras…the luxuries are the first to go. The dinners out, the extra car, the added cable stations…

Whether you are in Canada or the US, Europe or South America, the one thing that isn’t seen as expendable is education. After all, there is only one sure-fire solution to riding the wave of uncertainty for the future…a better education for our children.

We want to protect and to insulate our children from the hardships in life—the best possible way to ensure that this happens is in securing top-notch education for them.

After all, better grades are the best way to ensure that tomorrow’s leaders have a stable future to look forward to.

What can you do, when it seems that the world may be crumbling around you? Give your children a stable ground to stand on. Make sure that they are equipped with the skills that they need to be successful…for today, tomorrow, and for the future.

Education is the way to do this.