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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from pocsmom.com to parentscountdowntocollegecoach and vice versa.

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A study conducted in 2010 of high school and college students showed found that “five times as many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety as youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era. Students themselves point to everything from pressure to succeed — self-imposed and otherwise — to a fast-paced world that’s only sped up by the technology they love so much.”

If they were to do the same study today, I would imagine they would find the level of stress and pressure students feel has escalated. There is no greater stress than application stress. Every component breeds stress: standardized tests, GPAs, the essay, and even the recommendation letters. It’s no wonder students are feeling the stress when they start the application process.

As a parent, it’s difficult for you to watch the stress levels increase as it gets closer to application time. And when stress levels increase with your student, the family stress goes up as well.

Following are 5 tips to help with application stress:

Preparation prevents panic

I used to tell my kids that I worked best under pressure. It may be true but with the pressure came added stress. As with any task, preparation removes the stress and allows you and your student to avoid the panic that ensues and causes stress.

Get help before you need it

Before senior year, do your research. If you find there are some questions that you need answered or some help with the overwhelming amount of components in the application, get help. Help is available online and a good bit of it is either free or at a minimal cost. There are also other parents who are going through this or have been through it before and are willing to help. Ask for help–don’t flounder around when help is available.

Stay organized

Organization is key when tackling the college application. Look at the college sites and the Common App site for a list of application components. Gather all the necessary documents before starting and keep them in one place (either on the computer or in a folder). Use calendars, to-do lists, and emails to keep all the documents organized. Once your student starts with the application they should be able to complete it easily.

Give yourself plenty of time

One parent I know set aside one hour a day for their student to work on the application components: the essay, studying for the SAT, gathering recommendation letters, and compiling the necessary personal information. If you break these tasks up into segments the application isn’t so overwhelming.

Don’t wait until the last minute to pick the colleges

The application itself is not as stressful as choosing the colleges to apply to. Take time beforehand to do the research and when it comes time to apply, your student will know what each college requires to complete the application. Throwing a college into the mix at the last minute is a recipe for mistakes and errors. The choices need to be locked in by the fall of senior year. Earlier if your student decides to apply ED or EA.

All in all, the earlier you complete the applications, the less stressful the process will be. Senior year is already a crazy time for students and their families. Reducing stress around the college application is just one way to keep peace in the household and alleviate some of the senior year stress.

Check out Wendy’s blog: SOS Over Application Stress for more tips on how to cope and overcome the frustration of college applications.

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Baby boomers are people who were born in the late 1940s to 1960s and are defined so because the birth rate increased significantly during that time period. Currently, baby boomers are reaching retirement age and are facing the many ailments that elderly people face. Because of their current condition, the baby boomer generation has influenced the college degree and career choices of the current generation.

Baby boomers have influenced the current generation to receive medical degrees and go into medical professions. More elderly people are in need of healthcare or medical assistance than ever before because of the large baby boomer generation. The nursing and healthcare job market is very stable, as medical professionals are needed regardless of the state of the economy. The job security rate for these professions is currently high because of this, catching the eyes of many young college students.

Jobs in the healthcare industry generally pay very well, with nursing positions on the lower end of the spectrum and doctors at the higher end of the pay scale. This is part of the reason why these positions are so attractive to college students. Another reason is altruism.

The baby boomer generation was inspired by their hard-working, depression-era parents, who instilled realistic goals and a good work ethic, as well as stressed the need for financial and economic security, in their children. These values were then passed down onto their children, along with the encouragement to follow their dreams. Many college students today are a product of the “follow your dreams” generation, and many of their dreams include helping others. The medical industry is probably the best place where one could practice helping others. People from all economic backgrounds, ages, and needs come to hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices for medical help and advice, whether their need is dire or not. The notion and opportunity to help a variety of people attracts young people as well because of their interest in uniqueness and diversity.

Currently, colleges have had increases in applicants applying for medical degrees. These applicants are undergraduate students who just graduated from high school, as well as registered nurses (RN) going back to school to receive a more advanced degree. Acceptance rates for these programs, on the other hand, have not been as high as the application rates.

