It’s August!

Summer is coming to an end, and we all know what that means… school.

Whether it’s your child’s first day of school or your child’s last first day, school is school, and it requires similar things.

There’s of course the essentials such as school supplies shopping and uniform shopping and updating those vaccinations, but what about the things no one tells you about… the little things that fall fall through the crack.

For every student, organization is a huge factor in their academics. Remembering essay deadlines, homework assignments, test dates, projects, and extra curriculars can be a lot for teenagers.

There are numerous ways to get organized, but the two most popular ways are the old fashioned planner method and using technology to your advantage.

Buying a Planner/Organizer

Those of you who rarely use technology will most likely use the classic paper method. But there are different variations and levels of planners.

Some planners are very minimal and keep it simple. Others are much more detailed with yearly,monthly, weekly, and daily overhead views with detail sections and spare scratch paper. Some planners emphasize color coordinating to help you align your activities in groups i.e. school, family, sports, clubs, work.

Each person has a different type of organization they prefer. What may work for one person may not work for the other.

Technology and Organization

Using technology to get organized can be extremely beneficial. Almost everyone now has a smartphone and that is basically all your need. A standard iPhone comes with some apps already pre-installed such as notes, calendar, mail.

With the app store, you can choose which apps can help you stay organized. For example, there’s google calendar, supernote, todoist, google keep, and many more.

The great advantages that you have with being organized with the technology are the useful alerts/reminders you can set, having your digital planner on you at all times, and having the ability to sync your calendars with other people.

While at Firat Education, we mainly use technology to stay organized, we do use revert to paper in certain occasions. Being able to combine both methods may be the best style for you.

 

Again, remember organization is different for each individual. Find what works for you.

 

Last week, we revealed the newly published 5th edition of The Firat Guide. We call it, FG5.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcJUiIH4jy4

For five years, The Firat Guide for high school admissions has provided guidance for:

• College and university admissions offices across the country
• Public and private middle schools
• Parents and students
• Financial and wealth managers
• Realtors and relocation professionals
• Pediatricians and therapists

About FG5

FG5 asks, “are you about to make a 4-year investment or an 8-year one?” Author Ibrahim Firat believes choosing the right fit high school leads to finding the best fit college. FG5 is specifically designed to help families through the rigorous process of private high school admissions in the greater Houston area.

FG5 introduces you to private high school admissions, including the selection process, application process, and the decision phase. Each process is detailed and thorough and ties in to the step-by-step FG5 format.

 

About The Author

Ibrahim is the only school placement consultant in Houston who also specializes in college admissions counseling and standardized testing strategy.

If you plan to read any book or take any advice about high school admissions or placement testing, it should be from someone who is knowledgeable about college admissions. The end goal is not high school. The end goal is the placement of your child into the best fit college of his or her dreams.

Ibrahim is a professional member of IECA and NACAC.

 

Top 5 Benefits of FG5

 

1. Information pertaining to Academics, Athletics, Social Life, College Preparedness on SIXTY schools.
2. Timeline to private high school admissions: When to research, when to take a practice test, when to apply, etc.
3. High School Entrance Exams and their respective test preparation timelines.
4. Firat Fit Diagrams measuring each school’s perspective fit. Use diagrams to narrow down the potential school options.
5. A chapter detailing Firat Education’s Freshman Transition Program and how it can lead students to the right path.

You owe it to your son or daughter to read this book and explore your options before choosing a private high school. 

You can purchase FG5 here.

 

 

 

Last week, we wrote about the importance of using summer break to your advantage by volunteering in your community and improving your academic resume.

But one thing we want to highlight is to make sure you find ways to de-stress and relax. Allow your mind and body to rest. It is summer BREAK, after all.

Each person has different ways to reduce stress. For example, while one may enjoy having a lazy day on the couch, another may participate in retail therapy at the mall.

Firat Education consists of academic consultants, marketing professionals, office assistants, and college counselors.

We surveyed our office and found…

Five Techniques to Reduce Stress this Summer

Our Marketing Assistant, David, believes in the importance of meditation, yoga, and overall quiet time. David can find quiet time at almost any time during the day if he feels stressed and meditates once a week in the morning.

Ibrahim Firat, President and co-founder of Firat Education, loves to exercise. Whether it’s lifting weights or playing soccer, exercise has been proven to relieve stress by producing endorphins(chemicals in the brain that act as natural painkillers).

Bryan, one of our verbal academic consultants, believes in the power of reading. Diving into the literary world eases tense muscles and can lower your heart rate. Bryan recently finished and enjoyed Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong and There, There by Tommy Orange.

Mishele handles our social media and loves to take her dog to different dog parks and brunch spots in the Houston area.

Our mathematics and science academic consultant, Selv, meal preps for the week in order to relax. Selv enjoys and appreciates the process of cooking and prevents any unnecessary spending on fast food and restaurants.

 

We encourage you to try one of the techniques above if you’re feeling stressed.

What are some of the ways you reduce stress? Let us know!

 

 

We are less than 2 months out before the school year starts. It’s important that students take an appropriate time to rest from their studies and enjoy some of the summer fun; however, it’s also important that students use this free time to add to their academic resumes.

A student’s academic resume is an important component to their college applications. It contains the student’s GPA, class rank, leadership experiences, extracurriculars, and more.

Students can utilize the summer to add volunteer and community service experience to their resume.

The importance of volunteer work depends on the school, yes, but volunteer work can never hurt one’s academic pursuits. Not only does service work build character, but it also distinguishes you from others in the pack, especially if your volunteer work aligns with your academic interests.

If you’re reading this blog and are not sure where to volunteer, here are a few suggestions where you can always volunteer.

