As students prepare for this coming school year, many of you have probably begun to think about what kind of grades you hope to earn this year in your classes, and you’re trying to visualize getting to the end of the year with great marks. However, just thinking about getting good grades isn’t enough. It’s going to take preparation, dedication, and hard work to reach your academic ambitions.

The school year can seem dauntingly long when you think of everything that you hope to achieve and equally as short when you think of how much time and effort it will take to succeed in pursuing those achievements. Setting goals for yourself to break down responsibilities, and tracking your progress in reaching these goals, can be a huge help as you try to balance everything.

If you’re someone who finds it difficult to find time to do work or study, perhaps more specific goals are best, as they’ll get you thinking about when exactly you need to complete tasks. Even if you do have good time-management skills, writing specific tasks down is probably still a good idea so that you don’t forget to do anything. I would recommend always creating some goals for yourself before starting your school year, and I have listed a few suggestions that you might consider using to draft your own set of goals below:

Set SMART Goals

SMART goals are created using a specific set of criteria, which form the acronym SMART. They are characteristically: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

These goal-building criteria can help you to create goals that are especially helpful to you, as a student. Although a goal doesn’t need to include each aspect, each can be useful in their own right, and it’s ultimately up to you to determine which type of goal best suits your habits. As the criteria suggest, SMART goals should:

Include specific tasks to be accomplished.

Have a measurable objective and outcome to verify the completion of your goals.

Be realistically attainable so that you don’t set out to accomplish the impossible.

Be relevant to your needs in each specific area of your student life.

Be time-based so that you know how much time you have before they must be completed.

When utilizing the SMART model, it is important to keep in mind that some goals will be easier to keep track of than others, and the model doesn’t necessarily make a difference on that front. While short-term goals are fairly simple to track (for example, “I will study for quizzes and tests at least two days in advance”), long-term goals (such as, “I will earn a B in Math”) are more difficult to monitor.

Track your progress in completing long-term goals:

1. Review the tasks you’ve completed to be sure you have time to reach your overall goal

2. Revise goals, if necessary, depending on progress and external factors and circumstances

3. Remind yourself why you’ve set your goals and what achieving them would mean for you

4. Celebrate your daily achievements and milestones

When setting goals for your school year, always keep your individual strengths and challenges in mind. If you know that you have a certain skill, see if you can use it to make completing your goal(s) any easier, and if you know that completing a particular goal will be challenging for you, use any resources available to you that might help. It’s important to keep in mind that there are always people available to help you to complete your goals, whether they be parents, teachers, tutors, friends, or otherwise, but you must first set your goals and attempt to achieve them to the best of your ability.

-Hope Swedeen

How do you think students should monitor their progress in completing goals? What should students do if they get off track?

Christopher Flores is the Manager of Inside Sales at Namely, a platform designed to help companies manage all HR tasks. Mr. Flores strives to achieve success in his career, and he has faced the challenge of finding pursuits that are rewarding to him both financially and personally. He has previously spoken at a 4T’s event, helping to motivate students who are facing similar obstacles to those that he was able to overcome as a student himself. Mr. Flores continues to recognize the importance of education and its capacity to provide students with tools that are necessary if they are to achieve their goals and follow their passions.
Below is an interview with Mr. Flores regarding his experiences in his education and his professional life.

1. Can you provide a brief overview of your career – positions, companies, etc.? What motivated you to pursue this career path? 

I've always had a fascination for money growing up. It's interesting how much we revolve around it, how happy it makes us, and also how scary it is when we don't have it. I was drawn to the idea for owning my own business because I'm competitive and I could make a lot of money. In college, I became a Financial Advisor for a company called Northwestern Mutual. This was a great learning experience, where I set my own schedule, learned sales, and became my own boss. After graduation, I looked for another challenge and became an Account Executive for a company on Wall Street called Frost & Sullivan. Unfortunately there was something missing. Although I was making money and being competitive, I was not passionate about the product I had to sell. Now I'm at Namely, an HR, Payroll, and Benefits company. After my first day on the job, I fell in love with the product and the culture. I knew that was half the battle, and the money would come later. Now my career path has been set in motion, and it's up to me to stay competitive and be successful.

2. Can you provide a brief overview of your education and how it did, or did not, prepare you for your career?  

I graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School and did my four years at Boston College right after. I owe a lot to Cardinal Hayes for providing me with the tools needed to start a career. Whether it be how to dress, how to be professional, how to speak to others, how to write, it's amazing how all the little things we learned in school come back to our lives every day. I'm happy I went away to college because I learned about being on your own and the need to leverage friends and teachers to be successful. I learned it's tough to get good grades on your own, and a support system like your family or a mentor is necessary.

3. Could you describe your connection to 4T’s?

The President and Founder, Kayode, reached out to me on LinkedIn. We're both alumni of Cardinal Hayes HS, so it was a matter of time that our paths would cross. I was able to speak at one of the events to current students. It was a rewarding experience because I was able to answer questions I had when I was a student. 

4. Why should someone consider learning more about 4T’s? What else can a student do on their own to benefit their education?

4T's is an organization that is down to earth and really wants to help students. I wish I knew about it in high school because it's an avenue where students can learn from those who already went through what they're doing. Students can ask questions and pick someone else's brain outside the classroom, which is motivating. 

A student can also join an extracurricular activity like a sport or club to benefit their education. I think it's important to stay as busy as possible and figure out what you want to do in the long term.

5. In your own words, why is receiving an education important?

Receiving an education is important because it's a stepping stone to start a career. There are tons of opportunities out there in the job marketplace, however, the bare minimum to qualify for the majority is a Bachelor's degree from a 4 year college. An education will also allow you to have meaningful conversations with others, meet new people, and open your mind to new ideas.