However, this increase in people with undergraduate nursing or medical degrees means that the job market is oversaturated. Many people who have graduated nursing school or college with only an associates or baccalaureate degree are having a difficult time finding jobs in their field. Those with at least a bachelor’s degree, on the other hand, have greater chances for finding a job after graduation because of the need for skilled nurses, doctors, and medical professionals. The requirements for nursing positions have become more relaxed recently, but hospitals and clinics are looking to change this. Studies say that by 2020, the Institute of Medicine will require more medical professionals to have a baccalaureate, masters, or doctorate in medicine. More people will be applying for medical degrees because of this.

The baby boomer generation has influenced other degree programs as well. Education and child development degrees have also increased because of the baby boomer generation. The education field, like the medical field, is also oversaturated because of the large number of applicants facing less and less jobs. There has also been a decrease in the requirements to become a teacher, making it easier for applicants to apply for these degrees.

The baby boomer generation has inspired a sense of altruism and hard work in the college students of this generation, inspiring them to get degrees in fields such as education and medicine.

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Author Bio
Ryan Ayers is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he describes the influence of baby boomers on degree choices and aims to encourage further study through USC Aging Degrees.

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For those who have a passion for helping others recover from injuries and sickness, a career as a doctor can be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding, as well as lucrative, available.  This does not mean, however, that becoming a doctor is easy: as little as six years and as much as ten may be necessary before you can provide a single patient with care independently.  Here are some tips to get over the first hurdle: getting into medical school itself.

High School Preparation

Not many high school students may know what career they want to pursue, but for those who are interested in medicine, early preparation will help.  When in high school, spend time thinking about what universities you could get into that would best prepare you due to strong coursework and good reputations.  Ask advisers about universities that have strong medical school placement rates.  Look for scholarships to help pay your way through university, so that you spend less time worrying about paying tuition or working to support yourself.

Apply Yourself In Undergrad

A doctor needs to have many skills, but above all else they need to be very good at remembering information.  Medical school, after all, can be summarized as instructors teaching students the entire book of human anatomy and known diseases.  Thousands of different bits of knowledge need to be committed to memory, so students should begin to work on their study skills once they enter into college.  Show medical school applicant reviewers that your time in a four-year university was well spent by doing your best to succeed in courses.  Pursue a life science degree, such as biology or biochemistry, which will give you prerequisite knowledge for understanding what health and life really means, right down to the cellular level.  You do not need a 4.0, but few medical schools will take applicants that do not get better than a B average.

Prepare For The MCAT

To get into college, you take the SAT; to get into med school you take the MCAT.  This standardized test challenges students on their understanding of biological science, their verbal reasoning, their logic skills, and their cognitive skills.  Begin to prepare at least six months in advance to take the MCAT, since it will likely be more difficult than any other test you have ever taken in your life.  There are many ways to prepare.  Standardized test companies offer preparation courses that run for eight weeks and have comprehensive overviews and practice tests.  They will be expensive — usually around one thousand dollars — but can be worth every penny if you prefer to prepare in a classroom environment.  If you prefer to study on your own, these companies sell guide books that help you understand basics.

Have Back-Up Plans

Not everyone can get into Harvard medical school.  If you feel like your application to med school is not strong enough to give you certain entry, think about alternatives.  Overseas medical schools, such as those in the Caribbean, cater to students who have difficulty getting into American universities.  These schools have the same coursework and teach the same medicine, but their lower reputation can make it more difficult to find a job upon graduation.  If you decide that a foreign medical school is your best option, you will have to study very hard for the testing phases, called Step 1 and Step 2, in order to show that you are worth your stuff.  Those who do well on these tests, however, have a very good chance of finding employment as physicians, surgeons, and psychologists once they finish their coursework and graduate.

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Author Bio
Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she offers tips to students wishing to enter medical school and aims to encourage further study through colleges offering radiology degrees.

