back to school

College Confidential: Recommendation Letters

9:30 AM

OLO ma beans!! In the spirit of back to school season, I have prepared another College Confidential post for y'all. As you are applying for college, there are many components of your application, recommendation letter being one of the most important parts after your test scores. Having a good recommendation letter means that there is one more person talking about how great you are and how much you qualify for the schools of your choice. I am here to share some tips on getting the perfect recommendation letter or getting one at least...

  1. Start early: I know applications are probably not due until November of your senior year but you need to start asking teachers at the end of Junior year. Teachers need time to write the recs and often times, if you think a teacher is awesome then twenty other students will think so too. 
  2. Participate in class: Honestly, this is one of the hardest things to do. Trust me, I am so socially awkward and I know NO ONE wants to participate in class. The thing is, there is a column that asks about student's participation in class for the Common App, so teachers kind of have to fill this out. For those of y'all who just do not want to do that, I recommend participating in the class in another way to get the teacher to remember you. Take charge and create the class t-shirt, create parties, bring food on days when you are watching movies; all of these options work. Just get the teacher to have something to write about.
  3. DO NOT SLACK OFF: Some teachers might not even tell you that they are going to write about negative behavior on your recommendation letter, so make sure that you pay attention in every class. You never know who is going to write your recommendation letter. 
  4. Be prepared for rejections: Maybe because you asked too late or because this teacher has too many recs to write so you might get rejected. This is why you need backup teachers for when the ones you want does not write your recommendation. This does not mean this teacher hates you, rather it's because they want their students to succeed so they will only write the best recommendation possible. I haven't been rejected by the teachers of my choice but I think if these teachers had rejected me, then my whole college plan would have messed up. 
I hope these tips will help everyone who is going into Junior year and those who are applying for college. Until next time, stay cool ma beans and good luck. 

aid

Last Day of School: A Great Thank You

8:00 PM

OLO ma beans!! Well I have just finished Junior year today. I have ended this year with a 3.83 GPA!!! SOMEONE HOLLA AT ME!!! I know it's not the best GPA (aka 4.00) but if you know the situation that I'm stuck in (aheemmm the hardest math teacher in the school) then you would congratulate me... But since y'all are all my fans I need you to congratulate me... #YouNeedToSupportMeBecauseYouLoveMe

Since it is the last day of school, I want to thank a few people... First, I have someone special I need to thank which is this senior in my APES class. He came to find me three times to get his yearbook signed but because I was so brain dead I couldn't write anything meaningful. I mean my brain is still dead, but I can at least say what I want to say now. I'm not sure if you are going to read this but hey there... Thank you for letting me bother you at 3 am in the morning, then at like 2 am, and then at 1 am. Then sending me your essays and your applications when I needed them even though I didn't get into any of them. You stayed patient with me even though I bothered you really late about helping my friend with math. Then giving me advice about college. You're awesome dude and you're gonna do so well in college.
The second person I want to thank is my best friend. You helped me do my homework without anything complains when I was stressing and stayed by my side even though I know I'm really negative. You let me rant to you sometimes be mean to you just so I can be happy and honestly I can't ask for anyone better to share this friendship with for the past 5 years. The last person I want to thank is my Desdemona (inside joke). He literally helped me edit an essay for THREE HOURS and then helped me with math questions. You are going to do so great in the future with your kind heart and college. I honestly think you shouldn't hang out around me because my personality is not the best. These people has made it possible for me to survive this year. I honestly cannot wait until next year where all my hard work will pay off. Now time for yoga class, until next time stay cool ma beans!!

AP testing

Weekend Happenings: When Life Give You Lemons

8:30 AM

Life doesn't give you free stuff... It just doesn't. But I'm a bit better than life so I am giving you guys double posts this week since I'm going log off for AP testing season. Basically see you all in June. Just kidding more like the last week of May... That's not much better... So AP testing season is coming so I'm studying for AP tests along with my other school work. Since I decided to be a tryhard this year, I have three AP tests to study for. And also my math grade is a C right now and if I want to go to my first choice college, I am going to need to get that to a B. Which is kind of scary since there are only around 5 tests left. My mind shrivels up just thinking about it. I really hope ma bean army can wait until I return in June for Project Inspiration Part II and this year I have a great line up for this blog. Follow me on Twitter for hints as time counts down. I have really appreciated everyone for following me around in my crazy life this school year. The last thing I can do for everyone before the end of my Junior year is to end with double posts everyday and some inspirational stuff here and there. If ma beans miss me too much, shoot me a email or follow me on Twitter and Instagram to be kept up on my daily life. I have so much planned for the summer and Senior year. I am so grateful for each and one of you. Until next time, stay cool ma beans. 

Don't miss me too much ma beans

after

Catch Up on MY LIFE!!

5:45 PM

Alrighty... I have so many stories for you guys... Let's start with the first story which I believe is the most important one yet... I GOT GA/PIT TICKETS TO SEE EXO!! 

YAY!! I am seriously so hyped that they are coming, what happened was that I had my friend buy me the ticket while I prayed by holding my phone. When she texted me like two seconds after that we got the tickets, I cannot believe what I was seeing. I AM SPENDING VALENTINE'S DAY WITH CHANYEOL, D.O, AND KAI. OH MY GEEZ!!
I still can't process how great my life has been in 2016. But then, last night, My Music Taste posted a thing on Facebook where they were like, "GA seating people will vote on whether the seating will be first come first serve or by ticket number."
I just realized that there are around 4,000 people who bought GA tickets and so... IF it's first come first serve, I'm not gonna get to the front and let me tell you something, I'm 5'3... So I literally need to be in the front because I cannot see... No way is it going to be first come first serve. If it was going to be by ticket number, I would be behind 200 something people still... So at this point, I want to sell my ticket... So if y'all want a ticket for GA4 at LA hit me up and email me!! We can def work something out!! 