6. What advice would you give to yourself in high school?

Stay competitive, keep shooting to be number one in all you do, and trust in yourself and your friends and family. Also, go online, find Kayode, and attend one of the 4T's events. You won't regret it.

-Samantha Phillips and Hope Swedeen


Please share your reactions to this professional's experiences.

ORGANIZATION

1. Try to fit everything on one page. Although this isn’t a requirement at every company, it is oftentimes the standard, and you don’t want to be ruled out of the running before anyone even takes a look at the content of your résumé. This may mean cutting positions or adjusting the margins.

2. Use consistent formatting. Your font choices and sizes should be the same or match appropriately between sections. Spacing should be the same throughout as well. If you are writing a cover letter or attaching a reference list, make sure the headers on these are the same as on your résumé.  

3. Divide into sections. You should separate your accomplishments into sensible groups, such as Education, Relevant Experience, Honors, Skills, etc. Make sure to include headings that are easily distinguishable and have white space in between them. Even if it means cutting back on content, white space is important to have so that the reader is not overwhelmed by text.

CONTENT

1. Use bullet points to summarize. Bullet points are a great way to organize your content. They’re easy on the eye and are more concise than full sentences. When describing your professional accomplishments, start the bullet point off with a strong, descriptive verb. For current positions, use present tense. For past positions, use past tense. Preferably limit the length of each bulleted point to one line of text.  

Ex. -Generated monetary support for the university using fundraising information and techniques

2. Tailor content to job description. You should adapt your résumé to the job to which you’re applying. Include past jobs that are comparable to the new position and honors that are relevant in the potential industry. Your skills might be relevant in most cases, but if a specific skill is mentioned in the job description, you should make sure to list it on your résumé (as long as you possess it). Gearing your résumé to specific jobs will demonstrate how suited you are for the position, and it will also show the reader that you spent time thoroughly reading the job description.

Your résumé is an essential part of the application process because it is oftentimes the first impression you give an employer. Follow these tips to get on the right track to building a strong résumé. Then, if you have the chance, have your résumé reviewed by someone who has been successful in your field.

-Samantha Phillips

What advice have you been given about résumés? 

Every year, about 65 percent of NYC public school students graduate from high school. To combat this low percentage, several programs and organizations have been created to aid students in their pursuit of education and provide them with otherwise inaccessible opportunities. Support ranges from academic to financial aid, and many programs provide opportunities for students to enroll in the country’s top high schools without having to pay the large fees associated with these institutions. The application processes for these programs often begin in the fall, so now is a great time for parents and students to get ahead on application preparation. Some programs and organizations that particularly target low-income youth of NYC are:

1.     A Better Chance

This organization offers youth of color access to educational and scholarship opportunities through its College Preparatory Program. This program places “Scholars,” or students who have sent in a free application and been accepted into the program, into one of the schools associated with A Better Chance, and Scholars are given funding to attend the school in which they are placed. Each school must undergo an application process to become a “member school” among over 300 already affiliated with the organization, which include independent and community boarding schools, as well as independent day schools. About 500 youth are aided by the program each year, and students attending member schools are eligible for A Better Chance Scholar Awards, which are given annually to students of all grade levels.

To receive more information regarding the organization or application process, fill out an inquiry form to be contacted by a representative from A Better Chance.

2.     Oliver Scholars Program

This program aims to prepare African-American and Latino students of NYC, beginning in the 8th grade, to be successful students and leaders. Students may be nominated by faculty at their school, themselves, or parents in the fall of 7th grade, and must meet several nomination criteria, including high academic achievement, involvement in extracurricular activities and their communities, and a desire to succeed. Students who become involved in the program must successfully complete courses designed to prepare them for their applications to top independent high schools. The program offers financial aid options to assist in covering application costs throughout the middle and high school processes.

3.     Prep for Prep

Prep for Prep aims to identify promising youth of color in NYC, beginning in 6th or 7th grade, and prepare them for placement at schools within the city and boarding schools in the Northeast. It offers support and millions of dollars in financial aid to youth throughout high school and college, providing resources to advance the success of every student on “The Prep Journey.”

Visit Prep for Prep’s website for more information about the admission process, or see its annual report.

4.     Student Sponsor Partners (SSP)

This program offers students from low-income families the chance to have a mentor and a financial sponsor for all four years of high school at a non-public school. Sponsors pay part or all of a student’s tuition for the school that they choose to attend among the 23 affiliated with SSP in the NYC area that are meant to better cater to students’ individual needs. SSP is geared toward “academically average to below average” students and is intended to aid struggling students in their effort to graduate from high school.

For more information regarding the admissions process or requirements of the program, visit SSP’s website.

5.     TEAK Fellowship

The TEAK fellowship aims to aid NYC students of high academic standing and low-income families in succeeding at top high schools and colleges by providing academic support, leadership training, mentoring, career advice, and exposure to otherwise inaccessible experiences. Students are able to become TEAK fellows beginning in the 6th grade, if eligible, and programs are designed to build a foundation for students’ success in high school and college by fostering skills, academic achievement, community involvement, and social immersion.

Fill out an Admission Info Request Form to receive more information regarding the program, and view the TEAK brochure for a brief overview of the fellowship.

-Hope Swedeen

Please note that all information has been complied using the online resources of the above organizations themselves. 4T’s has not vetted these organizations and therefore cannot vouch for the authenticity or effectiveness of their operations and/or programs. 

What can parents do during the summer to prepare their students' application materials for the fall? How can students prepare themselves to be ready for these programs if they apply and are accepted?