 

• Houston Food Bank  -Get a sense of fulfillment by distributing food to families in need.

 

• The Ronald McDonald House -Greet families at check-in, host meals and activities, or simply bake cookies. There’s always a way for you to help these children feel at home.

 

• RSVP of the Texas Gulf Coast –Support the elderly and disabled through home delivered meals.

 

• Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts –Volunteers may serve as tutors, mentors or board members, or may assist with special events, marketing or fundraising activities.

 

• Star of Hope Mission -Some volunteers work directly with clients – some with adults; others with teens and tweens; and still others with our children, infants through elementary-school-age. Other volunteers prefer service opportunities that are behind-the-scenes or administrative.

 

Volunteering is extremely rewarding and beneficial to one’s sense of self. No matter the organization, volunteers are needed and appreciated.

Be safe and help others this summer.

 

Did you know your students are at risk for summer learning loss?

Summer learning loss is the loss of academic skills and knowledge over the summer holiday. On average, students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning.

While there have been many debates and studies about what is the best strategy to combat these “summer slides,” we believe providing safe, fun, and engaging one-on-one tutorials that are filled with creative learning activities, enrichment, and learning strategies are the most effective method.

At Firat Education, we offer a build your own summer camp where you can pick any subject that fits your schedule. We still have openings for July.

Ease into the new school year, and schedule your educational assessment today.  

 

 

 

 

Last week, ACT announced there would be upcoming changes to the test starting in September 2018 for students who are approved for extended time.

Below is the official announcement.

 

ACT National Extended Time and ACT Special Testing Timing Code 6

Examinees approved for National Extended Time or for Timing Code 6 will have 50 percent extended time for each section of the ACT, with a hard stop after each section. Examinees will no longer have to self-pace through the four multiple-choice sections over the allotted five hours. All examinees in the test room will begin the same section at the same time and have the same amount of time to complete that section.

Timing for the writing test isn’t changing. If taking writing, examinees will continue to have 60 minutes (50 percent extended time) to respond to the writing prompt after completing the multiple-choice tests.

 

There are positives and negatives to this change. It depends on the student and their perspective. For instance, taking the ACT self-paced reduced anxiety for some students knowing they did not have a time restraint for each section. It also allowed students to strategize and use more time on their “weaker” sections .

However, having a time restriction can also help students balance their time. Some students use too much on time on a section hurting their overall score in the long run.

Students can still take the self-paced ACT for the June and July ACTs. At Firat Education, we know the best and most efficient test strategies to help students with their scores whether they’re prepping for the ACT this summer or in September when the changes go into effect.

 

Marielle is another one of Firat Education’s shining stars.

In 2015, she worked one-on-one with Ibrahim to find the best fit school for her personality and interests. Our College and Career Assessment analyzes and deduces which schools around the country are best suited for you.

It provides a list of potential majors and programs and their perspective schools. Our assessment of Marielle showed she’d enjoy a city environment on the west coast. Marielle liked the possibility of studying at USC. She followed Ibrahim’s plan and worked on improving her ACT score.

Currently, Marielle is in her junior year at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles She is majoring in Business Administration and recently completed an internship with Binder Dijker Otte, working with their Management Advisory Services Team.

She’s excited to graduate next spring and remembers how she “studied for [her] AP US History exams with Ibrahim, and they would get distracted and continue talking about the topics because they both enjoyed the subject so much.”

Marielle truly believes “Firat Education granted [her] the opportunity to attend an amazing university” which makes us feel truly special. Marielle continued by stating that she “genuinely felt like everyone there believed in [her] and wanted [her] to succeed.”

 

#Admissions events are winding down for the Summer but now’s the time to reflect on all of the events you’ve attended so far. From #OpenHouses, #CampusTours to #PreviewNights, we’re sure you’ve had quite the #admissions journey. Think about everything you liked about each school you visited but also about what you didn’t like. What factors are non-negotiable for you and determine all the factors you look for in a school that you see as #thebestfit for your child. Don’t forget to check out @FiratEducation’s #FiratGuideOnlinePackage on our website to help you in your decision-making process.

 

For our 10 year anniversary, we highlighted 10 student’s accomplishments and asked about the impact Firat Education had on them. 

Ryan was one of the first students at Firat Education in 2009. When he was at Firat Education, Ryan showed his intelligence and willingness to learn and grow.

He came to Firat Education specifically to help get him prepared to take the SAT/ACT. Ryan labeled himself as a “bad test taker,” which many of students classify themselves as. Ryan proved to be extremely smart but needed help with test taking strategies and time management.

Practice makes perfect, and as Ryan continued to practice his test taking, he became more comfortable with the tests and his scores continued to increase.

Ryan graduated from University of Georgetown in 2014 with a major in Finance, minoring in Economics and took a number of classes in Computer Science.

After graduation, Ryan moved to San Francisco and began working at Uber Elevate. Ryan adds, “Basically, we’re building out a network of flying cars to move people around the city much faster to avoid massively congested areas.”

Ryan believes Firat Education helped him most with his test preparation and helped mold a “new mental framework for the SAT.”

Since it was early in the Firat days, Ibrahim tutored Ryan in all subjects and “helped him break it down into its core components.”

“I far exceeded my own expectations. By unlocking the test, he set me on the path to where I am today. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

It’s amazing to help these students meet their college and career goals, but it is extremely rewarding to hear they exceeded their own expectations.

It’s a busy start to the week with #PreviewNights and #CampusTours! Rather than trying to attend all of the #CampusTours and #OpenHouses out there, narrow down your choices according to factors and offerings important to you. That way, you attend only the ones pertinent to you. @thefiratguide is a great foundation to start narrowing down your choices. We want to help you #findthebestfit for you and your child!