This month

Testing and studying skills

• Feature — Develop a study plan
• Web quest — Tips on studying
• Stay on track — A checklist of "to-dos"
• Take notice — Important dates
• All about AIEmail — Subscribe, suggest, review

Feature

Lend a helping hand

You've probably heard about the importance of helping others. Maybe you've even volunteered yourself. But have you thought about how helping others helps you to improve yourself?

By volunteering a few hours each week, you are helping yourself in many ways. For example, volunteering:

• Introduces you to new people, places, and ideas;
• Gives you practical experience and learning opportunities;
• Provides experiences to add to scholarship and college applications, and resumes;
• Helps you fine tune your planning and scheduling skills; and
• Allows you to explore different interests.

Even though a large part of our country's population serves as volunteers on a regular basis, there is never a shortage of organizations and causes that can benefit from your help.

Try it out — Volunteer for a day
This week, set aside some time to volunteer somewhere in your community for three or four hours.

Where can you volunteer? Call or stop by any of the following places, and ask about how you may give them a helping hand:

• A local nursing home or hospital;
• A church, synagogue, or other religious institution;
• A shelter for the homeless or battered women; or
• A local community center.

After volunteering, spend about an hour alone thinking about your experience. Write down your feelings, and share them with a close friend or a family member. Then, if you're comfortable, commit yourself to set a regular day or time each week to lend a helping hand.

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Web quest

It's a fact

In the United States, 59% of teenagers volunteer an average of 3.5 hours per week, totaling 2.4 billion hours of volunteer time annually.

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Stay on track

Checklist for this week

For freshmen

• Meet with your counselor to make any necessary schedule adjustments for the second semester.
• Study daily for upcoming exams.
• Set three goals for your academic and personal life for the coming year.
• Pick a book from your school library to read over the holidays.

For sophomores

• Meet with your counselor to make any necessary schedule adjustments for your second semester.
• Ask your counselor when the PLAN and PSAT results will be distributed.
• Study daily for upcoming exams.
• Set three goals for your academic and personal life for the coming year.

For juniors

• If necessary, verify schedule adjustments for your second semester with your counselor.
• Ask your counselor when your PSAT results will be distributed.
• Study daily for upcoming exams.
• If your school offers a financial aid information session this month, make sure you attend. It's never too early to learn about how to find money for college.
• Set three goals for your academic and personal life to work toward in the new year.
• Talk to your college friends when they are home for the holidays. Learn all you can about the college experience.

For seniors

• Confirm next semester's schedule adjustments with your counselor, if you have any. Make sure you have taken all the courses needed for graduation.
• Take the ACT in December, or register for the next ACT before the holiday break.
• Register in December for the January SAT.
• Get all the necessary college application paperwork to your teachers and school officials this month.
• Study daily for upcoming exams.
• Pick up the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from your counselor's office.
• Attend any financial aid or college planning information nights that your school or school district may offer this month.
• Visit with your counselor about scholarship opportunities you may be eligible for.
• Set three goals for yourself to complete in the new year.
• Talk to your college friends when they come home for the holidays. Ask them all the questions you have about the college experience.

For parents

• Review important dates (e.g., for exams or term papers) with your teen. Place them on your calendar. This is usually the time when school-related events include concerts, recitals, banquets, and parties in addition to the regular extracurricular activities.
• Add your teen's exams to the family calendar this month. Help them plan a good time to study adequately. School is still important; remember that you can help to set good priorities.
• Help your teen prepare for exams by calling out questions from review sheets or helping to organize review materials.
• If your teen will need to adjust courses or schedules for next semester, remind him or her to visit the school counselor.
• If you have a senior, make sure all college forms have been sent to the appropriate school officials for completion. The school may be closed and staff may be unavailable during longer periods of time this month.
• Make sure your senior has ordered all the transcripts for college applications that will need to be mailed over the holidays.
• Attend any financial aid information or college planning sessions that your school may provide this month.
• When applying for student financial aid, check to see that your senior has all of the appropriate forms (CSS PROFILE, FAFSA); if not, call or visit the counselor's office. Remember, the FAFSA cannot be mailed before January 1, although you can begin preparing it now.

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Take notice

Important dates

Mark down these dates.

To get more information on the SAT or SAT Subject Tests, access useful tools, or register, visit the College Board's Web Site(www.collegeboard.com) or call (609) 771-7600.

To get more information on the ACT, access useful tools, or register, visit the ACT Web Site (www.act.org) or call (319) 337-1270.

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