Author: kmontgomery

Did you know that one in three students end up transferring after their first year in college? Do you know why that is? Students often focus on which institution is the right match, but don’t carefully evaluate if the institution is the right fit. Let’s break down the difference between “match” vs. “fit.” When researching colleges, it’s important to know which ones are the correct “match,” meaning do your test scores, extracurriculars, and GPA meet the school’s expectations of students who apply? Finding the right college “fit” is a different story. First decide what you want out of your college experience. Ask yourself some of these questions:

Does this school have my preferred major?

Is a football team important?

Does the school have greek life?

What is the student to professor ratio?

What is the size of the school?

Can I bring my car as a freshman?

Are there a lot of campus activities to get involved in?

Is the location of the school a deal breaker for me?

Is there available financial aid?

Is the student body diverse?

Do I feel safe when walking around on campus?

Is there a strong career center to help me find a job after I graduate?

There is not a one size fits all college. These questions are a good starting point, but there are many other questions you need to ask yourself. Know what is important to you in a college experience and decide whether or not the schools on your target list meet your expectations!

As a high school student, conversations around the topic of money are not usually had with friends or family. Why is this? One big reason for this is because our education system in America places little importance on financial literacy in the classroom. Currently, only twenty one states in America require a personal finance course. If parents don’t discuss financial basics with their high school student either, then many are leaving high school without a foundational knowledge about money. This can be detrimental for many.

When I entered college, I didn’t know the difference between a debit card and credit card. I didn’t understand interest. I didn’t know why it was important to have a budget or savings account! Listen folks, my decisions would have looked very different had I known more about money.

In order to set yourself up for financial success in the future, take note of some important advice.

• Start a saving’s account while you are in high school! Time is a precious commodity. You have the time to start saving money while you are free from having to pay rent or bills. Maybe you babysit or lifeguard in the summer, and although it may not seem like a lot of money, at least it’s something. You will be happy you put that money aside one day.
• Do comparison shopping. Before opening that savings or checking account, research different banks to see which ones charge the least amount for routine monthly maintenance fees. Most banks charge you a fee for holding your money unless you maintain a certain balance throughout the month.
• Download a budget app like Mint or YNAB. Learning how to budget now will keep you on track when your financial responsibilities increase later.
• Don’t spend money you don’t have. Once you get your first credit card (you have to wait until you are 18), don’t use your credit card on purchases you won’t be able to pay off. The APR (annual percentage rate) for credit cards is usually VERY high. That means if you don’t pay your balance off in FULL each month, you will start accruing interest on the total balance. It’s simple- don’t spend money you don’t have. Use credit cards to build a good credit score. 
• Build a good credit score. If you don’t pay the balances off on your credit cards, your credit score will go down. Your credit score is determined by many different factors, but the important thing to remember is this:
  • Some employers do credit checks on potential hires
  • Apartment complexes run a credit check on potential tenants
  • Loan officers run a credit check to see if you are a high risk or not. This could affect whether or not you are approved for a high or low interest school, car, or home loan.

Your credit score will follow you EVERYWHERE!

I’m sure you have heard people say, “Adulting is tough. I have so many responsibilities and I wish I had someone to help with the bills.” Being an adult has its perks but it also comes with a bucket full of responsibilities. As a high schooler, I’m sure you are exercising a lot of freedom from the influence or control of many people, except for your parents or guardians. It’s natural to desire independence from those who raised you, but remember that life will really change when you are no longer under their roof.

Take advantage of living at home. Embrace the opportunity to save money, learn new skills, and plan for your future without having the full responsibilities of an adult. Your time will come. For now, focus on who you are as a person.

 What are your values and interests? Who do you want to become? What changes do you want to bring about in this world? Leverage the resource of time. Use this time wisely as you plan and prepare for college in the next two to three years. Use this time to gear up for what is to come. Most adults wish they could go back in time and make different decisions. It’s just you right now. You don’t have a husband, wife, or kids. Take this time to focus on YOU!

How can you become more of an independent thinker? What are your weaknesses? How can you challenge yourself to grow? Adulting is not all that it is cracked up to be. Focus on developing an independent mind first. Push yourself to read books and explore all your future options after high school. If your mind grows and matures, you will already be ahead of the game when true adulting begins.

Throughout your time as a Crosby Scholar, you will continue to hear about the academy topics that we offer. Our personal enrichment and academic workshops are called academies and we strive to prepare topics that will prepare students for success.

The goal is to expose our students to an array of topics that will produce self-awareness, academic success, an acknowledgement of resources, and the ability to choose the right path after high school. So what are some of those topics?

• Financial literacy
• Time management
• Study skills
• ACT/SAT Prep
• FAFSA completion
• Essay writing
• Scholarship searches
• Mental health
• Tips for success
• Career exploration
• Healthcare
• Engineering
• Perseverance

This list of topics does not cover all the ones we offer! We are constantly developing new topics so that our students are getting the best, most relevant information. Make sure you are logging into your Student Portal to register for an academy!

Are you the type of person who gives up after failing the first time? Do you feel defeated when life doesn’t go your way? If you are easily numbed by setbacks and are unable to reach your goals, begin to reflect on the word resilience and why it’s important. Life will always throw you curve balls and disappointment is inevitable. How can we be better prepared?

By definition, resilience is the capacity to recover quickly after enduring difficulties in life. In order to be resilient, you must take an active role in protecting yourself from the negative effects of stressors. Developing the right behaviors and positive perspectives during times of hardship will enable you to bounce back more quickly.