Second story is a doozzzyyyy, seriously why am I not writing an autobiography?? Well... probably because no one will buy it... *awkward laughter* anyways, as you beans know I am a artist. I draw, paint, sketch, do all kinds of fun stuff... and just after New Years, I happened to sketch a picture of Dove Cameron... if you are into Disney shows (I am... I kind of never grew up) she's in practically two of them...
She's so pretty...
She liked the picture and my Instagram basically exploded with likes and followers. So right now I'm at 800 followers in a matter of three days... Honestly I didn't post that picture to get her to like it, I just wanted to show people my art... I guess the attention came out of no where... I'll definitely be working even harder now to become a better artist than before. 

Part two of this catch up is coming soon... Until next time stay cool ma beans!!

4.0

I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU GUYS!! I PROMISE!

9:54 PM

First three days of Junior year and it has already been the most hectic three days of my life. I did not have any time to post, so I'm not even going to try to schedule them and lie to myself that I posted those on that day. I sleep around 6-7 hours everyday, relying on my stored up energy and my horribly messed up circadian rhythm. So far, two of my classes have involved nothing but bonding activities, and the others are just filled with work and more work. I went through a extreme depression last night, where I was having suicidal thoughts and I just felt like I've lost all my purpose because I couldn't possibly get a 4.00 GPA this semester... BUT FEAR NOT!! BECAUSE I GOT ABOUT 3 TUTORS AND 2 FOR AP ENGLISH AND 1 FOR SATS!! SO YAYAYAYYAY!! Not really. Again... This is just a warning at all of the posts that will be coming your way because I haven't spoke to you guys in a while. Until next time, stay cool ma beans. 

AP Class Summer Homework

Q&A Thursday: Summer School Tips + AP Class Summer Homework

9:00 AM

As a Junior in high school, I have a butt load of work to do everyday, even during the summer. And ever since Common Core started, AP classes started assigning summer homework which contains everything from annotating books to planting beans, not only this but I also need to study for the SATs which are changing during next March (it might be January but I just planned on taking one in October and one in December). In addition to these things, I just have to study for my drivers license in which I still have not started. HOW COULD I POSSIBLY BALANCE THESE THINGS??

Well I asked you guys to send in some questions, and I got you covered.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are for entertainment purposes only and shall not be considered as advice in any way. Neither ahandherbeans, nor its author shall be held liable for the content in this post. I encourage you to seek professional advice or care for any problem which you may have. 

Q: I'm a incoming Freshman and my parents want me to take summer school during my Freshman to Sophomore summer. What classes do you suggest taking? Is summer school really bad?
Red = Responsibilities
A: I'm not sure if my school has the same thing as you, but yes summer school is so different than what you expect. First it all depends on how many credits is the course, for a full year course it is 10 credits but for a semester course it is 5 credits. I think I've made a post about this before, but I suggest planning out your four years of high school with your parents right now, so you guys can figure out exactly what classes you are taking. At my high school, it is not suggested to take a foreign language and a science together but I definitely thought that I could have handled it, but I didn't do it because I wanted a easy freshman year, so I took a science. And since I took Bio during the year, and I wanted to take AP Bio the following year, it was reccomended that I should take Chemistry before AP Biology, so I did and that was my summer class. Don't ever take a math during summer because it is completely useless.
Always take either an elective or a science, I personally think that these two are the less stressful ones. For my summer school I had to be in class at 7:50 and if you arrive late 3 times, you will be kicked out, and you will not get your money back. These classes are like $600 each, so I always woke up at 6 everyday. Honestly, yes and no for the bad question. Yes because you have a test everyday, and you have to get up early AND there are a lot of homework. No because you get close with the people that are in class with you. 
Q: How do you memorize so much information in one night?
A: Again, this is a special case, it all depends on what kind of teacher you get. My friend and I both got a easy teacher, so we only both had one test per week covering all of the materials. As for my teacher, he offered so much extra credit that in the end, I got Bs on the tests and I still ended with over 100%. If you were to memorize so much information, I use the 7 times rule. For me, if I memorize something 7 times, it is automatically in my head. I know that it's not really practical but it helps me memorize a bunch of stuff (since I procrastinate a lot, I often study the night before so this helps.) 
Q: I know that summer school is reallllyyy long and it basically is on going for the whole summer. Is it worth it to take the classes?
A: It all depends. Summer school to me is the time to take classes that I wouldn't want to take during the school year, like Chemistry and Physics, so I don't look forward to the classes at all. If you're like me, then it's definitely not worth it. BUT if you need to fill an requirement to take another higher level class, then summer school is worth it because during the school year you can take the classes you want to take. 

Q: Do you ever plan your days out?
A: Before I used to, but I didn't follow the plan anyways so instead of planning it out, I just do the work for 1 hour at a time. Then take five minute breaks in between. The things that I do plan out though are things that I have a definite number like the amount of pages I'm suppose to read everyday for APEng, and the number of assignments that I have left. Other than that, I don't plan anything anymore because it just doesn't work out for me. You might be wondering what my agenda is for then, weeelllll I use it to remember the things that I won't be able to remember and write down future events like birthdays and meeting days. 
That pretty much covers everything that I know of. The best advice always comes from family, so if you have a older sibling, leech off info from them and if you are like me a single child, then come and send me questions and I will answer them for you. Until next time stay cool ma beans. 

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