Teenagers

A Letter To Soon-To-Be High School Seniors

Dear Soon-To-Be High School Seniors, Junior year is done! Congrats – you’ve arrived at the end of a long year. Now is the time to relax, take a breath, and reset. Often daily habits, like drinking water, spending time outside, and getting enough sleep can fall by the wayside during stressful times. In a few … Read more

Wellness 101: Cultivating Gratitude in Your Children’s Daily Lives

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.” —Melody Beattie For many of us, this time of year offers an opportunity to give thanks and express gratitude for the people and things we appreciate and value in our lives. Taking stock and being grateful during the holidays is a good place to start, but studies have shown … Read more

Wellness 101: Encouraging Your Children to Engage in Community Service

Some high schools now require a certain number of service hours for graduation, but many students don’t know how to get started with their service work or how best to find an activity that will be fulfilling for all parties involved. The benefits of giving back to the immediate community are many, but studies have … Read more

Wellness 101: Healthy Ways of Helping Your Teen Deal with Stress

Each year, the topic of teenage stress garners increasing amounts of attention. In fact, a simple Google search for “teens and stress” yields an abundance of articles with key phrases along the lines of “severe anxiety” and “growing epidemic.” The attention is not unwarranted; in 2014, the American Psychological Association conducted a survey that revealed … Read more

Advising 101: Tips from the UC Counselor Conference

As many of us know, admissions to the University of California system has become increasingly selective over the years, particularly in the past decade. For instance, freshman applications at UC Berkeley have doubled in that time, and all UC campuses have now crossed the threshold of 100,000 for freshman and transfer applications each cycle. Given this … Read more

Advising 101: How Building a Positive Online Presence Can Impact College Admissions

Recent studies show that between 35 and 50 percent of admissions officers are viewing students’ social media profiles. This doesn’t mean they are looking for anything embarrassing or inappropriate, but it does mean they are using it as one way of gathering more information about applicants. When we talk about a student’s online presence, much … Read more