Think about your life. Have you struggled with the loss of a relationship? Maybe someone close to you is no longer around. Maybe you fight mental illness or perhaps you made a decision last year to hang out with the wrong group of people and you have now become the worst version of yourself. I know what you’re probably thinking out loud…”some people may not have the tools to push through hardship, Ms. Montgomery. They might not have the mental capacity or the right support system.” Well, you’re right. Regardless of your personal situation, you have the decision to develop skills that will protect you when circumstances are tough.

1. Accept what is and embrace change. I like to think of the word redirection. If your current strategy isn’t working, re-strategize. Know what you can control and what you can’t control in life.
2. Build strong relationships. Invest in people that will invest back.
3. Find your purpose in life.
4.  Push in and through the problem instead of around it. Deal with the pain instead of suppressing it. You will recover more quickly.
5. Don’t relive the event. This will not propel you forward.
6. Overcome your fears. Push yourself to try things that scare you, like public speaking. This is having a growth mindset.
7. Practice expressive writing. You will gain new insights.
8. Be kind to yourself. Take care of yourself mentally and physically.
9. Cultivate forgiveness if someone has wronged you.
10. Practice meditation

When looking back on my own life, it’s helpful to identify seasons of growth. What happened during those times? Did I have a positive perspective and embrace change and new challenges? Yes. In times of hardship, how long did I stay in a broken place? How resilient was I during those times? Learn from past mistakes, press forward towards your goals, and strive to grow and learn daily.

The college search and application process can be a difficult one to start without knowing what your first steps should be. Parents and high school seniors tend to feel overwhelmed before beginning the process because they don’t know where to start. Crosby Scholars exists to help ease the inevitable anxiety that joins students and parents!

Here is some important advice before writing down your target list of colleges- choose the program, not the school. If you get too hung up on the school name, you might make a terrible decision. For the most part, employers look for the degree you received. They care more about the degree than the school you attended. I have worked with many seniors who have an unwavering desire to attend a specific school. Well, that dream school doesn’t always have the program or major they would like to pursue and they still choose that school. Yes, the school you attend must be a good “match” (academically and financially) and a good “fit” (desired location, size, etc), but you shouldn’t base your decision solely on the school name. Our culture tends to tell us that labels matter. Well, they don’t. Tear off the labels.

 Some students are willing to go into major student loan debt because the school becomes more important than the degree. Approach this with a cost-benefit analysis. If you leave school with a debt you will struggle to ever pay back, reconsider the school you are choosing. Will the salary of your desired career enable you to pay it off in ten years? What is more important- claps for attending a school with a good reputation or a freedom from crippling school loans throughout your adulthood? Student loans ARE NOT BAD. I want to be clear about this. Make sure you are practicing SMART loan borrowing. Research, research, research! Does your dream school have the program you would like to pursue? Have you thought through the financial side of things? Do the pros outweigh the cons? Talk to several people you trust as you navigate this process.

Back in high school, my summers consisted of socializing with friends, sleeping in every day, and laying poolside. Although I look back on those times with fond memories, I regret not making my summers count.

Whether you enjoy cooking, robotics, theater, or basketball, there’s always a summer enrichment program out there for you to join. If you wish to hone skills, explore your interests, create a new passion, or even meet friends, summer enrichment programs will help you do just that. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, virtual enrichment programs are becoming an option for students as well. Many summer enrichment programs are held on college campuses. So, you not only get to enjoy experiential learning, you also get the chance to see what a college dorm is really like! If you get to live on a college campus for a week while still in high school, the transition from high school to college will be much easier!

Are you curious about how to research different summer enrichment opportunities? CFNC has a great search tool. You can search by location and interest. Try looking at the different opportunities being offered at your college or university of interest. Utilize the time you have over summer to deepen your learning and life experiences!

Are you frustrated with your academic record so far? Do you wish to make better grades in the future? Maybe you are satisfied with your grades, but you would like to raise the bar a little higher and instead of making straight B’s, start throwing some A’s in the mix. If you have not discovered what type of learner you are, now is the time! Understanding how you process and learn information will help you navigate the study methods that work for you.

Maybe you are a visual learner because you have the ability to synthesize information presented to you through visuals such as charts or graphs. Data is best understood through various visualizations.

Maybe you are an auditory learner because you find that taking notes in class is a distraction. Perhaps you feel that you can remember information being taught if you can maintain your attention and not be distracted. You might be an auditory learner if you find group activities helpful, when you can discuss the material with others.

If you are a reading or writing learner, you might find that taking notes and looking through powerpoint slides helps you recall the information for the test. This is my learning style. I process information as I write it down, so taking notes is absolutely paramount to my success.

Maybe you are a kinesthetic learner, one who has to take a hands on approach to learning. For you, interactive learning is key.

So what do you do after understanding your learning style? Research different study methods that work for your learning style. Need somewhere to start? Here are several study techniques that are inspired by the research of Barbara Oakley, presented in her book, A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel in Math and Science(Even if you Flunked Algebra).

1. Use recall. After you read a page in a book, look away from the page and try to recall the main ideas. You can think through them or say them out loud.
2. Test yourself. Create a practice test or make some notecards.
3. Chunking the material. Group large amounts of information in smaller sections in order to memorize it more effectively.
4. Space out your repetition. Don’t spend an excessive amount of time studying just one subject but divide your study time with several.
5. Take breaks. You can’t study for five hours straight without a break. Take little breaks along the way! Just like an athlete needs a break from physical exertion, your brain needs a break, too.
6. Use simple analogies to explain complex concepts. Try to think of a way to explain the concept to a ten year old. The additional effort you put into explaining it allows you to encode (converting neural memory structures) what you have learned.
7. Focus. Turn off your phone for thirty minutes at a time so that you aren’t distracted. If you are constantly distracted during your study time, you will not be effective. During each break, give yourself a small reward.
8. DO THE HARD WORK FIRST! While you have the most energy, focus on the harder stuff earlier on in the day.