By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. Going back to school as an adult can be an incredible experience that leads to career and personal growth (and usually, a salary boost). But, going back to school as an adult requires adequate preparation and new strategies. Maybe you’re pursuing …
Why School Is Hard: 7 Invisible Traps That Make School Feel Impossible
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. We all know that tests can be hard. Obviously. But for many students, the real reason school feels hard isn’t the work itself: it’s everything around the work that’s the real challenge. The things no one talks about. The invisible stuff. …
What’s a Personal Operating System (and Why Every Student Needs One)
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. A personal operating system is a set of habits, routines, processes, tools and self-maintenance strategies that we use to manage our lives. Just like a computer needs an operating system (OS) to run programs and process information efficiently, students need a …
How to Clean Up Your Digital Profile Before College (5 Steps You Shouldn’t Ignore)
Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. As you prepare to transition from high school to college, there’s one often-overlooked task that can make a big difference in how you’re perceived by future classmates, professors, and even potential employers: cleaning up your digital profile. In a world where anyone …
10 “Good” School Habits That Seem Smart (But Are Actually Bad)
Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. Some habits feel smart and productive simply because we’ve done them for so long — or because they look like the right thing to do. But not all school habits are created equal. In fact, some of the most common strategies students …
Weekend Routine for Students: 5 Ways to Reduce School Stress (Without Doing More Work)
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. I often see students take one of two approaches to their weekends: They either ignore school completely until the stress and workload catch up with them, or they spend their weekend frantically catching up on everything they didn’t do during the …
How Catastrophic Thinking Wrecks Your Grades (And How to Stop)
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. Does this scenario sound familiar? You bomb a test and it brings down your class grade. That makes you feel bad, so you zone out during the next few classes because you think, “What’s the point? I already failed.” As a …
How to Use Parkinson’s Law to Get Schoolwork Done Faster
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. Have you ever noticed that an assignment due in one week takes one week to complete, but a same-sized assignment due in one day only takes one day to do? This isn’t just a “you” thing. It’s due to a psychological …
What’s the Point of School?
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. I’ve seen this one particular meme a few times now. It’s funny, and I appreciate the humor behind it. Here’s the two-sentence meme: “I’m really glad I learned about parallelograms in high school math instead of how to do my taxes. …
6 Ninja Skills That Will Make You a Better Learner (Now, and in the Future)
By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed. We’re going to talk about skills that will make you a better learner. Yes, this includes study skills. But study skills aren’t just skills to get you through your next exam. Legitimate learning techniques and good school habits will also benefit …