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Listen up parents and students! The school year has begun and for seniors, it’s time to start thinking about that all-important Common Application. You know the one? The one that sells your student to the college. The one that asks pointed questions about your student, their high school career, and their interests. Yes. That Common Application.

You may have hundreds of questions in your head. Which colleges accept it? Can my student vary their essays to tailor them toward specific colleges? What exactly is included in the Common App?

When you have questions, you need answers. Zinch has provided you with the answers to all these questions and more. In their article they give you links, tips and videos to help you complete the process. Zinch may be the go-to site for scholarships, but their high school blog is the go-to site for helps with the college admissions process.

Read all about Zinch resource toolkit for the Common App on their high school blog

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If you have a high school student thinking about college, be prepared to hear these words after their first few weeks, “I don’t like it here. I want to transfer colleges”. As your heart sinks and a hundred things go through your head, remember that I told you it would happen; and if you read this article it might help you handle those words without your heart and brain exploding into a million pieces.

Before you say anything listen to their reasons

Don’t scream and yell, listen. Your student is upset and needs to voice how they feel. It may not be logical or even feasible, but they need to vent and you need to listen. Stay calm and approach this by treating them as an adult. Use reasoning first and see if that helps.

Give it some time

Most freshmen get immediately homesick, especially if they don’t get along with their new roommate or their coursework is overwhelming them. They miss the stability and comfort they had at home and they want to bail. But give it some time. Usually by the end of the first semester they have settled in and have made some friends. Usually.

Approach it financially

In the case of my daughter, her scholarships were attached to the school and paying for her education. If she transferred it would be impossible for us to pay for her education. There may be very good financial reasons for them to stick it out and then re-evaluate at the end of the first year. It’s rare that your student will use finances as an excuse to transfer, but if they do, be prepared to answer with a logical explanation.

Outside influences

Is there a friend or a boyfriend encouraging them to move back home or join them where they are? This is the worst reason. Help them to understand that they made the choice to leave and it’s time for them to move on with their life. Holding on to the past will only cause them to miss the benefits of the future. They may be adults but you, almost always, hold the purse strings.

Stand your ground

In most cases, you should stand your ground—at least until the end of the first year. Tell your student that if he/she still feels the same way at the end of the year you can revisit the option. It’s my experience that most students, later in life, thank their parents for giving them some tough love when they needed it.

I’m not saying it’s easy to listen to their pain and not act. And in some instances their mental health is much more important than drawing a line in the sand. But you know your child and you will know when they are just too unhappy and miserable to remain where they are. In some cases, they just chose the wrong school.

To steal a line from one of my favorite movies, The Big Chill, “No one ever said it would be easy; at least they never said it to me.”

I love books because, well, I just love books. They are some of my prized possessions. These college books are part of my collection because they are jam-packed with information about the college admissions process. Some of them are informational, and others help you relax and laugh during the process. Add these books for parents of college-bound students to your reading list. After all, who doesn’t like books?

1. College Bound and Gagged

Nancy takes the everyday aspects of the college admissions process and puts them into terms that parents can easily understand and relate to by using humor. And if that’s not enough, she sprinkles some of the best college admissions advice along the way by tapping into her own personal experiences and her network of college experts that she utilizes throughout the book.

2. POCSMom Survival Stories

Wendy David-Gaines, the author, is famous for exposing the cliches about college. After giving the cliche, she gives you the “POCS reality”. In her book, Wendy does this effectively by compiling actual parent stories. The stories (both from pre-POCS and POCS) are simple, light-hearted, often humorous and an easy read. But here’s the clincher–they provide parents with added insight into each individual situation.

3. How to Win Scholarships

The best part about Monica’s e-book is that it’s simple and easy to understand. If you follow her easy 10 step program, the scholarship process becomes doable for any parent and their student. You can sit back and hope that your student does all the work, or you can offer help and support by grabbing a copy of Monica’s book, reading it, and rolling up your sleeves.

