It's November 1st, which means early college decision time for high seniors. Between Nov. 1st and 15th, some institutions do early applications for admissions. Make sure you have your test scores and written essays completed, if necessary.

For those that still undecided, try to narrow your choices. You can do what teams to do in sports and have first cuts of colleges. Then over the next month, and perhaps after visiting some, you will be able to reevaluate them and make more cuts.

Don't forget about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). They aren't usually processed until after Jan. 1 next year, but they are often completed as early as Oct. 1 of this year. If you hope to receive financial aid, you need to fill out this form.

Lastly, just as a reminder, pick up a copy of my book, The Freshman 15: Tips for the new turning point. I talk about how to choose the right school and path for your career goals and finances. Adjusting to college can be difficult for many students--financially, academically, and socially. This book will aid you in your first-year decision-making that can carry you through your other years of college. You may purchase through my website (www.taacker.com), through Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites.

-T. A.

It has been a long while since I posted on the blog, but it was for good reason. I stopped working with it because I was busy writing, creating, and publishing my latest book, The Freshman 15: Tips for the new turning point. This book gives advice to both high school seniors trying to decide on college, as well as first-year (freshmen) college students.

I wrote this book because I believe that the first year of college is the most critical of all the years spent there. So many transitions take place--financially, academically, and socially that many young adults cannot adapt. As a result, they underperform, and some end up dropping out of college. There are 15 chapters, with each being a different tip for students. The first seven discuss finances, the next four discuss academics, and the last four discuss social/personal growth.

With November approaching, and college applications being completed and submitted, this book can help students make sound decisions about where they should attend, how to evaluate their spending, course management, time management, and networking.

To order a copy, go to the Books tab on my website and purchase. It is also available through Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and other outlets.

​-T.A.

It is easy to think that because an exam is given online, one can't make anything less than an 'A'. In this post, I will point a few misconceptions about online exams:

1. ​Instructors are not naïve. We all know that if an exam is online, students are going to use notes, books, etc to help complete the exam.
2. Studying is still necessary. Studying is like having a game plan, allowing students to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in a subject. Studying is preparation. If #1 holds true, then even if students tried to use notes or books to help take an exam, they wouldn't know where to begin due to a lack of review.
3. Timing is a factor. Online exams are usually timed, so spending too much time on one question can lead to test submissions with unanswered questions. Students simply run out of time trying to search for the right answer.
   
4. Instructors have resources. Teachers and proctors usually have access to data and statistics about the test if they created it. They can see who took the test, when the test was started, how long it took to complete, and how long it took to answer each question. If one question takes several minutes to answer, and took few seconds to answer others, they may think a student was trying to look up the answer. (Again see #1).

I am sure there are more misconceptions about online exams. I will add more as they come to mind. Once again, I hope this helps  you . God Bless.

-T. A.