TELL ME HOW 2 SLAY

JAMES THORNBURG

DEAR TELL ME HOW 2 SLAY,

I’M A 10TH GRADER AND I’M STARTING TO THINK ABOUT COLLEGE. I KNOW YOU’RE AN 11TH GRADER, HOW DID YOU NARROW DOWN YOUR OPTIONS? WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A COLLEGE?

- CONFUSED ABOUT COLLEGE

Dear Confused about college,

Making a list of colleges is hard. There are so many options and so many ways to look at colleges. For me, the first thing I did was narrow by size. I knew I wanted a small college and one that was focused on undergraduates where I wouldn’t have to compete with the people pursuing Master’s Degrees. I also knew I wanted a school with lots of different opportunities for research or travel. On top of all that I wanted to be somewhere cold. So three of my college choices ended up being in Maine.

Think about what you want out of school. Do you want research opportunities? Is there a specific major you want to pursue that you can only do at a couple of schools? Is there a certain size you want? Do you want to go to college in a city, a town, or the countryside? The easiest way to narrow down your college list is to visit those schools whether that be virtually or in person.

A quick note: Mrs. Nevinger’s office is always open for those who want to talk about college. She is a wonderful resource and I encourage you to reach out with any specific questions about college.

Sincerely and sympathetically, Tell Me How 2 Slay

DEAR TELL ME HOW 2 SLAY,

I HAVE FOUR AP EXAMS- AP CHEMISTRY, ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION, AP STATISTICS, AND AP UNITED STATES HISTORYAND WHILE MOST OF THESE EXAMS ARE SEPARATED BY A COUPLE OF DAYS, I HAVE BEEN STRESSED OUT AND STRUGGLING. HOW DO YOU STUDY FOR YOUR AP EXAMS?

- TOO MANY APS

Dear Too Many APs,

I study for APs in a variety of ways depending on the subject. English APs, I study very little because those APs are based more on learned skills than memorization. But for Science or Math AP usually, I start by reviewing the notes from the year and then move into doing problems for each unit if applicable.

A great resource for studying for APs is AP Classroom. There are tons of resources on there and review for every unit. Youtube has a great number of videos on AP topics, and often one can find review videos for every unit. While recently Quizlet made it so you have to pay for certain features, the flashcards are still free and are a great way to study if you have a list of terms (history lends itself to this).

Sending calming vibes, Tell Me How 2 Slay

DEAR TELL ME HOW 2 SLAY,

ALL MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING NEXT YEAR TO GO TO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OR COLLEGES. I’M SUPER SAD ABOUT IT AND DON’T KNOW WHAT I WILL DO WITH MYSELF. WHO WILL I EAT LUNCH WITH ON FREE SEATING FRIDAYS? I AM GONNA MISS THEM SO MUCH. I NEED HELP MAKING NEW FRIENDS.

- TEARFUL ABOUT MY BESTIES TAKING FLIGHT

Dear Tearful about my besties taking flight,

I’m in the same boat. I have many friends in 12th grade who are moving to college this year and I too am full of woe.

First off I’d like to say that even if your friend is leaving you can still be friends with them. They might visit you during break or you can chat online. Additionally next year you have tons of time to make new friends. People who have similar interests to you and new people who will become close to you.

I’ll end with my favorite quote about friendship “Sometimes special people come into our lives, stay for a bit, and then they have to go... But the bit where they were here was happy, wasn’t it” - Chili Heeler (a cartoon dog from Bluey).

Sending love, Tell Me How 2 Slay