4. Debt Free U

When Zac Bissonnette headed off to college, he had the funds to cover the tab. Bissonnette has seen the currently flawed system first hand. He’s a contrarian, and his book is packed with studies and statistics to back up his analysis. It’s a magical combination that college-bound students and their parents should read, even if there’s plenty of money set aside to pay the tuition tab. There’s no harm in learning ways to get the biggest bang for your buck and the best education available at the same time.

5. Why You’re Already a Leader

The author, Paul Hemphill, forces history to shout its powerful lessons about our least appreciated ability – leadership. A pre-teen, a parent, or a corporate exec doesn’t need to be trained for leadership because it’s already alive and pumping in your DNA. The proof is all here. Here’s the bonus feauture: it uses history as a motivational tool. Instead of stats and facts, you get more than 200 life-lessons from Gettysburg to help you succeed in any endeavor. What’s the number one quality admissions officers look for in a candidate for admission? Leadership!

6. Higher Education? How Colleges are Wasting our Money

The authors observe how conventional universities are coming to resemble for-profit diploma mills through inexpensive, Orwellian-titled “distance learning.” At Florida Gulf Coast University on the outskirts of Fort Myers, students in Humanities 2510 sit in dormitories or at home studying painting, sculpture, and architecture via online lectures. Adjunct professors with modest credentials answer questions by e-mail; telephone calls are not allowed. Multiple-choice tests emphasize dry facts and figures. Short papers are required, but students don’t have to attend performances or see art in person. In lieu of customized grading, instructors draw on “sample stock comments” they slap on student papers. “Humanities 2510 seems close to cramming for a quiz show,” the authors write. To readers, it might just seem like a rip-off.

7. Toward College Success: Is Your Teenager Ready, Willing and Able

This is a book to help parents of middle and high school students. This book prods parents to ask if their teenager will be ready, willing, and able to handle self-management, personal safety, roommate conflicts, personal finances, interactions with teachers, academic responsibility, and much more. Included in this book are numerous interviews with parents, college students, school counselors and advisors, law enforcement per- sonnel, teachers, medical personnel, and school administrators. At the end of each chapter are examples of how parents can prepare their teenagers for a successful college experience and turn their students into confident, reponsible young adults.

8. The College Solution

The second edition of The College Solution, which contains approximately 90% new material, is aimed at helping parents and teenagers become empowered consumers as they navigate through the college process. Billions of dollars are available to pay for college, but not everybody gets their share. It’s not always the families with the brightest students or the parents who are struggling financially who receive the most money. The College Solution shares the secrets of how you can capture some of this money for your own family. The book provides advice on such topics as financial aid, merit scholarships, athletic scholarships, admission hooks, the important differences between colleges and universities, college rankings, the best student loans and the latest online tools to evaluate the generosity of schools. O’Shaughnessy presents an easy-to-use, proven road map for getting past the ratings, and finding the right schools at the right price.

9. The Happiest Kid on Campus

Harlan uses tips and stories from students and parents to show us real-life college experiences. While doing that, he covers all the topics from the summer before college, to moving day, to the first few months, to parents weekends. He discusses controversial topics like drinking, sex, eating disorders, and even campus safety, offering parents direction and advice on how to discuss and handle them if and when they arise. He gets you up to speed on texting, Facebook and Twitter and discusses how to use them to stay informed and involved in your college student’s life without being intrusive.

10. Getting In-The Zinch Guide to College Admissions

I’ve read plenty of books on college admissions. Some are so scholarly heavy that you need a degree to figure them out. Others are so shallow you can find most of the material in your teen’s high school handouts. Zinch’s book is neither of the above. It’s geared toward the student, but is also extremely valuable from a parent’s perspective. Zinch reminds the student that while the college process often involves the entire family, the final choice must be their own. I agree with this whole heartedly. Every parent should grasp this truth.

Today’s guest post is from a lovely lady I met at Blogher13 a few weeks ago. She’s written a book about attitude reconstruction and I thought some of her ideas might be helpful to parents and teens to alleviate feelings of stress.

