Parents are often afraid that summer vacation will render their children’s minds into mush. Plus, the indulgence in what can be considered mindless activities, like playing video games, for hours on end is a seeming threat to a kid’s long term college admissions competitiveness. Realistically, most students brains, nor their chances for college admissions, were…
Tag: Summer
Ahead of the Curve: June 14, 2014
Inspired by CMC Clients: To tour or not? Summer is a convenient time for families to visit colleges, yet also is not ideal for experiencing a more authentic view of campuses, as college students are on break too. Empty buildings and deserted pathways demonstrate the majesty of a college, however not necessarily the vitality. Since teens, who may prize…
Ahead of the Curve: May 3, 2014
Inspired by Creative Marbles Clients: More often, clients are asking, “How do I pay for college?” The idea that 10-30% of their yearly income will go toward college expenses is a tough nut to swallow for any family. While the answer to parents’ question is more complex than this post, in short, planning, planning and more…
Ahead of the Curve: February 7, 2014
From Our Clients: SAT and ACT Prep: Each day, I talk with at least one parent concerned that their kid is not doing enough preparation for the SAT or ACT, who asks for advice how to motivate their kid to practice SAT and ACT questions. For most teens, the intention to prepare for the SAT…
Aging Doesn’t Have to Mean Old
Why is five, more alive, than sixty-five? As children, wisdom is simple, not contrived. You’d think that with age comes wisdom, not so. Somewhere along the way, wisdom dissolves into reason and logic, as my friends’ daughter reminded me the other evening.
“Summer Reading” Is Not An Oxymoron
As summer vacation begins, so too does the back and forth negotiation to complete summer reading assignments. Even for avid readers, summer reading assignments can sap the pleasure derived from reading. Both parents and teens know all the logical, rational reasons TO complete summer reading sooner rather than later, but there’s that part of the…
3…2…1…Liftoff! Launching the Class of 2013
Commencements can be bittersweet moments–a celebration of accomplishments, while simultaneously a doorway into a new unknown. The following are words of wisdom from graduation festivities around the United States, as the Class of 2013 enters the world with new knowledge and greater experience. And, for posterity, I added my two cents. President Barak Obama, Morehouse University:…
Guest Post: Cultural Musings
Many high school and college students intend to study abroad, with only vague notions of foreign escapades and intrigue, as a sort of extended tourist vacation. Haven, a current New York University Sophomore and former Creative Marbles Consultancy client, agreed to share a more detailed picture for students wishing to live and study internationally, while…
Sleep, More Sleep and Summer Camp: A Teen’s Summer Vacation Agenda
The months long stretch of unscheduled summer vacation can be enticing to both teens and their parents. For teens, the idea of sleeping in until afternoon and no pressure about daily homework assignments is enthralling. For parents, summer can be an unrestricted time to explore other academic interests and hobbies. (And, in fairness, for teens…
The Ups & Downs of Being Well-Rounded
As freshmen and sophomores in high school, college admissions is focused on being eligible for application. The academic classes that need completing (also known as A-G requirements for the UC & CSU systems), as well as extracurricular activities that are included in any college application means that most applicants are going to start looking the…
Technology + Creativity = Digital Art
From a team of collaborators, led by the visionary creator, Antonin Fourneau, was born a creative work that recently lit up the city of Poitiers, France. Who would’ve imagined that one could combine water and LED lights to create an art canvas? Artistic night owls, rejoice!
Back To School…More Complex Than Buying New Notebooks
BACK TO SCHOOL: Three words that can send excited nerves through a student’s, parent’s and teacher’s bodies. Students may lament, yet their friends are waiting on campus, after all. At the same time, there’s a frenzy of last minute summer reading and assignment completion while parents buzz in the background, brimming with “I told you…
“Parent Involvement”: Only for Bake Sales?
The recently upheld “Parent Trigger” law in California, which allows a 50% + 1 majority of parents at a state defined “failing” school and/or incoming feeder school to petition to change the school to a Charter, fire the principal and staff, close the school or restructure the school, gives parents additional tools to shape their…
Location, Location, Location: Keystone to College Selection
To tour or not to tour? What activities should be arranged when visiting colleges and new cities? These questions and more are answered by Art Baird & Julie Nguyen, Creative Marbles CEO & CFO respectively, in the following podcast, after their return from visiting Chicago area universities. For more information, listen to our previous podcast.
“A Spoonful of Hope Makes Move In Day Go Down…”
“The last step in parental love involves the release of the beloved.” -Lewis Mumford Easy words to read; difficult words to carry out in practice. Parents all over the country are preparing for their offspring moves to colleges and residence halls. Roommate assignments are arriving. Shopping trips for new bedspreads, stacking crates, power strips, and…