Miss Telall Advice October

10/29/15

Miss Telall is back! With new submissions and new advice, SBPL’s very own advice columnist is always ready to help! Send your submissions to misstelallsbpl@gmail.com for ANONYMOUS advice! Good Luck!

Dear Miss Telall,     I cannot tell you how uber stressed I am. Junior year means assignment after assignment after test after project and on and on. I have absolutely NO time to study for SATs, PSATS, or do any extracurricular work! I have to spend entire days stuck in my room doing one subject, ignoring the rest! How am I supposed to maintain good grades, but also do things I have talent in, like colleges want?                                        Sincerely,                                Are You Kidding Me?

Dear Are You Kidding Me?,      Don’t panic! Sometimes, worrying overmuch can make it harder to face one’s work. You can make it through these tough times with a little determination, and some strategic planning. In terms of dealing with your present situation, just take each assignment one at a time. Things can get overwhelming when you don’t break them down- if you steadily work through things, the load will be much easier to handle. Your teachers wouldn’t give you these assignments if you didn’t have the ability to handle them well! So don’t rely on 12 hour, “handle-alls”. Instead, create a broken down schedule- each day, you might assign a few hours to English, the next hour to Math, etc. This way, you won’t become bogged down by one subject, and can instead systematically move through all of them. Furthermore, the brain works best when it is given time to process certain thoughts and new information.      On that note, if you assign just 30-60 minutes a day for SATs, PSATS, or extracurriculars, you will be surprised at how much you can accomplish, versus a full day of cramming! Take a few moments to sort out your priorities- which classes are most important to you, and what are your goals for them?       Next year, remember to lighten the load if you really feel too overworked! It will be easier to maintain good grades when you don’t overstretch yourself- take classes you’ll enjoy, and that leave some time for the other things in your life that you love! Colleges appreciate someone who is well-rounded, and that doesn’t necessarily mean taking the best of everything! It means having the responsibility to understand how to handle what you are taking! High-level classes aren’t the end-all-be-all. They’re great, challenging courses, but you shouldn’t sacrifice other parts of your life, or your health, for them!      Finally, try consulting a family member for advice- your peers have been through this as well, so ask them about their experiences!                                        Sincerely,                                      Miss Telall

Dear Miss Telall,               I have a sweet sixteen coming up, and I really want to go to it. However, my parents insist upon me staying at home. They pretty much refuse to let me do anything, even hanging out with my friends or going bowling, which happens to be one of my favorite activities. I understand it’s junior year, and I have a massive amount of responsibilities, but I feel it’s okay to relax once in a while. How do I get my parents to chill out?                                    Sincerely,                               Controlling Parents

Dear Controlling Parents,       In order to convince your parents into letting you do what you want, you have to make sure that all of your responsibilities are fulfilled and you show them the best behavior possible. Additionally, you can also help out around the house to show that you’re willing to give up your free time just to help them. Once they notice that you are putting in extra effort, I can assure you that they will loosen up and let you do the things you want.     You should take some time and talk to your parents to give you the free time that you want. You can talk about how you’ve been balancing your time properly and keeping up with your responsibilities. Due to this, you deserve free time which you can spend with your friends and do the things you want.     In order to get the free time that you want, you have to ensure that you have your parents’ trust. Be nice to them, and appreciate the efforts they take for you! It’s not every day that parents get thanked for the things they are doing on a daily basis. This will lighten up their mood, and help you to get your point of having some well deserved free time across.     And that’s a wrap! Miss Telall is glad to be back on our weekly schedule. Be sure to send us some more questions- remember, all responses are left anonymous!      ~ Miss Telall