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The college application process can feel overwhelming. Successfully completing this task requires breaking big jobs down into small doable pieces, dealing with the fear, keeping your thoughts constructive, and staying focused on what is in front of you today.

Find a buddy

Regardless of how involved your parents are in the process, find a buddy who also needs support and help each other. This will counter feelings of isolation. Decide how often you’ll check in to keep motivated, set up a regular time, and follow through. Offer each other appreciations for tasks completed and use this as a time to get clear on your next steps.

Outline your goals

Start the application process by outlining your goal in getting a higher education. Then identify potential schools that meet your qualifications. Assemble a list by going to the library, meeting with school counselors, or tapping into other resources, such as college guides. If this seems too daunting, do your research in small blocks of time. For example, make an appointment to talk with someone one day, visit a campus, or gather information by surfing the Internet for a half hour at a time (or even less). When your list is complete, select your chosen schools.

Make a checklist

Next, request applications from those schools. Make a checklist to keep track of each school’s submission deadlines and requirements. The checklist should include all applications, essays, recommendations, transcripts, etc. Fill out one application at a time, one question at a time, using pre-established work blocks.

Recognize when you are overwhelmed

Attend to what’s in front of you to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Whenever you start to feel anxious, stop and shiver like a dog at the vet or a leaf on a tree, all up and down your spine to move the fear energy out of your body. This will just take a minute or two, and though it seems strange at first, its effects are undeniable.

Address the stress in a positive way

If you realize that sadness, anger, and fear are just pure sensations in the body (emotion = E + motion), then you can give yourself permission to express those emotions physically and constructively. With just a bit of crying (sadness), stomping or pounding (anger), or shivering (fear) the emotion will move out of your body and you’ll be washed clean. It feels great and sets the stage for more clarity and the ability to take action.

While shivering, after shivering, and whenever you focus on the application process, interrupt your negative thoughts about how overwhelming this task is and replace them by repeating one or two personal truths that contradict your old thinking, such as “I can do this,” “I’m doing this for me,” “One step at a time,” or “I can do this.”

Do little steps each day. Keep using your checklist. As you proceed, praise yourself regularly for each little accomplishment. When you complete all the requirements, double check that each item is just the way you’d like. Maybe have your buddy or an adult read your final package before sending. Be open to feedback but make sure it feels right to you be implementing other people’s suggestions. When it feels complete (and before the deadline) mail it off, knowing you’ve done your best. Now let go, pat yourself on your back, and just wait to see what tomorrow brings.

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Jude Bijou, MA, MFT, is a respected psychotherapist, professional educator, and workshop leader. Her theory of Attitude Reconstruction® evolved over the course of more than 30 years working with clients as a licensed marriage and family therapist, and is the subject of her multi award-winning book, Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life. Learn more at http://www.AttitudeReconstruction.com. Take a free survey to determine what emotion is keeping you from being your best and learn practical ways to create the life your desire.

The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) prepares college students for a career in the military by offering them field training. Students who take ROTC classes also have to complete their college coursework like other students. Admittedly, juggling grueling ROTC field training and the demands of schoolwork can be quite challenging. However, the rewards of overcoming such challenges are enormous. For instance, with the ever-increasing cost of college education, ROTC offers students some much-needed financial assistance besides equipping them with numerous important lifelong skills. Some of the other benefits of ROTC in college include the following:

College Scholarships

Students who enroll in ROTC programs stand a chance of receiving financial aid that they can use to pay for their college tuition expenses. In some cases, the ROTC offers full scholarships that cover tuition costs, living expenses and stipends for personal expenses. In view of this, students interested in military careers who qualify for ROTC can pay for their education and avoid debt.  However, because the ROTC offers scholarships based on merit, students who receive these scholarships have to maintain excellent academic scores for the entire duration of their course.

Guarantee Promising Careers

Upon graduation, college students who are part of the ROTC program can begin their military careers as second lieutenants immediately.  Depending on the skills different graduates have, they can easily rise through the military ranking system and start enjoying the benefits of a successful military career. Additionally, even in the rare cases where ROTC members decide not to pursue careers in the military after graduation, the skills they develop while they were members of the ROTC may make it easier for them to find employment in other sectors.

Developing Valuable Skills

Military officers require a specific set of skills in order to have a successful career. These include management, discipline, leadership, teamwork, communication and time management skills. It is highly unlikely that college students can gain these skills merely by focusing on their college coursework but students who are members of the ROTC can develop these skills by undergoing ROTC field training.  By developing these valuable skills while still in college, students learn how to motivate lead by example and formulate strategic plans. The skills that students acquire through ROTC programs look good on their resumes and come in handy in their military careers upon graduation.

Invaluable Hands-On Experience

Students who are members of the ROTC get an opportunity to experience firsthand the challenges of being a professional military officer and learn the expectations they will have to meet once they become military officers after graduation. By learning how to deal with the challenges of military life early on, students can start adapting to the nature of the future career and lay a good foundation for a successful career.

Opportunity to Interact with Peers

Students who join the ROTC program learn that there is more to getting a well-rounded college education besides getting good grades and preparing for their future career. After attaining ROTC membership, students get access to a group of peers who have the same aspirations establishing a military career.  Different ROTC programs plan different social events and volunteering activities that act as the perfect meeting points for peers. By interacting with peers who have the same career goals, students can form mutually beneficial relationships that can last a lifetime.

Overall, students who attain ROTC membership enjoy the wide range of short term and long-term benefits highlighted herein. It is important to note that ROTC members do not have to spend time undergoing intense military training. In fact, most ROTC members only take one ROTC course per semester. As such, students can enjoy ROTC benefits and still find time to hang out with their friends and enjoy other fun activities that are part of the normal college experience.

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Ryan Ayers is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he describes a few benefits of choosing to join ROTC in college and aims to encourage further study through Norwich University Military History Graduate Programs.

With law school applicants at a 30-year low, there has never been a better time to pursue a legal career.  Some top law schools are now accepting students that they would have overlooked in the past.  This does not change the fact that tuition prices are at all-time highs, which has been a deterrent to many prospective students.  The idea that law school graduates will not be able to find a lucrative job after graduation has stopped many prospective students as well.  Statistically speaking, though, employment for lawyers is expected to grow by 11% between 2006 and 2016.

The Demand For Lawyers

The demand for lawyers will continue to rise, due to growth in population and an increase in business activity.  These factors will lead to more legal transactions, criminal cases and civil disputes; therefore, corporate lawyers, criminal lawyers and civil lawyers are all expected to rise in their level of demand.

With the advent of universal health care in the United States, the need for legal professionals specializing in health care law will rise drastically.  Another consequence of universal health care will be a demand for lawyers specializing in elderly law.  With universal health care the longevity of the United States population is expected to increase.

Continued research into alternative energy will create a demand in environmental, intellectual property and corporate law, because they will be necessary for further progress.  Other forms of technology will also be in need of experienced intellectual property and corporate lawyers.  Disputes between who developed new products and technology will always keep intellectual property lawyers in high demand.

Furthermore, the increased affordability of legal clinics will lead to middle-class clients to seek legal consultation more often.  Hence, lawyers specializing in family, civil, criminal and personal injury will be more readily sought after.

Job Prospects

Most job prospects for lawyers nowadays is concentrated in big law firms, corporations and government agencies.  Self-employed lawyers will increase, but at a fraction of salary-employed lawyers.  This is primarily due to the difficulty in establishing a reputable law office when facing competition from large, reputable law firms.  With the United States law continually growing in its complexity, larger law firms are better equipped to keep up to date with laws ever-changing landscape.

Landing a well-paid position will continue to be competitive in the years to come.  It will be helpful for graduates to maintain a relatively high GPA  as well as attending a reputable ABA credited law school in order to obtain the best job possible.

Another option for law school graduates is to seek a position in non-traditional area where legal training is a must.  This can include, business, managerial and administrative positions in real estate, insurance firms, banks, government agencies and many other types of organizations.  Opportunities in these fields will continue to rise just as much as other legal professions, so the demand for lawyers is clearly high.

Alternative Non-Salary Positions

Some law school graduates have began accepting positions at temporary staffing firms.  These firms serve to place lawyers in short-term jobs that can help build legal experience.  Lawyers in temporary staffing firms are utilized on an as-needed basis.  It is especially good for inexperienced lawyers in need of practical training, which may assist them in obtaining salary positions in the near future.

In summation, with the recent recession, it is clear why many have decided to give up the prospect of law school. But even a recession can lead to a demand in lawyers.  For those thinking about taking the plunge into a legal career, lawyers will always be needed.

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Andrew Deen is a writer that creates informative articles in relation to the field of law. In this article, he describes the importance of law degrees and aims to encourage further study with a CWSL llm degree.

Most people know that no two people are alike, especially when it comes to education and learning. After realizing the differences in people scientists began to create groups to determine certain things about people, such as their specific learning behaviors. Learning behaviors are generally grouped into three categories, visual, kinesthetic, and auditory. When testing individuals for their particular learning method, the results will fall into one or more of the categories.

Visual Learners

People who are tested as being a visual learner will rely heavily upon their ability to make visual contact with learning materials. They are likely to prefer seeing what they are being taught; they will generally take endless deeply detailed notes, prefer mellow environments to learn in and may often visualize the material they are trying to learn. A visual learner is also likely to prefer colorful presentations and illustrations. This type of learner is also likely to be obsessed with neatness and cleanliness.

Kinesthetic Learners

Individuals that fall under the kinesthetic learning group are people who prefer to be able to move around. This person will likely use their hands to make gestures while speaking; they will also prefer obtaining an education through courses that require them to move around, such as art, cooking, and other similar courses. The kinesthetic learner will feel the need to take short breaks while learning. This type of learner will often invent reasons to be active if put under pressure. The kinesthetic learner is also a person that enjoys experiencing educational material versus seeing or hearing it.

Auditory Learners

A person who falls under the auditory learning group are often considered a flamboyant type of person. They often may appear as if they are not paying attention, but as long as they can hear they most likely are tuned in. This person may dress in an uncoordinated fashion and often intentionally miss match their clothing. Many auditory learners gain the most knowledge from educational materials when they are reading aloud. Often the auditory learner will be considered disruptive because they tend to have urges to talk to themselves and others, and even hum when they feel distracted from learning.

What do these learning behaviors mean?

When tested and placed into one or more of the learning categories listed above it becomes possible to make learning easy and fun. Many people that struggle with learning simply do so because they are not stimulated in their learning behavior. When a person is a kinesthetic learner they are likely to have difficulty learning if they must sit perfectly still. The auditory learner will struggle if they must remain silent, just as the visual learner will suffer if they only hear the learning material. Some people fall into more than one group and are easy to acclimate to learning styles that fall in one or more of their labeled groups.

Knowing your teen’s learning behavior

The best way to help a child get a good education is to know how they learn the best. A child’s learning behavior will follow them for life and parents that take the time to help provide a stimulating environment will likely see remarkable results. Knowing a child’s learning preferences before they hit high school will be essential to helping them along the way. High school is the last stop before college, knowing how their children learn will enable parents to secure their continued education.

College and Learning Behaviors

If an individual starts college and is fully aware of their specific learning preferences, they are likely to fare far better. If the classroom does not allow the freedom to be a kinesthetic learner, the dorm room does. Taking work home and doing it after class is often the best way to deal with certain learning behaviors. When able to be in their ‘element’ learners of all ages can grasp the material easier. Taking the time to learn and help children understand their best learning methods helps parents to stand behind their children and help them learn even the toughest of courses.

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Ryan Ayers is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he offers advice to students and parents about understanding learning behaviors and aims to encourage further study with an Applied Certification for Behavior Analysis.